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Cliff Ton, that photo you put in is of the former site of the London North Western Goods Station, it was on the top of that arch which was storage area of the station, at one time when under BR a lot of food came into this depot as it was a "natural fridge". The terminus Station/Yard was fed off the GNR via it's own lines and 4 track bridges over Meadow Lane and Sneinton Hermitage.

The Arch I referred to was part of the GNR branch added in the 1890's to route their trains via London Rd High Level Station to Weekday Cross (and Victoria) it was on the other side of Sneinton Hermitage, a long viaduct skirting the old GNR station, that entrance (and later arch) was I believe where the road leading to the former now burnt out GNR warehouses,

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A junior boy’s memory. In the late 40s, one Saturday morning, this young lad and his brother would be squeezed into a taxi along with baby brother’s pram and all the luggage plus mam and dad and

A P.Bucket test? or a rail photo with a difference. It was so difficult to do I didn't have the heart to break it up so I framed it!

The Arch I referred to was part of the GNR branch added in the 1890's to route their trains via London Rd High Level Station to Weekday Cross (and Victoria) it was on the other side of Sneinton Hermitage, a long viaduct skirting the old GNR station, that entrance (and later arch) was I believe where the road leading to the former now burnt out GNR warehouses,

Is this the line you are referring to? I think I might've linked to these photos before in another thread...

http://www.rcts.org....79&img=G-241-34

http://www.rcts.org....80&img=G-241-35

http://www.rcts.org....81&img=G-241-36

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Here is a rare picture of the Eastern End of the Rathole

rathole.jpg

That photo must have been after my time (don't remember seeing diesels through there), but that view of the tunnel brings some memories back.

The rat hole was were we trainspotters at High Pavement school used to go at lunch time - at least we did when I was one of them in the 1961/62 period. Lunch time then was from 1230pm to 2pm, and after school dinner (one shilling a day) a few of us could usually be found on Arnold Road at the point where the rat hole line went underneath, with of course the main line next to it on the bridge over the road. We seldom bothered going further down to where the bridge carrying the Bagthorpe Junction to Basford North link also went over the road - probably because it was more fun to see the trains come out of the rat hole.

As I remember, we never seemed to have more than half an hour there. My recollection is that there was a train out of the rat hole at 1.35pm (which we called 'the twenty five to rat hole), and when another one came through at 1.50pm it was the 'ten to rat hole' and time to set off back to school. Now that's how I remember it, but it does seem a little strange that there whould be two Derby - Nottingham trains within 15 minutes of each other, and it would be interesting to see a timetable of the period. I don't remember ever being late back to school, so the timekeeping of the 'ten to' must have been pretty reliable!

At that time the rat hole passenger trains were worked by L1 2-6-4Ts. On the main line, as well as the usual 9Fs, 2-8-0s, etc the highlight was seeing the York - Bournemouth go through - at least that's we called it, but as it was northbound it would have actually been the Bournemouth - York! It would include some green Southern Region coaches and was pulled by a B1 - a regular performer being one of the named engines, 'Fitzherbert Wright'.

On the main line, as I've written in another thread, we would see brand new Hymek diesels heading south on their way from Beyer Peacock in Manchester to the Western Region via the Woodford to Banbury line. In the earlier days of the period I've mentioned we would frequently see J39 0-6-0 no. 64798 go hurrying past, as often as not light engine - I don't know if it was perhaps used on some sort of pilot duty between Victoria and Annesley or Bulwell or something, but it was such a regular sight it would draw cries of 'scrap it!'. If only we'd known...

From the classroom windows of High Pavement, especially the top floor, we had a panoramic view, with the Great Central main line in the distance, tantalisingly offering remote glimpses: "Is it a Brit'?" - "Nah - just a 92-er!" And along the bottom of the slope down to Arnold Road we could see the white plume of smoke whenever a goods train plodded past - although as Mapperley Tunnel was closed by that time they would have been going no further than Daybrook.

Away from school, we had moved to Sherwood in the summer of 1961, and I would often spend time trainspotting on Perry Road bridge. The alternative would have been the bridge over Haydn Road at New Basford station (spotters were frowned upon on the station itself!), but the line being on an embankment there the view wasn't as good as looking down from the bridge at Perry Road. The highlight in the evenings was seeing the fish train from Grimsby come through at about 7.30pm as at that time it was hauled by a Britannia 4-6-2 - a namer! 'Rudyard Kipling' was the most frequent performer, but I remember also 'copping' 'Thomas Hardy' there. Not long before the fish train was due there was a regular working by an ex-LMS 8F. Non-Eastern Region engines were still something of a rarilty at that time, unlike a year or two later.

