I can tell you that there WAS a turntable at Red Bank. As kids growing up in Collyhurst in the 1950's, we would go there to watch the big steam engines being turned round! Also the concrete structure that you can't identify was an air raid shelter for the railway workers. Us kids would dare one another to go down there!
Great Video! 11:38 That lump on the birch tree is known as a burl , it's the result of the tree undergoing some form of stress, It can be caused by an injury, virus or fungus, some larger burls can be quite valuable and are favoured by furniture makers as they have amazing grain patterns when cut, some of the best examples of which are from walnut trees and are used by Rolls Royce Cars for their dashboards, and Purdey of London for their hand made shotgun stocks. Jaguar Cars also uses a thin veneer of burl walnut for their dashboards and gear knobs.
I always wonder how old cars get in the middle of the woods. Remember finding a classic "Hot rod" style car back in the early 00's filled with leaves and fetid water by this middle of nowhere lake and wish I knew it's story.
Dude I hope you'll let Manchester council, libraries, etc know of this channel, it's is & will be an important social history for now & into the future, best wishes, I hope more people document there local history as well as you are.
Fantastic to watch......... .........seem inconceivable to watch you fight through that jungle and realise I travelled over that line a number of times what seems like recently but is actually neatly 40 years..... ......seems impossible to believe it was an operating railway......
Your videos are amazing Martin, I don't know Manchester that well, but since watching your videos have gain me historical insight of Manchester. I'm from Birmingham, you should do Birmingham in the future :P
Wow I sit and watch your videos all day very very interesting I live in Australia but born in London 66years ago I all so watch erbex under ground exploring but your vids are very professional well done and make more. Col Australia
@Bengt Handlebars this is a personal gripe of mine - all these 'experts' that made these terrible decisions in the past - i agree with you about the millions that will be taken from tax-payers to correct these mistakes. what really ticks me off though is that there are no consequences for the perpetrators
Personal car ownership killed public transport, we are now so dependant on cars it might not be feasible to go back to a great public transport system . Until the oil runs out ofc then we will all be walking
Bang on, I don't like to think it but I honestly think the UK is a dying country and most of the damage done has been simple political expediency and the sort of dog whistle, divide and conquer form of politicing. So sad.
@@PurityVendetta I mean, the past 100 years just showed that. In 100 years we lost billions of pounds in two wars, entire industrial buildings, railway lines, the entire fucking empire etc
Impressive. I work at Victoria east junction a lot while maintaining the railway and never knew red bank was there. I’m going to have a look next week while I’m there and see what I can see starting from the main line end. Cheers!
Alas another piece of our Railway heritage lost . I remember the Redbank news train coming through york on a Sunday normally a class 40 . So seeing this was a trip down memory lane it make you wonder where the Railway industry went wrong but hey brilliant video Martin keep them coming
Only discovered these videos a couple of days ago, but really impressed by the effort put into them. As others have commented this area wasn't wooded even 10 years ago. - Useless fact: most of the saplings there are silver birch which have white bark to reflect heat and not dry out when spreading into new, unshaded ground. This part of Red Bank gives the impression of a post-apocalyptic waste-land, but only a stones' throw to the right of this route is the newly "gentrified" Cheetham Hill Road, complete with TKMAXX.
I remember Red Bank Carriage sidings quite well always lots of interesting stuff to see when it was in use. I always find it amazing how quickly Silver Birch trees colonise old railways! Great video. Oh and yes it is a turntable pit that you found its also indicated on the map. They come in various sizes.
Hi Martin, just found (& subbed ) your channel, this vid came up in my recommends after watching an 'exploring with Jake' vid. Intresting vid, yes its surprising how quick nature can take over abandoned industrial land, some of that looks like its been left for many Decades longer than 30 years. People say that nature is being destroyed by development but left to it's own devices nature will quickly take over again! Great vid & brilliant nighttime lighting effects at the end, not somewhere I'd want to go alone!
Thanks, Martin for a very interesting video. In my opinion, think I think it should be left in a semi-wild state. Maybe clean up the debris but let nature take its course. I was amazed to hear your comment about nature always reclaiming unused land as i was thinking the exact same. Good work.
Interesting video! I'd love to see it become a highline! I've seen they've got some beautiful highlines in Paris. At 20:47 I think they're nail which contain copper to kill off the tree.
Fascinating - I'm fascinated by that line as well and the Irk Valley Railway Disaster. I was in contact with a guy who remembered it. With the crackling twigs and strange stuff lying on the ground, the ambience reminds me of the Blair Witch Project! I wouldn't like to go there at night. The incidental music is good too. The city has so many tantalising clues leading to the forgotten past. A very good video!
Aidan O'Rourke Productions The train accident happened just across from my Primary School . It was round about when I was born so don't remember it but my parents must have. I don't recall them ever talking about it which was strange as it must have been a major event and we only lived a couple of streets away.
