Ticket
Wilbraham Road Railway Station
7th May 1964

“Have seen some of footage on YouTube and definitely shot at the old Wilbraham Road Station that was behind Whalley Range High School. The station was closed in 1958 but the line was still open until the late 1980's for Freight.”

“An amazing artefact.”

“I wuz there! Well sort of. Me and a few scruffy mates heard about this thing that was going on down the road from us, at the disused Wilbraham Road station on Alexander Road South. We pedalled our choppers and home-made clunkers down to the road bridge over the railway, and propped our bikes against the brickwork and stood on the crossbar to look over the parapet. We looked down onto the "Chorltonville" station, all done up like a western station, and watched Sister Rosetta Tharp do some Gospelly stuff. As it was getting dark and I was only 11, I had to leave, but however briefly, I wuz there!”

“Wow, that's mega!!”

“Chris Bowden, Drummer with Paul Fenda and the Teenbeats 1961-1963. Later with John Morgan and the BASIX. (see Manchester District Music Archive)
I was one of the BASIXS invited to take part in the filming of the Granada Televison programme "The Blues and Gospel Train". We had to meet at Central Station and were filmed running (over the camera man) onto the platform (usually reserved for the prestigious "Midland Pullman" Once on the train we were filmed performing a few of our usual favourite Blues numbers. On arrival at Wilbraham Road (aka "Chorltonville") we joined the crowd and watched Muddy Waters walking the track toward the station. What a day.
The station at Wilbraham Road was disused and part of the closed Manchester Central to Faifield loop line.
Whatever happened to John Morgan and the rest of the BASIXS.
Chris Bowden, alive and kicking but not drumming.”

“Excellent footage of Sister Rosetta Tharpe - the Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll. youtu.be/SRuYL-_s480 and full story here www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-mancheste...”