Simon Lee

"Henriette" has a summer deadweight of around 4190 tonnes, so will be carrying a bit less than that, also heading for loading is the "Liamare" 5842 dwt. Both ships were in Dover last year carrying rock armour for projects in the harbour.

The whole dynamic of the beach has changed, given that the beach used to be virtually level with the top of the wall at the cliff end. Ernie may remember the antics of a certain Scottish shunter sat on some HEA wagons watching the beach one summer night who left his radio transmit button on......

ONe of the more forgotten railways in the area - North Bay Minature Railway at Scarborough.

Couple more from Brough, First up 55003 Meld arrives with the inaugral down Hull Executive. Second a mixed DMU formation leaves for Hull

Rob, The green single car was in fact Derby LW 79900 "IRIS" www.preservedrailcar.co.uk/79900.html A friend and I saw it a couple of times that year at Walton Street, the unit is preserved at the Ecclesbourne Valley line in Derbyshire. Regards Simon

Don't think Cricket ground curve was too tight as there was / is no check rail. I think the fact that as you say most trains went round slowly as they got stopped going onto either the Brid or main line. I've been round it in passenger stock and a freight brake van on the back of the Brid goods and apart from a lively ride over Anlaby Road Junction due to someone one the front wanting to get finished it was quite a good bit of track. The most dramatic thing was spotting at Walton Street on a Summer Saturday when "foreign" crews forgot the signal onto the curve was approach controlled thus was at red, the brake was dumped just before the signal box so the air was full of brake dust, ballast dust and debris as they hoped to stop in time, then the signal and feather came off, most got away with keeping the train moving but occasionally a train would stop over the crossing for a few minutes whilst order was restored !!

A couple more from the Walton Street area first an unknown 37 heads for the coast Spring 1973 and second Jubilee 45593 heads round the newly opened Cricket ground curve June 1965.

That's a Sandite / Railhead Treatment train (delete as appropriate depending where you are !!) Could well be Class 20 hauled. Mick, was the original Walton Street box where the second hand car lot is now on the fair ground side ? Talking of which coming up to the week when you could get overtime manning the crossing to keep the great unwashed off the track in their haste to get to the fair !!

Mick, Is that a young Mr Chandler in the shots of Beverly North ? Thanks Simon

At the Hull end of the line a mixed DMU formation heads for the coast at Woodgates Lane or White Bridge as it was known locally

Bridlington station 1975 an excursion to the NYMR using the Hull Pullman set. On the right is Colin Cheesman who late became booking clerk at Driffield

any news on closing of the Prince of Wales pier yet David ?

The letters tended to indicate individual sidings/locations within an area. For example Paddock Wood the dominant traffic was Transfesa location 89332 this got an 89P tag, the other locations usually got 89L, the Rowntrees traffic had a dedicated TAG as well, but if it arrived at Dover things had gone very wrong, such was the importance of the contract it was a special back to PW so we never took notice of the TAG. other examples off the top of my head Manchester area 332 but Trafford Park (under customs bond) 33L, Stratford under bond 52L, Acton area or Acton forwarding 732 Park Royal Guiness 73P. HTH Simon

Hi, Speedlink services were marshalled by "TAG", essentially a 3 figure code generated by the TOPS destination code. I worked at Dover during the Speedlink time and as an example we had a service to Bescot and Warrington that called at Willesden, it would have been marshalled as follows :- Loco Detaching at Willesden TOPS Location number 72230 Tag 722 Detaching at Warrington Arpley TOPS location number 35550 Tag 363 Tag 352 Detaching at Bescot TOPS location number 65700 Tag 652 The Willesden / Warrington / Bescot numbers were known as TRA (TOPS Responsibility Area) codes all sidings/terminals in this area had a TOPS number beginning with the first two numbers of the TRA and as offices closed sometimes adjacent area Warrington for example took over Liverpool 36100 area and it was these location numbers that generated the TAG. For example Liverpool Spekeland Road was 36178, Round Oak is still 65725, Wolverhampton is 65050. To us at Dover all Bescot traffic was a 652, Liverpool was 363, Warrington 352, Willesden 722 so we would from a train up to the agreed formations which were published at least every timetable change. Once the train left each yard TOPS would generate a consist for the receiving yard, with new TAGS that were unique to the receiving yard and they would plan their forward trips in accordance with their local instructions. However if as was often the case they were purely local trips these would tend to be formed according best (easiest) practice for serving the local yards. Odd traffic flows worked under different arrangements would some times have a manual TAG applied to override the system generated one, to ensure wagons went on the most direct service. One example we had was that perishable traffic for Stratford LIFT terminal location number 52215 in East London generated a 722 tag via Willesden, but we applied a 52L TAG to ensure that it went on the direct service to Stratford. Hope this makes some sense Regards Simon

"Jolly" George was the old boy who ran Hythe Models, once went in there and bought 2 Mainline 03's that he had actually reduced in price, someone else in the shop also bought something at same time which prompted George to shout to his wife "fetch a bucket of water the tills overheated" One of life's characters was George.

Hi, Open Wednesday -Sunday from 1100, Pennine doesn't stock Bachmann, (though the KWVR shop does and prices are as good as the big box shifters.) HTH

Think its Hither Green, during the building of the Continental, the large lighting tower is the give away, AIUI Hoo didn't have towers due to the proximity of the National Grid pylons. Simon

Thanks David, Interesting link, we were the last occupants of DWD, our office was in the middle block on platform 5, you can just see the sign in the pics on Neil's photos. I can bore the back side off you with tales from my time at Dover should the need arise !!! Simon

There was a train crew depot at DWD which closed early 1990's, prior to this locos were stabled in the town yard and then in the old ferry yard once the new berth was opened. Once all train crew were based at Dover Priory loco stabling was concentrated there and the old ferry yard given over to lorry parking. Interesting to see 47288 in one of the photos, this loco came to grief in the Maidstone East derailment working 6M57 from Dover Town to Willesden in the early hours of 6th September 1993. Simon

In the 60's I lived in Hull by the High Level line to the docks, which passed Drapers scrap yard. Every Saturday morning 4 locos would be towed passed our house to the yard, this being the "work" for the next week. The loco doing the tow would be a WD or B1 or later on a Class 14. Occasionally a mid week move took place additionally once saw a Black 5 and a Stanier tank moving mid week. The Saturday run was normally the first 4 locos off the line in 7 Section at Dairycoates. HTH Simon

There were very limited facilities for stabling at Paignton, if you haven't read it try and get hold of a copy of "Summer Saturdays in the West" for the context of why places like Newton Abott were important and had had so much infrastructure. Even upto the mid 70's the place was buzzing with traffic locos DMUs, coaches stabled etc, plus in earlier times Hackney yard was quite a busy freight yard. Regards Simon

A couple from 1982 at Dover.

the 111o hauled trip was 30th September 1972, started at Hull remember it had on maroon coach in the formation. Was along day but and excellent trip Regards Simon

Keeping dry at the Junction

The old Seaspeed (BR Hovercraft) terminal at Dover, and the whole former Western Docks / Town and Ferry Yard area, hard to imagine the rail activity that went on there until the mid 90's. Regards Simon