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Certainly Lizzie its Snorbans locally but I still sound very Bulwellian.

Benjamin, I too bought stamps from the dealer on Henrietta Street when I was young, he was on the left hand side as you went up the hill from Highbury Road, I lived further up on the right hand side.

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New Basford station was very close to my childhood home. One of my earliest memories (funny how these things stick) is being in my pushchair on the platform with my Dad. A steam train was coming north from the tunnel going uphill with all the noise and smoke while another was behind me heading for the tunnel. I was petrified! These great fire breathing monsters were ok if I could see them but not if they were behind me.

To think that was a good 50 years ago because the station closed in 1964.

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I lived just 200 yards from New Basford Station and spent many hours on or around the railway. The metal work above the entrance was for decoration only. I cannot recall there ever being a lamp on it. I have photos of the entrance that show no lamp. Andy Williamson

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Thanks for the welcome. My dad ran a shop on the corner of Warren Avenue and Haydn Road opposite the Meridian playing fields. He was a keen photographer and took many shots on the railway. I have written an article for Steam World and included many pictures of my dads pictures of New Basford. It should be published in the next few months. Enjoying reading all the comments, questions and answers. Andy

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Thanks for all the welcomes. I have vivid memories of New Basford Station having spent many hours on the platform. One that stands out is when a local service for Derby Friargate would come to a halt on a Saturday afternoon and a number of whicker baskets were unloaded. As the train left the station master would open the baskets and release what seemed like dozens of homing pigeons. They would circle the station a couple of times before heading south. I wonder if others can remember this. Andy

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This article shows some interesting shots of pigeon specials "in action" ;

http://www.steve-banks.org/prototype-and-traffic/128-pigeon-traffic-historical

I believe the dedicated trains lasted until the mid-1960's; I can certainly remember baskets of pigeons on Nottingham Midland platforms well into the 1970's, they often went on the Nottingham-Lincoln trains.

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I recall it being a gas lamp and don't think it was ever updated to electric, ditto the station lamps with their chain on/off "switch" as well, One day a new lad Chris and his younger sister Francis started at Claremont Primary, their father was the new staion master having moved there from Alford (Lincs) There was also a lady porter which us kids thought strange and a male one known to us as "grumpy" have seen both those release pidgeons from baskets on the platform. All this was around 1956, I have never found any referennce to the derailoment of several carriages one night, proper serious job the line blocked and steam crane brought in and several days working all day and night, the carriage pushed over the embankment onto land that was a former pig farm between Hyden Rd and Perry Rd bridge after being derailed by catch points whilst the train was reversing to get into the carriage sheds

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