Steve's 1980s rail pictures.

[SouthernBlue80s]

I have enjoyed many of the pictures you people have posted on here over the years. So I felt it was time I contributed.

 

A bit of background. I was born in 1966. And in the 1970s was always drawing pictures of trains.

 

Come 1980. I was 14 and was just old enough to have the initiative and pocket money to get East Kent railrovers. 

 

So the first few shots are are East Kent. 1980 - 1981. Kodak Instamatic. I used to await the one 47 a day.

 

After a while I got a Zorki 4k and found a bit more money and London was my stamping ground. Reading was as about as far I as I could afford to get to. I spent many happy summers days on Reading station. Bunking around Stratford on a Saturday afternoon was also a big memory. This is 1982 - 1984.

 

In 1985 I went to college in Bristol and was based to there untill to the early 90s. I bought a Yashika.

 

About 1990 was when I began to lose interest. Many of the classes had disappeared, many were being painted in the bright colours in the creep towards privatisation and I was getting bored of seeing the same 37s and 47s. (Not that I am against anything more modern and those that are into it.  I do take a passing interest in it but it doesn't really do it for me)

 

In hindsight I wish I had kept going for a few more years before privatisation.

 

So to summarise. For me the 1980s were my big railway decade.

 

Some of the pictures are not great but hopefully you will find them interesting. I didn't concentrate enough on infrastructure I was just focused on the locos, I was only young.

 

So on to the pictures - some of which are poor quality but convey an atmosphere or thing of interest and some of which are better photographs in their own right.

Edited December 19, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[SouthernBlue80s]

Summer morning in East Kent

 

1980 Ashfordstabling point. Dover Priory, Western Docks and Town. Usual 73s and 33s. Age 14 armed with my my Instamatic, not the best pics.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[keefer]

Nothing wrong with Instamatic pics, they're still a record of the time.

And interesting straight away for the MLVs, relatively little pics around of what were an important part of the SR scene, particularly the Kent Boat Trains.

Looking forward to more!

[SouthernBlue80s]

Peaks at St Pancras

 

St Pancras. I guess 1982. Still showing the old signal box and 45123 Can anyone Identify the bottom two peaks? ( Now identified as probably 45139)

 



 

Edited December 19, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[96701]

The second photo looks like 45019 to me.

[keefer]

Love the enamel LMR board on the signalbox - although I'd hope the drivers knew where they were going anyway! 

[DY444]

1 hour ago, 96701 said:

The second photo looks like 45019 to me.

 

It's got eth so is a 45/1.  I agree the last digit looks like a 9 though.

Edited December 13, 2020 by DY444

[SouthernBlue80s]

First 31!

 

Liverpool Street.

The first time I went to London by myself. I had only seen 08,09,33,73 and 47s up until that point. I remember it well. I walked down the platform to the stabling point and saw my first other class. 31160. I took a picture and developed and printed it myself.  Not that great but special for me. I  guess this was1981. The other pics of 47017 was from a later visit probably in 1982.

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[96701]

3 hours ago, DY444 said:

 

It's got eth so is a 45/1.  I agree the last digit looks like a 9 though.

So, any realistic suggestions? Looks like it starts with 45 and ends with 9, so either 45119 or 45109.

 

[SouthernBlue80s]

7 minutes ago, 96701 said:

So, any realistic suggestions? Looks like it starts with 45 and ends with 9, so either 45119 or 45109.

 

I am afraid I will have a fair few guess the loco pictures. I recorded numbers but no records of the numbers of what I photographed.

[The Pilotman]

1 hour ago, 96701 said:

So, any realistic suggestions? Looks like it starts with 45 and ends with 9, so either 45119 or 45109.

 

It’s 45139. The white vertical streaks on the nose and the missing paint around the driver’s windscreen frame match other pictures of 45139 in 1982. I’m 99% sure that it’s 45139 in the other picture as well.

Edited December 13, 2020 by Western Aviator

[SouthernBlue80s]

14 minutes ago, Western Aviator said:

It’s 45139. The white vertical streaks on the nose and the missing paint around the driver’s windscreen frame match other pictures of 45139 in 1982. I’m 99% sure that it’s 45139 in the other picture as well.

 

Thank you. It will be good to ID some of the locos with the help of some of you on here

[Rivercider]

I was a few years ahead of you with my photography and spotting trips, your first photos bring back memories of places I am familiar with, but only visited once or twice. 

I'm looking forward to more photos.

 

cheers

[eastwestdivide]

15 hours ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

Liverpool Street.

The first time I went to London by myself. I had only seen 08,09,33,73 and 47s up until that point. I remember it well....

Spotting in Kent from 1977ish, my first loco outside that select group of classes was on a trip across the Gravesend-Tilbury ferry. Went on to Tilbury Town, where a weird loco with a big nose made a lot of noise going past.

I too started with an Instamatic, then graduated to a chunky second-hand E German Praktica SLR.

