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Levenshulme South Station ( Fallowfield Loop Line) |
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 1948
South Levenshulme Station looking East. (Photo: The Fallowfield Line
author E M Johnson Foxline Publishers)
South Levenshulme Station building in March 2004. Renovations in progress. I'm not sure about the blue cupola!! ( Photo Carole Daniels ).
Levenshulme South Station Building 1959. At that time a Wood & DIY shop. Was it two separate businesses? ( Photo. Manchester Libraries)
This view, looking east from Parker Street, Shows the wall above the railway embankment, with Levenshulme South Station in the background. The passage leads to Kevin Street. The semi-detached houses in the background were, I think, built by the railway company to house the station master and possibly his assistant. ( Manchester Libraries) Levenshulme North- Albert Road
Levenshulme North Station from Albert Road, March 2004. Compare to the above earlier photograph. ( Photo Carole Daniels ).
A wet scene on Albert Road, early 20th century.( Photo via Cliff Garratt)
Another very atmospheric photo of Albert Road in the rain during the 1930s. Note the large station sign board. Everything looks very orderly and well maintained. See the photos below for a more up to date view of this area. ( Manchester Librairies)
The entrance to Levenshulme Station in December 2007. The posts and steps look similar to the above photo. The street at the side of the station is now signposted " The Street With No Name"!!
This is the entrance to Levenshulme Station on the other side of the bridge nearer to Stockport Road. No longer in use and looking derelict, it is still possible to view some of the original structure of the Victorian Station. December 2007
The East side of the station seen from another angle. There were houses where this car park now stands
The pedestrian tunnel looking west . Note different colours of brickwork. The red bricks were from the early 1960s when the the South Levenshulme Station was heavily " modernised". The tunnel was at one time divided by a heavy wooden fence. To the right of this view once stood Burdetts Bakery,
This street, known as either Station Grove or Station View is The same street as the above photo. Taken in 1970, this shows the old Burdetts Bakery, at that time serving as Levenshulme Market. Now no more. Note the two bakers on both corners. Levenshulme folk loved their cakes!! ( Manchester Libraries)
Levenshulme North Station in 1949. These buildings all disappeared in the rebuilding in 1959 (Photo Manchester Libraries)
Re-building 1959, Electrification has arrived and the old station buildings have been demolished. ( Photo Manchester Libraries)
Another view during re-building. The end building survived because it housed the entrance stairs from Albert Road.( Photo. Manchester Libraries)
Re-construction of Albert Road bridge. When the London-Manchester line was electrified a great deal of work was carried out on widening the trackbed & rebuilding a number of the bridges. Most of the Levenshulme bridges were rebuilt, although the ones at Alma Road & Clare Road do not seem to have been extensively altered. ( Photo Manchester Libraries)
An unusual view taken from the platform of Levenshulme North Station looking East towards St Peters church. In the left of the picture is the roof of the Palace cinema & the roof of the bakery. The picture was taken in the early 1980s by Colin Irving. South Levenshulme Goods Yard-Broom Lane
An interesting view of the UCP ( United Cattle Products) factory and its famous chimney, taken from just behind the signalbox on the South Levenshulme line. Also in view is the lattice work iron footbridge.( See Below) This photo taken in 1965 also features part of the dereliction of " The Brickie" ( Manchester Libraries)
The Fallowfield Loop line passing under Kingsway a little way south of Moseley Road. Note the UCP poster on the advertising hoarding. ( Manchester Libraries)
December 2007. Not much remedial work has been carried out on the old station building. Compare to previous photo.
South Levenshulme Station, February 2004, showing the new footpath & cycleway. The embankment does not look as deep as I remember. The access is from Crayfield Road to the right. You can walk west as far as Chorlton. The footpath ends at Highfield Road currently. (Photo. Andrew Barber)
This photo, taken in 1965, shows the derelict South Levenshulme Station before the platform buildings were demolished. Note how overgrown the platforms had become, also the remains of the station gas lamps. ( Photo Manchester Libraries)
This is the view looking the opposite way towards Broom Lane, March 2004. Note the pathway has been raised up at this pint to allow access to the cycle/footpath from Crayfield Road. ( Photo. Carole Daniels)
The same view in December 2007. Note that a new tunnel has been created, probably to strengthen the bridge on Stockport Road. Pity about the graffiti!!
The Model Steam Train, South Levenshulme Does anyone remember the model steam train which ran on a track at the top of the embankment on the south side of South Levenshulme Station? How long was it there, and who built and operated it? I seem to think the owner gave rides on it to local children during the summer. I never got to ride on it though!
