Trowell Junction in Colour-Early 1975

[firbeck 859]

Back in the days of the 'Big Four' railway companies they had the foresight to preserve some of the important locomotives of the early years, such as GNR Single No 1, 'Gladstone', 'Hardwicke', etc etc. Most of these were stored at loco works such as Derby and not generally accessible to the public except on 'Open Days'. The exception was the LNER that opened a museum in an old goods shed adjacent to the station at York which I recall going round in the late 50's, it was a bit cramped and had a GNR/GER bias, but at least it was open to the public. In the 50's the BTC took 10 years to gather exhibits together in a museum in an old bus garage at Clapham, a list was compiled of existing steam loco's to be preserved, but this was all scuppered by the Beeching Report of 1964 that didn't want BR to have any part of running museums. At the same time the list of loco's to be preserved was gradually reduced, no place for 'Silver Jubilee', 'Duke of Gloucester', etc etc, if it wasn't for Dai Woodham and Sir Billy Butlin we wouldn't have anywhere near as many steam locomotives preserved as we do today.

Eventually it was decided to convert the old steam roundhouse at York into a national collection or National Railway Museum as it is known today, this meant closing down Clapham and bringing in exhibits from there and around the country up to York which opened in 1975.

Many exhibits were brought in by road but some travelled up by rail, an activity which was not publicly broadcast at the time, well, there was no Internet to do so in those days.

40 years ago I was planning to move down to Essex and spent just about every weekend down there with my then wife to be, we were looking for a house at the time. For some reason I spent this particular weekend at home in Wollaton, my father was an acquaintance of the signalman at Trowell Junction Box who tipped him off that a 'special shipment' was due through Trowell sometime on Saturday lunchtime, this being during the late winter of 1975, my slides were developed in May but it was earlier than that, look at the trees in the photos. We got a phone call from Trowell Box on Saturday morning to tell us that the special was due through at about 12:30 so off we went in dad's Allegro, you weren't with me Bilbraborn as we had lost touch by then, you'll see two figures by the track in one of the photo's, one will be the old man, I believe the other one is Mick Soppitt, I'll confirm that when I next speak to him.

Travelling north on the slow line trundled a Peak going at a fairly slow pace, 30-40mph, this was taken from the River Erewash bridge looking towards the site of Trowell Station, note the support coach behind the loco.

A rare outing for 'Mallard' behind the support coach, the loco behind is the Adams LSWR 4-4-0.

For some reason the Adams is paired with a GER tender, it must have been interesting trying to hook the two together, I'm assuming the whole ensemble was loose coupled.

Off into the distance, the 'Terrier' seems to be sitting on a 'Crocodile' wagon, which must have given clearance headaches, the tenders are on 'Lowmacs', I don't know what was in the open wagon next to the brake van, piles of nameplates?......unlikely!!

The two figures in the distance I suspect are my old man (wearing a light brown Duffel coat now hanging up in my shed) and Mick Soppitt (wearing his navy blue 3/4 length coat, it must have been a cold day as he would go to Forest matches in mid winter wearing just a sweatshirt or fine knit jumper as they were known then), there weren't any other people around at the time, our signalman friend had clearly allowed me an 'exclusive', actually, I've looked at the pictures again and there appears to be a couple of figures standing on the footbridge, train spotters haven in the 50's and 60's, that's all you ever got on there. The pictures, by the way were taken with a Russian Zenit B 35mm reflex camera using Kodachrome colour slide film, they're a little under exposed as the light meter on a Zenit was not through the lens or electronic and was therefore pretty crappy, I used to guess most of the time.

[firbeck 859]

Just thought about it, looking at the colour light signals, hadn't Trowell Box been made redundant by Trent Power Box by 1975, if so, dad's pal must have worked there.

[BulwellBrian 107]

Just a comment from a pedant, it was NER not GER locos that were in the old York Museum. Fletcher & Tennant 2-4-0's, Booch 0-6-0. "Gladstone was also there.