Looking forward to the rest of the photos.

[SouthernBlue80s]

On 14/12/2020 at 11:07, eastwestdivide said:

Spotting in Kent from 1977ish, my first loco outside that select group of classes was on a trip across the Gravesend-Tilbury ferry. Went on to Tilbury Town, where a weird loco with a big nose made a lot of noise going past.

I too started with an Instamatic, then graduated to a chunky second-hand E German Praktica SLR.

Looking forward to the rest of the photos.

 

Chris - It sounds like we had fairly similar experiences.

 

I always wish I had started at about the time you did and experienced the rail blue era of the 70s. However I didn't have any friends that were into it neither was my dad, so I had to find my own way and at about 14 I was at the age where I could begin to do my own thing. It would have been good to have been 3 or 4 years older, however I am very happy I saw the railways of the 80s. 

 

So,  33s stabled next to Ashford station and an unidentified 47 approaching Canterbury East on the Dover Town - Acton.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[eastwestdivide]

4 minutes ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

always wish I had started... [earlier]

...said every enthusiast ever!

 

[SouthernBlue80s]

16 hours ago, Rivercider said:

I was a few years ahead of you with my photography and spotting trips, your first photos bring back memories of places I am familiar with, but only visited once or twice. 

I'm looking forward to more photos.

 

cheers

 

Hi Kenny. My Bristol shots are a little further down the road. But here are two memories/common sights we were familiar with of Bristol Temple Meads in the mid 80s. Cheers

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[Rivercider]

I spy through the arch a VDA with white roof. If this is the weekend then it may be standing on the Up Middle Siding loaded with chocolate for Rowntrees at Avonmouth.

 

cheers

Edited December 14, 2020 by Rivercider

[SouthernBlue80s]

Old Oak Turntable

 

Who remembers...walking down Old Oak Common Lane and then the first sight being an array of locos around the turntable.

 

I used to catch the train from Euston to Willesden Junction and walk.

 

1982 or 1983

 

 

 

 

Can anyone Identify the 47 or the 50?

Edited December 19, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[young37215]

21 hours ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

 

Hi Kenny. My Bristol shots are a little further down the road. But here are two memories/common sights we were familiar with of Bristol Temple Meads in the mid 80s. Cheers

 

 

 

 

I am liking the pictures which remind me of my long gone youth. Temple Meads was my base as a haulage basher from the late 70's. Based on the 31/4's in the second picture I reckon this is early rather than mid 80's because the 31/4's migrated away from Bristol 1982/3 following their being superceded by the 33's on the Cardiff Portsmouth services.

 

 

 

[SouthernBlue80s]

On 15/12/2020 at 11:43, young37215 said:

 

I am liking the pictures which remind me of my long gone youth. Temple Meads was my base as a haulage basher from the late 70's. Based on the 31/4's in the second picture I reckon this is early rather than mid 80's because the 31/4's migrated away from Bristol 1982/3 following their being superceded by the 33's on the Cardiff Portsmouth services.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I didn't record dates or the loco numbers, I wish I had. I was a big spotter and just used to snap stuff.

 

I have a huge amount of pictures, so will try and post up a few of them each day or so.

 

Glad the pictures are bringing back memories. A few more for you. Warm hazy evenings in the Temple Meads area, when we had a big variety of traction. A few peaks from around

1984-1985.

 

Cheers Steve

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by SouthernBlue80s

[brushman47544]

6 hours ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

Who remembers...walking down Old Oak Common Lane and then the first sight being an array of locos around the turntable.

 

I used to catch the train from Euston to Willesden Junction and walk.

 

1982 or 1983

 

 

 

 

Can anyone Identify the 47 or the 50?

 

47466 by the look of it. If i come across a photo of a 50 with a scratch in the right place, I'll post again. 

[keefer]

Just noticed the ScotRail branding on the coaches in the 3rd pic!

And even better:

1) on the brake coach, 'Inter-City ScotRail' - not rare exactly, but certainly not common.

2) second coach is a Mk2c - as far as I know the only types used on the ScR were either TSOT or CK (downgraded from FK) - window spacing looks right for 2nd class.

[SouthernBlue80s]

42 minutes ago, keefer said:

Just noticed the ScotRail branding on the coaches in the 3rd pic!

And even better:

1) on the brake coach, 'Inter-City ScotRail' - not rare exactly, but certainly not common.

2) second coach is a Mk2c - as far as I know the only types used on the ScR were either TSOT or CK (downgraded from FK) - window spacing looks right for 2nd class.

 

Yes I noticed that. I don't remember seeing other ScotRail coaches at Bristol. I guess they ended up a very long way from home in the depths of the west later that evening.

[keefer]

Just wondering how they ended up there, as I thought the branded stock was for internal ScR services.

There were of course NE-SW/Cross-Country workings from Scotland but I'd have thought these would have their own stock allocation.

Maybe @Flood can provide some info?