firbeck
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Posts posted by firbeck
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#65 is a beut!!, near pole moor? The journey from Nottm to Hudd is not bad at all( for hanging out the winda!)
That's Pole Moor on the right. My late, ex in laws ran the Star pub in Slaithwaite then moved to Linthwaite higher up the valley to run the Broad Oak pub. I recall cleaning Renee's Dolomite one morning when a Tornado came so low and fast overhead from the direction of Crossland Moor that I could clearly see the pilot and nav apparently looking at me. It descended into Colne Valley at very high speed then followed the contours up Pole Moor and passed by the radio masts, bloody incredible. That was before they went to war, must have been a GR1, sad to think of circumstances now.
I used to take all sorts of wierd and wonderful routes to Huddersfield in the 70's, you could go via the Penistone route, via Leeds, or via Wakefield. I recall sussing out that on my journey up there on a Friday night, the Yorkshire Pullman, Deltic hauled, used to call into Wakefield just after my train from Derby. So, I got off the Leeds train and waited for the Yorkshire Pullman, in it pulled with a Deltic, great fun, the staff let me on board and I travelled in luxury to Leeds, hanging out the window of the front Pullman carriage taking in the throaty, unforgettable sound of a Deltic, unmissable.
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Finally, a special tribute to my old mate Steve Kirk whose birthday it is today.
Taken on the Colne Valley line between Marsden and Slaithwaite in late 1974, a Class 40 meanders down the valley with a mineral freight.
In the background is Standedge, now the site of the reopened canal tunnel, Steve was born in a house just around the corner from the buildings at the top background, no running water!! Happy Birthday mate.
Another for Steve, a Class 40 heading through the magnificent Huddersfield Station, summer 1974, I reckon it's heading east, but not sure, for any keen types, try the station bar, it's amazing, or it was the last time I went there. To recall it's on the platform opposite where this pic was taken.
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If you want diesels and possibly electrics, a few gems for you, sorry, I haven't had time to track down my Notts colour slides yet:-
E3064 taken at Crewe, June 1963 by my brother with his Hanimex, no yellow warning panels, this was the furthest extent of electrification, the trains were taken forward to Scotland by Coronation Class Pacifics, which were still abundant at Crewe North.
Many people liked the 'Westerns' probably fairly new this one ( and it was always a bugger to read those cast metal number plates ), taken at Shrewsbury heading south a few hours after the last pic, most of the trains that day though were hauled by Castles and Halls.
Newton Abbot shed September 1973, a day trip to Plymouth from Nottingham, I note the 'Peak'in the background.
Crossing the Tamar Bridge, behind a 'Western' August 1973, a trip from Newquay to Totnes by rail, but that's another story.
Long lost electrics, Dinting Viaduct summer 1974, taken after a trip to the now closed Dinting Railway Centre and a trip along the line in the cab of 'Jubilee' Bahamas, was that the one that was based there then, I can't recall, have a colour slide taken out the cab window though.
A Deltic taken at high speed passing through Peterborough, June 1975.
I have many more but have things to do today!!
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No Steam on Here!!
No chance, while going through some old stuff, none of which I've published before, I was tempted to put this on:-
Britannia Pacific 70005 'John Milton', ( Sans nameplates ), climbing Hest Bank and passing through the water troughs with an express parcels heading north towards Carnforth, possibly for Carlisle. Taken in 1965, I apologise for the muck on the slide, I'll do something about it when I have time. He doesn't appear to be taking on water, an experience I suffered when hanging out the window of the carriage immediately behind the tender of 'Shooting Star' a year later.
Look at the low lying smoke, I must have got a good whiff of the exhaust, steam specials don't smell the same these days, Polish coal??
By the way, the fields to the right, overlooking Morecambe Bay, are now occupied by a caravan site, moo cows and sheep when I spent many ours at this fantastic spot.