I visited in the mid 1950's. I also visit Clapham, there were buses & trams as well as trains.

[firbeck 859]

Yes it was NER locos and memorabilia at the old York museum, I now live in the GER heartland and have succumbed to GER propaganda. I think that East Anglia was the first region to be totally dieselised and electrified,few GER locos have survived, perhaps that's why my favourite restored loco is the B12 on the NNR, LNER built but GER in spirit.

The buses, trams and trolleybuses at Clapham were mainly from London Transport and were subsequently moved to a new museum at Covent Garden.

[Guest]

Firbeck:I like what I'm seeing!! My Dad used to get "tip offs" too how many big name locos were cut up?? Carnforth was always a fave in the past and Talwyn in Wales.. Cheers,Ian.

[firbeck 859]

Firbeck:I like what I'm seeing!! My Dad used to get "tip offs" too how many big name locos were cut up?? Carnforth was always a fave in the past and Talwyn in Wales.. Cheers,Ian.

Carnforth was my big hang out in the late 60's as my uncle transferred to Morecambe when the GCR was facing closure. Because of his job as signal engineer based in the area, I had access to Carnforth shed whenever I liked. Most of my colour slides are taken at Carnforth shed, Hest Bank and Lancaster, they still seem in reasonable condition nearly 50 years and 10 house moves since I took them.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Fantastic pics Pete. I remember the MGR train derailing under Trowell bridge during the late 80s. My son and I went down in the pouring rain to have a look.

[firbeck 859]

Fantastic pics Pete. I remember the MGR train derailing under Trowell bridge during the late 80s. My son and I went down in the pouring rain to have a look.

I've got some colour pics taken of that when I can find them, that's going to be Trowell in Colour Pt 3!!

Firbeck:I like what I'm seeing!! My Dad used to get "tip offs" too how many big name locos were cut up?? Carnforth was always a fave in the past and Talwyn in Wales.. Cheers,Ian.

Just a few for you Ian, these were taken in September 1966, using my brother's Hanimex again, this time it was loaded with Ilford colour film.

9F 92125 heading southwards with a long mixed freight, by the looks of it fitted. This was at the very top of Hest Bank which was between Carnforth and Lancaster, the water troughs started just behind where I was standing, it wasn't a good idea to stand too close to the troughs, the concrete slabs and longitudinal sleepers along the track formed the run off for the water pushed along by the force of the scoop in the tender.

The weather clearly wasn't too brilliant, clearly blowing in off Morecambe Bay which was over to the left, I used to walk round the bay from Morecambe to get to this spot, I believe that there's a caravan park next to this then desolate place now. If I remember right there was a thunderstorm brewing, my other photos showing locos coming up the bank and taking water were taken rather quickly before I had to make a quick exit.

Another 9F, this one approaching Carnforth Station from the north with the breakdown crane, presumably it was kept in the extensive yards at Carnforth, it's grey colour suggests a diesel crane rather than a steam crane which would have been kept near to the sheds for coaling and watering.

Carnforth shed with Britannia Pacific 70029 'Shooting Star' minus nameplates and looking somewhat dirty, it appears to be in the later livery of unlined Brunswick Green. They were used on a variety of duties including the last steam hauled Barrow-Euston as far as Crewe, I travelled on that a few months later, except the loco, 70027 'Rising Star' failed at Carnforth and was replaced by a Class 5 which put up an extremely fast performance to make up for lost time.

Somewhere I have a photo that I took at Crewe North Shed roundhouse with just about every surviving Britannia occupying all the shed roads, my print has disappeared but I have the negative somewhere among the other several hundred, this miracle copier should reproduce that quite well when I find it.

[Guest]

Firbeck, thank you- photograph 3 is a smasher!! And your descriptive detailing I really like..bilbra said something about your knowledge a while back and I have to agree..cheers.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Firbeck always seemed to know what was happening on the steam scene. It was a pleasure to knock around with him and visit loco sheds, derelict railways, walk across derelict viaducts. Just recently I went to visit my son and his new girlfriend at Kirk Hallam. I told them about the times we cycled around the roads which criss-crossed the ironworks, and the myriad of railways and collieries which were once where Shipley Country Park is located. They were amazed as everything is so different now.

