The LNER Encyclopedia

Hi. I've spent the last two years gathering information on the Manchester central station line with the intention of building a model of Fallowfield station in 4mm. As anyone who is familiar with the prototype will understand, the most difficult part of the project is bound to be the amazingly complicated station buildings which straddled the lines. So far I have managed to build a scale mock up without details to check my measurements and compare with photos. This has been a great success but there are still one or two dark areas. I'm aware of the "disused stations" site and the Foxline book on the subject. As a matter of fact, during the course of my endeavour, I have had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of the author, Mr Eddie Johnson, who has been kind enough to allow me access to his collection of pictures and offer advice. I'm sure I can't be the first person to be tempted to have a go at this fascinating subject in the fifty two years since it's closure and was wondering if anybody on this site had unpublished pictures, literature or even memories that might help. I'd be very happy to hear from you. Spech.

I suggest you check out Greater Manchester Archives http://www.gmcro.co.uk/

They have an online list of plans including many that are of ex GC stations in the Manchester Area. I can't remember specifically if they have any for Fallowfield but it's certainly worth a try.

I would also suggest Manchester City Council Central Library Local Studies Unit. (Except currently their normal building is out of action and I don't know what temporary service is in lieu.) They have photos of many Manchester area stations. I found pictures of Hyde Road and Wilbraham Road (aka Alexandra Park) there, so they could have Fallowfield too.

I do have (somewhere) some slides of the main Fallowfield building taken post closure but prior to partial demolition. Somewhere!

Good luck with this project, I did know someone who thought of building this station in P4 but as far as I know he didn't get far. It's certainly a place I should like to see modelled...

There is a 2 chain survey of the line in the National Archives at Kew under reference RAIL483/158 dated 1893 which may be of some help. I didn't find anything in the Greater Manchester Archives when I went through their stuff a few years ago, but a lot of it was then uncatalogued so something may have turned up by now.

Andy

Hi bw1165 and Andy.Thanks for your comments. I have tried the archive office and found an excellent plan drawing of the station. With regard to your post bw1165, I was very interested to hear that you might have some slides. I have just about all the material I need to reproduce the front and sides of the main building in detail but if your pictures show the back, or platform side, they may be just what I'm looking for. If this is the case, could we figure out a means by which I could get to see them? I've tried posting a photo of the aforementioned test model on here but it just keeps telling me the picture is too large and I'm not clever enough to do anything about it. I will persevere however, because I think it will be of interest to anyone who is remotely familiar with what we now call the fallowfield loop. Spech.

I think I just worked out how to reduce the size of a photo so, hopefully, here is the model I've been wittering on about. Remember that this is only meant to be a trial run, hence the lack of any windows, chimneys or other details. Please let me know if you can see it properly.

Not only can I see it, it looks good. Really good! As you said it is a complex structure but potentially it could be a stunning model. The slides unfortunately only show the front, and there is also the small matter of finding the things. I will have a scout around but it's a bit needle-in-haystack. And quite a big haystack at that. I am not a tidy or organised person.

Have you chosen a period for the model?

bw1165 wrote:Not only can I see it, it looks good. Really good! As you said it is a complex structure but potentially it could be a stunning model. The slides unfortunately only show the front, and there is also the small matter of finding the things. I will have a scout around but it's a bit needle-in-haystack. And quite a big haystack at that. I am not a tidy or organised person.

Have you chosen a period for the model?

I think I'll settle for imediately post nationalisation. I was briefly toying with the idea of a "what if the electrification had happened" theme, cutting back the canopies and building a stock of EM2s/ EM1s. To be honest I'm not very disciplined when it comes to period.

You've probably already found it, but the Manchester Library Archives and Local Studies photographic collection is (mostly) online as the Manchester local image collection at:

images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

One interesting Fallowfield photo in the collection is this one showing the goods yard with the station in the background:

images.manchester.gov.uk/web/pages/comm ... firn=42475

Most of the remainder of the photos of the station are of the frontage, I think.

If you've been in contact with Eddie Johnson then you presumably know of the other Manchester area Foxline books by him and also one by Raymond Keeley with photos of Fallowfield.

If you need photos of the goods shed then there are 4 photos of this in the May 1956 Model Railway Constructor.

Batty’s The Woodhead Route (Ian Allan) has a late 1960s diesel era view of the disused station.

I’m researching Chorlton-cum-Hardy station with a view to building a 2mm scale model set circa 1950 at some point so I'll be interested to see your progress on this project.

Immediately post-nationalisation is certainly an interesting period with a wide variety of liveries and the last few GCR B7 and B9 4-6-0s still operating on the line. Having said that, 1924 with the possibility of ex-works B3s etc from Gorton in green and a Gresley A1 on banking duty would be very tempting!

Thanks for the info 9E. I have managed to get hold of most of the stuff you mentioned already but I'm very interested in the goods shed pictures. I've managed to locate a copy of MRC may 1956 and that should be on it's way to me soon. As far as stock is concerned, I can't wait to see an Ivat Atlantic emerge from under the main building pulling a rake of Gresley teaks with a Barnum thrown in to disrupt the roof line. It'll take a long time but keep a look out for posts regarding Fallowfield. Spech.