Prototype Random collection of BR in the 80's photos

warren haywood

Western Thunderer
These pictures are really bringing back happy memories of early eighties spotting. Make you feel quite sad really at what has gone that we took for granted.
Thanks Mick
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Last part :thumbs:

More class 47's, up first, a nice spangly class 47 at Beach Road station
47 290.jpg

An ETH London bound train at Ipswich, this is just before electric services started from here.
47 458_Ipswich.jpg

Up to the smoke at Liverpool Street finds a 47 released from it's train and waiting a cross over to the small stabling point there.
47 583.jpg
This wouldn't have been a Norwich service, they tended to go form Platforms to the right, these platforms tended to be Cambridge and Kings Lynn services and I think some Norwich services via Cambridge and Ely, not really up to speed on that section of the GE.

Back to Ipswich and what looks like a special stock move. The loco looks ex works so could be a running in turn from Stratford and back.
47 xx2_Ipswich.jpg

Next up, Baylham and a UID 47 hammers south. Looking at the stock I don't think this is a London bound service, most or all were air con MKII by then, this could be a Harwich bound cross country train.
47 xxx_Baylham_02.jpg

Last 47 is at Haughley Jct, of note here are the wheels to the right, these are from parcels coaches after we had quite a large derailment of a parcels train. What's left of the station and last remaining buildings of Haughley station are on the left. The little glass cuddy is actually as look out post for the small signal box that remained to control the junction, this was soon to close when the line was electrified and this section came under I believe Colchester PSB.
47 xxx_Haugley Jct.jpg

Grids, or class 56 to y'all non believers;)

For a time we had 56's on Freightliner trains to Felixstowe, they looked great, they sounded great and they allowed times to be accelerated and loads increased. First up, Derby Road, a Felixstowe bound service runs through non stop and the driver has just grabbed the tablet from the bobby for the section to Trimley.
56 003e.jpg

Trimley, Grid heaven, both trains have come to a stand, 084 will be first away and has come up from Beach Station and FLXS, nice start with the train on a gentle gradient to get the loco worked up, the path is straight ahead so full power to line speed. 003 will follow once 084 has cleared the single line section to Derby Road, typically takes around 7 mins today, back then around 8 or 9mins required. 003 has almost 75% of her train on Clickett Hill, however it's not a straight start, for 300yds in front is the junction where the branch will join the main and is rated at 30mph. There will be noise, and there will be smoke, lots of it, there will also be sand laid and big grins for Grid anoraks;) 56 084c.jpg

Moving on....shame...but more Grid photos in the future :thumbs: we head back to Ipswich, on the right is a local service from Ipswich to Harwich, in the centre road is 86 227 waiting to take the next express to London, for a while Ipswich was the change over point between diesel and electric and they got pretty bloody good at it, down to about 3-4 mins in the end.86 227_Ipswich.jpg

Same location but a bit colder, it's that winter of I haven't a clue again, the EMU will again be on a Harwich service, the 86 waits for the next London train and I'm going to guess the DMU may be for Cambridge, but could be Lowestoft, I saw Lowestoft as it has what looks like the antenna used for single line working and communication that I think they trialled and used on the East Suffolk line.
312 789_Ipswich Snow.jpg

Another 312, this time at Chelmsford, I'm off to my digs in London on a Sunday and grabbed this going away shot from the rear of the London train.
312 787_Chelmsford.jpg

And finally for EMUs a Southend train at Tilbury Town, what an earth I was doing out here is beyond me, I dimly recall driving down there to try and find the Tilbury container terminal or was out ship spotting on the Thames or something.
302 229_Tilbury Town.jpg

Last few shots for tonight, DMU's, no idea what service this is but could be for Harwich, this is in the days of electrification, it can't be far off as they're working at the tunnel end and the scaffolding is awfully close to the OHLE for it to be live, in fact touching at one point by the looks of things, all be it insulated by what looks like a plastic bag!DMU E54426_Ipswich.jpg

Over in the yard and long before electrification we find a DMU resting between duties. I do like these and I think I could probably kit bash a Easybuild 105 into one of these. What has just struck me is that I cannot find these (E54422- E54426) coach numbers in any of my books from the period I think I took them, I'm currently guessing they are renumbered from 5'6'422 and 5'6'426 but why or when I don't know yet.
E54422.jpg

