35A

C20037 appears to be 87 030 "Black Douglas" - you can just about read the nameplate when zoomed.

107 026 - which was 107 426 from 1985 to 1988, then 107 726 until 1990, then 107 026 for the rest of its life. Formed 51986+59803+52018 (assuming it had not been short-term reformed). 52018 was replaced by 52023 later in 1991.

The seats in the far vehicle of the pair are even more uncomfortable now, since it was involved in the first accident for the class, at Seamer, in 1987 (subsequently broken up).

Two lovely sets today, Dave. A typo on J8867, I think. The large logo Brush is 47 479, not 47 419. I immediately spotted the position of the ETS jumper, which lead to a closer look. Thank goodness for large logo livery!

J9628 just reminds me of what a horrible mess they made of the original Railfreight livery when they add that random red stripe to the lower bodyside. Not that it was ever a particularly attractive livery, anyway.

I remember that footbridge in C19880 and C19884 well. In 1978 a friend and I were walking along the road, when we heard a steam whistle coming from the Thornaby direction. We raced up onto the bridge, in time to see 841 "GREENE KING", along with a single clerestory coach, approaching. I had seen it earlier, taking on water at Carr Loco. With no source of information, as we now have with Real Time Trains, we had no idea of the working - but it proved to be the day upon which it transferred from its previous home at the Nene Valley Railway to the North York Moors. Sadly, it was a pretty grim day, weatherwise, and the three or four photographs that I took at the time are of pretty poor quality.

Very best wishes for your 71st, Dave. You've got 9 years on me - probably why I love this thread so much, you and your dad captured much of the era when I was a young spotter with a very primitive Halina Paulette and not much photographic experience. I always enjoy the Swayfield shots (I wish that I'd gone up there at least once!) and I really like J3142, with the light effect and the slight overhead view, which clearly shows the retaining clips towards the centre of the cab roof, where Deltics 19 to 21 originally had their horns positioned (as did DP2). C3765 can only be one of two Deltics. From the style of the nameplate, it's a Haymarket loco and one of the four with single-line plates. Deltic 13 was in its usual residence (i.e. Doncaster Works), along with 22, throughout April 1978 - joined by 4 for the last week of the month (where it was remain until December 1979!). Therefore it's either 55 004, earlier in the month, or 55 016. Unfortunately, both retained twin windscreen wipers until their final days, which doesn't help. However, the fact that the nameplate nearly reaches the engine room windows makes me think very strongly that you've caught 55 004 in the last three weeks before its extended period of hibernation in Doncaster.

The buildings, of course, being Brush Traction's Falcon Works. I'm curious as to what is happening in the background, on the slow lines. Would this have been around the time that the access into the Falcon Works was reconnected, to allow the class 60s to be delivered by rail, I wonder?

That would have been the third (IIRC) of the three Diamond Jubilee runs of 4472, from Peterborough to York. I was on the one that ran on the second weekend. In case anyone is interested, here's a couple from the same day as Dave's HST picture, one of "Flying Scotsman" waiting for the charter to arrive from King's Cross, taken at Eastfield box, Peterborough, and a second of her working hard as she passes Greatford.

Crich is one of those places that has been on my list to visit for decades. That beautiful batch of photographs has just whetted my appetite even more, once we return to a vaguely more normal scenario. I think that the problem has been that I perceive it to be too much hassle to get to by public transport, so it gets shunted into a siding each year. One day .....

I'm pretty certain that the unidentified 'Deltic' in J3129 is 9010. It's a Haymarket loco and can only one of four (double line plate). It's unlikely to be 9006, which was in works for the last 3 weeks of the month. It's definitely not 9019, the pattern of the lettering on the plate is wrong. Therefore it's either 9010 or 9021 - the plate looks too small for the latter, the pattern of the lettering looks right for 9010 and (from what can be made out at maximum zoom) the last digit of the number looks to be rounded.

Minor correction, Dave. C26294 is a five-car set, which would make it a 221, rather than a 220. Lovely set of pictures. 86 225 looks resplendent in its new coat of paint.

I remember many of the 4-CIGs and 4-VEPs being delivered from York, via the ECML. It was a regular morning delivery (although the day could vary), which recessed at lunchtime in the West Yard at Peterborough. We would cycle down at lunchtime, from school, to view them. It was a bit hit-and-miss though, with the day varying! A few examples: 5548, hauling 4-CIGs 7389 and 7390 on 20th May 1971; 284, hauling 4-CIGs 7402 and 7403 on 25th August 1971; 358, hauling 4-CIGs 7406 and 7407 on 23rd September 1971; 1513 hauling 4-CIGs 7408 and 7409 on 8th October 1971. All of these were in blue and grey. For some perverse reason, I always seemed to manage to miss the VEP deliveries!

