Images from 50 years of rail travel (1971 onwards)

[MyRule1]

In the autumn of 1972 I started studying on a two year course in Central London. The conditions of my grant (sorry for younger readers) was that I lived with my parents in Essex and I would be repaid the cost of commuting, I managed to get a job in the summer vacation of 1973 with LT at 55 Broadway. Although this was only for 3 months I got free travel on LT services priv' fares and an allocation of  tickets for free travel.

 

So I made the most of it.,, much of the time was spent on bus travel and photography, but two notable visits were Scotland in August:

 

The days of double headed Class 50's on Glasgow to Crewe:

 

 

and a view of Cl17's at Polmadie depot: 

Another trip was down to South Devon to see Flying Scotsman on the Torbay Steam Railway

 

 

Although Scotsman is now a common sight this was just after it's return to UK rails and the first time I saw it.

 

and just one picture of my LT ramblings that month R stock at Bromley by Bow

 

 

After graduating I immediately  got a job with BR in the payroll office at LIverpool Street

 

which provided this visitor in August

 

 

Peering over the fence at Old Oak Common in the same month

 

 

and a visit to the Derby Open Day

 

 

Lastly a trip to Birmingham

 

 

As it was I would have laughed if you had told me that part of the last trip I would make by train before train travel was "banned" in 2019 would be through this station on a train from Kidderminster to Moor Street - the above being Snow Hill.

 

There may be a few more from August yet to come.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by MyRule1

[MyRule1]

The nights are drawing in and we find ourselves in September already.

 

I have more images from September than any other month, but this is entirely down to the huge numbers I took on a trip round Europe by train in 2017, but these are out of scope of this review.

 

I make no apologies for repeating a subject from last month:

 

this particular picture was taken at an Old Oak Common open day on 4th September 1972.

 

A week later I was in Sheringham and include this poor picture of the B12 as (2021) as it about to go out of ticket and undergo a major service.

 

 

This picture must have been taken as part of the use of a Rover ticket as 12th September 1972 I was at Peterborough for this shot of Class 40 345

 

 

Two days later I was in London and taking in the North Woolwich branch

 

 

Another of those places that you could not envisage that  would be seeing a tube line and light railway, with a reopened station (Strafford Market) on the site in around 30 years.

 

After a few changes of train I was in Norwich  to catch a train to Peterborough hailed by another Class 40 (276)

 

The Class 40 fest ends at Holyhead a year later (3rd Sept 1973) with no 229

 

 

 

1973 was the Summer I was employed by London Underground during my summer vacation from Polytechnic and I was making maximum use of free and priv' travel, plus so days of leave.

 

For on 5th Sept, I was in Derby and a trip out to Mickleover found the RTC Clayton Cl17 and the very end of BR's test line.

 

 

I seems possible that the wagon behind the Clayton could be BR's infamous "self propelled" and auto driving prototype.

 

This picture

 

 

is dated as 6th Sept 1974, but I cannot recall why I was on a train passing Chepstow which allowed this picture of the GER Coffee Pot loco, that would later be at the North Woolwich museum and is now at the "Flour Mill" awaiting installation of a newly-made firebox.

 

The last image from September is of 7001, 7028 at Pontypridd Road on 22Spet 1973

 

 

mainly included as it shows the very relaxed attitude to trackside access in those days.

Max total size: 10 MB

[lmsforever]

Reading this thread has reminded me of my start looking at railways when I was about three years old my dad took me to Goodmayes yard . Watching shunting and trains on the main line really cemented railway enthusiasm that is still with me many years now.Liverpool St was a place I enjoyed watching especially by the turntable and Chingford St a group of us also got to know the crews and had many trips on the footplate as the locos changed platform.This all laid the base of my enthusiasm