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Childhood Memories Of Trains

Having the GWR at the bottom of the garden meant that I saw plenty of trains. However as a keen cyclist I was able to spend a short time in many places where I came across a railway line. The Hatton and Lickey banks were a good places but I did like the more rural single track branches where despite few trains a look around a country station was always interesting and the staff usually worth talking to, they could tell you of much of the history of and around the line.
One area that I found very fascinating was the old North Staffordshire (The Knotty) lines. The loop line was busy (LMS of course) and the colliery lines and Shelton steel works always had a lot of activity. You could keep the Coronation Scot and other crack LMS locos as far as I was concerned, but old 4F's ad other quaint stuff was a great attraction for me.
 
The Cambrian Coast Express ran from Paddington to Snow Hill and on to Machynlleth (or Dovey Junction) where it split for Aberystwyth or Pwllheli.

There is separately a campaign to reopen the line from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth to run a train called the Cambrian Express but this is entirely separate and does not involve Birmingham
 
Birmingham Snow Hill, and Wolverhampton Low Level which was reached at 12:44. Here, owing to weight restrictions over the Cambrian line, the GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 locomotive was changed for two GWR Duke Class 4-4-0 engines or for a GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 for the non-stop run to Welshpool using the Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate curve (to avoid a stop and reversal of direction at Shrewsbury). Beyond Welshpool, calls were made at Machynlleth, Dovey Junction and Borth to reach Aberystwyth at 15:55, a total of 5 hours 35 minutes for the 235 miles... Aberystwyth to Barmouth.jnk up tp crew and Holyhead
 
mw0njm. said:
Birmingham Snow Hill, and Wolverhampton Low Level which was reached at 12:44. Here, owing to weight restrictions over the Cambrian line, the GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 locomotive was changed for two GWR Duke Class 4-4-0 engines or for a GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 for the non-stop run to Welshpool using the Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate curve (to avoid a stop and reversal of direction at Shrewsbury). Beyond Welshpool, calls were made at Machynlleth, Dovey Junction and Borth to reach Aberystwyth at 15:55, a total of 5 hours 35 minutes for the 235 miles... Aberystwyth to Barmouth.jnk up tp crew and Holyhead
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Sorry, I don't follow the last bit of this - Aberystwyth to Barmouth.jnk up tp crew and Holyhead This would entail a considerable amount of backtracking and a few reverses.
 
That is precisely why I do not understand it

Aberystwyth to Holyhead would involve: Backtracking to Dovey Junction or Machynlleth then reversing to go to Barmouth Junction, continue to Afon Wen, reverse to go to Caernarfon and on to Menai Bridge or Bangor then reverse again to get to Holyhead. Each reverse would entail the loco running round its train.

On the other hand if the train were to take the Ruabon line from Barmouth Junction, when I did that on a special train in the early 1960s, the southern curve was not passed for passenger trains and so we all had to get off at Barmouth Junction while the train was shunted into the other platform and the locos ran round the south curve and come onto the other end of the train to take us on to our destination.

Splitting the train at Machynlleth or Dovey Junction as I said in my previous post (67) which is what they still do today would have been so much easier.
 
My train spotting days up till I started work in 1954 were quite varied.Some days I'd catch the train at New Street to Nottingham change stations and catch the train to Grantham have a great day spotting LNER and back home by 8-30.Or a Sunday excursion to Crewe or Derby and do Toton and Nottingham sheds.Then there wasNorthampton,Kettering and Wellingbourgh.Some Sunday's it was London on an excursion to all the regional engine sheds.These trips also taught me a lot about Geography which helped with school lessons.Then it was cycling holidays to Wales& and even Scotland during my holiday from my place of work.Great days
 
Hi Oldbrit,

Still got mine, although a bit tatty now!

Coincidentally, I did a lot of my trainspotting at Stechford too, but
from the comfort of my bedroom, as we lived in Frederick Road, and
my room overlooked the track near the signal box, and the split between
the New Street and Aston lines.

Happy Days.

Kind regards
Dave
 
Ok folks, thread now open again, let continue to share our memories and recognise the fact that we don’t all remember things in the same way.
 
