DaveF

Some more photos on the London Tilbury and Southend at Laindon in the 1970s. Laindon Class 302 302306 Fenchurch St to Shoeburyness May 76 J5173 Laindon Class 302 down July 77 J5721 Laindon Class 302 302247 Shoeburyness to Fenchurch St Jan 78 C3652 Laindon 12th March 78 C3715 Laindon Class 302 238 down April 78 J5999 David

Thanks, I've corrected it. I've no idea how I got it wrong, in Dad's notes it is correct. It is probably just clumsy fingers. David

If you lived in Nottingham as I did as a child then Skegness is where you went to for days out by the sea or often for holidays. I always wondered if this is because it was the easiest seaside to get to by train. David

A fairly normal Sunday starting with the usual e mails and phone calls followed by church. I came home, had coffee and cooked lunch. I haven't cooked a proper Sunday lunch with a cooked dessert for ages so it was something of a shock to see how much there was to eat compared to "ready meals". The extra though was mainly more vegetables and a larger helping of cooked plums for afters. I managed to eat it all and then decided there was nothing urgent so had a rest ending up by falling asleep. Later I went outside and cut down some of the heather which is to be removed, it was a lot easier than I had thought but my muscles haven't seen much use recently, the first time most of them had been used much was in the greenhouse yesterday. About half of the heathers have gone now. According to my neighbours the rats have come back, probably because several of them are feeding the birds, unlike me. I thought I saw one yesterday, removing the heather will mean they have one less place to hide. I think one the neighbours is going to ring the pest control people at the council tomorrow. I had just come in and made a cup of tea when I saw and heard 2 fire engines and a fire car go along to the far end of the road in a hurry. They quickly got a hose out and in through the front door of one of the houses and men with breathing gear went in. After a couple of minutes they came out again, there was no smoke but a distinct burnt smell when I went outside. The hose was left for some time with men in their ordinary clothes going in and out. They were there for about an hour and have just left. Doubtless I will hear more in due course. Hopefully the normal peace and quiet of a Sunday will now resume. I looked at the offerings on TV this evening, fortunately I have a book I want to read. If I get bored I'll find something to steam. David

5 photos of Class 20s on trains to Skegness taken at Bottesford on the Nottingham - Grantham - Skegness line. Bottesford 20081 and ano Derby to Skegness July 81 C5467 Bottesford 2 Class 20 to Skegness Aug 82 C5855 Bottesford 20180 and ano to Skegness Aug 82 C5858 Bottesford 20188 and ano Derby to Skegness June 83 C6059 Bottesford 20172 and ano Leicester to Skegness Aug 83 C6155 David

Photos of electric locos this morning along the WCML. Elmhurst 84004 down freight Jan 76 J5036 Elmhurst Class 86 up Jan 76 J5037 Hincaster Junction 87033 up June 76 J5263 Hincaster Junction 86207 down June 76 J5264 Sandon Trent and Mersey canal Class 86 down June 76 J5331 David

Pages 12965 and 12966 are identical, this seems to be coming more common. It's no wonder ERs loads so slowly, how does the server know which page to load when there are two the same? I spent the first part of the morning moving the plants into the greenhouse and various other things from the greenhouse back into the garage onto the shelves where the plants spent their winter. There are more plants than I had thought, only one died over the winter. By the time I had finished I felt somewhat sore so decided to stop and leave other garden jobs for another day. The rest of the morning passed pleasantly looking at new photos and a few hundred from 2010. I was struck by how run down a lot of places look in 2023/2024 compared to 2010. Some of the National Trust gardens are a shadow of their former selves with gaps where plants used to be and others in poor condition with an air of decrepitude starting to appear. I suspect part of it is the idea that things should be untidy to let nature take its course. I do wish they would think of all plants and animals not just the ones currently in favour. For example "no mow May" is fine in theory but bad news for animals that prefer short grass - e.g.blackbirds and others who feed on worms and like short grass or bare soil. Even the local gulls do not visit the long grass but go to lawns to look for their food. The same is noticeable in some preserved railways and other visitor attractions, a general look of "visitors will come anyway even if it all looks a bit rundown". I also sometimes get the feeling that the only really welcome visitors are younger people with small children, but perhaps I am being unfair. After lunch I decided there were a couple of things I need so went into town. On the way I called at the Lifeboat Station and bought some new mugs to replace some very old ones. Then I did the rest of my shopping, as usual I was able to park just about outside the shop I went to. As I still ache I then decided that sitting quietly with today's paper was a good idea, that plus TV/book will continue this evening. I was planning on going to the monthly meeting of a group about small things that run on strips of nickel silver tomorrow but am still unable to sit comfortably on village hall type chairs, it makes my scar hurt so I will wait until at least May. There is also the small problem of getting in and out of town with so many roadworks right now. The traffic maps constantly show stationary traffic on the only two roads going inland, the level crossing on a road leading to one of those roads is now closed for the rest of the month to build a footbridge, while the other road is closed at night on and off and and has temporary lights the rest of the time. David

