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great northern
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What a lovely evening I have had catching up on all things PN.  I’ve been in a bit of low modelling mojo of late after finishing my last project, so coming back on here and going through several pages of goodness have got me all inspired again.  Thanks Gilbert, for both your lovely layout and the excellent pictures you continue to put on here for all of us.

 

Cheers 

Tony

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On 20/11/2020 at 08:05, great northern said:

OK, nothing on telly, so here goes.

 

Day trip to Grantham, early summer 1957.

 

A mid week day in what must have been the Whit holiday saw three 12 year old boys at Lincoln Central station, having been permitted to go to Grantham train spotting. The 1957 timetable tells me we would have left at either 8.35 or 1030, I suspect it was the latter. The train was at one of the bay platforms, and was definitely a DMU, probably a Derby lightweight, and yes, we would have gone to the front, hoping to sit right behind the cab, and that the driver hadn't closed the blinds. Through Waddington Harmston Navenby Leadenham Caythorpe and Honington we went, finally joining the ECML at Barkston Junction, where the station had closed two years before. On through Peascliffe tunnel, hoping for a down express to pass us, but my recollection is that nothing ever did. Arrival at Grantham Platform 1 was at 1117, and I remember clearly that things were very quiet when we got off the train. That's why i'm sure it was mid week.

 

 Normally, spotters were turfed off the station double quick, but this time we were told we could stay, provided we behaved. We would have been straight across the footbridge to the island platform, from which at least some of the locos on shed could be identified. My notebooks are long gone, thrown out by my mum when I was at Law School, as she thought I had " grown out of them":ireful:, but I do have a few specific memories, two of which I am sure were of this particular day. I'll come to those shortly.

 

The great attraction of Grantham was that view of the shed, and the fact that many trains changed engines there, so we got two for the price of one. In addition to the main line trains there were quite a few local services, but almost all by this time were DMUs, which we ignored. The Nottingham and Derby trains, which ran to and from the outer face of the island platform were still steam hauled though, and they ran frequently. Motive power for those was very varied. A5, B1, J6, J11, J39, K2, L1were all to be seen. The station pilot was still a lovely little C12, and I always enjoyed looking at that.

 

Of course it was the main line we had come to see though, as Pacifics were not seen at Lincoln except on occasional diversion days, usually a Sunday. In summer 57 four A4s were sent from Kings Cross to Grantham for a few months, 60003/8/10 and 30 being the numbers. I do vividly remember seeing 60030 come off shed and run slowly past us to wait in the loco spur by the Yard box to take over an Up train.

 

What else happened? Expresses came and went, most stopped but some came flying through. The speed limit was 60mph, but it felt a lot faster to a small boy. For some reason, V2s seemed to be travelling faster than anything else. I'd like to tell you that we saw a rare Scottish engine, but we didn't, and the Elizabethan hadn't started running yet. I bet though that we did see WP Allan HA Ivatt Kestrel and Osprey, plus plenty of the Grantham A3s, and the occasional A4. My memory insists though that there were never many of them to be seen, and that when a streak did appear it was often 60700. Even at 12 we had seen most of the Pacifics shedded at or south of Doncaster, and all of the ones at Copley Hill, so cops were rare. There was one for me that day though, as 60050 appeared from the line down to the turning triangle. It had been shedded on the GC for some years, and only just been transferred to Grantham, so it was new to me. Even at my age, Persimmon seemed a strange name for a very large engine.

 

It was a nice sunny day, and I still remember how quiet it was. There must have been a fair number of people getting on and off trains, but this is my abiding memory. So we ate our Lyons Individual fruit pies, apricot in my case, drank our fizzy whatever it was, got some chocolate out of the machines, and didn't have to put on our Pacamacs. The train back was at 6.20, arriving Lincoln at 7.04, then a bus home, where I don't remember getting anything else to eat. Just a normal day, well, not quite, because we were allowed to stay on the platforms. Perhaps that's why it has stayed so strong in my memory. Of course we thought it would all carry on for ever, but just six years later steam was gone, and the Lincoln- Grantham line soon followed it.

 

The engine shed site is now a housing estate, and just the bare bones of the trackwork are still there. The Lincoln bay has been filled in, and when I go there now, which isn't often, there is an air of melancholy. I cannot and will not believe that it really was 63 years ago though.

 

Over to you. Would anyone else like to tell us about memories of a favourite place? And if you still have your spotter's note books that would be even better.

