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Childhood Memories Of Trains

If you wish to see Beyer Garretts working today then I recommend the Welsh Highland Railway between Caernarfon and Porthmadog. These are are 2 ft gauge locomotives formerly with South African Railways.
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Early morning trains to London often had milk wagons attached. This was because the milk had to be delivered quickly and a full milk wagon weighed about the same as a full passenger carriage so needed a top express loco to haul it. However when 4 and 6 wheel freight wagons were banned from passenger trains dedicated "Milk trains" had to be run with just milk wagons. However in popular language the term Milk Train remained in use for the first train of the day to London. In the same way the last train of the day from London was called the Newspaper train
 
Thanks for the reply David, I had it in my head we traveled late through the night but... this was fifty five years ago. Did the train leave from Snow Hill back then?
 
richardinwales said:
Thanks for the reply David, I had it in my head we traveled late through the night but... this was fifty five years ago. Did the train leave from Snow Hill back then?
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As Milk Train was not an official term for a passenger train, you could have been on a late night train which someone might have told you was the Milk Train. Until the 1960s you could have travelled either Snow Hill to Paddington or New Street to Euston. During the 1960s the Euston Line was being electrified and New Street Station being rebuilt, so all trains to London went from Snow Hill. Then in the late 1960s when this work was completed all London trains were switched to New Street to Euston. Now you do again have a choice as Chiltern Railways run from Snow Hill and Moor Street to London Marylebone
 
I have a childhood memory of a train journey on 28th July 1949.
It was a dull cloudy cold day but Dad said we were all going to watch the National Air Races at Elmdon Airport and would go on an excursion train. When we got to New Street Station the platform was packed with people much more crowded than an excursion crowd seen in a forum pic right click/here.
Eventually a very old Victorian style train pulled in having single compartment carriages and we were all packed in with adults sitting eight abreast and children either standing or sitting on laps. On the journey our train twice moved on to side lines to let faster trains overtake.
Arriving at a station near Elmdon I remember walking across fields to take up position to watch the show. The air display and racing were stupendous and a description and pics are in a forum post right click/here.
On the journey back the engine broke down and we were stuck for over an hour while another engine was found, and it had started raining ... summers were not always good in the old days ...

So that was a day in my childhood when I was not too impressed by rail travel ... :rolleyes:
 
Four years later I had another train journey starting from Moor St Station at 12.00 midnight and 7 hours later I was in Ilfracombe amazed to see a rather large engine which was a Bulleid West Country/Battle of Britain type which had pulled us along a single track branch line from Barnstaple.
 
That single track branch line has long since gone. Now the Tarka trail.1424281_1431708477057565_384487707_n.jpg
Such a train pulling out of Barnstaple Junction to cross the Taw enroute to Ilfracombe.
 
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Nice to see that pic, I was a bit worried I had got the wrong engine not being an expert. As far as I remember the station was high up in that area of Ilfracombe and the engine looked really impressive because I was expecting to see a little tank type. I do remember that the train in Barnstaple seemed to do a three point turn but I was only half awake at that part of the journey.
 
I never travelled on that line, being of car driving age before ever going to North Devon. But from what you said you came into Barnstaple along the line from Taunton ie GWR (3 o'clock on the 1900 map) where you would have been hitched to the SR engine, then got pulled backwards across the river into Barnstaple Junction and then back over the river onto the branch line to Ilfracombe via Quay Station.Screenshot (79).jpg
 
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Travelled on the West Somerset Line yesterday from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. Pulled by steam engine 4936 Kinlet Hall. There was a weighing machine on the platform at Minehead manufactured by Henry Pooley & Son of Birmingham and London. Lots of children on the train either just going to the seaside or visiting Butlins. Dave.
 

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But they are only miniature versions.They were huge thing when we train spotted by the track at Bromford Bridge.Does anyone remember the Sunday's excursions to Crewe at 3 and 11pence halfpenny.Did it many times
 
Edifi said:
But they are only miniature versions.They were huge thing when we train spotted by the track at Bromford Bridge.Does anyone remember the Sunday's excursions to Crewe at 3 and 11pence halfpenny.Did it many times
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they are narrow gauge. There was and still are Huge trains on the The Cambrian Line next to it.
 