Peascliffe Tunnel on the ECML north of Grantham, 1970, 1977 and 1983. Peascliffe Tunnel Class 40 up car train Dec 70 C435 Peascliffe Tunnel Class 47 down ex pass April 77 C3278 Peascliffe Tunnel Class 254 43079 Kings X to Leeds, going away July 83 C6114 Peascliffe Tunnel 31209 up bullion July 83 C6115 Peascliffe Tunnel Class 31 up empty cartics July 83 C 6116 David

I'm not sure exactly where Dad took the photo except that it seems to be on the edge of the town, it might be the trackbed of the line to St Combs from Fraserburgh. David

Today started cool at 2°C but it is now warming up in the sunshine though cloud is expected later. It might reach 7°C by late morning and then stay at that. All being well the greenhouse floor will be given another good sweep to remove the now dryish soil then the plants can go back in. I also intend to look at yet more old photos with my coffee. There isn't much else on the agenda. David

Places in Scotland beginning with F and G this morning. Mainly without trains, just bits of railway. Fraserburgh Aug 74 J3922 Fraserburgh Aug 74 J3923 Gareloch bridge over A814 line to submarine base July 74 J3859 Garelochead taken from train hauled by 37259 and 37121 WBHS Fort William to Newcastle 11th May 85 C6902 Garelochead NBR July 74 J3860 David

The Amazon van came just after I pressed "Submit Reply" on my previous post. For once it was a real Amazon van not a plain white one. The new Echo is now set up and working, having carefully made a note of my internet password it decided it didn't need it. It has a lot better sound quality than the old one, which is now in my bedroom and is working properly. Polybear's advice to switch it off and on again has worked. I have to admit that most of the time I use Google nests but it is sometimes useful to have Alexas handy. Tea included some "wonky" raspberries from Aldi - they were all the right shape and delicious. My gut complained quite violently yesterday evening, I eventually worked out it was the bread containing sunflower seeds which came as a substitute with my groceries. I think the bacteria in my gut like to decide what I can eat, they seem to think they own my gut not me. To be honest most of the food issues I have stem from two rather long causes of antibiotics for dental problems well over ten years ago, since then I have changed my dentist and have had fewer tooth issues. Obviously the antibiotics affected my gut bacteria which have never recovered. David

A fairly busy day for once. It started with a quick trip to some shops after breakfast, Aldi had things I actually needed, then Homebase had some plants I thought would be nice. After that I had a walk along the estuary in the glorious morning sunshine even though the wind was cool. It was about half tide so not much mud to be seen and all the birds were on a patch of shingle where there was once a jetty, back in the days of waggonways. Lastly there was a visit to Lidl, amongst other things I found a power bank at half price which will replace a much older one which no longer holds its charge very well. Then it was time for coffee and sorting out more photos. After lunch I tidied part of the garden and had a close look at the lavender plants which do not look too happy. They have not liked the very wet weather and the winds off the sea. If the bits not showing signs of growth don't do something soon they will be pruned very hard as a measure of last resort. If that doesn't work they wil have to be replaced. I am expecting an Amazon delivery shortly, doubtless it will come while I am eating my tea. It is just a new Echo Dot to replace a very old one which seems to suffer from selective deafness. April blossom by the estuary Estuary at half tide Site of old waggonway pier David

Today's second set were taken around Gonalston crossing which is just east of Lowdham on the Midland Railway line from Nottingham to Newark and Lincoln. Gonalston crossing 25121 up p w Jan 76 J5046 Gonalston crossing Class 47 down oil Jan 76 J5047 Gonalston Crossing Class 120 Lincoln to Crewe Jan 76 C2580 Gonalston Crossing Class 114 Lincoln to Nottingham July 76 C2856 Gonalston Class 120 Crewe to Lincoln Jan 80 C4944 going away David

I only did one year of woodwork and metalwork at grammar school, after that I was told I was doing Latin. To be honest Latin has been useful as a biologist because I can understand how scientific names work! I learnt useful things about working with wood and metal from Mum and Dad and much later for more specialist things from staff at schools where I taught. I was taught to solder by Mum, she knew how as her dad was a plumber and she learnt from him, then Dad added how to use soldering irons to do delicate work in modelmaking. Both of them could use woodworking tools and showed me as the need arose. David

It's one of my photos, it's a delight to see it here. The building is fascinating as bits have been added over the years. Mum used to work for Brush almost 80 years ago, she did a maths degree during the war and then worked for Brush as a steam turbine designer, specifically investigating the issue of metal fatigue which could cause blades to break and wreck the turbine. She said that even back then the buildings were a bit of a mix of old and new with bits added just as they were needed and ad hoc alterations made. David