I visited Grantham three times between 1959 and 1961, travelling from Derby Friargate, a painful journey which seemed to take an age, I went, really to see the streaks, first visit not one!!, second visit, eleven,  almost one third of the class, third visit was memorable, we saw the first production Deltics but silly me, I thought that that they would supplement the steam fleet!!

On the first and second visit we were chucked on to a Nottingham/Derby train about 4 pm.  

On the third, we left the station, went through the subway under the main lines, past the shed and sat on the road bridge until around 6 pm., when we got back on the station, we were given a right bollocking, asked where we had been and were ordered to catch the next train home........or else!!!

Mike

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On 21/11/2020 at 15:04, Clive Mortimore said:

Cor blimey theres me finking english lessons were a thing on sirs thread.

 I suppose Clive, coming from Essex , like me , you must be familiar with the use of apostrophes , other wise us wot speak Estuary English couldn't write with a gutteral slop like we speak wiv, as in :-

Sa'urday ,  West 'am , Sor' of ,  'igh Stree'  the  bo''om line is...,  lo''ery tickets  or  'e  'it it.;)

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7 minutes ago, jazzer said:

 I suppose Clive, coming from Essex , like me , you must be familiar with the use of apostrophes , other wise us wot speak Estuary English couldn't write with a gutteral slop like we speak wiv, as in :-

Sa'urday ,  West 'am , Sor' of ,  'igh Stree'  the  bo''om line is...,  lo''ery tickets  or  'e  'it it.;)

An Australian teacher I worked with many years ago suggested that the Essex computer keyboard didn't need H or T as they were redundant!

 

Martyn

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10 hours ago, great northern said:

This bright morning, we have a close up of a WD in typical New England condition.

 

 

291413582_8WD1.JPG.09721ab16ec5da970761d56835d85224.JPG

Gilbert,

 

I love the WD and I’m thinking that I need another one. Are yours all Bachmann? I have one Bachmann and one DJH. The Bachmann is the better runner but will only manage about 40 wagons. The DJH one is a bit rough and very noisy with a whiny Portescap but will manage 50+ Wagons. So I’m having a bit of a dither about which to go for. What is your experience with the Bachmann version?

 

Andy

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33 minutes ago, jazzer said:

 I suppose Clive, coming from Essex , like me , you must be familiar with the use of apostrophes , other wise us wot speak Estuary English couldn't write with a gutteral slop like we speak wiv, as in :-

Sa'urday ,  West 'am , Sor' of ,  'igh Stree'  the  bo''om line is...,  lo''ery tickets  or  'e  'it it.;)

Not just Essex. Same where I was brung up in Norf Lunnon - Mili'.

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In never kept detailed records of my spotting trips except for a few shed bashes which were randomly written down but Gilberts day out reminded me of some the few journeys I had on the ECML before the end of steam and indeed Lincoln Central.

 

My parents had friends that lived in Market Rasen . They met when my Dad and "Uncle Fred" were in the RAF together in the Second World War and became life long friends, and we used to go to stay with them a couple of Bank Holidays or sometimes Christmas each year It was great for me because not only did they have two boys that were the nearest I ever got to having brothers, but they were both train enthusiasts with what seemed to me  seemed at the time  to be a huge Hornby Dublo layout in the spare room , had Railway Modeller every month, plus Meccano Magazine , and best of all lived next to the station !

 

We usually travelled up by  car but on one memorable occasion I travelled up by train with my mother and my Dad drove up several days later for some reason. . A few days before travelling we went to Kings Cross, on a Sunday afternoon  to get the tickets. . I was stunned ! it was like walking into some huge cathedral ! I am not sure if I had been in a mainline terminus before but if I had it would only have been Liverpool St which was already half full of soul-less electrics, and not much atmosphere. The first thing I saw walking into KX were two N2's side by side having just brought empty stock into what must have been plat forms 9&10 I think . I never struck me before that there were empty stock workings  but it was vision that is still with me today . It seemed kind of theatrical, almost dramatic to see these two humble tank engines at the buffers waiting for the star of the show - the pacifics- to gracefully appear. Better still I could get up close and feel the heat of the fires. Then it got even better,, as we went for a walk round and saw one A4 at the buffers on the arrivals side and another one just arriving. Silver King and Silver Fox side by Side ! We went to get close to this second arrival and were invited onto the footplate but I remember being so overwhelmed by the heat and the strange array of pipes I didn't want to stay up there long.

