JeffP's photos, early 70's and 80's.

[JeffP]

Having thoroughly enjoyed the sudden crop of photos of both steam, and diesel on here, I'm minded to put a few of mine up.

I have photos going back to 1972 or so, but, sadly, many are in albums with plastic sleeves, so many of them are coloured a weird orange. However, i MAY find some negatives yet.....

 

So I've decided to start with the ones I took when I bought a new camera, a Minolta 9000 with a Minolta F1.4 lens. I had finally gone auto-focus, after my other two cameras, a Pentax ME Super and a Pentax A1, were stolen out of my car while parked in the multi-storey carpark overlooking Doncaster station,  while shopping with a two-year old. Woops...

 

I was so taken up with the new camera that I diligently recorded dates, loco details, camera settings and even the exact time, in some case. Unlike my earlier photos.

There were exceptions, as you'll see.....

 

Until now, I hadn't realised there was so much interest in early 70's/80's stuff, but here are the first six.

 

 

The first shot is of Class 47's 47295, (front), and 47018, taken at Frodingham loco, 13/9/87, at 11:03. I had permission.

 

 

Next comes still green Class 20, 20030, same location, same date, one minute later!

 

 

Next we go to Barnetby, where we see Manchester bound Sprinter Class 150, 150028, entering Barnetby from the north, on 16/9/87, taken at 13:27. The Sprinter is about to be overtaken by a pair of class 37's, 37201/2, working an Immingham ore terminal to Santon, (Scunthorpe BSC Steelworks ore terminal), ore train. They would be held at signals after the station for the DMU to depart.

 

 

Next up is Plassermatic number07725, again at Barnetby, same date as above, one minute later.

 

 

Still at Barnetby, a Sheffield bound first gen DMU in the then common blue/grey livery enters Barnetby from the north. Same date as above, 13:49.  My then dislike of DMU's in general means that no more details were recorded, sorry. I'm even unsure of what class it is?

 

 

Last up, again at Barnetby, class 47, 47361, "Wilton Endeavour" waits at signals for a clear road to Immingham with a train of empty oil tanks. Same date as above, 14:27.

 

Let me know if there is enough interest, and I'll post some more.

 

PS: the originals are pin-sharp, but I scanned them at a low res to post on here, keeping them below 1Mb wasn't easy.

PPS: If the more experienced photographers feel that some are bit under-exposed, they are taken on spot metering, a reading having been taken, where possible, on the underframe, in order to preserve detail.

Edited December 9, 2013 by JeffP

[28XX]

This era is firmly nostalgic now, both with rail and car enthusiasts.  Look at today's price for a rear-wheel-drive Ford Escort.

 

Keep 'em coming Jeff, the juxtaposition of Edwardian rail infrastructure with BR trying to be hip and attractive to passengers seems wonderfully quaint from this distance....

[fishytrains]

I would like to see more. I think the desire for photos of this era is that an increasing number of us grew up at that time and are now returning to modelling and considering this era.

 

Mike

[Rivercider]

 

 

Still at Barnetby, a Sheffield bound first gen DMU in the then common blue/grey livery enters Barnetby from the north. Same date as above, 13:49.  My then dislike of DMU's in general means that no more details were recorded, sorry. I'm even unsure of what class it is?

 

 

The DMU is a class 101 Metro-Cammell set, (and especially topical in view of the current thread on the new Bachmann class 101 release)

 

And always pleased to see a bit of BR Blue

 

cheers

Edited December 9, 2013 by Rivercider

[Grimleygrid]

Lovely photos Jeff, right up my street. Can we have some more please!

 

I would have loved to visit Barnetby during that period.....it was 94 before I made my first visit.

[Vin]

Jeff,

 

It is my turn to enjoy your photos. Please keep them coming. Your photos are of an area I know nothing about. Not seen that style of livery worn by 47.361 before. What is the little logo to the right of the nameplate?

[Vin]

Hi there,

 

The white logo is the Thornaby kingfisher logo. This loco was a Thornaby 'pet' and carried several versions of this livery. Including black headcode panels, large numbers in the centre of the bodyside.

