Here Manchester Central, very much of the LMS Midland and North Western heritage.

Now the G-Mex conference centre

Below we see the under croft where goods were stored and trans-shipped

It is now the Car park for the G-Mex

Gone are the rails and the cobbles have all been cleaned

A typical Midland Railway Scene

Mixed good traffic. Good were the heart and soul of most railways but non more so than the Midland Railway with coal iron and manufactured good galore 

Midland Railway Posters

Bradford Midland Now

Compare the early twentieth century picture with this recent one showing the Midland Hotel and what remains of that superb facade to the old Midland station now removed some 1000 yard to the north.

Bradford Midland Station

Where it all began

Darlington station the terminus of the Stockton the Darlington line and where George Stephenson began the story

LNWR in paint and picture

LNWR Precedent class locomotives. The flyers of the late 19th century

Looks like Minehead

Diging round the archives I found these two which look like Minhead

A BR Standard Tank and a Small Prairie

The Great WesternRailway

The called themselves God's Wonderful Railway 

In many ways they were as they served so many happy holiday places in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall

A few more from my Favorite place GWR 2 8 0

GWR 2 8 0 goods engine resting in the sun at Minehead

Midland Compound

Now resident at Shildon

Midland Railway

After grouping the Midland became the dominant force in West Yorks and Lancs. 

Midland Compound

The Midland compound was a lone experiment.  In a country with an abundance of coal it fell on stony ground.  In France of course where there was no such abundance then compounding was more common

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Rising prices

In 1901 9t cost 6d or 2 1/2 np. At a recent sale it cost three pounds that 120 times the original value not a bad investment ehh

Looking forwards to August and my visit to Minehead

My last few from years past

Minehead

LNWR lins to the Atlantic trade

The London and North Westerns link to the North Atlantic trade and the emigrant route to the new world was Liverpool

Hardwick in steam

A picture from may years ago.Here we see Hardwick in steam at York station 

LNWR Precedent also know as 'Jumbos'

Hardwick, LNWR Precedent class loco at the NRM York

Quite a feat in the early 1900's

LNWR Express locomotive Cornwall

Cornwall of the L&NWR as built

Same era as the coal tank and thankfully preseved but not running.

As preserved at the NRM Shildon

Do visit the NRM site at http://www.nrm.org.uk

London and North Western Railway

Oldest working locomotive

The Webb Coal Tank of the LNWR must be the oldest steam locomotive working passenger trains, certainly in this country of not more. All credit to the Bahamas Society for their worked and thanks to the national heritage lottery fund for the money.

Built in the 1880's these engines were designed for the London suburban workings but soon their abilities were recognised over many parts of the LNWR network

Webbs Coal tank back in business

Webs Coal Tank has returned and was working trains on the KWVR at the February steam festival. 

Statfold Barn Railway

I first came across Statfold at the Lynton and Barnstaple railway some five or six years ago. Further research took me to the Statfold Barn Railway. This is a privately owned railways and the locomotives are built at the site. They do hold open days and have a website. They are of 60cm gauge or 1' 11 1/2''

http://www.statfoldbarnrailway.co.uk

Do pay them a visit. Many thanks for the pictures here.

Statfold

Statfold and Irish mails

NYMR Grosmont and Goathland

Stephenson s original tunnel at Grosmont

The 'new' tunnel

Grosmont

Goathland (Aidensfield)

Hopefully as the weather now improves I shall be back up there camera at the ready

Shrewsbury

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway leisure

The Lancashire dales are every bit as nice as the big brother Yorkshire dales. Take the road out of Skipton to Barnoldswick and travel south west and you will go through some lovely country.

London & North Western Railway poster

This musy have been a magnificent advance on the two days by coach

London and Birmingham Railway early locomotive

Often know and copper knobs because of the copper boiler dome

Bushey troughs in the early days

Long distance expresses such as the boat train and the Irish Mails needed non stop servicing especially for water hungry fast locomotives. Bushey troughs provided the answer

Holyhead and the boat trains

By sea then the link could be made with Ireland

Lancashire and Yorkshire with the Midland Railway

Ever northwards the railway stretched to include the Midland and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways.

London and Birmingham Railway

Building the railways was a mammoth task and all completed with arm and muscle power. Here below we see Bourne and Camden in those early days. Tunnels weren't dug in the traditional manner, they were totally excavated then the lining built and covered then infilled over which the suburbs were built. Many beautiful structures which remain today and serve the high speed trains of the twentieth and twenty first centuries