Recommended Posts

Ashley, you cut off the interesting picture showing an LNW 0-8-0. I presume this must have been a freight off the Friargate line, possibly from Uttoxeter or beyond. I don't ever remember seeing any of these at Vic, they must have been rarities, presumably serviced at Colwick.

I've just looked in my really old combie and there are a couple underlined in pencil which suggests that I must have seen some in the area, I did later, but that was up in the NW.

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

LNW 0-8-0's were like rocking horse droppings around Nottingham...can't recall ever seeing one in or around the Vic' either.

Have seen pictures of them working in the 50's on the old LNWR through Harby and Bingham Town to Saxondale Jct.

IIRC, they occasionally appeared on Nottm Midland shed (16A) following freight workings from the North West...

Agree the Colwick (via the back line) servicing would be logical, only other (doubtful) option would be Annesley - via the spur up to Bulwell Common?

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rob

It's interesting to read the caption on the picture to see it was from Bescot shed, I've just been tearing my hair out trying to find my old 1961 shed book to see where they were mainly based, I have a feeling I saw some on Stoke shed during a trip around that time, I doubt whether I saw any around Nottingham, possibly Toton, I don't know.

It's funny how you can remember strange sightings though, I recall cycling over the bridge over the Birmingham line at Derby, adjacent to the sheds, it must have been 64-65, and to our amazement there was an A-1 Pacific sitting in the middle of all the Class 5's and 4 Freights, I seem to recall it was 'Boswell', what an earth it was doing there I never found out.

Link to post
Share on other sites

According to my '55 Shedbook their West Midlands allocations were at Rugby, Nuneaton, Coventry, Northampton, Bescot, Bushbury, Walsall, Aston and Stafford

Bescot having the largest allocation but, rather surprisingly, none shedded at either Saltley or Stoke!

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Great site, some really interesting maps, well done. I've got piles of OS Maps ranging from some really old original editions from the 19th Century to date. Some fascinating ones are wartime OS maps that belonged to my old man, that have defensive artillery postitions around Mablethorpe with the ranges of fire marked on them. Sad to say, everything is jumbled up in the garage, which I was going to turn into a den, but lack of funds have put that one on hold.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rob

Sorry, I don't wish to be accused of not replying.

I don't know about you, but the number and identification of sheds in the Birmingham area was always a mystery to me. Brum was not somewhere we went to very often, apart from passing through to go on holiday, which often meant the train being diverted on to the avoiding line in order to miss New Street.

My only trip to Brum was to go and see the last of the Kings at Snow Hill one saturday in 62?

Of course this was one my old mans cunning plans, it was a gem. Despite the amount of dieselization by then, apart from one or two Hymeks, it was all steam, Kings on the Cambrian Coast Express, Counties, Halls, Granges, but strangely no Castles. I'd just got my first camera and managed to mess up nearly all the photos apart from one classic of the northbound King hauled CCE.

I have a very strong memory of going home and standing half way up the footbridge exit while a King blasted it's way south into the Snow Hill tunnel, I reckon it was the last time I ever saw one in action.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Rob...Sorry, I don't wish to be accused of not replying...['twas in jest]....I don't know about you, but the number and identification of sheds in the Birmingham area was always a mystery to me....

Brum was also a place of great mystery to me too...

In the early 50's I often passed through New Street en route to my Weston holidays, so only ever saw Saltley shed.

I later plucked up courage! and went to Snow Hill, seeing traffic that was totally new.

Only became aware of Bescot's location when I first drove through Spaghetti Junction!

Bushbury, Monument Lane, Aston etc may as well have been in Outer Mongalia...although I recall the Bushbury Jubilee's were Rugby regulars on the hourly Euston-Brum-Wolverhampton's.

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

You'll like this story.

In the 50's we had no form of transport, apart from the tandem, and not much money.

If it was a nice summers sunday, by various means, buses and trains, we'd go to Trent Lock with a picnic, mother would sunbathe and dip her feet in the river, the old man and I would observe the comings and goings on the girder bridge from Redhill Tunnel.

One day we set out, well we had a neighbour with a car, an ancient 1940's job, but as we walked out the gate, he asked where we were going, looked at me and said, 'I'll take you somewhere to see some trains'. So we all ended up having a picnic on a hot summer sunday by the river at Tamworth, next to Low Level Station. Fantastic, high speed WCML expresses hurtling past, but believe it or not, not a single Coronation Pacific or Princess. I saw all these incredibly rare Jubes, Scots and Patriots, but that was it, Pacifics seemed not to be the order of the day.

Funnily enough, we stayed at an uncles at Preston and my brother and I went spotting at Preston station. We saw some incredible stuff, but only one Semi, and that was on a saturday.

