Memories

[manna]

G'Day Gents
I use to hate shunting with a Deltic, and it happened! you'd open the controller a notch, nothing happened, so you'd open it another notch, nothing happened, and another, nothing so you'd do it again, then it would be, OH S*** ------ TO MUCH?? slam on the brakes, start all over again, All because you wanted to move six feet
Have'nt been away, computer had a virus, it's been away
manna

[mr B]

The thing about a 'virus', it makes you very weary what you click on when the man brings it back, its happened to me! Ferry Bridge may have one...seems to have been missing of late, miss the photos. I'll have to try to post a pic or two if I can work it out!

Mr B ... still arriving Arriva.

[manna]

G'Day Gents
I'm only running on one cylinder at the moment, the coals ,only slack and I'm low on water, the steam gauge is showing 50psi, but we'll get through, it's only another 10miles up the bank
I'd like to get my hands on one of these so and so's that think it's FUN to create these virus's,I'd give them one, SMALLPOX
Have a nice day
manna


PS It was 21c here today--------- B*****freezing

[third-rail]

G'Day Gents
I'm only running on one cylinder at the moment, the coals ,only slack and I'm low on water, the steam gauge is showing 50psi, but we'll get through, it's only another 10miles up the bank
I'd like to get my hands on one of these so and so's that think it's FUN to create these virus's,I'd give them one, SMALLPOX
Have a nice day
manna


PS It was 21c here today--------- B*****freezing

so you know when autumns coming in oz then

[bobser]

Hi everyone,

Re shunting with Deltics. You are quite right and I used to find the same thing happened with ther English Electrics, particularly the Classs 37's
.
When I was a Guard at Newcastle we had an afternoon job called the Morpeth parcels. This consisted invariably of a Class 37 plus two 4 wheel vans either PMV or CCT. At Morpeth we left these two vans and brought two that were already there back to Newcastle.

Whilst trying to couple to one van we regularly had the problem of the Driver applying power, nothing happening so he gave it a bit more and all of a sudden the loco would take off like a greyhound out of the traps. Thank goodness the buffer stops in Morpeth's bay platform and its goods shed road were firm otherwise we would have endeed up either in the station buildings from the bay or down on the main road from the goods shed road.

Aah happy days though.

Bobser

[manna]

G'Day Gents
It's hardly been under 30c during the day since Christmas, and with the odd 40c day you quickly get use to it, so when it drops from 37c to 21c in a couple of days, you really feel it, yes autumn is just starting so we'll have to get our jumpers out again.

We never had to shunt with a Deltic to often, except in KX loco yard, which was very restricted for space, found the best way to shunt in that yard was to open the throttle wide, and send one of those famous plumes of smoke high into the air, and as soon as you start to move shut the throttle to 10% or less, and then at 5mph shut it altogether and coast, also found that Class 40's could be driven that way as well, Class 31's 47's and 46's all you had to do was open the controllers just a tad and they'd gently pull away, so easy with them, no fear factor though??? Bobser knows all about the 37's, did'nt get many of those at the Cross.
manna

[StevieG]

We didn't like to get 37s around the KX area when I was in the Control, in case it got left somewhere, because KX and Hitchin crews didn't sign them.
Although Gateshead depot's 46s appearing weren't usually a similar problem, 45s were, for the same reason, and needed hastily getting shot of on a return working (were usually Holbeck-allocated locos that we occasionally got).

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

Hello mrB,no i've not had a virus,just trying to get me a job.No luck yet,but i've applied for the gift shop at the Royal Armouries,and a couple of other jobs-so fingers crossed!!Had 3 hours at Church Fenton,but could only take shots one way,as the sun was stopping anything in one direction!!Not moaning though,it was just nice to get out.Nothing really good enough to upload though,i'm still getting used to the new camera.For now,here's another from the Rail-ale fest at the KWVR last year.