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mw0njm. said:
..........bham to pwllheli train
I look at that every day. and say to my self."one day i will get on that and go home to brum"
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At about 1400hrs on a weekday there seems to be a train (Arriva Trains Wales last time I saw it, but I know there has been a franchise change since then) to Aberystwyth via Shrewsbury & Macynllith, interesting route it follows. I forgot on the original to say commencing at Birmingham International.


There that makes more sense noe.

Bob
 
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My recollection of train journeys starts at mid 1940s, Perry Bar to Stratford on Avon for a holiday, my younger brother Gordon was ill , a temperature on the way then on arrival the campsite doctor called an ambulance, he spent his holiday and another couple of weeks in hospital with pneumonia.
Allen, my older brother and I spent the week on our own mostly in the campsite recreation room while it rained the week away and our parents were at Gordon's bedside.
Later journeys were for national service trips to various army camps, Honiton, Arborfield, South Benfleet (via Euston the London underground and Fenchurch Street, those BR Southern Rail trains were diabolically filthy, sitting down raised a cloud of choking acrid dust from the seats.
In recent years I made a few trips to collect cars that I'd bought from places Like Wigan, Warrington and South Yorkshire, not terribly expensive and usually clean and comfortable although occasionally crowded for part of the way.
 
Eric Gibson said:
My recollection of train journeys starts at mid 1940s, Perry Bar to Stratford on Avon for a holiday, my younger brother Gordon was ill , a temperature on the way then on arrival the campsite doctor called an ambulance, he spent his holiday and another couple of weeks in hospital with pneumonia.
Allen, my older brother and I spent the week on our own mostly in the campsite recreation room while it rained the week away and our parents were at Gordon's bedside.
Later journeys were for national service trips to various army camps, Honiton, Arborfield, South Benfleet (via Euston the London underground and Fenchurch Street, those BR Southern Rail trains were diabolically filthy, sitting down raised a cloud of choking acrid dust from the seats.
In recent years I made a few trips to collect cars that I'd bought from places Like Wigan, Warrington and South Yorkshire, not terribly expensive and usually clean and comfortable although occasionally crowded for part of the way.
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sorry to hear about your brother. i went on a trip to London.and try'd the underground that was filthy. but we still enjoyed it:grinning:
 
mw0njm. said:
Birmingham Snow Hill, and Wolverhampton Low Level which was reached at 12:44. Here, owing to weight restrictions over the Cambrian line, the GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 locomotive was changed for two GWR Duke Class 4-4-0 engines or for a GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 for the non-stop run to Welshpool using the Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate curve (to avoid a stop and reversal of direction at Shrewsbury). Beyond Welshpool, calls were made at Machynlleth, Dovey Junction and Borth to reach Aberystwyth at 15:55, a total of 5 hours 35 minutes for the 235 miles... Aberystwyth to Barmouth.jnk up tp crew and Holyhead
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What year would this be because all the Dukes were withdrawn or converted to Duke Dogs in the 1930s. Not sure actually at which station where the Duke Dogs (converted Dukes) were changed from the heavier locomotives for the Cambrian Run but the last two Duke Dogs were withdrawn from Wellington Shed around 1960. I always remember the lighter Manors being coupled to the Cambrian Coast Express at Shrewsbury where some of the class were allocated, the weight problem being the wooden Barmouth Bridge
 
My understanding is that the Kings hauled the trains from Paddington to Wolverhampton LL and the lighter engines then took the trains on the rest of the way. Barmouth Bridge was definitely a ruling factor but I think the rest of the Mid Wales lines had weight restrictions of some sort.
 
DavidGrain said:
My understanding is that the Kings hauled the trains from Paddington to Wolverhampton LL and the lighter engines then took the trains on the rest of the way. Barmouth Bridge was definitely a ruling factor but I think the rest of the Mid Wales lines had weight restrictions of some sort.
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I never remember Kings on the Cambrian Coast Express when I was a spotter, always a Castle to Snow Hill. Same period it was always a Manor from Shrewsbury onwards. I don't remember any Manors being allocated to Wolverhampton so I assume the Castle would be run to Shrewsbury, I seem to remember the Manors coming on at Shrewsbury when I was there. However towards the end of steam on the WR anything could happen, even a King on a freight train!
 
