Recommended Posts

There's been talk of re-opening the GCR as a high speed route recently, the considerations were being made when the birdcage bridge was being removed, why they did it is beyond me, though I suspect it had something to do with the remodelling of Rugby Station and their intransigence in building around what could have been a useful link.

We went on a canal holiday a few years ago and went north from Braunston Junction up to Rugby, initially following the route of the GCR, it was very sad to see a timber GCR signal post still standing more or less intact in the middle of a field, it shouldn't be there, it should be at Loughborough, though it acts as a poignant reminder as to what once was.

Incidentally, theres a good article in last months Railway World about the Rugby testing station, opened 60 years ago, with some great photos of all the old railway company CME's lined up in front of the A4 Sir Nigel Gresley and Duchess Sir William A Stanier. I recall paying a visit in 1965, it was derelict and abandoned with, unusually a load of Metropolitan Railway electric locos dumped outside.

rug1.jpg

Not a good picture, but you can see the testing station behind as well as the then in use Birdcage Bridge.

Next weeks programme is all about the North West, a bit of a broad canvas, it could mean anywhere, I wonder who they'll have to introduce that, it's sad to think that it should have been the late lamented Fred Dibnah, whose house and collection are still vandalised and rotting away with an uncertain future.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 354
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Managed to buy 4 plates in '68 from a schoolmaster friend who had acquired 20 (!) from Derby Works for their brass weight. Paid £70 for Malay States, Queensland, Hood & North Borneo. Idiot that

Hopefully this will be a picture of the last northbound steam special, perhaps some of you recognise yourselves The last southbound York-Bournemouth is the train on the left.

A topic about old Nottm railway stations might interest a few of the train buffs on here !   http://www.nottinghampost.com/news/history/lost-railway-stations-nottingham-220673

Thas well sad...you mean Fred dibnahs house was just left to rot after he died ??....thas crazy after all he collected there.....did no-one see the potential of his amassed collection....or did no-one care enuff ?

Link to post
Share on other sites
Thas well sad...you mean Fred dibnahs house was just left to rot after he died ??....thas crazy after all he collected there.....did no-one see the potential of his amassed collection....or did no-one care enuff ?

Fynger

Don't, it makes me weep, the famous Freds heritage has been destroyed due to family fueding and local lack of interest, we can still watch his programmes, good media stuff, but the media wants a kick up the backside to publish what has happened to all that wonderful life and history that was presented to us, it's all gone, vandalised, stolen, and what is left is up for sale to any one, but no-one, apart from his last wife, seems to give a toss,it really is a tragedy that most people aren't aware of, but no-one seems to care or want to publisize nationally what has happened to this great man's heritage, they've made advantage of the man when it suits them to do so, but now, he's confined to history, with very little left. Terrible isn't it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

it just get`s worse.....http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7424181.stm

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well bu99er me , they already have a statue!!! , " Lovely , smashing, super, great. Your charity monies safe now Peter "

Link to post
Share on other sites

According to a mate, who is a Boltonian, Fred was about as popular in the town as a "fart in a spacesuit", his phrase...primarily due to some dubious business practices - might account for some of the apparent indifference to his memory.

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

A certain other person ,who has a lot to do with a steam society (Traction engine) and is not on here , told us of his 'Diva' like requests when asked to open his shows . I.e 4 star hotel for the nights before and after. A minimum of £2000 to appear , an extra £4000 if his engine was required , the financing of transport to and from the venue for said engine, the list went on and on..

Link to post
Share on other sites

Back on the Long Gone Railways theme ... did anyone else on here go to the famous Derby Works Open Days in the 1960's? My first one was in 1963 and I am currently trying to date some photos taken by my late Uncle. I know they date from 1959-1963 but would welcome any info about the stars of the show each year. Certainly from 1960-63 there was always a Coronation Pacific and sometimes a Brit too . Check this out..

derbyshow1959maybe.jpg

But what year is this from 1960/61/62? I know it isnt 1963 as that year 46251 City of Nottingham was the star of the show. Over to you guys...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well it wasn't 1960, this was a lashed up montage that year with Duke of Gloucester as the star.

I'll go through my photo box and see what I can find.

dod1.jpg

1960 was the final year when everyone was allowed round the running sheds, I remember it was mayhem and some kids drove a 4F off one of the roundhouse roads and nearly put it in the turntable pit. We all took over a loco each and had a whistling competition, it was deafening, I recall I was in a Stanier 2-6-4 tank with one of those deep sounding Stanier hooters. The authorities were asking for trouble allowing hordes of spotters around a working shed with locos in steam, I know H&S can be a pain this days, but if you think about it, it's a wonder no-one was killed that day.