Incidentally, taken on Ilford colour slide film with my brother's Hanimex 35mm which he graciously used to let me borrow ( and pay for )!!. I used to use two cameras, my Prinzflex was always loaded up with 35mm black and white film for any eventuality.
Just thought about it, 50 years ago I took this picture, it seems like yesterday though, I'm lucky to have had the means and wherewithal to record such moments, thanks dad and brother John for your enthusiasm.
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Did you know that Hemswell, not Scampton, was used to film 'The Dambusters' back in 1954. Their Lincoln squadrons were used as stand in Lancaster backdrops, well, who would know the difference.
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Hi Fredjee, if you search around on Nottstalgia you'll find a considerable number of photo's that I've published from the Firbeck archives. I took my first photo back in 1958, WC 'City of Wells' on the Golden Arrow at Folkestone. I have so many photo's most of which I haven't put on here, it's so time consuming to upload and put them up, not helped by the fact that my PC crashed badly a few weeks ago and stuff vanished into the ether. I have a 35mm colour slide cassette entitled 'Trains 1970's', must be loads of local diesel stuff on there, I probably haven't looked at it for 25 years!!
I have approx 10,000 colour slides plus countless black and white photo's, I'd love to have the time to sort them out but I work full time and doing that is hard.
I'll see what I can do today. Your pics by the way are really cool.
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You don't work at B&Q, Sounds of the 70's wasn't on TV and everything you think happened was imagined. You're actually in a home,for the bewildered and have been for years.
Bugger, I should be on the afternoon shift at Players, or was it Boots, Raleigh, Ericsons, down pit, sweeping out at Toton Sheds or hanging around the blast furnaces at Stanton Ironworks? I'm confused, what do I do?
No, my mobile phone has bleeped and I'm invited to a function at the Swiss Bell in Braintree tonight, no contest, I'll stay in and read a book instead.
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I had just staggered back from a hard day at B&Q selling Xmas trees, came home, crashed on the settee, put the telly on, load of crap, as usual, then saw the line up for 'Sounds of the 70's', James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Eagles, America, et-al and decided to watch it and chucked on the surround sound..
Each act was split with a Pathe news item in between, I couldn't see the relevance, but, there you go. Suddenly just before Joni Mitchell came on with 'Big Yellow Taxi', I found myself watching a news item about the Lilac Leopards in Nottingham, followed by a by a split second scene of following a NCT double decker over Radford railway bridge going past the Players Bonded Warehouse, I was astonished, did anyone else see this, or was I dreaming.
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Firbeck #28: thanks for those super photos. Made my day. Good on yer.
Thank my brother Compo, he'd just got his Hanimex 35mm camera for Xmas and was quite keen to try it out. These were taken off the original prints, I still have the negs somewhere which my all singing and dancing scanner will probably enhance no end.
It must have been quite interesting driving a steam loco in those weather conditions, the 8F's and 'Aussies' had reasonably enclosed cabs, driving a 4F with it's half cab must have been a nightmare, particularly in reverse as they often did, all they had for protection then was a bit of canvas, 'Elf and Safety' would have had a field day with all that canvas flapping about.
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Cheers Pete,was there a fire there about '70-'71?..seem to remember a small chapel on same side ..almost opposite National garage.
After working at Blacks since before the war as a compositor, my old man left the company in the mid 60's and moved to Hill and Tylers in Basford. I recall the place as being quite grim and dark, there was a coal fired boiler in the basement that originally drove a steam engine that connected to all the printing presses by a system of belts. I don't know when it finally closed down, presumably my old man had an inkling of this when he chose to leave, though I gather Hill and Tyler paid him a lot more money than Blacks did. Probably the place had shut down by the time of the fire, there are pics on Picture the Past, but you can't download them anymore, unless you pay of course.
He used to cycle to work everyday until he bought a Raleigh RSW moped in 1964 (ATO 448 B!!! how do I remember that!), though I seem to recall that things got so bad in the 'Big Freeze' that he often caught the bus.