On a lighter note, maybe Firbeck can remember when we cycled along the narrow roads near Stanton by Dale in the pitch dark. When we banged on the roofs of the cars gently rocking in the laybys.

[plantfit 7,597]

Fantastic Pete,Thanks for sharing these unique pictures,bye the way,When are you going to put all these pics and memories in a book?

Rog

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

If you do put my name down for a (autographed) copy.

[Michael Booth 7,364]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I chose the first one that came up. I know that there are quite a few railway people on Nottstalgia so I thought you may find some interest in it.

I was watching Vintage Antiques Roadshow on the TV tonight which came from The Museum Of Steam in Swindon. There was a chap on who'd taken three train name plates out of a skip in the late 80's. One was called 'Swindon Enterprise' which was never used and was worth a few hundred pounds. The second was a wooden one which was never used, possibly a demonstration one named 'Royal Worcester' and was worth a few hundred pounds. The third one was 'North Star' which had come off a train and was worth between £5,000 to £6,000. I think it may be time you looked in your garage and attic.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

I saw that one Michael. I remember one roadshow in which a young lass brought loads of pre-war railway travel posters she found in her grand fathers attic (or somewhere like that. She had about fifteen and I can't remember the exact valuation but I think it was something like 3 grand for the ordinary ones and 5 grand for the ones with famous engines depicted. Anyway, it came to a tidy sum. Her parting shot? 'I've got another fifty or so at home'.

There was lots of stuff around in the sixties. When my grandfather (steam loco driver at 16a) refused to learn diesels at the age of 62, he was given the job of collating and cleaning all the lamps, signs, signals etc taken from closed railway locations. It was stored in a warehouse at Derby and sold at auctions (before Collector's Corner came into being). I still have the LMS stack barrow he bought. He had a beautiful MR station seat from Beeston Station, but after he died, my gran allowed it to rot.

If you want to talk about railway artifacts, have a chat to Firbeck.

[firbeck 859]

Sorry chaps, been out of the loop for a bit, been so busy with work, home, garden, allotment, general life, my newish job at the local B&Q garden centre is quite demanding and I'm currently being trained up for other things within the store, not bad to be thought of so highly at 64 years old, I love it, I haven't had such job satisfaction for years, the other staff, and I have to say, the managers as well, are brilliant, we sometimes laugh until we cry, we are currently the second most profitable store in East Anglia and intend to depose Southend from the top spot.

Enough said, I've been looking up my original railway poster collection, most of them referring to local Nottingham excursions to Goose Fair, Notts County matches, railway system maps, etc,etc, and all obtained with Bilbraborn on our 'hunting' trips, and , well, some of them could be worth over £100, but it's a strange market. I have an SNCF poster that I bought at Carnforth for next to nothing on one of their rare open days back in 1974, it's by Salvador Dali which attracted me to it, print signed by him that makes it rare, but who knows how much it's worth, it's valuation seems to fluctuate depending on what site you look on. Clearly mine is an original SNCF original and not a subsequent reprint, but.............the valuations seem to vary greatly.

Just to change the subject further, you may be interested in this, a zen colour slide taken inside Nottingham Roundhouse by my sister in laws father back in the early 60's, if you see this Wendy, is it you, your mum or Pam with whom I presume to be Gary.

[Guest]

Nice to see you back Pete,the roundhouse.. great spot.

[firbeck 859]

The number of times I sneaked round Nottingham sheds, always via the cattle docks. To recall there was only one roundhouse and a repair shed which always seem to have a Jubilee missing a wheelset sitting outside under the crane. The majority of the loco allocation seemed to lurk outside alongside the coaling embankment.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

I used to visit with my grand father when very little.