The Dinting Railway Centre was open between 1968 and 1990. The brick engine shed was built between 1888 and 1898 for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. The centre was run by the Bahamas Locomotive Society, who are based at Ingrow on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. An old badge marks the connection between Dinting and the Society.
The photo above of the locomotive Scots Guardsman, taken by Hugh Llewelyn, is dated April 1980, and another photo shows a different locomotive, the LNER 60532 Blue Peter, at Dinting in 1983.
Photos by Hugh Llewelyn and via Badge Collectors Circle and rmweb.
Update: this post was updated in April 2022 with a new image at the top and some small changes to the text.
5 replies on “Dinting Railway Centre”
It’s a shame this museum area has been disused since 1990. A lot of decay has taken place in only 29 years! Nice to visit, though as a nature hike. Please try to preserve it!
Reading through my spotting logs I recorded the following locomotives:
4771 V2 2-6-2 ‘Green Arrow’ giving brake van rides
532 A2 4-6-2 ‘Blue Peter’
19 A4 4-6-2 ‘Bittern’
1000 Midland 4-4-0 Compound
6115 Royal Scot 4-6-0 ‘Scots Guardsman’
5596 Jubilee 4-6-0 Bahamas
102 O1(?) 2-8-0
The date almost forty years ago was Monday May 7th 1979
Below is a very brief resume of activities at the Centre following the purchase of the site by J G Warburton in 1968 for £1500.
1968 Working parties commence at Dinting. ‘Jacob’ arrives.
1969 Nunlow, Scots Guardsman and Warrington arrive. Limited Company incorporated.
1970 Tiny and the ‘steam tram’ arrive. Bahamas Locomotive Society registered as a Charity. The first Standard Gauge Steam Convention organised in Manchester. First Vintage Transport Day with Bahamas visiting Glossop.
1971 Southwick arrives. Nunlow returns to steam after overhaul – the first restoration project.
1972 Bahamas returns to the main line on a railtour between Shrewsbury and Hereford.
1973 The ‘new shed’ is completed. Leander, ‘Coal Tank’ and Cheltenham arrive. Bahamas attends the Reddish Motive Power Depot Open Day. Warrington attends Transpo 73 in Trafford Park.
1974 Diesel Hydraulic shunter RS8 arrives. Visit by Flying Scotsman.
1975 0-6-0ST 1883 arrives. Leander attends the 150th anniversary of the S&DR at Shildon.
1976 GCR 2-8-0 arrives.
1977 Brake Van rides replace footplate rides for visitors. Visit by LMS 4-6-0 5305. Miniature Railway opens. Cheltenham returns to the NRM at York.
1978 Blue Peter and Bittern arrive. Scots Guardsman restoration complete and hauls two mainline railtours. Visit by Sir Nigel Gresley and the ‘Midland Compound’. New power signalling system commissioned on No.4 road.
1979 Leander departs. Visit by Flying Scotsman and Green Arrow.
1980 ‘Coal Tank’ restoration complete and attends the 150th anniversary of the L&MR at Rainhill and Scots Guardsman attends the celebrations at Liverpool Road, Manchester. Visit of Clan Line, LMS 0-6-0 7298, Cheltenham, Hardwicke, Lion, ‘Midland Compound’.
1981 Visitors exceed 27,000. ‘EM1’ and the Steam Crane arrive. Return visit of Lion.
1982 Blue Peter returns to steam.
1983 Protection of the Landlord & Tenant Act lost through solicitor’s negligence. New refreshment room opens. The platform on No. 4 road is completed.
1984 Hardwicke and the ‘EM1’ return to the NRM at York. ‘Coal Tank’ out on the main line for Wilson’s Brewery shuttle service from Manchester Victoria.
1985 Visit by LMS 2-8-0 8431. Blue Peter visits the Didcot Railway Centre.
1986 Diesel shunter James arrives. Blue Peter and Bittern depart. ‘Coal Tank’ visits KWVR, the Severn Valley Railway, and returns with a railtour on the main line from Shrewsbury.
1987 Visit by Lion.
1988 The Society celebrates its 21st birthday. Bahamas overhaul complete.
1989 Bahamas returns for its second period of mainline activity. Scots Guardsman departs to Tyseley.
1990 Following a previous disagreement with the landlord, the Dinting Railway Centre closes to the public and the nucleus of the collection is relocated to Ingrow.
To see some ‘home movie video’ of the Dinting Railway Centre in operation, please visit the Bahamas Locomotive Society Youtube channel – or follow the links here:
https://youtu.be/posHSXTL4qE
https://youtu.be/iplS7vhnbmQ
Hi Pete,
Thanks so much for this timeline. It’s always really valuable to hear about the histories of the museums we’ve been documenting.
Mark
It was years ago the last time I went to Dinting I saw the flying scotsman