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Was Blacks printers behind the Hole in the Wall pub..or up at the top near the hardy Hanson's pub?
It was next door to the Hole in the Wall pub, there's a photo of the print works on 'Picture the Past'.
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I was at BGS then. For me it was a great winter as the frozen school fields meant we could not play hockey! Brilliant! I hated games. Instead they taught us square/barn dancing and that was a great laugh.
We couldn't play rugby either, too dangerous on a frozen pitch, instead we had to play football, much hated by BGS staff apart from Mr Wombwell, who'd apparently had played pro for Barnsley FC.
Looking at peoples recollections of that winter, it's the smog that stands out for me, it was green! You could taste the sulphur which came pouring out of the coke ovens at Stanton Ironworks which was only a couple of miles away from Bilborough, also, most people had coal fires which added to the flavour of the smog. Our only source of heat at home was a coal fire in the living room which was kept burning 24 hours a day, I remember my old man trying to clear it out and build it up early in the morning before he cycled off to work at Blacks Printers in Sherwood Street. Our only alternative source of heat was a paraffin stove which used to be swapped between the bathroom and my bedroom when I had a lot of homework to do. I used to cycle every day to BGS, lights blazing, those big old cardboard batteries didn't last long, probably took up most of the family budget to keep me going. If the smog was really bad, BGS used to shut up an hour early, I'd cycle back along Glaisdale Drive and try to avoid the parked Talbots which had paraffin hurricane lamps put out in the road next to them in the vain hope that someone driving past would see them.
I recall the Romany family that lived on the land next to Jackson's farm down the 'Black Path', they lived in a green canvas tent with a stove belching smoke out the centre. Every night they bought their pony into the tent, I can't imagine what conditions were like for them living in that place.
The Nottingham Canal was frozen solid, we used to take my pals neighbour's Border Colley 'Chips' for a walk, harness him up to the sledge and play 'Scott of the Antarctic', it was fine as long as you avoided the thin ice under the bridges.
You've no doubt seen these before, but some pics taken by my brother off the footbridge at Trowell Junction during the big freeze.
You can see the smog in this one.
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The farm at the end of "Black Path" was Raynor`s Farm.Jeff Hardy shot me in the eyelid with a pellet from his air rifle one sunny Sunday afternoon as I peered out from an upstairs window c 1963.Caused Dr Peake to have words with the demolition company.
The 'local demolition company' seemed to consist of the local youths from Firbeck and Fernwood estates. No sooner had the hearse containing the coffin of the old boy that lived there driven up the 'Black Path', and I was on the 'Train Bridge' at the time and saw it go by, then the gangs moved in and trashed the place.
Myself and Ian Hutchins were taking Chips the dog for a walk along the canal one day when the Pigs tried to arrest us for being seen vandalising the place, we happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it took some convincing to persuade them we'd had nowt to do with it.
After that incident, I had a look over the place, the destruction was incredible, I think that Harry Peake probably told the local council to get their arses into gear and do the job themselves.
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My Grandfather was also at Salonika. Royal Engineers.
WW2 came out of France at Dunkirk on a little ship and was injured - died of stomach cancer in 1942 believed caused by the injuries received.
My Grandmothers first husband died as a result of injuries received on The Somme.
My other Grandfather served in many places, Royal Horse Artillery. WW2 he stayed down Babbington pit - he wasn't having that again!
My Fathers brother-in-law earned the BEM for disarming bombs on a Lockheed Hudson that crashed on take-off. He was an armourer in the RAF.
My Father wasn't old enough to serve, joined RAF in 1946
My grandfather, who lived on Mansfield Road, was absorbed into the Royal Scots, they'd lost so many on the Western Front that people like my grandad, from Nottingham, were taken up to Scotland and eventually Ireland for final training then shipped off to Salonika, I have his war diaries, they make interesting reading.
