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Now and Then.


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Although in a lot of these comparisons there are numerous obvious differences I occasionally wonder how much of the change of the look and feel is also down to the camera and the high quality pictures it's easy to take nowdays. It would be interesting to see if there's some sort of Photoshop filter that would render digital pictures to the same quality as old film and thus remove that difference (a pity that doing the opposite isn't really possible).

 

 

I'm sure there will be a plug in, but a lot can be done to both original  digital images and film scans to make them more directly comparable.   Reasonably fine grain film has at least as much resolution as a typical current DSLR, but the grain gets in the way of seeing some of it when enlarged - wheras the noise on digital cameras is now not intrusive (usually).

 

David

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  • 5 months later...

Yesterday I had an excellent day out travelling from Exeter to Okehampton on the sunday train service,

then a ride out to Meldon on the Dartmoor Railway.

 

I remembered taking this in 1981

post-7081-0-53513200-1465228137_thumb.jpg

The empty concrete loco shed at Meldon, 08668 the pilot at that time was out shunting, 9/7/81

 

So this is the view in 2016

post-7081-0-08890300-1465228404_thumb.jpg

Seen from a train leaving Meldon Quarry 5/6/2016

 

The Granite Way walk which follows the course of the old railway line west from Okehampton is a nice walk

so I will be making another visit soon. 

 

cheers

 

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  • 4 months later...

On a day out to Newton Abbot yesterday I had a go at recreating a couple of my views from the 1980s.

 

post-7081-0-65798200-1477496612_thumb.jpg

47094 at Newton Abbot with polybulks of export clay, the train had been assisted over the South Devon banks by 50030 Repulse, 5/11/81

 

The re-signalling of the Newton Abbot area saw a lot of rationalisation, and created a step-free access to the up platform:-

post-7081-0-92036900-1477496740_thumb.jpg

Newton Abbot 25/102016

 

And a wider view, which I quite like

post-7081-0-45240300-1477497313_thumb.jpg

50013 Agincourt passes on the up through line with the 10.45 Newquay - Paddington as 50042 is stabled in the up dock, 3/7/82

 

Compared to this rather sadder view

post-7081-0-23664600-1477498887_thumb.jpg

Newton Abbot 25/10/2016

 

 

post-7081-0-64014500-1477496818_thumb.jpg

50033 Glorious arrives at Newton Abbot with a train for Paddington 3/7/82

 

post-7081-0-61740200-1477496970_thumb.jpg

A northbound Cross-Country class 221 set arrives at Newton Abbot 25/10/2016

 

cheers

 

 

 

 

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On a day out to Newton Abbot yesterday I had a go at recreating a couple of my views from the 1980s.

 

attachicon.gifscan0018.jpg

47094 at Newton Abbot with polybulks of export clay, the train had been assisted over the South Devon banks by 50030 Repulse, 5/11/81

 

The re-signalling of the Newton Abbot area saw a lot of rationalisation, and created a step-free access to the up platform:-

attachicon.gifIMG_4331 a.jpg

Newton Abbot 25/102016

 

And a wider view, which I quite like

attachicon.gifscan0019.jpg

50013 Agincourt passes on the up through line with the 10.45 Newquay - Paddington as 50042 is stabled in the up dock, 3/7/82

 

Compared to this rather sadder view

attachicon.gifIMG_4328 b.jpg

Newton Abbot 25/10/2016

 

 

attachicon.gifscan0017.jpg

50033 Glorious arrives at Newton Abbot with a train for Paddington 3/7/82

 

attachicon.gifIMG_4325 a.jpg

A northbound Cross-Country class 221 set arrives at Newton Abbot 25/10/2016

 

cheers

 

Where did that "sad" button go....

 

Stewart

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Where did that "sad" button go....

 

Stewart

Here are two more views from Newton Abbot, though I have not got the angle quite right,

Stewart you might want to look away now....

