Trev52A

@ spikey The confusion arises because both 61379 and 61306 have carried the name 'Mayflower' - although the latter was so named only after preservation. Trevor

It's 27th August 1975 and we're half way through the Rail 150 Exhibition at Shildon. 'Black Five' 4767 (named 'George Stephenson' two days earlier) makes an interesting comparison alongside things to come on the railway - the prototype High Speed Train. Trevor

Saturday 26th August 1967 was the final day the summer Saturdays-only 'Jubilee'-hauled trains ran over the S&C into Carlisle. These were 1S52, a Birmingham-Glasgow train and 1S67, a St. Pancras-Glasgow (the relief 'Thames-Clyde Express'). In both cases the 'Jubilees' worked the Leeds-Carlisle section. Presumably these were the final ever normal passenger trains rostered for this class of loco - unless someone knows different? (Both 45562 and 45593 worked various 'specials' later that year until withdrawal in November and October respectively.) Along with several school pals I managed to join the Birmingham train at Appleby for the last leg of the run to Carlisle, with 45562 'Alberta' doing the honours. 'Alberta' after arrival at Carlisle with 1S52 on 26th August 1967. Anyone recognise a younger version of himself on the platform? Trevor

Phil's upload of 'Evening Star' reminded me of one of mine, taken in happier circumstances in preservation days, a the start of the 'Rail 150' Exhibition held in Shildon Wagon Works for a week commencing 24th August 1975 (44 years ago today) Old and New at Shildon on 24th August 1975 - the 'old' being the 9F (built in 1960) and the 'new' being the replica 'Locomotion', brand new that year! Trevor

Most interesting, Phil. Men apparently working on the cylinders (and coupling rods dismantled) of 92220, yet it appears to be still in steam. Any idea what the urgent problem was? Trevor

@ stovepipe Ah, so my presumption is wrong. Pity it's too far away to read the prefix. Thanks for clarifying. Trevor

Three pics from a happy few hours spent near Kingmoor shed, Carlisle, near the end of the school holidays fifty-two years ago on 23rd August 1967 44809 is turned before leaving the shed, with 92153 and 44802 awaiting their turn. In the background work continues on building the new diesel depot. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' heads south past the shed with empty stock 45421 approaches from the south with a freight Trevor

Hi Jools I photographed a Paignton-Edinburgh train (1S27) passing the site of Birtley station (near Gateshead) on 3rd July 1971, which included at least one Maroon Mk1. As I was more interested at the time in recording the station remains than the passing trains, this is all I included of the coaching stock - there might have been more maroon examples further back. (I didn't even record the number of the 'Peak'.) So there you go - at least one potentially WR coach still in maroon as late as this. Hope this helps Regards Trevor

Here's the view at Manors looking the other way... 55005 heads for Edinburgh on 6th August 1975, having just passed under the footbridge linking Manors East (on the main line) and Manors North (on the route to the coast via South Gosforth). The modern footbridge was erected on the site of my 1975 viewpoint - seen from the steps, 91107 also heads for Edinburgh on 19th August 2019. The remains of part of the platform of Manors North can just be made out to the right of the loco, level with the top edge of the windscreen. Trevor

Hoping to get this thread back on track (groan) here are a couple separated by 41 years A coal train heads in the Heaton direction through Manors on 18th June 1978, photographed from the (now demolished) footbridge which joined Manors North and Manors East. The tracks on the left are the up and down main lines; those on the right are the corresponding slows. With suburban traffic to and from the coast now handled by the Tyne&Wear Metro, which uses a different route at this point, the importance of Manors rapidly fell and now oniy one or two trains an hour stop here on their way to/from Morpeth. This is the scene from a different (newer) footbridge, so the viewpoint is not exactly the same. 43314 leads an Aberdeen-Kings Cross train towards Newcastle on 19th August 2019. Trevor

Ah, now I can see it! On the left hand side it's as you describe it. On the other side it's sitting on the stripe immediately to the left of the poppy below the nameplate. Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction! Cheers Trevor

