212 Locos at Derby Works Open Day 27 Aug 1960

[Mike Bellamy]

Local newspaper website has an interesting series of photos taken at the Derby Loco Works Open Day in August 1960. Apparently 25,000 spotters came from across the country to see 212 locos. No 'Health and Safety' in those days with hordes of kids standing on top of the locos 

 

Were any of you there ?

 

Can you identify the locos ?   Even I can recognise 71000 Duke of Gloucester (a photo of the nameplate helped !!)

 

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/gallery/day-25000-train-spotters-descended-4564454

 

Mike

[Davey]

Hi Mike,

 

Interesting to see your reference to the Derby Locomotive Works open day in August 1960. I together with some school mates attended. What a great day it was. The thing that stands out in my mind was a pile of scrap parts off locomotives that was lying around, things such as builders plates, water capacity plates, cab gauges, etc. There was a works employee stationed nearby and he invited us to help ourselves to anything we wanted off the pile. As you can imagine, we couldn't believe our luck, so gratefully accepted the invitation.

 

The thing I selected was a brass water capacity plate off the back of a 3F 0-6-0 tender. If memory serves me correctly the capacity was 3,250 gallons. I still  have it hidden away somewhere.

 

Happy days indeed.

 

Davey

[Mike Bellamy]

 

Thanks Davey - amazing that you were allowed to take things from the 'scrap' pile - can you imagine the current value of all the items you mention.

 

Question for you - were there really 212 locos there ? 

 

Mike

[Poor Old Bruce]

I was there somewhere Mike, that was a year before I started my apprenticeship there. Usual journalistic errors though, the roundhouse in the background of the photos was Number 2 Shed, by that time used as the Pattern Stores and also to house the three preserved locos kept in Derby: the Spinner, Kirtley 2-4-0 and Thundersley. Cecil Raikes was probably there somewhere in the background covered in tarpaulins. By the time I started work, the preserved locos seemed to be left in the open for a lot of the time, I remember sitting in the cab of one or another of them eating my sandwiches at dinner time ('lunch' was for posh people) and watching what was on the westbound Devonian. One day I watched the Midland Compound take the other locos off to Wirksworth for the Railway Roundabout photo, shoot.

 

The area where the Open Day locos are standing was known as 'Pickering's Pit'. Other parts of the site had exotic names like 'Spike Island' and 'Klondike'.

[Mike Bellamy]

 

Thanks Richard - I must admit that when I saw the article, I thought of you . . . . !!

 

Mike

[Davey]

Hi Mike,

 

From memory, I don't think there were anything like 212 locomotives present but I can confirm that the ex Mersey Railway 0-6-4 tank locomotive was there.

 

Unfortunately all my notebooks from that time went missing when I left home to  get married in 1970. I had always intended to transfer all my spotting notes to a single ledger but sadly never got round to it.

 

Davey

[highpeakman]

Thanks very much for that article and pics. Brings back many memories.

 

I was there in that crowd somewhere as we did the show for many years. I moved to Derby in 1954 and the smell of the Works got ingrained into my blood especially when going into town over London Road bridge on the bus. I always insisted on being upstairs so I could get a good view of the shed and works. If I go now to visit a heritage railway the smell of hot oil and steam takes me straight back to Derby Works.