I just realised that I forgot to check yesterday's photos last night! J8770 is a cracker and so reminiscent of my memories of Newcastle in the 70s - except that I notice that it's a 1987 picture. I'd forgotten that 03s and match wagons were still pottering about, plying their trade, that late on. Such an atmospheric shot.

Ceanothus. Yep, mine's looking like that, as well. Beautiful plant. Until the wind at the weekend, the Weigela was looking spectacular as well. By Monday morning the garden just looked as though we'd had pink snow!

I believe that EMR have placed 14 of their 153s in warm store at Barrow Hill, as a result of the current "inconvenience". I read that there are only three at Nottingham Eastcroft at the present time, one of which is 153 319.

Interesting to see that, in J9053, you have caught the 150 that was involved in the collision with a crane at Seamer (150 212), some five months later than your image. The written-off vehicle was that nearest the camera, 57212. Following a further incident the following year, involving 150 209 and writing off 57209, the two surviving vehicles were paired up (and remain so to this day). That makes it the only Sprinter unit that has no toilet. The 52209+52212 set eventually ended up with First Great Western, although it has recently transferred back to Northern. I've always wondered why the Wales & Borders franchise never claimed it (or swapped it) to use on the Cardiff Bay shuttle, where the lack of toilet wouldn't be an issue.

As demonstrated in the attached image, which I'm guessing might date from around 1963/64. As an aside, if anyone can help me date this image, I'd be most appreciative. Noticeably, the M&GN track has been lifted, the bridge spans over the main line have been dismantled and Rhubarb Bridge, where the M&GN crossed over Lincoln Road (a low bridge which precluded the use of double decker buses on services to the north end of the city) has been removed. I remember, as a very small boy, the old Rhubarb Bridge (the name is now used for the Soke Parkway/Paston Parkway/Lincoln Road/Bourges Boulevard road junction complex) being dismantled, with the embankment and abutments remaining until about 1970/71, when work to build the new route of the A47 along part of the trackbed commenced. The M&GN closed in 1959 and New England was closed to steam in January 1965. Apart from a couple of 0-6-0 diesel shunters, everything else visible is steam. Allowing a couple of years for M&GN track recovery, bridge removal etc. this would suggest a date of (roughly) 1961 to 1964. Given that I remember Rhubarb Bridge being dismantled (I was born in 1958) I tend to think that 1961 might be a little too early for those memories. I'm sure that there may be a few here who are slightly older than me (or who may have seen the image before), any further pointers gratefully received! I continue to find this thread utterly fascinating - your modelling skills are an inspiration, Gilbert, and its always a delight to drop by and see what you've been up to.

C16729 - is that trailing 86 not showing tail lights or is it just the angle of the photograph? It certainly looks as though they are not on.

The racehorses and the Scottish regiment plates were cast in aluminium, whilst the English regiment plates were cast in brass. I believe that the font used was Clarendon Bold, using a smaller font size for the English regiments. The plates were all cast at Glasgow Works, IIRC. Unusually, for the Deltics, the detail of this area of the locos is not very well documented anywhere.

Courtesy of RailGenArchive, some positive IDs for the trailing class 20s in today's collection: J6140 - 20 188 was paired with 20 048 throughout the month of June 1978 C4097 - 20 136 was paired with 20 041 for its "Jolly Fisherman" appearances in August 1978 Interesting that in C4097, the trailing loco (20 041) appears to be applying power but there is no exhaust from the front loco. As they would normally be working in multiple, I wonder if 20 136 was sickly on that day?

Interesting to see the appearance of the first electrification masts in J8914, one on the up side and a couple on the down side. Also to consider that that was May 1987 and electric services to Leeds and then York followed within the next couple of years - rather a contrast with the recent Great Western Main Line electrification.

J7111 - FYI, NCB nos. 4 and 8 were formerly D9514 and D9517 (cut up in December 1985 and January 1984) respectively.

FYI, Rob, from my own notes: DTCL 56472 was paired with DMBS 51280, Lincoln-based, sighted at Leeds City on 22 Dec 1980; on 24 Oct 1982 it was seen at Sheffield Midland, by then paired with 51278, still based at Lincoln. By September 1983 it had become 54472 and transferred to Norwich, where it was paired with 51276. Dave's photograph was taken in the previous July, so it's quite likely that this was the pairing transferred from Lincoln. I noted the pair at Peterborough on 6 Sep 1983 and 11 Feb 1985. It latterly returned to Lincoln, still with 51276, and was noted thus, at York, on 26 Apr 1986. Following withdrawal, it was noted in East Holmes Yard, with other class members, on 7 Mar 1987, awaiting disposal. The original DMBS, 51483, appears to have stayed in Scotland to the end, formed as part of various Haymarket three-car sets.

IME the site has been chronically slow, since the refresh. I've got a faster fibre connection and no other website takes as long to populate as RMweb does! When I click on my Favourites Bar icon it takes 10 seconds plus for anything to happen.