Reading General

i regularly saw D0280 at Reading in it;s heyday. Always a pleasure

I never really saw much of the Class14s. The only time really was on a school week long trip to The Gower when we seemed to pass the various yards next to the A48 a lot and there were a few in evidence, mostly in the distance though. The only number I got was D9524 iirc. This would have been about 1968 I should think. Otherwise there was just D9526 in Westbury at the cement works

I never saw a 74 at Reading... 73s certainly on high days and holidays

I have two experiences, both at Reading.......U class 31618 on it's way to Kent FROM the scrapyard and on two or three occasions, withdrawn 4LAV units hauled through marked as said above COND with circles with crosses in.... the only 4LAVs I ever saw. (they looked in pretty good nick to me too! As good or better than our usual 2BIL and 2HAL units

162 sounds very pedestrian nowaydays

they would occasionally work through Reading. My recollection is that this would often involve a PW working up the Freight lines and on towards London, so probably an OOC loco involved, from Scours Lane or possibly Didcot in view of the earlier photo.

as one-time owner of this coach, I'd love to see this photo....can anyone give me a link?

ha....they'd have been more perturbed at innocent little me wandering around King's Cross, not to mention Old Oak Lane from Willesden Junc had they known! Barry Scrapyard wouldn't have thrilled them either! we had a lot more freedom then

nice.... leopard/alexander? No I'm not to do with the project, I wondered if you were getting involved

No....did you expect I might be?

are you willing to get involved physically and/or financially?

As it happens I'm not that person. Just a footsoldier-in-waiting. I do however have experience of coach restoration having co-owned my own std gauge coach and been involved in almost total refurbishment of it

Picture 2 is Blennerville, with the windmill in the background,and away to the right is a restored Ship Canal and to the left in the background are the Brandon Mountains. Picture 3 is Tralee Ballyard or Aquadome station with said latter in background, and the Town (which is very attractive, 5 minutes walk A new , never used , halt exists on route to serve the wetland Centre, which is another popular attraction. Both ends of the line are thus in great positions to attract lots of visitors, I understand the best year they carried 45000 people. PS the Municipal Dump has been removed

These photos are mine and are very recent to show how redeemable this line is .

This photo from some time back shows the actual position as I understood it. The boiler was set up on a stand, presumably to work on it. The cab roof was also outside I think. Presumably work stopped when the boiler was found to need a lot of work, a diesel was hired but the railway foundered not long after. It's not my photo (and I found it on the net) so I can't say how long ago it was.

Here is the text as on facebook for you non-fb-believers. "Now Lads and Lassies, the up to date position. Our impromptu Grouping met a month ago in Tralee and held a Meeting . What followed that day was a photo taken with our Town Engineer and a marvellous article in The Kerryman Newspaper , which ( excuse the pun ) helped set off a head of steam , for the regenerated Campaign. The Company- The Windmill Company controls the Steam Railway facility - dormant now for nearly SEVEN YEARS . Your informal Committee met yesterday again in Tralee and following a short Meeting, visited The Blennerville facility and then walked the Rail Line. At 4.15pm , we then met Jim Finucane, MCC & Tralee District Mayor. He was accompanied by John Griffin , representing KCC and who has a proven record, going all the way back to the original Project in getting The Tralee - Blennerville Steam Line , up in running in 1995. We have had, what we describe, as a preliminary sounding out Meeting . We will meet again , with John & Jim , to present a detailed Proposal. We are not at one Yet , in the way they perceive control over the project succeeding and where we see it going. We see a very Volunteer orientated Organisation, which we believe , may appeal to them , when they see the fuller picture. In the meantime , we need to stabilise and formulate our structure. We must Elect a Committee and formulate a Society, or Trust. We have lots of work to do and we need people to Volunteer their Services - where they feel that they have a particular Skill level ? I'm a Chartered Surveyor / Arbitrator / Negotiator - so my skills are in that area . So basically , an Audit of Talents , is immediately needed and then we can assess where we are going . We are setting our perceptive sites on 2016 or late 2015 at the earliest, to get this project up and running - if we succeed in selling our ability and skills to the current Company and Kerry County Council. Tonnes of work to be done Folks - Can I open the Debate by asking - Are we up for it ? Have we the Energy ? Have we the Skill Set ? How many are truly committed ? DEBATE OPEN !!!!!!" NOT my post although I can answer questions reasonably reliably. The railway is intact, the carriages are in reasonable order, the track needs some re-sleepering, some attention needed to station platforms and in other areas. Basically the line could be re-opened in a relatively short term with volunteer input and an acheivable sum of cash. A diesel loco would be needed a 5T is out of use for the immediate future. Can we do it? well, we're going to try... we're moving forward at least after 7 years of inactivity.

5T is indeed in bits but it is locked in it's shed.

http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/711002br.html looks like this was it!

I've been to Ashburton by train, this is my only photo of it. It was a Merrymaker from Reading, might well have been the farewell to Ashburton train mentioned earlier, I can't remember. I was about 16 nd travelled on my own , so I can't ask anyone for more details. (Named Class 47 on the front if that helps)

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made me giggle alright...I'll find n avatar

as my post seems to be well received....I've posted Kanturk post in the Irish section.....

I was amazed to find a reference to my home town in here! For Black Pudding, you have to go to Jack McCarthy, purveyor of puddings to HMQ on her visit! (Kanturk actually means Boar;s Head btw)