Aha, found something, it was 25th August 1962, here's a few pictures that day, I have some more somewhere.

Heres a picture of the Brit, recognise anyone.

dod2.jpg

A picture taken in the works, amazing to think they were still repairing 4F's.

dod4.jpg

I remember the original mainline diesels 10000/1, 10201/2/3 were on the scrapline and people were in the cabs removing bits with spanners. They were also building 'Peaks' in the works and we were copping them by taking the numbers off such things as boxes of screws!!!

dod3.jpg

I'll see what else I can find.

Real rock and roll some of those people in the pictures.!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thats a big help Firbeck so..

1963 it was 46251City of Nottingham

1962 it was 46256 Sir William A Stanier and 70048

1961

1960 it was 71000 and...

I have color slides of two more "semis" at Derby shows namely City of London and City of Stoke on Trent so hopefully I can assign years for those. Also have a colour print of 70004 William Shakespeare plus great colour slide of 71000 with spotterw running all over the top of it!

Link to post
Share on other sites

lol....the lad with his arm around his girl.....bet she was having a ball.....especially in her white heels....pmsl

Link to post
Share on other sites

Notts Lad

If you try and zoom in on the montage picture, there's a standard behind 71000 and what I suspect is a semi behind that, I reckon that it was City of London from memory, I've been a busy bee all day and haven't had chance to investigate my other pics, some in colour.

Unfortunately, some Derby Open Days clashed with our holidays, I recall the 63' event when we arrived back in Derby from Devon at the same time as everyone was going home, my uncle, who worked on the GCR, went ballistic, I remember trying to catch the train back to Nottingham and my uncle and dad struggling with luggage and chucking kids uncerimoniously out of the compartment, that's why we used to go home via Friargate, it was peace, light, empty and steam hauled.

Ube

I know, I'll wear me best frock, white high heels, and wander round a filthy engine shed with George Harrison, but he's worth it, anyway, I fancy a pressure gauge from 10203.

C'mon Rob, what do you know about it, I bet you were at every Derby Open Day.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Only went to one...rather tended to clash with cricket, and the noble game always had priority.

Recall seeing a Brit' naming ceremony at the one I attended - possibly Anzac - which would date it late 50's..

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Heres one bit of confirmation, Derby Open Day, August 30th 1964, City of London, the yellow warning stripes on the cab were added that year to denote that they were banned south of Crewe, funny how this class can now run under the wires. It's interesting to note that this banning order seems to have come in to operation on September 1st 1964, they must have applied the stripes at Derby when the loco arrived for the open day, though from what I can find out, the only Coronation still officially operating at that time was Sir William A Stanier, I can only assume that this loco was probably taken straight off to the scrapyard after the event, sad isn't it.

dod5.jpg

It's difficult to find info on the net about Derby Open Days, we must endeavour to fill the gaps, theres a fascinating web site about what went through Derby works, but not much info about the Open Day displays, interesting to see that the old generation of diesels languished in the scrapyard for 6 years, why wasn't one preserved.

I have more pics somewhere, I'll keep looking.

It must have been interesting to know what workings these Pacifics did to get to Derby Open Day, light engine or the local from Crewe.

Rob, I love cricket, this crap over only playing two test matches in India makes me puke, but how could you sacrifice Derby Open Day for listening to a test match, or were you playing in it, I recall a great conversation I had with Ray Illingworth.....................................................................

................................................................................

Link to post
Share on other sites
... or were you playing in it..

Played in 1,000+ league and representative games over 32 years, mainly for Old Paviors CC.

...I recall a great conversation I had with Ray Illingworth...

Another oxymoron... :yahoo:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rob

The interesting site is http://www.derbysulzers.com/derbyyearbook.html

Back to the Open Days.

dod6.jpg

This is City of Nottingham taken in 1963, so back to the drawing board, and after talking to my cousin in Morecambe, our missed day must have been 1962 when the old boys had a row with the spotters and all and sundry.

I reckon this one, unusually undated, may have been 64.

dod7.jpg

Judging by the lack of nutters crawling over the locos, this may have been taken during a school trip around the works we carried out in 64, looks wintry, they may still have been hanging about after the Derby Open Day event, I have another picture of 'Thundersley' taken at all places on the scrapline at Carnforth in 65, what the hell was it doing there.

dod8.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...