Contributions of the group British Rail (Railways) - pre 1997

HFF Thorne South Yorkshire England 15th May 1974

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:19:02 +0000

Thorne South station where my father worked as a porter in the 1940s. British Railways Class 31 diesels 31105 & 31235 pass eastwards with a train of rails.

The photo was taken to highlight the Great Central Railway remains rather than the engines - rather obviously! All that was left of the Victorian station by 1974 were these rather delicate railings & gas lamp standard on the Down side & the partial wall on the Up platform. The truncated supports for the platform awnings can be seen on the Up side together with the fading Eastern Region blue "Thorne" running in sign. Later the whole lot was bulldozed and a new station built left of this spot which only ever had bus shelter waiting areas. The old MS&L stationmaster's house still stands however below and to the left of this view.

HFF to everyone. Have a great weekend.

1988-Waterloo-Armstrong lift (34-BW)

nobody@ipernity.com (SV1XV) — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 12:32:17 +0000

SV1XV has posted:

The old Armstrong Lift at Waterloo station, used to hoist Waterloo & City Line stock to the surface, in the days before the construction of Waterloo International terminal..

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Bristol Temple Meads 08949

nobody@ipernity.com (SV1XV) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:51:36 +0000

SV1XV has posted:

1987-09-23: British Rail class 08 shunter 08949 at Bristol Temple Meads.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

19870830-Cambridge-ADB968021-ex84009

nobody@ipernity.com (SV1XV) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:51:17 +0000

SV1XV has posted:

BR Research Division ADB 968021, mobile load bank tester. Ex class 84 locomotive 84009, no longer operating under its own power.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

NRM - Class 31

nobody@ipernity.com (StoneRoad2013) — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 16:53:25 +0000

StoneRoad2013 has posted:

Nose of Class 31 [TOPS 31-018]
This is the first locomotive of the class and in The National Collection, at Shildon.
Of the 263 produced, some 46 were preserved, but 10 have subsequently been scrapped - one after metal thieves removed the most valuable material.
The discs are the head-code for a "Class D" train ie Express freight, livestock, perishable or ballast train partly fitted with the automatic brake operative on not less than one third of the vehicles.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_31

The Cambrian Ltd Aberystwyth Wales 29th September 1991

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:00:35 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

Great thumbnail, not so sure about the full size... Best to view it as an abstract painting perhaps.

GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 7819 Hinton Manor blasting away from Aberystwyth with the Cambrian Limited railtour - the narrow gauge Vale of Rheidol line is on the left. Aberystwyth's former engine shed was used by the VofR engines at this time although the tank and coaling stage were out of use.

A still from my video.

Birmingham Snow Hill West Midlands January 1975

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 17:21:03 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

The once-splendid Great Western Railway Snow Hill station was slowly rotting away 8 years after through trains were withdrawn and 3 years since the last shuttles to Wolverhampton Low Level ran.

At this time the station was used as a car park and the trackbed was filled so cars could park across the platforms. This shot was taken on a Sunday when the car park was closed.

61306 Mayflower rear view Hove 10 9 2023

nobody@ipernity.com (Phil Sutters) — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 19:53:20 +0000

Phil Sutters has posted:

Newton Heath Manchester Lancashire 29th June 1968

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 12:17:43 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

It takes years of real neglect to get as filthy as this unidentified Stanier Black 5.

The cleaners (if there were still such things at Newton Heath loco shed in 1968) hadn't been near the cylinder and wheels of this example & no doubt it went to its grave with the accumulated grease & grime. The scrap men (and look away if you're sensitive) would set fire to the grease before cutting the engines up. This would burn away everything first so that their torches didn't start fires while they worked.

