Interest for Railway Enthusiasts

[MELTONSTILTON 452]

At Aslockton box the signal men had a garden and in-between trains they gardened, this was possible because there was a warning bell, fitted outside the box.

[firbeck 859]

I remember me and Firbeck being invited into the box at Ilkeston Junction when we were in our mid teens. He had some very interesting literature in a wooden chest.

Yes, and it were nowt to do with railways either, unless Hugh Heffner was a closet trainspotter, sorry locospotter, sorry railway enthusiast. I remember being encouraged to pull the levers and ring the bells to let the Thames Clyde Express come through. Poor signalman, someone obviously grassed him up, we went back to look at more 'literature' and were told by the Ilkeston station master he'd been sacked for allowing kid's into the signal box, being all of 15 we were insulted at being referred to as 'Kids'. Come to think of it, we considered ourselves part of the furniture at Ilkeston, when it started to get dark we helped out by turning on all the gaslamps on the station then building up the coal fire in the waiting room, I think that's where it started as the coal stocks were kept in a bunker next to the signal box, we had to go along a wooden walkway between the slow and fast lines in order to get it. If I remember right coal supplies at stations and signal boxes tended to be removed from the tenders of conveniently halted steam locos. Our reward at Ilkeston was the luxury of being able to spend a cold, dark Autumn/Winters evening after school lying on one of the bench seats in front of a blazing coal fire in the waiting room, nipping outside to see what was on the coal trains heading for Toton without fear of being chucked off the station, it was a similar story at Trent Junction as well.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Happy days Pete. Can you remember what you used to write on the table in the waiting room.

[StephenFord 866]

Firbeck and Bilbraborn - surely you don't mean that you even manaqed to tame Rex Steele, the King of Trent Station - or are you "just" talking of Trent Junction SB?

[firbeck 859]

Firbeck and Bilbraborn - surely you don't mean that you even manaqed to tame Rex Steele, the King of Trent Station - or are you "just" talking of Trent Junction SB?

Never heard of him, went on Trent Station for years I used to leave my bike in the tunnel leading up to the old wooden ticket office at the top of the steps. I can never recall ever having any problems with the staff at all, they seemed very friendly unlike the old scrote at Trowell.

[firbeck 859]

Happy days Pete. Can you remember what you used to write on the table in the waiting room.

I can't, but I dread to think. I recall us engraving our names on the front of the dock in Lincoln Castle prison, it was still there 20 years later.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

We took my friends two daughters to Lincoln one day some time around 1987/8 and you could still make it out beneath the coats of paint. God weren't we little s--ts in those days.

I won't say what you wrote on the table at Ilko Junction but it is funny to look back on.

[firbeck 859]

We took my friends two daughters to Lincoln one day some time around 1987/8 and you could still make it out beneath the coats of paint. God weren't we little s--ts in those days.

I won't say what you wrote on the table at Ilko Junction but it is funny to look back on.

Don't say that, it isn't true, it related to the morals of the time, whatever they were supposed to be, left overs from another age I suspect. Compared to some of the teenage filth that I get in the bike centre, or meet on my patrols around the Nature Reserve, we were angels, would we have ever considered hurting anybody, threatening anyone, being abusive, ripping anyone off, destroying anything, particularly related to the natural world, or stealing anything ( apart from railway stuff that would have been destroyed anyway ), no, we wouldn't do any of that, bottom line was that we did actually have a moral/social conscience that doesn't seem to exist anymore.

I can actually think of some of our associates at the time who were actually quite devious and dishonest, I won't mention names, but you and I never stooped so low, naughty but nice is how I look back on things.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Possibly because most of our generation, particularly many of our associates were pretty much under the control of our parents. Remember, None of us ever called each others parents by their Christian names. I can never remember my kids mates calling me Mr Hill.

[Smiffy49 590]

Just for those members who used to travel from Nottingham to Grantham to watch the trains go by.

The end of April sees a new quarterly magazine that is all about the halcyon days of steam at Grantham being published.

Full details are available by visiting www.returntograntham.co.uk

Smiffy

[ValuerJim 277]

I posted these on a different forum, and they seem to have fallen on stony ground. Perhaps you might appreciate them. For those who aren't familiar with them, the houses are at Mablethorpe. The photos date from 1977, but the buildings were still there, just, in 2012.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/au3iufnh79m2dr2/1-31-2010_001%20%282%29.JPG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0jvev3r55vvnht/1-31-2010_002%20%282%29.JPG?dl=0

[Merthyr Imp 729]

That's interesting. They date back to before World War 1 apparently, and are built around former Great Eastern Railway coaches:

http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/sutton/suttonhse.htm

It was up for sale at one time:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42671585.html

[ValuerJim 277]

Thanks, Mr Imp.

While I was taking the photographs in 1977 the owner of the single-storey one came out and invited me in. It's not obvious from the photo, but the carriages are still in one piece, one down each side, even with the compartment doors in place, with the main living area in the centre.

[carni 10,046]

During our time off line, I have done a bit of "Silver Surfing" and I have no idea how I got on to this site, but thought it might be interesting for our NS railway enthusiasts, so I saved the link. Sorry if it has already been added, but here goes. Hope you enjoy reading it.

 

 http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/routes/nottsub.html

 

 

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Thanks, carni, there was a recent discussion of that subject on the Woodthorpe Grange thread so that site adds to it.

[The Pianoman 1,480]

Thought I would stick this onto the end of this thread. Went to collect a couple of pianos from York earlier this year and so made a flying visit to the railway museum. Just put a collection of stills on YouTube. Just a few of the pictures I took. Unfortunately I only had a crap camera with me at the time.

 

 

[Merthyr Imp 729]

I was lucky enough to see 'Henry Oakley' - the engine on the right in that picture - when it had a spell working on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway around 40 years ago. Photographed approaching Haworth:

 

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

#91 Well crap camera or not I think they came out very well, thanks.

[The Pianoman 1,480]

#92   You said 40 years ago. I just had to add up years. I saw Henry Oakley, 251,(The large boilered GN Atlantic) and the Stirling Single on the left in my picture at Rail 150 at Rainhill in 1980. Well 1980 was 37 years ago! The entire day is on digital camcorder footage. I will have to see about getting it put onto a DVD as I haven't seen it for years.

[BulwellBrian 107]

I am not trying for one up manship but its just a factor of advanced age but I saw 990 and 251 in 1953 at the Doncaster plant centenary. I was 10 years old and my mother took me on a special train from Bulwell Common to see the locos. I particulaly remember 60022 Mallard as I walked through the tender to the footplate, I also remember 26020 as it was the first electric loco I saw.

Also B17 61604 Elveden which was on the scrap road.

[The Pianoman 1,480]

Unfortunately, a B17 is something I shall never see  

[Merthyr Imp 729]

3 hours ago, The Pianoman said:

Unfortunately, a B17 is something I shall never see  

 

Actually you may do as they're constructing another one as was done with 'Tornado':

 

http://www.b17steamloco.com/news-and-events/construction-progress

[The Pianoman 1,480]

Well I didn't know about that!  Must admit tho' I'd prefer to see it named Nottingham Forest!

[BulwellBrian 107]

I never saw a B17 on the GCR, the footballer series with larger tenders did work there but went to east anglia before I was old enogh to be a train spotter. I think the B1's replaced them.

[radfordred 6,278]

An old Nottingham return train ticket for a journey between two long forgotten train stations ........ And 3rd class! That would be my gang.

 

 

I have just noticed there is quite a lot of unnecessary quoting of the previous posts & duplicate pictures in this tread ... Sorry.