Compo's gorrear.


Recommended Posts

An introduction:

Ayup mi duks......

Name: Compo

Origin of name: Wore Parka and wellies whilst riding my motorbike to work at Plessey in the early 70s when Last of the Summer Wine was new. Named after the character Compo Simmonite. Formerly nicknamed Simo at school.

Birth name: Paul Simonite.

Gender: Male.

Born 1950 in Arnold.

School: St Bernadette's Sneinton Dale.

University: RGU Aberdeen

Served with the RAF until they became disenchanted with me and my antics.

Hobbies: Nostalgia; Mountains and wild places; Travel - particularly South America.

Have lived in Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, England and currently living near John O'Groats in a former railway station.

Status: Divorced twice; currently with a partner of twenty years standing.

Sanity: Questionable.

Link to post
Share on other sites

... and currently living near John O'Groats in a former railway station...

Do tell us more...

Is your home on a closed railway line or at a closed station on the Inverness-Thurso/Wick route?

Welcome to the forum...

Cheers

Robt P.

Link to post
Share on other sites

WARNING! Trainspotter alert!

I live in the former Watten station near the end of the Inverness- Wick line. Milepost 154 is at the end of the garden. The following link should take you to a couple of photos in Picasa - I hope. If not I'll try again.

https://picasaweb.google.com/paul.simonite/WattenStation?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCInH3Mv-7fS-2gE&feat=directlink

Link to post
Share on other sites

I had been told that there used to be a signal frame in the station office. Recently, we installed a multi-fuel stove in that room and I took advantage of the floor being bare to get underneath and see if there is any trace of it remaining. I discovered the severed remains of a two lever frame still in situ beneath the floor alongside what I now to be a tunnel leading onto the trackbed - which was nice :o)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Daft question , but is it noisy that close to the track . I suppose you get used to it, especially if you're a 'train buff'.

I for one am on a 'sometime' flight path into Manchester Airport and with my love of aviation in general it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Beefy we used to live on the Heathrow flightpath, and watched concord twice a day. We'd hear the distinct roar coming and always without fail, went outside to watch it fly over. [sorry to get off subject, somebody bring it back on!]

Link to post
Share on other sites

Daft question , but is it noisy that close to the track . I suppose you get used to it, especially if you're a 'train buff'.

\snip\

The trains (4 in each direction each day) are no bother at all. Lorries hitting the level crossing are, however, another matter! When working in the garden the train drivers always give me a toot on the horn and a friendly wave as they pass. Here in the country the old ways are not yet fully dead.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Now that'd be great if one of those Boeing/Airbus etc gave us a wing waggle on the way into Manchester !!

I did (Mentioned elsewhere on here) get a wing waggle from the Police Islander as it was doing it's rounds a couple of years back .!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Must be some 20 years ago now but I tried to buy Cromford Station or rather the disused up platform and buildings on such, "Station House" had already been sold off and the down platform buildings rented out to I think Boy Scouts. Initial response was quite favourable however after much wrangling was told "it was not their (think it was then Railtrack?) policy to sell off railway property where there was an in use route, some years later saw it "for sale" in an edition of central news.

Basford Vernon Station or maybe just the down platform, buildings and surrounding land was for sale in I think the late 1970's, fot £18,000, went to view it but in a very run down state, think that was after it had been occupied by a pool table firm who in 1976 had a shop/workshop on Lincoln Street Old Basford, know that as I went there on a 2 day course learning to recove tables

Link to post
Share on other sites

The railways were inconsistent in their disposal of properties. They were happy to sell 2 acres of land along with the Watten Station but wouldn't sell the tumbledown bothy at the end of the plot. That bothy is still falling to pieces and it is a great shame that such pieces of history are neglected for the sake of a simple sale to an interested party.

Link to post
Share on other sites

OK, looked up the word 'bothy' now know what it is, I can enjoy the rest of the day now without wondering what I was missing! I have never heard of the word before. Is it Scottish?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Up here a bothie is a small stone building used as a temporary shelter for walkers or shepherds etc.

During the herring boom, seasonal workers used to sleep in booths.

In the old Norse they were called bods.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, but what is a "bothie durdler"?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Up here a bothie is a small stone building used as a temporary shelter for walkers or shepherds etc.

During the herring boom, seasonal workers used to sleep in booths.

In the old Norse they were called bods.

On mainland a bothy can be a dwelling or shelter. In this case a railway bothy is a lineside hut for the shelter of permanent way (trackbed and earthworks) workers.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 6 months later...

One of my great great great grandfathers was from Caithness - a man called Gavin Jack (1789-1860). His family was from Canisbay. He was a harbour pilot at Wick, but died a pauper living in Kinnaird Street, Old Wick (formerly Pulteneytown).

Link to post
Share on other sites

The Jack family still live in Canisbay and are involved with marine mammal rescue. they also run the Marine tour boat (or did when I last head)

Pultneytown is still known as Pultneytown.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting - I think it was quite a big family. One of Gavin's daughters, Flora eloped with a John Leonard of the 3rd Hussars, They got married in Edinburgh 1864, and she apparently was told by the family "never to darken their door again!" A daughter, Susan, (my great grandmother) was born later in 1864. John deserted from the 3rd Hussars in 1867, and appears to have lived the rest of his life as a fugitive under various aliases - mainly taking his mother's maiden name of Simpson. This makes him a bit elusive to trace through the censuses etc. The births of some of his children never appear to have been registered.

Link to post
Share on other sites

No - definitely not. They were married in London, although I suspect John's father, James Leonard may have been from Ireland. If so I have Scottish and Irish blood (as well as English) - and my son has now married a lovely Welsh girl, to add to the mix for future generations!

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...