Trevellan

Thanks to Brian and Nidge for the comments. As far as I can recall, 5A06 was always signal checked at Reading while I was there, which gave me time to admire the loco, if not photograph it. Unfortunately, I only managed to shoot 821 and 832. From memory, the latter is on a colour slide. I'll try to find that a.s.a.p. That summer I remember seeing 810, 814, 821 and 832 quite regularly, although 814 evaded my camera. EDIT for typo.

Since we've had a bit of a Warship vibe recently, I've dug out a couple of shots dating from 1972. That year I was working as a trainee manager with John Menzies, which also involved some short term postings as a relief manager to cover for sickness or annual leave. As a youngster I was only given relatively small shops and, to my delight, station bookstalls, including Reading, Oxford, Maidenhead and High Wycombe. All except Maidenhead allowed me to view railway operations, with Reading being a spotters' paradise. Just think: hydraulics still in abundance, Blue Pullmans, Tadpoles on the Reigate/Redhill services and all sorts of interesting inter-regional stuff. The only downside was that I had to serve customers and do bookwork when all I wanted to do was to watch trains! Anyway, I digress. My stint at Reading lasted two weeks in the July of 72 and on the middle Sunday I used my day off to travel down to Exeter. When I arrived I found some engineering work in progress, with 820 providing the motive power. 810 was also present. The edit below has been left with a lot of clutter showing as I think it is a real period piece. See if you agree. There was a regular parcels working through Reading at that time, 5A06, which I recall was always Warship-powered. I cannot remember if it was a daily working, but I managed to record 821 on it, as shown below. I did wonder whether or not to edit out the station lamp visible above the locomotive, but I've left it in. Note also the variety of stock in the train. By coincidence, I managed to get a picture of 832, the other preserved Warship, on this working. I'll have to dig out that shot to share.

Not at all David. Your result looks more natural, although cheap colour film in dingy conditions was never going to be top drawer!

Another three from my collection this evening, though not my best work I'm afraid. My notes on these are also hazy, but I believe the captions to be correct. First, we have D1059 at Paddington on a grey day in November 1973. Next is D7011 at Old Oak Common in March 1974. I have had several attempts at scanning the original negative and this is the best I've been able to achieve. Finally, D1027 was caught at Dawlish in April 1974. Not a brilliant shot, but I think it captures the essence of the Westerns on their home turf.

Interesting to see all this nautical stuff. I might decide to start a thread on parametric rolling, which could mean the shipment ending up in the drink

My mates and I made several visits to Old Oak Common in the late 60s and early 70s and never had any problems with authority. We were always left alone, but then we were very wary of loco movements and stood well out of the way, which I imagine the crews appreciated. One such visit was on Sunday 3rd March 1974, and I managed to get a fairly decent portrait of Western Musketeer with a touch of the old contre jour. (Oh all right, it was the only shot I could get). The next shot illustrates the changeover that was occurring at the time, with 402 lurking behind D7000 on the same day. I'll try to post more images as and when I can dig out old negs for scanning.

A rather unusual form of metal detecting, Mike...

Since Neil has generously opened up this thread for other photographers, I have two modest offerings this morning, both dating from 1973. First is D7100 in a rather sorry state after its stint as a practice piece for recovery and re-railing teams, photographed at Old Oak Common in May '73. Next is a shot similar to Jonny's picture of D1072 above, though mine was taken on a grotty October day in '73. D1021 arrives at Reading on an up express, apparently confused as to what type of train it is working!

When I first worked in the field of transport policy I quickly learned that messages need to be repeated at regular intervals to suit a new audience. Just because we know that rail conversion is largely misguided nonsense doesn't mean that people new to the idea won't treat it seriously. Policy think-tanks have their place and I've participated in a few, but only those taking a balanced view of a topic rather than peddling outdated ideas.

Spurs are resurgent again. I confidently predict, therefore, that Daniel Levy and his cohorts will sell Harry Kane and sack Mauricio Pochettino. "How dare you do well?! This is Tottenham Hotspur for goodness' sake."

It was probably a time-saving ruse, in that the washing plants gradually rubbed the paint down ready for the next repaint

The first shot looks suspiciously like the eastern approaches to Old Oak Common, with the flyover in the background for ECS moves and the ramp left background dropping down towards the depot. Lovely evocative stuff Neil.

I think you could entitle that picture Metamorphosis!

Thanks. In my case I was using a waist-level finder with a transparent cropping guide on top of the focussing screen. It worked well until I had a senior moment and forgot which magazine I had attached. In the early 1980s I gave an occasional airing to an elderly Ensign 820 Selfix which, as the name implies, could shoot 8 on 120, or 12 when two small hinged masks were swung into place prior to loading film. It also had a sliding mask for the viewfinder which relied on the operator remembering to alter it according to the chosen format. I usually did!

Note to self: when using a medium format film camera with interchangeable magazines, don't compose an image in 6cm square format when the magazine attached is 6 x 4.5cm format...

I keep looking at the title of this thread and thinking that it looks like a prospective class 52...

Meanwhile, looking ahead to March in the Solent...

Gilbert must have posed it for a photograph on Peterborough North.

I visited Consett in 1987 as an adjunct to a business trip. I was amazed to be told by my local host that the grassed areas we were driving past were part of the old steelworks complex. It hardly seemed credible that such a huge industrial landmark could almost entirely vanish.

I was given some Fosters last summer and made really good use of it........for slug traps to protect my vegetable patch

Wash and brush-up at Reading; Tuesday 5th September 2000.

From topical to (sort of) historical. Here's another of my old B & W film shots, this one featuring 37 052 thundering northwards through Harlow Town on Christmas Eve 1980.

Thanks Richard. After Matt's comments I dug out a couple of my books and careful study does indeed show patches on W14, 30 and 31. I think they are more obvious on Calbourne in its final unlined black livery, but what I took to be lining in some photographs was actually the top of the patch. You live and learn! I'm interested in your forthcoming book. I hope it will add some fresh perspective on the island's railway history.

Freshly scanned today: 37 060 on cement tanks at Edale; November 1984.

Interesting. These haven't shown up on any of the pictures I've seen. I'll have to revisit my book collection! I think W22, Brading, was the other O2 with a Drummond bolier on withdrawal.