PGH's photographs of British Railways from c1960

[retbsignalman]

Hi!

Indeed!  When were the wagon turntables last used??   And I've not seen many pictures of air-conditioned Mk 2d/e/fs at Kyle, either.   More fantastic shots!

 

Bill

 

The Mk2s came from the first overnight arrival from Euston, and were quickly cleaned (manually - no carriage wash machine at Inverness back then!) and taken round to form the Kyle service, which was back into Inverness with sufficient time to be marshalled with the sleepers to return to Euston that night.

 

Whether it was with the Inter City / LMRs blessing we weren't sure, but it certainly helped us out with stock provision as we had so many VB vehicles out of service/shopped/ waiting repair (they were all falling to bits, and those that weren't had sharp flanges thanks to the tight curvature of the lines north of Inverness). It all went well for a while until one day near the end of the season we had a ballast train off the road near Clunes, blocking the line to Dingwall with this set trapped on the wrong side and we had to hastily gather a 'scratch' set of air braked stock which wasn't in the peak of health to go to London..... don't think Euston were best pleased, but needs must!

 

Cheers G

[Merfyn Jones]

The above reminded me of an incident on PGHs own area.

A set of Mk.1 coaches used for Llandudno - Manchester , Mon. - Fri. only service spent the weekend in the carriage shed at Llandudno Junction.

The S&T borrowed the BSK for an engineering train on Sunday. Fine until the branch line was shut by flooding with the train the wrong side. I don't know how they managed the Manchester on Monday morning as it only had the one brake.  The train was freed from the branch on the Tuesday afternoon, and I heard nothing further.

Merf.

[Merfyn Jones]

No, all blue / grey back then.

M.

[Sionytren]

Excellent pictures of the Ruabon to Barmouth line. I am the keeper of the Llangollen Railway archive and I wondered if it would be possible to have copies of these pictures for said archive. I am also the webmaster of the Llangollen Railway Archive and Enthusiasts website ( www.llangollen-railway.org.uk ) and again, copies of these photos to add to the present collection would be greatly appreciated.

[Respite]

While this topic is up in Scotland this account may be of interest, and perhaps someone with knowledge of the area may be able to add some more detail. 

 

 

I remember going up to this crossing on an earlier date and witnessing class 20s thundering past with the same number of wagons. I always assumed it was a load limit but perhaps it was most that could be accommodated in the headshunt. There were more sidings which can be seen in your first photo on top of the moor where longer trains were assembled before heading off to Ravenscraig steelworks.

 

On my last visit in April 1979 one of the drivers had told me that during that winter they had banked the class 20s with the two steam locos on this section of line as the diesels were struggling for adhesion one day. Its interesting to note that the official load from the colliery to the  exchange sidings was nine wagons and the NCB driver had a letter from the manager to that effect. However during a snowstorm the two locos  Nos 25 and No.8 had battled up with a load that was obviously heavier than normal. The shunter had made a mistake  and they had taken up 13 wagons, the set being so long they couldn't see the end in the snowstorm.  As the line to the exchange sidings from the colliery was steeper than that in your photos it really was quite an achievement for the two very worn down Barclays.

[Michael Delamar]

I stand corrected with regards the colour, this shot was on Facebook..

 

[uax6]

So is that black or green? The monitor here isn't very good for colour differentiation!

 

Andy g

[martin_wynne]

On this image it's black:

 

 

Checking in an image editor shows that the body is the same shade as the wasp stripes and the wheels. Assuming those are actually black, then so is the body.

 

Martin.

[uax6]

Thanks Martin, my eyes (and this screen) has the body a slightly different shade from the wasp stripes. Good old technology to the rescue again!

 

Andy G

[themagicspanner]

A brilliant set of West Highland Line photos.

 

So many nice details to be incorporated into my own Layout.

 

Thanks,

 

 

Mike

[PGH]

Nothing new here, just moving the next 50 images from another thread.

 

The influx of Class 37s on the North Wales Coast Line in the 1990s in the various different liveries seemed worth recording together with whatever else happened along at the same time.  Most of the results were taken on colour negative film but the following 50 were taken on transparencies which have been scanned and they cover the period between May 1999 and April 2000.