[manna]

G'Day Gents
BR in there wisdom, said that because I was a Good boy and did'nt crash to to many of there trains, that I could learn some of there more exotic locations, so off I went to Hull? more road learning, four or five trips a day between Selby and Hull for a week or so and your willing to sign anything!! and for most of the day, you spend more time talking to the Trolly Dollies than collecting tickets etc 'cos, nearly everybody had one, and so it went on, Hull,--- Man Picc, easy days, then I must have upset somebody really high up, do'nt remember kicking anyone off with a gold pass! because I then had to road learn Man Vic to Liverpool, all them stations! one every 300yds, or so it seemed, now it was Man Vic-to Liverpool, up and back, up and back, but at least I was with another guard, so you had someone to talk to, so a typical day was, get on the Newcastle-Liverpool train, quick trip to L/pool, breakfast, in a small cafe just down the road from Lime St, then a trip to Man Vic and back, lunch, then a trip to Earlestown and back, then a walk round L/pool, then another fast trip back to Leeds, but we were filling note books full of notes, signal locations cross overs etc, well one day during a walk round L/pool we found our selves at (I think) St Georges Hall which was being renovated and was full of workmen, now my friend was a organ freak (of the noisy type) so into the Hall he marches and finds the foreman, he only has one small request, can he play the hall organ! (me, I'm looking for a hole) after a short wait the foreman agrees, to his request, but sends a workman with us, (not sure he really trusted us), after a short walk involving a few stairs, there we are in this organ gallery,20' up in the air, my mate plonks himself down on a padded bench and looks at this massive keyboard, full of black and white keys and a equal number of stops, he then starts pushing buttons, winding levers, pulling stops out and pushing others in, after a couple of minutes he starts to play-------- that stopped all work in the hall, all the drills stopped, all the saws stopped ,I saw the foreman standing in the middle of the hall looking up at the organ, I don't think he thought my mate could play the organ (I did'nt) after 30 minutes of a Royal Wedding organ music, he stopped, turning round there was 60 workmen all standing there---- clapping??? he gave a bow, turned everything off and left, back to road learning, a nice little interlude to an otherwise boring two weeks, the following Monday we signed the Liverpool route, guess what happen then, Yep, L/pool, L/pool and more L/pool
manna
PS. FF the TT in the background of your photo, is that the TT from Garsdale???

[hq1hitchin]

Manna, a brilliant story, just brilliant!!

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Still got a couple to go, After the last story, my mate dragged me around the new cathedral, but they would'nt let him have a go at the organ, so we took a taxi to Hattons instead, killed an hour!
Anyway,One of the things that was going down the plughole even in the early 90's was loco hauled trains, I did,nt work (as a guard) many but there was a few, signed on at Leeds one summer saturday, to find out that I was booked to work a 'Skeggie' to Doncaster, 9 Mk 1's and a 47, nice change from 142's etc, only one stop at Wakefield, nice easy run and about half full at 'Donny' plenty of buckets and spades
Another day I had worked a DMU to Sheffield, ( via Barnsley) when we got there, the unit was pinched, to go to Manchester, so I had my break and wandered back to the platform, No train, time of departure, still no train! then there's an announcement over the loudspeaker, that the train to Leeds was running 10 mins late, fair enough it happens! then in rolls a class 37 and three or four coaches, This was the Leeds train!!! all stations via Barnsley, except Castleford, (no run round) Well that was the best trip I ever had over the line, all the passengers commented that it was a lot better than the usual trains?? I also reckon the driver was on his way home, 'cos we made up the lost time and got to Leeds early, but I did get a talking to at Normanton by an inspector, because I waved the driver away with my hand instead of using my green flag
manna

[strang steel]

Hi all,

May I just say that this is the most wonderful thread I have ever encountered. Thankyou everyone, but especially Manna. As a mere enthusiast who was never employed by BR, it is great to read of all the characters on the railway, and the events that happened whether deliberate or accidental.

I have not read this entire thread, in fact I haven't even reached half way, but I have no doubt that the remaining pages will be as fascinating as the first few.

My memory has no professional link, but is purely from an enthusiast angle:-


One Sunday at the end of October 1967, I was aboard a special Boat Train conveying school kids who had been on an 'Educational Cruise'. The ship that we had been on (MV Dunera) had docked at Tilbury and we were transferred to a train which was going to take us back to Cleethorpes via Newark, Lincoln and Grantham..