I forgot one family member, my dad's cousin Noel, he joined the RAF and became a Blenheim pilot, eventually graduating to Lancaster's where he won the DFC, nursing a bomber home from a raid on Germany, he survived the war, 55,000 aircrew didn't.
I found the 2 mins silence today a poignant moment, how many of us did I wonder, it looked impressive on the TV, but was that the real story, unlikely, he says with great cynicism, were they flocking to the Cenotaph at Bradford, unlikely, probably plotting to inflict serious damage on what we truly believe in, whatever that is and means. The world is a sad and unhappy place, all those lost have done it for little gain in a world of so called proposed peace and understanding, I despair of humanity.
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Hi
Sorry, have been so busy with work recently, I tried to write a message on my I-Phone on Sunday but it's playing up and our Broadband connection is crap.
I'd just like you to think of the past, and the future, in 15 minutes time.
My Grandad, fought in the 'Unknown Battles' in Salonika against the Turks and Germans from 1916 onwards.
My dad, fought in every major battle in Europe from D-Day onwards then awarded the 'pleasure' of being sent to India to fight the Japs.
My mums brother Eric, armourer on HMS Illustrious, seriously wounded in a Kamikaze attack in the Pacific, his life saved by the personal intervention of Lord Mountbatten.
My dad's brother Alec, on an escort carrier protecting Murmansk convoys.
Uncle Harold, a fireman, fought in the Blitz, ended up as a bomb disposal expert.
Finally my mum, 99 years old, 100 next April, fire watcher and mosquito net maker in the Lace Market.
We shall remember them.
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Only one bag Kev?Picked up our prescriptions from boots......free carrier bag too....
Snarf,snarf
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The old timber level crossings were great fun. You'd look up to the adjacent signal box and see the signalman start to turn that great big wheel to close the gates, very reminiscent of a ships tiller. They'd be lot's of clunking and thumping as they came together and locked into place, the gates would all shake and tremble as they settled down, the bigger they were, the noisier and rattlier they became. Then I would get off my bike and hang off them, waiting to see whether a double peg would appear and from which direction the train would come.
If it was a decent Saturday afternoon, my dad, brother and I would cram on to our tandem ( me on a crossbar seat ) and cycle off to Breadsall Level Crossing just North of Derby and watch the trains go by heading up to Sheffield. That was on the old A38, not as busy then, and now by-past, but we used to hang on the sound of every tinkling bell in the signal box and look forward to what we might see. That place is now obliterated, happy days, I love the fact that I have the memories, Jubes, Scots, the Devonian with it's chocolate and cream coaches, clunking 4F's with random freights, all consigned to history, but at least I was able to watch it go by.
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Have just been up to Morrisons, bought fresh meat and asked for a bag for nowt in view of the law. The girl, who was lovely and most helpful said that the management hadn't a clue what the law specifically stated and decided that it was down to a tied up clear plastic bag. As there were none available, and besides, my purchase wouldn't fit into such a tiny thing they normally put individual meat/fish items in, their answer was to chuck it in a normal carrier bag, 'As long as the ends were tied up'. Apparently this was the way Morrisons found it acceptable to the grumbling old gits like me, but at least they had 'normal' bags at their self service checkouts. What a load of complicated Civil Service/Government b#ll#cks this is turning out to be, Quelle Surprise!!!!!!!!!!
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Isn't that what the press is all about DJ, I haven't bought a national newspaper since the crap they were publishing about the first Gulf War in 1991.#145 Why does a newspaper give room to an opinion that's so completely full of untruths and inaccuracies?
I actually bought our local rag yesterday, this was because of the ridiculous headline about the new shopping malls and tram system about to be introduced to Braintree, yeah, right, multi millions of pounds to be spent on the public being able to walk past empty businesses, browse charity shops, estate agents and spend what money they have left on supermarket bags.
