Brian Morris remembers trainspotting as a boy
Resource Type: Audio | Posted on 2nd November 2012 by Liam Physick
Brian Morris tells of how he saw horses delivering goods to Edge Hill, and how each locomotive had a number to show where it was based, with those based at the Edge Hill shed numbered 8B. He also talks about different sized locomotives, and Wavertree station. Wavertree was opened on 1st September 1870 between Edge Hill and Sefton Park, on the London and North Western Railway’s main line south of Lime Street: originally, it was to be called Wellington Road but the name was changed before opening. 21 years later, when the line was quadrupled, the station entrance was moved and possibly the station itself was rebuilt. Also from 1891, it was accessed from between the two bridges that supported its four lines. Wavertree closed on 5th August 1958, shortly before electrification. It should not be confused with Wavertree Technology Park station, which opened in 2000 and lies nearby on the Liverpool to Manchester line, being the station immediately after Edge Hill (or immediately before it, if you are travelling towards Lime Street).
Interviewee: Brian Morris
Interviewee Gender: Male
Interview Transcript
Brian: I can’t remember anything else except of course the good old horses that came down here to deliver goods, you tend to forget horse transport, but up to 1940, a lot of railway deliveries were done by horse and cart, and they presumably would come from here. But this area here was a wonderful shunting yard. If my memory serves me right, the number on each train, to show which shed was its base, and Edge Hill was 8B . . .
Jodie: OK! (both giggle)
Brian: . . . so if you saw a train with 8B you know that was Edge Hill and, if you saw one with something else on then of course you knew it was based somewhere else. Immense amount of, immense amount of small engines with the big tall chimneys on the, on the slow lines, you see, one line was the fast line, that was the big ones, and the other line was the one that, well, stopped at the stations, you see there was a lovely station at Wavertree High Level, is the name of the station, and that’s at . . . not Gainsborough Road . . . (sighs) what’s the name of that road?
Unknown man: Wellington Road?
Brian: Yes, the Wellington Road one, where the bridge, where it goes over Wellington Road there was a station and you could, again for kids that was wonderful for trainspotting.
Categorised under: The Station & Railway Pioneers
Comments
Further to Brian’s Railway Shed Number, 8B was Warrington’s nomenclature.
Although not exactly about the railway, but about EDGE HILL.
After the 1960 Olympics (age 11) Our Gang used the perimeter boundary of SPOFFORTH ROAD/WAVERTREE ROAD/TUNNEL ROAD & SPEKELAND ROAD as our Marathon track.
Biffo Smith from Bannerman Street being the lad to beat.
I remember also that; my mate Tommy Jones’s maternal grand mother Mrs Evans(?) lived in Spekeland Cottages. These were former Railway workers premises and although our 2 up 3 down wasn’t exactly the Ritz, these were archaic, some having gas mantles, no hot water or bathroom, outside toilet.
They were sited to the rear of Spekeland Road near its junction with Acton Street/ Denmark Road(?)gone now.
As a 12 year old I was running along the sandstone Railway wall(which was about 24” wide) on Wavertree Road (close to Botanic Park), near to where the water tank for topping up steam engines.
I was wearing one of those old navy blue macs, with the sleeves tied together around my neck, like Superman!
Well, the wind filled the mac and lifted ME off the wall and deposited me about 40/50’ below!!!, on the railway line.
In shock I immediately got up and my mates thought I was O.K., wrong, I had broke my left leg and arm and it took me about 2 hours to crawl home to Spofforth Road.
Don’t know whether it’s my age but it’s great to reminisce
Matt
Brian
is totally correct
Wavertree Station was located next to the Wellington Road Gates to The Mystery Park opposite ONO STREET.
Matt