Turntable at Godley Junction

Photograph © John Philips and used here with permission.
Cheshire Lines tracks to Woodley and Stockport Tiviot Dale are on the immediate left, the G.C./L.N.E.R to Guide Bridge and Manchester beyond. This was the changeover point for trains from and to the C.L., to electric power. Hence the turntable in use. (Only one C.L. line passenger daily: the overnight from Marylebone divided here, with its Liverpool portion headed off down the C.L.)

Here is where trains heading for Fiddler's Ferry power station via Warrington Arpley would exchange locomotives. The whole point of the railway was to carry Yorkshire coal to Lancashire for burning in one way or another. Originally the trains were steam hauled but after electrification of the Woodhead line in the 1950s the class 76 electric locos would draw the train onto the branch and un-couple before running around and departing; subsequently, a diesel loco would appear and hook-on for the remainder of the trip. Freight services over Woodhead ended in 1981 and this line became redundant.

This photograph by Joe Lloyd is from the Hyde Cheshire blog. Here the Hattersley estate is visible in the background.

See how the remains of the turntable looked in 2007 on Hyde Daily Photo Volume 1 and in 2010 on Hyde DP Xtra.

Photographs of the overgrown turntable as it looks now can be found on Hyde Daily Photo and Hyde DP Xtra.

Sending water to Manchester (1888)

Click on image to view large size
This fascinating map is taken from the Journal of the Manchester Geographical Society which published an address given by William Sherratt on April 4th 1888.

Here are a few snippets as regards the reservoirs of the Longdendale Valley.

Longdendale was chosen as a source due its purity taking only second place within the UK to that at Loch Katrine. There is a softness in the Manchester water and a freedom from those salts and chemicals held in solution which give to other water supplies their varying hardness.

The Longdendale gathering grounds will be seen on the map, where the valley into which the water flows and river Etherow are shown. It was damned up and made into reservoirs. The area of this drainage ground is 19,300 acres of thirty square miles. There are 975 acres of water.

The height of Woodhead above the Ordnance level is 782ft. The water is sent on from Rhodes Wood reservoir to Arnfield and Hollingworth by its own gravitation.

There are innumerable springs. Each spring, as it is found, is tapped and the flow conducted into what is called a spring-water conduit. There is an arrangement by which this conduit simply takes up the pure spring water and lets the flood water go into Woodhead reservoir. There is a weir which receives the water from Heyden Brook. This pure spring-water conduit goes underneath. The moment any rain or flood comes it swells the stream at once, and instead of the water falling into the pure spring-water conduit it escapes over the sill.

At Hollingworth there are houses for the incubation of fish. Char and trout are turned into the reservoir and their presence does away the fishy odour and taste which arose from a species of snail. The fish act as scavengers.

To read the whole text view this pdf file.

Godley reservoir lies on the Manchester side of the Longdendale reservoirs. See a track to Godley reservoir on Hyde Daily Photo.

Godley Hall Inn

This photograph taken in August 1999 by Frank Bennett and reproduced here with his permission, first appeared on the Images of England site.

A grade II listed house which is now a public house.

"ICE 1718" on door lintel. Squared rubble with graduated stone slate roof and brick stacks. 3-bay 2-storey plan, the original door position, (now on the rear) suggests a baffle-entry. A 2-storey stair wing at the rear (now the front) is used as a porch and C20 additions have been added to each end. 3 window openings on each floor totalling three 2-light double-chamfered mullion windows (2 with hoodmoulds and all with mullions removed) 2 plain casement openings and a round-headed light. The porch has 2 similar round-headed lights, projecting plinth, an off-centre door, and a coped gable with kneelers and a ball finial. 2 ridge stacks and a later door to the right. The blocked door to the rear has a moulded surround and finely carved dated lintel. 3-light double-chamfered window and a single storey wing of a slightly later date. Interior much altered.

Recent photographs of Godley Hall Inn can be found on Hyde Daily Photo and Hyde DP Xtra.

Godley Junction Marshalling Yards

This photograph of the marshelling yards at Godley Junction was taken on 24th March 1989 by Peter Whatley and is reproduced here with permission.

It shows the extent of the sidings required at Godley Junction for locomotive changes between electric and diesel traction. At one time, the trackbed to the right was the main route for Yorkshire coal to Fiddlers Ferry electricity generating station via Woodhead. Godley Junction was the point at which electric traction gave way to diesel. Changes in coal flows and the expense of traction changes at both ends of the journey led inexorably to the Woodhead route's closure in 1981.

Godley Junction had no rationale as a passenger station and was replaced by a new station simply named Godley, but pending formal closure proceedings was renamed Godley East and served by a handful of trains on weekdays to fulfil legal requirements.

You can view Station Road, Godley on Hyde Daily Photograph.

Haymaking at Dove Farm 1913

Dove Farm, built in 1675 and enlarged in 1781, is said to be haunted by hounds. It is in the Godley Green area, but I don't have a modern photograph.

This haystack (click on picture for a larger view) was set on fire on Thursday, 4th September 1913 and was still burning the following Tuesday.

Godley East 1989

This photograph of Godley East Station, taken on 24th March 1989 by Peter Whatley and reproduced here with permission, appears on the Geograph site with the description

At one time, the trackbed to the left was the main route for Yorkshire coal to Fiddlers Ferry electricity generating station via Woodhead. Godley Junction was the point at which electric traction gave way to diesel. Changes in coal flows and the expense of traction changes at both ends of the journey led inexorably to the Woodhead route's closure in 1981. Godley Junction had no rationale as a passenger station and was replaced by a new station simply named Godley, but pending formal closure proceedings was renamed Godley East and served by a handful of trains on weekdays to fulfil legal requirements.

Today's picture on Hyde Daily Photo shows the present view as seen with a zoom lens from Hattersley Station.

Godley Hill 1902

This is Godley Hill decorated to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII.

The coronation was set for 26th June 1902. Due to the King taking ill two days before, the ceremony was postponed until 9th August. At the King's insistance though most celebrations still went ahead on the original date.

A 30-year old map

This copy of the Ordnance Survey 1:50000 map was sent to us by a correspondent in Canada. It is dated 1975.

Comparing it with my own OS map dated 1974, one major difference is that mine has the M67 Due to open summer 1976. According to the CRBD Motorway Database the Hyde bypass opened in 1978 and the Denton Relief Road in 1981. The M60 didn't arrive until 2000.

The other road changes are too detailed to go into here, but the railway changes are quite significant. Godley Junction was renamed Godley East for a while, before being closed.

New stations were built on the Glossop line:

• Hattersley - at the point where the yellow road lies close to the railway.
• Godley - on the North side of the A57.
• Flowery Field - South of Hyde North which is on the line to Romily just below its junction with the Glossop line.

The line from Godley Junction to Woodley is now a footpath and part of the TransPennine Trail.

A couple of cyclists have publised an account of a journey along the old railway, together with photographs, on their Bike Rides around Greater Manchester website.