tarboat's photos with the keyword: middlewood

150104 arrives amidst the weeds at Middlewood with a service to Buxton. There have been changes at this remote station recently. There are now live information signs on both platforms and a plethora of cameras. Sadly you still can't buy a ticket here and whilst the service is two trains an hour each way only one every two hours stops. It used to be hourly but the Department for Transport has decreed that the locals don't need this any more.

A regular sight for me after leaving the train at Middlewood Station is the departure of class 150 units towards Buxton. This somewhat remote station has no road access and requires a walk through the wood or along the trackbed of the former Macclesfield, Bollington & Marple Railway which now forms the Middlewood Way. Sadly the daytime service here is only two hourly with several more trains not stopping. This makes off-peak travel particularly difficult as the first train to Manchester with cheaper fares is at 11.18! Well done Northern for altering it from 9.30. This location was once bustling with industry, There were colliery sidings to the left of this view along with the colliery locomotive shed. The colliery line was served by the two railway companies whose lines crossed here and lasted until 1892.

In a flurry of flying leaves Network Rail MPV DR 98982 hurries through Middlewood Station on rail jetting duties. Apparently leaves don't fall at weekend as this train does not run on Saturday or Sunday which has been causing significant problems for the services on those days due to serious slipping on parts of the Buxton branch. This resulted in the farcical situation on the morning of Monday 14th November when the leaf buildup on the rails was such that the jetting train slithered to a halt before reaching Middlewood and had to run back to Hazel Grove wrong line. One wonders who is managing this circus?

On a cool morning I was able to approach this rather sluggish male Orange Tip butterfly whilst it was feeding.

Two Black 5s on the Buxton Spa Express digging into the climb after being stopped at Norbury Crossing to allow the scheduled dmu stopping service to get far enough ahead not to cause problems later on. This view is from the bridge that once carried the Macclesfield Bollington and Marple Railway over the top of the LNWR line at Middlewood Station. The weather forecast said fair - it was raining!

156 461 is passing the distant signal for Norbury Crossing as it approaches the stop at Middlewood on the Buxton Branch

The painting gang set about refurbishing the metalwork on the Norbury Crossing distant signal at Middlewood on the Buxton branch.

45407 and 44871 on the Buxton Spa Express digging into the climb after being stopped at Norbury Crossing to allow the scheduled dmu stopping service to get far enough ahead not to cause problems later on. This view is from the bridge that once carried the Macclesfield Bollington and Marple Railway over the top of the LNWR line at Middlewood Station. The weather forecast said fair - it was raining!

The late evening train for Buxton had just one passenger arriving at the lonely Middlewood station on the branch from Stockport. I think I was pushing the limits of the mobile phone camera for this one.

Customer services at Middlewood Station on the Buxton branch from Stockport.

150 276 leaving Middlewood for Buxton. This is one of the rare stations in the UK without road access. You have to walk through the woods or along the disused Macclesfield to Marple line in order to get there.

First train on my one week rail rover trip around Britain was this Manchester Piccadilly bound 150 from Buxton arriving at Middlewood in gently falling rain. This station really is in the middle of a wood with a long walk in any direction before you come to anything resembling a road. It would be much more convenient if every train stopped here rather than the rather sparse two hourly service currently on offer.

This particularly soggy summer was encapsulated by the state of the Southern Hawker that I found whilst out walking this morning.

Flood damage at Middlewood on the Stockport to Buxton line after several inches of rain fell in around an hour. Network Rail reckons that services will be resumed in a week.

A Manchester bound 156 Unit passes the distant signal for Norbury Hollow level crossing as it arrives at Middlewood Station. The 'W' sign is for the horn to be sounded to warn users of the footpath crossing just after the station.

A Buxton to Manchester train arrives at Middlewood, a station with no road access. It's a nice walk through the woods whichever way you go from here. There were sidings on the left serving Norbury Colliery until 1892.

The rules must state that every station platform requires a sign at the end(s) to inform the public that they must not pass beyond that point. This is fine up to a point, but what happens when a main access to the station is through a gate beyond the platform end? Two hopeful passengers arrive at Middlewood Station, apparently in direct conflict with the rules.

I never cease to be amazed by the capabilities of digital cameras in low light situations. Having dived off the train on my way home from an evening in Stoke, I was able to capture the scene hand held, without flash, using 1600 ISO. OK it's quite grainy, but the overall effect isn't that bad.