great central

Presumably when Nottingham was shut for it's major upgrade?

When the Woodhead route was closed according to various written accounts the overhead wires were virtually removed after the last train had passed or left live to deter metal thieves

Wow! That, I think, must be quite a rare photo, only seen one published one taken from the front just showing the smokebox. It looks as though there's someone in the cab as well, a mate perhaps? At Colwick, the K3 outlasted it's classmates by a couple of years until replaced by B1 61264 and we all know what happened to that one! A real shame the preservation world hadn't got going a little sooner. On a personal level that loco may also have memories. When I was at junior school, I was 8 or 9 at the time would have been second year, our then teacher decided to hook us up with penfriends at a school in Pickering. I didn't take to the idea much, no interest in girls then but the teacher did organise a trip for us to visit the other school and meet our penfriends as well as a trip to Fountains Abbey. The trip took the form of a special train from New Basford to York and bus onwards. Obvuiosly I was at the station early that morning and spotting well before the special arrived, I think my dad may have been with me before he went to work but as the station was only half a mile from home I often went there on my own anyway. In my notes which I still have somewhere I noted that loco and 61947 that morning so one of those was the train engine the others being freight locos. I barely remember the other parts of the trip but certainly remember elements of the train trip, one particularly vivid memory must have been in the Sheffield area of massive indusries with smoke and flames everywhere.

You need a 37 and load 4 for that:-)

Replies to a couple of things raised earlier if I may? Regarding waddling 12in-ft locos, I remember quite vividly while spotting at Nuneaton with my dad many years ago, an 8F came off the depot tender first and hurried off to the north, nothing unusual there. A while later we could see this almighty column of smoke and steam coming from an approaching train, obviously something working hard. As it approached the loco was swaying violently from side to side with every piston stroke, looking almost as though the cylinders would hit the platform edge, it was the 'light' 8F dragging an EE type 4 (class 40 later) and about 14 coaches, getting on for 600 tons I would think. Really giving it some, speed was probably well into the 40s. A while ago Tony asked for pictures of kits we'd built in the past. It's now over 30 years since we started building Deepcar and these locos must have been done earlier as without Charlie Petty's class 76 kit the layout wouldn't have been built. I had this pair on display the year before Deepcar's debut in 1991. Maybe not quite what was expected but these were the first of 13 I've done so far, I still have several more to do at some point. Dead simple one piece resin body mouding mounted over a Lima Western power bogie with the centre wheelset removed, one power bogie in the rear loco and a body stuffed with lead they can handle 20 odd old Hornby HAAs quite easily. Picture taken with my phone so not perhaps top quality but as my camera is now over 10 years old probably as good as I could do with that.

EMT inherited a couple of the advertising vinyl 153s if I recall correctly. 153308 was black and at least one other was either red or orange. Apparently the vinyls hid some rather dodgy bodywork having trapped water between it and the body panels. Edit 153302 was also in black, images from Google by inputting the unit number

Many of those left at Annesley when the Midland took over were condemned at a stroke, including one, if I have read the relevant Yeadon correctly, about two weeks after a heavy general repair!

Not only was there not much paint underneath but the splash guard to keep mud out of the gap between the bumper and wing was only fixed to the bumper. Leaving a free end to rub through the paint every time the car moved. By the time the rot appears on the outside of the wing there was a large hole in the arch itself

Not quite what was asked for but a nice shiny 37, previously preserved I believe? Therefore as it's no longer working for its original owner is it preserved? If so how about a 47 when they were working on Cross Country services? A further connection with the one above is that 37099 as D6799 would have probably seen use on the York/Newcastle to Bournemouth service

Only a bog standard 1.6L, he got the wheels from a 2L and fitted lower springs as well. He's hoping to put it in for an MOT in a month or so. According to how many left it's one of 98 cars of that spec, possibly a 1989 build less than 30 from that year

My son has got this out of our big garage in the last few days,intending to put it back on the road. Last used around 14 years ago, battery and fresh petrol it started first time. It's now in the smaller garage, changed the oil this morning. The repairs around the rear wheel arches was done maybe 10 years ago. They all rotted there due to a design issue unless it was built in obsolescence?

