Judge Dread

My guess regarding the departure from 8N would be that this train has been set back to collect a van left behind by a south bound train at that platform. A fish van perhaps, going home to Hull.

I don't know about that, here's a picture showing the young man on the right with one in 1962. Notice also the "winkle-picker" shoes.

I'm sure you meant 69802, a loco I had certainly seen in the Hull area in 1958 when then allocated to Botanic Gardens along with 69811 another A5/1 and 698832/36&37, all A5/2's

Both have now arrived. The Class 71 is the green E5001 as the preserved example in the early days at the NRM. The kit for the 74 looks like it will keep me busy for a time but first I must compelt the wiring of a layout, "Cooper Wort" for Peter Goss. My thanks to John Hazleton at Silver Fox Models for a very speedy delivery service.

The downstairs windows could not be left open as the steam from passing locos shunting could take the wallpaper off!!

If memory serves, and usually these days it doesn't, there were a couple of these signals at Staddlethorpe as it was called in the early 60's. Now Gilberdyke, they were on the road crossings to the company houses in the vee of the junction of the Goole and Selby lines.

I have finally given in and ordered a kit for myself. Now to buy a "Hornby Class 71" power unit.

On "Google Earth" it certainly refers to "Forty Steps". Keep up the good work young man. Regards, John.

I live at an address here in Hull which is a "road". Shortly after moving in 1972 I started to receive mail address to the same number and name as mine but addressed to a "street". I would return this mail as "not known here, try "street"! When I received mail from a trades union addressed to "street", I returned it to that union with a note suggesting my union could get the right address for me, why couldn't they for their members. All seemed to settle down until about 1995 when a bailiff and two police officers arrived at my door with an arrest warrant for a gentleman. My wife told them I was in court that day, sitting on the bench and in any event, the person they wanted did not, and had not ever lived at this address. She asked to see the warrant and informed the bailiff that it was made out to the "street"! She then pointed out to the police officers that they should have known that . The following day I was in court again and I told our chief Clark of the events of the previous day and his comment was "Leave this to me sir, I shall cause the maximum possible amount of embarrassment here"!

Don't you blame me young man! I was there but I was more interested in keeping our S & T van floors and table tops clean. Oh and keeping a kettle boiling always in case we had visitors.

I can tell you Neil, yes! I joined the S & T dept in 1959 and our mess van was an ex N.E. clerestory brake coach. The guards end was the tool section with a "pot belly" stove at one end. Then there was a half compartment with the coal bunker at one side and the coat hangers at the other. That was heated by the chimney coming through the wall from the afore mentioned tool section. The next section was an open ex four compartments with a coal fueled cooker and six tables with fixed seats. Finally a half compartment with another smaller "pot belly" stove for the ganger's use. The coach was painted externally with about ten shades of black with a grey roof. All repair work was done by the gangs as they had a fear that if the coach and wagon dept got their hands on it, it would be instantly scrapped! I believe it was eventually preserved but I cannot be sure.

Re Holland and driving, been there, done that and into the rising sun as well. With a UK registered vehicle the locals tend to give you space. Welcome Natalie.

And relatives!

Very nice, informative pictures Mick. Bubwith, I've heard that some people will travel long distances to live there!

I've just wandered past our local early morning noise generating plant which opens across weekends at 9.00 pm and closes about 5 am and they have just taken delivery of six CO2 bottles. Now if some "ner-do-well" was to steal them, I may get a quite nights sleep. Then again there's still the woman I left home for.

Some three years ago I went for assessment prior to an operation to fit artificial heart valve. One question asked was "Have you seen a dentist in the last year?" I had to say no, and the reply was "Wrong answer!" I visited a nearby dental practice and entered the dreaded chair. I had told the dentist that I had not been before for religious reasons, "I'm a devout coward" I told her. She extracted the remains of two broken teeth and filled another. I can honestly say I didn't feel a thing, the modern needle is of a much smaller dimension, which really helps. I have been back twice now for annual check ups and the only thing that causes me pain, so far, is the cost!

39 years is it Barry? Well done to you both but "get your knees brown", because if I'm still here come the 17th of July, my good lady and I will be celebrating 53 years. Incidentally, our youngest daughter Helen and her fiasco Robin tried to marry at the same church as us, on the same date and at the same time. We said nothing until the reception where we revealed our wedding was not at the time given on all the invites but approximately an hour late as the groom in the wedding before us had second thoughts and had to be "persuaded" !

All this talk of broken cam bells etc. In Sept 2007 I took a layout to Southport in my Citroen Berlingo van. After receiving instructions from their exhibition manager , I set off to drive around the block to unload the van at the rear entrance. Just as I changed from 1st. to 2nd. gear the van's cam belt parted company and we had to push it back to the front entrance. After recovery back to Hull, my local garage found the engine was wreaked and they fitted a second hand one with half the mileage. I asked for a new cam belt and a clutch to be fitted, just in case! That engine has now done in excess of 14,000 miles in several countries. I should like it be known that the good folks at the Southport show, payed me full expenses and gave me a donation to help me to get back on the road.(sic)

Then again, again, there was the Blackburn Beverley

That would be the 50th "East Coast Run" starting in the East Park, Hull and going to Bridlington. It was a commercial vehicles rally, buses and the like but these days now includes M/C's and cars. It wasn't my turn to drive on this occasion but the driver did stop and let me on as Sputnik left the East Park.

Simple answer to that, would be yes as Blackburn's became Hawker Sidderely in 1960. I was there in the early 70's and by then the DMU's where providing a service of sorts. The real train to catch was on a Friday, the works closed at 12.00 noon and if you could get to the station quick enough there was a train to Hull which usually was powered by a "running in" loco from Doncaster works. More than often a class 31 with the chalk lines on the cab side for the numbers and a smell of hot paint coming from the engine room.

In days now gone by, when I was an electrician, I would report back to my boss some of the nightmares I had seen purporting to be a "safe" installation. He always came back with the same comment, "Look son, it's all work, either for us or the fire brigade, depending on who gets there first!"

I too always carry a handkerchief to catch sudden sneezes. Long, long ago my mother would have insist that my freshly washed handkerchiefs had to be "aired" before use. These days whilst staggering home from the pub and observing young ladies waiting to get into the local noise factory, I think to myself, "I have blown my nose on bigger pieces of material than that which they are wearing."

On behalf of my fellow operators on Hospital Gates, may I thank all concerned with their organisation today at Bridlington. We all had a wonderful day, meeting friends old and new. The award of the cup from the public's vote came as a great surprise to us.

The wheels were standard Bachmann disc ones fitted at either end of drilled out chassis for the crane itself with the two other flangeless ones left just as they where and three hole wheels elsewhere. The bearing strips where levered out and the wheels entered in leaving a very loose connection which must be the reason for the noise. If I had had more time, I would have soldered top-hat bearings into those slots. This was a very halfhearted conversion without even an attempt to see how it ran. I do hope you are more successful.