Dave F's photos - ongoing - more added each day

[DaveF]

Photos of Southern Region trains today, all taken in 1977 and 1979.  The train identifications may be correct.

 

I think the locations are correct but I'm not sure I could find some of the places if I went back there now.

 

 

Bobbing Class 423 7861 Victoria to Ramsgate Sat 23rd April 77 C3306

 

 

Hildenborough Class 73 73139 track relaying train following derailment March 79 C4362

 

 

Hollingbourne Class 411 7157 Margate to Victoria via Maidstone July 79 C4632

 

 

Hollingbourne Class 411 7157 Margate to Victoria via Maidstone July 79 C4633

 

 

Leigh Gloucester dmu set L585 Tonbridge to Redhill Nov 79 C4878

 

 

David

[Market65]

Hi, Dave. A great set of Southern Region photos today. So good to see the electric units going about their everyday work.

I wonder what derailment that was in C4362.

 

With warmest regards,

 

Rob.

[DaveF]

Hi, Dave. A great set of Southern Region photos today. So good to see the electric units going about their everyday work.

I wonder what derailment that was in C4362.

 

With warmest regards,

 

Rob.

 

I may have known at the time I took the photo but didn't write it down.

 

I can't find any references to it on the web so can only assume it was a fairly minor derailment.

 

David

[talisman56]

I may have known at the time I took the photo but didn't write it down.

 

I can't find any references to it on the web so can only assume it was a fairly minor derailment.

 

David

 

The only reference to a derailment at Hildenborough I can find is one concerning a freight train on 6th June 1970, which resulted in the line being blocked for 3 days.

 

(GT Moody, Southern Electric 1909-1979 (Fifth ed.))

Edited August 4, 2016 by talisman56

[class"66"]

More impressive photos..

 

 

 

 

cheers neil.

[DaveF]

East Coast Main Line photos today, to the north and south of Grantham.  According to my notes we haven't had these images before.

 

I'll start with the northernmost one and head southwards.

 

 

Claypole Class 46 up ex pass  11.00 Bradford/11.30 Leeds to Kings X July 69 J1780

 

 

Dry Doddington Class 47 D1670 Mammoth down cement April 69 J1648

 

 

Barkston Class 47 D1900 up iron ore empties Sept 68 J1422  10.31 Barnetby to Grantham conditional service, ran when required.  Info from jonny777, many thanks.

 

 

Burton le Coggles Class 47 down ex pass  15.00 Kings X to Newcastle Aug 72 C1136

 

 

Essendine Class 55022 Royal Scots Grey up Saturday Yorkshire Pullman Dec 74 C1840

 

 

Thanks once again to mark54 for the passenger train details.

David

Edited August 5, 2016 by DaveF

[Market65]

Hi, Dave. Excellent photos of the ECML. I can't help noticing, that but for a change of traction, the railway was still essentially a steam age railway - semaphore signals - telegraph poles etc.

The diesels were quite unkempt and unloved at that time. All gloriously captured by the camera for posterity.

 

With warmest regards,

 

Rob.

[Jamiel]

Lovely photos as always.

With regard to the signalling on the ECML, I was under the impression that the actual ECML had been light signals since 1953 and the southern section earlier. The semaphores are most likely to be leading to a branch line - although I am happy to be corrected on this.

As part of my M.A. studies last year I researched the modernisation of York railway station after WW2 up to the present day, and the film 'This Is York' by the BR films team covered the station in 1953 and showed the new light signals.

These signals were just on the main line though, so surrounding lines took much longer to be updated.

Jamie

[Market65]

Hi. I have photo's of Grantham in the early sixties showing LNER upper quadrant arms on GNR lattice gantries. There were other semaphores on the actual main line itself until the early seventies I think I am right in saying.

 

With regards,

 

Rob.

 

P.S. And then, of course, there is Peterborough North - you only have to see Gilbert's excellent layout...all those lattice posts etc.,

Edited August 4, 2016 by Market65

[mark54]

1A20 was the 11:00 Bradford/11:30 Leeds-KX

1N18 was the 15:00 KX-Newcastle

[Phil Bullock]

Smashing photos Dave

 

Wonder how D1670 ended up on an ECML working?

 

Phil

[DavidBird]

Hi. I have photo's of Grantham in the early sixties showing LNER upper quadrant arms on GNR lattice gantries.

...

 

I have memories of my father taking me to visit relatives in Newark.  As my mother wasn't with us we also had a visit to Northgate, as well as Barnby Crossing.  I particularly remember him explaining "double-pegged", where the distant, and so all the stop signals of the next box - Newark Crossing? - were cleared as well.  I was very impressed, such trains must have been very important expresses...

 

Barnby Crossing at the time had opening (not lifting) barriers, supported with a wheel, hand worked by a crossing keeper... 

 

This must have been mid 1970s...

[Richard Mawer]

I have memories of my father taking me to visit relatives in Newark.  As my mother wasn't with us we also had a visit to Northgate, as well as Barnby Crossing.  I particularly remember him explaining "double-pegged", where the distant, and so all the stop signals of the next box - Newark Crossing? - were cleared as well.  I was very impressed, such trains must have been very important expresses...

 

Barnby Crossing at the time had opening (not lifting) barriers, supported with a wheel, hand worked by a crossing keeper... 

 

This must have been mid 1970s...

Thats where I grew up. My parents road crosses the line at the next level crossing along: Bullpit Lane Crossing.

 

I remember the old gates and wheel in the adjacent signal box. Just a short bike ride away. All barriers and unmanned box now.

