An illustrated presentation by railway author Eddie Johnson,
covering the history of this fascinating railway from 1892-1988.
Venue: The Union Chapel, 2b Wellington Road, Fallowfield, M14 6EQ. see map.
When: Monday, June 26th at 7:15 for 7:30pm, lasting about 2 hours.
The picture: shows LNER B17 Class No.1664 “Liverpool” storming through Wilbraham Road station with an east-bound express in 1946 or 47. Photograph by William Lees. This is at today’s Athol Road entrance to the Fallowfield Loop. The trains ran where today, the FALLOWFIELD LOOP cycleway exists, between Chorlton & Fairfield.
The talk will cover…..
Why the line was built; the motivation behind its construction.
The types of traffic the line carried – the various freight and passenger trains that passed up and down; where they originated and their ultimate destination. There’s also one prestige passenger train that passed twice daily – but without a single passenger on board!
The architecture of the stations. Save for Hyde Road, there are some fine details to examine.
Background on some of the characters who worked on the line. Pay and conditions, for example, in the 1930s – hard times indeed.
There will be some modern image references. The line was very much a steam railway up to 1968, but there’s a good bit of input on modern traction. This will include the abandoned depot at Reddish – a shameful waste of resources if ever there was.
Finally, the rundown of the railway from the singling in the mid-1970s to the last of the Freightliners that passed daily until October 1988.
And there are a couple of “before and after” shots which we’re promised will find amazing.
A full 2 hours net time!
Book your place: on EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fallowfield-line-tickets-652059827497 to assist planning and catering.
Donations: Admission is free, but a voluntary donation of £5.00 per person is requested. Eddie has asked that any donations raised in connection with his talk go to his favoured charity, Macmillan Wellbeing Centre at Trafford General Hospital, whose work can be seen here http://www.macmillancentretrafford.org/ .
How? — Cash on the night or via JustGiving at https://www.justgiving.com/page/fotfl-1686067009926 .
Other: Tea and biscuits will be provided.
Some of Eddie’s books will be available, with proceeds again kindly going to the Macmillan Wellbeing Centre
Friends of the Fallowfield Loop 