I dont really know the route we took from Tilbury to the ECML at Finsbury Park, but the rest of the journey was straightforward and all parents/families were waiting at various Lincs stations, with first stop Grantham.

I was used to Grantham as a destination, but as we approached the edge of the town I thought we were going rather too fast for a normal stop.

In fact we sped through the station at about 60 mph, but then the brakes came on and I cant remember if we stopped south or north of Peascliffe. The guard came down the train and informed us that the driver had forgotten to stop at Grantham, and we had been refused a request to reverse back to the station.

I presume that someone had pulled the communication cord when Grantham station 'sped' past the windows.

We were told that our train would proceed to Newark, and we could alight there and catch the next southbound train. This we did. Remember that we were all between 14 and 16 years old, complete with large suitcases.

We crossed over to the up platform at Newark and were ushered to the south end of the platform, then just waited. After a while a Deltic hauled service stopped and we all piled on to what was the 1st class carriages. There were plenty of seats, and plenty of space for our cases. However, we soon became aware of the adult mutterings of disgust at out presence. We loved this, because it was 1967 - flower power and all that.

Grantham was not too far away and we disembarked after 20 minutes or so, and the 1st class passengers could relax.

However, rumour soon spread through our spotting community that the train we 'hi-jacked' was actually the Sunday version of the Flying Scotsman. I certainly got the impression that the Deltic was not scheduled to stop at either Newark or Grantham.

John

[mr B]

Hello mrB,no i've not had a virus,just trying to get me a job.No luck yet,but i've applied for the gift shop at the Royal Armouries,and a couple of other jobs-so fingers crossed!!Had 3 hours at Church Fenton,but could only take shots one way,as the sun was stopping anything in one direction!!Not moaning though,it was just nice to get out.Nothing really good enough to upload though,i'm still getting used to the new camera.For now,here's another from the Rail-ale fest at the KWVR last year.

Nice to here alls Well FF, perhaps you should look for a photographers job !!!

mr B

[manna]

G'Day Gents
Glad you like it strang steel, it is not just my memories, it is for everyone, one person say's something and another I remember that! and so it snowballs, I just started it because I had a few funny stories about the railways, enjoy
manna

ps, we've cleared up a few misterys on the way.

[manna]

G'day Gents

My don't time fly!

Well I'v still got a few tales to tell, so I might as well get them out, One dark night, two railwaymen were sitting on a 142 at Bradford 'Forster Sq' waiting to go home, the driver was revving up his racing 142 waiting for the green light! when the signal changed to GO, and off we stormed, ECS to Leeds, at we rounded the bend just outside Bradford the signal went back to red, we stopped and the driver got up to call the signalman, on his return he imformed me that there were some people up ahead chucking things off of the bridges that we had to pass under, well we thought it a good idea to slow the racing 142 down a tad, the driver opened the controller a tad and we rolled along at about 20mph, looking for trouble, and we found it, just as we rolled under a bridge BONGGG!! something big hit the windscreen and was gone, no broken glass, nothing sliding off the roof, we just looked at each other in the dark 'What the..!!!' the driver floored the racing 142 to the next signal, and quickly reported what had happened to the signalman, who reported this to control, who reported this to the police, who (sounds like a owl story........ who-who) had been touring the area looking for these ....little darlings! and the cops got them, still waiting at the bridge for the next train, little did they know, we were the LAST TRAIN? What they had done was to tie a rope to a 44 gallon plastic drum and tie that to a lampost, and just as the train came under the bridge, Drop it! the train then hit the drum and the drum sailed up in the air after being, landing back on the bridge, the train crew only saw the drum for a second of so!!! After that we raced back to Leeds, home and bed

Another night I was sitting in the back cab of a 156 unit when there was this banging sound coming from under the train (we were passing Hessel near Hull) and showers of sparks were coming out the back of the train, so I called the driver to let him know what was going on, His reply was 'Ah don't worry, were just run over a shopping trolly??) We were in Hull in a few minutes, so there was a fitter at hand to check the unit out, no damage, but it gives you a bit of a fright when you hear ballast hitting the underside of your train

manna