Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

I remember going to Barry about 1980 on several occasions loved it.
I am hoping to get to Barrow Hill soon.

I have a few nice evening shots off the bank over Tinsley - I will see if I can dig them out

50007 at Old Oak Common
http://www.flickr.com/photos/d210bob/6964846900/

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

That bank at Tinsley almost got worn down to shed level when the 56's were being delivered and trialled through there.
There were scores of enthusiasts there every night.........LOL

The UK sheds are sadly missed.

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

I guess it was all down to us moving away from an industrial economy and not needing the sheer volume of locos to move stuff. We lost alot of engineering skills with it.

Privatisation was the final nail in the coffin and that is when we saw alot of sheds just go. The private companies were often no longer looking at the longevity of locos, but running them into the ground ect. And the shorter term bottom line.

This sums it up nationwide -

Bristol Bath Road then
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barry13092/3999161414/

Bristol Bath Road now
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbrailphotos/5898581668/

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

Went to bath road a few times. Such a shame to see how it is now.

Used to like going to -

Tinsley
Healey Mills
Toton
Barrow Hill
Laira
Bescot
Reddish
Longsite
Crewe DD
Gateshead
BREL Doncaster
BREL Derby
BREL Swindon
BREL Crewe

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I'm not sure about the downturn in freight being solely responsible for the demise of the loco.

A lot went when they were replaced by multiple units. There are now hardly any loco-hauled passenger trains in the UK.

Great for the rail companies, NOT great for the passengers: cross country trains, (Newcastle> Sheffield> Derby> Birmingham> Wales or the West Country USED to be a loco and ten coaches.
Now they are a multiple unit. Faster, yes, but only FOUR coaches. And guess what? Passengers end up paying top whack to STAND all the way. Disgusting. Plus in summer, the trains could be strengthened to 11, 12 or even 13 coaches. Not so now, four's your lot!
Meanwhile the railcompanies are trousering TEN TIMES the subsidy paid before it was privatised

And freight? We allowed an AMERICAN company to take over. Why would anyone then be surprised that they replaced all the BRITISH designed and built locos with those designed and built in the USA/Canada?

And the great loco-building enterprises in the UK came to an end after nearly 200 years

Are the American locos better? Well a single Brush (Loughborough) built Class 60 used to be on the Immingham> Scunthorpe ore trains. A class 66 now does the same job....and the wagons are about 1/4 full

paulr

That would be interesting. My uncle used to live in Sheffield and one xmas day we went round Tinsley. Now its sad when i drive past it,....empty.

paulr

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/.../8-Other-Sites

You may like this site. Urban exploration forum.

Crewe diesel report.
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/...0-Crewe-Diesel

dsemuk

Interesting thread, Subaru, real UK railways & 28DL.

Leslie

When I was a lad I still remember being invited onto the footplate of a steam loco in Waterloo station. Really interesting of course but when the fireman opened the door to the fire the heat was unbelievable.

Les

Oldun

Thanks for the links PaulR. Great photos in the article,

I visited Crewe works when it was mostly steam, awesome place.

Thank you all for your input into this thread, I didn't realise there were so many railheads on here

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

We tend to keep a low profile......successive generations of TV presenter and radio DJ have found it necessary to label us anoraks, etc.

Yet the BBC actually PAYS to show footage of someone dressed in weird clothes trying to knock a little white ball into a hole he cannot even SEE

I have many happy, and some sad, memories of "The Plant" at Doncaster in 1959-1964.

We would go round on a saturday afternoon when 95% of the workforce had clocked off.

Lines of locos, under repair, quiet, with just the hum of the air-extraction units.

Sad going along the scrap lines.
I remember us finding Britannia 70038 "Robin Hood" on there, around 1961, and being shocked, asking the guide why it was for scrap.
He laughed and said not to worry, it was there "waiting space in t'Crimpsall". (The erecting shop). I remember him saying, "They'll not be scrapping any of THESE for a good few years..."
Seven years later they had all gone

Jamz3k

This is by far the most interesting thread I've seen on Scoobynet in months.

