great northern

Computer has been playing silly games again, I wondered why I hadn't taken a photo of the B17 leaving, and now I have found out. Apparently the thing randomly decided that 9 came after 11, and put the image right at the end of the page, where I failed to notice it. Anyway, here it is. So there we are, now we can look again at the V2, and everything is back in correct order, until the next time this thing decides otherwise.

60867 swings under the bridge and away. Gayton Hall then left, but we didn't get a shot of that. It did leave platform 2 free, so we have yet another 34E V2, which as sneaked down the engine road, backed on to the stock for the 7.25 KX, and is now bringing it into the platform.

Next comes a Nddrie to KX Goods Class C. It has another local V2, and although it has to be routed via the Up slow, as the platform is occupied, it will be allowed to run through. And here it is starting to move back to the Up, under clear signals, or at least it would be if they were there. The Glasgow-Colchester will not be inconvenienced, as it will, of course be branching off at Crescent Junction, and down to East.

60070 has uncoupled, and will cross to the Down and to New England. Shortly afterwards 61641 has taken its place, and will soon be on its way.

Thank you again. I did like that scenic section, and have always regretted not having room for one on PN. 61641 was indeed the first, and is still very much a treasured locomotive.

That's very kind of you Tony. Here's a photo. And a fireman who couldn't get the lamps on properly, or the headboard straight. Looks black on yellow to me, what do you think?

I run the train, though not with a Tourist BSO, and without headboard, as I can't find a source for one. As to the hut, Peter Leyland's is much more realistic. It looks to have been renovated when compared with earlier images, which probably means that it was demolished soon afterwards.

I'd say the first two are definitely Leicester bound. There was an evening train which was stated in Railway Observer to be regularly double headed, and indeed was seen one on occasion triple headed! After Spital Bridge closed, some of these duties passed to March, so I agree these are 60s images. By 1963 Britannias were being used. The minerals most likely on the way back to Colwick, I think.

These are rather later, I suspect, looking at the condition of the locos. Even the Immingham locos on Class A duties are well below the usual standard. I particularly like the images of 61114 and 61144, which show I'm not the only one who fails to get lamps properly seated.

A more broadside on shot of 60070, just a little further on. Shortly afterwards the A3 has finished its journey. This was an even shorter train on a Saturday, so it is not as far down the platform as we might expect.

60853 now has time for a rest, and for the crew to get some breakfast. And then we have the first train of a long Saturday, and as on a weekday it is the Glasgow-Colchester. That filthy Gateshead A3 has the job again, but instead of returning with an express in the afternoon, today it will stay on shed all day, and return with the Down working late on. I've just checked on 60070's overhaul dates, as I wasn't so careful when Tom Wright weathered this for me twenty or so years ago. It turns out though that I did do my homework, as Gladiateur's last general was in late March 1957, so it really had planty of time to get into this condition. Next general wasn't till early March 59, nearly a full two years, and rather longer than average.

I think I have seen the one of 60068, and they must have appeared on other occasions, but not very often. My 1961 Ian Allan tells me that I saw 72 out of the 78 A3s, over a period of about eight or nine years, and of the seven I never saw two were Carlisle engines, Sir Visto and Bayardo. I know I saw the other two at Doncaster, Flamingo in Plant, and Coronach at the station, ex works and taking a train North. The other five were Haymarket engines, including the ever elusive Cicero.

We are still looking at preparatory movements, rather than revenue earning ones. March B17 Gayton Hall is seen reversing into number one bay, ready to take over the Glasgow- Colchester. On the Down side one of our shabbier V2s is bringing in the stock for the 7.35am Doncaster Parliamentary.

Or just "Its my train set".

