Jonny's Dodgy Quality (Mostly Cardiff) Photos

[jonny777]

 

43010 has arrived at platform 4 in 1983.

 

 

 

 

08580 is on shunting duties in 1976.

 

 

 

 

50033 arrives (possibly with a Manchester service in 1983.

 

 

 

 

Three 37s at Canton in 1976, including 37307 and 37299. My jury is still out on whether the two left hand locos are in green, or just very dirty. There are no BR arrows or lion transfers which only adds to the confusion.

 

 

 

 

I think this is D1051, and it appears to be running round its train in platform 1. Another 1976 photo.

The loco certainly has a long name, maybe 11 characters.

[brushman47544]

37307 37299 CF 1976.jpg

 

Three 37s at Canton in 1976, including 37307 and 37299. My jury is still out on whether the two left hand locos are in green, or just very dirty. There are no BR arrows or lion transfers which only adds to the confusion.

 

 

D1051 CF 1976.jpg

 

I think this is D1051, and it appears to be running round its train in platform 1. Another 1976 photo.

The loco certainly has a long name, maybe 11 characters.

 

I think 37299 is green, on the basis that there is a clean bit of paintwork under the RH cab window where it looks like the D number has been painted out.

 

I agree it's D1051. If you look at this photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/24555083@N08/2859588899 the positions of the 0O00 in the headcode panel match.

[jonny777]

 

37069 has charge of an oil train westbound in 1983.

 

 

 

 

37906 and 37902 double head an eastbound train, probably the eastbound iron ore train, in 1991.

 

 

 

 

46045 runs l/e through the station in 1978.

 

 

 

 

47321 with coal empties in 1984.

 

 

 

 

47465 on Canton depot in 1980.

[HillsideDepot]

Some great details in that 1980 shot of Canton with 47465. The gas cylinders in their cages, the Rail Blue grounded van bodies, the electrical equipment fenced off and the proliferation of huts in the background, all asking to be modelled. Wonderful stuff, thanks for sharing your photographic collection with us.

 

[jonny777]

 

08352 rests by the old water tower in 1979. Are you one of the spotters?

 

 

 

 

25222 has just arrived with a service from Crewe in 1978.

 

 

 

31131 has a shiny new coat of blue paint at Canton, compared to its 37 stablemates in 1976. A 123 unit has been through the washer after a run from Bristol or Portsmouth.

 

 

 

 

Too slow a shutter speed as 33057 runs into platform 1 in 1982.

 

 

 

 

37141 heads towards Cardiff from the east with steel coil in 1981. Again the lines across the loco are a scanner fault.

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

...

08352 rests by the old water tower in 1979. Are you one of the spotters?

...

I had to look twice, but no, not me. It was sunny when I went.

And if you think your photos are dodgy quality, you should see mine from the same year (or possibly 1980):

 

[Rivercider]

Some great details in that 1980 shot of Canton with 47465. The gas cylinders in their cages, the Rail Blue grounded van bodies, the electrical equipment fenced off and the proliferation of huts in the background, all asking to be modelled. Wonderful stuff, thanks for sharing your photographic collection with us.

 

 

Agreed there is a lot of modellable detail there, including the VCA which is probably in the Enparts pool

 

cheers 

[jonny777]

I had to look twice, but no, not me. It was sunny when I went.

And if you think your photos are dodgy quality, you should see mine from the same year (or possibly 1980):

N50_0013.jpg N50_0014.jpg

 

One thing that I try not to do is dismiss any well exposed photos from that era.

 

They all are unique in their own way and contain details which may not appear anywhere else.

 

And a quick rummage with the software produced this

 

 

 

Which seems a bit better already.

[Rivercider]

Here is one of my instamatic photos from the 1970s, again of a class 25 and a DMU,

 

25245 has recently arrived with a service from Crewe and will shortly take the empty stock to Canton, 10/9/79

 

edit, and I have not yet recogised myself in any of the photos, though as I made plenty of visits in the late 1970s/early 1980s I will keep looking.

 

cheers 

[Downendian]

I think 37299 is green, on the basis that there is a clean bit of paintwork under the RH cab window where it looks like the D number has been painted out.

 

I agree it's D1051. If you look at this photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/24555083@N08/2859588899 the positions of the 0O00 in the headcode panel match.

I would agree too that the two 37s look green. But according to Russell Saxton's list 37 299 was never green TOPS.

Edit: according to ICRS and Russell too 37 289 was green TOPS up to April 1976, is it possible it was 37 289 Jonny instead?

http://www.railblue.com/rail_blue_history_2.htm

But photographic evidence is always the trump card - interesting to see the lack of BR arrow or emblem too. A very interesting photograph - keep them coming Jonny.

Neil

[jonny777]

Yes, it could be 37289, Neil. The photo is not sharp enough to see the number clearly even at full scan resolution and I have just taken the details from the slide mount.

[jonny777]

Here is one of my instamatic photos from the 1970s, again of a class 25 and a DMU,

 

scan0075a.jpg

25245 has recently arrived with a service from Crewe and will shortly take the empty stock to Canton, 10/9/79

 

edit, and I have not yet recogised myself in any of the photos, though as I made plenty of visits in the late 1970s/early 1980s I will keep looking.

 

cheers 

 

 

Very good for an instamatic photo. All it needs is a bit of brightening up.

 

Fortunately for me, I can get my scanner software to attempt that while scanning and then I just tweak the image a little afterwards.

