IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Wolverton Street, MANCHESTER, M11 2ET

The sign at Ashburys Image reads One and half miles to the City Centre and 10 miles to Manchester Airport.

The A635 a mile and a half Image from Manchester City Centre.

Strangely not marked as dual carriageway on the OS map. Leering over the city on the horizon is the 551ft-high Beetham Tower, which at the time of this image being taken is the tallest building in the UK outside of London.

The family practitioner service on Graham Street across Ashton Old Road was formerly Mill Street Medical Centre http://www.cornerstonefamilypractice.nhs.uk/

In the distance is the City of Manchester stadium in Image I was asked if I knew what the contraption on the left was used for. I threw the question open on the Geograph Discussion Forum. It was suggested that it was possibly used by the travelling post office for dropping off mail bags and picking them up, but that was severely disputed. Martin Addison http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/4942 had a feeling that it was a surviving piece of catenary from the original 1500v dc electrification of the 1950s. The attachments in the top left corner carried the support wires, similar fittings on the catenary were seen on the Woodhead line. http://www.derbysulzers.com/woodhead.html Nigel Cox http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/2798 suggested that it was more likely to be a gantry that used to hold a height restriction cradle to warn goods train operators with open freight of an overhead restriction ahead, but on reflection agreed with Martin's suggestion, having thought the electricity cables on the gantry were far too over-engineered for what he'd suggested. Andy F http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/32299 also agreed that the gantry is part of the ex-GC lines Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification scheme. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester-Sheffield-Wath_electric_railway

Between Guide Bridge and Manchester Piccadilly.

A view of the through lines in 1978 during a photo-stop on a railtour. The sidings on the left formed part of Ardwick East Goods Depot and have since been lifted although the land they occupied remains undeveloped. Evidence of their existence can still be seen in the form of the isolated sections of catenary that stand amongst the young trees that have grown on the land. The loco is 40170 operating the Northwest Rambler railtour. Class 40's were popular locos on tours at the time as they were being withdrawn from service.

The bridge carrying the railway over Gorton Road at Ashbury's West Junction. Seen here from Vaughan Street.