 

post-7081-0-60175600-1477570646_thumb.jpg

253036 departs from Newton Abbot 5/11/81

 

post-7081-0-28856400-1477570701_thumb.jpg

The same view of Newton Abbot, 26/10/2016

 

 

post-7081-0-86753900-1477570866.jpg

The 08.15 Birmingham New Street to Plymouth is about to pass under the west gantry at Newton Abbot behind 47137 5/11/81 

 

post-7081-0-68488800-1477570775_thumb.jpg

The same view of Newton Abbot 26/10/2016

 

cheers

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Cracking photos of N.A in 1981 when it was still pretty much as I remember it from the early to mid 70s. Is that the 24 used for carriage heating you've caught next to the diesel depot in the view of the 47 departing west ? Hackney yard used to be full of clay hoods, motor rail flats and mark 1s with the odd siphon g thrown in.

 

I remember being stunned by the contraction at Newton Abbot circa 88 when I went through to Plymouth - a once mighty location now reduced to not even a shadow of its former self.....the lack of freight workings to the far south west never ceases to disappoint me.

 

Favourite workings were always the milks.

 

Sad decline and rationalisation.

 

You always put up good images Kevin and I love your avatar - I sat on the wall on the way to The Langstone Rock watching the diesels blatting round the curve on many an occasion - particularly liked the 25s in the mid 70s on locals and the Westerns of course.

 

Best regards

 

Matt Wood

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Cracking photos of N.A in 1981 when it was still pretty much as I remember it from the early to mid 70s. Is that the 24 used for carriage heating you've caught next to the diesel depot in the view of the 47 departing west ? Hackney yard used to be full of clay hoods, motor rail flats and mark 1s with the odd siphon g thrown in.

 

I remember being stunned by the contraction at Newton Abbot circa 88 when I went through to Plymouth - a once mighty location now reduced to not even a shadow of its former self.....the lack of freight workings to the far south west never ceases to disappoint me.

 

Favourite workings were always the milks.

 

Sad decline and rationalisation.

 

You always put up good images Kevin and I love your avatar - I sat on the wall on the way to The Langstone Rock watching the diesels blatting round the curve on many an occasion - particularly liked the 25s in the mid 70s on locals and the Westerns of course.

 

Best regards

 

Matt Wood

Thanks Matt

 

yes that is the class 24 at the far end of the station.

 

I did not get many class 25 photos as I did not get an SLR camera until December 1979 not long before they went away from Laira.

Here is one photo from Newton Abbot though, with a similar view taken this week

 

post-7081-0-88288900-1477577878_thumb.jpg

25048 arrives at Newton Abbot with an Exeter St Davids to Paignton local service, I think this was one of the last pair of 25s to be allocated to Laira, it moved to Bescot in November 1980, 19/7/80

 

post-7081-0-71291100-1477577960_thumb.jpg

A slightly different viewpoint at Newton Abbot 26/10/2016

 

 

cheers 

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Like is not good enough for the 25 on the local Kevin - thanks for posting it. That's what the locals used to be like - I know I sound like an old git, but when I see the current Exeter to Paignton locals it does make you scratch your head at progress.

 

My Dad and I once waited for about 15minutes on the footbridge between the sea wall and the Warren car park to wait for a 25 on a Paignton bound local to come out of the loop - Mum just wanted to get back to Lee Cliff flats or wherever it was we were staying to cook tea.

 

I think it was held while a parcels passed it.

 

I worked in one of your other haunts - Barnstaple from 1990 - to 93 just missing out on the final rites for the goods yard but witnessing the end of the loop. I went up to my job interview in one of three mark 1s with a 50 on the front in about June 90.

 

I never saw a Meeth ball clay train despite spending all my time when we were anywhere near Instow in 76 to 80 with my head craned round facing the railway, not the river/sea !

 

West Country - and first generation diesels - whether Sulzer, Maybach, MAN or English Electric powered - magic.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

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Thanks for the Newton Abbot photos Kevin, that is one of those railway locations that really has fallen on hard times. And even the weather was better then !

Thanks.

 

I went down there to visit the museum which includes an interesting GWR room, and have a wander around the town.