I don't think names on locomotives matter very much in the great scheme of things, there will always be some people who will disapprove of a name no matter who it is named after. To me it is much better for the names of people in history to be remembered, no matter what they may have done, good or bad. If we try to erase them then there is always a risk that their bad deeds will eventually be forgotten and not used as a warning to us now. I often wonder what will be said about names of (say) politicians from the whole world not just the UK of the late 20th and early 21st century in a hundred years time and what will be said then if locos or building are named after them. David

An extra odd man out now. Somehow yesterday I missed this photo taken at Grantham. It is the same train as one of yesterday's, I wanted to include it as once again it shows the unreliability of colour images in terms of shades of colour as a result of the film ageing and scanning and the software used. Grantham Class 55 08.10 Newcastle to Kings X Sept 71 C726 David

It's time for some more photos taken in Switzerland. So here is another batch at Kleine Scheidegg where trains leave for the Jungfrau. To get to Kleine Scheidegg you travel from Grindlewald or Lauterbrunnen on the train. Kleine Scheidegg Jungfrau Bahn BDeh2/4 12th Aug 91 C16322 Kleine Scheidegg WAB BDeh4/4 12th Aug 91 C16329 Kleine Scheidegg WAB BDeh4/4 Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald 12th Aug 91 C16335 Kleine Scheidegg Jungfrau Bahn BDhe2/4 202 12th Aug 91 C16338 Kleine Scheidegg WAB BDhe4/4 118 12th Aug 91 C16344 Kleine Scheidegg WAB BDhe4/4 12th Aug 91 C16345 David

In theory but not always in reality. I think by 1983 there was a lot more movement of power cars and less emphasis on keeping them in sets with the coaches. David

My window cleaner does all my house for £5! He uses a ladder and is a lot cheaper than those who use the long poles. David

It's been a typical Thursday with a visit to church for the usual service, I did the intercessions for the first time. I have realised that I need to print them off using a larger font so I can actually see the words clearly, fortunately this morning I had almost memorised them. After coffee at church and a good natter I visited the beach where everything looked grey and there was a keen cold wind with rain starting so I didn't stay long. There were a number of sandpipers running around dodging the waves. I could see why they are called clockwork birds as they move so quickly and quite jerkily. Today I was able to go into the greenhouse without getting my feet wet so I brushed most of the mud off the floor. It has rained quite a bit this afternoon so a small amount of water has returned. I am hoping that the forecast of dry weather for the next few days will be correct. I did some more work on a model and since then have been looking at Living North, a local lifestyle magazine. This month's issue has 160 pages for £3-45 which is good value. In other words a calm quite relaxing day. David

This afternoon we travel to Bentley, between Manningtree and Ipswich on the Great Eastern Main line to loo at trains in May and June 1975. At the time Dad sometimes had a few days in Ipswich for his work and used to go out in the evening to take photos. Bentley Class 47 Liverpool St to Yarmouth May 75 J4299 Bentley Class 31 Peterborough to Parkeston Quay June 75 J4374 Bentley Class 47 up June 75 J4375 Bentley Class 47 down June 75 J4378 Bentley Class 47 Norwich to Liverpol St June 75 J4491 David

Changing the subject a bit to speed limits I wonder how many people follow the signs displayed on car screens picked up by the car's built in camera. Near home mine always displays 20 on one piece of road actually limited to 30 as going round a sharp bend the camera picks up the 20 sign from a side road. Then on a stretch of road recently changed from 40 to 30 it displays 40 as it picks up a sign on the exit before mine as I drive round a roundabout. I wonder how many people have been caught speeding as a result of that. I simply don't believe what I see on the in car display most of the time. David

I remember interviews having been on both sides of the table - more often as interviewer along with the Headteacher and sometimes (but not always) school governors. I remember one interview after which I was told I was the best candidate for the job but they already had someone who thought like me on the senior management team so they appointed someone else. Another time the successful candidate for a deputy head post had not taught for about 10 years having worked in the Education Department at County Hall so the governors thought he would have admin experience. Knowing what happened next in both those schools I was pleased I hadn't got the job. I didn't have interviews for my last 3 posts, for the first I was simply asked if I would stop being Head of Science to become overall Curriculum Manager of the school and manage the Learning Mentors, recommend teaching staff numbers, look after some of the finances etc. A few years later I told the Head that I though we needed better provision for very disruptive students, shortly afterwards I was asked to do the job which involved working Mon to Thurs 1.30pm till 7pm and normal hours on Fridays. I also kept my other responsibilities which I did at times to suit me and kept my A level IT teaching. For that I got a good pay rise. When I decided to retire I was quickly asked to work part time as an IT consultant to sort out software problems, write the timetable, and increase the use of IT in admin and lessons etc. I said I'd do it for a year and finished 8 years later. I always found the most useful information when interviewing was listening to and watching candidates as we showed them round the school and had coffee and lunch with them. It was rare that our minds were changed in the "real" interview. As for school governors' involvement there was only one I rated. He was a senior air traffic controller at the local airport, he always knew how truthful a candiate was being. David