Rugd1022

Might interest you to know that one of the Coleshill BR enamel running in boards is up for grabs next month... https://www.gwra.co.uk/nextauction.html

A couple of flies in the ointment are the level crossings all along the route and the deceptively steep gradient at Ridgemont, it's quite difficult for a freight to get a decent run between the two single line sections at each end. On many occasions I've set off from either end with gusto, only to be brought almost to a stand because the barriers are still up at each LC. The single line sections are frankly a pain in the Aris', the points at the Fenny end are 20mph and 15mph at the Bedford end, plus the very sharp curve up into St.Johns doesn't help. The loop at Forders is handy but doesn't seem to get used much. NR spent £35m remodelling and resignalling and it feels like it's gone to waste in a way.

D1022 was considered for preservation but the collision damage which caused its withdrawal in early '77 was found to be too much so it was rejected. Likewise D1000. I believe D1001 was also considered but it also fell by the wayside. D1015 was only saved by chance when members of the DTG happened to stop at Swindon and look in at the works (they nearly didn't get in) to find 'Champ' chalked up for the cutters torch, a last minute reprieve was granted and it was saved.

Sound And Vision - David Bowie

I thought I had, something went wrong there.

Searching for something else I just came across this colour episode of the Francis Mathhews series 'Paul Temple' from, which features some snowy footage on the six track section north of Euston... https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+paul+temple+theme+francis+mathhews+1971&rlz=1C1VDKB_en-GBGB964GB964&oq=youtube+paul+temple+theme+francis+mathhews+1971&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRhA0gEJMTE3NzVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:89c9aea3,vid:B93bbm-bU9k,st:0 The date in the title was probably the broadcast date, it was actually filmed in 1971.

Control - Joy Division

Wow! I showed a Deltic obsessed mate these photos and he also said ''wow!''. I'm now imagining a filthy green one with ingrained weathering...

Driven both and cleaned the plates once or twice too, using cotton waste from the stores at Old Oak 😉 Some more plates to add to this interesting thread... 47 076 ran about with this damaged plate for quite a while... From a scrapbook I started way back in the '70s... And a gratuitous 4mm one...!

A house Is Not A Motel - Love

A freeze frame from the 1970 Roger Moore film 'The Man Who Haunted Himself', shot in late '69 / early '70... I vividly remember these BEA bus and trailer combos whizzing along the A4 / M4 in the early '70s on family visits to Hammersmith!

Despite my ongoing obsession with Italian automobili I still find myself drifting back to the stoic, classic British stuff of old on a regular basis. This week's nostalgic pang has been the trusty, musty world of Rover P5s and P6s, and '60s Jag saloons, I keep eyeing up the for sale ads on 'car&classic', even though I've got nowhere to put one should I take the plunge! Twas ever thus. I still regret selling the three P6s and two P5B Coupes I had between 2006 and 2015, none were absolutely perfect but they were all so enjoyable to drive, I could feel the engineering that went into them with every yard of road that passed beneath me.

Moonlight Drive - The Doors

The little arched bridge behind the train is where my chums and I used to drop banana skins as kids, we'd try to get them to fall into the open exhausts ports of the 25s as they passed beneath us!

That'll be one of the trainee drivers we have at Rugby at the moment, his mentor Chris will be reclining in the secondman's chair 😉

This makes sense because the Acton - Norwoods would have been worked by Old Oak men, none of whom signed 25s. The Willesden - Norwoods were worked by Stonebridge Park men, all of whom signed 25s.

A fair number don't take any notice of the trains, let alone any signs or lights! I've had a few near misses on foot crossings, mostly kids glued to their phones or ipods, and an extra blast on the horn is often as not met with a one or two fingered 'salute'.

Paper Sun - Traffic

My Life - Billy Joel

A certain number of Westerns also had more than one name or number plate whilst in BR service, usually due to collision damage. Unlike most other locos, their plates were made of several parts, not cast in one go, so they were more susceptible to damage. As far as I know, the seven surviving Westerns all carry replica plates at the moment, made in exactly the same way as the real plates. My other half's late dad once told me of a visit to Swindon Works not long after the Kings were withdrawn where he came across a large stack of cab side numberplates leaning against a wall inside A-Shop, he asked a nearby fitter about them who told him they were for sale at £15 each.