Bip 88 Posted October 10, 2008 Report Share Posted October 10, 2008 I watched last night [Thursday] on BBC four a new series introduced by Julia Bradbury she’s the one who did the famous Wainwright walk series in the lake district. Ever week she doing a different railway walk over disused lines. Can I just add she's a cracker...IMO Quote below from her web site. Bip, Railway Walks JULIA gets her backpack and walking boots on again in Railway Walks to explore the great outdoors following the old tracks, overgrown cuttings and ancient viaducts of Britain's lost rail empire, visiting disused lines across England, Scotland and Wales. Through stunning landscapes and urban backstreets, each contrasting walk has a unique story to tell, offering Julia a window into industrial Britain and how the rise and fall of the railways has altered lives and localities across the country.Julia began her exploration of Britain's lost rail empire in Derbyshire, the heart of the Peak District, with a walk along the popular Monsal Trail. Limestone cliffs and gorges abound, not to mention the tunnels and soaring viaducts of the Midland Railway – one of the most dramatic and unlikely main lines ever built.Produced by Skyworks, the makers of Wainwright's Walks, the first show of a series of six was aired on BBC Four on Thursday 2nd October. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted October 10, 2008 Report Share Posted October 10, 2008 The first of the series was 'Monsal Trail', and was shown last week... It was discussed in the forum in: http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?sh...amp;#entry54091 Posts 11,13, 14 & 16... Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bip 88 Posted October 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2008 Thank rob I must have missed the post.... Bip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted October 10, 2008 Report Share Posted October 10, 2008 Some female reporter at BBC Nottingham wanted me to take her to old railway sites in Nottingham some years ago on some "National Railway Day" wanted to meet up for dinner to discuss such, Wife went barmy so no go! Lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 11, 2008 Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 Thank you very much Bip, the picture of Julia Bradbury, in a leather jacket too, is going to have to force me to have a cold shower. If you missed the first Monsal Dale programme it might still be on the Net on BBCi. Well done BBC for giving us a railway night for a change, I don't know how long it will go on for until they get bored, but there you go. Problem is that some of the programmes are quite ancient, but we aren't warned about this. Steam Days, shown last thursday, was made 20 years ago, but unless you realised that, it wasn't made very clear. OK the Jacobite express is still running, but things have changed up there, it's got very popular because of it's filming location for Harry Potter for a start, and when I was at Fort William a couple of years ago they had 3 steam locos on shed, very nice too. It's all very well showing old programmes but it can be misleading for the GP. Last week for instance they showed Victoria Wood wandering around Carnforth, the scene of 'Close Encounters' and shown as more or less derelict. It isn't like that anymore, the station has been tarted up, the clock restored, the cafe restored to it's former glory with a film theme and very nice it is too, but showing an old programme like that without any explanation ain't doing them any favours is it. The bloke presenting the Railways in Fiction and Film programme was such an arrogant git and full of himself that the potential for a good programme was lost, it was too self indulgent and really didn't work, no more of that thank you very much. Next week is a programme charting the end of steam, lets hope they do a good job on that one, pity our lovely Mr Dibnah isn't around to present it, or second best, Michael Palin, or better still Julia Bradbury, I wish she'd walked our local closed lines in that leather jacket and called in for a cuppa, cough cough, don't even go there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted October 11, 2008 Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 That would be "Brief Encounter" I don't think either Celia Johnson or Trevor Howard arrived by space ship!!! Carnforth station is now bypassed by the West Coast Mainline although the station is preserved in it's former glory (But you'd be lucky if you managed to find the Cafe open) Local trains stop on the way down to Lancaster from Barrow and Grange over Sands. I spent a very boring 2 hours there whilst waiting for a train back to Crewe, after I had delivered a van there a couple of years ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 That would be "Brief Encounter" I don't think either Celia Johnson or Trevor Howard arrived by space ship!!!Carnforth station is now bypassed by the West Coast Mainline although the station is preserved in it's former glory (But you'd be lucky if you managed to find the Cafe open) Local trains