The notes in the museum mention that at one time in the 1930s and 1940s the GWR employed a thousand men in the town,

I suppose this is possibly relevant to the 'Then and Now' theme as some of the artifacts in the museum came from Newton Abbot West,

so my be in the above pictures. 

post-7081-0-95698100-1477581710_thumb.jpg

post-7081-0-23305200-1477581729_thumb.jpg

cheers

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My only real experience of Newton Abbot was in the summer of 1977. I was still at school but a friend had landed a Saturday job with Travellers Fare, providing the catering on the Oxford/Paignton and return through train, with which I helped once. The 'catering' was actually just a hot water urn and selection of refreshments served from the BSK. We had to alight at Newton Abbot to refill the urn from the station buffet for the return journey; This involved wheeling the urn on a trolley over the foot crossing on the Up and Down main lines, to get from the Down island platform to the Up. I recall that the train was quiet departing Oxford but became busy at Swindon; I suspect many of the passengers were BR staff !

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Remarkably unchanged in layout, signals etc, though now much tidier.

 

Pity about the modern motive power though.

 

Regards

 

Ian

"Tidier but more greenery" is often the theme in all these comparison photos.

 

Although here, Rochester in 1983 and 2009, both photos have weeds and spare bits of permanent way lying around:

post-6971-0-35704300-1477593625.jpg

 

post-6971-0-15794400-1477593605.jpg

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Bristol Temple Meads

 

May 1971

10420696623_b38ac4d629_z.jpgMAY 70 19. Puxton-Aberthaw fly ash train, Temple Meads 1970 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

July 2016

29294169274_31cf2a7fa5_z.jpgA pair of Class 37s at Temple Meads with nuclear flasks from Hinkley Point. July 6 2016 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

This reminds me how I wish I could make my digital photos look like Kodachrome!

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Remarkably unchanged in layout, signals etc, though now much tidier.

 

Pity about the modern motive power though.

Is it tidier? I think the frost on the ground is making the older picture look a bit messy, on the other hand the extra greenery in the new one looks a bit messier. But the signal box looks tidier (although the signal suffers a bit now from the extra cages). I think I'll go 50-50 on that one. Motive power-wise get it at the right time and you might see a 60 for motive power these days.

 

Edit: tidy-wise all the old sleepers lying around on the old picture, which I'd somehow missed, which rather swings it.

Edit again: The ground signal seems to have lost the diamond.

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This reminds me how I wish I could make my digital photos look like Kodachrome!

Someone must've created a Photoshop filter for that. It would certainly make the comparisons interesting; as well as the physical changes in the scene just the different colour reproduction and resolution rather changes the feel of the images.

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Bristol Temple Meads

 

May 1971

10420696623_b38ac4d629_z.jpgMAY 70 19. Puxton-Aberthaw fly ash train, Temple Meads 1970 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

July 2016

29294169274_31cf2a7fa5_z.jpgA pair of Class 37s at Temple Meads with nuclear flasks from Hinkley Point. July 6 2016 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

This reminds me how I wish I could make my digital photos look like Kodachrome!

 

The odd thing about those 40 years there is that at that end of the station there has been very little change to the track and signalling infrastructure

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Two pairs from Northfleet in 1983 and 1984, compared to 2012.

 

The leftmost curve to the Blue Circle works is still there, in 2012 being used for Crossrail spoil disposal. The angled footbridge was rebuilt and is now enclosed with mesh. The building of the link to HS1 changed the landscape a bit. The steel girder bridge over the cement works lines appears to be the same one, but back then it was two lines into the works and now it's one line to the works and one to the little-used sidings attached to HS1.

 

post-6971-0-60622600-1477678055.jpg

post-6971-0-04460200-1477678064.jpg

 

And I think I posted this pair somewhere else - it's the aggregates empties from Allington near Maidstone. Even the electricity pylons have been relocated.

post-6971-0-24922700-1477678054.jpg

post-6971-0-59113700-1477678062.jpg

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