Another memory is of when exploring the area after our move to Sherwood I came across the disused Sherwood station (which up to that time I had never known existed). This was before the blocks of flats were built on the site, and the platforms at least were still there. I also once (accompanied by an adult) walked through Sherwood Tunnel, which wasn't fenced off or anything.

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As I remember, we never seemed to have more than half an hour there. My recollection is that there was a train out of the rat hole at 1.35pm (which we called 'the twenty five to rat hole), and when another one came through at 1.50pm it was the 'ten to rat hole' and time to set off back to school. Now that's how I remember it, but it does seem a little strange that there whould be two Derby - Nottingham trains within 15 minutes of each other, and it would be interesting to see a timetable of the period. I don't remember ever being late back to school, so the timekeeping of the 'ten to' must have been pretty reliable!

At that time the rat hole passenger trains were worked by L1 2-6-4Ts. On the main line, as well as the usual 9Fs, 2-8-0s, etc the highlight was seeing the York - Bournemouth go through - at least that's we called it, but as it was northbound it would have actually been the Bournemouth - York! It would include some green Southern Region coaches and was pulled by a B1 - a regular performer being one of the named engines, 'Fitzherbert Wright'.

I suspect that the 1.35 and 1.50 ratholes would be one from Derby Friargate and the other from Pinxton South - which didn't close until 1963.

Interesting that you mention the York - Bournemouth. If it was northbound, that must have been after school. From memory going back to the 1950s (when I often saw it striding over the top of Nottingham Midland while waiting for a train back to Sawley Junction) it got to Nottingham Victoria about 4.30 (having left Bournemouth around 10.00). Southbound it left Vic at about 12.45. Coach roofboards proclaimed "BOURNEMOUTH - OXFORD - YORK"

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Yes recall that train and it's green coaches, my "area" was Perry Rd to New Basford Station, could see all that from the bedrooms used to trainspot from the field at end of Malton Rd, also on the station, esp after a new boy Chris came to our school, his dad was new station master and they lived in station house, would have been 1954/55?

prior to that did have problems with "grumpy" a porter/cleaner/general dogsbody who used to chase us off the platforms and down the stairs, re tunnels, have mentioned before but walked from new Basford to Vctoria via those then through Weekday Cross and over the midland, At the time after Queens Rd not much remained so then went to victoria embankment and crossed the trent getting a signal arm and diamond circuit sign on the way, been through tunnel on Woodthorpe Grange and the one under Mapperley Top to Wells Rd on The NSR, also Mapperley Tunnel on The GNR, (oh yes, just remembered also drove a fiesta van across the bridge over Valley Rd! don't ask why,lol)

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The green coaches were provided by the Southern Region at Bournmouth. The went North one day and back south the next day. The other set for the oposite direction were provided by York and were the normal BR standard colours. Each set making a one way trip each day.

Bulwell Common was my spot for watching trains.

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I suspect that the 1.35 and 1.50 ratholes would be one from Derby Friargate and the other from Pinxton South - which didn't close until 1963.

Interesting that you mention the York - Bournemouth. If it was northbound, that must have been after school. From memory going back to the 1950s (when I often saw it striding over the top of Nottingham Midland while waiting for a train back to Sawley Junction) it got to Nottingham Victoria about 4.30 (having left Bournemouth around 10.00). Southbound it left Vic at about 12.45. Coach roofboards proclaimed "BOURNEMOUTH - OXFORD - YORK"

I'm sure I remember it heading north - and it would definitely have been between 1.30 and 2pm. Maybe a bit of research is called for - I believe there were still one or two other cross-country services at that time, so maybe it could have been one those rather than the 'Yorkie' as we thought.

