benjamin1945 16,151 Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 i am from a railway family,both Grandads Shunters and wheeltappers Annesley ,Dad shunter and guard,i did 6 months as a Van Lad Midland Station 1960 on leaving school,Grandad was Secretary of the NUR Bulwell branch,plus i was Barman at BRSA Bestwood rd Bulwell circa 1963,does anything resonate with you? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin1945 16,151 Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 sorry that was meant for bilbra born,but all others welcome if it rings a bell Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I didn't start on the railway till 1978 but my grandfather was a driver at Nottingham Loco until the early 60s and one uncle was a clerk at Bestwood Lodge where the coal traffic invoices were dealt with. Another uncle was a yard forman at Rowsley depot until it closed. I did have a lot of traincrew friends who started at Annesley Loco and regaled me with tales of adventure and hardship driving and firing steam locos in the days when they were run down. Also the difficulties of being a goods guard on loose coupled freight trains over hilly routes like the LD&ECR (Clog and Knocker) between Shirebrook North and Beighton Junction. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 StephenFord. I know of instances where records of accidents have been removed from archives. I don't know why or how but there was one regarding the death of a guard at Colwick Yard during the war in the blackout. The guards daughter or granddaughter tried to trace it in the archives but it was obvious items had been removed. She then wrote to the Nottingham post who made it into an article in their bygones section. Retired traincrew wrote back to the post who published the letters and arranged a meeting between the crew and the woman. It seems that someone had altered the records or deliberately missed bits out to make it look as if it was the guards fault when it clearly wasn't. This was twenty years ago but I still have the cuttings somewhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
albert smith 803 Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Back in the late '50s my regular driver Alf Webb (Nottm. MPD) relieved a London- Leeds freight at Wellingboro' Stn., just after the fireman had put a charge on he thought he had seen a Guards hand lamp fly past the cab side, they couldn't see any thing looking back but stopped at Finedon to ask for the line to be searched. They were stopped again at Kettering Stn. where the SM. climbed on the engine and informed Alf that" he had unfortunately killed a Goods Guard and that under Board of Trade regulations" he had to ask the Driver "if he was in a fit condition to carry on"? "Yes" said Alf "as I didn't see anything! The Fireman intervened to say" he didn't feel very well", "Sorry" said the SM " there's nothing in the Regulations about you. Carry on Driver"!. The Guard was on a proper 'walkway' across the tracks in good daylight so ???? Bilbroborn if if not too personal what was grandads name please? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Sid Hill. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
albert smith 803 Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 A Grandad to be proud of and a much respected Citizen of Nottingham. Thank You. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Me mum didn't think so after I had spent a Saturday morning with him at Nottingham Loco when I was about six, and came back looking like a lump of coal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted February 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Was about 11 or 12 when I spent a Sunday morning on the footplate of a saddletank going round Stanton Iron Works with my uncle Bill who drove one there and finished up in a similar state inc black grease on my duffle coat, remember him and others using petrol to get it off, stunk of the latter for ages! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 It didn't stop there. When me and Firbeck went shed-bashing years later we used to get quite a lot of grease and coal dust on us. Happy Days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
urban_explorer 7 Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Calling all nottsnostalgians ! Here is several of our railway albums! The latest addition to these is Kimberley featuring both Great Northern and Midland railway lines including Station buildings. We conducted this exploration utilising the reused track beds which now form important cycle and nature trails. We started to use old OS maps dating back one hundred years to locate railway relics following the original line routes of the old Great Central and Great Northern lines of about two miles. Also the second set of photo's were taken on the old Nottingham Suburban Railway in Woodthorpe. We were quite surprised to see that there are still relics of Nottingham's railway past still in place. please feel free to like share and comment our page The following links which cover the railway albums. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320170451459332.1073741829.320134604796250&type=3 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320377368105307.1073741831.320134604796250&type=3 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.382169718592738.1073741874.320134604796250&type=3 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smiffy49 590 Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Some really interesting images showing how things have changed over the years. Thanks for posting them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I really do need to have a look around the old track beds of Kimberley again. I have originals of those old maps. But my association goes back many years. I remember the last passenger trains to Derby Friargate passing through there. Later, when the passenger services ceased my friend and I would watch the iron-ore trains thundering up the gradient to the tunnel en-route to Stanton Iron Works. The noise was amazing with the ground shaking and the exhaust beats of those old Austerities echoing and re-echoing off the sandstone walls of the cutting. WOW!!! We walked along the ex-Midland trackbed to Watnall and through the tunnel to Kimberley. Years later, in the early 80s, I took my kids along there when it was all derelict and Kimberley GN station was a wood merchants business. The ex-MR station at Kimberley was the social club belonging to the now-closed Hardy/Hansons Brewery. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
albert smith 803 Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 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! 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Nice post, Albert. I can see why you decided to frame it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
albert smith 803 Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 OK back to the real engines! I came about this photo in a rather unusual way back in the late 50s when we had a "good day's" work. A 7.15 am start then work a'semi fast' to Sheffield, over an hour snap time, relieve the 'Devonian' to Derby and then Trent & Beeston only back to Nottm. Whilst at Sheffield my driver met an old mate from when they were both at Sth. Wigston in the late 20's and next day brought the photo with the negative to show him. I was able to borrow the neg.and to their delight print off 3 pc. prints for us. I later realised I could have printed a box full & sold them to the Attenborough Model shop on Arkwright St!!! silly me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BulwellBrian 107 Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Lovely photo, I think its an outside framed Midland Railway Kirtley loco as rebuilt by Johnson. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BulwellBrian 107 Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 LMS No. 2555 was a Mathew Kirtley class 480 standard goods as rebuilt by Johnson. It was built by Dubs & Co in 1868 and withdrawn in Nov 1930. The engine would have been painted black with the background to the LMS logo in Red. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radfordred 6,284 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 859 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 That just about sums up our lack of respect for our railway heritage, from the government downwards. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 On a similar theme, a few months ago I had a look at something I'd only ever seen in photos - the old Suburban tunnel near Sneinton / Carlton Road. It's the one which used to be (still is ?) a rifle range. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 #390=spot on Pete,Nottingham I feel butchered our railway system and show little respect for it now. Two questions: might seem obvious, but I don't know the answer! 1/ Did Nottm Vic and GC really need murdering? 2/ is that blue brick,standard engineering make..or was it fired exclusively for our railways? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,582 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Post 397, I think that range is/was called ANZAC (followed by a couple of numbers) I used to shoot there when I lived in Nottingham, as you go through the doors there some steps you go down to the track level and the range starts there,mainly small calibre hand guns but we used air guns as well Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,108 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 The GC was really the forerunner of HS2. Almost dead straight, nearly level, recycling cutting material to build embankments, island platforms to enhance fast through traffic, no level crossing south of Beighton, built to the Continental loading gauge. It was the Midlandisation that really screwed it. Different management, good engines replaced with clapped out crap, good cross country services re routed to vastly inferior lines, petty jealousies, total indifference to the workforce and the general public. An over eagerness by BR and various councils to rip it up as fast as possible, with no foresight whatsoever. Absolutely disgusting. GCR...... Gods chosen railway! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chulla 4,946 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Agree with everything you say, FLY2, but in the end the GCR's big problem (I think) was that it was only a two-line track, not four-line like the Midland. Nevertheless, they should have saved it. They should have saved the Midland Nottingham-to-Melton line also, instead of going through Trent Junction to get to Leicester. Incidentally, our daughter came up from St Pancras on Wednesday before Christmas and it took just 1 hour thirty minutes - not bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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