This photo shows the approximate location of the model steam railway. I got my friend Dave Irving to point to where the line was located. Nothing there now to show that it ever existed. December 2007 A Levenshulme Railway Landmark The following series of photographs show a Levenshulme railway landmark which must be familiar to generations of Levenshulme residents. It is the very unique iron foot bridge which crosses the Fallowfield Loop line east of South Levenshulme Station. Did the bridge have a name? I only hope that future generations see its significance as a piece of unique railway architecture! I have no idea when the bridge was built but it must be of a similar age to the railway line. The bridge was accessed, and still is, from a rather overgrown footpath starting on Broom Lane . The bridge led to the, in my generation, wonderful open aspect of Jacksons "Brickie" This vast excavated area was used as a landfill in the 1970's & 80's and is now a kind of Country Park.
Passenger train passing under the foot bridge 1948. ( photo Levenshulme Loop Line)
The above photographs show my old school friend Tony Woodford standing on the bridge in 1999. As kids we used to watch the steam trains pass under the bridge & run up and down through the clouds of smoke & steam. I can still smell the smoke!! The second photo shows a group of enthusiasts trekking along the Fallowfield Loop line in July 2002. The railbed is now being turned into a walking & cycling pathway. ( 2nd Photo. Aiden O'Rourke )
Two views of the footbridge looking north, December 2007. Thats me in the second photo! This bridge seems to get to look more dilapidated every time I see it. Any hope for some preservation? Question? Why does the cycle/footpath leave the original railbed here? Is the bridge considered unsafe to walk under? The Levenshulme Railway Goods Yards I am looking for information on the two Levenshulme Railway goods yards. When were they built, how long were they in operation, what type of goods were handled Etc. During my childhood they seemed to be mainly used as Coal sidings servicing the local coal merchants. The coal probably came from the South Yorkshire coalfields, but it could also have been mined locally. The two yards were, Alma Road (BR Midland Region) & Broom Lane (BR Fallowfield Loop Line ). The coal merchants that I remember are Barbers, Harry Kay, Hodgkinsons. There were others! I remember the 3 wheeler Scammell trucks used by some coalmen & by British Railways. In the early fifties it was quite probable that some coal was still delivered by horse & cart. Alma Road Goods & Mineral Yard
The photos above show:- #1 A Barbers Removals Van, parked on Alma Road opposite the gates to the London Midland & Scottish Railways (LMS) Goods & Mineral Yard. This photo, taken in the 1930s, shows the gates leading to the goods yard. I believe the sign was still there in the 1960s! #2 A Barbers Removals container being loaded or unloaded. I don't know where this was taken, but it probably is not in Levenshulme!
The site of the Alma Road Goods & Mineral yard, February 2004. This is now the Kwik Save parking lot. This is roughly where the gateway to the old yard stood. ( Photo Andrew Barber )
The Alma Road goods yard site in December 2007. Since the previous photo Kwik Save has closed down so the car park is currently disused. Broom Lane Goods & Coal Sidings
This view from 1959 shows the re-built bridge parapet on the corner of Broom Lane & Broom Ave. Note the Goods Depot buildings and various coal merchants buildings, including Mitchells. ( Photo. Manchester Libraries)
The same corner looking south down Broom Lane. Note The railway bridge parapet on this side of the lane was rebuilt during the early 1960s. ( Manchester Libraries)
The above photos taken in 1959 show the South Levenshulme Goods Yard when t was still in operation. Compare to the view immediately below. ( Photo. Manchester Libraries)
The above three photographs show views of the South Levenshulme Goods Sidings site as it exists in February 2004.The Sidings Pub & a small modern housing development now stand where coal & mineral wagons were once shunted in and out of a busy railway depot. (Photos. Andrew Barber )
Not a very clear photograph, but it does show a parade passing by the Broom Lane Sidings in 1912. The photo was taken from the corner of Station Road, looking north east. The various buildings/huts shown in this picture still existed in the 1950s. The farthest one was a coal merchants office, the centre one was the weigh scale office and the nearest one is again a coal merchants office. The iron railings still existed in the 1980s. Note, the cobbled surface of Broom Lane and Station Road and also the fine dress of the onlookers. The photo came from a 2002 calendar sent to me by my sister. A locomotive named "LEVENSHULME"
The above photo shows a locomotive bearing the name "LEVENSHULME". The locomotive is an "M" class contractors locomotive,0-6-0 saddletank No.1113. This locomotive was built in 1889 by Manning Wardle & Co. of Leeds, and delivered new to T A Walker the contractors for the Manchester Ship Canal. It later passed to Topham, Jones & Railton and was used in the construction of The Great Central Railway between Leicester & Rugby in the period 1894-98. Later still it worked on the Kings Dock contract in Swansea between 1904-09. Nothing is known after that time. This photo was taken on 12th June 1897, working between Aylestone & Rugby. The locomotive probably never worked in the Levenshulme area, so how did it get its name? Any thoughts? ( Photo via Leicestershire County Council, Photographer S W A Newton) Crossley Road Railway Bridge
The Crossley Road bridge in 1959, looking east towards Lloyd Road.. This re-built bridge eventually enabled double decker buses to pass under it. In this view the road surface has yet to be lowered, so in 1959 only single deck buses such as the No 22 Eccles service were able to pass through. When the road was lowered it created a steep dip in the road which has been subject to flooding during heavy rain. This problem persists to the present day!! ( Photo. Manchester Libraries) Reddish Sheds ( The Reddish Depot) The Reddish Diesel Locomotive Depot, affectionately known as "Reddish Sheds" was located just over the Stockport border near the reservoirs in Reddish. To several generations of Levenshulme trainspotters it was a place of fascination, as indeed it was for trainspotters countrywide. This busy depot was built in the 1950s, but alas it is no more. Only broken bricks & general desolation remain!!
