SOUTHERNUT

Morning All Mocca successfully delivered at 05:08…tick. Mrs Grizz mumbled thank you and promptly went back to sleep. Mine was gone by 05:33, just in time to peek out of the window to see the Newhaven freight drop down the bank. Not yet light enough at 05:35 to see the train clearly, but at least the storm has cleared off. Best marching boots on today for scheduled track inspection. It is that time of year where the weather can’t seem to make it’s mind up and I need to wear waterproof clothing just in case but if the sun comes out then it is boil in the bag time. Not expecting to find too much to worry about today, probably one section with a few sleepers that will need changing out and a load of old AS chair screws that’ll need replacing with M (maintenance) chair screws. In another section it’ll take a bit more time to check the pads and fastenings as the recently dropped top stone needs more ballast brushing, the stone is still littering around the Pandrol clips. The wear band on the rails are perfect so it shows that the track is settling down nicely. Have a great day all. ATB Grizz

Just stumbled across this photo belonging to Charlie Verrall. His photos are always superb and well worth a look. It shows E6040 (73133) in rail blue approaching Keymer Junction, working a Down Newhaven Boat train. On what looks like newly painted blue and grey coaches (there appears to be that white lining boarder around the grey. Photo taken July 1967.

https://www.hattons.co.uk/newsdetail?id=400 looks like JBs were rail blue. Best change the subject now before I get told off.

Correct, IIRC, all JBs were out shopped in the livery shown above. My point re the Bulleid was that no one would tolerate a post war built loco, such as a West Country or a Battle of Britain, running in Southern Olive Green because they never did. So why should a diesel be painted in green, when they ran in rail blue from the start. It is amazing how some railway enthusiasts seem to conveniently forget that for three years there were rail blue diesels, electrics, EDs such as the JB, multiple units, together with some blue and grey coaches running around with steam locos, at the end of steam. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjJibOEvJf-AhXbh1wKHQG9D1UQtwJ6BAgiEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dqruu7-k27P0&usg=AOvVaw0clIUZqB1EulX3qX5GvjZ3 Railways didn’t end when steam finished. That JB lasted so many years longer in main line use than most steam locos ever did.

Absolutely brilliant to see that NG’s 73/1 (JB) 73133 / E6040 out shopped in authentic and prototypical BR Blue, with small yellow warning panels, and BR double arrows. It’ll soon be at BBR. Such a great asset, with true Southern Region railway history. Rededicated this week at Eastleigh, complete with name plates and crests. Matches the BBR 4 VEP perfectly. Great to see that the owner has also resisted pressure from certain elements to paint it in a non prototypical British Railways green livery. Painting it green would have been just the same as painting a beautiful bullied pacific in Southern Olive Green… sacrilege. The wipac headlights and missing head code boxes don’t really detract the overall appearance…just superb to have it at BBR. If nothing else, having the 73/1 at BBR proves to the visiting public that railway history in the South continued beyond the 1960’s. Well done to NG. .