great central

Is the building attached to the workshop (offices?) the one bit that still stands as a fireplace showroom? Certainly looks like it

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9185502,-1.4394805,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s8fUO8ih1FchNYRGbUcn5sA!2e0

Three lots of southern vans in two days, and nowhere near the Southern! They're taking over I tell you, run for the hills   

Derby Station some 35 years ago - pouring with rain and precious little shelter from some of the removed canopies on platform 2.

 

A Class 47/0 waits at platform 1 with a northbound cross-country service. Note the Mk1 RMB at the front of the train and whisps of steam heat. A Matlock-bound Class 120 stands adjacent.

There's not much shelter from the new ones either! Also I understand they don't have enough clearance for overhead wires, so will need to be modified

Another branch line this evening, this time on the Great Central at Barton on Humber and New Holland.

 

 

 

The normal chocolate coloured Humber water - other words are available to describe the  colour.  Not only is the Humber water full of mud it often has logs floating in it, they are are a considerable hazard when sailing in the area.  You could never relax when on a boat.  The navigable channel moves about a lot as well.

 

 

 

 

David

Surprised Boris hasn't picked up on those quotes

A regular Brit freight turn in the early 60s was the Grimsby-Whitland fish train which ran up the GC main line. All of the Immingham allocated ones (70035-41) turned up on it at sometime. One of the highlights of the day in my area, it came down the bank heading into Nottingham at a fair rate, fully fitted of course. The 'aroma' it left behind would linger for quite some time on a still evening. The Britannia worked as far as Banbury, I believe, but we never saw the return working, probably overnight.

J808, blue Peak with a maroon Thompson coach, who'd a thought of that one!

 

Having a good nose around Spalding (not that there was a great deal to see)

 

821127 Spalding.jpg

 

And this is looking north from the footbridge.

 

 

Chris Turnbull

There's even less at Spalding now. Since the re-signalling was commissioned from there to Werrington Junction it's effectively a single platform station, northbound services crossing over to use platform 1 so allowing the removal of the barrow crossing and also the necessity of providing a lift to the footbridge.

Did any of them tell you that they were delivering a rail bridge and had just stopped to ask for directions...

 

Incidentally, just been brought to a dead stand on 1S24 south of Grantham whilst the Liverpool-Norwich cut across our bows (and we were right on time). Another East Coast HST suspiciously occupying the up relief line. Back-wash of the bridge bash or inept regulation? Please explain! (I shall be looking it up tomorrow on TRUST...  )

1E15 at fault according to my Blackberry, presumably the one shunted onto the slow? Broken down, no further info. 1Z99 sent to rescue. There may well have been something in P2 meaning you couldn't go forward anyway so get the Norwich out of the way.

J1758 you wouldn't be able to park there now, almost a constant stream of traffic. Parking would cause chaos!

C3902, in the mean time a rapid loading bunker has been and gone, looks not unlike that again now. 

Talking to one of our driver instructors yesterday, he was doing something fairly unusual. Taking the spare HST set for a spin down the joint line from Lincoln-Peterborough then back to the MML via Melton Mowbray. Using it for driver training, been run a couple of times recently apparently. Now that the joint is 75mph it provides a useful days traction handling experience. 

J6781, are you sure that's not Tetley's Mills?

Some photos at Radcliffe on Trent for this evening.  Radcliffe on Trent is on the Nottingham to Grantham line, just to the east of the River Trent.  Colwick Yard was on the west side of the Trent.

 

 

 

 

h Radcliffe on Trent 2 Class 25s Nottingham to Skegness 16th Aug 75 C2255.jpg

Radcliffe on Trent 2 Class 25s Nottingham to Skegness 16th Aug 75 C2255

The feather on the signal was for the west facing junction to the branch to Cotgrave colliery.  That connection was later removed.

 

 

Hi Dave, I think you mean east facing junction to Cotgrave. Anyway, do you know if that side of the triangle was ever used? While I didn't travel much by rail around the time, it always seems to have looked unused, I can't even recall seeing track on it.

I didn't go to the WCML much, not that interested then (silly boy!), oh to have those days back, but when I did almost every time 87030 would turn up fairly soon after I arrived, now it's here as well

Yes Market65, and the last photo also shows one of the harder weathering aspects to get correct on blue/grey Mk1 stock of the late 60s/early 70s; i.e. the 'bleaching' of the blue under each window, caused by the chemicals used when windows were cleaned individually (with a man and a long handled brush?).