stop on the way down to Lancaster from Barrow and Grange over Sands. I spent a very boring 2 hours there whilst waiting for a train back to Crewe, after I had delivered a van there a couple of years ago. Being in a very grouchy mood this morning as my missus had to go into work at 6:30 to deal with a financial emergency, seeing the error of my ways with regard to the film title gave me a good laugh, I must have been too busy worrying about the England match. I must have been lucky when I went to Carnforth, which was about 3 years ago, in February too. It was a late saturday afternoon, there was a very interesting model railway shop on the old main up platform and the cafe was open, I was the only one in it, but still. There were some interesting train movements not only on the main lines but also in what used to be called Steamtown. The last time I caught a train to Crewe from there, it came into the station hauled by Britannia 'Royal Star', which promptly failed and was replaced by a Class 5 from Carnforth sheds. Whilst hanging out the window in the coach next to the engine, he decided to pick up water from Hest Bank troughs, the tender overflow erupted and the water streamed into both windows and down the carriage, I had to press against the corridor connection door to get out of a soaking, the passengers weren't so lucky, I was not popular. My ties with Carnforth go back a long way. My late uncle used to be a signalling maintenance engineer on the old GCR, when the future of the line was cast into doubt in the mid 60's he got a transfer to the WCML based at Carnforth and moved to Morecambe. I still have 2 cousins living in Morecambe and Lancaster, I shall be having my regular sunday morning chat with them shortly. We used to visit him on a regular basis, first of all by train until my old man bought his first car. It was a a great place to be, because, as you know, it was the last bastion of steam in the late 60's, and because of my uncles job, I could wander at will round Carnforth Sheds, it was a fantastic time, if a little sad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BAZZER 10 Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 going off topic slightly - the name Bradbury rung my bell,,,,,,, I used to knock about with a couple of Bradbury sisters,,,, lived up Oakdale Road (near Douglas Ave maybe). They used to frequent the Cavendish pub in mid to late 60's. Anyone know them ? Baz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 We were probably there about the same time, although I was mid week. I thought there was a model train shop there but I wasn't sure , there are quite a few statins with them now. I was looking on google earth and found this turntable still there too. Carnforth sheds the turntable is topleft by the sidings The turntable Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 We were probably there about the same time, although I was mid week. I thought there was a model train shop there but I wasn't sure , there are quite a few statins with them now.I was looking on google earth and found this turntable still there too. Carnforth sheds the turntable is topleft by the sidings When Carnforth closed down as one of the last steam sheds it became Steamtown, centre of preservation excellence. It got so busy that in the 90's it was 'forced' to be closed to the public, however they held an open day this summer, perhaps it's the shape of things to come. It's the place where the Hogwarts Express lives, the loco as well as the carriage stock. It is the only completely preserved steam shed in the country with the original coaling tower and other accoutrements that have since vanished, the only other coaling tower to survive is at Immingham, but on the recent closure of this shed, it's future is in doubt. In the 60's we would just walk in without harrasment, most of my steam colour slides are taken on shed or at the nearby Hest Bank troughs. I'm still having problems with Photobucket otherwise I could at least publish some of my black and white pictures on here, I've followed the rules but they won't upload. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 I made a mistake and put my comments on tonights railway offerings on the Steam thread instead, perhaps the mods can redirect it. Just had a look on BBC4's website, railway night looks pretty good tonight. Starting with an old repeat of Steam Days, still it's about steam into Cornwall, we have a gem at 8:00, a programme all about the building of Tornado, the new A1 Pacific, no doubt with film of it running in on the GCR at Loughborough over the past few weeks. Our Julia is hiking along an old railway in Redruth, then an hour long programme about the demise and rise of the steam engine since the war, no doubt I shall be banished up stairs to watch it all!