The Manchester - Sheffield - Wath electrification was started as an LNER project, on the former Great Central Railway lines across the Pennines. The Manchester - Penistone section was fully energised on 14th June 1954. My visit was made just in time to see four Class 76 locomotives around Guide Bridge, but sadly no photographs of these.
For Manchester - Glossop - Hadfield services, all to the west of the Pennines, a class of eight emus were ordered by the LNER in 1938, similar to those designed for the Great Eastern Shenfield section, which also ran at 1500V dc when electrified. However the motors in the Manchester - Glossop - Hadfield order were from GEC and lower rated. The actual construction was in 1950, as a follow-on to the Shenfield stock, after storage they entered traffic in June 1954.
Birmingham Railway & Carriage Works Co. built the driving trailers, and Metropolitan-Cammell built the driving motor cars, and intermediate trailers. An interior view.
The coaches were numbered in the Great Central series, and originally had ExxxxxE numbers, later changed to MxxxxxM in 1958 when the line was moved to LMR management.
In TOPS these were Class 506.
The last workings for the class were on 7th December 1984. One cab survives, M59404M at the Cab Yard in South Wales.