Thanks Aidan, yes it did have a Blair witch project feel specially at the homeless camps and tents that were all unoccupied. We went back to the start at night but wouldnt fancy walking all the way at night. Yes I love that area also
I can remember the last days of red bank carriage sidings in action in the late 80's, and the big four track junction at victoria and the locomotive stabling point where I used to see diesels being started up. And I travelled along the cheetham hill loop line at least once if not twice after catching a train from victoria platform 17, a little known bay platform on the far side of the through platforms of victoria station that was hidden away behind a long partition so a lot of folk probably had no idea it was even there. And I've got some pictures of it somewhere. And I remember the other sidings at the top end of the loop line at newton heath, some of which crossed over the loop lone in on a bridge.
Was that a ghost at 6:16? Oh, that's your buddy! Very interesting exploration! Surprising how fast nature takes over. New forest on the elevated line!!
Hi martin just watched your Manchester railway walk can I say I really enjoyed it first all places have rubbish about spoiling things second they put them stud things into trees to stop them growing but sometimes they don't work last thing have you got some spare car parts all the best Kevin
Hi Martin, great videos as always.The growth you found on that birch tree is a burr. It is where the wood grain grows in a deformed manor. They are usually always much harder than the normal wood from the tree.
Nice one Martin. Enjoying your vids. In early 1987 I was a trainee signalman at Victoria School Of Signalling & remember seeing Red Bank sidings on a trip out around the Oldham Loop, now part of the tram system. I think a lot of the traffic was lost due to increasing use of diesel multiple units & the loss of the newspaper trains to the road system. Add to that the opening of the Windsor Link/Tram system & we have a Victoria station that is hugely reduced in size with no need for the sidings. Cheers, Chris.
Hi Martin. I was 18 when I was at Victoria! I was retired due to ill health a few years ago. I worked the Furness line, West Cumbria line & finished up at Kirkby Thore on the Settle & Carlisle. 16 signalling locations. '30 years man & boy!' lol! @@MartinZero
Great video mate. I remember seeing the old signal box coming out of Victoria on the train back to Bury back in t’day. Could see the sidings and hundreds of carriages and wagons. Keep up the great work.
I don't know how they got that Poor Sunny N14 there, but I'm surprised none of the interior is missing, considering how hard it is to find interior parts. Took me ages to find a breaker with a decent drivers seat for my N14.
Hi Martin love the video, as a kid used to sneak onto Redbank and watch the 08 class moving goods wagons into the sidings sad i know but many a happy time messing about
I remember this spur of tracks that went off to the left when just leaving Victoria .The bury line went off to the right into collyhurst tunnel where it turned quite sharp left inside the tunnel, when you got out of the tunnel at smedley viaduct you could see all the carriages lined up on your left plus a main line running through the sidings towards Oldham/Rochdale. There were lines of old BR livered carriages where the metrolonk depot is now, they looked decommissioned parked up ready for the scrappers, this was around 1987.
The growth on the Birch tree is caused by a parasite and is very sought after, Swedish Lapps used to carve/turn them out for bowls and cups as the wood is beautiful and dense. The Blue plastic things in the Tree-stumps are RoundUp cartridges used to stop further growth by the Glyfosate Poison in them.
It would be fun to clean it up! I got this crazy urge to call out my friends and familty and make a day of it...I wonder if the city would let you make fires. haha! I dont even live in Manchester! Oh but it would be fun. Ya know... keep it all natural as it is, but get the $@:!% out. Developing isn't all people can do. Regulating isn't the only answer either, it's compromise & money for sure. We can be left unsupervised -were not babies... Except it doesn't look like it there, but it could... 😏
Just found you Martin and really enjoyed this video. I dont know Manchester at all but these records are important for you and people who come after. It is really amazing how mother nature can soon take back what is rightly hers, Thank you!
Hello Clive thanks for the comment. Yes your right its incredible, there was a part of that walk where I had to stop the camera put it away and concentrate on climbing through it had been completely take over 👍
Such memories. I worked up that railway in the early 90's, before it's premature closure. Although not as steep as the Miles Platting line, it could still be a challenge on a damp autumnal morning. One memory that sticks in my mind was watching a Class 37 on a heavy oil train start the climb that way, as we headed up Miles Platting on the early morning staff train to Newton Heath. Fifteen minutes later we watched from Newton Heath, as it breasted the climb at Thorpes Bridge Junction. The wheelslip relays on the loco were clearly knackered, and not doing their job. If the wheel loses grip on a Class 37, and slips more than a quarter of a revolution, power is automatically removed, and reapplied. Instead though, the wheels on this 37 were free spinning, like twelve spinning Catherine Wheels , showering sparks all over the place. Along with a crown of orange flame protruding from the two exhausts, the loco provided an awe inspiring sight, as it crawled past Newton Heath on full power. Happy days, never to be repeated.
I was a Guard at Manchester Victoria from 1989 to 1993, before transferring to Wigan, where I remain to this day, doing the same job. My days at 'Vic' were the best. Proper loco hauled trains, and plenty of Class 37's. I actually got paid to do my hobby. It was wonderful.
That was so interesting, a mix of the past moving into what the line may become. But the best thing was supermodels Martin and Connor doing a night shoot! Love watching you guys explore,so hope we can do a bit when I finally can get there.
