Rugd1022

Pictures Of Lilly - The 'Oooo

Yes, he stormed out on 22nd August and didn't return for a week or two. There were undoubtedly tensions between them during the sessions but there are plenty of photographs of them all getting along at the time too. The 'mad day out' photo session in London on 28th July helped to take the pressure off a bit, they spent the whole day driving round London with snapper Don Macullen in tow, stopping off at various places like St.Pancras, the docklands area and parts of the old 'City of London', larking around quite a bit, they finished up at Macca's house juts round the corner from Abbey Road, one or two of these shots appear on the poster which came with the LP. My uncle still has his original 'stamped' White Album with a number in the low hundreds, I can remember listening to it on family visits in the '70s, crackles and all. It had a short promo spot on German TV...

Another Bescot pic, Driver Eric 'Opple' Burford, c/o retired Bescot legend Tony 'Lulu' Llewellyn... Victoria, 1914... Victoria, 1955... Waterloo, November 1940... Waterloo, 1962... Waterloo, 1964... Wimbledon, 1966...

You Really Got me - The Kinks

No matter where the WR namer Brush 4s went they always found there way home! Most I ever saw in one lace at the same time was six of them round the table at Old Oak, plus one stabled on the coal stage road and one outsdie the factory, in December '83. There's a very nice photo in a book somewhere of IKB and GJC stabled next to each other by the 'table c.1975, I think it's a Brian Morrison or Barry Nicole shot.

Taken during the sessions for the White Album, no sign of Ringo, must have been in the khazi…

My jalopy last night at Bescot…

A much belated 'morning all', hope all's well, I took my (somewhat knackered) camera to work with me last night for the first time in ages, having five hours to kill at Bescot a chap needs something to do of an evening...! What I didn't manage to capture was the gang of lads sorting out a derailment at the south end of the yard (behind me) in the freezing cold, well done chaps!

A lot of stuff recorded in the '60s sounds dated now, but most of the Fab's catalogue still sounds as fresh as the day it was committed to tape. 'Dear Prudence' has got 1968 stamped all over it, but sounds very crisp and new to me.

I've been meaning to photograph this house in Southam Road, Banbury for a while, but someone on Pistonheads posted this shot so I've purloined it... every time I drive past it, it makes me chuckle like a naughty schoolboy...

I've been banked up the Lickey a few times but we were using our works issued mobile phones or back to back radios at the time, I've not used the GSM-R method yet. It's no different really to working something like the HOBC top 'n' tailed, both drivers know their game and know when to open up, shut off and the rear driver will be keeping an eye on the brake pipe gauge anyway. Route knowledge of course comes into play too. It's not unknown to have a red half way up the bank or at the top, it happened to me not that long ago on a ballast job returning to Bescot, I wasn't being banked on that particular job and with just over 1,000 tons in tow I still had it in notch eight approaching the AWS magnet for the red right at the top of the climb, any other position and I'd have been sunk, requiring the banker which was sat on Saltley shed at the time. Luckily the bobby pulled off at the lasty minute and went over the top at about 12mph. I've mentioned this before on other threads regarding the Lickey - even with a good run up from Stoke Works Jcn hitting the platforms at Bromsgrove at 60mph with a heavy train you'll be doing no more than 20mph as you reach Blackwell.

Weeds galore at Washwood Heath down side a few years ago, they're even more prolific now...

Photo by Clive Langston, Norman gets himself captured for posterity at the Castle Cary photo stop on the 'Western Lament' tour, Thursday 24th February 1977 (a tour I bunked off school to be on!)… He made his local paper too...

Photo c/o Geoff Emson : 47 538 at Bescot on northbound tanks, 6th June 1975, I've never quite got to the bottom of why it lost its 'Python' nameplates when it was renumbered into Tops and converted to ETH...

Photo c/o Nick Weedon, Cardiff, 1976... note unusual 'oooo' headcode, made up from vinyl stickers fixed onto the Perspex screen...

It used to be in the rule book that we did this, it's been removed now but my hand always hovers over the horn lever when passing through stations where another train is on the adjacent line. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks - here ar a few more, all Bescot men... Time for a brew for the Breakdown Gang... Retirement presentation on the shed...

I've been sent a 'virtual pile' of photos taken in and around Bescot featuring drivers, guards and fitters etc here are a few of them, this batch c/o Richard Yule, the fun and comeraderie of BR days is plain to see... Fitter Colin Wall dealing with a Sulzer 'four an' arf'...

I think Ford bringing the Capri to the market in '69 was a masterstroke, it pretty much had its own section of the market all to itself. 'The car you always promised yourself...' The Broadspeed Bullit 3 litre job was knocked together down the road from me in Southam (Jackie Stewart did a bit of sponsoring with them at the time, as well as other Capri related stuff), when they moved out the premises became Southam Mini & Metro Centre... Nice period mag covers... JYS... love the rally jacket and roll neck sweater combo...! He even roped the wife in...

Just read about his passing elsewhere, very sad to hear this. He's left us with some wonderful reminders of happy times past. Time for a Bradford Barton or two and a cuppa. RIP Norman.

Not sure if I've already posted these, might have posted them in another thread but here goes - some early '70s pre-Tops WR namer poooorrrrn…! 1664 'George Jackson Churchward' on the milk at Old Oak, March 1973... A rare shot of 1669 wearing its 'Python' plates, possibly at Hereford, date is 14th August 1971... 1670 'Mammoth' on empty stock at Old Oak, 1st December 1973... 1672 'Colossus' on the coal stage road at Old Oak, 1st December 1973... 1673 'Cyclops' at Reading in 1973... 1674 'Samson' on the coal stage road at Old Oak with 1647 behind and a withdrawn Warship outside the Factory, c.1971... 1674 'Amazon' outside the Factory at Old Oak c.1973...

Where the West London Extension line breaks away from the WCML through Mitre Bridge and heads on towards Kensington and south of the river, the southbound line is 'up' and the northbound line is 'down'. I suppose this is technically because you're still heading into London. Confused me a bit on my first day's road learning!

47 263 on snow clearing duty at Paddington in January '79... Layover time at Immingham... 47 484 'I.K.B.' at Padd in the 1980-83 period, after its first collision repair at the number one end... 1674 'Samson' at Padd in 1973...

Can't Stop Loving You - Leo Sayer

The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats