The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, set in stone
This photograph and its backstory was originally published in the September 1963 Meccano Magazine. The photo was submitted by Mr. Ivan Broadhead of York and depicts a sculpture that once stood in the Berry Brow station garden, on the Huddersfield to Penistone railway line. At the date of publication, the line was slated for closure as part of the Beeching Cuts, an event which duly occurred in early 1966, and the sculpture was facing an uncertain future. Happily, it was saved for posterity.
The sculptor as inscribed was a young apprentice stonemason, J.C. Stocks, aged just 18 when he executed it in 1886. The single piece of stone came from a quarry in nearby Honley. In addition to the train, the piece is flanked by the heads of John Milton and William Shakespeare, while the keystone head was said to represent a Mr. Swithenbank, who at the time was the Permanent Way Inspector at Berry Brow.
The detailing of the train and its footplate crew are remarkable. The locomotive can be identified as a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 0-4-4T, designed in 1877 by William Barton Wright. The class numbered 72 examples, used for local services throughout the L&Y network. Superseded by later designs, the class was taken out of regular service between 1901 and 1921, but a handful were retained as stationary boilers used for carriage heating. Two managed to enjoy an extended life in fulfilling this role, not being scrapped until the early 1960s.
After Berry Brow station was closed and demolished, the sculpture was secured by the National Railway Museum. It is today on display at the Tolson Museum, in nearby Huddersfield. In 1989, British Rail restored the passenger service between Huddersfield and Penistone and a new Berry Brow station was constructed. It comprises a single platform and a bus shelter, lacking a garden or any other artwork.
The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, set in stone
This photograph and its backstory was originally published in the September 1963 Meccano Magazine. The photo was submitted by Mr. Ivan Broadhead of York and depicts a sculpture that once stood in the Berry Brow station garden, on the Huddersfield to Penistone railway line. At the date of publication, the line was slated for closure as part of the Beeching Cuts, an event which duly occurred in early 1966, and the sculpture was facing an uncertain future. Happily, it was saved for posterity.
The sculptor as inscribed was a young apprentice stonemason, J.C. Stocks, aged just 18 when he executed it in 1886. The single piece of stone came from a quarry in nearby Honley. In addition to the train, the piece is flanked by the heads of John Milton and William Shakespeare, while the keystone head was said to represent a Mr. Swithenbank, who at the time was the Permanent Way Inspector at Berry Brow.
The detailing of the train and its footplate crew are remarkable. The locomotive can be identified as a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 0-4-4T, designed in 1877 by William Barton Wright. The class numbered 72 examples, used for local services throughout the L&Y network. Superseded by later designs, the class was taken out of regular service between 1901 and 1921, but a handful were retained as stationary boilers used for carriage heating. Two managed to enjoy an extended life in fulfilling this role, not being scrapped until the early 1960s.
After Berry Brow station was closed and demolished, the sculpture was secured by the National Railway Museum. It is today on display at the Tolson Museum, in nearby Huddersfield. In 1989, British Rail restored the passenger service between Huddersfield and Penistone and a new Berry Brow station was constructed. It comprises a single platform and a bus shelter, lacking a garden or any other artwork.