Very interesting. Many thanks Tony. Taking them in turn, the first one features a loco which was a New England resident for the whole of the 50s, and is in typical New England condition. This could be either an E.Lincs service, or a Grantham local, as the steel five sets were used on both. As it is on the slow line, I suspect it may be the latter. The second is easier, I think. 1159 was am Immingham engine from 1954 on, and has the characteristic front end treatment of that shed. That's an E.Lincs local, I would say. The last one looks like Werrington Junction to me, with the train coming off the E.Lincs onto the main line. Looking closely at 61204 I can see that it has late crest. It was at New England until May 1957, when it was transferred to Spital Bridge. From then on, one would expect to see it on trains from East to Leicester , Rugby or Northampton, but I do wonder whether there was some interaction between the two sheds. Being as dirty as it is suggests a date later than May 57, it surely wouldn't have got into that state within a couple of months of a general overhaul, and it can't have got that crest earlier than March 57. Having said that, it is typical New England condition again. Jury out on that one, but surely E.Lincs? Although the CWN shows steel sets on the PN-Grantham trains, I think this is the first time I've seen pictorial confirmation, or likely confirmation, anyway. I've not been able to get my hands on an E.Lincs CWN, so I'm very pleased to have confirmation that they were still working there. Again, photographic confirmation is rare- I've seen more pictures that weren't five sets. As to the Southern vans, really just further confirmation that they were a common sight around Peterborough by this time. The GW van is indeed interesting, but the HMRS survey does show that more ex GW stock than one might have expected was to be seen. I do enjoy the research and thought processes involved in identifying images like these, so thanks very much for sharing them.

One of the first things the C12 has to do on this Saturday morning is to fetch the artic set it put in the siding last night, and move it to Platform 2, to form the 7.25 to KX. But shortly before it did so, our other station pilot was shunting a van at Platform 3.

Getting into the realms of fantasy now, I think. I wonder how many times, if at all, a Carlisle Canal A3 got to London? Now, as the Midland had those five day diagrams which could result in locos going a long way from home, a Carlisle black 5 in London could happen, though much more likely to Euston or St Pancras. The latter is pretty close to Finsbury though, isn't it? Or a temporary and unrecorded transfer would do the trick.

60039 at rest, and our recording of Friday happenings is nearly over. However, The A3 isn't going to shunt its own stock, it has gone off to New England. So we have a job for the C12, which has crossed to the Down side, buffered up to the five set, reversed past the crossover, and is now seen coming back onto the Up main, whence it will shortly put the coaches into a carriage siding, to await their next duty early on Saturday morning.

And so to the very last train of the day, the 7.21 slow from KX. This seems to have nearly always been a Pacific duty, and tonight it is A3 Sandwich. Seen again swinging under the bridge. I'm not sure about this angle really, as it shows up the sharp curve so much, but it does give a really good and quite impressive view of the bridge.

The A5 is now under the canopy, waiting for the few passengers to alight before removing the stock to the carriage sidings. Someone took a photo from the rear, why, I don't know, as it reveals there is no rear lamp. So, a bit more sensible, the view of the front end.

Comfort and looks maybe, but not in other respects. Steve@31A travelled yesterday from Brussels to York. It took just over four and a half hours. If he had taken the Flying Scotsman from KIngs Cross to Newcastle in summer 1957, non stop, four and a half hours would have got him to just south of Durham!. The following 1010 Glasgow, which did stop at York, would have got him there in just under four hours. I don't know why we all yearn for what we now perceive to have been the golden years of our youth, but we do. My passion for steam was ignited in the early 5os, and has stayed with me ever since. I walked away for a while when the Pacifics started to be scrapped, but when I moved to Retford in 1973, and lived within easy walking distance of the ECML, I tried to regain some interest. All I seemed to ever see though was Deltics and Brush type 4s in that soulless blue livery, and I soon got bored. But I bet those who were in their teens in the 70s have their own fond memories of that time. So, I will continue to dwell in 1958, apart from the bit where I had to scrape ice off the inside of my bedroom window in the winter months.

The last but one train of the day is the 9.10pm from Grantham, arriving at 10.01pm, and it brings a lovely A5 to admire. It must be getting very dark by now, so this is taken in gathering gloom. Doesn't look very gloomy though, does it?

Definitely the last of that V2 and one which I'm surprised came out all right, as it involved my holding the camera in the air. Just about still enough, I think. A couple of days with sunshine have helped a lot, so instances of eight shots of the same loco should now cease, at least for the time being..

Good morning all. That V2 again, but now down at the south end, with Station Road as the backdrop. and another angle. Very nearly at the end of this sequence,after which it will become Saturday. Even more V2s on a Saturday.

That V2 again, as I was getting as many photos as possible before the light disappeared. possibly for days.