Memories from a Signalman
A Few Memories from a Castleton Signalman
I remember around the time steam operations ended I worked at Castleton North Junction with Roy Williams (Roy now looks after the station and is a mainstay of the Friends), and the station master was Mr Denny. There was, even in those days circa late 1960s, so much theft of wiring from telegraph poles that Mr Denny went out at night in the guise of a thief and did get some robbers ‘collared’.
I also attended first aid classes on the station. The group was made up of signalmen, and people from the Central Materials Depot, in Baggs Yard, and, as a team, we won a shield in a first aid competition at Bolton. As the most junior chap I carried the shield in its glass box on to the train back to Rochdale and it was put on display at Castleton station, with the permission of the wondrous Mr Denny.
The long welded rail depot in Baggs Yard was the first in the country. The photograph around 1990 shows Castleton looking towards Rochdale. An empty long welded rail delivery train waits at Castleton Station to reverse into the depot when signal shows clear underneath the Manchester Road bridge, with the train guard on the platform. A passenger service is on the up line to Manchester. The bridge arch is as originally built when opened in 1839. Harry Muncaster (AKA Old Harry)