Beeston
Beeston
junction 1960s : David Hey
 With the passing of years, our old snapshots can become
valuable archive material for a variety of reasons. This snatched photograph
of a 2-6-4T heading empty mineral wagons at Beeston Junction on the line
between Leeds and Doncaster, is hardly a 'top drawer' action shot, but it
does show a scene that has changed dramatically over the years. With
ever-increasing demands for modern housing and purpose-built industrial
units, there is no stopping property developers from making inroads into
'green-belt' areas. Today, a modern out-of-town shopping centre occupies the
fields on the extreme left, whilst the post-war pre-fab housing at
Cottingley in the distance has been replaced by high-rise tower blocks - and
typical of the motorway extravagances in the region, the Leeds Ring Road has
been upgraded to serve the busy M62 at Junction 28. As for the railway
scene? There are those with fallible memories who believe that station
closures are exclusive to Beeching. Not so! Between 1948 and 1955 (from
nationalisation to the Modernisation Plan) the British Transport Commission
approved the closure of 100 passenger services and 324 stations. The outer
tracks at Beeston Junction once formed the start of a fly-over junction with
the Batley Branch which closed to passenger traffic on 29 October 1951. |
 BEESTON JUNCTION :
August 1961
Class V2 No 60889 heads the mid-afternoon 'White Rose' for
Kings Cross through Beeston Junction in August 1961 |
 Beeston DMU 1980s
: David Hey
The same spot twenty years on, but a view
already consigned to history following the completion of the ECML
electrification scheme connecting Leeds with the main line at Doncaster,
a 3-car Metro-Cammell dmu heads towards Wakefield in 1983. |
 Beeston
junction August 1961 : David Hey
The 'down' track crossed the main line by a
flyover, which can be seen in the background of this August 1961 shot of
Class A1 60117 Bois Roussel heading a
Leeds-bound goods.
Tingley Gas Works can be seen on the horizon. |
 Beeston weedkilling
1980s : David Hey
In the opposite direction, an unidentified Class
40 heads a weed-killing train towards Leeds. |
Leeds United Juniors 1962 : David Hey
 Football and steam trains - both favourite hobbies for
thousands of boys in the Sixties. I'm harking back to the unsullied days of
childhood before the neurotic obsession with a girl's vital statistics began
to manifest itself during adolescence. In 1962, I was still a naïve
youngster playing football for Horsforth Youth Club - a side regarded good
enough to face Leeds United Juniors on the club's practice ground next to
the Elland Road Stadium. During the pre-match warm up, I took this impromptu
shot of the young Leeds side posing for the camera, which, at the exact same
moment of pressing the shutter, captured a Class A3 heading a Leeds-Kings
Cross train on the climb to Beeston Junction. Older readers will probably
recognise some of the players? Nearest the camera on the back row, is a
youthful Eddie Gray and goalkeeper David Harvey, both of whom went on to
represent their country, Scotland, at international level. |
 Beeston
White Rose : David Hey
All artists nurture delusions of painting a
masterpiece; it is the fabric which binds us together. It can bring instant
success and recognition for our work, plus the chance of earning some spare
cash. Well, sorry to disillusion anyone, but the pictures that fetch the
highest prices have generally been painted by artists now deceased! But
don't be put off by this. Painting pictures of trains is a good way of
compensating for those anyone who feels they missed out on the heydays of
steam, such as a witnessing the spectacle of a Class A4 'Streak' heading the
'White Rose' on the climb through Beeston. |
Stourton
Stourton 1960s : David Hey
 Photographs of steam in the landscape are hardly
remarkable since an engine trailing smoke and steam was an everyday
occurrence in the early 1960s, yet it always turned people's heads. Here, a
Class 4F and Black 5 pass on the former MR main line between Stourton and
Woodlesford, south of Leeds.
In 2005 I tried to trace the exact spot of this
shot, but the foreground is now shrouded in tress and shrubs, the Skelton
Grange Power Station has long since gone and the M1 extension connecting
with the A1(M) at Wetherby crosses the line hereabouts, so my search was
fruitless. |
Stourton 1960s : David Hey
 Mention
of the transition from steam is still liable to evoke strong emotions
from a faithful band of enthusiasts, who remain unconvinced that steam
had outlived its usefulness. At the time, BR was accused of placing too
much emphasis on the procurement of diesels, and too little attention on
providing adequate maintenance facilities. The headlong rush into
dieselisation was considered a farcical state of affairs, and it was not
surprising that a high incidence of diesel breakdowns occurred - and
when it did, steam was usually called upon to save the day (a point
immediately seized upon by the die-hards of the steam faith). Here, a
dmu failure probably accounted for the appearance of 'Jubilee' class No
45626 Seychelles on a local Leeds to Sheffield train between Hunslet and
Stourton in July 1963. |
Stourton 1980s : David Hey
By the early Eighties, the first generation dmus (built to designs
conceived during the 1950s) were more than a decade past their best, yet
they continued to put in sterling service. Even so, the units were a long
way past their best, and in 1975 BR introduced a refurbishing programme,
including repainting, improved heating and ventilation, soundproofing and
general improvements to the interior.
 The treatment may well have been
tangible proof of the worthiness of the old stock, yet it served to
underline the need for more modern vehicles. In 1984, BR embarked on a
programme of almost total replacement of its existing fleet, with the
introduction of the second-generation dmus, including the
new Class 14X
'Pacer' and Class 15X 'Sprinter' types.
Of interest in the 1980s shot, is
the aged BR Class 100 dmu Nos 51122 and 56300 parked in the left background.
Built by Gloucester RCW, the units were retained for departmental use, and
dubbed the 'Stourton Saloon' for use by the Eastern region Area Manager and
line inspection up to withdrawal in 1990. In the right foreground, track
realignment is underway serving the Freightliner Terminus at Stourton,
situated on the site of the former steam shed. |
Back to David Heys Collection
All text & photographs copyrighted © David Hey
Reproduction prohibited |
