Railways seen through eyes of B-holder
MANY RAILWAY photographers in the past were just satisfied with taking pictures of steam locomotives from the lineside, in a shed, in workshops, or a station. This may have been partly attributed to the high cost of good cameras and scarcity of photographic materials in the post-war years.
Dr Ben Brooksbank embraced these obstacles and approached railway photography quite differently. Having his Christian and surnames starting with
‘B’ inspired him to photograph as many railway stations as he could beginning with that letter. Throughout the late 1950s, and continuing into the following decade, he photographed over 750 stations in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Over 40 photographs were taken in Yorkshire and this has provided a unique record as quite a number have since closed.
B.W.L. ‘Ben’ Brooksbank was born in 1926 and like many boys from that era became fascinated with the railway. Ben said that he was ‘incarcerated’ at boarding school in his teens, but travelled there by rail; he also had relatives in Liverpool and holidayed around the UK during the war, improving his familiarity with the network. Often, he made copious notes on locomotive workings, yet gathering these during the war was not without risk. In 1945 a ‘spy-catching’ passenger reported Ben to the railway police at York station, though a sensible officer just gave the young man a warning.
Ben’s first camera (a ‘Box Brownie’) was received as a
Christmas present in 1945 and from then on, he took as many pictures as he could of the railways. Initially, the availability of film was a stumbling block and reels of surplus RAF stock had to be acquired; the process of developing the prized pictures was entrusted to local shops, with decidedly mixed results. He upgraded to a second-hand Kodak Retina in late 1947 and used this until the camera disintegrated through overuse in 1956. Various SLR cameras were then used through to the end of steam, when, as Ben put it, the ‘wretched’ diesels finally took over.
In 1948, Ben entered full-time employment as an academic scientist whilst he still found time to ‘train watch’ and used his spare income to travel across the country ( at least 5,000 miles a year) recording railway locations and the various locomotives and their workings through to 1968.
Ben took pictures at a time when British Railways introduced their 1955 modernisation plan which ultimately led to the demise of steam traction. Similarly, the publication of The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) by Dr Richard Beeching had a devastating effect. The report’s main objectives were: to increase the efficiency of Britain’s nationalised railway system; halt the large losses being incurred; and reducing the rail subsidies necessary to keep the network operating. Beeching’s plan earmarked over 2,300 stations and 5,000 miles of railway line for closure. This amounted to 55 per cent of stations and 30 per cent of route miles. Strong protests saved some stations and lines but not many and Beeching’s name remains associated with railway station and branch line closures.
Between, 17th to 23rd April, 1961, two years before the publication of the Beeching report, Ben was busy in Yorkshire. On April 17, he was at Broomfleet, which was originally opened as Bromfleet by the Hull & Selby Railway on July 1, 1840.
By January 1851, the York & North Midland Railway had renamed it Broomfleet and for a number of years only had a sparse train service. This was altered in 1907 when the North Eastern Railway took control.
Presently, the station is an unstaffed halt with only basic shelters provided. On the same day, and whilst in East Yorkshire, Ben photographed Brough station. On the following day he took a number of pictures: at Burton Agnes; Bridlington; Beverley; Battersby; Bainton; and Bempton.
Bainton station, about a mile south of Bainton village, was opened on April 21, 1890 by the Scarborough, Bridlington and West Riding Junction Railway. Comprising two facing platforms, the station also boasted a brick-built, two-storey building, providing accommodation for the station master; a goods yard; four sidings; and a two-ton crane.
The Disused-Stations website notes that in 1911, Bainton station issued 5,426 tickets as well as dispatching 655 tons of wheat. Two years later, 25 wagons of livestock were loaded at the station. Closure to passengers came on September 20, 1954. When Ben recorded Bainton station it was still open for goods traffic, surviving until January 27, 1964. Some demolition took place afterwards though the main station building was converted to a private dwelling.
Burton Agnes station, opened on October 6, 1846, closed to passengers on January 5, 1970.
Ben travelled to Yorkshire in April 1961 by car which is sometimes included in the photographs. He often found good vantage points from which to point his camera, usually station or road over bridges though he was equally
comfortable taking them at the lines side or from level crossings.
On April 19, 1961 Ben travelled to stations at Brampton, Brafferton, Boroughbridge, Boosbeck, and Benningborough. All of these had closed by the end of 1965.
Amongst the stations pictured on April 21 were
Burley in Wharfedale; Bingley, Ben Rhydding, Bel Busk, and Baildon. The latter station has experienced a series of openings and closures. Opened by the Midland Railway on December 4, 1876, closure came on January 5, 1953. A temporary re-opening occurred between January 28, 1957 and April 29, 1957. A station was restored to Baildon from January 5, 1973.
On April 22, 1961, Ben stood on Huddersfield Road bridge, faced west, and photographed Brighouse station. Declining passenger numbers in the 1960s forced closure on January 5, 1970 but another station opened on the same site on May 28, 2000.
Other ‘B’ station pictures in the April 22 West Yorkshire set were those taken at Bramley; Bradford Forster Square; Bradford Exchange; Berry Brow, Beeston, Batley, Barnsley Exchange and Bempton.
He drove down to the following South Yorkshire stations on April 23: Broughton Lane; Brightside; Bolton on Dearne; and Barnby Dun.
On a visit to East Yorkshire in 1967 he took images at Botanic Gardens, Hull; and Beverley Road, Hull. Closure to passengers came on October 19, 1964 and then completely on October 4, 1965.
Not only did Ben picture ‘B’ stations whilst in the Yorkshire area he also recorded locomotive operations at other railway sites including York station, Sheffield Victoria and Sheffield Midland stations, Rotherham Masborough, Leeds City and Selby.
He also made extensive notes as he took his railway photographs.
Before retirement Ben was a Senior Scientific Officer and for much of his time afterwards, he loaded thousands of his railway photographs on to the www. geograph.org.uk website. He died in February 2018.
He photographed over 750 stations in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.