 

Regards

 

Vin

[Rivercider]

 

Next comes still green Class 20, 20030, same location, same date, one minute later!

 

 

20030 had previously been repainted from green to blue, but then received a celebrity repaint (along with 20064) to the green livery you saw it in, 

and they were subsequently used for railtours

 

cheers

Edited December 9, 2013 by Rivercider

[Removed a/c]

Feel free to post away, great era and thanks for posting your photos for us. 

 

 

 

Regards 

Scott 

[JeffP]

Yep, the logo on 47361 is a faded Thornaby Kingfisher.

How odd to think that not only has the loco gone, but so has Thornaby depot.

 

A few more from the same era, then:

 

 

The first shot depicts 47361 again, this time inside the shed at Frodingham, 20/9/87 at 11:03

 

 

Nameplate details of the above. This was when I appreciated how "fast" the Minolta F1.4 lens was.

 

 

Later that night, the loco left light engine to return to it's home depot. It is seen here emerging from Keadby Bridge, (strictly called the King George V Bridge), and running through Althorpe station. Date as above, 18:35.

 

 

Five minutes later, this DMU entered Althorpe from the west, heading for Cleethorpes. This photo clearly shows the benefits of spot metering, as it was taken against the setting sun.

 

 

Four days later, on 24/9/87, a sunny evening finds class 47 47 350, "British Petroleum" crossing the Trent at Keadby, heading west. 17:15.

 

 

And half an hour later, class 20's, 20112/6 are seen at the same spot on an empty car carrier. 17:49 Just noticed my Coke can in that last shot.

 

Althorpe station is great for photographing trains heading west, in the evening, but difficult to get decent shots of trains heading east, as the line runs almost E-W at this spot.

Edited December 9, 2013 by JeffP

[Grimleygrid]

Thanks for Posting your photos Jeff, much appreciated and enjoyable to browse through.

 

You can't help but love Thornaby's touch with their locos!

 

Keep them coming Sir.

[JeffP]

Just got back from the Charity shop, where I donated nearly 200 paperbacks, most quite modern.

 

This lunchtime's offering:

 

 

Class 101 unit heading east for Cleethorpes, about to cross Keadby Bridge, 24/9/87, 17:24.

 

 

Just over a week later, we see Sprinter 150256 about to enter Crowle from the east, running alongside the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation Stainforth and Keadby canal. 2/10/87, 18:10

 

 

On the 3rd October 1978, Doncaster Works held an open day, and Class 08, 08562 named "The Doncaster Postman" was on display. 3/10/87, 15:15

 

 

Also being shown, although awaiting scrapping, was class 46 46010.

 

 

The last three show class 47 newly painted and lined out in LNER apple green, and named "Doncaster Enterprise" on that day.15:25/6& 16:10.

 

As an aside, during the 70's and 80's, I visited quite a few works, and NONE had such a good standard of paintwork as Doncaster. It was rare to find a blemish, let alone painted over flaking paint and rust, such as could be found at Crewe, which I found had the lowest standard.

Edited December 10, 2013 by JeffP

[jonny777]

An excellent set of photos Jeff, thanks. An area that was overlooked in the 60s/70s by many photographers, including myself I am ashamed to add; so your images are showing me exactly what I missed. I would have loved to have been at Barnetby in steam/diesel transition days, as well.

[JeffP]

I went a few times, but sadly, didn't own a camera.

 

Last visit of note three of us went to see Britannia 70012, "John O'Gaunt" on the final Britannia hauled train on that section.

 

On our way home, we were utterly amazed to find the expected diesel unit substituted by B1 61250, "A. Harold Bibby", which gave us a spirited run to Scunthorpe...my last ever steam haulage.

 

We also visited Frodingham depot on the night of Saturday 26th February, the night it closed to steam, after attending a meeting of the Scunthrorpe and District Railway Enthusiasts Society, SADRES. We were given a guided tour by the same foreman that used to chuck us out regularly.

I became 14 that year and was allowed on club trips, but most of the sheds were either empty of dieselised.....only the Crewe trip and the Liverpool trip  were decent, still a good few Jubilees about, and LOADS of Brits!!!

