rob237 89 Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Talking of photos would love to see any of Basford, (New or Old) Bagthorpe Junc or Basford Vernon area Olez! Scroll down for the pictures... http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/n/new_basford/index.shtml Many other pictured closed stations listed on site home page...several in Nottingham & Notts. Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 thanks, have seen that before but thanks for the effort, bet there's loads of pics "somewhere" there used to be a newsagent on nottingham rd between valley rd and vernon rd he had 100's, died suddenly and think they got dumped, I had had a few off him for my book and publisher "lost" them also, barsteward! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Just out of interest, I grew up at Thurgarton, on the Nottingham-lincoln line. If anyone has any photos relating to that particular stretch of railway I'd be most grateful to see them. Scriv I have the station clock from Rolleston Junction, it's massive and needs a considerable amount of TLC, I'll have to drag it out the garage and take a picture of it for you. I haven't any pictures of Basford, Ashley, there was no reason for me to hang out there, too many other exciting places to go, have you any of your own personal pictures of events during those times that you would like to publish on here. Anyway, just to keep back on thread, Quicksilver at Grantham, 1959: Anyone fancy pictures of the end of steam at Toton, I'll start a new thread if you do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Quicksilver looks unusually grimy, must have been in its New England days - post Top Shed. Ex Shedmaster Peter Townend recently complained when Hornby issued a weathered 34A A4! Colwick 'O1', resting from High Dyke duties, in the background... 18A pics please/khà wp khun/si, gracias. Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Any one remember the wooden garden shed positioned on the platform next to the water crane behind Quicksilver. What it's purpose was I never knew, it was always open and empty, however some wag, and I suspect a member of the station staff, had very carefully written on it, 'The Royal Box'. The big dare was to stand in it when one of the high speed expresses came hurtling through, it had a tendency to attempt to shake itself to bits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Reckon it was there to store coach-end shuttering but, in reality, the wooden boards were stored upright - and leaning on walls - anywhere around the station. Similar situation at Nottingham Vic'... Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Reckon it was there to store coach-end shuttering Wrong end of the platform, it was only a little shed as well, I reckon it was just put there as a store for oil cans, spanners and such like to deal with a problem with north bound locos, not that I ever recall anything being put in there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,593 Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Used to go and wait on the bridge above Ruddington station (1963 onwards) and watch the steam trains on the GCR rails, sometimes go down to Fifty steps (local footbridge)sometimes you could see puffs of steam and smoke coming from the ordinance depot which is now a country park and part of the GCR heritage railway, never did see that loco though, the only diesels on the GCR line was a very few DMU's with the yellow mustache's, remember plenty of "fish freights" going through probably from Grimsby? sometimes it would be a bike ride to the midland mainline at Ratcliffe on Soar, before the power station was built, plenty of steam trains there but a long time ago now and the old grey cells aint what they used to be but I do remember the Blue Pullman heading down to London, On occasions we would buy a ticket to Derby from Nottingham midland and as long as you didn't go out of the stations the ticket never got punched so we could ride to Derby and back all day, had to get off at Trent station one day though for a leak (no toilets on the train) and when asked for the tickets all hell broke loose from this guy in the office so that put paid to that little game, laterly I spent a lot of my (train spotting) time on Grantham station watching the last few months of the mighty Deltics running now they were powerful plus the occasional trip on one from Grantham to Peterborough or Retford and if money would allow York Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 The only real "Train Spotting" that I did was going to Carlton and Netherfield station of an evening to catch th "Royal Mail" going through, I was about 9 (Never did catch it though , it was always going too fast!!!) I do remember, during the last days of steam, when we would walk down to the Trent to see my dad fishing via the old Colwick sidings, and we would stop and watch the trains shunting around in the marshalling yard. My uncle Frank was a fireman and a neighbour of ours (Derek Armstrong) was a driver, once I recall hearing a loud TOOT to see my uncle on the footplate waving to us !! (about 45 odd years ago!!!) And that funny looking tower (For coal???) that looked like a stumppy necked Giraffe. Happy days Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,593 Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Ayup Ian, probably going to make myself look a bit of a prat here but, would that strange tower be the water tower? if I remember right the "giraffes" neck was made from leather and was used to top up the water tanks on the loco's (It's probably got some technical name) Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 The high tower was for dropping coal down into locomotive tenders and the most sophisticated name given to water cranes was "the bag"...honest Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Coaling towers were invariably refilled by coal wagons being elevated, then their contents tipped in to the bunkers - not unlike the NCB 'Landsales' and Newcastle Wharf. Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,593 Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 I have on the old fashioned "video tape" Steam on shed parts one and two and they show some coaling activities first the coal being transferred from coal wagon to tower via a lift and second from tower to loco tender via the chute,or hand operated small truck used like a wheel barrow, very interesting films for those interested Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted December 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 Colwick coaling tower:- Toton was bigger and more refined, this was taken off the 'Hill' in 1962:- Another view from the track, it's to the right of this coal train, alarming how much this colour picture has faded; When you went to a town in search of a shed, you always looked out for the coaling tower, usually surrounded by smoke. Of all the many coaling towers that existed around the country in those days, only two have survived. Immingham stands isolated and although I believe it is listed, it's existance is under threat. Carnforth, the former Steamtown, has a full set including a water softening plant, I gather that the structures are in a poor condition though and not in working order. