firbeck
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Posts posted by firbeck
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You've obviously been working hard behind the scenes over this lovely bank holiday weekend, you've done a brilliant job, my thanks to you.
Just a typical example of evil backstabbing when times allegedly get tough, from those profiteering in the 'Good Times'. I've seen so much of it, it makes you puke.
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For you railway buffs on here, I took this of the bankers at Folkestone Junction after they'd shoved the diverted Golden Arrow up the incline:-
This was August 1959 by the way, the train engine, City of Wells was being watered in the sidings:-
On to August 1964, this is a Class U attacking the bank out of Exeter St Davids, according to my notes it was being shoved by 2 Class Z 0-8-0's. note the incline on the track:-
On the same day, we happened to be at Exeter Central when the Malden ballast train got stuck in the tunnel, crap picture, but there were so many locos trying to drag this train up the bank, as I recall, the train engine was a Hall, assisted by the Standard and a 2_6-4 tank, with the usual Z class bankers on the end, I have a picture of them, but can't find it:-
To finish off, a little known bank, out of Manchester Exchange/Victoria, here are the local bankers awaiting their tour of duty, April 1966:-
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I've been trying to find out about the steepest railway gradients, information is very conflicting and I can't find any reference to Bagthorpe anywhere.
According to reports, the steepest incline in the UK at the moment is part of the Docklands Light Railway at 1:17, but thats a modern thing.
I remember being banked up Lickey by 4 pannier tanks, train engine a Jubilee, and hanging out the back window all the way, but that was considered to be merely the longest incline at 1:37 for several miles.
We once went on holiday to Folkestone and father rather foolishly booked a guest house near the Harbour Incline, the noise from the bankers was horrendous, pannier tanks again, and went on for most of the night, 1:32 I believe.
I also recall the bank out of Exeter St Davids to Central, now that was steep, I remember the Maldon Quarry ballast train getting stuck, now you've got me going, I'll dig out some of my old pictures.
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Trent Lane/Meadow Lane Crossing at Long Eaton on the way to Trent Station.
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Nice one Bazzer, it's good to go back and find old haunts, but are you pleased to be away from it all, don't you find it a bit daunting to be back in a big city and one in particular thats changed so much.
So the maggot factory is still up and running then, when I find them I'll have to put up the survey drawings that I did back in the days when you must have left, the worst survey that I ever did, almost on a par with Superdrug at Bromsgrove, but thats another story, I can still taste the smell of Colwick maggots in my nightmares.
Give my regards to Beefy, he didn't miss much at Duxford.
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Throw it down the stairs, then get your insurance company to cough up for a new, more advanced one.
I was running my computer once and we had a severe thunderstorm, a lightning strike away from me totally wrecked it, as far as the insurance company were concerned it was an act of God, they didn't want to know, had I dropped it down the stairs it would have been a different matter, I tried to negotiate but they didn't want to know, thanks evil friends.
So, any terminal computer problems, chuck it down the stairs and you will be OK.
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Note how they've made the bridge much smaller, traffic more important than our railway heritage no doubt.
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Thanks for your efforts Rog, great pictures, it hasn't changed that much apart from the missing track, I notice that the sign situated next to my pals has gone though, no, it wasn't me that knicked it for a change.
I did go for a hike up there about 15 years ago, I remember the brake vans and making the ascent up to the winding engine at Middleton Top, I've got it all on video, but can't play it back at the moment.
In the 60's, that bottom area of the line was shunted by the 47000 class of 0-4-0 tank engines, the first batch was built by the LMS in the 30's then another batch with coal bunkers oddly positioned in front of the cab were built by BR about 1950. If we went on one of fathers inevitable coach tours of the Peak District, we would crane our necks off the A6 to see what was lurking round the small shed down there, usually 47000. When the line wasn't operating at weekends, which was when I took my old B & W pictures, they were stabled at either Rowsley or Derby sheds.
I was surprised to find that the last of the class, 47001, wasn't withdrawn until December 1966, almost at the end of steam, what a shame it wasn't preserved, probably the last steam loco to work the High Peak.
On a slightly different track, during the summer of 1963 we went on a school first year hiking trip around Stanton Moor between Matlock and Rowsley. Our Geography teacher, Jolly Jack, who organised the hike, was a keen railway enthusiast. The point of the hike was to look at various geographical features as part of the course, but, inevitably, we ended up doing a quick viewing of Rowsley sheds as well, thats what made him our favourite teacher, the late, great, much loved by everyone, John Singleton.