Fantastic!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

'Tis good, isn't it?

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

I better get some pics up soon then. Give me a few days and I will get scanning

I loved the huge oily beasts as much as I love hurricanes and subarus

Perhaps I will do a picture most days.



47 163 at Findsbury Park - Now a housing estate

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Finsbury...no "d".

I must scan in some of mine, the only ones I have on here are from France.

Oldun

What? they turned a loco into a housing estate?

I need to dig out some of my old photos and slides, I have been interested in trains, (in fact most forms of self-propelled transport) since about 1955.
My uncle was a photographer and taught me how to develope and print. I eventually had my own darkroom, so beware, when I find the photos you will need to add extra bandwidth

Oldun

Cheers,

Let's face it, Thomas the Tank practically saved a lot of preserved railways and introduced the younger generation to steam locos.

I bet you all loved watching the Thomas videos with your kids

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

We used to develop and print b&w at school.
Sadly, none of my negs remain.

If yours are any good, you might consider putting them on flickr...mASSIVE interest in old photos, esp steam.

Funkii Munkii

Unmistakably FP

Spent many a sunday afternoon in there as a kid, you'd just walk in and have a chat with whoever was working and pretty much do and go where you wanted.

Only discovered a couple of years ago it was torn down in the 80's for low cost housing. Only a couple of years after I stopped being enthusiastic seems the whole scene went that way pretty quickly. Very strange looking at it now and the state it's in, I guess it would have been the same for someone from the steam era revisiting well into the diesel era, Multiple units and American built ugly diesels just dont do it for me


As I remember FP http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25263

TelBoy

Blimey, brings back memories. Class 13s at Tinsley, the racehorse Delitcs at Finsbury Park, 56s at Shirebrook. I have enough old pictures from 1977-1982 to make several books. Railways were railways then.

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

Not bad for a middle aged dyslexic bloke though

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

Yes that is exactly how I remember it. You could just walk in walk into the office at the back of the shed and say can I have quick walk about and the answer, apart from only once, was yes. That is a good thread on RM web
Multiple units and American built ugly diesels just dont do it for me either!

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

I used to go around many a depot in the 80's. Just walk in and look around. No one ever battered an eye lid. Toton, Tinsley, Lincoln, Healey Mills, Reddish, Immingham etc.
Lost interest during the late 80's as I had discovered "Other" things in life......
We used to go on the "East Midlands Ranger" for a week for the price of £4.00. Was great fun.
Today's railways are as boring as hell to me. I went for a nose at Toton a couple of months ago and was horrified. All the same. Also, just a shadow of it's former self. I fondly remember Toton Open Day on June 9th 1979

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

A mate recently went to Toton. he drove down and back, saw how dull it was and drove back out.

On the way out he stopped for a wee.

He was immediately accosted by two plain clothes BTP officers and got the official letter two weeks later: next time it's a £1000 fine.

Mind, it wasn't always roses in the UK: First time we ever went to Bath Road, we hadn't even opened our mouths to ask, before the foreman looked up and said, "No, you can't go round the shed, now fukc off!"
How nice.

Meanwhile, over in France, I've had cab-rides, guided visits round sheds, locos moved into better positions, pantographs raised/lowered, lights put on etc all to make a better shot, even allowed round Beziers works one evening on my own, no guide..

Funkii Munkii

That looks like it took it's styling queues from Reliant

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

What an excellent thread.

Oddly, I've noticed other areas of the site where people talk about some car or other....

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Excellent thread. This is like a continuation of what it's like when I go round Jeffs for education on thee engineering beasts

Brilliant stuff and hopefully my son takes an interest in old trains as he grows up

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Sadly, Andy's musical education is a bit slow happening...

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Here's another French one:



About 7am, Beziers, 1996.

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

Faded colours - but old pics

Tinsley



Sheffield




(The Tinsley one shows quite how big some of these things were)