East Midlands Miscellany

[Peter Kazmierczak]

We're sitting on the embankment of the A52 dual carriageway which links Nottingham and Derby on a gorgeous July evening in 1980. A Class 44 heads north on the 2nd Down Goods line away from Toton, possibly heading for Tinsley.

[big jim]

Stapleford & Sandiacre signalbox dates from September 1949; I wonder if the maroon end nameboard is the original? If so it'll have seen Beyer-Garratts, LMS 8Fs and all of the smaller freight classes, plus BR 9Fs etc etc.

 

The Midland Line HST from Sheffield to St Pancras (via Nottm) has been diverted from its usual route because Trowell Junction was out of commission due to a MGR train derailment. The Up Goods line has a slight coating of rust so this photo might well have been taken around the Christmas period.

 

did my ankle in by that ground signal on the up goods while changing ends, the signaller had to come down and help me, ended up in A+E in nottingham for the evening

 

possibly the up goods may be rusty as to access it from the north you had to go over at trowell jn, so if you say it was out of commission because of a derailment then maybe nothing could get to it, (that is of course basing the route on my current route knowledge, and there is a lot less track round there now than there was when that pic was taken!) 

[Enterprisingwestern]

We're sitting on the embankment of the A52 dual carriageway which links Nottingham and Derby on a gorgeous July evening in 1980. A Class 44 heads north on the 2nd Down Goods line away from Toton, possibly heading for Tinsley.

 

Could well be a Stavely job, pipes for refinishing, and empty minerals for re-distribution.

Not saying it is though.

[great central]

Looking the other way from the previous picture we spot another diverted St Pancras - Sheffield HST.

 

 

The Peaks and Class 25s have gone from Toton now, but there's Class 20s, 56s and 58s on shed, plus a pair of (probably Thornaby) Class 37s.

 

With Trowell Junction being out of use, due to an MGR derailment, I wonder if that was the time I stood at the side of the bridge at Trowell watching them trying to extract wagons which had reared up and got wedged under the bridge. First of all they dragged wagons away which were simply derailed, rather like you might a model to get it to a more accessible spot.

Then they started on the ones tight up under the bridge, first trying one of the relatively new 58s. it tried but couldn't shift anything, maybe due to traction control or similar? Then a pair of 20 was brought into play, hooked up to the wagon coupling with a long line, then just kept tugging at it until it moved, even snatching it at times. No finesse but it sure shifted the wagons    

[Guest B Exam]

With Trowell Junction being out of use, due to an MGR derailment, I wonder if that was the time I stood at the side of the bridge at Trowell watching them trying to extract wagons which had reared up and got wedged under the bridge. First of all they dragged wagons away which were simply derailed, rather like you might a model to get it to a more accessible spot.

Then they started on the ones tight up under the bridge, first trying one of the relatively new 58s. it tried but couldn't shift anything, maybe due to traction control or similar? Then a pair of 20 was brought into play, hooked up to the wagon coupling with a long line, then just kept tugging at it until it moved, even snatching it at times. No finesse but it sure shifted the wagons

I have a photo somewhere of 58029 trying to pull the wagons from under the bridge. What a mess it was....

[Poor Old Bruce]

Some photos of the 08.46 Burton to Skeggy Jolly Fisherman on 31 August 1981. First one is the ECS at Stenson Junction:

 

 

Then moved down to Wetmore

 

Who says you can't have train made up of CKs?

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Meanwhile, over in Nottingham we're standing on platform 4 beneath the girder bridge carrying the former Great Central line across the Midland station.. A Class 47 has just backed onto the rear of a rake of M2 a/c stock to continue their journey. I think the train is from St Pancras to Sheffield, rather than the other way round - I believe platform 3 was used by these, with platform 5 for London departures.

[TerrySVR]

Great set of pics

[Poor Old Bruce]

I like the weathering on that 47 at Nottingham. It looks like it's been left too long before being sent through the washer.

[rd84]

I think I also took a photo of Coalville's other station at the time (remember it was over 50 years ago (heck!!!)) but, although the photos are still about somewhere, I haven't seen them for ages.

Hi,

 

If you ever find the photo's I'd love to see them.

 

I know that someone walked the line in late 1963 or early 1964(after closure) and took a lot of detail photo's from Charnwood Forest Junction all the way to Loughborough Derby Road - although the track between Shepshed and Derby Road had been lifted by this time - I was wondering if it was you ?

 

Many thanks.

 

Cheers

Paul

[Grimleygrid]

Looking the other way from the previous picture we spot another diverted St Pancras - Sheffield HST.

 

 

The Peaks and Class 25s have gone from Toton now, but there's Class 20s, 56s and 58s on shed, plus a pair of (probably Thornaby) Class 37s.

 

What a lovely shot Peter, I never tire of seeing photos taken from this location. Always enjoy seeing photos with Toton shed in the back ground, right up my street!