But I missed all the Stanier Pacifics by about four years.   In fact, I never saw one in service.

 

This next photo, although not one of mine, shows a trip in June 1962 to Doncaster works:

 

 

I was standing next to the photographer at the time, and remember him saying to me, "This is a rare'un, Jeff." I was recently given the photo to scan in by a good friend of the original photographer.

 

Now that's a scene I'd like to reconstruct, even the Crimpsall erecting shop wall has character!

Edited December 10, 2013 by JeffP

[JeffP]

Strange, isn't it?

 

I often look at pictures of GWR locos and wish I had seen such esoteric delights as a County, a Manor, a Grange, a Hall.........let alone the myriad other classes.

 

I was lucky to go and stay with an uncle who lived in London in March 1966, with my best mate, now, sadly, no longer with us, and we spent nearly every day on the platforms at Waterloo, watching the end of Southern Region steam.

We even managed a visit to Nine Elms, but only got part way round.

 

I did go on holiday one year to Bridport, then a fortnight camping in Cornwall, but my dad strictly ruled out any trainspotting, and at nine years old, I wasn't in a position to go myself.

An even earlier memory is of standing beside the line at our campsite at Pwllhelli, watching steam engines, around 1956, but at four, I had no idea they even HAD numbers, let alone what the different types were.

 

What was that song again? Why was I born too soon? In my case, too late!

[JeffP]

Tonight we'll finish with the Doncaster works open day.

 

 

First off is class 37, 37501 "Teesside Steelmaster", in it's original light blue. Behind the loco is the roof of the loco test house.

 

 

Next is class 31/4, 31418, seen off it's bogies undergoing a heavy general overhaul in the Crimpsall Erecting shop. A nice view of the front of a "skinhead" 31, if I do say so.

 

 

In the works yard was class 31/1. 31105, in Railfreight grey with the red stripe. Another "skinhead".

 

 

Also in that livery is class 20, 20163.

 

 

And finally a view looking towards the paintshops, of 56017, 46010 and 20163. Other photos I haven't kept with these as there were just too many folk in front of the locos.

 

Tomorrow we are back at Frodingham.

Edited December 10, 2013 by JeffP

[JeffP]

And so, back to the mundane life at Frodingham...although it wasn't always so, as we shall see later!

 

 

First off, on4/10/87, we find class 47, 47012, showing the Eastfield Scottie Dog emblem, stabled at the rear of the shed.

 

 

A week later, on 11/10/87, I manged to get round Immingham with permission. Never an easy shed, being situated in the middle of Immingham dockland, it had a back entrance which was watched by CCTV, but, on this occasion, I took the wife, blonde and very pretty, and she asked for me!

Here, highlighted by the evening sun, is class 56, 56109, in a nice clean condition.

 

 

On the same day, class 37, 37119 stands beside the old steam shed at Immingham.

 

 

And also on that day, celbrity class 20, 20030 is in front of the new diesel shed.

 

 

A chance visit to Frodingham on the evening of 14/10/87 found class 31, 31327, "Phillips Petroleum" in railfreight red livery.

The foreman at Frodingham was very understanding, and often stabled "interesting locos" beside Dawes Lane, so that we could get decent photos, and access was relatively easy.

 

The eagle eyed among you might have spotted a very rare interloper to the left of 31327.......

 

 

Name plate of 31327

 

 

At the rear of the shed stands class 47, 47379,  "Total Energy". Again, note how it is stabled on it's own.

 

 

 

 

Now for the interloper.  The first shot shows class 20, 20162, class 26, 26025, and 31327 lined up at the front of the shed, seen from Dawes lane, looking west.

On entry to the shed for permission, the running foreman told me that 20162 was due to move, so I'd get better photos if I waited ten minutes, hence the shot of 47379.

 

Once the class 20, (which worked on it's own, and was out-stationed usually at Barnetby for the CCE tip workings), had moved, I got the above two shots of the 26.

I was told that it was on it's way to an open day at Sleaford, but quite why it was at Frodingham, I'm unsure. It was certainly the rarest loco I ever saw there, on a par with the occasional Jubilee and even Royal Scot, or Patriot we got from the Leeds area in steam days.