DavidGrain said:
If you are asking about the Welsh Highland Railway they are usually steam locos with the occasional diesel possibly at the beginning and end of the day's service
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and the Cambrian Line width 4'8.5 now diesel. with a steam loco now and then.
both are a good day out.
 
mw0njm. said:
and the Cambrian Line width 4'8.5 now diesel. with a steam loco now and then.
both are a good day out.
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A steam loco is not compatible with the signalling system in use on the Cambrian Line so no steam trains run on that line. Also there was a ban on loco hauled trains over the Barmouth viaduct but this may no longer be in force because of the fact that no locos have been fitted with ERTMS European Rail Traffic Management System so cannot operate on the line anyway.
 
On holiday at Arley in the 1940s my dad said we would be going by train to Bridgnorth and I was excited because it would be my first journey by train. I was somewhat disappointed when a 'bus' on rails pulled into the station. Later in the day I was hoping it would be a real steam train taking us back to Arley ... but no it was the rail bus again and it could even have been the one shown below .... :)
SVLrailcar.jpg
 
oldMohawk said:
On holiday at Arley in the 1940s my dad said we would be going by train to Bridgnorth and I was excited because it would be my first journey by train. I was somewhat disappointed when a 'bus' on rails pulled into the station. Later in the day I was hoping it would be a real steam train taking us back to Arley ... but no it was the rail bus again and it could even have been the one shown below .... :)
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i remember that railbus. nice pic
 
That picture is of one of the second series of GWR railcars. No. 22 was new in 1940. My recollection is mainly of the earlier series which had more rounded streamlined shape and were known as 'flying bananas'. I remember one of these on the 'Dudley Dasher' between Snow Hill and Dudley in the late 1950s
 
In the late 1940's, from memory, two of the last built ex GWR diesel railcars - of the 35 - 38 numbered series - ran from Cardiff to Birmingham - I believe non-stop. They were strengthened with a conventional passenger car added between the two units The units had driving cabs at one end only and flat ends with gangways the other. One of them had a buffet, the other toilet facilities. Precursors of the subsequent DMU's but a better ride they say. The train rattled quite swiftly along the North Warwickshire line passing through the Shirley area around 08.25 - 08.30. The service replaces a steam hauled train but did not lost very long, due to its success and was replaced by the steam train again which could consist of more than three coaches.. The train - railcar and steam - was very regular in its timing and you could, as they say, set you watch by it. I knew that when it passed by it was time to go to school. ;) Well, how many school kids had watches then?
This is also recorded elsewhere on BHF.
They were then used in the Reading and Bristol areas.
 
My only memories of trains was in the 60s when we were taken every year to Ireland for our holidays.We would catch a train from snowhill to holyhead where we then went on the ferry.I never remembered ever sitting in any of the carriages as they were always packed so we always ended up in the narrow aisles sitting on our big brown suitcases (which by the way had no fancy wheels on them ) Us kids loved the trains but I bet it was different for our parents !
 
oldMohawk said:
On holiday at Arley in the 1940s my dad said we would be going by train to Bridgnorth and I was excited because it would be my first journey by train. I was somewhat disappointed when a 'bus' on rails pulled into the station. Later in the day I was hoping it would be a real steam train taking us back to Arley ... but no it was the rail bus again and it could even have been the one shown below .... :)
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I remember those at Snow Hill station in the fifties. I think they ran from Birmingham to Wolverhampton.
 
Sugar said:
My only memories of trains was in the 60s when we were taken every year to Ireland for our holidays.We would catch a train from snowhill to holyhead where we then went on the ferry.I never remembered ever sitting in any of the carriages as they were always packed so we always ended up in the narrow aisles sitting on our big brown suitcases (which by the way had no fancy wheels on them ) Us kids loved the trains but I bet it was different for our parents !
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Me too it seemed to take forever to get to Holyhead:weary_face:
 
My fondest memories of railways goes back to the late fifties. Me and my pal, Tommy Major would sit on the wall at the entrance to Hockley goods yard at the junction of All Saints street and All Saints road. Here we would be on the main line between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton opposite the huge goods depot. Plenty of activity with horse drawn carts going back and forth. Alongside the wall there were cattle pens. We spent far too much time sat on that wall doing nothing. Sometimes we would return late in the evening to watch the 'Milk train' come through. Kings, Castles, Halls and Manors were regular 'spottings' at any time of the day.
 
DavidGrain said:
That picture is of one of the second series of GWR railcars. No. 22 was new in 1940. My recollection is mainly of the earlier series which had more rounded streamlined shape and were known as 'flying bananas'. I remember one of these on the 'Dudley Dasher' between Snow Hill and Dudley in the late 1950s
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I remember the rounded version of the railbus while spotting at Snow Hill...…….looking for Kings, castles & Counties, we booed when the occasional one came in!
 
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