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Reminiscences

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47403

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47403 top post very interesting.

thanks john

just wondering if any lads from the North East on here, ever travelled on Bill Halls Bus Trips, late 80's early 90's, think it was called the North East Railway Group, Bill used to organise trips once a month to various destinations in the UK, usually left on a friday evening from Newcastle, picking up at Stockton. Depending how far you went down or up the country, would depend on wether you came back Saturday or Sunday evening, the Sunday return, normally involved a b n b on the Saturday night and for the adults the local railway club and for those of us not old enough to drink a night on whatever station, as long as there was enough adults staying at the station too. I had more than a fair few enjoyable trips aboard these, one of my fave weekends was the Yorks, Notts trip, I booked to boost my 58's, but I made a fair dint in not only the 58's but everything else too. Getting round majority of the Yorks, Notts Depots/sidings, Knottingley, Holbeck, Tinsley, Barrow Hill, Shirebrook, Worksop, Coalville, Toton (was tremendous), Derby Works and a bit down time at Crewe certainly helped that cause.
 

4SRKT

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That was indeed a good post; sounded like many of my trips at that time. The pre-bash excitement was unbelievable sometimes, and Carlisle was just about my number one favourite location to watch the railway (very possibly still is).

Only oddity was (apart from your duff fetish, but we've had time to get used to that ;)) the apparent turning up of nose at 81s and 85s, wanting an 86 instead. This absolutely does not compute!
 

47403

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That was indeed a good post; sounded like many of my trips at that time. The pre-bash excitement was unbelievable sometimes, and Carlisle was just about my number one favourite location to watch the railway (very possibly still is).

Only oddity was (apart from your duff fetish, but we've had time to get used to that ;)) the apparent turning up of nose at 81s and 85s, wanting an 86 instead. This absolutely does not compute!

Many thanks again,I think it was more to do with seeing the grainy black n white pictures of 86/87's with the names, in my locoshed book, as a young un, the namers, as we used to call them, just seemed more special back then, none of the 81's and 85's that I can recollect, had names. I certainly learnt a lot from Alan and them guys. As for the Duff fetish, even today I can't walk through WH Smiths past a railway magazine that has a 47 on the cover, my apologies for repeating it though folks, I'm a hopelrss soul, I know. If its any consolation 31's and 37's are joint 2nd:lol::lol::lol::lol:
 

4SRKT

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I also remember when namers were special. When names meant something and nobody would have dreamed of naming something 'BBC Look North' or 'Pedigree Chum' or whatever. Naming multiple units was unheard of (except for NIR's 70 class DEMUS, named after rivers, but these were a bit different as they were used on what passed for Inter City services in 1970s Northern Ireland), and it irritates me to see a (for example) 333 with a painted on 'nameplate' that looks totally out of place. What do the public think that's for I wonder?

Did you admit to your duff fetish in the 1980s BTW? If you had done so on the York scene you would have been torn apart. There was one chap whose favourite loco was the otherwise universally despised 31404, but he only got away with this by being a total psycho would would beat up anyone who said bad things about it.
 
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47403

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Joined
21 May 2012
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2,060
Location
Geordie Republic of Gateshead
I also remember when namers were special. When names meant something and nobody would have dreamed of naming something 'BBC Look North' or 'Pedigree Chum' or whatever. Naming multiple units was unheard of (except for NIR's 70 class DEMUS, named after rivers, but these were a bit different as they were used on what passed for Inter City services in 1970s Northern Ireland), and it irritates me to see a (for example) 333 with a painted on 'nameplate' that looks totally out of place. What do the public think that's for I wonder?

Did you admit to your duff fetish in the 1980s BTW? If you had done so on the York scene you would have been torn apart. There was one chap whose favourite loco was the otherwise universally despised 31404, but he only got away with this by being a total psycho would would beat up anyone who said bad things about it.

Theres that 156 with the name on it and I agree that looks totally weird. The Duff fetish has been with me since my 1st ever trip to Newcastle Central way back in 1976, loved the noise of the Deltic's too, however HST's killed them days, not much later.
I will admit, that on summer Saturdays, when I was old enough to go bashing, my mates and I would go out for predominately the 31's and 37's, generally what was on the moves then but obviously if there was anything a bit rarer we'd chase that too, anyway the later moves from Eastbourne, you could normally rely on a NB 47, but whilst standing at Darlo waiting for that Eastbourne train, it came in double headed, to my dismay a peak was on the front but it was a 45/0 dragging a 47/0, I can't remember, but I'm almost positive it was 45041 and the 47 was was 004, apparently 47004 passed out en route and the Peak rescued it, my mate gave me some serious stick for that, thank god for walkmans and The Ramones.
I remember one Saturday when 40013 was on the Newcastle to Liverpool, a move for the Carlisle - Middlesborough got knocked on the head and that was a 47/3!!, cant for the life of me remember which one but it got totally ignored for the 40, which we took to York. I remember all the older established Bashers, were out in force, the 1st 3 coaches were crammed with bashers and as I hung out the window, as we headed over the King Eddie Bridge, i looked up and down, almost every window, if not all, had a head out of it, no doubt moved eventually from the first class section by an over officious guard.
Out of curiosity, why did the older bashers, always carry a normal bag?, the rest normally had havasacks, they stood out a mile and normally looked down there noses at the rest of us.
 
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