Harking back to Huddersfield

JOHN Heaton’s letter in July’s ‘Reader Memories’ sparked my own memories of Hillhouse MPD (Huddersfield) in the late 1950s and early 60s.

Many were the times I spent at the same location, along with many hours in the signalbox, which controlled the impressive signal gantry adjacent to Red Doles Road bridge! A particular memory was the Palethorpes sausage train, which ran to Hull about 9.00pm with a Hull Dairycoates ‘K3’ for motive power.

Also, regarding John’s memory of a ‘G2a’ approaching from Bradley, mine is of ‘Jubilee’ No. 45600 Bermuda making a similar spectacle with a Newcastle-Liverpool express, usually double-headed, but not on that occasion.

The attached photograph shows one of Huddersfield’s ‘Standard 5’ 4-6-0s with a westbound excursion train in, I think, early 1960. It was taken with permission as I was on the shed at the time.

Graeme Wade

Secretary, Lincoln Railway Society