Trev52A

Only if they have genuine oily/coaly thumbprints from the locos on them. Sorry, rules is rules! (Only joking, I have several similar items myself, but not so early. Maybe worth you photographing/scanning a few and sharing?) Trevor

Let's see a picture, then. (I mean the key, not your hand.) Cheers Trevor

In an effort to find out I have just started a new thread 'Souvenirs from the good old days' which might bring forth some gems from the past. Cheers Trevor

In the long-running thread 'The human side of the railway' a picture of mine showing some 'spotters nameplate rubbing a 'Deltic' at York resulted in several posters wondering whatever happened to the results of this sort of endeavour. Are any rubbings still proudly on display on a bedroom wall or tucked away in a drawer somewhere? Let's find out. Which items, perhaps of no monetary value, but great sentimental attachment from earlier days are still out there? I don't mean photographs, notebooks, underlined ABCs and the like or loco 'plates, station signs etc. I'll get the ball rolling with a couple of mine. The souvenir booklet from an LCGB tour over the Somerset & Dorset line from 1966, autographed by the crew of the loco on the last leg from Templecombe to Waterloo - MN Pacific No 35011 General Steam Navigation. I later read that the fireman on the loco involved in the Lewisham disaster of 1957, in which 34066 Spitfire ​passed signals at danger in the fog and crashed into an emu, bringing down a railway overbridge onto the wreckage, had the same surname Hoare. I've often wondered if he became the driver who was in charge of our train that day. Slivers of A4 paint from 60009, 60019 and 60034 at Ferryhill shed, Aberdeen, in 1966. One thing is obvious - the green paint (even on the originals) is much darker than on any model A4. I'm sure we've had this discussion regarding 'scale' in colours - let's not go there again! Anyone else like to share their thoughts or pictures on this theme? - especially from nameplate-rubbers, hopefully. Trevor

Many thanks for that, Neil (I think - one less 'Western' to my name!) I am now convinced the b&w shot at Paddington is indeed D1070 (not D1075 as I had recorded it, nor D1057 as I had hoped). In fact, now looking at my b&w shot of D1070 at Reading on the stone train in 1973 I see it shows the start of the same rust marks two years earlier. Not only that, but looking through my shots which did not make the final 50 I found this one. Sorted!! Just as well to get these things cleared up 42 years later. D1070 Western Gauntlet entering Teignmouth station on 27th May 1975 Cheers Trevor

@ Gareth (TEDDY BEAR D9521) Thanks for that - I have since seen other posts on this website with the same explanation. @ Neil (Downendian) Thanks for pointing out that detail on D1065 - I hadn't realised. Did you see my colour shot of this loco at Didcot on the same day? (Post #38 above) It would be interesting to find out from your notes if you really were at Kings Cross that day, Monday 26th May1975. I had passed through KX around midday on the first day of an All-Line Railrover (7 days for £31) after arriving behind 55017 from Darlington. (For some reason I had caught an earlier train from Newcastle behind 46031 and changed at Darlington to pick up the Deltic). If I may hijack my own thread (!) here's a shot I took after arriving in London which might jog your memory. 55017 and 47424 at Kings Cross on 26th May 1975 I've updated my spotting books after sorting out this 'Western' compilation and I find I have not officially seen D1057, even though my shot at Paddington (which I had recorded incorrectly as D1075 - see my post #41 earlier) might be it. Still hoping to see someone's pic of D1057 to compare front ends - then that's another I can underline! Cheers Trevor

Here's another one at York. Anyone recognise himself? Spotters indulge in a bit of nameplate-rubbing, with 55021 the target on 5th August 1980. Good job they seem to be using wallpaper - Argyll & Sutherland Highlander is one of the longer ones. Trevor

Too many brakevans on your layout and not enough goods vehicles? 37085 near King Edward Bridge Junction, Gateshead, on 18th May 1975. (I hope they remembered to attach a brakevan with a guard in at the end of it!) Trevor

Stuck your BR 'double arrow' on back to front? Don't worry, the big trains did it as well! Carlisle, 1st April 1967 (No, it's not an 'April Fool'!) Trevor

I think the credit for that post should go to Gareth (TEDDY BEAR D9521) Trevor

Hope you are not going to charge me a modelling fee. Trevor

Thank you very much - I have enjoyed sorting them out and, in fact, making a complete list for the first time of those 'Westerns' I photographed. I am now tempted to go back to my old 'locoshed' book from steam days and continue where I left off, underlining all those I saw in the 1970s. I probably saw most of them, but I know D1000 always eluded me, unfortunately. I gave up underlining diesels once renumbering started - no such problems with 'Westerns'! Cheers Trevor