 

 

 

37421 on 10.07 Birmingham to Holyhead at Conwy Morfa  15.5.1999

 

 

 

47722 on 'Snowdonian' special at Conwy Morfa  15.5.1999

 

 

 

37216 on 10.48 Holyhead to Birmingham at Llysfaen  19.5.1999

 

 

 

37216 on 14.23 Birmingham to Holyhead at Conwy Morfa  19.5.1999

 

 

 

37413 on 11.16 Bangor to Birmingham leaving Llandudno Junction  22.5.1999

 

 

 

37203 on 10.07 Birmingham to Holyhead at Llandudno Junction  22.5.1999

 

 

 

37402 on 12.07 Birmingham to Holyhead at Penmaenbach  22.5.1999

 

 

 

47854 on 8.50 Holyhead to London at Llysfaen  27.5.1999

[PGH]

 

37250 on 10.48 Holyhead to Birmingham at Llanfairfechan  27.5.1999

 

 

 

37411 on 10.07 Birmingham to Holyhead at Penmaenbach  27.5.1999

 

 

 

37517 on 8.36 Holyhead to Birmingham at Colwyn Bay  28.5.1999

 

 

 

37058 on 12.07 Birmingham to Holyhead at Llandudno Junction  29.5.1999

 

 

 

37675 + 37429 on 18.22 Holyhead to Birmingham at Colwyn Bay  13.6.1999

 

 

 

37131 on 10.48 Holyhead to Birmingham at Llysfaen  15.6.1999

 

 

 

56120 backing coal train into Llandudno Junction Goods Yard  20.6.1999

 

 

 

Two days later 37713 was on the same duty

 

 

 

37713 leaving Llandudno Junction with coal empties  22.6.1999

[keefr2]

Morning PGH,

 

I've just finished spending a happy few days going through your entire thread, & would just like to add my thanks to you for taking the time to post your superb photos for us to enjoy!

 

Absolutely wonderful stuff!

 

Keith

 

PS - what a fantastic selection of liveries there are in your latest batch - almost makes me want to change from my favourite green diesel era..!!

Edited September 22, 2014 by keefr2

[PGH]

 

47276 + failed 56069 on Daw Mill to Llandudno Junction coal train at Llysfaen  24.6.1999

 

 

 

47276 + failed 56069 removing coal empties from Llandudno Junction Goods Yard  24.6.1999

 

 

 

37426 on 12.22 Bangor to Crewe at Llanfairfechan  26.6.1999

 

 

 

66089 on Hertfordshire Railtours special to Holyhead at Abergele  3.7.1999

 

 

 

47702 on 9.19 Holyhead to London near Abergele  12.7.1999

 

 

 

60017 on ex Penmaenmawr ballast train near Abergele  12.7.1999

 

 

 

47816 + 47781 on Crewe Works test train near Abergele  12.7.1999

 

 

 

37403 on 12.51 Holyhead to Crewe at Penmaenbach  12.7.1999

 

 

 

37426 on 13.54 Holyhead to Birmingham passing 12.07 Birmingham to Holyhead at Penmaenbach  12.7.1999

[PGH]

 

37403 on 16.21 Crewe to Bangor at Llysfaen  12.7.1999

 

 

 

37612 + 37610 on Wylfa nuclear flask train near Abergele  13.7.1999

 

 

 

31420 + 31110 on weedkilling train at Llandudno Junction 15.7.1999

 

 

 

31110 + 31420 on weedkilling train approaching Llandudno Junction from the Llandudno Branch  16.7.1999

 

 

 

37403 on 14.17 Crewe to Bangor at Llanfairfechan  24.7.1999

 

 

 

37414 on 14.23 Birmingham to Holyhead at Penmaenbach  24.7.1999

 

 

 

37154 on 14.23 Birmingham to Holyhead at Llanddulas  31.7.1999

 

 

 

37408 on 13.54 Holyhead to Birmingham at Colwyn Bay  20.8.1999

[PGH]

 

37429 on 14.23 Birmingham to Holyhead at Llanddulas  20.8.1999

 

 

 