Finally it's back to Trimley to catch the Felixstowe bound train arriving, note the junction mentioned before, this must be in the last days of the old GE signal box, it looks like the signals have now been replaced by MAS, the crossing is still original but once it all goes live then the signal box will close and a new cabin erected on that waste ground to the left behind the white picket fence. The bobby will reside there and tablets will still be exchanged for several years to come, but the old GE box will be demolished. The DMU looks like one of the ones adapted for the East Suffolk line with it's antenna on the front.DMU_Trimley_01.jpg

That's all folks....for this evening.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Hopefully Bob Reid can tell us more about the first carriage.... the one with the roof extension.

It's a Royal Mail sorting vehicle, not just any TPO but one with a post box, highly sort after by stamp and postcard collectors, you could post your letter into the coach and it would be sorted and delivered, most important was the TPO post mark, only items posted through that letter box got that post mark, letters loaded for sorting were already franked by the relevant sorting office.....unless one was found un franked and then it'd be franked in transit.

My father and I always posted a couple of letters into the TPO's at Crewe (usually on the way to Scotland at some un godly hour when we were connecting trains) when we travelled overnight train spotting, but I've done some at Bristol and York as well. The post box was clearly marked with a red panel on the side of the coach. I wish I had done more now, they're worth a small fortune!
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
What has just struck me is that I cannot find these (E54422- E54426) coach numbers in any of my books from the period I think I took them, I'm currently guessing they are renumbered from 5'6'422 and 5'6'426 but why or when I don't know yet.

Hi Mick,

according to Hugh Longworth in "BR First Gen DMUs", they were part of Class 105 DTCL,Diag 533, Lot 30470 (originally numbered from E56412 - E56459) and then most (presumably due to withdrawals)of the group were renumbered to 54413-54458 between 1983 & 1985, your numbers changed 54422 06.83 & 54426 05.85 which suggests that the set formation may well have changed over the years. The only allocations that are mentioned (as E56422/26) are 1960 Hornsey, 1970 Finsbury Park and 1980 Heaton.

<anorak mode off>

cheers

Mike
ps. great pictures by the way.
 

mth

Western Thunderer
Hmm good point, it's what I've labeled all my photos as but a quick look on Bing and Google shows Knowlhill to be the closest. I know when I did the original scans I used Bing to get the local names but that was back in 2011 and even in those three years (I've just rechecked) the location has changed considerably, could be an old name that has been changed for something more recently.

Anyway, Knowlhill is the now correct name so I'll a mend all my photos :thumbs:

I'll go with Knowlhill for the 3 Photo's (took me a while to place them as the footbridge has gone). The 310 and 81 are passing over Denbigh Hall North Junction.:thumbs:
 

Devonbelle

Western Thunderer
Unexpected surprise to see the class 56s in your shots great stuff. When I worked in Sth Wales it was a pleasure to see them working hard on freight - I once did single line working as Pilotman in 1997 and 56004 (in BR blue arrived) on 6V71 Warrington Cardiff Tidal with 15 of those lovely Cargowagon bogie vans at Panteg. I gave the driver his ticket and briefing, and fact he had to pushback through the crossover. He said 'have you seen a high speed start on these but'. I replied err no...cue driver releasing train brake, apply loco parking brake, apply full power, loco vibrating and throbbing,ammeter gone mad, then release parking brake and we shot backwards at high speed! Then clear of crossover and he repeated party piece, but going forward at high speed with me reminding him 50mph max. Happy days!
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
That's the best way to drive a 56, more power!;)

You could always tell a 56 being worked hard, they always screamed at full power (bit like a giant HST engine...which of course they were!) but when the amps really started to go up the engine would dig in and a deep thudding/chuggin noise would be heard/felt.

I think 004 was one of the last to be painted out of BR blue and I think one of the last Romanian batch to remain in service. Of all the sector colours I think Loadhaul or Coals suited them best.
 

warren haywood

Western Thunderer
I had a schoolmate who's dad was shed foreman at Knottingley and in the school Hols we would regularly spend the day on the MGR's
Used to get a bit boring under the loaders tho :)
Living about half a mile from the York Sheffield line one of the sounds of my youth was that 56 throb from the constant stream of coal trains, happy days
 
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