Prototype From my archives

[Bob]

Last batch for today and a rather eclectic bunch too.
I couldn't resist putting this one in as it just oozes "1970's/80's" grot.
The coal siding behind Romford station, seen here in 1980 with a solitary 16 ton mineral, a Commer van (more bounce than a beach ball!) a Simca and umpteen other cars that seemed to last 3 years before rusting away completely.


Next, another one for Iploffy. This time 2 AM10's (or 310's if you prefer) at (I think) Northampton.
No note of the date or year but I do recall it was the year that The Rolling Stones "Some girls" album came out as the station had several huge posters up.



Finally, a train of District Line R stock entering Upminster. Any LT modellers amongst the WT brigade?

 

[taliesin]

A Simca, good grief, I wonder if any survived? Cheers Rob

 

[Bob]

A Simca, good grief, I wonder if any survived?

I wonder!

A few more to welcome Friday night and the weekend.

Back to 1/4/78 and it's the RCTS Golden Jubilee Special during a photo stop at Llandovery on the central Wales line.
Yes, that's the Great Western Society GW stock from Didcot. Gruntfuttock and I went along travelling first class in complete luxury. An exceptional day out and the fastest run I've ever experienced in vintage stock. Not sure what the official restiction was but 80 was reached on at least one occasion (not on the Central Wales of course!).


15/3/1980 and the joint Monmouthshire Railway Society/RCTS Caerwent Cannonball is standing at the site of Netherhope Halt on the former Wye Valley Line from Chepstow. The trip was scheduled to go through to Tintern but was stopped from doing so at the last minute due to the state of the track and overhanging trees/vegetation. Even on the track that we did on the day, windows were shut due to branches scraping along the side of the DMU.
I loved railtours like this as once stopped all doors were flung open and participants jumped down to explore or take pictures.



Here we see 31177 at Leicester on a Birmingham-Peterborough service on 5/7/80 (thanks to Gruntfuttock who kept notes of such things). These were superb workings spent as I recall with much of it with head out of the window enjoying the noise.



Good news Rob, I've found a few of the Western pics. Gruntfuttock is working on them with Photoshop as after 35 years they have discoloured a bit (well, rather a lot). Quite a few are still missing though which worries me somewhat (to say the least ). I did find a box of Western shots but they may not be to your taste as they are in the scrap lines at Swindon. Rather than cause distress I thought it best to warn you.

The moral here is look after your photos & slides and get scanning now before it's too late.

 

[lancer1027]

Great pics again Bob.

I know seeing westerns in scrap lines is sad but i would still like to see the pics Bob. I remember walking around the works looking at them and wondering "what a waste" and "would any of these be saved for preservation"

Rob

 

[Bob]

I know seeing westerns in scrap lines is sad but i would still like to see the pics Bob.

Your wish shall be granted

 

[Bob]

A few more for you although sadly no Westerns yet but hopeful of at least 1 tomorrow when Gruntfuttock visits.
I'm seriously going to have to look for a decent slide scanner of my own. Don't worry, I won't inflict WT with all of them! It would be nice to have them safely stored digitally.

This shot dates from 1980 and the slide was found to be in a terrible state but thanks to Photoshop it's now quite reasonable. An unidentied 40 heads out of Waverley and through Princes Street Gardens.
I wonder if future enthusiasts will look back at class 66's and 70's with as much affection as we do with 40's (or hydraulics for that matter). I do hope so.




From August 1979 and 37041 running light engine through Nottingham Midland.



A sunny day during 1979 and 45109 calls at Cheltenham heading south. At the time of course we'd think "aw, another Peak" but if only we knew what was to come. A blue Peak, blue & grey stock and a sunny day, was life really this good? Snap out of it boy! .

 

[40126]

Keep um comin Bob

Steve

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

In the view of Romford coal yard don't forget the Queen Mary brake van further back along the siding.
Tim

 

[mickoo]

Fitter "Hmmm I think this supposed to be fitted inside!"

Nice photos of Tinsley

 

[Bob]

Fitter "Hmmm I think this supposed to be fitted inside!"

I was going to say "darn it, I've always got a bit left over".

In the view of Romford coal yard don't forget the Queen Mary brake van further back along the siding.
Tim

Yes, good point Tim. There are a couple more of this yard somewhere in the boxes. I'll have to dig them out.

Hoping to put at least 1 of a Western up later on tonight.

 

[Bob]

A mixed bag tonight.