37414 + 37426 on 16.21 Crewe to Bangor at Llanddulas  20.8.1999

 

 

 

60039 at Penmaenmawr  21.8.1999

 

 

 

37429 on 11.16 Bangor to Birmingham at Llanfairfechan  21.8.1999

 

 

 

37415 coupling up to its train after running round at Bangor  21.8.1999

 

 

 

37415 at Bangor on 12.22 to Crewe  21.8.1999

 

 

 

37426 on 17.17 Crewe to Holyhead about to pass under the A55 road at Penmaenmawr 21.8.1999

 

 

 

37426 on 10.48 Holyhead to Birmingham near Abergele  10.11.1999

[PGH]

 

37429 on 10.48 Holyhead to Birmingham approaching Llandudno Junction  6.4.2000

 

 

 

37421 on 10.07 Birmingham to Holyhead near Penmaenmawr  6.4.2000

 

 

 

Green DMU on 12.20 Holyhead to Llandudno at Penmaenmawr  6.4.2000

 

 

 

37401 on 12.51 Holyhead to Crewe at Penmaenbach  6.4.2000

 

 

 

37421 on 13.23 Holyhead to Manchester at Conwy Morfa  6.4.2000

 

 

 

37429 on 14.23 Birmingham to Holyhead at Penmaenbach  6.4.2000

 

 

 

47776 on 16.21 Crewe to Bangor at Penmaenbach  6.4.2000

 

 

 

37421 on 12.51 Holyhead to Crewe at Conwy  7.4.2000

[5050]

Super photos - again!  As said before, what a wide selection of liveries available for Cl 37's at that time.  I had 'forgotten' (or more likely, never realised at the time!) how many there were.

 

Why was there a 'chocolate and cream' Mk1 coach regularly rostered with some Mk3's?

[PGH]

Why was there a 'chocolate and cream' Mk1 coach regularly rostered with some Mk3's?

 

They were hired from Rivieria Trains for the summer months, there was also a maroon liveried one as well - info from Coachmann

[5050]

They were hired from Rivieria Trains for the summer months, there was also a maroon liveried one as well - info from Coachmann

Thanks to you both, I was a bit curious.

[RGSrr]

Wonderful, brings back happy memories of camping with midges !!

Thank you Philip

JP

[keefer]

You went camping with midges? Most folk would be trying to avoid the little barstewards!

[Les le Breton]

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to get all of these wonderful, enigmatic photos onto the RMweb. The background detail you have captured behind the rolling stock is really important as it enables modellers, to get that elusive sense of place which transforms a layout from train set to truly atmospheric modelling. As they say in France "Chapeau!"

[dibber25]

What a fabulous thread. Much Wenlock must rate as one of the most attractive and modelable stations around.

 

Jerry

I modelled it round my bedroom in the 1960s, having first modelled the Tetbury branch as the first real line I'd attempted to model. My book, Western Country Stations has Adrian Knowles' superb drawing of Much Wenlock station in it. The building was pretty much a 'Severn Valley' station with extra decoration. It still exists as private dwellings.

CHRIS LEIGH

[coachmann]

Back in steam days, holidays in north Wales meant Railrover Tickets to visit the Western Region. But back at home I modelled fictional London Midland branchlines just to be different from the GWR BLT.  Cyril Freezer and I had a 'deep' discussion about L.M.branches at one Manchester show egged on by 'Smokey' Bourne and I was told his next editorial questioned why folk modelled GW branchline when the L.M.Region had so much to offer! When I took up L.M.Region layout building again just a few years ago, it was a case of continuing where I left off in 1965  -  without question.

 

It was this very thread by Philip (PGH) that awoke my love of the Western.  Living in grimy LMS/LNER territory where sleepy branchlines had closed in the 1950s and DMU's had swept aside other local trains, the 'Western', to me,  was like stepping back in time. It hadn't changed and little auto trains still ran through isolated communities where everything from the brown & cream to locos had barely changed since Churchwards time. While I was bound by the limits of the railrover ticket, not to mention disposable income, PGH travelled all over the country in search of quaint branchlines and industrial complexes. Thanks Phil, you put me back on track!

Edited July 22, 2015 by coachmann