Trainspotting at Chelmsford in the early 80s

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Steve

 

I done a drawing of the water tower, and then built a model of it from photos. Counting bricks to get the correct size. Only to find out the GER Society has a drawing available on their website.

 

Here is the model, almost finished. After getting this far I thought is was too small for the layout I was building.

 

[sb67]

That looks good, I like that Clive.

[Bucoops]

The water tower was sadly demolished a year or so ago (along with the lovely if a little cosy 1880s (or even earlier?) foot tunnel to make way for a big concrete bland bridge.

 

The tank was fortunately passed to the EARM.

 

https://www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk/news/15585024.new-foot-and-cycle-path-to-chelmsford-train-station-to-replace-tunnel/

Edited October 18, 2020 by Bucoops

[Penrhos1920]

17 hours ago, 47164 said:

Great memories, the upsiding at Chelmsford was always the home for a 7.45 stater in the early 1980’s, and  I think the loop at boreham was used On occasions.
When Stratford started the silver roof lark it would be quite an occasion to see a normal visiting 47! And of course the icing was probably in the very late 80’s when a scotrail47 worked a freightliner forwards the capital.

’

 

 

 

 

I don’t think I ever got that train, anyway it would have been a 307 or similar em; not the Mk1s I photographed and that photo was that morning.  I did once get a refurbished 302 that started from the down platform at about 8:12, that would have been in 1989.   It seemed odd to sit in the down platform in a half empty train as other commuters packed into a sardine tin that ran 3 minutes ahead of us!  But my normal train was just after 7am off Margaretting.

[Titan]

5 hours ago, hexagon789 said:

Quite simply because they had a griddle as part of the catering equipment!

 

Yes, I think the idea was that commuters could enjoy a full English breakfast on the way to work.  I am feeling hungry now just thinking about it!

[Penrhos1920]

15 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Having lived in Chelmsford for over 30 years and worked there for even longer I have very few photos of Chelmsford station and trains there.

Sorry for the poor quality, this was a DMU on a Sunday morning, 1981ish taken through the window of a Merrymaker train. The camera was an Instamatic, we lived life to the full in those days.

 

I remember a Sunday morning at about that time when I went to Eastleigh open day and a horrible boggie just like that turned up to take us to Liverpool St.  It was so so slow and we switched over to the slow line and then back.  The only good thing about that journey was that the driver had to blind up so I got to see more.  Thanks for rekindling the memories.

[Barclay]

Some Kodak instamatic shots from me from 1983:

 

Rare sight - 3 trains at Chelmsford:

 

And then out to our favourite train spotting location on the Galleywood side of town where there was an old disconnected siding and a semi-derelict hut for when it rained:

Unidentified pair of 37's double heading a container train:

 

Slightly closer to town where a footpath crossed the line - 47 577 Benjamin Gimbert GC, with Stratford white roof, on an express:

 

 

More to follow - if I can find them ! Thanks for starting this thread, great memories.

Edited October 19, 2020 by Barclay

[sb67]

Fantastic photo's Barclay, that double headed 37's are what I remember about seeing my first trains at Romford, as a kid being terrified as the thundered through with the platform shaking under my feet! 

[Titan]

Not quite sure why people think a train in the loop was a rare occurrence,  There were some trains that originated their journey to Liverpool Street from Chelmsford, particularly in the morning peak and the stock for it would be held in that loop until required, so it would be a daily timetabled event, probably since 1500Vdc days when the wires only went as far as Chelmsford.

[Johann Marsbar]

I've never taken any photos at Chelmsford, mainly because I've hardly ever changed trains there. I have got a picture taken at the EN bus station in 1980 that shows the rail bridge (!) but ther nearest location that I photographed anything is Shenfield.

This 37 from 1983 might be of interest..

 

 

My Father did take some photos in the Boreham area (he worked at Marconi for a few years) but they are somewhere on a remote hard-drive at the moment.

[Bucoops]

1 hour ago, Johann Marsbar said:

I've never taken any photos at Chelmsford, mainly because I've hardly ever changed trains there. I have got a picture taken at the EN bus station in 1980 that shows the rail bridge (!) but ther nearest location that I photographed anything is Shenfield.

This 37 from 1983 might be of interest..

 

 

My Father did take some photos in the Boreham area (he worked at Marconi for a few years) but they are somewhere on a remote hard-drive at the moment.

 

Cracking shot

 

I don't suppose you have any other Shenfield photos? Particularly including the signal box? It's my chosen modelling location (albeit in the 1930s but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to photos!).

 

Thanks

[Johann Marsbar]

9 minutes ago, Bucoops said:

 

Cracking shot

 

I don't suppose you have any other Shenfield photos? Particularly including the signal box? It's my chosen modelling location (albeit in the 1930s but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to photos!).

 

Thanks

 

I haven't got that many there, but will have a look through my scans later.

 

I know I've got these, which were taken the same day as the 37, when I was going to/from the 1983 Stratford Depot open day...