Edited December 11, 2013 by JeffP

[JeffP]

Only three for tonight, and quite sad ones really:

 

 

Hull Botanic Gardens, 17/10/87.

I can't remember why we had gone to Hull, we usually didn't shop there, resenting the Humber Bridge tolls. However, we had gone on that day, and called in at the shed. On asking permission, I was told the shed closed the next day. I was lent an orange hi-viz vest and given free rein.

 

 

It proved a short visit, however, as the only two locos on shed were class 47, 47219, and class 08, 08499.

 

In retrospect, I wish I had thought to take more photos of the inside of the depot, the buildings etc, all now gone.

 

On taking my leave, the foreman asked if I would like to keep the Hi-viz vest as a memento. I still have it, safely folded in my camera bag. Inside, it is marked: BR(E).

 

The building in the right background of the last shot is Hull Royal Infirmary. It now overlooks a single road modern refuelling/servicing depot for the units which now serve Hull Paragon.

Edited December 11, 2013 by JeffP

[JeffP]

This morning sees us a long way from Scunthorpe.

The old Network South-East, under Chris Green, (the best manager British Rail never had, IMHO), ran several "Network Days", whereby a Rover ticket could be obtained granting travel all day in the NSE region. If I recall correctly, £5 was asked?

 

On 24th October I traveled, with the son of a friend,  to Huntingdon, the most northerly station offering tickets, arriving just in time for the first service to King's Cross.

My young friend had never been on the southern region, so we spent quite a bit of the day on Southern metals. Unfortunately, I was nursing a stinking cold, which had gone into my sinuses, and caused my right eye to water continuously, so I didn't go mad with the photos, just went with James where he wanted to go.

 

James later got a degree and went to work for British Rail.

 

 

Ahshford station with class 08, 08929 in attendance.

 

 

At Waterloo, several things were on display. One of them was newly repainted class 73/0, 73004, "The Bluebell Railway".

My memory tells me we saw all but one 73/0 on that day.

 

 

Cab detail of the 73/0

 

 

 

And two shots showing name, and works, plates.

 

 

Also at Waterloo was Stewarts Lane's breakdown crane. The plaque on it reads, "Ransomes and Rapier", the same folk who made turntables for British Railways and the companies before that.

 

 

Last things I snapped at Waterloo were specially repainted 4SUB unit 4732, and new class 319, 319002, parked side by side. The old and the new, indeed.

 

The most memorable thing for me was arriving home with full-blown sinusitis, and being on painkillers and anti-biotics all the next week.

 

 

[jonny777]

Excellent photos again.

 

I managed to pester my parents to allow me to visit London stations (a 220 mile round trip from where I lived) on my own in 1967, but not until August and although I did visit Waterloo, steam had ended a couple of months earlier. 

[JeffP]

Back to Frodingham, and another murky Autumn day.

 

 

On the 8th November 1987, class 56, 56047 stands at the rear of the shed.

 

 

Who says I didn't photograph the infrastructure? The old goods depot on High Street East, still sporting it's sign, twenty-plus years after British Railways ceased to exist.

For a short time, after the diesel depot at Frodingham closed, the offices were used as a signing-on point. Date as above.

 

 

A fortnight later, the noses of class 37's, 37068 and 37066 frame diesel shunter class 08, 08445. 22/11/87

 

 

On 20/12/87 class 47, 47097 is at the front of the shed

 

 

 

Almost a month later on 20/12/87, the same pair of 37's as seen above are still coupled. I think they were in use on the Immingham-Santon iron ore trains, and had come in for fuelling.

 

 

 

Nameplate of 37068, date as above. Interesting effect for weathering buffs.

 

 

Round the back of the shed stands DB975118, in front of the old shunter shed. 20/12/87.

The building behind, known to spotters as the shunter, or "basher", shed, housed, and serviced  the depot's diesel shunters in steam days in order to have a cleaner working environment.

 

 

Also at the rear of the shed stand DB975127, an unnumbered yellow departmental coach and ADB975376. also 20/12/87.