 

Anyway the great day arrived when we where due to travel . To my eternal regret I wasnt allowed to walk up to see the engine but viewing to from the open window a couple of times and when we stopped at Peterboro it looked like a Standard class5, . I distinctly remember the high footplate and absence of splashers but I neverk new the Standard 5's ran on the ECML until I saw pictures of one on this thread so maybe I wasnt mistaken after all or maybe it was aB1!. It certainly didnt look like a pacific, OR V2. After Grantham the journey was completed by DMU and therefore completely unmemorable.

 

When I was a little older one of the boys from Lincolnshire came to stay with us in London for a week at as he was four years older that be I was able to travel back with him and escape parental control. This time there was no question of not going to see our train engine back - it was 60022 Mallard. .We did the mostof the journey hanging out the window and only came in when the wind was too great as the speed got to high. Timing the speed against the mileposts we reckoned it got up to 90mph or thereabouts once past Hitchin. 90 MPH behind Mallard ! I could have died then and my life would have been complete. After arriving at Peterborough early Mallard came off and was replaced by  Thompsons mis fit 60513 n Dante which lost 6 minutes lumbering along to Grantham so an anti-climax to say the least.

 

Shortly before the end of steam on the ECML I bought a Rover ticket for £3-10shillings which took me all over the Eastern Region.  Steam had already gone completely  from the Great East section but there still seemed to be plenty of steam on the ECML expresses.  One great trip was Doncaster and back Doncaster  . I left on the 8.25 KX  -Hull behind V2 60889, still painted black , calling at Hitchin, Huntingdon, PN, Grantham, Newark and Retford. Amazing engines the V2's. They generally seemed to run to Pacific timings on the ECML and even with stops at Hitchin and Huntingdon this one was only allowed 3 minutes longer that the B1's were allowed to Peterborogh non stop.  As usual I went  in the first  compartment of the first carriage where as it turned out the crew  of my return train were travelling up to take over at Doncaster. I was soon in conversation with them both moaning about the diesels  (presumably EE Type fours ) which they didnt like at all and didnt fancy the prospect of bringing one home. I can still remember them , as we entered Doncaster , looking in the bay to see what was waiting for them and on seeing 60003 Andrew K Mc Cosh the fireman said "Just what we wanted !"

I finished the Rover ticket week with a trip to Market Rasen where I was in for another pleasant surprise as the rostered DMU from Lincoln to Cleethorpes was replaced by a B1 pulling the Thompson suburbans and three GUV's . Happy days.

 

My final memory of steam in Lincolnshire was long after I thought steam had disappeared. It must have been about 1966. I was travelling with my parents by car when we were stopped at some remote level crossing in the dark  when suddenly in the darkness a B1 appeared, reasonably clean and steaming well  then disappeared into the darkness  and  LNER steam was gone forever . .So I became a Southern man for what little time steam had left. 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

Gilbert,

 

I love the WD and I’m thinking that I need another one. Are yours all Bachmann? I have one Bachmann and one DJH. The Bachmann is the better runner but will only manage about 40 wagons. The DJH one is a bit rough and very noisy with a whiny Portescap but will manage 50+ Wagons. So I’m having a bit of a dither about which to go for. What is your experience with the Bachmann version?

 

Andy

Mine are all Bachmann, yes. There are 42 and brake on the empties, and rather less on the loaded. All cope perfectly well with those rakes, and I reckon they could still handle a few more. All good smooth runners too, so I'm perfectly happy with them. I wouldn't mind another one, actually. Not that I really need it.

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2 hours ago, jazzer said:

 I suppose Clive, coming from Essex , like me , you must be familiar with the use of apostrophes , other wise us wot speak Estuary English couldn't write with a gutteral slop like we speak wiv, as in :-

Sa'urday ,  West 'am , Sor' of ,  'igh Stree'  the  bo''om line is...,  lo''ery tickets  or  'e  'it it.;)

I am not an Essex boi, true I lived there a long time 1977 until 2017 and now speak like a native but I come from Bedford.

 

When I joined the army coming from Bedford I had a southern accent and the Northerners thought I was a Cockney. I even had Londoners ask me where in the East End did I come from? I told one geezer I wasn't from London he asked me did I come from Basildon or 'arlow.

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14 hours ago, great northern said:

Mine are all Bachmann, yes. There are 42 and brake on the empties, and rather less on the loaded. All cope perfectly well with those rakes, and I reckon they could still handle a few more. All good smooth runners too, so I'm perfectly happy with them. I wouldn't mind another one, actually. Not that I really need it.

