Photos of Hillmorton area, Rugby, Birmingham

[DaveF]

Hi All,

 

Just to let you know I've started a new fotopic gallery at: http://daveswestmidl...ve.fotopic.net/ to start to cover a new part of the country. Wales will be north Wales in due course.

 

So far there are pictures in the Hillmorton area as well as some in Birmingham and Rugby. More photos and locations will be added as I get time, just as usual.

 

Sample photos below:

 

It's actually Class 85 E3078!!

 

 

 

 

David

[Guest jim s-w]

eeep!

 

There goes my evening! Great stuff

 

Jim

[Guest stuartp]

Thanks ! I lived in Clifton upon Dunsmore in 1970-73, my dad worked at Hillmorton. I reckon there's two people's evenings taken care of there ! I still remember standing on Rugby station asking him why some trains had spikes on the top and some didn't, and I'm pretty sure the abandoned trackbed at Clifton Mill in two of your pics featured in more than one afternoon walk.

[westernglory]

Thanks for posting these Dave. Living in Hillmorton nowadays I'll have to take a close look at these great images of time gone by.

 

Steve

[sixteen 12by 10s]

Thanks for these great photos, I especially like the one of 50007 in NS. At this time, I have the electronic speed unit from Sir Edward, in bits on the bench in front of me!.

 

 

 

 

Gary

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Thanks for posting those Dave... I've just spilt me brew!!!

 

The larger radio masts at Hillmorton were taken down a few years ago.... back in the 70s and 80s it always gave me a nice warm feeling seeing the red lights on these taller masts as our train slowed down for the Rugby stop in the dark..... a nice 'coming home' moment I'll always savour. So much has changed at Rugby in the last few years it makes me want to weep, the GC Birdcage bridge and the old GEC buildings have all vanished. I love the mix of liveries in your photos though.... instant nostalgia of the best kind!

 

Thanks again,

 

Nidge

[Guest Phil]

Oh yes !!!!!

 

Lovely stuff Dave, and I was wondering when the West Midlands section was coming.

 

Already checked with Mikeh - the timtable guru. He advises that 4E22 was a Rowley Regis - Thames Haven empty service. This train was obviously a diesel from Rowley to Nuneaton, for an AC electric to Willesden, then presumably a Stratford diesel over to north Thameside.

 

Stuartp wrote

Thanks ! I lived in Clifton upon Dunsmore in 1970-73, my dad worked at Hillmorton. I reckon there's two people's evenings taken care of there ! I still remember standing on Rugby station asking him why some trains had spikes on the top and some didn't, and I'm pretty sure the abandoned trackbed at Clifton Mill in two of your pics featured in more than one afternoon walk

 

Our paths may have very briefly crossed because my parents had friends who kept a market garden at Crick in the 1960s and early 1970s, and to whom we occasionally visited.

[DaveF]

Oh yes !!!!!

 

Lovely stuff Dave, and I was wondering when the West Midlands section was coming.

 

Already checked with Mikeh - the timtable guru. He advises that 4E22 was a Rowley Regis - Thames Haven empty service. This train was obviously a diesel from Rowley to Nuneaton, for an AC electric to Willesden, then presumably a Stratford diesel over to north Thameside.

 

 

Many thanks for the information Phil. I'll update the caption.

 

David

[DaveF]

I've just added a couple of more photos to Rugby to this new West Midlands and Wales gallery.

 

 

Also a new collection at Stafford in 1966.

 

It is at:

 

 

http://daveswestmidlandsandwalesrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/

 

Lastly, one new photo at Chester around 1948, it is at:

 

 

http://davesnorthwestrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/

 

David

 

 

 

[Andy Y]

Also a new collection at Stafford in 1966.

 

http://daveswestmidl...ve.fotopic.net/

 

Thanks for sharing those Dave! All taken at the most interesting time for WCML modelling (IMO). Our school playing fields overlooked the P-Way sidings - http://daveswestmidlandsandwalesrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/p66346466.html - no wonder I was never the best rugby player at school. Cricket offered far more opportunity for standing round and keeping an eye open.

 

 

 

[robertcwp]

Note the stock in this shot from 1972:

 

http://daveswestmidlandsandwalesrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/p66321073.html

 

This is the unusual air-con set with the full kitchen car.

 

Here is one of its workings in the 1972 LMR marshalling book:

 

 

The seconds were in fact Mark 2e but carriage workings tended not to make this distinction.

[Guest Phil]

An absolutely fascinating set of pictures Dave - thanks for sharing them.

 

One of the most interesting to me was this shot ;

 

http://daveswestmidlandsandwalesrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/p66321106.html

 

Whilst I'd always associate D1-10 with the WCML in the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, the 45s certainly not. It kinda shows just how warped your interpretation of history can be. Likewise I guess the class 86 with the milk tanks and the blue and grey BGs.

 

My long term project involving a footplateman friend's diaries brings you back with a bang. His career started at Bescot in mid '65 when nearly every loco worked on was either a 5MT, an 8F or a 2MT, within a year 350hp shunt locos had become the norm along with D50xx and D2xx, then within six months D80xx and D81xx along with the Brush type 4s, then AC electrics. By 1968 when steam had been gone from the West Mids by a year it was pretty much Brush type 4s on a lot of work with some EE type 4s, and lots of baby Sulzers an type 1s.

 

Oneshot I did pick up on was this one ;

 

http://daveswestmidlandsandwalesrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/p66346467.html

 

Your caption of a "down PW train" may well be right, but the first two vehicles appear to be BDVs, so I'm wondering if it was either 1Z99 or 2Z99 ? Maybe returning to Stafford or Crewe from a "shout".

 

1Z99 is the headcode for Breakdown trains - 1Z99 to site, 2Z99 from site).

 

 

Thanks again Dave.

[Guest stuartp]

 

http://daveswestmidl.../p66346467.html

 

Your caption of a "down PW train" may well be right, but the first two vehicles appear to be BDVs, so I'm wondering if it was either 1Z99 or 2Z99 ? Maybe returning to Stafford or Crewe from a "shout".

 

1Z99 is the headcode for Breakdown trains - 1Z99 to site, 2Z99 from site).

 

The left hand lamp iron is in shadow but it appears to be carrying Class 1 lamps. I agree, they look like tool vans.

[DaveF]

The left hand lamp iron is in shadow but it appears to be carrying Class 1 lamps. I agree, they look like tool vans.

 

I've just played about with my photo in Photoshop, it does have 2 headlamps, I'd never noticed it before.

 

Caption is now altered!

 

Thanks

 

David

[DaveF]

I've added another collection of photos, this time at Brinklow

 

Again they are at http://daveswestmidlandsandwalesrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/

 

David

[Guest jim s-w]

Hi Dave

 

Pretty sure the 81 in your first post is actually an 85

 

HTH

 

Jim

[DaveF]

Hi Dave

 

Pretty sure the 81 in your first post is actually an 85

 

HTH

 

Jim

 

I think you're right, in which case it is E3078, I can just about see that on the original scan. I never did understand Classes 81-5!

 

Thanks

 

David