Peterborough North

[great northern]

Our man followed Zeebrugge as it headed into the shadows.

 

 

Then there was a nine minute wait before anything else appeared, though the D11 did whisk its stock off down to the sidings. When it did appear though, it was one of the more unusual Saturday workings, an express from Gainsborough Lea Road to KX. Why it commenced its journey there I have no idea, nor do I know what shed was responsible for providing the loco. I think though that the most likely answer is that it would be a Doncaster duty, and the loco would have run light engine tp pick up the train, though I suppose it might also have been an ECS movement.

 

Anyway, Doncaster was decreed to be responsible, and used that ex works Haymarket A3 which they just don't seem to be able to get fit enough to go back home.

 

 

We have now reached pictures taken on May 14th, the first since the installation of the new lights. There will be some experimentation while I get used to them, and comments and suggestions will be welcomed.

[jazzer]

20 hours ago, great northern said:

We have the obligatory shot of a B17 posing at Platform 6.

 

 

and the early morning Grimsby local comes in to Platform 2. It seems that all of Immingham's many B1s are employed elsewhere, so a borrowed Director gets the job.

 

 

I guess it must be 8.30 ish , the Director having taken the best part of three hours , to cover the 78 miles from Grimsby. The spotters are out early this Saturday morning. Good to see at least one of them seems to be sensibly wearing his school Macintosh with the belt done up, socks pulled up  to the knees and wearing his school cap.You couldn’t trust the British Summer in the pre-global warming days of 1958 !

[great northern]

32 minutes ago, jazzer said:

I guess it must be 8.30 ish , the Director having taken the best part of three hours , to cover the 78 miles from Grimsby. The spotters are out early this Saturday morning. Good to see at least one of them seems to be sensibly wearing his school Macintosh with the belt done up, socks pulled up  to the knees and wearing his school cap.You couldn’t trust the British Summer in the pre-global warming days of 1958 !

8.42, if it is on time. The spotters do seem to spend a lot of time at the station don't they? They'll still be there at 8.42 pm, I bet.

[great northern]

No replies to my query about relative lengths of Gresley and Thompson Pacifics, so I'll explain why it matters. I put a Thompson in one of the new Peco loco lifts. They have end pieces which slide down to stop a loco heading for the floor, and they are needed, as these don't allow you to grasp the loco gently while lifting it, as the old ones did. Get them even slightly off vertical, and your expensive loco will be heading for disaster.

 

So I was puzzled when I found that my new A2/3 was sufficiently long that the end pieces cannot slide down and perform the necessary safety function. Why? Because a Thompson Pacific was 22 ft longer than a Gresley. All Thommos will have to go in old lifts, which are now of course as rare as hen's teeth.

 

 

[great northern]

As on weekdays, that very slow Grimsby terminating local is soon followed by an express which started a good deal later. Immingham's 61142  is seen approaching, and will continue to London.

 

 

 

 

[great northern]

The morning Nottingham-KX also runs on Saturdays, but again with a different and augmented formation. Most of it is MK1s though, so we will concentrate on Minoru as it nears the station stop.

 

 

Going north is Seagull, with the Hertford North to Scarborough service. The 1960 article on a day's observations at Grantham in the summer of 1960 shows this to be headed by a KX A4, so that is what I have done.

 

 

[jazzer]

17 hours ago, great northern said:

No replies to my query about relative lengths of Gresley and Thompson Pacifics, so I'll explain why it matters. I put a Thompson in one of the new Peco loco lifts. They have end pieces which slide down to stop a loco heading for the floor, and they are needed, as these don't allow you to grasp the loco gently while lifting it, as the old ones did. Get them even slightly off vertical, and your expensive loco will be heading for disaster.

 

So I was puzzled when I found that my new A2/3 was sufficiently long that the end pieces cannot slide down and perform the necessary safety function. Why? Because a Thompson Pacific was 22 ft longer than a Gresley. All Thommos will have to go in old lifts, which are now of course as rare as hen's teeth.

 

 

Hi Gilbert , Are you sure the Thompson was 22 ft longer , not 22 inches. I can’t locate any details of length of the Thompson but according to the LNER on line Encyclopaedia the overall length of the A4 was 71ft 3/8 inches, and as the Thompson only had a couple of feet longer wheelbase it’s difficult to visualise it being a difference of 22 ft overall.!

[great northern]

1 hour ago, jazzer said:

Hi Gilbert , Are you sure the Thompson was 22 ft longer , not 22 inches. I can’t locate any details of length of the Thompson but according to the LNER on line Encyclopaedia the overall length of the A4 was 71ft 3/8 inches, and as the Thompson only had a couple of feet longer wheelbase it’s difficult to visualise it being a difference of 22 ft overall.!