Back to Newcastle in August 1985 and what looks like 37136.


My memory suggests the next 2 date from 1973/74 and were taken (by Gruntfuttock I think) on a 126 "Instamatic".......first a class 120 Swindon Cross Country set head out of Cheltenham to Gloucester and Swindon. A real shame none of the power or driving trailer cars survived into preservation but 1 trailer did.



Next a pair of 20's head south with a freight.



Now the first of the hydraulics with an unidentified Western (and a 47) at Westbury in October 1975. This scan from an old 126 slide of mine (the 2nd railway photo I ever took) required a heck of a lot of restoration by Herr Gruntfuttock being faded, discoloured and pitted (thanks Grunty). Now if I could only find the shot taken immediately before this (a front 3/4 view of the Western and it's train of Yeoman hoppers I'll be very happy.



More to follow soon and hope the Western one is to your liking folks.......Getting very concerned over where on earth the rest of the shots from this period are.

 

[Simon]

Great pics, I didn't realise that those Class 20 things came down our way

Simon

 

[lancer1027]

Great pics Bob and a big for the western pic. Hope you find the rest of the western pics

Rob

 

[Bob]

Hope you find the rest of the western pics

The hunt for the missing slides moves up a notch this weekend with a near-forensic search of the loft planned.
In the meantime I've sent some more slides for scanning.
No hydraulics but should be plenty of class 40's (superb machines) and some nice blue 37's.

Here's a few more to be going on with...........

56042 waits in one of the through roads at Oxford for a Paddington-bound 47 to clear the section. The date is 8th July 1980.



Not my best photo ever by a long way but this shot of one of my favourite locations in the 70's brings back a few memories. 25058 is seen on the Chard Junction milk empties on 1/6/1978. Most of the yard was still in use then too and out of view to the right an 08 was happily shunting away. I dread to think how little is left nowadays.....



I make no apologies for another class 40 pic.....the trouble is that once again it's an unidentified member of the class. This time leaving Edinburgh Waverley on an Aberdeen service in 1980.


Now to put 1/2 an hour or so in on the layout...............

 

[Simon]

I really like that Exeter Central shot, I was out and about in 76 and got a good snap of a 25 shunting the cement terminal seen in your picture.

Simon

 

[Phill Dyson]

Love the Class 40 leaving Waverley in post #30 ...........enjoying them all though!

Phill

 

[queensquare]

Love the pictures - particularly the 1975 shot at Westbury. I was a regular spotter at Westbury from about 72 to 78/9 although once we had been chased away from the shed we usually headed for 'the triangle' formed by the Warminster, Weymouth and avoiding lines. Happy days....

Jerry

 

[Bob]

Having spent a huge portion of the last 2 days searching through the attic I have found a few more boxes of slides of slides but not the ones dating from the mid 70's (so feeling really p***** off at that. Have discovered that a box (A4 copy paper sized one) of negatives is also AWOL........so rather concerned. If I could only locate one of the slides it would be my personal favourite....the one of the Western at Westbury mentioned earlier on in this thread.
I'll keep looking but the thought of losing those is not at all nice.

(Glad you liked the Westbury one Jerry, one of my fave locations too).

For now though...........

A visit to Worcester depot one afternoon in 1980 found me asking at the foreman's office if it was ok to have a look around. An emphatic "no" and the summoning of a driver to escort me from the premises resulted in my being "shown the door" via a look around the entire depot!

37205/231 with an (as yet) unidentified Peak.



Now back to New Street and another of those wonderful AM10/class 310's arriving from the Wolverhampton direction.



The delightful rural idyll that is Scunthorpe with a single class 20 working an engineers train through the station.



Sorry for the poor quality but the weather was attrocious! What I've assumed to be 1072 Western Glory (as per the headcode panel) in a scrap line at Swindon Works c1977.



Another one of the class meets it's fate.

Rob, didn't you mention on another thread about having one of these as a garden shed!

 

[Phill Dyson]

View attachment 22137

Sorry for the poor quality but the weather was attrocious! What I've assumed to be 1072 Western Glory (as per the headcode panel) in a scrap line at Swindon Works c1977.

This one of D1072 Western Glory complete with partially scrapped 6 wheel milk tank really does sum up the end of an era on the western.........not much glory on the western post 1977 for me



Phill

 

[Bob]

I know how you feel Phill. Almost needs a "viewer discretion advised" marker.