Trainspotting

[Smiffy49 590]

#372 Sorry Bubblewrap, misread what you meant.

[ValuerJim 277]

B1 61163 leaving Basford North en route to either Skeggy or Mablethorpe, via the 'rat hole'. Date unknown, but late 50s at a guess.

We lived nearby and my one of my earliest railway memories is clambering up the concrete embankment on 'station pad', which ran between Highbury Road bridge and Brooklyn Road, to see 60052, Prince Palatine, light engine in the early blue livery - it would be around 1954. The locos would turn on the triangle formed by the GC and GN lines if the turntables were out of action.

My dad was a driver at Annesley, and we made good use of our free passes and privilege tickets on trips to the seaside.

[Guest]

Great photograph Jim!!

[ValuerJim 277]

Yes. I wish it were one of mine, but I bought it on ebay. I was hoping it would reproduce to a larger size and might re-post it. It's pin sharp and could be one of Malcolm Castledine's, though I've never seen it anywhere else.

Incidentally, I checked out your father's fencing pics. Right period, but I didn't recognise anyone.

[The Pianoman 1,532]

A couple of long names I remember:-

A V2 class loco (60809) was called "The Snapper, The East Yorkshire Regiment, The Duke of York's Own"

Another V2 (60835) was called "The Green Howard, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment"

Another V2 -- St Peter's School, York, AD 627

[Guest]

Jim is right..this thread is very informative,must have been great to sneak into sheds or sit on a bank and feel the ground shake as a loco thundered by!!

[Michael Booth 7,364]

My wife liked to lay there and feel the earth move.

[Guest]

Mentioned on another thread yesterday, was Woodford, before the war my Dad was sent there because his parents split up and it was quiet I suppose.

He had for many years thousands of railway photographs, some from when he was in his early teens...was Woodford a great spot for copping??

Only been once in the 70's.

Any info?..obliged, Ian.

[Chulla 4,946]

Woodford Halse was a junction in the middle of nowhere half way down the Great Central line on the way to London. This is where the Great Western line from the southwest came in. If you were going on holiday to the West Country, chances are that you changed trains there.

[FLY2 10,108]

Another of those towns that existed purely due to the coming of the railway. I've been several times over the last twenty years or so, but it's a rather sad place and is now totally devoid of any character.

[Manversboy 35]

Got a good Xmas present from my kids, "Platform Souls - The Trainspotter As 20th Century Hero" by Nicholas Whittaker, which covers a lot of what's been discussed on this thread. Starts near the end of mainline steam and has been revised from original 1995 edition to the present day - worth a read.

All the best for 2016,

MB

[FLY2 10,108]

I'll try and get that MB. I love anything ex GC.

[Guest]

Thanks gents!

[FLY2 10,108]

Got Platform Souls from eBay.

A good little book I read years ago was called ' Through Great Central England ' where the author, David Ablitt attempts to walk the length of the ex GC from Annesley to Marylebone. An absolutely fascinating read.

[Guest]

Great Central has always been a passion too,will track that book down Fly,ta.

[ValuerJim 277]

Another good read is The East Midlands edition of the Forgotten Railways series by David and Charles. It's extremely well written by P Howard Anderson, and covers the system around Nottingham very well. I have the Platform Souls book, and the one by David Ablett, and agree they are both worth getting hold of.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Any idea what is the ISBN number?

[FLY2 10,108]

There should be some on eBay.

[Cliff Ton 10,457]

Another good read is The East Midlands edition of the Forgotten Railways series by David and Charles. It's extremely well written by P Howard Anderson, and covers the system around Nottingham very well. I have the Platform Souls book, and the one by David Ablett, and agree they are both worth getting hold of.

Also, all of those are available from various sellers on Amazon.

[ValuerJim 277]

Any idea what is the ISBN number?

It's 0 7153 6094 9

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Thanks Jim.

[FLY2 10,108]

Got the revised edition of Platform Souls, and am now eagerly ploughing through it.

[firbeck 859]

When it came to 'Trainspotting' I doubt whether anybody on here had the experiences that Bilbraborn and I had during the 60's. We were a right pair, we had packed up taking numbers and just concentrated on absorbing the last years of steam and everything associated with it. Remember mate when we drove that 8F out of Colwick shed and put it on the turntable, turned it with difficulty, then put it back in the shed ready for duty, under supervision of the driver and fireman of course, but they realised our enthusiasm and knowledge and let us get on with it. We did so many things together, finding Annesley sheds and works abandoned, going through those beautiful 1920's grounded mess coaches, their upholstery and back of seat railway pictures intact, remember that, knowing they would be destroyed, as they inevitably were.

Cycling all the way from Nottingham to the Isle of Wight so we could witness the end of real mainline steam with Pacifics out of Waterloo, travelling on the last UK steam branchline from Lymington, watching those Merchant Navies hammer through Brockenhurst. We did some stuff together mate, we were cute enough to realise what was happening.

Bilbraborn in his element at Colwick, 1966.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Happy days Pete and I'd do it all again. Remember nipping across the fields that night to get into Awsworth Junction signal box after hiding our bikes in the hedge. Then a steam hauled came along the Friargate line while we were trying to open the window to get in. Very difficult to hide on a signal box gallery.

My son now lives in Kirk Hallam with his fiancée and her two teenage kids. She regularly walks around Shipley Park but is amazed when I tell her about all the pits and railways that were there. The old mother of his fiancée vaguely remembers the remnants of Town Station at Ilkeston.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

HA HA! Even when we were helping out with the Trolleybuses at Plumtree we were walking around inside the coaches which were still stored in the sidings there. I think we just about emptied the signal box at Eastwood North on the ex-GN. I had the brass penny-in-the-slot plate from one of the toilets there on my toilet door for years.