On Sunday 20th August 1967 (52 years ago today) Newcastle saw two preserved steam locos - one returning to its old stamping ground and the other paying a first-time visit. Fist up was 'Castle' 4-6-0 No 7029 'Clun Castle' (although temporarily minus name and number plates) on platform clearance tests prior to working a 'special' the following month. I believe this was the first time a 'Castle' had been seen on Tyneside - can anyone think of an earlier example? As it turned out it was not able to negotiate the full length of any of the through platforms, resulting in K1 No 62005 working the final hundred yards or so in to the station with the train on 9th September. Later that afternoon A4 No 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' arrived with a Doncaster to Edinburgh 'special'. Brush type 4 No D1521 seems to be trying to 'photobomb' the picture as it departs south, much to the chagrin (I would imagine) of the other photographers behind me. Trevor

Is it true that 91111 (as it is now) still includes the mouse in its current (unique) livery? I've looked and can't find it. Trevor

How about taking water without stopping? 44948 dips the scoop on Dillicar troughs with 1M32, a Glasgow-Morecambe train (steam from Carlisle) on 15th July 1967 Any more water trough shots? (diesels also did this) Trevor

Thanks for this info - I have now updated my original post Trevor

Many thanks for the link to the LNER Encyclopedia site. I am tempted to join it in order to post the picture of 'St.Paddy' taking water - seems this sort of thing was rarely captured on film. Cheers Trevor

9001 gets a top-up (of water?) at Newcastle Central Station on 20th May 1970 Any suggestions, please? Trevor Subsequent posts have explained that it is filling the water tank for the steam-heating boiler. - Thanks to TheSignalEngineer and Rugd1022

4472 taking water from a road tanker at Gargrave on 1st May 1976, in the course of working a rail tour with 790 'Hardwicke'. Can't remember where the train was at this moment! Trevor

To tie up the loose ends, this is the final day involving my NW 'Runabout Rover' ticket; Monday 14th August 1967. Going by the photographs it was a dull and damp day although on the plus side I travelled on three steam-hauled trains out of a total of eleven, clocking up approx. 375 miles. After arriving at Preston behind 45347 on the usual ex-Windermere train which I had joined at Lancaster, I was soon heading for Blackpool South for the second time in six days, behind another Ivatt Class 4 2-6-0, this one being 43029 This is the view leaving Preston... ...and after arrival in Blackpool. This is one of my favourite pics taken during the Rover ticket, with the passengers adding to the scene After returning to Preston I climbed the stairs to the rooftop car park again and was rewarded with this 8F climbing away from the station. I expect the background has changed a bit since then. Back on the platforms, in the company of one or two others I dodged the rain to see 92071 coming through with a northbound freight Also near the same spot I framed this 'Black Five' departing south on what was probably the 15.45 to Manchester Victoria. My notes say the loco was 45347, which seems unlikely as that was the same one which had brought my train in from Lancaster earlier that afternoon. I managed to put in a trip on a DMU to Carnforth in order to join another steam-worked train from Windermere departing at 18.23 behind 45394, which I rode to Lancaster, before heading for Carlisle for the final time with D1852 in charge. At the end of the 7 days I had ridden behind nine different steam locos and eleven diesels, plus numerous DMUs. As it turned out this was the last year i was able to do this - by the following summer it was all over as far as steam-hauled normal service trains were concerned. Happy days! Trevor

Both the 'Jubilees' were immaculate, the result of unofficial cleaning by photographers aiming to get the 'master shot'. Although I was not part of the 'MNA' I knew several of their members at the time. Cheers Trevor

52 years ago today, on Saturday 12 August 1967, I was back at Carlisle. My NW 'Runabout Rover' wasn't valid that day which was a shame, as several Saturdays-only passenger trains were regularly steam-hauled south of Carlisle that Summer. First up was 70011 with a northbound freight seen near Upperby. Back near the station I was surprised to see another 'Brit', 70035 heading north with a passenger train, but examination of the picture reveals the first coach has the window label 1Z12, so it was evidently a Saturday 'extra'. Hopefully the chap with the tape recorder got some good results on the climb to up to Beattock summit. A couple of early afternoon trains from north of the border were scheduled to change from diesel to steam at Carlisle. Here are two 'Black Fives' are waiting for the changeover. 44878 will take out 1M31, a Dundee to Blackpool train while 45038 will takeover 1M21 from Glasgow to Blackpool. The fireman of the latter is applying the reporting number in chalk, still in the platform road after arriving light engine from Kingmoor shed, while 44878 has the more 'hi-tec' version! This 'Black Five' is ready to depart with 1M32, a Glasgow to Morecambe train Two trains due in off the S&C were both rostered for 'Jubilee' locos - this is 45593 after arrival with 1S67, a St. Pancras to Glasgow train (usually referred to by the grander title of the 'relief Thames-Clyde Express'), which it had worked from Leeds as far as here, where a diesel would take over. (The other 'Jubilee' working was 1S52, a Birmingham to Glasgow express which had arrived earlier behind 45562.) Another of the southbound trains due for steam-haulage out of Carlisle was 1M38, a Glasgow to Manchester train which departed behind 70032. 'Brit' fans will notice that the loco now has a large type BR1D tender, as fitted to the final batch of locos. The change from its earlier BR1 tender must have taken place since 15th July when I had photographed it at Tebay. According to my records I had a day off on Sunday, but resumed my 'Rover' ticket on Monday 14th August when Preston was again on the itinerary. Trevor

