The Lurker

Battle of the Beanfield - The Levellers

Bad Old World - New Model Army

Wishing (If I had a photograph of you) - A Flock of Seagulls

"posh end". That's the first time that I've heard Paddock Wood being included in "posh". I travelled to school from PW to Tonbridge (78-85) and was looked down on because of my origin..! The last train we could catch to arrive at school on time was a through train off the branch at approximately 8.20. Recollections of train length are hazy but 4 coaches feels right. I was not aware of the difference between HAPS and 2EPBS (presumably a HAP from the above) but I do remember that sometimes we got in a coach with no corridor but with dogboxes. So once the train had departed Paddock Wood, there was no one to disturb you at all - which was obviously favourable. It was a rare treat - but mainly because I preferred to catch an earlier train.

I tend to think that people prefer the first version that they hear of a particular song - so for example, for me the Sioxsie and the Banshees version of "Dear Prudence" is better than the Beatles original. This is compounded by people not realising that the song that they are enjoying is a cover version - I was quite surprised when my Mum sang along to Dear Prudence...there you are thinking a particular song is quite cool and your Mum joins in Having said that, some covers do work best - Hurt as mentioned above, but also I'm beginning to rate Johnny Cash's version of "the Mercy Seat" alongside the original Nick Cave song.

They need to give our bin men lessons. On a Monday, there can be litter strewn all over the street! Or am I just seeing the results of the urban foxes getting in the rubbish?

Running in the Rain - New Model Army

Love Removal Machine - The Cult

Here comes the war - New Model Army

Wolf child's blues - the Cult

Who do you want for your love? the Icicle Works

The Thin Wall - Ultravox

They look excellent - thanks for posting

I look forward to seeing updates on your Hawkhurst model. Growing up in Paddock Wood, I found the (by then) old line to Hawkhurst fascinating. The first part of the old branch ran parallel to the main line and was retained as a siding. there was a footpath that led to a footbridge over the tracks. The footpath waas known as the Black Path and there were tales that the footbridge was haunted by someone who'd jumped. I've never found any reference to a suicide, but I still recall the tale. The other place where the old line was easily visible was out near Queen Street - where the overbridge had a distincy hump. Although i believe the railway was built to light railway standards by Col Stephens, there was no resort to a level crossing at that point.

Kings and Queens - Killing Joke

The Very Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

thanks for this Completely OT but that reminds me of the big advert in Leeds station in the mid 80's from the Leeds Permanent Buildings Society. "British rail are getting there. We've been here since 1848."

and so I suppose is Paddock Wood, which started life as Maidstone Road. The little wrinkle with this is that there was no settlement there before the railway. The name changed in Victorian times as the village grew up - according to the Kentrail site it changed names as early as 1844 when the Maidstone Branch opened. I was also going to offer Slades Green as an example, as the area as far as I know is actually Slade Green, but I can't confirm this. Also there is no Lee (on the Dartford loop via Sidcup); the place is Lee Green.

I believe the Northampton Mkt Harborough line reopened to passenger traffic in 1969 but only briefly (a few months), having been closed to passnegers for a number ofyears. It then reopened to passnger traffic in 72 and closed again in 73. Freight services continued until 81. I lived for a number of years in Northampton and walked the route a couple of times (including past the steam railway at Lamport). You could sneak off the footpaths and onto the disused (and disconnected) rails at the Northampton end, so getting close to where the lines diverged near a bridge over one of the branches of the Nene, although I seem to recall that at the very end of the 90's they spent quite a bit of money on the footpath and stopped you doing this. The path takes you through a tunnel and I recall feasting on the raspberries that had covered one of the station sites. You used to be able to get a leaflet that described the walk and gave a brief bit of history of the line and the stations.

I have a copy of the photo you referred to in a book by P Ransome-Wallis called, I think, "Southern Album". I was given it for my 3rd birthday, a long time ago!