Edited December 12, 2013 by JeffP

[JeffP]

Christmas 1987 saw me armed with a Minolta 70-210 lens, so off I went to try it out.

 

 

First off is southbound HST 43029/008 leaving York, 22/12/87, (yes, I got the lens early).

 

 

On the same day, class31/4, 31441 rounds the curve of the station avoiding lines at York,heading north,  towing a dead dmu.

 

 

And that train was rapidly followed by departmental class 97, 97413, with a train of ballast hoppers.

 

 

Next class 31/1, 31101 rounds the curve with a southbound Speedlink service. Nice weathering on that 31.....

 

 

At the fuelling point at York depot stands class 08, 08771, same date as above.

 

 

And finally, the late afternoon sunshine catches a line up at the stabling point. From left to right: 47353, 31242 and 45113.

 

By that time, we started to lose the light, and telephotos not being very "fast" lenses, we decided to call it a day.

 

Some may question why there are so many standing locos, compared with moving trains. The answer is simple: despite it's complexity, the Minolta 9000 wasn't renowned as being particularly good on autofocus, since it relied heavily on looking for vertical lines. As soon as it lost one, ie: when the nose of a loco passed the centre spot of the viewfinder, and the loco side came into it, the camera had an annoying habit of hunting focus, so quite a few shots were missed. I ended up needing to put it on manual focus for moving train shots.

Edited December 13, 2013 by JeffP

[Fat Controller]

I wonder if that DMMU being towed had just failed, or was it one of the stored sets that had been reinstated as loco-hauled stock to cover the problems with the Pacer/Sprinter fleet? The dates would be about correct for the latter.

[JeffP]

That's quite possible. The fact that it was avoiding the station was what led me to think "failed".

 

Here are a few more for tonight, back to a not so murky Frodingham.

 

 

Standing in the afternoon sunlight on 10/1/88 is Frodingham based class 08, 08401. A weathering buff's photo if ever I saw one, nicely showing underframe details and with what appears to be a cab repaint, but still quite dirty?

The overhead sanders, which were such a feature of the shed, are seen to good effect.

 

 

Seen first from the bank to the west of the shed, and then from closer up, Sprinter class150, 150204 was in for fueling, apparently. Same date.

Must have been a Sunday, four out of six shunters then allocated are lined up. The sanders and sand store can also be seen, as can the old-style depot lights, these look as if they may have come from the steam shed. I am standing approximately where the turntable was in steam days for the first photo.

 

 

Just on the western side of the depot is class 20, 20112, same date.

 

 

And nearer the back of the shed, on the stabling roads, stands class 37, 37042, same date.

Edited December 13, 2013 by JeffP

[JeffP]

In the late 80's, I was involved with education, and was part of a ski-ing trip going during the February half-term. We had a young man join the part late, we had space, and the only problem was the collective passport: it needed altering.

 

I was quoted 6 weeks to do so, which would have meant him not going, but they DID say they would do it "over the counter" on one day, so long as I was willing to bring it and wait.

 

I took the chance and went over to Liverpool, (on my own dime). I had some time at Lime Street...in those days I could catch a train at Scunthorpe and it went all the way tio Liverpool, class 31 and Mk1's.

 

Here are a few from that day:

 

 

First up is  class 86, 233, "Laurance Olivier".

 

 

 

Next is class 86, 86426, numbered as E3195, standing at the bufferstops. 24/1/88

 

 

View of the lion and wheel crest carried by 86426.

 

 

 

Two locos entering the station, class 31 31446 brings in the Cleethorpes-Liverpool train, which would form my train home, and class 47, 47411, "The Geordie" waits to back down onto the Newcsatle train.

 

 

Better view of 47411.

 

 

And, a few minutes later, 47411 departs for Newcastle.

 

 

My train loco backs down onto the stock from the Cleethorpes-Liverpool train, class 31, 31456.

 

 

Before my train left, I was able to photograph Pacer units 142026, 142058 and 142003. The latter is still carrying Cornish railways livery, iirc.

Lurking at the rear is class 08,08917.

 

 

My final photo of the day was of departmental Sprinter unit, DB999600/01.

Edited December 17, 2013 by JeffP