Another great insight into what was and what is. In the Wigan area which was a big mining area, there was also a myriad of railways serving these pits. Some of the networks are now linear walks and some have disappeared into obscurity unless you know where to look. Thanks for another great vlog Martin.
So glad i stumbled upon these vids that you do. I live down in sale and ride past Pamona island, i work on deansgate and i'm always aware of the history of manchester, so much change is going on right now in my adoptive home of manchester. I've grown up living various places around the uk. We need more folk to do what you are doing........ your music just ads to the vids too...... thank you.
Hi Stevie thanks very much. Yes a lot of change, sometimes I think I am catching stuff in time and sometimes I think I am 30 years too late. Glad you like the videos many thanks
@@MartinZero the lump on the silver birch tree is called a BURL........ example: when tree is suffers stress to the outer bark. Also pollarding or coppicing (ancient act for cultivating extra wood or fruiting) it gives that unique effect upon the bark. I spent many years growing up in epping forest a heavily coppiced/pollarded oak forest. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl
9:50 that is former twin line (scissor) turntable. there was also a single line turntable next to scotland bridge/road and also on the main line in middle prior to going under bridge next to victoria
The green things on the tree stumps are tree killer plugs. Don't forget despite the jungle tearing at your coat you are walking over old brick arches. Big trees will break the structure and can cause leaks or collapse if the go too far.
Another great video, Martin. Those red-topped 'mushrooms' are not mushrooms but 'Fungi' This particular one is a Fly Agaric and the white-spotted 'cap' can get up to 15cm in diameter. They grow mainly near Birch and Pine trees and in mixed woodland. Do keep showing the Flora - which is a beautiful part of our natural heritage.
Great video Martin brings back memories of walking to school to Collyhurst from Cheetham hill back in the early seventies, a would walk instead of catching the bus to save money, I must of been crazy
Martin Zero many thanks to you for providing great videos brings back memories of my childhood especially now I live in outback Queensland where Manchester is so far away.
Another great video. I've explored part of an old local line in New Zealand that closed down in 1968. As you say, amazing how nature claims the land back.
I agree. So much history. In New Zealand it was similar to the UK in the late sixties with lines closing down everywhere. The closest one to me is the Catlins River Railway which closed in 1970. There is a tunnel there that you can walk through. There is the Roxburgh line which has three tunnels, one has a walking/cycle track going through. That closed in 1968. Then there is the old Heriot line, and the Central Otago line which has it's 150km turned into a cycle trail. There are many spectacular viaducts and three tunnels on this line. It closed mid 80's That's just lines near me. There are many more. Your videos are inspiring me to do a video too. If I only had time. lol
I agree, GREAT job...you're making me homesick.when I was a kid I used to see these places and wonder what the history was behind it. I guess no matter where we roam, we always mancunians
In 1973, if you walked down Red bank and turned left onto Roger St. The first left after the Railway bridge was a little cobbled rd. Down there was the Entrance to Duckhams Oils and A Hall and Co, which was my first job after leaving school (wood turner). If you carried on down Roger St, on the right was Henry Wallworks (Union Steel Works) and on the left a street that led to Frys metals (made solder and stuff and what we only ever knew as the Bone works, they made Animal glue and produced the worst smell I have ever known, then you crossed Union Bridge and if you turned left the Irk was on your left and on the right was a row of 1 up 1 down houses and a pub who's name I can't remember and then Phillips Rubbers. I used to walk that route for about three years up Collyhurst Rd then Smedley rd. Yet anouther great video Martin, keep up the good work.
Yes I remember the bone works smell. occasionally I would walk down that way to school from further up Collyhurst Rd and on to Cheetham Hill Rd. It did used to freak me me out a bit .
The growth on the birch tree is a burr. Quite common especially on birch trees. I photographed that particular tree. I was talking to the homeless lads in camp there at the time.
I remember Redbank sidings we used to spend a lot of time on the end of Manchester Victoria station platforms drinking Tea & taking down the train numbers with me dad we travelled all over the country back when I was a young un!
An interesting watch again Martin and in the area I know well. Yes a 'Hi-line' type of area from the centre of Mcr would be great. The designer is Piet Oudolf ,fantastic designer of these types of spaces and what an amazing facility that would be for the surrounding area which needs a boost like that. All those apartments , people would love a cycle /walking space that would act as a green lung for the city. It certainly needs cleaning up. I couldn't go there at night, but thanks to you I don't have to 😂 Thanks so much for the video.
Another great video Martin, good use of the Lume Cube's too. Didn't get chance to use mine last weekend due to atrocious weather on the East coast. The illumination of Whitby Abbey was cancelled too.
Another fascinating railway video Martin. There looks enough timber to keep lots of wood burners going for many winters? As the trackbed continues up to the Metrolink Depot I wonder if there’s potential for a tram extension through that side of Victoria Station towards Salford. Your video also reminded me I have an old Modern Railways mag’ somewhere in my house with a super photo taken from the Green Quarter in 1966 of steam stopping passenger train on that section, atmospheric! Since discovering your channel I generally go for the railway videos first so I watch them all out of sequence, but still thoroughly enjoy them. Far better than the rubbish on telly these days!