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I think that one of the problems is that the poor PBI, the staff on the ground, have not been briefed properly on the actual law, which is sad because any primed customers will not appreciate this, I've talked to staff at Tessies and Sains and they haven't a clue what's going on or what they are supposed to do about it. I've worked at Tessies, I currently work at B&Q, so I know what the relationship is between management, staff and directives from above, it's very muddy sometimes.
B&Q have never provided free, dodgy bags, well it's not really that sort of retail environment, you can't put claw hammers and Stanley knives into cheapo plastic bags, it doesn't work, so we are out of the equation, yet customers often expect it, they just don't understand, or want to, in some cases.
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I really dont understand why people are moaning so much about 5p carrier bags its pathetic there's bigger things to worry about in the world! Chill.
Of course there are bigger things in the world to worry about, I agree with that, but it's the principle of the thing. Like others on here we never waste a bag, we use them for rubbish disposal (our Tory council don't provide free bags for general waste, yet you're not allowed to just dump your rubbish uncontained in the black wheelie bin), dog poo, taking butties to work, storing mail, et al, we even run out of the bloody things even though you may think it's hard to do so. It's all been a game by Cameron and his former lackey Clegg, what do they care about the poor bloody pensioners who have to fork out on their bags, the poor, the underprivileged, the GENUINE benefit claimants, they just want to be seen to be doing their bit 'to save the world'.
The so called cash strapped supermarkets, having destroyed the traditional town shopping centres must think it's bloody marvelous not having to give out freebies, probably help Cameron and Clegg's shares to go up and boost their personal pension funds.
I notice that Tesco's and Sainsbury's, I can't say for the others, do not supply bags anymore at their self service checkouts, considering what I've read on that Government Circular to retailers, what do you do, stand and wait for a bag to be supplied for the fresh food items that you buy and be scrutinised, Big Brother comes to your local store, nice one!
C'mon, let's face it, it's all a typical load of Tory b*ll*cks and we should stand up against it.
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Can anyone confirm this.The day before the introduction of the bag charge, the BBC News, of course, had a feature about it. Liz and I both watched it and it was stated that bags would still be provided free for fresh meat and fish. I went into both Tesco and Sainsbury's yesterday and none of them seemed aware of this, so what's the truth of the matter?
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I work at the garden centre at our local B&Q, a none ageist company, well, at least down here.
A couple of weeks ago I was cycling in, as I do everyday, on our myriad of cycle paths, when I came across a couple of gross, overweight, teenage dickheads waddling down the middle of the cycle path. I cycled around them and said nothing, one of them said, 'Ere, you old man, you c===, what are you playing at, you nearly ran us over'.
I stopped, pointed to the bike symbol painted on the path and politely explained that they were walking down the middle of a cycle path. Noooo..... that didn't work, they got all threatening, so I explained again, noooo, even more abuse. In the end I got off my bike and, well, made it clear what I was prepared to do to them. Nothing said, until I cycled off then I got verbal threats, f......, we'll get you, all the old threatening rubbish when you're out their space, cowardly filth, I haven't seen them since, if I do they might find themselves in hospital.
The next day I was cycling home and came across all the local schoolkids walking home down the middle of the cycle path, what a contrast, they were so polite and apologetic and got out the way, I thanked them for it, deservedly so.
The world has always been full of evil, cowardly scum who take it out on older people, we have to accept that, sometimes they pick on the wrong person, stand up for yourselves, screw the Law, they won't help you until it's too late, I've had experience of that.
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45 Years ago today The Beatles Abbey Road was released
in 60's Nottingham
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Fantastic programme, guessed that 'Hey Jude' would be No1. 'Drive my Car' and 'Norwegian Wood' were never issued as singles, that's why they weren't on there.
I recall seeing that the Beatles were going to be on the 'David Frost Show' and recall watching it as they performed 'Hey Jude' live, did the same with 'All You Need is Love' while supposedly revising for my Geography 'O' Level. One Direction and the other crap so-called 'Boy Bands', not a chance in comparison, actually quite pathetic and insulting, but the public love them, they have short memories of real talent.