Scriv 168 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I haven't worked there for quite some time mate; I'm told by a good friend of mine who still drives there that it's changed a lot from those days, but having said that it's still a superb railway and I'm sure someone with your depth of experience would be welcomed no matter where you wanted to help. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I'm one of the old school of railwaymen. Everything is politically correct now. We used to lift buck-eye couplings with one hand. Would'nt be allowed now. I remember when Forest were busy winning the League cup and were sending loads of supporters trains to Wembley. One morning they put together a huge train with three RBKs (Restaurant/buffet cars). The lovely girls had their work cut out setting everything up. I was still a lowly carriage cleaner then. About five of us got squared up early and went and helped the girls set up the tables. We were rewarded with huge hugs, a bacon cob and a cup of tea. Well worth it. That was when all cooking was with calor gas from bottles slung under the coach. One of my jobs was to fill the huge water tanks which provided water for cooking, pot washing etc. Modern cars are much more efficient. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
albert smith 803 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I heard a bit of sad news last night, Reg Slade age 95 & ex Colwick/Nottingham driver passed away after short illness. I met him last year for just a 1/2 hour chat whilst attending a neighbours birthday party, oh how his eyes lit up to talk to an ex loco man, among his memorabilia was a shoebox of notebooks with listed in them every turn of duty since he became a 'passed cleaner' in 1935 to his retirement but he regretted only recording the basics,sign on/off, mate & wages! What a history that would have been. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mercurydancer 1,104 Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I sometimes do train bookings for a couple that we are friendly with. You can get some real bargains, but you need to do a bit of experimenting first. By changing trains and booking separate tickets you can save a fortune. I can't remember all the details, but for a trip from Sleaford to St Austell, the price for a direct ticket was an eye-watering amount even in standard class. You could just about halve that price by booking an off-peak return Sleaford to Derby, advance purchase first class from Derby to Taunton and back (Cross Country) and another advance purchase first class Taunton to St Austell and back (First Great Western). And it isn't just this country. I'm in the early stages of planning a holiday to the Black Forest, and you can get extremely good prices for advance purchase from London to any station in Germany via Brussels, provided you limit yourself to connections that use the German ICE trains between Brussels and Cologne - sometimes as low as 59 Euro each way. Anybody who's interested in doing such journeys might like to look at a website called "The man in Seat 61" (www.seat61.com). Stephenford in one quick link you may have solved almost 50% of my travel to Russia on the train! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Mercurydancer - good show. Hope it goes well. Don't forget to post some of your experiences here afterwards! O - and don't forget that you need a (very expensive) transit visa for Belarus - unless you go by a long and roundabout way, in which case you would probably need to cross Ukraine - and that may not be a very healthy option at the moment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Sorry to hear Albert. I never knew him but sad to hear the loss of an old train crew. At least he managed to get a decent retirement God rest his soul. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 There were many old railwaymen at the exhibition about Colwick that was held in Netherfield last year. I met several. I hope he was one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taxi ray 170 Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 There is an article in the NEP today, about a large collection of old transport books being auctioned in Lincoln. Might be of interest to someone on here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Ok it's not Toton but it is a Garratt: http://youtu.be/NL_kt28O3M8 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BulwellBrian 107 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 You can see Garratts regularly on the Welsh Highland Railway in North Wales, 2'0" gauge ex South Africa. Pretty big though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Not like the Toton Garretts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Here's one Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 And another Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 If you want more https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lms+beyer+garratts&biw=1025&bih=485&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Hg36VO2ZEoP1UumCgLAJ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Alas, the Toton Garrats are now extinct. At least Oz have a working Garratt. I've been on the Welsh Highland and the Gattarats there are impressive but a bit on the small side. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 I think the Garretts had all gone by the end of 1959 as I started spotting in 1960 & never saw one working. ;( Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Correct Bubblewrap. 7 were withdrawn in 1955, 13 in 1956, 12 in 1957, and the last one (47994) was withdrawn from Hasland on 14 March 1958. The LNER's solitary U1 2-8-0+0-8-2 (69999) was withdrawn in 1955. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I can clearly recall seeing a Garratt heading north on a long coal train through Stanton Gate during the 50's. It would probably have been on a Saturday lunchtime in the summer of 1957, we would go off down there on the tandem for an hour after which the old man would take us up to the Stanhope Arms where he'd have a pint while my brother and I a bottle of orangeade each. Checking in my December 1956 shedbook it was probably 47968, a Hasland loco, by then only 13 Garratts survived, 10 at Hasland, 3 at Toton. Did you know the roundhouse roads at Toton were specifically made longer to accommodate them, presumably the turntable was as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Not sure about the turntable - it was my impression, somewhat confirmed by the pictures above, that they didn't make too much effort to turn them. The Garratts were used forwards or backwards indiscriminately, without regarding "chimney-first" good and "bunker-first" bad. Visibility must have been indifferent to appalling whichever way you went, with all that gubbins ahead of the cab, and after all it was still a 2-6-0+0-6-2 either way round. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I think you're right about that, looking at photo's of Toton there was only enough room to squeeze an 8F into a roundhouse road, and you'd never fit a Garratt on the turntable. If you think about it, if one of these monsters did need turning,Trent Junction was only just down the road and that provided three ways of doing that, the main triangular junction, the Nottingham line junction and the reverse curve into the station from the Derby line. Up the other end, Westhouses was situated right next to a triangular junction and just down the line from Hasland. Many years ago someone bought me the Kitmaster Garratt model kit as a present, a very complex kit but magnificent when it was finished. My brother came up with the idea of taking the top off our Hornby Dublo 0-6-2 N2, constructing a water tank body and attaching it to the front of the Garratt. Fine, except the N2 didn't have a full set of motion so it looked odd and no matter how many lead weights we put in the rest of the kit it was always derailing itself. I've still got bits of it remaining in a box, the boiler, frames, revolving bunker etc. When Airfix took over Kitmaster they reproduced most of their models but never the Garratt, I gather the original master mouldings were destroyed many years ago, what a waste, I bet Hornby, the current owners of Airfix, would love to have those now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BulwellBrian 107 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I recall seeing a garratt coming down the high level line at Trent, again in the 1950's. I also visited Crewe works in 1958 and looking to see if we could find any remnants of the last garratt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Drivers I worked with used to talk about the Garretts. They did tell me that in their heyday they were mostly kept outside the shed unless there was any reason to go in. The roads where they were kept were referred to as 'Garrett Alley'. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chulla 4,946 Posted March 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 When the railways closed down - Great Central, Great Northern and Suburban, who became the owner of the tunnels? I assume that they are still there, just sealed at their ends and not filled in. Were any put to use? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bubblewrap 3,815 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 The tunnel under Thirland Street carries the heating pipes for the Victoria Centre. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,488 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 On the Suburban, I believe Ashwells Tunnel at Woodthorpe Park is filled in; Sneinton Tunnel was used (still is?) as a firing range. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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