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It was GNR bridge number 4 and I can't remember where it came from, I recall breaking one in half and sticking it together with Araldite. When my brother and I removed it a few years ago it was intact, I must have found a replacement on the Pinxton branch. The sign resides at his house at Denby Station, he kept it as I already have No1 off the old viaduct that was outside of Kimberley

I also have a GNR level crossing plate No1 from the first crossing north of the viaduct as well as a large logo GNR plate from a bridge formerly over the road from Ilkeston to Stanley, we sneaked through someones garden to get that!!

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David - if you are at Mallaig, then you ARE a long way from Nottingham. BUT if you were to visit Compo by train (assuming trains still stopped at his station), you'd be even farther away. By my reckon

Sorry about the break, I hope the pics, the panoramic view of Harringworth Viaduct! So around a long bend and there it is, over a mile of dead straight track across the top of 90ft. high viaduct, fla

On the Antique Roadshow recently a man showed part of his 242 piece collection of what to me are rather insignificant items of railwayana, namely the builders name plate usually fixed to the driving w

Unlike you Pete. (LOL)

You were with me at the time, it was the same evening the brass work plates mysteriously fell off the Hunslett 0-6-0 saddle tank in the little shed at Mapperley Colliery sidings!!!

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Sorry folks , it's that time of year again:- "What is yellow & white and goes down a train track @ 100 miles an hour"

"the drivers egg sandwich"

Hang on Bilbroborn I may have a present for you

PC070138071214_205454_10_zps82a24280.jpg

I spotted these at the Thursford Show last week ( if you and Firbeck go to "visit" you'll need bolt cutters!)

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Fair size oh and I forgot, you'll need a step ladder too as they're 8ft. up the wall!

I used to have one of those signal lamp vessels in the outside toilet during the winter with some 8" plant pots stacked over it, as good as a radiator!

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Don't worry, I've already got some, they'll be lit up on Xmas day in the dining room. The problem is the paraffin stinks the house out so I've taken out the burners and replaced them with tea lights, scented ones of course. I don't know what the LMS and GWR would have thought of that.

You're right about the heat they generate, the old central heating thermostat was in the dining room, when we've lit up the lamps in the past they'd shut down the boiler and the rest of the house would be freezing. Our new heating system has the thermostat in the hall, hopefully this will make a difference, haven't tried it yet though.

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You were with me at the time, it was the same evening the brass work plates mysteriously fell off the Hunslett 0-6-0 saddle tank in the little shed at Mapperley Colliery sidings!!!

I've been trying to get the computer to work properly, I thought you might like this Bilbraborn, while we were raiding the little shed at Mapperley sidings, this came chugging up the bank from the Ilkeston direction, does anyone have any info as to the reason why the sidings were still used after the colliery was shut, the system clearly linked into the Stanton Ironworks complex, I must have took this circa 1966.

ilk1.jpg

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I can well remember all the visits to the Mapperley colliery complex. I also remember going up there one weekend and finding the engines standing out of steam. We borrowed a few artifacts.

Edwalton was a dream. Like you say, pity we couldn't and given it the real 'Truzz and Fan' treatment. Never mind. It wasn't to be.

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On the Antique Roadshow recently a man showed part of his 242 piece collection of what to me are rather insignificant items of railwayana, namely the builders name plate usually fixed to the driving wheel splasher as in this photo

2014No8009_zpse0978d5c.jpg

Yes, that is me so it must have been the drivers turn to put the coal on!

1 plate in particular does stick in my mind though, fixed to a Midland Compound engine as scruffy as No.1000 in this "before & after" photo, coincidently I have a very good memory of 1000 as after the refit/repaint in the old Midland colours I was the first fireman to take charge, only 'light' engine back to Nottingham but I did it!

The"particular"plate will have to wait till part 2 comes along, the 'best' trip I ever had!

2015No8013_zps83531991.jpg

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Albert, those Compounds were one of my granddads favourite locos to drive. I have pics somewhere of him doing exactly what you are doing on your photo.

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Saw something unusual yesterday at Loughborough on the goods line going north at ten past ten

A class 73 electro-Diesel

Maybe it was one of the re-engined ones. The work was done at Brush, and according to this website two of them are/were due to be based at Derby:

http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2014/09/rvel-unveils-re-engineered-ultra73-for-network-rail

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Saw something unusual yesterday at Loughborough on the goods line going north at ten past ten

A class 73 electro-Diesel

Possibly the one Michael Portillo attempted to paint for tonight's programme, pity he spilled paint on his beloved Bradshaws, he should have worn a yellow jacket.

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I was out walking south of Melton Mowbray within sight of John O’Gaunt SP742091 the footpath passes under a viaduct which clearly carried a railway in a northerly direction. It was a lovely thing to see.

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Further along the walk it was interesting looking back at how the viaduct fitted into the landscape.

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Later on cutting back in an easterly direction from Lowesby the footpath took us through Springfield Farm SP734068 it was an amazing throwback to the 1960s because it was a railway station just you like used to see them after Dr. Beeching had done his stuff! It was a little gem!

8ydpn7.jpg

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Any one know what line it was and was it the Lowesby Station?

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The line from Leicester Belgrave Road to the GN LNW joint through the vale of Belvoir.

Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowesby_railway_station

Last passenger use would have been summer extras to Skeggie and Mablethorpe, but quite slowly. I seem to recall reading somewhere that due to the condition of the track there was a speed limit of about 30mph for most of the line to Bottesford.

Freight may have lasted a bit longer, I have a book somewhere with a mention in.

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After many years of us only having bicycles as our only family means of transport, my old man bought himself a Raleigh Moped to get himself to and from work. This was a posh affair, was it a Raleigh RSW16, a two seater, I recall the registration number as being ATO 448 B.

This greatly helped with our Sunday shed trips as we no longer had to sweat our way up to Annesley with me being barely able to reach the pedals of the tandem.

One Sunday we set off for the Vale of Belvoir, the old man had clearly researched where he was going, big problem, he got low on two stroke. I remember we found a weird old garage in a remote village, he had to knock on the house door to get the proprietor to come out and fill up the tank, there was a bit of an argument as the bloke started to pour in the oil first, not the petrol, sacrosanct!!

Eventually, we traced the route of the old GNR railway as you described, this was 1964, I recall the track still being in place over John of Gaunt viaduct but the star of the show was the station at Melton Mowbray, it was very ruinous, but intact with all it's timber GNR signs in place. It had a very smart waiting room, canopies, lacking in glass, and all the sidings and signal box, just left to rot away and be vandalised, the usual thing at that time.

After that, Bilbraborn and myself went off to Leicester for the day, we caught the train from Vic, tried to get round the sheds without success, then walked up the road to the GNR terminus, Leicester Belgrave Road. What a place, a large city terminus, overall roof, just abandoned, a tramp was living in the ticket office so we never went in there, it was a very strange and haunting place to walk around, we were in awe of it all, we never came away with a single 'souvenir', not like us.

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