The thing is, one of the kids borrowed a cine camera off his dad and filmed the whole episode in colour, Firbeck being buried in bracken, the whole hike and particularly Rowsley sheds. We were treated to a school viewing of it, then that was that.
I bumped into the bloke at a BGS school reunion and the first thing we talked about was that film which he promised to put onto VHS and send to me. It never happened, not surprising, it was a very emotional meet up for us all. I'll have to track him down, colour film of Rowsley sheds in 1963 must be pretty unique, I wouldn't be surprised if the High Peak shunters were on there.
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Incidentally, my brother offered to buy us a pint, guess what, the ( empty ) beer van was selling Greene King IPA 'Smooth' at £3:20 a pint, robbing evil b@stards, I hope they made a loss, vile exploitative scum, 99p at Witherspoons, lets take advantage of the airshow people and charge as much as we can for our p@ss, because they'll fancy a pint and have no other choice. I've said before, don't buy this evil empires p@ss and they will perhaps change their minds about what they are doing, as it happened, people seemed to be doing this, thank God.
Incidentally, GK now have all the rights to Loch Fyne kippers and their asscociated restaraunts, please don't have anything to do with them and they will rot in the money exploitative game that they are creating for themselves at every one elses expence.
No, we didn't fall for their little game and buy a pint, we complained and walked away feeling sick.
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Just a few images from the day:-
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The flightline following the first downpour:-
We walked round the hangars and were surprised to find the airworthy Vickers Vimy replica which
the late great Steve Fossett had flown to Australia:-
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This is for our Aviation Day friends, unfortunately, Air Commodore Beefsteak is unable to participate as he is probably finishing off his lunch at one of Rick Steins Padstow restaraunts while negotiating fishing rights.
Thanks to the suggestion by his nibs, I was able to get in at half price by showing my JobSeekers card and I met my brother and his mate from Derby and Nottingham respectively outside the AAM hangar.
The weather was appalling, high winds and occasional heavy rain, many of the participants couldn't fly and we had to sprint between the hangars to avoid a soaking. On the other hand, my brothers mate Derek had never been to DX before and simply enjoyed being there and taking in the atmosphere of the place.
What amazes me is that people arrive late and grumble about qeueing to get in, then dash off to leave early and have to qeue to get out, even when there was 2 hours of flying left, the traffic was jammed up trying to get out. If no-one has ever been there, it must be one of the best military history and aviation museums in the world, there's so much to do and see, especially for kids, I've been there more times than I've had hot dinners, but I never get bored, whats wrong with folk, especially considering how much it cost to get in yesterday, I thought everyone was skint, it didn't look like it yesterday.
Here's a few pictures, unfortunately my editing feature doesn't want to work and my crappy digi camera can't cope very well with moving targets, I'll see what I can do later.
This is before the rains came:-
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Oliver Cromwell again, Kelvedon Level crossing, Saturday lunchtime.
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Good one Beefsteak, never thought of that one, will they accept my Job Seekers card, I wonder, I'll try that.
Just checked, it's £12:95, still nearly half price though.
Cheers.
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If you search the heading Long Gone Railways, you'll find a lot of information and photographs on there.
This is a picture of the eastern end of the MR tunnel at Watnall that I took circa 1965/66 which I've already published on there somewhere and also a picture of the original MR bridge number from the next bridge along the line:-
Hope that helps, and welcome to the forum.
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I might go and sit in the field and watch some of it, by the time I've allowed for the admission fee and the inevitable what ever else you end up paying for, I can't afford to go at the moment.
I think that the last time that I saw a VC-10 carry out a solo routine at an airshow was at Wethersfield in 1987, I'll never forget it because it was the first time I took my son to an airshow, he was very tiny, but when that Matchbox Tornado that he loved so much became a noisy reality, he suddenly didn't want to be there, I have a great picture of him staggering in fear to our little tent with the VC-10 looming menacingly in the background, when he realised it wasn't so noisy or threatening, he changed his mind and wanted to watch it, thank you VC-10.
This will make you smile, just in case any visiting aircraft came over and thinking about going to see the Brit tomorrow, I put my camera batteries on charge and guess what, an Apache gunship, bristling with ordnance, has just slowly passed right overhead at about 100m, making a very sharp turn just over the bottom of the garden, typical, though I had this image of your goodself cursing and swearing, trying to attach the appropriate lens and tripping over the kids, I didn't bother and just stood and watched it instead, I thought it would be better to take it all in rather than fiddle about and not get a picture.