A small diversion if I may? I have a video I shot from a car on the A55 of 37412 between Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction, my son was driving by the way. He's made a start on getting the car back on the road this week, it was last taxed in 2003.

Last year due to a points problem at London Road junction we had to take a Matlock train through on the goods line and then reverse into the station from the north end

Knew it looked familiar, I'm heading there in 20 minutes or so

Not a diversion as such, service provided by MML as part of their franchise. HSTs were recently off lease Virgin XC sets. Limited stop service Manchester Stockport Leicester London if I recall correctly. There's still a fare in the system for that routing, open return is over £100 cheaper than direct. Do see a few advance tickets routed that way as well

I've mentioned this in another thread but wouldn't harm here. The normal operation for Skegness to Lincoln trains was a reversal at Firsby. In steam days obviously the loco just ran round the whole train including any attached van. When DMUs took over the service in the 50s tail traffic was still quite common but meant that now the DMU had to leave the van in the platform and run round it before continuing it's journey.

The Christmas market HST is an EMT thing, started maybe 2009, I'm afraid. Prior to that Central had hired in a top and tail set from West Coast rail at Carnforth using 47s. Somewhere I have a couple of pictures taken at Nottingham. That continued into EMT days as Central had contracted it for several years, talking to the the Central fleet manager given the job of organising the trains for special events he had used everything Central had got on the Lincoln market trains,left nothing spare anywhere! As EMT amalgamated parts of Central and MML, it meant a mixed fleet which had a spare HST at weekends so it made sense to use that at times, now used on summer Saturdays for Skegness as well of course, only cost is staff training. In 1980 HSTs were still relatively new on the ECML, I left a job around April and had to return their van to head office in Iver near Slough. They gave me a travel warrant to get home, I decided via the ECML. At Kings Cross I had a choice of train, there was a Peak hauled train to Grantham stopping at Peterborough only, or an HST first stop Grantham, oh to have a choice like that today! Although the HST left Kings Cross 40 minutes behind the Peak it was only 5 minutes behind at Grantham. I took the HST for the experience, a peak was available anytime on the MML. Anyway it's your train set and rule 1 applies of course, I fully intend running a pair of 20s with a Jolly Fisherman set on our new layout despite it definitely being steam era.

Possibly from Norwich, weren't all the early 156s based at Crown Point? Apart from livery a picture taken today could look very much the same, 156s still do Norwich-Liverpool on occasion

Sorry to be a party pooper, I'm pretty certain that ECML diversions would have rejoined the main line at Newark North Gate, passing through Staythorpe would mean them going to Nottingham. I can't think then how they would get back to the ECML apart from a reversal in or near Nottingham then arrive at Grantham. The route around Lincoln would use the joint line to Doncaster or south to Peterborough

When EMT had an SWT 158 on hire early in the franchise many people asked if that was a new train. Fairly recently re-furbished it was in total contrast to the mixture of rather tired ex Central, Trans-pennine and Wessex stock that formed the fleet at that time. Of course, as those units were then re-furbished the same question was asked again

To me that sounds a risky option, I'm no expert but have built a good few white metal kits. I think the next step up from low melt solder at around 70C is 130C, but I fear that is close to WM melting point. Is it possible to salvage the kit without dismantling or has it been badly assembled? I'm sure others may well have better advice

Rivet counter alert! Sorry wrong type of car, should be a 1300 estate, that's a 1300GT. Lovely car by the way used to have one, went like 5H17 off a shovel:-)

Not sure if it's part of this scheme but New Basford carriage sidings on the GC just north of Nottingham had fuelling facilities installed but they were never used. I believe it was for DMUs, they closed the line instead!

Can't speak for the 80s but nowadays it's often policy to switch off the stop block end of HSTs on our services. The other PC is kept running to support on board facilities like the air con. It does make a difference to the fuel consumption, the Meridians when first delivered to MML couldn't be switched off, apparently they were unlikely to start again. With a 50 or so minute turn round at Nottingham and a 9 car set getting through 9 litres per CAR per hour at idle someone wondered why the fuel costs had increased dramatically. EMT had them modified fairly quickly.

Blankney box is still in place but out of use since the joint line was re-siganlled a couple of years ago. The crossing is now barriers with object detectors.