Thank you. Senility ruled OK. I read off the line above the one I had been looking at. I thought it looked wrong. Still won't fit in the loco lift though.

[great northern]

Tonight we continue to follow Seagull's progress.

 

 

This is a shot which is certainly easier and I think more successful with the change in lighting.

 

 

and the view from Spital Bridge is much more in focus in the far distance, and therefore much easier to photoshop. I like easier.

[great northern]

Still up on Spital Bridge, testing what I can do with the new lighting. The first one is a far less cropped version of one I posted last night.

 

 

All wrong, in the sense that what should be the main subject is nowhere near the centre of the composition, but on the other hand it does show much more of the overall context.

 

The second one is just another attempt at the hopeful shot into the light.

 

 

but it is rather more hopeful in my eyes. What do you think?

[FarrMan]

14 minutes ago, great northern said:

All wrong, in the sense that what should be the main subject is nowhere near the centre of the composition, but on the other hand it does show much more of the overall context.

Gilbert

 

It depends what you think is the main subject. If the main subject is the north approach to the station, then the train forms a convenient 'boundary' to the view. rather like it in that way. 

 

Lloyd

[great northern]

Our lovely D16 is off down to East with the shuttle again, but this time starting from Platform 6. We have the normal view.

 

 

and then, because we now have some light from the other side, this one.

 

 

which I rather like. More experimentation today with several shots of the same subject, using different settings and programmes. They all came out almost exactly the same.

[mullie]

1 minute ago, great northern said:

Our lovely D16 is off down to East with the shuttle again, but this time starting from Platform 6. We have the normal view.

 

 

and then, because we now have some light from the other side, this one.

 

 

which I rather like. More experimentation today with several shots of the same subject, using different settings and programmes. They all came out almost exactly the same.

I know it is a Claud so I am biased but that is a really nice view in my opinion. 

 

Martyn 

[great northern]

A last look at the departing Claud.

 

 

Followed by something perhaps a little less aesthetically pleasing, another WD on the Up slow.

 

 

[Bogie]

Quote

Followed by something perhaps a little less aesthetically pleasing, another WD on the Up slow.

 

Each to their own.  I happen to love the WD.

[New Haven Neil]

@great northern Gilbert, re your comment about the subject not being in the centre of your image, what you have actually achieved is the 'Rule of Thirds', worth a Google rather than me drone on here about it, but basically the subject is rather more into one side than the centre, and lower (or higher) than centre.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

 

[FarrMan]

9 minutes ago, Bogie said:

 

Each to their own.  I happen to love the WD.

Where is the 'It takes all sorts' button when you want it!

 

Lloyd

[great northern]

It does indeed take all sorts, but it also depends on what one is judging. If that happens to be which is more aesthetically pleasing, I respectfully suggest that there is no contest. And I like WDs too.

[DLT]

Fabulous stuff as ever.  Haven't looked in for a while and find I'm um-teen pages behind....

[great northern]

The 9.20 to KX, stopping at nearly all stations, also has more than adequate power, in the shape of Sun Castle.

 

 

Again though, its return diagram will be much more onerous. This is why the WD had to use the slow, but there is time for it to cross back to the Up before 60523 is due to leave.

 

 

[great northern]

Claud and WD having gone, it is Sun Castle's turn to go round the bend.

 

 

and from the south comes the 7.50 KX-Skegness, carrying happy holidymakers who must have got up very early in the morning, Still, they will be in Skeggy by lunchtime to watch the rain coming down.

 

 

[great northern]

Put the camera down for a minute, and by sheer chance this is what it saw. A moment in the spotlight for a little seen end of the main station building.

 

 

[great northern]

Two more shots of B1 61204 on its way to Skeggy.

 

 

 

 

This is really about seeing if pointing the camera towards the strong light coming through the windows is more successful with the LEDs in operation. I reckon it is, but I haven't got the colour and light balance right yet.

[great northern]

One final look at that B1.

 

 

 

This shouted black and white to me.

 

Copley Hill A1 Aboyeur has the 8.00 KX-Leeds.

 

 

 

 

 

[great northern]

I shall not be doing a full rake set of images for more than a few of these trains, but I decided the 8.00 Leeds should be one of them, so here it is.

 

 

Quite a mixture really. Returning to the front of the train, we get another look at Aboyeur.

 

 

This really does show how much improvement I'm getting from the new lighting. Nice to see everyone facing the camera to have their photy took too. Nearly everyone, anyway.