Go to Crewe and it was wall to wall Semis and Prinnies, I reckon they only came out the woodwork at Crewe, not quite, we went on a Nottingham Printing Exibition special to London, hauled unusually by Jubilee 'Implacable'. After a devious route through Northampton, we travelled down the WCML where we raced a Semi, 'Sir William A Stanier' who was pulling a parcels on the slow line, I was sitting in one of those LMS brakes at the front, the one's with the sticky out observation windows, it was a magical experience seeing this beast powering alongside us.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Strange you didn't see any Semi's or Princess's at Tamworth...wonder if the classes were temporarily grounded, for some mechanical reason, which happened occasionally?

Made many visits to the famous 'Tamworth Field', along with about 200 other lads, in the 50's...

Recall my last semi 46246 City of Manchester came through whilst I was away in the nearby cafe, and I was obliged to wait until 9pm for it's return from Euston...late train back to Nottingham and a good hiding when I got home!

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Lame excuse for being a steam 'gricer' was that it was educational!

How many 12 year olds knew that:

Sassabys and Hirolas were types of antelope?

Kempenfelt and Madden were British admirals?

Edie Ochiltree, Wandering Willie and Luckie Mucklebackit were characters from Sir Walter Scott novels?

The Albrighton and The Puckeridge were Foxhunts?

The Gilbert & Ellice Islands and Straits Settlements were British protectorates?

The list is endless... :glare:

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Lame excuse for being a steam 'gricer' was that it was educational.

Cheers

Robt P.

Very true, I was fortunate enough to have an old man who was an enthusiast, his claim to fame was seeing the all streamlined Coronation Scot blasting up Shap when he was supposed to be on honeymoon in the Lake District ( poor mother ) and catching a troop train up the ECML which he reckoned had 25 on and was pulled by Cock O' the North, then a 2-8-2.

Mind you, it didn't stop me getting into trouble, they hated it when I went off to Trowell Junction, usually walking along Trowell Road, or worse the long way back along the canal.

One saturday I knew I was in trouble, when walking back up the canal, I was only at the site of Trowell Moor Colliery when the 1:20 went passed, probably Scot 'Green Howards' or 'Royal Scots Fusilier'. Boy, was I in big trouble and got a good kicking for being late big time.

However, afterwards, when my mates cleared off to Trowell and I stayed at home feeling guilty, my mother did a deal whereas as long as I caught the bus, 3d half fare, I could go. Fine at first, till I worked out you could get 12 Blackjacks for 3d at Trowell Post Office, or on a hot day, even a Jubbly if you included the return fare. She never found out, I just had to make sure I had enough for the bus fare if I stayed till 4:30 to see the Thames Clyde Express, just to make sure I got home for tea.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rob

Sorry, back to Coronation Pacifics again.

They always were elusive beasts as far as I was concerned, was it me, or generally noticeable amongst other enthusiasts on here. Catch the train to Lincoln and you would inevitably be held up at the crossing as a Pacific went by. I know that the ECML had more Pacifics of different classes whereas the WCML tended to use Scots, Jubes and Patriots on their services as well.

Go on a trip to Crewe and they seemed to be in abundance, but anywhere else I went to, I hardly saw any.

Strangely enough, I went to Shrewsbury on a trip in 63 and saw some there, I have a lovely colour slide that my brother took of 'Sir William A Stanier' on one of our trips there, I can't imagine which services they operated, Swansea-Manchester perhaps, but they seemed to lurk in a siding at the north end of the station until they were needed, great sight, Semis one end of the station and Castles at the other. By then they were probably getting short of work, which is what prompted me to ressurect this, I just read that Semis were to be transferred on their retirement to the Southern in 64 to help out, why they thought that the Bullied Pacifics couldn't cope is a little strange, the plan fell through because the Staniers had clearance problems, pity, crimson Semis on the Bournemouth Belle would have looked the business.

I do recall a trip to Edge Hill Shed Liverpool circa 63 and seeing plenty there, and going round Willesdon shortly after when they had been transferred from Camden, funny, that day I took a pic of 'Scots Guardsman' looking all forlorn on the scrap line, I thought that the Scots outlived the Semis, but it must have been a close run thing.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The WCML passenger loco's were regularly booked on the Manchester-Swansea's to Shrewsbury partly as it was considered to be the major Crewe Works 'running in' turn...out and back.

IIRC, Derby Works had several such test routes - perhaps the shortest being around the left hand loop from Sheet Stores Jct which meant the loco faced back towards Derby at Trent station. Saw many light pristine Jubilee's take that trial run.

As you say, semi's were confined to their established areas...perhaps partially due to their limited Route Availabilty, because of their excessive girth. Can only recall them venturing on to the LM or GC, when working booked specials - although I do recall a few of them standing in for the GW Kings when they were all withdrawn with severe bogie fracture problems in the mid 50's. Fond memory of City of Bristol thrashing through Taunton on the up 'Riviera'!

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I seem to remember going to Bournemouth on a 'steamy' in about 65 / 66 leaving from Nott'm Victoria, probably one of the last Bournemouth Belles pulled by steam??

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes Ian...just about the longest enduring daily passenger turn through the Vic' was the famous York-Bournemouth.