I remember going through Miles Platting on the steam trains. The place had a very distinctive smell and the noise the train made on the tracks changed. You knew you were almost in Manchester even if you had your eyes closed.
Hi marting just subscribe to your channel, been watching your clips absolutely love what your doing mate its what I'm interested in love history so glad found your channel, i live in Swinton area born n bread in Clifton there's loads of history in & around Clifton area as of your video post history is all around us & most of us don't even know it, keep up the great work Martin be safe mucka 👍👍
i used to work in redbank in the late 80's when it was full of little workshops went through there recent and its just full of flats ....totally changed
I can tell you that there WAS a turntable at Red Bank. As kids growing up in Collyhurst in the 1950's, we would go there to watch the big steam engines being turned round! Also the concrete structure that you can't identify was an air raid shelter for the railway workers. Us kids would dare one another to go down there!
Great Video! 11:38 That lump on the birch tree is known as a burl , it's the result of the tree undergoing some form of stress, It can be caused by an injury, virus or fungus, some larger burls can be quite valuable and are favoured by furniture makers as they have amazing grain patterns when cut, some of the best examples of which are from walnut trees and are used by Rolls Royce Cars for their dashboards, and Purdey of London for their hand made shotgun stocks. Jaguar Cars also uses a thin veneer of burl walnut for their dashboards and gear knobs.
burl walnut makes sense now Thanks Col
I always wonder how old cars get in the middle of the woods.
Remember finding a classic "Hot rod" style car back in the early 00's filled with leaves and fetid water by this middle of nowhere lake and wish I knew it's story.
Your videos are the best. Very enjoyable very interesting so many hours of entertainment. Thanks Martin 👍
Thank you very much
Dude I hope you'll let Manchester council, libraries, etc know of this channel, it's is & will be an important social history for now & into the future,
best wishes, I hope more people document there local history as well as you are.
I have walked on that line in the late 80s and early 90s and it was flat no trees and it wasn’t overgrown.
Absolutely fascinating your videos Martin so well edited and researched they are a joy to watch every time!
Soundtracks are bang on too!
Ditto!!!!
Fantastic to watch.........
.........seem inconceivable to watch you fight through that jungle and realise I travelled over that line a number of times what seems like recently but is actually neatly 40 years.....
......seems impossible to believe it was an operating railway......
Your videos are amazing Martin, I don't know Manchester that well, but since watching your videos have gain me historical insight of Manchester. I'm from Birmingham, you should do Birmingham in the future :P
You're doing a great job with these videos Martin. Thanks
Thank you Mr N Power 👍😀
As Peter Crenshaw, from the Three Investigators, would say:” I’ll buy a double helping of that”
hi martin the growth on the tree is a birch "burr" highly prized by woodturners. great video
Wow I sit and watch your videos all day very very interesting I live in Australia but born in London 66years ago I all so watch erbex under ground exploring but your vids are very professional well done and make more. Col Australia
Politicians destroyed Britain's railway network. Now communities need it more than ever but it is too expensive to restore so many tracks.
@Bengt Handlebars this is a personal gripe of mine - all these 'experts' that made these terrible decisions in the past - i agree with you about the millions that will be taken from tax-payers to correct these mistakes. what really ticks me off though is that there are no consequences for the perpetrators
I have often wondered if the price is being deliberately inflated, to be used as an excuse for not reinstall the track
Personal car ownership killed public transport, we are now so dependant on cars it might not be feasible to go back to a great public transport system . Until the oil runs out ofc then we will all be walking
Bang on, I don't like to think it but I honestly think the UK is a dying country and most of the damage done has been simple political expediency and the sort of dog whistle, divide and conquer form of politicing. So sad.
@@PurityVendetta I mean, the past 100 years just showed that. In 100 years we lost billions of pounds in two wars, entire industrial buildings, railway lines, the entire fucking empire etc
We have watched your videos all day. Love them. Thank you
Been enjoying your videos Martin finding the history very interesting. Thank you
Isn't it a shame that people just use these places as dumping grounds? Great video as always Martin.
dylan vasey not people. travellers (gypsies) who else has so many gas bottles and caravan microwave s and silly radiation themed cushions.
None travellers fly tip as well you know. GOD lol
That was just great. Sad about mess that’s been made by people. I so enjoyed that I really did
Impressive. I work at Victoria east junction a lot while maintaining the railway and never knew red bank was there. I’m going to have a look next week while I’m there and see what I can see starting from the main line end. Cheers!
The tree growth is a burr, a result of damage or infection, basically a tree scab. They are prized by wood turners and can be quite valuable.
So interesting to watch.. music was great too.. your doing a great job with your videos.. I love watching them
Thanks very much Jo
Fantastic video, I loved the photography.☮️🇨🇦
Thanks, yeah was fun lighting it up
Nice, another proud Canadian with good taste!👍🇨🇦!
Another brilliant video Martin, awesome pictures in the dark.
Keep the videos coming, most enjoyable.
