Irishswissernie

I have an album on flickr of this trip https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/sets/72157626979655495/ The view of the shed involved Dave, my brother in law Peter and I negotiating a field full of cows! One of us wasn't too keen and I'm not bothered by cows so it wasn't me!!! Ernie

I 've just been checking the 'hits' on my Flickr Archive This a Tony Nokes shot which I don't appear to have uploaded. Does it help anyone? Ref 69r66 Sunday 20Apr 1969 E5004 approaching Dunton Green at 10.55 am Ernie

Also1501 was red , the NCB re-painted them thus at Coventry Colliery. Ernie

I really enjoyed those DMU trips that the late Chris Wolstenholmes used to organise for the NERA, the one round the Blyth & Tyne was also called the North Briton if I remember correctly. Chris actually called in the shop at Hexham just a couple of months before his untimely passing; he was photographing the signalling I think. I'm not in your pictures Dave, we were probably standing side by side for most of the photography. Its got me thinking I must have more photos somewhere to bung on Flickr! Ernie

The only freight that would needed to be worked into the station would probably be the Tanks on a mixed from Mallaig, there was a direct link into the Mallaig junction yard off the line from Mallaig see this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5746673872/in/set-72157626778604158 The cross over point can be seen at the bottom of the photo. Freights to or from Glasgow reversed direction at Mallaig Junction. There are a number of views in this album : https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/sets/72157626778604158/ of freight traffic, mainly in the late 1980's This view shows vans heading for CORPACH on the Lochy viaduct: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5746143949/in/set-72157626778604158 Ernie

70033 probably withdrawn https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/13907317507/in/photolist- As Brian says have a trawl through my albums, if you click on the collections at https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/collections/then your best bet is probably the London Midland collection, click on an icon for the relative album Ernie

I don't think that's me hanging out of the window Dave; don't recognise the shirt! This is my album of the trip, glorious weather for a change, I seem to remember we hung around at Crianlarich on the way back but I thought it was to cross a northbound. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/sets/72157626979655495/ Ernie Brack

Coupling arrangement on Jean, Hudswell Clarke 1696'39, Oxfordshire Iron Co ca 1958 Ernie

That striking orange livery is the same as sported by several Utah Railway units, even down to the 'Zero injuries' sticker. https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/15471300657/in/set-72157648616588950 Photographed at Provo in September this year. Are the units leased or do the railroads share the same 'parents'? Ernie

It was the shadows cast by the trees rather than patches of grime on the loco side. Thanks Dave you saved me the job of trying to date my view: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5938930863/in/set-72157627198783806/ Ernie

This is the Flickr set for the Fort William Trip 11 May 85 https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/sets/72157626979655495/ 131 photos if you can actually get Flickr to work; its very slow today! I don't recall there being a Mallaig extension option - we wandered up to the hill overlooking the depot. I do remember that the shop near the station short changed me 1p just as he had back in 1970 pre-decimalisation on my first trip, 140% inflation in 15 years! Ernie

You do remember correctly! The two you mention were memorable because they were the only ones we had bother with. Drunks on the London one and the Class 40 on the train in front of us up the Conway valley having problems resulting in both train loads of passengers having to squeeze on to one Ffestiniog train down to Portmadoc and back. WE also did WBHS trips to Stranraer with a cruise up the Clyde to Troon, and Aviemore. There must have been others but its getting on for 30 years ago and I'm having trouble remembering what I did last week , never mind that far back. While I think on Dave, we also had an extended trip on the Oban excursion in that from Edinburgh Scotrail had only laid on 1 37 for the 12 coach special so we struggled a bit over the banks. Was it this trip that got back late to Edinburgh and made a special stop at Berwick to set down some travellers wh o had got on the train at Edinburgh by mistake? Ernie

Tanygrisiau is further than Dduallt! Possibly you are confusing it with Tan-y-Bwlch. Re-opened to Tanygrisiau 24 June 1978 Ernie

Dave's email address is alexandermodels@fsmail.net I had a reply from him today

I sneaked this one on to Flickr a couple of months ago and I don't think its been spotted! http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/11492620166/in/set-72157626751054388 Ernie

The first two 11601 & 1602 have split bodies as it was thought this was needed to assist the passage of the locomotive through curves'/gradient changes. These fears proved to be groundless so the remainder have normal bodywork. 11601 to 11604 appeared to be for a time allocated to working passenger trains over the Gottard before the splitting of the locomotive fleet and I seem to remember 11601/2 were stored for a time so possibly their electrical equipment is/was also different from the remainder.l

Just as well this livery was abandoned; imagine trying to do this on a model! Loco was on a Basel passenger service before sectorisation had got a firm grip.

The Riccarton one was on E Bay as well. Ernie

Enlargment attached; it was probably 1369. The date may have been 19september 1964. Ernie

I think they were there for a few months maybe even a year or two; on reflection I walked past the Darras Hall branch ones often enough. Now if I had just acquired a bit each time I passed I could have rebuilt one eventually! Thinking back if I remember right the ES1 that was scrapped was cut up at Willoughby's at Choppington and the late Paul Humphries son of the owners had a section of the cabside with the number on it. Dave F can you remember if this is right? Ernie

When the Electrics were withdrawn and replaced by DMU's the redundant sets were stored along the Ponteland branch. I can remember stored units at Callerton and on the stub of the Darras Hall branch at Ponteland. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera at the time! Ernie

There's a close-up of Parcel Van E29468E in my 'Along the Blyth & Tyne' set http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/6446080481/in/set-72157626465529269 I lived in Whitley Bay next to Monkseaton station from the age of 4 - 8, 1951-1956 and grew up with the electrics. My earliest memory is seeing a crowd on the footbridge at Monkseaton looking at a derailed steam loco and parcels train. From memory I think it was coming out of the dock at the south east corner of the station and may have been on its side. Does anyone have any further info/date on this? Ernie

I have had a look at the original and there is a much faded stripe just visible. Ernie

I have added 100 plus images of St Blazey in the 1990's to my Flickr site (plus 200 odd of Lostwithiel) just to remind you of what it used to be like! http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/ regards Ernie

There are a couple of Quayside shots in my Berwick to Newcastle Set on my Flickr plus some aerial views including the west end of Trafalgar yard in another Set covering Aerial views. regards Ernie