| Saturday 3rd of October proved to be a very busy day, with 45231 "Sherwood Forester" working "The Witch Way and Oldham Loop Farewell" tour for Spitfire Railtours, working its way around Lancashire and Yorkshire, and also a naming ceremony at Victoria Station in Manchester prior to the Oldham Loop seeing its last rail services before it becomes a part of the Metrolink Empire.
Our day started with the arrival of 45231 at a very windy Manchester Victoria, with WCRC Class 37 37707 arriving on the rear for the first part of the journey (which of course I managed to forget to photograph due to being too busy down at the steam end of the train!). This arrived as per usual on Platform 3, and then later departed for Huddersfield, which allowed us time to head for Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire to get a few shots of it as it passed through the station. Then it was back to Victoria again for the next event. 4pm saw all the action taking place on Platform One, as a newly refurbished Class 156 '156466' received the name 'Gracie Fields' from Gracie's own nephew, Mr Dougie Wakefield (well being from the Rochdale area we couldn't really miss that could we?). Also in attendance at the naming ceremony were the Mayors of Rochdale, Shaw and Oldham, along with Councillor Keith Whitmore, the chairman of the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority, and Rochdale MP Paul Rowen. On completion of the naming the 156 ran services around the Loop for the rest of the evening bearing a headboard with a "Last day of trains via the Oldham Loop" on it. Next up was 45231 again, as it arrived back at Victoria ahead of the evening part of the journey, a last ever steam trip around the Loop before closure. sadly, due to the timing of this, it was dark by the time the train reached Rochdale Station ahead of it's trip back to Manchester via Oldham, so I wasn't able to take any photographs of this, or the Class 37 as it hauled the train around the Loop later in the evening. Sad to see the Loop go, and with 2012 being the date when the trams will arrive at Rochdale, a very long wait ahead for local residents and passengers before we get to travel around the line again. It would have been really nice to have seen the steam loco travelling around the Loop, pity they couldn't have done this on the Sunday when no services would have been running, now that would have been a special 'final day'! |
Pacer approaches Manchester Victoria 1024x714 IMGP4752.jpg |
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45231 arrives at Victoria 1024x731 IMGP4757.jpg |
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On goes the 'Spitfire' headboard 1024x749 IMGP4762.jpg |
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158 approaches Hebden Bridge 1024x727 IMGP4776.jpg |
158 approaches Hebden Bridge 1024x746 IMGP4777.jpg |
158 departs from Hebden Bridge 1024x746 IMGP4778.jpg |
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45231 passes through hebden Bridge 1024x804 IMGP4782.jpg |
I love 'tugs' and this one was just sat waiting to be photographed at Manchester Victoria 1024x730 IMGP4787.jpg |
Signboard on the front and rear of the 'named' 156 1024x1021 IMGP4794.jpg |
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preparations for the naming ceremony on Platform One 1024x714 IMGP4797.jpg |
The covered nameplate 1024x702 IMGP4798.jpg |
getting ready to begin 1024x751 IMGP4799.jpg |
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The speeches begin 1024x714 IMGP4805.jpg |
Councillor Whitmore starts the speeches 1024x704 IMGP4807.jpg |
Mayor of Rochdale Keith Swift 1024x769 IMGP4809.jpg |
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Gracie's nephew prepares to unveil the nameplate 1024x787 IMGP4812.jpg |
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Richard Greenwood, well known railway photographer, and Chairman of 'STORM' (Save the Oldham, Rochdale and Manchester Group). 1024x798 IMGP4830.jpg |
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Gracie Fields' nephew Dougie wakefield 1024x734 IMGP4837.jpg |
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The Mayors go off for a jolly around the Loop 1024x684 IMGP4840.jpg |
Watch they don't arrest you lads! 1024x803 IMGP4842.jpg |
A tram arrives from Bury 1024x716 IMGP4844.jpg |
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The 156 at Rochdale in the 'bay' platform 1024x751 IMGP4858.jpg |