 

I agree it certainly looks like a pair of Thornaby 37/5s.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I'm sure many who know/knew Derby will have been here. We're looking over the high wooden sides of the former footbridge that used to straddle the tracks at the southern-end of Derby C&W Works - the appropriately named bridge off Longbridge Lane.

 

The date is c1977 so the Mk3a TSO is probably in for its first shopping.

 

I quite like the juxtaposition of Victorian houses, in the background on Osmaston Road, with the latest BR rolling stock.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

We're just over the border in Burton upon Trent c1975. The Derby-Birmingham line is in the right background (out of sight) and here in the goods and coal yard on the north side of Burton station, things look busy enough.

 

A rake of 16t minerals have brought in a load of coal. This has been bagged; some can be seen on the lorry to the left. One of Burton's many maltings can also be seen behind the coal-laden lorry.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Meanwhile around the same period across the region in Lincoln are a couple of DMUs. The Derby and Cravens units await departure from St Mark's station - one eastbound and one westbound.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

It's New Year's Day 1971 at Clay Cross. Just past 1.30pm and the wintery light picks out 8098+8006 heading north along the Down Goods with a loaded train of iron-ore tipplers.

[Poor Old Bruce]

I know that someone walked the line in late 1963 or early 1964(after closure) and took a lot of detail photo's from Charnwood Forest Junction all the way to Loughborough Derby Road - although the track between Shepshed and Derby Road had been lifted by this time - I was wondering if it was you ?

 

Sorry to disappoint you but that wasn't me. I seem to think I took photos at Coalville, Whitacre and Shepshed but it was only the three photos. The line was still open when I did it and we got harangued by a bloke at Shepshed who trie to tell us it was a fully operational railway (three trains a week!).

Edited December 18, 2014 by Poor Old Bruce

[great central]

It's New Year's Day 1971 at Clay Cross. Just past 1.30pm and the wintery light picks out 8098+8006 heading north along the Down Goods with a loaded train of iron-ore tipplers.

 

Watched D8098 pottering about doing some shunting at Quorn yesterday, who in 1971 would have expected it still to be in existence?  

[Poor Old Bruce]

Following my post #557 showing the Jolly Fisherman at Wetmore, by pure coincidence this morning I passed over the road bridge which replaced the GNR bridge shown in the first photo at Wetmore and grabbed these shots of Nemesis Rail's crane.

 

 

 

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Weekday Cross is a location I've always thought would make a good basis for a model. With typically Nottingham misty autumnal conditions in 1977, we are looking across The Meadows with the former Great Central striding across the area on a solid viaduct. The Great Northern line from Grantham curved in sharply from the left.

[rd84]

Sorry to disappoint you but that wasn't me. I seem to think I took photos at Coalville, Whitacre and Shepshed but it was only the three photos. The line was still open when I did it and we got harangued by a bloke at Shepshed who trie to tell us it was a fully operational railway (three trains a week!).

 

Yes - he was like that ! - however you didn't know the danger you were in - there were five trains a week ! :-)

 

Thanks for the info - much appreciated.

 

Cheers

Paul

[Enterprisingwestern]

Weekday Cross is a location I've always thought would make a good basis for a model. With typically Nottingham misty autumnal conditions in 1977, we are looking across The Meadows with the former Great Central striding across the area on a solid viaduct. The Great Northern line from Grantham curved in sharply from the left.

 

 

Sorry to disagree Peter, but I don't think that would make a very good layout, there wouldn't be much action

 

Mike.

[keefer]

You'd save time and effort by not having to lay any track though!

 

I love pics of railways like that though, lines on viaduct threading through the cramped urban

landscape.

Glasgow has some that look very similar

[Andy Louch]

Meanwhile, over in Nottingham we're standing on platform 4 beneath the girder bridge carrying the former Great Central line across the Midland station.. A Class 47 has just backed onto the rear of a rake of M2 a/c stock to continue their journey. I think the train is from St Pancras to Sheffield, rather than the other way round - I believe platform 3 was used by these, with platform 5 for London departures.

 

Good day Peter, The Class 47 looked very familiar to me! Seen 0n 14 April 1978 - 47172 on the adjacent through lines.

[russ p]

How things have changed, the driver has no HV at all. Using a phone that before resignalling you weren't allowed to use under normal circumstances. Strangely he's actually using the wrong phone for some reason, the proper phone for that signal is the one between 3&4 middle

[great central]

Weekday Cross is a location I've always thought would make a good basis for a model. With typically Nottingham misty autumnal conditions in 1977, we are looking across The Meadows with the former Great Central striding across the area on a solid viaduct. The Great Northern line from Grantham curved in sharply from the left.

 

Not actually Weekday Cross but a mile or so to the east:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74756-nottingham-model-railway-society/

 

I'm not sure we can replicate the misty conditions though.