 

 

[Bucoops]

8 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

 

I haven't got that many there, but will have a look through my scans later.

 

I know I've got these, which were taken the same day as the 37, when I was going to/from the 1983 Stratford Depot open day...

 

 

 

 

Again, great photos, thank you (do you mind if I save them for personal use only?). If you are able to dig any more out it would be most appreciated - however there's absolutely no rush on it, I'm not even close to starting to build!

[Barclay]

4 hours ago, sb67 said:

Fantastic photo's Barclay, that double headed 37's are what I remember about seeing my first trains at Romford, as a kid being terrified as the thundered through with the platform shaking under my feet! 

There was one came through Chelmsford London-bound at 12:30 on weekdays. We used to head from school down to the bridge by the Britvic factory to watch it. Standing under that bridge next to the track when they came through was, as you say, like thunder...

 

[Barclay]

Some more from 1983. The old station itself, just a few years before demolition. It's replacement has already been replaced....

 

 

47 339 heading in the Colchester direction:

 

Back at the siding - Class 47 on the 'Tilbury Roadstone' train:

 

An unusual double-header - I assume the 47 had failed?:

 

Class 31 on an engineering train:

 

And at another of our favourite places - if you snuk down the side of the Rising Sun pub at the top of London Road, crossed the field behind, and climbed the fence, you were in the cutting between the Writtle Road and Britvic bridges. Not great for taking photo's though, and it's all houses now...

47 491

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Barclay

[Penrhos1920]

5 hours ago, Barclay said:

Some Kodak instamatic shots from me from 1983:

 

Rare sight - 3 trains at Chelmsford:

 

 

That must have been taken late afternoon.  The 315 is waiting to form the 4pm most stations the Liverpool St having arrived a little earlier ECS.  It was the only time a 315 would be seen at Chelmsford as they were mostly confined to the Smoke side of Shenfield.

 

Previously I commented that it was rare to see the down loop being used.  What I meant was it was rare to see it being used for a rake of coaches without a loco.

[Suzie]

I got a 315 from Liverpool St to Chelmsford that terminated there at about four in the morning once. I had to continue by taxi from there - it was as far as you could get in the middle of the night. 315s used to operate the Southend Victoria line and to Southminster during the day at one time before the metro service got busy enough to need all of them I guess.

[Clive Mortimore]

18 hours ago, Barclay said:

Some more from 1983. The old station itself, just a few years before demolition. It's replacement has already been replaced....

 

 

 

Class 31 on an engineering train:

 

And at another of our favourite places - if you snuk down the side of the Rising Sun pub at the top of London Road, crossed the field behind, and climbed the fence, you were in the cutting between the Writtle Road and Britvic bridges. Not great for taking photo's though, and it's all houses now...

 

 

Hi Stuart

 

Thanks for the photo of the old building.

 

I think the train with the crane is the Stratford breakdown train.

[Barclay]

Interesting - is that a Gresley coach behind the crane?

[Clive Mortimore]

3 minutes ago, Barclay said:

Interesting - is that a Gresley coach behind the crane?

Hi Stuart

 

Yes, it is a First Class restaurant kitchen. In the late 50s the ER modified many of the ex LNER catering cars to propane cooking, no sooner had they done that when the new BR catering coaches were introduced. On withdrawal a few of these recently refurbished coaches were passed on to the CMEs department as mess coaches for the breakdown trains. If attending a major incident the mess coach is the only place where a cuppa tea and basic food could be prepared, not only for the breakdown crew but also the PW staff, the staff investigating the accident, the firemen, the ambulance crews and police.

[Pete the Elaner]

On 19/10/2020 at 13:40, Johann Marsbar said:

 

 

 

With the many different models being announced, what are the chances of one of these beauties being available RTR in 4mm?

[Johann Marsbar]

9 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

With the many different models being announced, what are the chances of one of these beauties being available RTR in 4mm?

Depends how deep your pockets are......

http://britanniapacific.co.uk/Overhead 309.htm

 

I might have a go at kitbashing one out of Mk1 coaches at some stage in the future, but that won't be until the layout actually gets "finished" !

[Pete the Elaner]

53 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

Depends how deep your pockets are......

http://britanniapacific.co.uk/Overhead 309.htm

 

I might have a go at kitbashing one out of Mk1 coaches at some stage in the future, but that won't be until the layout actually gets "finished" !

 

Low volume items are much more expensive to make than mass produced ones. With this in mind, they look good value.

[Clive Mortimore]

3 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

With the many different models being announced, what are the chances of one of these beauties being available RTR in 4mm?

When I finish these,

 

 

I am slowly making a 10 car set as built in maroon livery.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Clive Mortimore

[woodenhead]

3 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

When I finish these,

 

 

I am slowly making a 10 care set as built in maroon livery.

I've finally figured out why EMUs (and DMUs for that matter) are so slow to come to market - all the manufacturers are waiting on you to finish yours so they can announce the RTR one.  Unless you actually finish them then we are doomed to never seeing these models in rtr.