 

Now there are plans to close the Bullpit Lane Crossing completely. I guess it will become a cul de sac!

 

Rich

[35A]

Hi Dave.

 

The Deltic in C1840 is 55 022 "Royal Scots Grey" (identifiable from the footwell above the buffer beam on the nose end).

[35A]

Smashing photos Dave

 

Wonder how D1670 ended up on an ECML working?

 

Phil

 

The WR named locos did, occasionally, stray onto the ECML. I've mentioned in an earlier post how the first one that I saw was 1673 "Cyclops" at Peterborough in 1971.

 

At that time D1676 "Vulcan" and D1677 "Thor" would have been likely candidates (they often turned up on the Wrenthorpe to Dagenham car trains circa 1970/71), as they were transferred to Stratford for a couple of years. In fact, as 47 085, "Mammoth" was also a Stratford loco for a considerable time - although not as early as 1969.

[Ray M]

Not to sure about the date, on the Deltic photo though.

I thought that  headcodes went offline in 1976 ?

[caradoc]

The last semaphore signal on the ECML, at Doncaster Decoy, was in use until September 1978.

[DaveF]

Not to sure about the date, on the Deltic photo though.

I thought that  headcodes went offline in 1976 ?

 

I did wonder too when I wrote the caption.

 

However, the date is correct, I've checked both dad's and my slide catlogues.  Looking at both Dad's and my photos the Deltics had the white dots fitted from late 1974.  The first photo we took of them fitted was in November 1974.

 

Other classes received them much later.

 

David

[beast66606]

The last semaphore signal on the ECML, at Doncaster Decoy, was in use until September 1978.

 

I think that was the last semaphore at Doncaster, I'm reasonably sure the last semaphore on the ECML was in Scotland, it even made the news with the arm being ceremoniously lowered - but I cant find a reference to it.

 

There were still a lot of semaphores on the ECML until the power boxes came along during the 1970s, stage works for these took out a lot of course but the semaphores lasted well into the 1970s.

[russ p]

Being really pedantic semaphores are still on the ECML at Peterborough Eastfield , it's technically a yard off the line but you can be routed through it

[The Stationmaster]

I think that was the last semaphore at Doncaster, I'm reasonably sure the last semaphore on the ECML was in Scotland, it even made the news with the arm being ceremoniously lowered - but I cant find a reference to it.

 

There were still a lot of semaphores on the ECML until the power boxes came along during the 1970s, stage works for these took out a lot of course but the semaphores lasted well into the 1970s.

 

The ECML was an interesting mixture and there was basically a dividing line between the old Northern Area of the LNER and the Southern Area then a dividing line between the NERegion and the Eastern Region.

 

The Northern Area went in for colour light signalling in a fairly big way pre-war with power 'boxes commissioned at Thirsk and Northallerton in the 1930s plus intermediate signalling between them and slightly further afield converted to automatic multiple aspect colour light signals (MAS) at much the same time.  I think Darlington was also converted to MAS pre-war but the York scheme was delayed by the war and not commissioned until the early 1950s with Newcastle following some years later.  The NERegion didn't then do much in the way of filling the remaining semaphore gaps until the 1960s/70s.

 

In Scotland Edinburgh Waverley was converted to colour lights pre-war but that was the lot.

 

On the Southern Area/ER Kings Cross was resignalled with colour light pre-war but the only other place done was Doncaster (only immediately around the station) which was, I think post war but in LNER days.  The only other full scheme was Potters Bar which was done as part of the widening work in the 1950s and the rest remained semaphore but with some isolated Distants and occasionally other signals replaced by colour lights but working under Absolute Block conditions still.

 

Then - as Beast has already said - came the big 1970s schemes (and his comment re the Doncaster signal is correct).

[Enterprisingwestern]

I did wonder too when I wrote the caption.

 

However, the date is correct, I've checked both dad's and my slide catlogues.  Looking at both Dad's and my photos the Deltics had the white dots fitted from late 1974.  The first photo we took of them fitted was in November 1974.

 

Other classes received them much later.

 

David

 

The first Deltic gained domino headcodes in 1971 or 1972, (lost in the mists of time!), came as quite a shock at Doncaster, pre internet and advance warning days.

 

Mike.

[railsquid]

Burton le Coggles Class 47 down ex pass Aug 72 C1136.jpg

Burton le Coggles Class 47 down ex pass  15.00 Kings X to Newcastle Aug 72 C1136

 

I like this one - steam-era livery with coaches which lasted well into the Internet era.

[Downendian]

The first Deltic gained domino headcodes in 1971 or 1972, (lost in the mists of time!), came as quite a shock at Doncaster, pre internet and advance warning days.

 

Mike.

Agreed Mike, I have a photo of 9009 complete with domino dots dating from 1972.

Neil

[DaveF]

Another visit to Church Lane level crossing, just north west of Ingatestone on the Great eastern line to Chelmsford, Colchester and beyond today.

 

The photos were all taken in July 1979.  As far as I can remember they were all taken on a Saturday, probably the first or second weekend in the month, just possibly the third Saturday.

 

 

Church Lane Crossing 309603 Clacton to LIverpool St July 79 C4597

 

 

Church Lane Crossing Class 47 47169 up freightliner July 79 C4598

 

 

Church Lane Crossing Class 31 down freight July 79 C4603  may be 31019

 

 

Church Lane Crossing 37011 Norwich to Liverpool St July 79 C4604

 

 

Church Lane Crossing 306083 down ecs July 79 C4605

 

 

David

Edited August 5, 2016 by DaveF