 

The ones that are difficult to do much with are the very underexposed, because so much detail is lost in the dark areas. However, if you are prepared to spend hours on one scan then even those can be improved a lot, but I don't have that amount of time.

[eastwestdivide]

For underexposed scans, Photoshop's Lighten Shadows (Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights) can help recover detail from dark areas without too much degradation of the rest of the photo, and without spending too much time. Hopefully substitute the equivalent in whatever other software you're using.

[jonny777]

More and more 47s.

 

They just kept on coming.

 

 

 

An unidentified class member on an excursion train, if the headcode is to be believed, passes Canton in the autumn of 1975.

 

 

 

 

47016 with its short lived Toleman Group nameplates, at Canton in March 1988.

 

 

 

 

47033 runs through the station in 1979

 

 

 

 

47053 arrives in platform 1 in 1986.

 

 

 

 

47111 at Canton depot in 1978.

 

 

[HillsideDepot]

 

Would that be the wagons off 6V73 21:12 Calvert - Cardiff, London Brick Company Train, in the siding to the right?

The train also set down a portion at Bristol East, later tripped over to Lawrence Hill, which is why it got my interest as it's one of the workings I have "borrowed" for my Mortimore's yard layout. Nice to see it at it's destination. Incidentally, they went back empty as 6M71 13:32 Cardiff - Calvert. 

[Southernman46]

 

Off to provide our Sunday morning entertainment in the loco starved wastelands of the North Kent coast

 

Treherbert & Tenby being a regular starting points ISTR

 

"Any Specials today, Mr ?" was an oft heard call up to the Gillingham Signalman as he came to put the LX gates down................. long before the days of RTT when insider knowledge was usually the spoken word or a gratefully received copy of that weeks Special Traffic notice whilst hanging around the station .......

 

Jumpers for goalposts - isn't it, hmmmm

[br2975]

 

Would that be the wagons off 6V73 21:12 Calvert - Cardiff, London Brick Company Train, in the siding to the right?

 

The train also set down a portion at Bristol East, later tripped over to Lawrence Hill, which is why it got my interest as it's one of the workings I have "borrowed" for my Mortimore's yard layout. Nice to see it at it's destination. Incidentally, they went back empty as 6M71 13:32 Cardiff - Calvert.

Most likely the Calvert working - hence the term 'Canton, Brickyard' and still used today, even if it is a Network Rail car park now.

.

Later used to unload coils from north of the border, amongst other things.

.

In the mid 80s the overnight papers from Paddington were tripped here and unloaded under a newly built canopy..... until the vans and papers went up in flames one morning, much to the consternation of one Donal 'Curly' Humphries whose used car lot was right next door.

.

Also used to ship out rolling stock, as the only road access to Canton TMD is under two low bridges, and up a driveway that would lead to the grounding of a low loader.

 

As for the train possibly being a Mystery Excursion, I think they were on the wane, if not extinct by 1975.

.

Brian R

[jonny777]

Yes I know this is a Cardiff thread, and yes I know the photo below is at Reading.

 

But I have just scanned it, and thought you might like to see it because it not only shows 47481 in 1977, but next to it is a wooden bodied vehicle painted in green which seems to have survived very late in such a clean condition.

 

 

[two tone green]

Brush 4's playing tag is it ?

[eastwestdivide]

I'd guess the green vehicle was a departmental conversion that had been (re)painted green relatively recently to the date of the photo. The end window might be a late addition for departmental use, mess van perhaps. This sort of thing: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrvans/h202a5631#h202a5631

[jonny777]

Brush 4's playing tag is it ?

 

The one furthest away is the standby loco, which remained there in case of (or until) main line failure. I suspect 481 has come off an inter-regional train and has been given permission by the signallers to stable in the standby road to await the opposite working.

[two tone green]

Sounds reasonable. Thanks for the explanation.

 

Great photos. I keep looking out for myself in your photos.

[jonny777]

Actually thinking about it; we could have similar threads on Reading, Plymouth, Bristol etc., and that is just in the west.

 

What about Carlisle, Doncaster, Stafford, Ipswich and the rest?

 

A library of photos for historical purposes, ordered by location?

[jonny777]

But returning to the thread subject.

 

This photo poses a real problem.  I can't remember ever seeing a train of cars passing through Cardiff (Motorail excepted).

 

Bridgend did have a Ford factory, but that produced engines. I don't think it was ever a car assembly plant - or was it?

 

If not, what is this train?   Irish assembly imports?

 

 

 

37236 in July 1976

[Fat Controller]

But returning to the thread subject.

 

This photo poses a real problem.  I can't remember ever seeing a train of cars passing through Cardiff (Motorail excepted).

 

Bridgend did have a Ford factory, but that produced engines. I don't think it was ever a car assembly plant - or was it?

 

If not, what is this train?   Irish assembly imports?

 

 

Scan-151006-0004.jpg

 

37236 in July 1976

Bridgend (and Swansea) were only ever component manufacturers. These may have been imports, but I've never heard of any car import traffic via the South Wales ports. I'd suggest that it was a rake intended for the terminal at Severn Tunnel Junction which had been unable to be accepted there for some reason, and had been sent to Radyr or Margam to be stabled up until STJ was ready. This might have been because only these yards had space to stable a rake, or because they were considered more secure than the two Newport yards.

There were (empty) car carrier movements west of Cardiff; the Silcocks Cartic-4 sets went to Marcrofts Burry Port to be fitted with canopies in the late 1970s/early 1980s.