Cotton Spinning

Easter steam round the Oldham Loop

Over the Easter Weekend Riley & Son (Railways) ran their first steam hauled charter trains. These ran on Easter Sunday & Monday from Manchester Victoria around the Oldham Loop 5 times each day using Black 5 4-6-0 45407 (carrying the number 45157) & Standard Class 4 2-6-0 76079.
In the preceding weeks the weather had been very dry and, although there had not been any problems so far, the risk of line side fires was thought to be quite high and, to minimize the risk, the train was restricted to just 4 coaches.
All but one train ran around the loop in the anti clockwise direction. The odd one out is heard in this recording passing Rochdale East Jc. and starting on the short 1 in 55 climb away from the Calder Valley line behind 76079.

Finding suitable locations for line side recordings on this route proved to be fraught with difficulties. In such a heavily built up area road noise is almost impossible to avoid and much of the route is quite simply inaccessible.
The steepest sections on the route are the climb from Manchester Victoria to Miles Platting and the climb to Oldham Werneth. This recording was made about half way up Platting Bank almost above the entrance to Cheetham Hill Tunnel on the Metrolink route to Bury.
Black 5 45407 can be heard accelerating on the 1 in 59 climb out of Manchester Victoria.
The train passes under Rochdale Road and can then be heard continuing on the gradient which steepens to 1 in 47.

The next train was hauled by Standard Class 4 76079 and we decided to make an attempt at a recording on the steep climb up to Oldham Werneth.
The first spot we looked at seemed likely to result in our being mugged and we decided that surviving the experience was more important than getting a good recording so we ended up back in the public park in Coalshaw Green near Hollinwood where our first recording of the day had been made.
That first recording, which wasn't all that good, was made at the bottom end of the park where the 1 in 52 gradient is just beginning so we decided to try the top end of the park this time.
In the morning the weather had been quite dull but by this time it was sunny and warm and, of course there were far more people about most of whom appeared quite curious as to what we were doing.
We suffered the attentions of children who wanted to know if we were train spotters and dogs who wanted to eat our microphones.
We also had a visit from a local lady who just wanted to reminisce about when she was a girl watching lengthy double headed trains of empty coaches struggling up the bank to Mumps on the Friday evening before Oldham Wakes Week ready for the exodus the following morning!
Still, we were lucky that none of these distractions managed to spoil this recording of 76079 beginning to climb the gradient to Werneth.

On the following day, 21st April 2003, a ride around the route behind BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 76079 was the first thing on the agenda.
Thanks to forecast heavy rain, which actually arrived early in the day, the load had been increased by one coach to 5.
This is how the Standard sounded about 20 minutes late not long after departing from Manchester Victoria climbing the 1 in 59 and 1 in 47 gradient to Miles Platting.
The recording starts just before the train passes under Rochdale Road and ends as easier gradients are reached at Miles Platting.

This next recording begins soon after passing through Hollinwood station where the gradient to Oldham Werneth begins, initially at 1 in 52.
Nearer to Werneth the gradient steepens to 1 in 44 and, on this section which is also on a fairly sharp curve, 76079 slips a little before reaching Werneth station and entering the tunnel beyond.

76079 also took the next train round the loop from Manchester and is heard in this recording made about half way up Platting Bank.
The Standard 4 running tender first can be heard accelerating it's five coach load up the 1 in 59 gradient. The Standard passes under Rochdale Road and can be heard continuing the climb, which steepens to 1 in 47 towards the top.

Black Five 45407 worked the next train and is heard in this recording climbing the short gradient which takes the railway over the Rochdale Canal soon after passing Failsworth. As the Black 5 approaches a Manchester bound DMU rattles down the gradient from Hollinwood.