Ooh mystery baby bird on bike shed roof, hmm, another photographic opportunity lost, I think it's a Dunnock.
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In case anyone is interested, 60163 Tornado is running up the ECML tomorrow from Kings X to York, with a water stop at Grantham for 20 minutes at 9:30am and passing through Newark at about 10:00.
We've got 70013 again from Norwich to L. Strt.
Just thought I'd let you know.
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Had I won the Euro lottery last week I'd have bought Pink Lady and given you a share in it mate, only condition would have been that you got to be the ball turret gunner.
Sometimes they do tours of Sally B at DX for a fiver, well worth it, a walk across the bomb bay is daunting, and thats when it's just sitting on the ground, having to do that during a mission under fire must have been horrific.
My ex-wifes Uncle Ralph was flight engineer on specialist RAF B-17's used for radar jamming and electronic counter measures, something you don't hear about much, the entries in his log book are amazing, it makes you wonder how any of the aircrew survived.
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I gather that the BBMF Lanc is still stuck at Schipol due to bad weather conditions and will need a bit of maintenance when it finally gets back to Conno, any insider news on this one Rog.
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You're right Beefsteak, the ground shots were filmed at Binbrook with an artificial control tower, but Duxford was used as the base for all the ariel shots that were filmed over Suffolk, and some actually over the airfield as well, I recall lying in a field watching the attempted combat scene where a P-51 chased a Bf 109 vertically through the formation, it looked a bit dangerous, I'm sure it was, in the end they used models in the film, don't ask me why, because it didn't look right to me, whereas the actual scene viewed from a few thousand feet below looked amazing.
I recall standing there when David Putnam arrived on set and watching him going mental because he felt that the serial numbers on the P-51's were in the wrong place, the poor sods trying to get it right hated him, then there was the time when a B-17 blew an engine over Southwold and we virtually had to duck for cover when it landed on two dead engines, then the official MGM film photographer throwing up after he had to take the publicity stills, and my given promise to be involved as aircrew which never happened, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. one of those things to talk about over a pint between ourselves.
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Madingley, Cambridge, a small piece of the UK that will forever be part of the USA.
I took these on Rememberance Day 2007.
Lets not forget that the 65th anniversary of D-Day will be coming up in a few weeks, unfortunately my Nottingham born dad who took part in the 'Day of Days' won't be around to go over to France again, does anyone have any family tales to tell?
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Rog
I witnessed Sally B having it's first engine change 18 months ago, a bit blurred but you get the point:-
Just a picture of how things used to be from about 12 years ago:-
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Limey
According the latest figures, there are 15 airworthy B-17's worldwide, as this includes Sally B at Duxford and Pink Lady in France, which may not fly again, that means that you have 13 flying in the USA.
I suspect that the B-17 that you regularly see may well be 'Aluminium Overcast' which does tours and public flights all over the USA.
Of the 15, I think that the only true combat veteran may well be Pink Lady, that carried out several missions towards the end of the war over Europe from the UK, sad that it may be grounded, the reason being that the French team feel that they have become too old to operate it anymore, I wouldn't be at all surprised though if it ended up back in the USA, better flying there than stuck forever in a museum in France.
I was lucky enough to be able to go to Duxford nearly every day when they were filming 'Memphis Belle' 20 years ago, I have some astonishing pictures but they are all on slides, the sight of 5 B-17's carrying out a streamed take off was something I'll never forget, I also have a few tales to tell about the filming, but another time.
Meanwhile here's some pictures I took of Pink Lady in her heyday at DX, last century:-
Passing a B-25:-
Waiting for the escort to take off:-
Incidentaly, I regularly visit Madingley, it makes me weep.
Duxford Spring Airshow 2009
in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !
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Nice to have you back Beefsteak, as well as this site.
Something I forgot to mention, as you are aware, Sally B has had three engine changes to the port outer in the past two years. During the display, a plume of smoke was noticeable from the replaced engine, but the display routine went ahead and we left it to the experts on board, the cylinders bedding in? what do I know.
When she taxied past us, the smell of burning oil and cloud of blue smoke was overpowering:-
Sorry, can't pick it up on the photo.
According to the keen types, it wasn't a problem, but I gather that she took off from DX to display elsewhere over the weekend and had to abort, she was due to carry out a flypast over Madingley yesterday and couldn't, she's been grounded for 'technical' reasons, I presume that a fourth port outer will be neccesary then, very strange.
Did you see owt interesting in Cornwall, I'm sure you did.