Returning to Grantham

[rob237]

Your second pic' isn't Commonwealth of Australia, as the nameplate is too short...

Recall seeing an occasional '01' working on the Nottingham-Grantham line during the late 50's.
Oddly, they seemed to appear even less frequently heading westbound.

Cheers
Robt P.

[DaveF]

Your second pic' isn't Commonwealth of Australia, as the nameplate is too short...

Recall seeing an occasional '01' working on the Nottingham-Grantham line during the late 50's.
Oddly, they seemed to appear even less frequently heading westbound.

Cheers
Robt P.

I thought that was likely but I only have Dad's original notes to go from... - hence the "possibly" I've now edited it, thanks.
David

[jwealleans]

Two or three bogie bricks behind 17?

[61962]

Bittern No 60019 of Gateshead.
Of the other short names Mallard and Seagull were double chimney
Falcon and Gannet were Kings + engines and the shed name on the front is too long
Merlin was at Haymarket but had a corridor tender.
So Bittern for my money

Eddie

[60129 GUY MANNERING]

Yes I would agree with Eddie,I was thinking 60019 with 60025 & 60032 as outsiders.
Regards.

[DaveF]

Many thanks Eddie and 60129, I've amended the caption.

David

[workev]

In the very first post of this fantastic topic there is a picture of WD 90189 hauling an iron-ore train. On the very right of the photo is some empty stock, presumably for the Lincoln and Nottingham services. Can anybody identify these? With Horny launching the Gresley and thomson surburbans I am hoping they are some of these.....! If not then maybe some modeller license needs to come into play!

Ian

[strang steel]

I think the Lincoln and Boston services were in the hands of Derby class 114 and Cravens 105 units at that time, so the coaching stock is more likely to be for Nottingham trains.

However, on looking at them as closely as possible, they do seem to have a rather Midland look to them so I dont think any of Hornby's offerings would be of use.

But, there was a local all stations cheap half day train from Grantham to either Skegness or Mablethorpe on summer Sundays in the early 1960s, because my Dad took our family on it a couple of times. I have no idea if it was Gresley or Thompson stock, but I know it was made up of old suburban coaches because we had a whole compartment to ourselves and there was no corridor, plus the doors had drop windows with leather straps to lower the window to the desired height because I could not resist fiddling with them, much to my mothers' annoyance.

I am pretty sure they were ex-LNER stock, because whenever I entered a class 306 emu on the GE in later years, I was immediately taken back to those coaches. (Not scientific I know, but the best that I can do).

[strang steel]

Hi folks,

Back after a break!

Does anybody know if an O1 made it to Grantham? I jave asked on the Locomotives thread how similar an O1 is to an O4, just wondered if any made it to 34F?

Ian

I have spent some time looking through books that might feature photos of an O1, but they seem very elusive creatures. I have found one on the up goods at Great Ponton with a coal train (most likely from Colwick). It is plate 24 in Trails of Steam Through Grantham and features 63768.

At least we know this one passed Grantham.

[61070]

In the very first post of this fantastic topic there is a picture of WD 90189 hauling an iron-ore train. On the very right of the photo is some empty stock, presumably for the Lincoln and Nottingham services. Can anybody identify these?Ian

I'm hopeless on carriages (and worse on O1s!) but, looking at other photos taken on the same afternoon (most likely Thursday 21st June 1962), I can tell you that the set on the left, on which the tail lamp is visible, was not in that siding earlier on - the siding was empty when 60120 Kittiwake passed on a down passenger train that was signalled to stop at Grantham (frame 11). Also in shot is a dmu, standing on the down slow line. That picture is reproduced here: http://www.a1steam.com/images/stories/v ... /may10.pdf on page 3 (although it's been cropped so the empty siding can't be seen, and the photo credit is wrong - there is a correction in the next issue). By the time the shot preceding 90189 was taken - D9018 Ballymoss on 1N24, the down The Yorkshire Pullman (frame 15) - the vehicles had been placed in the siding.

I don't know whether any of that helps at all, but something that delights me about this thread (and I'm sure would have pleased my father, whose photographs they are) is the interest that people find in details that appear to be quite incidental to the scene.

[61070]

Here are three more pictures taken between 1948 and 1954, selected for no other reason than because they show pacifics with the names of three different home depots painted on their buffer beams:

60533 Happy Knight of Copley Hill
60090 Grand Parade of Grantham
60080 Dick Turpin of Heaton

Beside 60533's rear coupled wheel, at rail level, is something that appears to be associated with the signalling system. My guess is that it's a detonator placer, but would the signalling experts be able to comment please? It wasn't there when my father's photos were taken from 1961 onward.

[cambois]

I agree that the signalling equipment just under 60533 is a detonator placer. It looks the correct size for two machine dets, and has the necessary rodding to operate it. It is not very far from the facing points into the up slow, and could be a post Goswick fitting to provide some added warning if a train was going too fast.

This thread has been great as I lived in Grantham for 7 years late 80s/early 90s and used to stand on platform 1 where 60533 is standing to go up to London (almost daily for a while). I do not remember the ore trains, but one of my first ops bosses in Edinburgh - Alick Arnold - told me some tales of his younger days on ore trains round Lincolnshire, with WDs I think. Still see him occasionally, still bright but some age now. So thanks to you and your dad for provoking old memories.

[strang steel]

On the subject of O1 photos (again), there are none in either volume of Eastern Steam Twilight, and no more at Grantham in other books I have looked at, although I have found a few at March, Annesley (both mostly after withdrawal) and Retford, but the loco is on the GC route. There is also one heading south at Spalding, but taking the lines to March.

It does seem as though their main duties were on Annesley-Woodford coal trains before the mass influx of 9Fs, and also on Notts-March coal trains via the GN&GE Joint.

[workev]

John,

Many thanks for the research, looks like I will have to get some O4s and a few more 9Fs/WDs until someone releases the O2! Maybe Bachmann will announce it in March!

Ian

[workev]

Folks,

I am going to be asking a few questions focussed on the buildings and track in the next few weeks, so my first is associated with trackwork. I am focussing on the period between 1958 and the closure of the Shed in 1963.

Looking at photos most of the trackwork is bullhead rail, except for the through running lines which is sections of flat-bottom rail. Does anybody know any different? Was CWR ever laid on the through lines before 1963; and was flat-bottom rail ever laid on the other through platform (not sure of the number)?

If anybody has any pictures of track or buildings that may not have been posted because they didnt seem to hold any interest I would love to see them.

Ian