Most of my DubDees are DJH. Primarily because I bought the kits before the Bachmann model came out.
I got a Bachmann WD in the good old days, when Hattons flogged off locos at daft prices.
Remember Heljan green 47s for £45?
Initially, I was disappointed with its haulage. Then I got my sensible head on and realised my mineral trains are made of some weird and wonderful mineral wagons and are Bloody heavy.:lol:
I wanted to make a 'Doncaster Firebox' WD, from the excellent article in Model Railway Journal. Plastic bodies are right in my wheelhouse, I kept the Bachmann.
Umpteen years later, she's still here. Usually on bogie bolsters.
My mineral trains have got better running wagons now, so she takes her place on 30 wagon trains.
n short, Bachmann DubDees?
I would buy another if I needed one.

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19 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I am not an Essex boi, true I lived there a long time 1977 until 2017 and now speak like a native but I come from Bedford.

 

When I joined the army coming from Bedford I had a southern accent and the Northerners thought I was a Cockney. I even had Londoners ask me where in the East End did I come from? I told one geezer I wasn't from London he asked me did I come from Basildon or 'arlow.

Ah, Basildon. 

A few years ago I read Humphrey Littleton’s book of funny ( true ) stories. He told one tale of staying at a Hotel in Basildon where an Essex gel was the duty receptionist. Being hungry after his concert he phoned down to reception:-

 

“Do you have any sandwiches.?”

”Yeah , we got ‘am and we got cheena”

”I’m sorry , what was that again?”

“We got ‘am an we got cheena”

”What’s cheena ?”

”It’s a fish!”

:D

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34 minutes ago, jazzer said:

Ah, Basildon. 

A few years ago I read Humphrey Littleton’s book of funny ( true ) stories. He told one tale of staying at a Hotel in Basildon where an Essex gel was the duty receptionist. Being hungry after his concert he phoned down to reception:-

 

“Do you have any sandwiches.?”

”Yeah , we got ‘am and we got cheena”

”I’m sorry , what was that again?”

“We got ‘am an we got cheena”

”What’s cheena ?”

”It’s a fish!”

:D

That Humphrey bloke in't from round 'ere must be very fick not to no that. :rtfm:

Edited by Clive Mortimore
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9 hours ago, great northern said:

Time for that strange Grimsby-KX parcels formed of just two BGs. I have no idea what loco was rostered to it, but this evening Immingham is short of engines. This will have no problem with such a light load though.

 

 

1424538733_12a4355.JPG.027d752c303f8560c4bdd4130b7f8b94.JPG

I don't know what the return leg of the diagram might be, but a J11 was quite a powerful beast, so I'm sure it will handle it.

 

We also have another look at the B1, just a lttle further on its way to Grimsby.

 

 

1817933998_1411432.JPG.5556edeec39c6464bf0c5bd5c825495b.JPG

 

 

 

Hi Gilbert

 

That last photo you have just posted of the B1 is stunning, one of the best photos I have seen  for a long while, and one of your best in my opinion.

 

The sky background blends in so well.

 

Regards

 

David

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41 minutes ago, landscapes said:

Hi Gilbert

 

That last photo you have just posted of the B1 is stunning, one of the best photos I have seen  for a long while, and one of your best in my opinion.

 

The sky background blends in so well.

 

Regards

 

David

I fully agree. Most photos of model railways you can tell straight away that it is a model. Yours look so realistic that, If I did not know, I would think it was the prototype.

 

Thanks again for letting us enjoy them.

 

Lloyd

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1 minute ago, FarrMan said:

I fully agree. Most photos of model railways you can tell straight away that it is a model. Yours look so realistic that, If I did not know, I would think it was the prototype.

 

Thanks again for letting us enjoy them.

 

Lloyd

Totally agree 

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40 minutes ago, great northern said:

Colchester's B17 Nottingham Forest is in charge, so something has gone amiss along the way. No relief engine available at Cambridge, it would seem.

Another corking insight into Gilbert's depth of research. I say again, it is this level of understanding of how the railway ran that separates PN from so many other fine models. 

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18 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Another corking insight into Gilbert's depth of research. I say again, it is this level of understanding of how the railway ran that separates PN from so many other fine models. 

Ermm....  I've just been informed, very tactfully, for which I was most grateful, that the train did not run via Cambridge, but went via Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Ely and March. That leaves me wondering where an engine change would have taken place, as dear Andy Rush told me that Colchester engines very seldom got to Peterborough East, let alone North.  I can't see that there would be a change at Ely, let alone March, given the very short distance from those places to PN.

 

It now belatedly also occurs to me that it might not even have been a Colchester engine from there. Never mind, I wanted one, and that's that.

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