Thank you lance
Alas another piece of our Railway heritage lost . I remember the Redbank news train coming through york on a Sunday normally a class 40 . So seeing this was a trip down memory lane it make you wonder where the Railway industry went wrong but hey brilliant video Martin keep them coming
Hi mate, yeah I remember the Red Bank coming down our line from Leeds at daft o clock in the Morning. Like you say always a 40
@@MartinZero yes always a class 40 it was getting the driver to open it up going through york station rattling the roof to say the leadt
@@MRPUD1 Thrash !!! 😀
Only discovered these videos a couple of days ago, but really impressed by the effort put into them. As others have commented this area wasn't wooded even 10 years ago. - Useless fact: most of the saplings there are silver birch which have white bark to reflect heat and not dry out when spreading into new, unshaded ground. This part of Red Bank gives the impression of a post-apocalyptic waste-land, but only a stones' throw to the right of this route is the newly "gentrified" Cheetham Hill Road, complete with TKMAXX.
Yeah it did feel a bit post apocalyptic
Martin ,well done very interesting,its so sad to see these lines end up like this, well presented.
I remember Red Bank Carriage sidings quite well always lots of interesting stuff to see when it was in use. I always find it amazing how quickly Silver Birch trees colonise old railways! Great video. Oh and yes it is a turntable pit that you found its also indicated on the map. They come in various sizes.
Hi Martin, just found (& subbed ) your channel, this vid came up in my recommends after watching an 'exploring with Jake' vid.
Intresting vid, yes its surprising how quick nature can take over abandoned industrial land, some of that looks like its been left for many Decades longer than 30 years. People say that nature is being destroyed by development but left to it's own devices nature will quickly take over again!
Great vid & brilliant nighttime lighting effects at the end, not somewhere I'd want to go alone!
Hi Richy thanks for subscribing and glad you found me. How is that glue gun you got from Lidle is it still ok ?
Thanks, Martin for a very interesting video. In my opinion, think I think it should be left in a semi-wild state. Maybe clean up the debris but let nature take its course. I was amazed to hear your comment about nature always reclaiming unused land as i was thinking the exact same. Good work.
Interesting video! I'd love to see it become a highline! I've seen they've got some beautiful highlines in Paris. At 20:47 I think they're nail which contain copper to kill off the tree.
Fascinating - I'm fascinated by that line as well and the Irk Valley Railway Disaster. I was in contact with a guy who remembered it. With the crackling twigs and strange stuff lying on the ground, the ambience reminds me of the Blair Witch Project! I wouldn't like to go there at night. The incidental music is good too. The city has so many tantalising clues leading to the forgotten past. A very good video!
Aidan O'Rourke Productions The train accident happened just across from my Primary School . It was round about when I was born so don't remember it but my parents must have. I don't recall them ever talking about it which was strange as it must have been a major event and we only lived a couple of streets away.
Thanks Aidan, yes it did have a Blair witch project feel specially at the homeless camps and tents that were all unoccupied. We went back to the start at night but wouldnt fancy walking all the way at night. Yes I love that area also
That was absolutely fascinating that's so much XX
That old light pole in the middle of the forest was so oddly eeire.
Great use of the stranger things music; really fits here
I can remember the last days of red bank carriage sidings in action in the late 80's, and the big four track junction at victoria and the locomotive stabling point where I used to see diesels being started up. And I travelled along the cheetham hill loop line at least once if not twice after catching a train from victoria platform 17, a little known bay platform on the far side of the through platforms of victoria station that was hidden away behind a long partition so a lot of folk probably had no idea it was even there. And I've got some pictures of it somewhere. And I remember the other sidings at the top end of the loop line at newton heath, some of which crossed over the loop lone in on a bridge.
Was that a ghost at 6:16? Oh, that's your buddy! Very interesting exploration! Surprising how fast nature takes over. New forest on the elevated line!!
I hope they do it up and make it a walkway
Hi martin just watched your Manchester railway walk can I say I really enjoyed it first all places have rubbish about spoiling things second they put them stud things into trees to stop them growing but sometimes they don't work last thing have you got some spare car parts all the best Kevin
Hi Martin, great videos as always.The growth you found on that birch tree is a burr. It is where the wood grain grows in a deformed manor. They are usually always much harder than the normal wood from the tree.
Chaga can look very similar to this and some other fungi's that grow on trees.
Enjoying your lost/forgotten history of Manchester and it's environs. Keep up the good work Martin.
Thank you Aidan, much appreciated. Thanks for the support 👍
That's a natural burr on the Silver Birch, quite large but natural reaction of growth hormones, cheers
Nice one Martin. Enjoying your vids. In early 1987 I was a trainee signalman at Victoria School Of Signalling & remember seeing Red Bank sidings on a trip out around the Oldham Loop, now part of the tram system. I think a lot of the traffic was lost due to increasing use of diesel multiple units & the loss of the newspaper trains to the road system. Add to that the opening of the Windsor Link/Tram system & we have a Victoria station that is hugely reduced in size with no need for the sidings. Cheers, Chris.