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 Thanks chaps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 Just copy and paste ,then delete your old message Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 Just copy and paste ,then delete your old message Too technical for me Captain. Just out of interest, do you have Sky or a Freeview box, or a posh telly with Freeview on it. Everyone seems to have a flat screen telly these days, but our wide screen Panasonic that we've had for a few years with it's cathode ray tube occupying half the room is the dogs, whats the point of replacing it, assuming we could afford to do so. I went mental last year, installed a massive ariel in the loft, bought for bog all from a B&Q sale, shoved TV cables down the airing cupboard and pantry and stuck TV points everywhere. Each telly in the bedrooms is connected to our various digi boxes aquired over the years, including one of the first, a sad job, but it works perfectly. I have one old telly without a scart connection but have fed it through a video recorder that I picked up for a couple of quid from a boot sale and that is probably what I'm going to have to watch tonights programmes on, unless madam can agree it's her turn to go upstairs, unlikely, especially where Ms Bradbury is concerned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 What did you think then, the massed trainspotters standing under the station sign at Mansfield made me wonder what that was all about Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,691 Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 Good bit of Nottstalgia there firbeck, well for anyone who knows or knew Mansfield station, I wonder if there was some sort of special going through, did you also notice the wide age range of the rail enthusiasts? Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 I didn't see the programe or what you are refering to, but I was working up all over there (Mansfield and the surrounds) when they decided to reopen the Robin Hood Line, and I was constantly a witness to the regular upgrades as they moved along, including the reopening up of the tunnel down Newstead way. I was also still there when it opened up. I had spent months full of nostalgia for the olden days and looking forward to all the trains coming through , only to get totaly p***ed off after a fortnight at how many times I got held up at the level crossings in the Sutton area !!! When you are driving for your living and up against the clock it got to be a real pain in the bum!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Tonights Railway progs on BBC4 obviously show that the BBC are getting fed up with it, they start off with a programme about the Great War at 7:40, that will be nice and depressing but afterwards at least our Julia is visiting a nice place, Speyside, lovely countryside and hopefully she'll start off at the steam railway at Aviemore. There then follows a programme about British Transport films, which hopefully will feature some local interest wherever you live. Then the famous film about the Elizabethan, hopefully with a bit of footage of Grantham and Newark, I haven't seen it for years so I'm looking forward to that one. The programme I'm really looking forward to is Michael Palins first ever travel programme, Great Railway Journey's, it must be nearly 30 years old, but very entertaining, it was as a result of watching that, that I ended up at the Kyle of Localsh Hotel for a pint and to watch the sunset, only to find that they had run out of draught beer, dohhhhh! There then follows a prog by John Betjeman about the Metropolitan railway, I loved his journeys around the countries railways in the 60's so it could be worth watching, if poetry isn't your thing, don't be put off, the man was a genius. Trouble is it's my turn to go upstairs and watch them on the little bedroom TV, I hate that, I prefer wide screen and surround sound, but it's only fair, madams turn tonight, unless she's feeling generous, well she likes Michael Palin so we could compromise over some of it. Beefsteak If you've missed some of these programmes, download BBCi player, it's great, and free, you can watch things you haven't seen for several days afterwards, as well as download and keep them. The quality, even on full screen, is great. I shove in the headphones and lose myself, especially with the music programmes, I've checked, the programme referred to is on there along with a couple of other railway progs that I don't recall being on telly last week, something for me to download for later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Good bit of Nottstalgia there firbeck, well for anyone who knows or knew Mansfield station, I wonder if there was some sort of special going through, did you also notice the wide age range of the rail enthusiasts?Rog Mansfield Station is a bit of a sore point with me. We had a right git in our school railway society, understandably, we used to wind him up by calling him Chimp, well, he could have easily got a part in Planet of the Apes without make up, but even so, he was a considerable pain in the bum. We were all due to go on the last train to Mansfield, 1964? when he announced that we'd got the date wrong and that it was the saturday after, OK, Chimp for all his faults, seemed to know things, thats why we tolerated him, no-one had the internet or even a phone to