Some trains are still cleaned by a man (or woman, mustn't be sexist) with a brush and hose/power washer. Funny thing is they often miss the windows

Yes, the one of the Trans-Pennine unit is a gem; even the train looks like it's smiling.

 

Why do so many modern units look like they're scowling?

If the 124 is smiling, this is positively rolling on the floor

http://www.phantasrail.co.uk/April06/365505.jpg

Beckfoot D307, Southern van alert

 

PS Passed a rather nice AC Cobra yesterday - sounded like it had the big V8.

One of our neighbours has one, makes the windows rattle and sets off car alarms when he goes past in it, and that's just idling as we live on an unmade road!

Sat on a ballast job at Rugby last night I was having another trawl through some old 'Motorsport' mags from 1971, wishing I had a time machine and a bundle of white fivers in my back pocket... here we go then, eyes down for a full house and no sighing at the back...

 

''Maserati 3500 GT Superleggera. This car has been my own personal transport for the last seven years. New car reason for sale, £750 o.n.o. Tel : London 485 1065''

 

''Aston Martin DB5, 1964. Excellent condition, low mileage, sundym glass, five speed 'box, radio etc. Growing family forces sale, £1,300 o.n.o. Tel : Rudgwick 543''

 

''Jaguar 3.4 Mk2, 1961. Automatic, power steering, engine as new, beautiful condition, finished in dark blue, £295. Tel : Lusty Glaze Beach, Newquay, Cornwall 2444''

 

''Registration number 'FPD 1' comes with immaculate grey Ford Zodiac, 1966. Under 15,000 miles guaranteed. Written offers only please, P.O. Box 2741''

 

''1953 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, ex- Rolls Royce company car, immaculate, £2,000. Mr. Goult, The Dower House, Easton, Bath. Tel : Chewton Mendip 377''

 

''Bentley S1, sand over sable. Afortune has been spent on this car. Perfect, £1,750. Tel : Loughborough 78995''

 

''1964 Facel Vega II. Under 25,000 miles from new, 140mph automatic V8, electric windows, arial and performance, r.h.d, metallic silver blue and red leather, one meticulous owner until last October, outstanding throughout and at this mileage a unique motor car. A great French classic, £2,450. Private sale but part exchange considered. Tel : Hammersmith 741 0527''

 

''Registration number '1 BCH' on Triumph Vitesse, 1962. Good running order. Offers? P.O. Box 2751''

 

''Ferrari 250 GT 2+2, 'G' registration, l.h.d, metallic grey body in excellent order, new exterior chrome, mechanically sound and highly reliable, not concours but above average. Best offer over £1,000 secures. Tel : Huntingdon 3617 (evenings only)''

 

''Jaguar XK150 3.8S fixed head coupe, 1960. British Racing Green, immaculate, low mileage, radio, luggage rack, bills and history, £850. Mr.Whyte, tel : London 248 3628''

 

''Ferrari's most beautiful car, 0-100mph 19.5 secs, quote from road report on Ferrari Lusso. I have an immaculate example in red with black upholstery, low mileage, offered for sale at £2,799 o.n.o. Tel Knowle 4980 (private) or 021 440 1032 (business)''

 

''Performance Cars Ltd, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex (1 & 1/2 miles west from Chiswick Roundabout) : 1965 Jaguar E-Type fixed head coupe, 4.2, white / red leather, heater, wire wheels, disc brakes, leather steering wheel, history known to us.... £965''

 

Nurse.... pass the smelling salts!

Yes but, how much did we earn then? Personally as an apprentice telephone engineer, about £10 a week if memory serves. Cars like that were still way out of my league, just as they are today. I'm not one for the exotica, the only ones I would have considered would be the Vitesse and E Type, 

A work colleague of the time had 1GNN on the plate of the Triumph Herald he bought about 1970, transferred it to his Mk2 Cortina, then a Triumph Spitfire. When he got married a few years later he decided to sell the plate to raise some cash. The government of the day had set their face against anything which seemed a bit exclusive or different and made transferring number plates difficult and expensive. After many tries and continually reducing the price he got, I think, £400 and had to pay the fees as well!

Wonder what that's worth now?

Anybody remember the match races at Brafield? (I still can't get used to Northampton International.....)

 

A 5 lap dash to the line. All power from the start. Until Les Mitchell 238 (later to be my brother's number) v Stu Smith 391.

 

Les let him go into the first bend whereupon the bumper was applied and Smithy found himself in the wires! Les cruised to the win to much cheering from most of the fans.