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 similarly when you went to a football away night match you looked for the floodlights and headed for those, we did such at I think Rotherham, and finished up in the local marshalling yard! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 Thanks for that pic Pete, been looking everywhere for one !! Any body else see the giraffe , or was it just me (An impressionable 3 year old ???) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 Sure did see the Giraffe. Lived just down the street from it so saw it every day. Great to see a photo of it again. If I remember rightly some local folks called it "The Old Man." Netherfield was a thriving railway town in the fifties. Bournes Factory was also a big local employer. Sadly, all gone now. Looking back one wishes one had taken more pics in those days. Trouble was film was pretty expensive to us at that time. Not like the digital revolution where everyone now takes a dozen photos of everything. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Perhaps we should change the title of this to coaling towers, another one of Colwick: Then there was one at Annesley:- I don't recall one at Nottingham, I seem to remember it was a banked incline with a brick building on the top, the coal wagons were shoved up there and the contents shovelled into coal shutes and into the loco tenders. The last of the many, Immingham:- Steamtown, Carnforth with water softening plant:- Oh, and an odd one I found, Crewe South shed Sept 1965:- I have fond memories of the Colwick Girrafe too. We went on a school trip round the sheds in 1965, while the others went off taking numbers, we latched on to a couple of drivers who had to take an 8F to the tower for coaling and turning on the turntable, under their supervision we drove this thing down to the tower and on to the turntable, the shed forman had been called away and it was a sunday with no-one about, so we got away with it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Back to the sacred ECML: Perhaps the most interesting Notts venue along the route was Retford... Main attraction was the famous south-end flat crossing where the Sheffield-Lincoln line went over the North-South route. 60mph restriction over the quite complex trackwork often disregarded by the express drivers...making a fine spectacle! Always regretted not visiting more often in the early 60's. Any pics Pete? Eventually replaced, in green diesel days, by an underpass which merited the building of a second station for the east-west passenger traffic. The other flat-crossing (which survives today) was of course at Newark - more isolated, but visible from the "new" A46 ring road. In latter steam days, once ventured up to it on my Lambie 150 - just in time to see Haymarket A4 Empire of India thrash across on the 'Elizabethan', non stop Edinburgh - London. The area around the Newark crossing had a justified reputation for several unrestrained vicious dogs, walking to it across the fields was not recommended! Such was their ferocity, BR became forced to take action for their removal, in order to protect their own Permanent Way staff. East-West underpass planning regularly thwarted by the adjacent River Trent water-course, compromising digging activity. Latest idea is for the ECML to be elevated over by a bridge... Cheers Robt P. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,593 Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Will be on the ECML next Monday as we are of to Edinburgh for Christmas train leaves Newark 07.38 arrive Edinburgh 11.08, not bad eh 31/2 hours? all for £133 for two of us return with reserved seats forward facing aircraft type Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rob237 89 Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Excellent deal, Rog... Worth remembering your booking source for future use...rail ticket buying remains a minefield! Went up to Darlington on the 07.38 a month back, packed solid at Newark - glad you have reservations. Sure you'll both enjoy a Scottish Christmas! Cheers Robt P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Xmas travel, not fun, I had a bad experience a few years ago travelling from Camarthen to Paddington and back the day after Boxing Day, a complicated story, but basically, my reserved seat was triple booked, the track repairs hadn't been completed, it took me 9 hours to get to Paddo to pick up my son and 9 hours to get back, by HST as well. I personally look back on it as a bit of an adventure, so did my son, we built an entire Arfix T-55 tank kit on the journey back, but the general public on the train were well peed off, one of them made a statement at Paddo and chucked their sublime advertising poster on the track and was promptly arrested by the transport police, the rest of the passengers mobbed them but I simply retired gracefully to the Paddington bar, I'd had enough trouble for one day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RGR 218 Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Some Fabulous photos on this site,rekindled lots of memories from my boyhood at Bulwell kiss gates in the 50s and Doncaster.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mgread1200 141 Posted December 26, 2011 Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 Had not seen this thread before, fabulous pictures! rarely does bring back memories. Like Rog I used to go to Ruddington station bridge from Clifton, the only one I remember now running down there was the "The South Yorkshireman". Grantham of course from Nottingham Victoria and Newark from Nottingham Midland to Newark Castle then a walk across town to the LNER station, we used to spot from under the road bridge just south of the station. Wish I had my old combine to look up some of the names from the pictures. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted December 26, 2011 Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 Re namers, often you can get the name by simply entering the number in a search on pc, google or similar, for example loco 61660 gives following in wikipedia (plus about 50 others thus). tried to edit this but still comes out jumbled! original list gives company names and numbers, BR ones, date built, date withdrawn etc in easy to read order! LNER No. BR No. Original Name (Rename(s)) Date built Date rebuilt Rebuilt as Date withdrawn 2800 61600 Sandringham December 1928 June 1950 B17/6 July 1958 2801 61601 Holkham December 1928 — — January 1958 2802 61602 Walsingham November 1928 October 1951 B17/6 January 1958 2803 61603 Framlingham December 1928 October 1946 B2 September 1958 2804 61604 Elveden December 1928 November 1951 B17/6 August 1953 2805 61605 Burnham Thorpe (Lincolnshire Regiment from April 1938) December 1928 January 1948 B17/6 May 1958 2806 61606 Audley End December 1928 March 1950 B17/6 September 1958 2807 61607 Blickling December 1928 May 1947 B2 December 1959 Knew nothing of trainspotting sites south of the city, and only Victoria on visits there to catch once a year train to mablethorpe in 1950's, all mine was done in Basford area Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.