Brightside station trainspotting

[Texas 10]

KiwiPete, your input mentioning 'net curtains rotting away', stirred an enduring memory. Altough you can't see it, to the left on the photograph was the old District Railway from Treeton, and just a little further on you could look down into sombody's backyard. All the curtains in that yard were yellow and rotting. I'll always remember it, I used to think 'bloody hell, how can anyone live there', but then again where I lived in Pitsmoor wasn't much better. Now back to trainspotting.

[cat631 10]

The Sheffield History site has been discussing the photo in the undermentioned link and has determined that it is Brightside Station looking towards Sheffield probably in the 50's. Any guesses as to who the train spotters are?

 

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=v01883

Although a lot of the things in the old photo have gone, one of the boys is sat on a large capping stone. Look to the left of the gate in this picture.

[Texas 10]

That's unbelievable, presumably it was taken from approximately the same place. A lot of changes in 50 years, and that looks like a capping stone alright.

[elenac 10]

I originally posted on the history forum about this pic after seeing it on the Sheffield library site. The gate the lads are next to was originally only a single foot access, but, with the removal of the running line closest to them this is now used by us as a vehicle access and was widened considerably to take double gates. The signal box in the background was Brightside which was replaced by the brick structure which still stands today.

[cat631 10]

That's unbelievable, presumably it was taken from approximately the same place. A lot of changes in 50 years, and that looks like a capping stone alright.

The picture was taken from the station footbridge. You mentioned the houses near where the lads are. I remember a lad who lived in one of them but only his Christian name, Charlie. He will be 64/65 now if the smoke didn't do for him.

[cat631 10]

The Sheffield History site has been discussing the photo in the undermentioned link and has determined that it is Brightside Station looking towards Sheffield probably in the 50's. Any guesses as to who the train spotters are?

 

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=v01883

I recently revisited the site and photographed the same view.

Edited April 29, 2009 by cat631

[Texas 10]

Just before Brightside Station, on the upside goods line, was a small bridge from where you could look toward a waterway. But what was more of interest was some really massive stone buttress walling. At the base of these walls were deep grooves made by, what I guess would've been, ropes when barges were pulled along the said waterway. I wonder, are they still there? There have been many changes in and around Sheffield, seemingly with very little thought of preserving history.

[howden25 10]

I spent a lot of time trainspotting at Brightside station in the 1950's both on my own and with friends from Grimesthorpe school who lived in the Rothay Rd , Birdwell Rd and Hawkshead rd area.

I have great memories of many hours spent sat on the wall on Holywell Rd near where the old gas works was ( demolished many years ago). My Uncle Ken had an allotment opposite there so I was able to get drinks from him sometimes.

The Thames Clyde Express was a highlight of any day especially seeing the "Jub's" and "Patriot's" on that service..

Anyone else remembers those times?

John

 

The place they are sitting looks like the bottom of the steps going up to the booking office, there should have been a double gate to the side of them for when they used to be freight. The spaces in the newer pictures are where a goods line used to run round the back of the station to Upwell St Box and then to Grimesthorpe Marshalling Yd.

 

Nearly opposite where they are sitting would be Limpsfield Rd. and I spent many a day after school sitting with friends just watching the trains go by in the 40's.

 

Metal Gate at top of Station Lane would be for Engineers to get on to line.Not many places to do so on that stretch of line.

Edited May 4, 2009 by howden25
Adjusting

[jonceebee 10]

Hi John, I remember Brightside station, and the Gasworks, it was the Early Sixties and we lived on shiregreen we used to cycle on woolley wood bottom ,past the Engineers pub and up the hill past the gas holders,then opposite the Roman ridge ind estate,we used to sit on the Banking,where the Barnsley line joined the main line.

Its where the Meadowhall station is now, from there you could also see the shunting engines inside Hadfields Steelworks, in those days you might remember there was a line on a viaduct that cut from the Barnsley line to the Rotherham line.

I do remember the Thames Clyde express, it used to pass that junction,it was one of the few that went on the Barnsley line, also I think there was another express called the Waverley,it also went via Barnsley on the wood bottom.

They seemed to pass in the early evening on there way up north.

Regards, Steve

 

Hello: My friends and I used to sit on the same spot at the JCT. opposite the signal box. Yes the main expresses Thames Clyde, The Devonian and The Waverley were the one's to look out for especially when the Patriots, Royal Scots the Brits. and even the Clan Classes were to be seen from around 1962 onwards. In those days there were four running lines and when Wincobank Station platforms were still there, the goods lines ran around the back of them. As you pointed out The Thames Clyde ran from the Barnsley line via Wincobank South Jct, do you remember the 412*** series engines that continually worked along this line for Barnsley Court House, we knicknamed these the Barnsley Bugs?

[mikeG 16]

I missed all the fun. I stopped train spotting when I started work in February 1960. Spent many a Saturday at Dore and Totley junction. The only Patriot I saw there was Derbyshire Yeomanry which was shedded at Derby. No sign of Brits, Clans, Scots, other Pats in my day. Other Saturdays I'd go to Leeds, Manchester London Rd, Crewe and Doncaster. Happy days.

[hillsbro 32]

The only Patriot I saw there was Derbyshire Yeomanry which was shedded at Derby...

Yes - they were rare in Sheffield until shortly after 1960 when they were displaced by diesels on the main lines. From late 1960 several Scots were shedded at Millhouses until the shed closed in 1962, and one Patriot was also briefly there, No 45536 Private W. Wood V.C. Here is a photo of Derbyshire Yeomanry at Matlock Bath in 1957. Edited May 5, 2015 by hillsbro

[TORONTONY 10]

Yes - they were rare in Sheffield until shortly after 1960 when they were displaced by diesels on the main lines. From late 1960 several Scots were shedded at Millhouses until the shed closed in 1962, and one Patriot was also briefly there, No 45536 Private W. Wood V.C. Here is a photo of Derbyshire Yeomanry at Matlock Bath. in 1957.

 

I always found the LNER ,lines and stations were best , I was never away from Donny in the summers, loved the streaks and the windies with names, all the trains started with 6, LMS trains started with a 4. Some bigger, workhorse trains started with a 9 but were of little interest to avid trainspotters. Sigh!, I want it all back Mummy.