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The human side of the railway...


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On the delayed return from Leyburn this morning, the crew of 37250 may be discussing why the booked D9523 chucked it's Teddy Bear out the pram. The class 14 however redeemed itself and provided a more than commendable return up t'hill with 5 MK2's in tow. 20221002_123248.jpg.ec88472cfcd10332f160af944af95561.jpg

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On 09/09/2012 at 20:43, Judge Dread said:

Here's my modest contribution.

1, I'm straight from school in July 1959, joining the Signal &Telegraph dept. based in Hull. Here I am on the right by the way, with my ganger, the now late Laurie Fairbanks on the steps of the control tower at the New Inward yard in Hessle, near Hull.

post-276-0-34392300-1347219248.jpg

The second photo was taken some four years later inside the workshop yard alongside Hull Paragon station. Now promoted to an assistant tech. class 3. I'm still on the right wearing the very latest fashion, the cut down great/car coat. It should be noted that in those days my meagre pay did not allow me to sport a beard.

post-276-0-15956300-1347219749.jpg

 

Paragon Yard 1963.jpg

New Inward Yard tower steps1960.jpg

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6 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Hither Green Shed, 1933...

 

1657119996_SRHITHERGREEN1933.jpg.a1e2832ef479e49fa2237920c75bcf1d.jpg

 

The big freeze of 1963 with D7046 being dug out on the Cheddar branch...

 

1122664781_SNOWD7046CHEDDARBRANCH1963.jpg.5dc0373511026a203b3ad119cab8a201.jpg

 

 

 

 

Is that a Hymek 'wearing' snow ploughs? I'm not sure that I have ever noticed one with them before - were many fitted with them?

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On 07/11/2022 at 21:18, D7063 said:

Is that a Hymek 'wearing' snow ploughs? I'm not sure that I have ever noticed one with them before - were many fitted with them?

As best I can trace there were 13 sets of miniature snow ploughs for Class 22 and Class 35 locos on the WR in the late 1960s.  It's not easy to work out which were which but a fair guess based on loco distribution in the late 1960s would suggest that probably 9 or 10 sets were for Hymeks.  I don't have any late 1960s information for South Wales but the early '70s list shows only sets for Class 37s.

 

I do know that not all Hymeks were fitted with snow plough brackets so couldn't have them attached.  The minature ploughs were normally fitted during the winter period and there was at one time an instruction covering the period during which they were required to be fitted but the central section was often not fitted as it made handling the coupling more difficult.

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1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

As best I can trace there were 13 sets of miniature snow ploughs for Class 22 and Class 35 locos on the WR in the late 1960s.  It's not easy to work out which were which but a fair guess based on loco distribution in the late 1960s would suggest that probably 9 or 10 sets were for Hymeks.  I don't have any late 1960s information for South Wales but the early '70s list shows only sets for Class 37s.

 

I do know that not all Hymeks were fitted with snow plough brackets so couldn't have them attached.  The minature ploughs were normally fitted during the winter period and there was at one time an instruction covering the period during which they were required to be fitted but the central section was often not fitted as it made handling the coupling more difficult.

Thanks stationmaster, I hadn't thought about the centre plough section causing difficulties when coupling!

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21 hours ago, D7063 said:

Thanks stationmaster, I hadn't thought about the centre plough section causing difficulties when coupling!

You probably wouldn't until you tried it!  The mini snow ploughs were absolutely hated by shunting staff and soem regarded them as being dangerous although I never heard of anyone being hurt by them.  But the centre sections seem to have been removed very quickly if any depot had actually bothered to fit them.l

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Here is our brilliant smiling guard on arrival at Okehampton yesterday. Cheerful helpful and bright, he said he didn't get up to Okehampton very much as he worked on the revenue protection side of things. I  think he might have had one "customer" on our run(!)

 

IMG_4082.jpg.7944517f0cc16769d1efa915cef12a95.jpg

 

Anyway, thank you to him and all the other railway staff we encountered on our trip down to Okehampton and back, you were all without exception professional, cheerful and helpful.

 

I know its easy to complain, but I think the staff on the modern railway do a brilliant job and are great ambassadors for rail travel. And going down to Okehampton by train (for a third time since reopening) is as joyous as ever.

 

If you haven't made the trip yet then I really urge you to, it is just great!

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On 11/11/2022 at 16:20, The Stationmaster said:

You probably wouldn't until you tried it!  The mini snow ploughs were absolutely hated by shunting staff and soem regarded them as being dangerous although I never heard of anyone being hurt by them.  But the centre sections seem to have been removed very quickly if any depot had actually bothered to fit them.l

 

I once had to couple up a pair of plough fitted 37s at Bescot and found that standing on the upturned bits of the blades meant I could get a good hold on things before coupling and piping everything up. Being just 5'3'' helps sometimes! Mind you, splitting a pair of plough fitted 31s parked outside the Pullman shed at Old Oak was a devil of a job several years previously, in sub zero temperature it took me about twenty minutes to get it all done.

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On 12/11/2022 at 12:30, Not Jeremy said:

If you haven't made the trip yet then I really urge you to, it is just great!

Totally agree, having done so a couple of months back. But, equally, for holidaymakers on and about Dartmoor, it provides an easy day out in Exeter, a difficult city not to enjoy! Central station, née Queen Street, is hard by the shopping centre and restaurants etc. The hourly service is splendid so soon after opening, too. 

 

Dreams of a staged re-opening to Plymouth remain a lot of pie in the sky, certainly in my lifetime, but Okehampton is a very good new 'journey opportunity' in its own right. 

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Human side of the railway? Creative side?

The footbridge a little way south of Duffield, Derbyshire, is "Poetry Bridge", with various poems, famous and not so famous, pinned up. 

 

 1125025614_poetrybridgeduffield12nov22.jpg.9faa504a2cba76d48fe12038f9f70f16.jpg

 

This one made me smile, especially the author's name:

909503208_anonorakpoemonpoetrybridgeduffield12nov22.jpg.468f70fc5a1beff60389f09d61d12b7e.jpg

(touched up in software to reduce the fading)

 

For years upon this bridge I've stood,

with a camera to my eye.

In weather often less than good,

to photo trains go by.

I still can today, I'm pleased to say, 

but now with glasses on my nose.

For between each train I improve my brain,

by reading verse and prose.

 – Anonorak

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22 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

I once had to couple up a pair of plough fitted 37s at Bescot and found that standing on the upturned bits of the blades meant I could get a good hold on things before coupling and piping everything up. Being just 5'3'' helps sometimes! Mind you, splitting a pair of plough fitted 31s parked outside the Pullman shed at Old Oak was a devil of a job several years previously, in sub zero temperature it took me about twenty minutes to get it all done.

A lack of height was always reckoned as an advantage when having to go in between to couple or uncouple especially when it involved locos and coaching stock.  But having said that I dod know one or two folk in the shunting line who were over 6ft tall and who seemed to manage.

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