I wonder if we'll see any pics of the 'Fifteen Guinea Special' today? (Unless it's been done to death in previous years.) My trip to the S&C on 11th August 1968 ended with a flat tyre in a Landrover somewhere near Hexham! Trevor

@ Phil I only travelled over the S&D once, on a 'special' on 1st January 1966, but I always like seeing pictures of the line, even though these are just a bit early to coincide with my 'spotting' years. And it must have been great having a father to pass on the interest in railways (and the pictures, of course!) There was no such connection in my family and I got in to it through mixing with school friends, which is when I took my steam-era photos. Kind regards Trevor

It's now Friday 11th August 1967 - day four of my 'Rover' ticket, and I'm off to Preston once again. Looking back, I went there on every day covered by the ticket. I wonder why? Well, it was such an imposing station with its gantries of semaphore signals, the perfect setting for the procession of steam-hauled trains, (mainly freights, of course) which passed through every weekday, plus I expect I intended to get my money's-worth out of the ticket as it was at the extremity of the area covered! On this day I had an extra incentive, as there was a Fridays-only passenger train scheduled for steam-haulage all the way back to Carlisle, over Shap, and I aimed to be on it. After arriving at Lancaster behind D1861 I caught the usual 'Black Five'-hauled ex-Windermere train, the 11.50 from Lancaster, this time with 45227 at the head. A perhaps unusual view(?) at Preston, showing 45450 arriving at the East Lancs section with a cement train. The railway has since been obliterated from this side of the station, of course, and the last time I was there it was a car park. Later that afternoon the sun came out (most of my pictures from that week seem to be in dull weather!) and I found a good vantage point - a roof-top car park north of the station on the west side of the line. This is 44993 heading north with a parcels train, passing diesel shunter D3580. It wasn't until much later that I realised I had taken my only picture of a green diesel without a yellow end! No wasp stripes here - presumably none on the front , either. The same view but including all of the magnificent LNWR signal box, as D1950 heads north. The train I really wanted to see was the Fridays-only 13.27 Liverpool-Glasgow, due off Preston at 14.30 and steam-hauled to Carlisle. It duly arrived behind 70025 (ex- 'Western Star'), where the loco took water. Note the fireman with typical 'knotted hankie' on his head! The loco is in quite nice external condition, (i.e. you can see the BR emblem on the tender!) although its last green repaint has omitted the lining out, as was the practice near the end of steam. At Preston this train was combined with a portion from Manchester to make an eleven-coach train for the journey north. I remember there was some consternation among prospective passengers on the platform as the first half pulled forward ready to set back onto the rear coaches in a different platform - this shot must be during this manoeuvre as the signals appear to be on and the loco is blowing off furiously. A nice view of the signal gantry, though. First stop was Lancaster, where I grabbed this shot. One of the young lads asked me if the train would stop at Carnforth - presumably he fancied a short ride behind a 'Brit'. 'No, next stop is Penrith', I answered and we set off without him. On the climb to Shap I walked up and down the corridor several times but every open window was occupied by an enthusiast enjoying the sound of 'Western Star' pounding up the 1 in 75 without a banker. The following day, Saturday, was not valid with my 'Rover Ticket', so there was no need for an early departure from Newcastle in order to catch a southbound train to Preston. This meant I could could look forward to a lie-in and a leisurely day at Carlisle instead. Trevor

@Ian & Jamie Many thanks for the feedback (and the kind words) Here's another shot of that 'coal train' behind 45382, which might be a better view. Cheers Trevor