ba14eagle

Moving to the station area now. A down HST slithers past Westbury North Signalbox about a week or 2 before it closed. An Upside view of the Westbury North signalbox, with a blue 56, lurking under the bridge, in the Up Trowbridge Siding. A London bound train is signalled. A Ballast Regulator? machine is seen in the Farr's Siding. One of the Westbury pilots, manouvres some ballast wagons on the Down Reception Line. An unidentified eth 47 pauses at platform 1 with a train bound for Salisbury and beyond.

Todays photos are all around the Westbury area, just before the 1984 resignalling, which saw the manual boxes close and Westbury Panel take control. This first batch were taken in the Heywood Road area. The wooden Heywood Road signalbox and the new relay room (for the colour light signals controlled from Westbury Panel) are seen from the access gate at road level. Inside the box, we see some of the levers. Taken from the signalbox, an up HST is coming off the avoiding line. A down train, for the avoiding line, is about to shake the box

In 1983 my secondary school decided to run a charter train - to York! This time, my Sister was the adult in charge. 45055 Royal Corps of Transport was on a Southbound working. I really liked the regimental nameplates attached to the Peaks. Some ECML HST's were good spots for me. And yes, we visited the NRM again. 55002 being the highlight for me.

Another batch that I credit to my Late Father. A day out in York, courtesy of a cub scout charter train. Lawley St Freightliner Terminal with Birmingham city centre in the background. No doubt, we had stopped for a crew change. We see the inside of the York station train shed, complete with through roads. Unfortunately, we didnt see any Deltics. And now the outside of York station. No trip to York would be complete without a visit to the NRM.

And the 91 at Hitchin is heading North

A batch today which I will credit to one of my Sisters, but could equally be some of my Late Fathers - whoever took them, they are now in my collection of prints! What we now more often refer to as "the mid hants" was very much "The Watercress Line" back in the late 1970's. A family outing on the infant preserved railway took us from Alresford to Ropley and back. At Ropley, many future big name locos were seen under restoration or waiting their turn. Southern Mogul 31874 is seen at Alresford. A couple more views of 31874 - at that time named "Aznar Line" - or was it "Anz

And some completely random shots. Not sure exactly which one, but of Bournemouths cliff lifts. undated Bradford Junction Signalbox The Duke of Edinburgh taking a footplate ride at Minehead. 1st November 2002 03037 departs Isfield with a Lavender Line passenger train. 23rd February 2003. Lastly, a line which has, sadly, been in the news recently. A couple of views from the window of a Bristol bound DMU, on the Weymouth Quay tramway. mid 1980's.

Forward to the early 1990's and with my newly aquired free travel, I set about scratching off routes - hence why I ended up at places like Felixstowe and Lowestoft on DMU's. Cantley, Norfolk. Felixstowe Lowestoft Great Yarmouth Norwich Thorpe 31410 & 31425 Shenfield 43175 Reading

A second batch from Crewe, on Saturday 25th February 1984. 86's and an 87 feature heavily in this batch. 86235 & 86237 are seen stabled at the South end of the station. 86312 Elizabeth Garrett Anderson - this may have been a through, non stopping service IIRC. 87022 Cock O the North arrives Lastly, a view of the lines of locos on Crewe diesel. 47704 is in there somewhere - the only number I can remember!

Saturday 25th February 1984 and whilst a few will remember it as the day that 50007 officially appeared as Sir Edward Elgar, for me, it was my first trip to the West Coast mainline and Crewe. A selection of my shots, taken on my dodgy old Zenit B camera. An unidentified 08 was busy shuffling parcel vans in the South facing bays, nearest the depot. A light engine movement from the Stoke direction next. 3 x 47 & a 25. The second photo gives up the identity of the second 47 as 47341. An unidentified class 81 runs through on a freightliner

A quick visit to the early 1970's before more 1980's. A family holiday to North Cornwall saw us pass through Tiverton, where we stopped to look at "Tivvy Bumper" 1442. This was a photo my late Father took. The Vauxhall Viva caught fire not many months later! (Didnt a lot of them!) Cardifff Canton open day again, Saturday 6th July 1985. 5051 is seen. One of the first HST power cars painted in the new executive livery in the early 1980's, was 43151. Seen here at Westbury. Personally, this is my favourite HST livery. Tro

Back to some early 1980's shots at Trowbridge. 46028 arrives with a cub scout charter to York. It later failed on the return journey, across Bordesley Junction, Birmingham. The station building seen in the phot above, now seen during demolition. A real shame and some would say, an act of vandalism on behalf of BR. 33035 departs westwards, just as a 47 approaches with Yeoman stone empties. At the Westbury end of the station, the line is in a deep cutting for about the first 1/3 of a miles. 3 views of DMU's departing and arriving. On the

A random batch from the UK and Canada On an unknown date, 60065 rolls into Newport, dragging a couple of 47's in its freight consist. A trip to Canada now, in October 1996. IDK how come I've only taken 2 railway pictures! First up, EMD F40PH no. 6400 is seen at the head of my Ottowa to Toronto train. This dome car was seen at Ottowa station also.

First up tonight, some more shots taken on railtours. Saturday 8th October 1994 and I was a passenger on Hertfordshire Railtours "Doctor Syn" - a trip from London to Folkestone Harbour and onto the RHDR at Hythe. The pair of EMUs are seen making their way up the Harbour branch. Saturday 28th November 1992 and 58044 is seen in 2 shots at Wadsley Bridge, before being added to Pathfinder Tours "Cottam Picker" tour. Lastly, 80079 is seen at Shrewsbury before working to Tywyn. 29th March 1998 (I think!)

Some dismantled railway shots today. First up, the Somerset and Dorset. Lyncombe Vale in Bath and we see the Southern portal of Devonshire Tunnel and an old lineside telephone box. These were taken in the mid 1990's before the Two Tunnels project tidied up the line. Seend station next, on the Holt Junction to Patney route. This location was the subject of a great model, built by Steve Jones.