Deeply regret not visiting the Woodhead route earlier. First descended upon Piccadilly in 1973, and having seen the regular comings and goings of Class 506 emus I enquired about how to get to see the Tommies! I was duly instructed by a “local” lad to take a DMU to Reddish North and walk about 5-10 mins down to the depot. I did as recommended and was not disappointed! Eventually I visited various locations along the Woodhead route and was impressed by the sights of Tommies on freights at Woodhead Station. I became more and more familiar with the route and lamented the closure as a through Trans Pennine route in 1981. I witnessed probably one of the last MGR trains, 47 hauled at Godley Junction heading for Fiddlers Ferry PS in 1981.

Sadly never got to explore the Woodhead route but remember visiting a bus scrapyard (Wombwell Diesels) in 1978 (next to the Wath line) and a 76 went by light engine. The only time I ever saw one move! Also popped down to nearby Wath depot to see a few in the usual Sunday line up there. Next time I saw them was February 1983 at Guide Bridge and Reddish, where pretty much every example was withdrawn waiting to be scrapped. Great video.....makes me wish I'd seen a few more actually working!

Superb footage of the Woodhead 76s at Guide Bridge,now all sadly gone,thanks for sharing.

Fantastic footage, so glad you took it Never saw the line sadly I have to say. Always had a fascination for the legacy DC system so short lived.

Fantastic footage and the music just fits the mood perfectly, thank you...

What a sight! 76's and a 24 together. Amazing

worked here in the late 70s happy memories

Nice footage. Shame there was no sound, I muted the depressing music. Depressing because of the state of our railways now compared to back then. I got up there (from W. Sussex) in the mid to late 70s when they were all 76s, no Es. Shame your footage ended with the 76 approaching on what looked like an MGR train, if they were running in 73. Guide bridge was an amazing place for a southern enthusiast. Seeing 20s, 40s, 47s, 76s and some of the early 8x electrics. Was also lucky enough to do the Woodhead route a few times on railtours etc., also in and around Wath, Tinsley, past the old Sheffield Victoria station. Good old days. Shame its all this foreign rubbish now, in German DB livery.Hey ho. Thanks for uploading.

Superb film,and great memories of a once important railway centre,many thanks for sharing.

Very nice David great to see cheers Steve ..

Lived by the wath branch , my childhood bedroom window overlooked wombwell main junction , none stop class 76 coal and frieght trains it was also where the two bankers would be attached at the rear , i went to redish and guide bridge to see them lined up awaiting a final journey across the pennines to be cut up .

I remember being escorted down to the drivers' Mess by a frienldy driver in the 1970s as a kid. We saw the roster and they let us go in the electric locos cabs. These were people who were justly proud of the railway they managed. I realise now what an honour it was to be allowed there. Modern Health and Safety rules would forbid it but how can we show our children the way forward?

Lovely 8mm footage. The locos still look more European outline than anything British. Closing the Woodhead absurd, even by the wholesale civic vandalism of the time.

they where very friendly at the bridge,

Just wish I'd been old enough to see the Woodhead electrics at the time. I just started gaining proper knowledge (when I bought my first copy of Rail Enthusiast magazine) about the classes/routes etc in late 1981 just a few months after the Woodhead electrics were withdrawn. If only I had a time machine.

I fondly remember these boxy locomotives gliding around guide bridge. Nice shed, staff were always friendly to well behaved spotters. Sadly gone and the whole area changed beyond recognition. Odd to see the 84 (?) on shed. Longsight not far and on the right juice... wonder why it ended up here

I look at this video again an feel respect for the drivers signallers and dispatchers of the woodhead route who showed us youngsters the workings of their railway

Great video. The 76's look awesome when the pantograph are really low down, not so good when they're high up, at level crossings etc where the contact conductor wire has to be higher.

As a kid in the late 50's/early 60's my cross country runs from school took me past the Reddish Shed twice a week for five years. I enjoyed running past but I often wondered why there were so many loco's sitting around doing nothing. Then watching this video of yet more loco's either sitting around doing nothing or travelling light and therefore costing, not earning, the railway money, I have to wonder what the economics of this line were and if that had some leaning on why the line was deemed uneconomical and had to close.

Fantastic footage, thanks for posting

Marvellous stuff. Thanks for sharing.

Happy memories from my train spotting days in the 70s 👍🏻

Maybe the AC electric is a stored class 84. Looks like one with those oval buffers...

That must be the cleanest 76 I've ever seen at 4:30....although utterly functional in design, they actually looked quite smart when clean! I spy an AC intruder (AL4) around the 7 minute mark. Perhaps on its way to/from Doncaster works? This was the period when major overhauls and upgrades were being made to the AC "roarers" in readiness for electrification into Scotland.

I'm a little surprised to see so many of these pre-TOPS numbered locos still carrying the 'E' prefix to their number. This was 5 years after the demise of steam and the discontinuation of the D & E prefixes for diesel and electric traction. I'm also curious about the 1st generation AC electric loco (can't identify the specific class - 82 maybe?) in in the final shot.

One of the very wide warren-girder gantries over the loco 'parking area' was struck and badly-buckled by a contractor's mobile crane during the removal of the bridge-girders from the old long-dead Denton-Stalybridge avoiding-line "dive-under" that tunneled under the tracks nearby. The redundant girder was subsequently taken-down and cut up, leaving a prominent gap. After the electrics left, plenty of Class '40's turned up there: there was a refuelling point near the (last) signal-box. The long footbridge (visible in some shots) is still there: God knows who uses it. The wooden-planked footbridge on the station nearby was set on fire and was taken-down, leaving people to go all the way round via the roadbridge over the line.

6:58 , wonder what the AC electric is doing at guide bridge , i have seen photos of AC electrics being dragged over woodhead to doncaster for attention

76021 looking smart ex works, while an ac interloper sits in the yard presumably awaitin a tow under the hill on its way to Doncaster for maintainance.

Quality footage of Guide Bridge, it's our local station and seeing footage like this is as rare as hen's teeth. Just out of curiosity have you got any more footage @ Guide Bridge from the 70's & 80's? Cheers

we've come a long ways in 50 years.

I was 6 weeks old when this was filmed . How old do I feel lol

7:27 How an earth did that AC locomotive manage to get there?

Never heard a Class 76 before.... they do sound very strange listening to this video!

What's the AC electric doing in the yard towards the end of the footage? Great film BTW.

Year i was graduated from High School....

Great.

Great video shame no sound rather than the music

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