40145 on Weaste Branch
 

40145 and 67018 bang on time on and off Weaste Branch.

pic at http://kevindelaney877.fotopic.net/c1682954.html

saw this heading south from Crewe at 8am today. How did it get to Weaste from there ?

Good "EH".

48111

To get from Crewe to Eccles/Weaste you will have to go to Warrington, make a right at Newton Le Willows and head towards Manchester over the Moss.
When you reach Eccles station there was a run round road on the motorway side of the station.
In the old days, trains for Weaste came thru Vic as far as Eccles Station,and through the x over road into the siding at the back of the up platform(Towards Vic.).
The train was then propelled down the bank onto the side of the MSC. the train stopped, and the men from the MSC attached to the rear of the train and drew it towards the MSC fuel discharge. The locomotive then went back upto Eccles and stood on the RR Road.
The trains we worked contained fuel oil .
If your train was topped and tailed, it could run into the RR and go straight into Weaste.

The last time I went to Eccles was with a Charter from Scarborough to the East Lancs Railway.
We drew into the RR Road and I attached a Class 37 onto the rer of the train, which dragged the whole lot upto Castleton where we reversed and drew the train onto the private rail.
This was January 2004. The loco was a preserved Class 40.

Yes. But the train was heading SOUTH from Crewe ! Makes it a whole lot harder to get to Weaste that way ...

Here's the full route taken from the Branch Line Society's website.

ROUTE: CREWE (not before 0740) – South Jct. connection to Salop Goods Loop Jct. (Sorting Sidings North)
– Up Through Sidings to Basford Hall Jct. – STAFFORD (pu) – Bushbury Jct. – Oxley Chord – TELFORD
CENTRAL (pu approx 0900) – Shrewsbury Down Main Line – Chirk – Wrexham Exchange Jct. – Penyffordd
– Dee Marsh Birkenhead Reception Sidings – Dee Marsh National Rail Sidings Limit – Reception Sidings –
Dee Marsh North Junction – Hope – Wrexham General (P3) – reversing Croes Newydd to P2 – Saltney Jct. –
Roodee Slow Line – Chester Down & Up Goods Line – Helsby – Acton Grange Jct. Down Main – Warrington
Down Slow – Winwick Jct. – Parkside – Eccles Up Goods Loop – Weaste Branch NR Limit – Eccles Up
Goods Loop – Manchester Victoria – Thorpes Bridge Down Passenger Loop – Castleton Down Goods Loop to
East Jct. – Hopwood Ground Frame transfer to East Lancashire Rly. – Bury Bolton Street (Short Break) –
Buckley Wells ELR Limit – Summerseat – Rawtenstall – Ramsbottom – Heywood – Hopwood GF transfer
back to NR – Castleton South Jct. – Brewery Jct. – Phillips Park West Jct. – Ashton Moss North Jct. – Denton
Jct. – STOCKPORT (sd estimated 2030) – CREWE (estimated 2120).

When you examine the workings of this job, it went the way I said it would go.
This charter also followed the route of the special train I worked in Jan 2004.
Back thru Vic to Castleton on the down, then shunt in front of Castleton SB, towards the golf Course, then through the GF to the AHB level xing onto the East Lancs Railway.
Then back to HM with Stanley of Greenline Taxis of Wakefield and home to 6 pancakes with treacle on them about 2300hrs. Driver was Steve Titheridge form Scarboro to Eccles Loop and Castleton.
Good day out and getting paid for it.
If any one wants to see the loco at York, log onto You Tube and type in " Clas 40's at York.