Hi Chris. Are you still a signalman ? Thanks for the info. I went along that branch on a DMU but remember very little
Hi Martin. I was 18 when I was at Victoria! I was retired due to ill health a few years ago. I worked the Furness line, West Cumbria line & finished up at Kirkby Thore on the Settle & Carlisle. 16 signalling locations. '30 years man & boy!' lol! @@MartinZero
@@fulcrumspigot455 Wow Settle and Carlisle, legendary line 👍 You have some experience there
Great video mate. I remember seeing the old signal box coming out of Victoria on the train back to Bury back in t’day. Could see the sidings and hundreds of carriages and wagons. Keep up the great work.
Hello thanks very much. Yep I remember it also good days 👍
Another great viewing Martin,another of my old stomping grounds as a young railwayman,great to watch but evocative too,,Best Regards,Ant.
Cheers Ant yes I am glad I went on the train on that branch
I don't know how they got that Poor Sunny N14 there, but I'm surprised none of the interior is missing, considering how hard it is to find interior parts. Took me ages to find a breaker with a decent drivers seat for my N14.
Hi Martin love the video, as a kid used to sneak onto Redbank and watch the 08 class moving goods wagons into the sidings sad i know but many a happy time messing about
Brilliant stuff. I used to do the same in my Trainspotting days on the depots and sidings 👍
I remember riding trains going to oldham used that line now and again in the early 90s. Its suprising how much nature has taken it back!!
Another great video I’m catching up on the ones I’ve missed
Class video Martin! Great to see subscriptions going up too!
Hi Andrew thanks very much. Yeah had a flurry of subscribers last weekend. I was like a dog with two Dicks 😀
I remember this spur of tracks that went off to the left when just leaving Victoria .The bury line went off to the right into collyhurst tunnel where it turned quite sharp left inside the tunnel, when you got out of the tunnel at smedley viaduct you could see all the carriages lined up on your left plus a main line running through the sidings towards Oldham/Rochdale.
There were lines of old BR livered carriages where the metrolonk depot is now, they looked decommissioned parked up ready for the scrappers, this was around 1987.
A wonderful video as usual Mr Martin ,so pleased I discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago ! Great presentation & enthusiasm Sir ! Thank you .
Robert thank you very much 😃
The growth on the Birch tree is caused by a parasite and is very sought after, Swedish Lapps used to carve/turn them out for bowls and cups as the wood is beautiful and dense. The Blue plastic things in the Tree-stumps are RoundUp cartridges used to stop further growth by the Glyfosate Poison in them.
I love these videos. I was also born in Red Bank,but it was Red Bank, New Jersey.
What a darn shame. It would be lovely cleaned up. I appreciate you.
It would be fun to clean it up! I got this crazy urge to call out my friends and familty and make a day of it...I wonder if the city would let you make fires.
haha! I dont even live in Manchester! Oh but it would be fun. Ya know... keep it all natural as it is, but get the $@:!% out. Developing isn't all people can do. Regulating isn't the only answer either, it's compromise & money for sure. We can be left unsupervised -were not babies... Except it doesn't look like it there, but it could... 😏
Just found you Martin and really enjoyed this video. I dont know Manchester at all but these records are important for you and people who come after. It is really amazing how mother nature can soon take back what is rightly hers, Thank you!
Hello Clive thanks for the comment. Yes your right its incredible, there was a part of that walk where I had to stop the camera put it away and concentrate on climbing through it had been completely take over 👍
Such memories.
I worked up that railway in the early 90's, before it's premature closure.
Although not as steep as the Miles Platting line, it could still be a challenge on a damp autumnal morning.
One memory that sticks in my mind was watching a Class 37 on a heavy oil train start the climb that way, as we headed up Miles Platting on the early morning staff train to Newton Heath. Fifteen minutes later we watched from Newton Heath, as it breasted the climb at Thorpes Bridge Junction. The wheelslip relays on the loco were clearly knackered, and not doing their job. If the wheel loses grip on a Class 37, and slips more than a quarter of a revolution, power is automatically removed, and reapplied. Instead though, the wheels on this 37 were free spinning, like twelve spinning Catherine Wheels , showering sparks all over the place. Along with a crown of orange flame protruding from the two exhausts, the loco provided an awe inspiring sight, as it crawled past Newton Heath on full power.
Happy days, never to be repeated.
Wow thanks for that !!! Brilliant I can picture it.Must have been one hell of a sight to see. Did you work as a Newton Heath Driver ?
I was a Guard at Manchester Victoria from 1989 to 1993, before transferring to Wigan, where I remain to this day, doing the same job.
My days at 'Vic' were the best. Proper loco hauled trains, and plenty of Class 37's. I actually got paid to do my hobby. It was wonderful.
I have to say, after watching several of your videos and subbing, your work is varied, passionate and ultimately awesome! Thanks!
Thanks very much John
Cool lighting bits, the car lit up was eerie, well done!! 👍🚘
I love your videos thankyou Martin 💚
That was so interesting, a mix of the past moving into what the line may become. But the best thing was supermodels Martin and Connor doing a night shoot! Love watching you guys explore,so hope we can do a bit when I finally can get there.