check things in those days, so we left it at that. When we went into school on the monday, Chimp asked why we hadn't turned up on the last train, the git had set us up, he went, the rest of us didn't, what a thing to do to your mates, though looking back, we possibly deserved it, though not on such a major scale, trouble is, it wasn't just a bunch of kids involved, my old man used to like to take part in our activities, if he had come across Chimp, he would have killed him!!! He had his come uppance on a shed trip to London, lets just say that in those days you didn't f### with my brother. I must admit to having a satisfied grin on my face when I went on an early trip on the reopened Robin Hood Line a few years ago, pity it wasn't the usual Stanier 2-6-4 tank though. Did you know theres only one left and it's sitting in the museum next to Blooms Garden centre just up the road from us in Bressingham. Well at least they've restored Oliver Cromwell and Royal Scot is about to appear on the mainline, it would be great to see a Stanier tank rumbling up to Worksop though, would that be allowed? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 ...Then the famous film about the Elizabethan, hopefully with a bit of footage of Grantham and Newark, I haven't seen it for years so I'm looking forward to that one... > snip > ...it was as a result of watching that, that I ended up at the Kyle of Localsh Hotel for a pint and to watch the sunset, only to find that they had run out of draught beer, dohhhhh!... IIRC, neither place feature in the film. The Grantham north curve/St. Wulframs' etc or the Newark flat-crossing would have made for some good content. Some superb shots of Silver Fox lifting water from Werrington troughs, which were filmed moving rapidly alongside off the parallel Stamford track. Good continuity with Silver Fox featuring throughout on the north-bound journey. As with all BTF much emphasis on a cliched commentary, but one of their best ever films...in my biased LNER view! Doesn't Michael P (supposedly) walk off with the huge KoL station name board at his film's end? Been there a few times...but yet to be a offered gift! Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,691 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Ayup all, I have The Elizabethan on tape together with Steam on shed 1 & 2, and finishing off with The Birth Of a Loco about how LMS 6203 was built from the ground up, I think it was an LMS promotional film from 1936, a mate loaned me the separate tapes and I copied them onto one extended play tape, nearly 6 hours of pure nostalgia Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 ...I must admit to having a satisfied grin on my face when I went on an early trip on the reopened Robin Hood Line a few years ago, pity it wasn't the usual Stanier 2-6-4 tank though... 'Fraid not...invariably a Stanier 2-6-2T, in the 40XXX series - which earlier shared duties with the Whitelegg 4-4-2T's. Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 'Fraid not...invariably a Stanier 2-6-2T, in the 40XXX series - which earlier shared duties with the Whitelegg 4-4-2T's.Cheers Robt P. Are you pretending that you aren't really Ian Allan. I remember vaguely those 2-6-2's, ugly things, small boilers on a big frame, developed from a Fowler Class, I didn't think that any were left by the time that the Mansfield trains ceased to operate in 1964. I recall my only trip up the GCR from Vic via Mansfield to Edwinstowe, it must have been in the mid 50's, I remember the loco being a tank engine, it could have been an ex GCR pacific tank, I'm sure it was something different than the usual V3 that we always had the privilage of taking us off to Grantham to do a bit of spotting. My favourites used to be the K3's, massive great boilers on a small frame, they lurked with power and were always used on seaside specials. I recall catching a day trip to Mablethorpe from Midland of all places. We were shunted backwards into London Road Low Level where a gleaming K3 was waiting to take over, strange method of doing things, but there was an acceptable lack of logic in those days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Did you know theres only one left .... Guess again...42085 & 42500... K3....serious loco, one of my great favourites too - travesty that none are preserved? Did I ever tell you the time I went on the "Cutler" from the Vic' to Leicester Central in 19 mins 13 secs, start to stop, behind the famous old warhorse A3 Flying Fox? Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 ...My favourites used to be the K3's, massive great boilers on a small frame, they lurked with power and were always used on seaside specials. Thanks very much...you've just cost me £70! On the strength of your reminder I've just bought online, and on a whim, the superb Bachmann OO K3 model. http://www.ehattons.com/StockDetail.aspx?SID=23500 Will sit nicely alongside the numerous ECML loco's in my diorama... Any contribution, gratefully received. Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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