These two photographs show something of what used to exist at Reddish Depot. ( Photos Andy Sparks via Stockport Heritage Magazine) The Blue Pullman For a short period in the early 1960s a new Pullman service was operated between Manchester Central Station & St Pancras in London. The service was known as the " Midland Pullman", and was unusually only First Class. The diesel units used on this service were maintained at Reddish Sheds, and used the Fallowfield Loop Line to transit to and from Manchester Central. The diesels were brand new units, and were only ever used on the London Midland and West Country services. I remember these trains passing through the long closed Levenshulme South station, and I often saw them early on the morning waiting on a signal right in front of my house in Crayfield Road. I would love to find some photos of these trains passing through Levenshulme. Someone must have photographed them! In the meantime here are a couple of photos found on the internet.
Not Levenshulme, but a very good shot of a Midland Pullman train at rest. The train looks old fashioned by todays standards, but was "state of the art" in 1960.
The Midland Pullman at Manchester Central Station in the 1960s. This once very busy mainline terminus is now the site of the G-Mex exhibition & conference centre, and the magnificent train hall and the "Clock" still exist.
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1910
Levenshulme Station. Albert Road (Photo: Looking Back At Levenshulme &
Burnage.1987 Willow Publishing)
Passenger Train
heading South through Levenshulme North Station, Albert Road. Probably in
the 1950's. Note the wooden platforms! The Station was modernized in the
early 1960's.
1962
The Main Line & Goods Yard near Levenshulme South Station, looking west.
The train is the Liverpool to Hull boat train. Yes, this was a main line!
It operated up to October 1988. The trackbed is now being turned into a
walking/cycling pathway. Photo: The Fallowfield Line)
1999.
Not a particularly good photograph, but it shows roughly the same view as
above in May 1999. New houses, and a Pub now exist where the Goods Yard
once stood.
2001. A great
view of the back of Levenshulme South Station as it currently exists. The
platforms are gone. The covered stairs leading down to the platforms were
demolished in the 1970's The Station fell to "Beechings Axe" in
July 1958,but
the bulk of this very unique & odd shaped building still exists. This view
is looking West ,the Main London to Manchester line can just be glimpsed
through the tunnel.(Photo: Aidan O'Rourke)
This image is taken from a transparency taken by me in 1971. I was trying
out my new Practika SLR camera. The photo is a little fuzzy, but it shows
the rear of South Levenshulme Station at that time. The covered steps to
the station were still there, and the windows at the rear were still
intact. The photograph was taken through the front room window at 14
Crayfield Road.
This photo shows the railbed in 2002 looking East from the tunnel beneath
the London to Manchester Midland Region/LMS line. Note the burned out car,
a current abandoned railway feature! Over the bridge parapet you can see
the top of South Levenshulme Station on Stockport Road.
This
photograph shows a later view of the same area during the building of the
new cycle & footpath. ( Photo Aidan O'Rourke)
These two photos are a before & after view of the bridge. The first shows
the last train to use this line, October 1988. Note the ruins of the UCP
in the background. ( Photo: The Fallowfield Loop Line.E. M. Johnson ) The
second shows the bridge in recent times, including graffiti & burned out
car.( Aidan O' Rourke )