Thanks Andrew. I think Connor definitely had his Model head on 😆
Another great film Martin it amazing how nature can take over
Hi Brian thanks mate
Wow another fantastic video as always
Thank you
Got to appreciate how well the environment recovers old lines, not so good with huge highways and tarmac.
Another great insight into what was and what is. In the Wigan area which was a big mining area, there was also a myriad of railways serving these pits. Some of the networks are now linear walks and some have disappeared into obscurity unless you know where to look. Thanks for another great vlog Martin.
Thanks very much Brian. Oh to go back eh ?
I don't know why you don't have more subs! I subbed after watching your two most recent posts. Thanks for sharing your adventures!
Thank you very much 👍
So glad i stumbled upon these vids that you do. I live down in sale and ride past Pamona island, i work on deansgate and i'm always aware of the history of manchester, so much change is going on right now in my adoptive home of manchester. I've grown up living various places around the uk. We need more folk to do what you are doing........ your music just ads to the vids too...... thank you.
Hi Stevie thanks very much. Yes a lot of change, sometimes I think I am catching stuff in time and sometimes I think I am 30 years too late. Glad you like the videos many thanks
@@MartinZero the lump on the silver birch tree is called a BURL........ example: when tree is suffers stress to the outer bark. Also pollarding or coppicing (ancient act for cultivating extra wood or fruiting) it gives that unique effect upon the bark. I spent many years growing up in epping forest a heavily coppiced/pollarded oak forest. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl
great video pal great history of manchester
Amazing video's Martin, just love them. Keep up the great work .
9:50 that is former twin line (scissor) turntable. there was also a single line turntable next to scotland bridge/road and also on the main line in middle prior to going under bridge next to victoria
Impeccable timing martin,log burner bouncing & this flagged up👍 "another great history lesson"...
Hello Greg well am glad that worked out well 😃 Thank you very much
The green things on the tree stumps are tree killer plugs. Don't forget despite the jungle tearing at your coat you are walking over old brick arches. Big trees will break the structure and can cause leaks or collapse if the go too far.
Very true Giovani never thought of that 👍
Yes, you drill a hole in the stump, pour in the nasty sh*t then plug the hole.
Another great video, Martin. Those red-topped 'mushrooms' are not mushrooms but 'Fungi' This particular one is a Fly Agaric and the white-spotted 'cap' can get up to 15cm in diameter. They grow mainly near Birch and Pine trees and in mixed woodland. Do keep showing the Flora - which is a beautiful part of our natural heritage.
I loved the night photography,though I am glad you had Connor with you. Getting through the brambles at night must be rough.
Great video Martin enjoyed. the power of the camera I take my camera's everywhere time machines one day all that will be gone. film everything 👍
Hi Brian, yes very true mate. Some of the stuff I have done has already gone 👍
That could be a beautiful Walking / Cycling track with a bit of work.
Hiya Brilliant video yet again thanks for jogging my memory and also showing me more about this interesting city of ours your doing an amazing job 👍
Hello Teresa, thanks very much. Its a strange and interesting place that branch line 👍
Great video Martin brings back memories of walking to school to Collyhurst from Cheetham hill back in the early seventies, a would walk instead of catching the bus to save money, I must of been crazy
Hi Christopher, did you walk over the bridge ?
Yes I did (Lowrys bridge) then went through Barney’s tip often saw abandoned cars I lived near Cheetham Hill road
@@gasmandownunder Brilliant !!! 👍
Martin Zero many thanks to you for providing great videos brings back memories of my childhood especially now I live in outback Queensland where Manchester is so far away.
@@gasmandownunder Wow, from one amazing place to another. A long way away Christopher 👍
Another great video. I've explored part of an old local line in New Zealand that closed down in 1968. As you say, amazing how nature claims the land back.
Hi John thanks. Something about old railway lines isnt there. Do you have a lot of stuff like that in NZ ?
I agree. So much history. In New Zealand it was similar to the UK in the late sixties with lines closing down everywhere. The closest one to me is the Catlins River Railway which closed in 1970. There is a tunnel there that you can walk through. There is the Roxburgh line which has three tunnels, one has a walking/cycle track going through. That closed in 1968. Then there is the old Heriot line, and the Central Otago line which has it's 150km turned into a cycle trail. There are many spectacular viaducts and three tunnels on this line. It closed mid 80's That's just lines near me. There are many more.
Your videos are inspiring me to do a video too. If I only had time. lol
@@McMieke You Should do it John, sounds like you have the subject matter and it would be great to see 👍
I agree, GREAT job...you're making me homesick.when I was a kid I used to see these places and wonder what the history was behind it. I guess no matter where we roam, we always mancunians
Hi Lee thanks mate, where are you now ?