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Just been having a look at timetables (on the Nottingham Victoria website http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nick.willis/ ). It isn't conclusive because the 1961/62 timetable isn't there. The following year which was the last that the GC had a proper through service including South Yorkshireman, Master Cutler etc, shows no northbound departures from Victoria between 8.16 (Leicester - Sheffield stopper) and 2.00 (Leicester - Chesterfield stopper), then the York at 4.39. The 1957 timetable extracts don't include the midday period. The 1954 timetable does show a 12.54 from Vic which was the 10.00 Marylebone - Manchester, but this is a bit early for your estimate of 1.30 - 2.00. Then I noticed a 1.17 departure (8.05 Bournemouth - Newcastle). Unfortunately this turned out to be Saturdays only (and only running 17 July - 28 August, which was probably outside school term anyway).

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The green coaches were provided by the Southern Region at Bournmouth. The went North one day and back south the next day. The other set for the oposite direction were provided by York and were the normal BR standard colours. Each set making a one way trip each day.

Bulwell Common was my spot for watching trains.

My husbands spot as well - here are a couple of his photographs

8518070596_7403d7a7b2.jpg

Train between Hucknall Road and Andover Road Bestwood Estate Nottingham

8516967353_4010cc984a.jpg

The view 1st March 2013

Photos taken opposite G & M Car Sales on Hucknall Road

8516979983_37d718c39a.jpg

Basford North Station Bulwell Nottingham 1950's Me and my brother with two friends train spotting.

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I cannot quite make out what class of locomotive is shown, it looks too short to be a O4 2-8-0 and has what looks like a GNR tender so it is possibly a J5 or J6 0-6-0.

The loco at Basford North is an ex GCR 4-6-2T LNER class A5.

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Just back from a couple of weeks holiday, I remember the York Bournemouth with its green rolling stock in the early '60's. Usually a English electric D-6700 diesel in charge. Around 1963 the northbound train was running late and a GWR Hall class was at the head as it passed Bulwell kiss gates where a gang of us would gather after school (Highbury boys) and even a few gals from the Blenheim. girls school.But that was a bit more than train spotting.. Sadly have no pictures of that era. The master cutler I remember vaguely when l was 5 or 6yrs. old.This one time a huge A3 Pacific "60107 Flying Fox" was South bound on the Cutler and a special train had an A4 "Woodcock" which were rarely seen on the GC line.We had some good times at the Kiss Gates.

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Just been having a look at timetables (on the Nottingham Victoria website http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nick.willis/ ). It isn't conclusive because the 1961/62 timetable isn't there. The following year which was the last that the GC had a proper through service including South Yorkshireman, Master Cutler etc, shows no northbound departures from Victoria between 8.16 (Leicester - Sheffield stopper) and 2.00 (Leicester - Chesterfield stopper), then the York at 4.39. The 1957 timetable extracts don't include the midday period. The 1954 timetable does show a 12.54 from Vic which was the 10.00 Marylebone - Manchester, but this is a bit early for your estimate of 1.30 - 2.00. Then I noticed a 1.17 departure (8.05 Bournemouth - Newcastle). Unfortunately this turned out to be Saturdays only (and only running 17 July - 28 August, which was probably outside school term anyway).

As you say, it's not completel;y conclusive because it's a year after the time I was remembering - but I notice there was the southbound York - Bournemouth due at Victoria at 1242. It's just possible that it was this train frequently running quite a bit late that we used to see, and that my memory is playing false in thinking it was seen northbound. Then again it could have been some other service that had stopped running by September 1962.

You mention 1962/63 as the last year in which the South Yorkshireman and the Master Cutler ran, but I think they finished in 1960. That 1962/63 timetable actually shows no day-time trains from Marylebone going beyond Nottingham,

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I cannot quite make out what class of locomotive is shown, it looks too short to be a O4 2-8-0 and has what looks like a GNR tender so it is possibly a J5 or J6 0-6-0.

The loco at Basford North is an ex GCR 4-6-2T LNER class A5.

Sorry the pic is not too good - hubby does not know how they came to have a camera but wished it had been a better one.

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Getting ready for the big day in July 2013 when Gresley A4 "Mallard"will have 5 more A4 Pacifics at her side at the York Railway Museum to celebrate her speed record of 126 mph in of July 1938.I can not miss this one,especially with A4 "Dominion of Canada" on show.Sept2012UK166.jpg

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To Ashley's quiz.....

First one I'm not sure; second is Leen Valley Junction; third is along Leen Valley line going towards Daybrook; fourth is somewhere in Bulwell?; fifth is Suburban line?; last one is Wilford GC bridge over the Trent.

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