Penns said:
I never remember Kings on the Cambrian Coast Express when I was a spotter, always a Castle to Snow Hill. Same period it was always a Manor from Shrewsbury onwards. I don't remember any Manors being allocated to Wolverhampton so I assume the Castle would be run to Shrewsbury, I seem to remember the Manors coming on at Shrewsbury when I was there. However towards the end of steam on the WR anything could happen, even a King on a freight train!
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This video
1960s Steam Banbury to Brum shows several Kings. It says that the London Birmingham/Wolverhampton expresses were worked by Kings until 1962. I can remember the up Cambrian Coast Express double headed one Saturday afternoon by two Kings. I have been told that even after the diesels took over, Wolverhampton continued to steam 6 kings each day for months in case any of the diesels broke down.
 
Fragmented memories, everyone is right, King or Castle from Paddington, engine change usually at Wolverhampton, but occasionally, we had the surprise (1948/51) of the King/Castle coming off at Snow Hill and a Manor or two going on, one apparently would be dropped off at Wolverhampton/Wellington/Shrewsbury. Certainly (hearsay) we were told that two Dukedogs would be put on and on one occasion my Dad and I did the Shrewsbury to Barmouth leg behind a pair. Also the occasional 2-6-0 of the 4300 class blue weight code was used I believe. Please correct me if I am wrong because I am certain the Paddington one in the late afternoon came in with a Manor and a prairie tank on. But memory plays tricks, the conversations on the forum often are the spur to remembrance.
Bob
 
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I think one can always find exceptions to the norm in regard to operation of locomotives from 1960 to the end of steam. I am thinking more of what locomotives were normally assigned to do. The MAIN purpose of the King locomotives, which were assigned to Laira, Old Oak and Wolverhampton was to operate the Paddington expresses. My point is that before the rundown of steam locomotives it was not usual to see them on workings they were never designed for. Shedmasters towards the end of steam must have had a hard time finding serviceable locomotives as BR reduced maintenance and many locomotives were just withdrawn on shed due to unserviceability. There is no end of pictures of express passenger locomotives operating freight trains for instance post 1960.

The most interesting example, I think, of locomotives operating services they were never designed for is the Pines Express which were very successfully operated by Standard 9Fs, built for heavy freight trains, on the old Somerset & Dorset line to Bournemouth
 
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Penns said:
I think one can always find exceptions to the norm in regard to operation of locomotives from 1960 to the end of steam. I am thinking more of what locomotives were normally assigned to do. The MAIN purpose of the King locomotives, which were assigned to Laira, Old Oak and Wolverhampton was to operate the Paddington expresses. My point is that before the rundown of steam locomotives it was not usual to see them on workings they were never designed for. Shedmasters towards the end of steam must have had a hard time finding serviceable locomotives as BR reduced maintenance and many locomotives were just withdrawn on shed due to unserviceability. There is no end of pictures of express passenger locomotives operating freight trains for instance post 1960.

The most interesting example, I think, of locomotives operating services they were never designed for is the Pines Express which were very successfully operated by Standard 9Fs, built for heavy freight trains, on the old Somerset & Dorset line to Bournemouth
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But what a sight those 9Fs were, did not still follow Snow Hill towards the end of steam, lived in Plymouth with a view of the start of Hemerdon bank, remember well the last day of steam at Laira and then two days later a King without name or number pulling one of the Warship powered expresses up Hemerdon, but remember from the period 1948/51 at Snow Hill the boredom as every engine we saw was one we had seen before or the joy as something quite unexpected came through and back to another set of posts a Southern Spam can on the Portsmouth train, because one day it would be an all green train and the next day GWR shod. Usually the engine was a Hall though not a King or a Castle. Did anyone ever 'cop' King John at Snow Hill, my only missing King and then saw it at Reading.

Bob
 
In 1940's our garden backed onto North Warwickshire line which was also only used by the smaller engines. Had to go to Tyseley to see King, Castle and County Class locos.
 
devonjim said:
In 1940's our garden backed onto North Warwickshire line which was also only used by the smaller engines. Had to go to Tyseley to see King, Castle and County Class locos.
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We used to buy the 41/2d (four penny halfpenny) return to Tyseley to get on to Snow Hill and every so often get on one of the locals, and return straight away changing platforms. They were sometimes spotter unfriendly, it usually worked ouy 50% of the time Platform 6 (Tunnel end) the rest Platform 1 Wolverhampton end.

Bob
 
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