In 1973, if you walked down Red bank and turned left onto Roger St. The first left after the Railway bridge was a little cobbled rd. Down there was the Entrance to Duckhams Oils and A Hall and Co, which was my first job after leaving school (wood turner). If you carried on down Roger St, on the right was Henry Wallworks (Union Steel Works) and on the left a street that led to Frys metals (made solder and stuff and what we only ever knew as the Bone works, they made Animal glue and produced the worst smell I have ever known, then you crossed Union Bridge and if you turned left the Irk was on your left and on the right was a row of 1 up 1 down houses and a pub who's name I can't remember and then Phillips Rubbers.
I used to walk that route for about three years up Collyhurst Rd then Smedley rd.
Yet anouther great video Martin, keep up the good work.
Yes I remember the bone works smell. occasionally I would walk down that way to school from further up Collyhurst Rd and on to Cheetham Hill Rd. It did used to freak me me out a bit .
@@anneforster510 It was an awful smell, I can still imagine it from time to time.
Thanks Alan, would have loved to have seen all that 👍
Martin, thank you so much for all this exploring, love it and wish i could join you.
Thanks Sarah
The growth on the birch tree is a burr. Quite common especially on birch trees. I photographed that particular tree. I was talking to the homeless lads in camp there at the time.
Ahh thanks David and what a coincidence
Hello Martin great film brought back a lot of memories used to travel back & forth between Oldham and Manchester on the train
Hi Glyn, thanks very much. All trams now 👍
I remember Redbank sidings we used to spend a lot of time on the end of Manchester Victoria station platforms drinking Tea & taking down the train numbers with me dad we travelled all over the country back when I was a young un!
Great stuff, me to in 1981/82 👍
Another great video.... was walking through here with my kid's last week.. showing them around before it all changes.. keep up the great work..👍👍👍👍
Hi thanks, did you walk the branch line ? Its a great little hidden place isn't it ? Hope your youngsters liked it. They will always remember that 👍
@@MartinZero Yeah we walked as far as we could. Then back through st Catherine's
An interesting watch again Martin and in the area I know well. Yes a 'Hi-line' type of area from the centre of Mcr would be great. The designer is Piet Oudolf ,fantastic designer of these types of spaces and what an amazing facility that would be for the surrounding area which needs a boost like that. All those apartments , people would love a cycle /walking space that would act as a green lung for the city. It certainly needs cleaning up. I couldn't go there at night, but thanks to you I don't have to 😂 Thanks so much for the video.
Hello Anne, yes it would be great as a green corridor. I'd love to jog that from Collyhurst into town. Piet Oudolf might look him up 👍
Love the video and the photos at the end martin and especially the car ones.
Cheers Mate, yep that car was spooky
Another great video Martin, good use of the Lume Cube's too. Didn't get chance to use mine last weekend due to atrocious weather on the East coast. The illumination of Whitby Abbey was cancelled too.
Hi Steve thanks very much. I hope the Lume cubes are powerful enough to light the cliffs for you. Best results in the pitch Black
Another fascinating railway video Martin. There looks enough timber to keep lots of wood burners going for many winters? As the trackbed continues up to the Metrolink Depot I wonder if there’s potential for a tram extension through that side of Victoria Station towards Salford. Your video also reminded me I have an old Modern Railways mag’ somewhere in my house with a super photo taken from the Green Quarter in 1966 of steam stopping passenger train on that section, atmospheric! Since discovering your channel I generally go for the railway videos first so I watch them all out of sequence, but still thoroughly enjoy them. Far better than the rubbish on telly these days!
I wish more people could cherish the past the way we do. It might make the future better for our kids.
Great videos martin keep them coming.
Thanks Chris
Scary by day so you went back at night..
Thought I’d watch this to find a nice walk.
Yep at night go in numbers
I remember going through Miles Platting on the steam trains. The place had a very distinctive smell and the noise the train made on the tracks changed. You knew you were almost in Manchester even if you had your eyes closed.
Brilliant Roger, when would this be ?
@@MartinZero I was with my parents so would still have been at school, probably living in Salford so that puts it at 1965 -ish at the latest.
@@rogerbarton497 Wow cool. I wasnt born yet 👍
10 out of 10 again Martin .. Brilliant work.
Thanks Martin
Hi marting just subscribe to your channel, been watching your clips absolutely love what your doing mate its what I'm interested in love history so glad found your channel, i live in Swinton area born n bread in Clifton there's loads of history in & around Clifton area as of your video post history is all around us & most of us don't even know it, keep up the great work Martin be safe mucka 👍👍
Hi Paul thanks very much. I think there is a railway tunnel in Clifton ? Thanks again mate
i used to work in redbank in the late 80's when it was full of little workshops went through there recent and its just full of flats ....totally changed
Fascinating 👍👍
Thanks for sharing this fantastic piece of information @ 21:09 XD
Excellent video again Martin.☺👍
Thanks very much Ian 👍
Quality.. Glad your channel popped up in my suggestions 👍
Thanks very much Leon 👍
0:30 so that is where E.T. left the phone 😁
Very nice video, thank you for the effort put in.
Thanks very much. 😆👍🏼
Fantastic insight into that area! another top video Martin!!
Thanks very much Gary
Another great vid, love the arty photography at the end.
Cheers Andy
Very interesting. I sometimes take the tram from Victoria up to Bury.