Certainly running in the early 60's, until just before the line closure.

Bournemouth Belle was merely the name of a train service, which ran exclusively to and from London Waterloo...

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes I can confirm the York - Bournemouth and return workings did indeed run until the very end of the Great Central's days - last service was Sept 3rd 1966. I was on the Vic as a 13 year old trainspotter that day and recall the 37 hauling the service south whilst we waited for the last day special to come back. Have lots of photos of the Vic and indeed this last day and when I work out how to add images I will post them!

Link to post
Share on other sites

All these experiences, and knowledge, makes me realise how little trainspotting I really did, then again you didn't play for England Schoolboys at Wembley? neither did I, but only because I wasn't good enough! :biggrin: Anyway glad my post spawned some good chat etc. Have just about found the route of The GNR which I asked about and as a bonus The Midland to Ilkeston so how about a new topic? Who remembers a Nottingham Level Crossing being replaced by a bridge? or knows examples of such?

Link to post
Share on other sites
Yes I can confirm the York - Bournemouth and return workings did indeed run until the very end of the Great Central's days - last service was Sept 3rd 1966. I was on the Vic as a 13 year old trainspotter that day and recall the 37 hauling the service south whilst we waited for the last day special to come back. Have lots of photos of the Vic and indeed this last day and when I work out how to add images I will post them!

We must have bumped into each other that day!!!

The last York-Bournemouth south was actually in the station at lunchtime when the double headed steam special, 2 B-1's, was about to leave, I have a picture that I'm desperately trying to upload on here showing the two B-1's side by side, the enthusiasts hanging over the platform and the tail of the Y-B on our platform, I'm sure it was a class 47 turn that day.

After the last steam semi fast left for Marylebone, decked out with a wreath, we caught the last Bournemouth-York northbound, it was definately a two tone green 47, I have a photo of it entering the platform next to the station clock and I hung out the window and took a picture as we entered the north Vic tunnel for the last time. I recall that it was the last northbound passenger working to Sheffield, I remember passing the steam special on it's way back, somewhere up towards Sheffield, and we came back on the last southbound working, quite late, which was the York-Banbury parcels, which indeed was hauled by a class 37.

Somewhere I have a Nottingham Victoria timetable poster from the early 60's, one of those things that were pasted all over the station. I used to have it hanging up opposite the toilet, good reading for the uninitiated.

I would love to see your piccies, I've put some of mine on photobucket, but AOL are blocking things, it's a problem I don't seem to be able to resolve at the moment.

Link to post
Share on other sites
I seem to remember going to Bournemouth on a 'steamy' in about 65 / 66 leaving from Nott'm Victoria, probably one of the last Bournemouth Belles pulled by steam??

Wow, lucky boy Beefsteak, that was a hell of an interesting trip, wierd cross country routes were always great, that was one of the best in those days I reckon.

Were you a bit of a spotter then, can you remember anything about it, there must have been some interesting engine changes.

It's funny how some holiday trips stick out in your mind so much but others don't.

We went to Blue Anchor Bay, Somerset, in 1956, I was 5, but I can remember the trip as if it was yesterday. I recall the ex LNER carriage we were in, the girls who had sneaked into our reserved compartment, the grimy Class 5 being replaced by gleaming County of Merioneth at Bristol, Ex works Brit Western Star sitting in the middle road, the last Star Class outside the sheds, my old man and uncle opening up a VERY large can of Long Life beer near Weston Super Mare with a tin opener and getting a bit pissed. The tin of Players Navy cut fags being unsealed and handed around ( I still have it). Waiting for the branch train at Taunton and crapping myself as the King hauled Torbay Express thundered through. The wierd combo of engines that pulled us to Blue Anchor, getting off the train to be surrounded by a bunch of kids with trolleys waiting to take our luggage to the campsite.

A few years ago I caught the West Somerset Railway train from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. On arriving at Blue Anchor, nothing had changed, the train was the same, the station, the caravan site, the camping coaches in the sidings, it was wierd, I got very tearful, it was like a time machine but very real, and in colour too, I doubt whether many places exist today like that, 50 years on.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Firbeck - you are right - the last York- Bournemouths were 47 hauled having taken over from 37's. I have a colour pic of D1541 in two tone green taken at the Vic - its my late Uncles photo so I am not sure but it may have been the famous last working. I think I have figured out how to add photos so will come back later and try to show you some amazing shots. Really would be good to know if D1541 did work the last service too. Its carrying headcode 1N83 but that was also used by the Bournemouth to Bradfords was it not?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't remeber much about this trip , I remember the reserved compartment and the chips that had been discarded in there (not by us) and this bloke ,who was in with us ,having a hissy fit because we kids were being noisy, and I think my old man threatened to batter him (Not a violent man my dad so it came as quite a shock)

A couple of years later (When trainspotting was the latest fad) I recall spotting "The Hartfordshire and Herefordshire Regiment T.A. " somewhere along the way.

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...