Final batch now.. D1070 Western Gauntlet at Reading with an eastbound stone(?) train on 1st June 1973 Some nice weathering detail on D1069 Western Vanguard at Plymouth on 27th May 1975 Despite the headcode, D1065 Western Consort is at the head of a passenger train at Paddington on 26th May 1975. in fact I travelled on it to Didcot. Diehard 'Western' fans look away now! The end of the line, in more senses than one, at Paddington with arrivals D1043 Western Duke alongside 50014 on 1st June 1975. Even the platform number signs above the locos are prophetic! Which seems a fitting place to end this selection of 50 of my favourite pictures from the 1970s featuring 'Western' locos. I would still be interested to see a picture of D1057 to compare it with my shot earlier, of possibly the same loco (which I had recorded incorrectly as D1075). Next up I'll start a thread on the ECML in the 1970s on the same format as above, but mainly 'Deltics' and Class 47s. Bye for now Trevor

The driver of 55012 Crepello takes a breather at York on 2nd June 1978, as two spotters discuss 'Deltics' in general (possibly). How many modellers would dare to weather a loco like this?, I wonder. Trevor

Thanks, Guy. The photo also shows we shouldn't worry too much if the coach roofs on our layouts don't match! Cheers Trevor

Getting near the end of the second lot, now. Three more here: After a couple of hours of photography at Dawlish on the morning of 29th May 1974 I boarded this train heading west, pulled by D1061 Western Envoy. (Don't think I've seen many pics from this angle at Dawlish) .... .... and alighted at Newton Abbot. I must have dashed out of the station and up onto this road bridge pretty quick, because I was able to grab this shot of my train leaving! D1010 Western Campaigner approaches Teignmouth along the sea wall with the down 'Cornish Riviera Ltd' on 27th May 1975 Final lot to follow Trevor

..and D1071 was the only one of those which I photographed. No wonder I thought it was a one-off! Many thanks for the info. Cheers Trevor

Here's a train makeup which might raise a few eyebrows in model form: photographed climbing Shap on 15th July 1967 is a 'Black 5' with a four-coach train bound for Carlisle. Three of the coaches are ex-LMS I believe (fair enough) but the first one (unless I'm mistaken) is a BR Mk1 - in Southern Region green! Perhaps a transfer prior to repainting? The train (reporting number 1L27) which was steam-hauled from Crewe that summer, was the 11.55(SO) ex-Euston which split at Oxenholme (for Windermere), with the front 3 or 4 coaches for Carlisle. I saw the train several times that summer but never again with a green coach. A colour shot of this train, photographed lower down the bank on the same day, appeared in one of the railways mags a few months ago which reminded me I had this b&w version. Trevor

Conversation piece in Gateshead in 1982 near the site of Bensham station, with Alston Street awaiting demolition. No doubt they would have to speak up as a southbound HST accelerated past. Trevor

A question for 'Western' fans - what's that square box structure on the cab front of D1071, below the handrail? It appears on both my pics of this loco in 1974 and 1975. Some sort of ventilator? Cheers Trevor

These three were all in Devon in 1975... D1052 Western Viceroy heads east at the classic location at Teignmouth on 31st May 1975 D1070 Western Gauntlet enters Devon off the Royal Albert Bridge on 28th May 1975 A nicely clean D1071 Western Renown, light engine at Plymouth on 27th May 1975 Trevor

Here are some of the others, no particular order this time... D1010 Western Campaigner at Newton Abbot on 29th May 1974. Can anyone explain the pronounced discolouring at the front end? D1046 Western Marquis approaching Teignmouth from the west on 30th May 1975 D1063 Western Monitor at Exeter SD on 30th May 1975 alongside a train for Waterloo via Salisbury behind 33029 More to come.. Trevor

I'd love to see a shot of the 'real' D1057 to compare - in which case I would have pics of 37 individual locos out of 74 - exactly half. Cheers for that, Rug. Trevor

Regarding Clayton diesels banking over Shap, when I visited Tebay shed on 30th December 1967, right at the end of steam, there were three of them there: D8501, D8510 and D8520 and I wrote 'new bankers' in my notebook against their numbers. Also 75026 was in steam awaiting its next job up the bank. That was my last visit to the area and I never saw the diesels in action. Photographs must be rarer than hens' teeth! Trevor

Hello Tony, Many thanks for your detailed reply to my question about steam over Shap in 1968. Thanks goodness we have people like Ken Harper who were enthusiasts as well as railwaymen! I was planning to start a thread along the lines of '50 years since the end of steam over Shap'. Technically, of course, next year is the anniversary - but how many photos would we get taken in 1968? I don't suppose many photographers would stand out all day in a field at Shap Wells on the off chance of seeing an 8F (say) with a ballast rain, or whatever. On the other hand, 1967 was a) the last year of steam passenger workings over Shap, b) the last year (presumably) of through steam workings of any kind to/from Carlisle and c) definitely the final full year of steam over Shap. So, with the proviso of sporadic steam workings from Carnforth in 1968 I think we could make a case for 1967 as being the 'right' 50th anniversary - do you agree? I tried to look on the WNXX site as you suggested, but as others have pointed out, it looks like I need to register first. Unless I am trying to enter from the wrong page to start with? Many thanks for your kind comments about my photos here and elsewhere - yes, that is me on the David Hey site. Very best wishes Trevor