willhayfield

Better late than never - January 25 1982 25 313 and oil tanks - brought in from the south. The previous Monday it was 25 035 and I have a pic of that train being split in order to fit in the oil depot sidings. Perhaps it was a mid-winter phenomenon. I was in Aylesbury from 1978 to mid 82 - only taking a real interest in the last 18 months or so of that time. I remember an engineer's train in the south (west) sidings (2 x 25s) fertilizer for Akeman street heading north through the station, a pw train being reversed in from the north (I always imagined it had been to Akeman Street) - the coal, and jus de fruit (Emerfer - SNCF wagons from the south of France, very exotic) in sidings and heading off down the PR branch - a 97 (ex Class 24) on a test train etc. I also have a pic of a pw vehicle between the loco and the parcels vans. Despite dozens of lunchtime and after work visits I only ever saw one Class 31, no class 50s and to see a binliner (Class 45) I had to take the dog out for a midnight stroll - the train thumped through the town at the witching hour. If I'd known about the 4 am newspaper I would have got up for it! I did like the magazine trains (I was told it was Readers Digest) and I occasionally got out to Waddesdon - it was great to see it rolling through the countryside on a rural byway. I took a look at Winslow on a recent visit (my home town was Wolverton) and nature is still well and truly in charge. Will the Bletchley link ever be restored! Not at this rate. On some Saturdays I'd get over to Princes Risboro to see the only loco hauled train heading for Paddington (a 50 or a 47)- and the odd special (a 47 or a 45) it was usually heaving with rain. On the occasion I treated myself to a trip into the capital my camera (a hard-hearted Zenit) decided to leave the film on the spool - such were the delights of pre-digital photography! Good luck if you've pressed ahead with the model - my LMS in the loft is dust-covered and the garden railway resembles Winslow!