For the unitiated, Stu Smith was the stock car equivalent of Manchester United of the Fergie era.

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

Brafield, don't remember the match races to be honest, most memorable meeting was one of the early races of John Thorpe 367. As a white top he was obviously very good from the start. I'm not certain but I think he won heat and final, very fast. His transporter was an adapted artic trailer so while others were taking multiple shunt moves to get out of the pits, he did one move and was gone. He only did a few meetings before retiring for business reasons.

Also an odd memory comes to mind of the pit 'call attention' siren. It was a large wooden box, presumably with a car battery(ies) in. Mounted around the outside were several dozen car horns. Couldn't be ignored!

So is speedway to be included in this thread?

 

At one time it had quite a following in this country.  My parents used to watch Harringey in the days before I came along.  When when I was old enough, we used to go to watch Hackey (in the shadow of the Lesney factory) every Friday.  We also went to the West Ham track at Custom House for internationals and champion qualifiers.  I could still name the Hackney line-up, the other teams and some of their star riders from those days.

 

Well before my time, but High Beech - where speedway began - is just up the road from me.  My father could remember the "leg trailing" days.  Not sure if my parents ever got to see ice speedway, but they used to get "Speedway and Ice News" in the 'fifties.  Racing motorbikes with spiked tyres on ice - that must take a special kind of insanity!

Absolutely, that's why I headed it stadium racing. Although I wouldn't describe myself a fan, I certainly used to take an interest.

Any motor based sport is welcome, don't want somebody thinking running or push bikes!

There is/was a series on one of the digital channels recently, the only sport I'd consider watching on telly. Can't remember which channel or when though, I only found it through channel hopping. 

All this talk, I'm getting an itch I may have to scratch, specially as I'm getting a bit cheesed off with the model railway club

70s memories!!

 

Long Eaton, Leicester or Coventry on the Saturday, Stoke or Northampton on the Sunday, Sheffield on Monday and then Bradford was it Thursday or Friday?

 

The worst track was Stoke - dog track on the inside with metal posts causing big pile ups every race because there was nowhere to go.

 

The glorious summers of 75 & 76.

 

Only been a couple of times in the 80s since...

Biggest distance in a weekend must have been Haringay on Saturday and Aycliffe on the Sunday. I think it was that meeting where Stu Smith (Booo) stuffed Len Wolfenden into the fence and followed him in. Boos from all corners of the stadium!

 

Just found this website - I may be gone some time................

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

I wish you hadn't  Must go to bed!

As it seems I may have started to drag the F1 thread off topic, perhaps a new thread dedicated to the various types of motor sport practiced in stadiums (stadia)?

Brisca F1 is the only sport I really have got into, no interest in football at all, other ball based sports I may take a passing interest in.

Went to my first meeting at Long Eaton with a group of friends around 1970 towards the end of the season. Couldn't wait to get back again, had to wait for the next season. Only able to get to Long Eaton at first as I didn't have a car then.

Spent 3 or 4 years following the racing around the country, then got married, that put a stop to it! Went to odd Long Eaton meetings when my son was little, but I was often working at weekends so really got little chance.

I still miss it on occasion but now working on the railway means two weekends in three at work, then there's model railway shows to fit in as well.

Also enjoyed the 'Bomber' races at Long Eaton, a formula unique to Station Road I believe. It was something more than bangers which I'm not so keen on. Any car could be used but they were fairly heavily armoured and tended to last a full season if not more. Many mk2 Ford Zephyr/Zodiacs, Austin Westminsters and the like. There was one mini in among that lot and a long lived Austin Devon (I think). They came with twin rear wheels and other modifications.

I also went to a few speedway meetings but not being a 'bike' person it was only if I was at a loose end on that evening.

When I'm at my caravan just outside Great Yarmouth I'll usually wander down to the stadium on a Sunday evening.

Most Spedeworth stuff I find rather lacklustre. It could be just Yarmouth but it all seems a bit tame. Virtually one make of car per formula, small numbers of cars entered for each race  then there's the gimmick races which i suppose probably appeal to the holidaymakers. No big V8s either!

Anyway enough of my thoughts, are there enough of us to keep the thread going? 

I noticed last week that there is still a four-doll bracket signal, minus arms, in the trees to the north of the line between Guide Bridge and Hyde North. It's visible on Google Earth.

 

Guide Bridge signal.JPG

There's a two doll(I think) bracket, complete with smoke shield  in the undergrowth between Whatstandwell and Cromford. Also, peering into the trees between the line and river quite a number of double telegraph poles can be seen.