Southern C2 0-6-0 32521 & E4 0-6-2T 32468 Brighton 16 8 1957

nobody@ipernity.com (Phil Sutters) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:12:41 +0000

Phil Sutters has posted:

ex LBSCR E1 0-6-2Ts 32697 & 32135 Exeter 23 8 1958

nobody@ipernity.com (Phil Sutters) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:06:43 +0000

Phil Sutters has posted:

2-6-0 31846 & WC 4-6-2 Trevone 34096 Exeter 23 8 1958

nobody@ipernity.com (Phil Sutters) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:06:38 +0000

Phil Sutters has posted:

Abbey Wood London April 1975

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 07:10:45 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

Abbey Wood station Up platform looking west from the footbridge. The 1849 South Eastern & Chatham Railway buildings look a bit grubby. Commuters to London city centre observe the two trackmen at work.

Today the station has changed completey out of recognition as Abbey Wood is the eastern terminus of the new Crossrail / Elizabeth line.

Phil Sutters has recently posted a great series of shots of the station:
www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/51793576/in/activity

A few lines from Doncaster, Yorkshire 29th August 1976

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 17:01:11 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

A 1970s North Bridge trackscape. A telephoto shot of Doncaster station's north end prior to electrification & resignalling of the ECML.

I have a postcard bought at the station in the late 1960s with a similar picture to this but from the southern approach. Written across the picture is the caption "A Few Lines from Doncaster". Despite being bought at least 3 years after steam finished there are steam engines in view. I suspect that similar postcards could be bought in many other towns with "A Few Lines from X" as captions.

Lostock Hall Preston Lancashire 1st August 1968

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 07:48:32 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

A reworked & re-cropped version of an earlier post.

Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0 43106 darkens the skies over Lancashire while filling its tender from the archaic looking water column. Her blower is hard on to lift the smoke & get up steam ready to depart the shed for the Severn Valley Railway at Bridgnorth and a new life in preservation.

Stanier 8F Class No 48476 had its day of fame on 4th August double-heading 1L50, the RCTS 'End of Steam' tour with Standard 5 73069.

Manchester Newton Heath Lancashire 21st June 1968

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 08:46:55 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

It's near the end for Newton Heath steam shed in Manchester. Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48529 catches the light streaming through the holes in the roof into the gloom of the shed interior.

This image was used on the cover of "Steam's Last Apprentice" by Victor Penketh published by Wibble Publishing in 2013. An excellent read about Victor's life on the railway from 1959 to the end of steam in 1968 .

Hereford Herefordshire 19th October 1974

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 07:21:52 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

Garter Blue liveried LNER A4 4-6-2 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley on the A4 locomotive Society's Salopian steam special from Shrewsbury to Newport made a water stop at Hereford. The driver or support crew member is checking the oil pots.

Lostock Hall Preston 1st August 1968

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 13:27:02 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

Lostock Hall engine shed near Preston three days before the end of British Railways steam in August 1968.

This is the view from Watkin Lane over the allotment fence. On the steam locomotive dump the engines on view are mainly Stanier Black 5s but the nearest is an Ivatt 4 2-6-0.

The coaling plant dominates the centre with the water tank to its right & the engine shed itself to the right of that.

HFF & have a great weekend.

Preston Station Lancashire 1st August 1968

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 07:42:55 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

Preston station & the signals are pulled off for Black 5 4-6-0 45212 heading north with a very short freight train. A gaggle of people on the platform are, myself included, taking in a sight very soon to disappear forever on British Railways.

45212 went on to pull BR's penultimate passenger train three days later from Preston to Liverpool & following the end of steam on British Railways was preserved on the Keighley & Worth Railway later working on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. In February 2016 it was in the last stages of a full overhaul at Riley's in Bury.

Manchester Patricroft Lancashire 5th June 1968

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:26:43 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

As well as the Caprotti-valved BR Standard 5 4-6-0s Patricroft also ran the Walschaerts versions of the Standard 5. This example, 73010, captures the sun in the entrance to the 1885 London & North Western Railway Old shed flanked by two Stanier 8Fs, 48374 on the left.

My visit was well timed because the shed closed at the end of June 1968 and these engines went for scrap.