The LNER Encyclopedia

Using up a few days' leave, I decided to finish off the few passenger lines in southern Scotland which I haven't yet travelled over. Yesterday I did the newly reopened Anniesland - Maryhill section, and the Lanark branch; I'll get round to Larkhall before the end of the year. Once that's finished, the only routes in Scotland I haven't "done" are Fort William-Mallaig; Inverness-Aberdeen; Inverness-Wick/Thurso; Dingwall-Kyle; and (when it's reopened) Stirling-Alloa.

Anyway, going to Lanark I was pleased to notice that most of the branch is still laid with jointed track, and as the linespeed is fairly respectable you still get that pleasingly affirmative "de-dum de-dum" rhythm which used to be the standard accompaniment to all rail journeys. It set me wondering what else I miss about railways today - I don't mean significant things like steam locomotives, but (comparatively) smaller things like these:

• Jointed track
  Semaphore signalling
  Cut-out style speed restriction markers
  Telegraph poles
  Lineside structures without graffiti all over them
  Linesides without palisade fencing
  Platform tickets
  Trains where you aren't bombarded by announcements (even in the "quiet coach") every five minutes
  Slam doors; corridor coaches; seats that line up with window apertures
  Short-wheelbase wagons with vacuum brakes (if any), and brake vans
  CCTs and GUVs
  BRUT trolleys on platforms
  Locomotive names with a purpose other than some brief photo-opportunity
  "Station pilots" - at Newcastle there was always an 03 coupled to its match wagon burbling away to itself, and a class 31 - invariably D5856 - which would occasionally bring a set of empties in from Heaton.

This picture, taken 21 years ago, captures a number of these features (even the burbling exhaust!):



I know many of these things had significant disadvantages and some (slam doors) were quite hazardous, but their disappearance has changed the railway scene at least as much as electrification and multiple unit-isation, I reckon.

Anyone care to add anything to my list?

OK, seeing as I've whipped you all up into such a frenzy of indifference, I suggest the following additions to my own list:

• "Merrymaker" excursions
  "Awayday" tickets
  Edmonson card tickets
  Oil-lit tail lamps
  Being able to ask train drivers if they'd let you look in the cabs of their engines with a reasonable expectation that they'd say "yes"
  DMUs and EMUs where you could sit in the leading saloon and enjoy a forward view of the track
  Paytrains where the Guard had a bus clippy-type ticket machine
  Having your ticket collected at the station exit

I must add a few items that I do so miss:

The huge pall of grey smoke over York on a morning emanating from York (North) Loco Depot as fifty or so locos were prepared for work. If it was a clear cold day this contrasted well with the steamy plume from the sugar beet factory, and the black smoke from the coal fired boiler plant at Rowntrees and Terry's chocolate factories. Not forgetting of course the sun glinting off the two gas holders and the triple towers of York Minster. All these I witnessed as I cycled to school.

After school, if it was fine, I was able to make a wide diversion round Leeman Road and back along the river bank, so that I could see if there were any cops in the yard.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Colombo

Just memories Colombo;
The Steam Depot has gone,
Sugar Beet Factory closes at the end of this campagin,
No coal fire at Rowntrees (nearly gone)
Terrys gone,
Gas holders gone,
Only the Minster left

but we have the dirty gret wheel, which you can see for miles, and when it's all lit up at night it's stunning, well it was until 2 pods went out!

Mark, I forgot to mention the scaffolding on the Minster. It was seemingly ever present and very rusty.

I used to like to visit the old Railway Museum, and once I visited the Museum annex which was in the offices in front of the old York Station, just inside the walls. This was full of old uniforms, whistles and tickets. They did not get many customers.

And I miss the old station too. I remember the Signals and Telegraph Stores that were in the old goods shed, just inside the walls with the path from which you could look inside. I think it was called the old sack warehouse. It had wagon turntables and I once saw them turn a wagon or van, and push it inside by hand.

Colombo

Bullhead wrote:Going to Lanark I was pleased to notice that most of the branch is still laid with jointed track.

I "did" the Larkhall branch today, and was surprised to hear that - despite it being newly-laid - it is largely jointed track too.

Most of the above and

Bullhead wrote:Telegraph poles

and counting the number of poles passed (in one minute? was it??) to work out the speed of the train
Or was that just a tarrydiddle told to a wee lad to keep him occupied on a long journey ?

In other words, was there a standard inter-pole distance ?!

Mine is such a simple thing - loco hauled passenger trains

Tim

talltim wrote:Mine is such a simple thing - loco hauled passenger trains

Tim

Amasingley saw some of those yesterday in Lincoln.

top n tailed 47's on Xmas market shuttle services to increase passenger capasity. (Too many complints from passengers due to overcrowding on the little units forced Central into doing something about it.)

Also saw a 40 hauled railtour

Ptarmigan wrote:

Bullhead wrote:Telegraph poles

and counting the number of poles passed (in one minute? was it??) to work out the speed of the train

was there a standard inter-pole distance ?!

Bump ?
anyone ?

I'm to young to remember much or BR and certainly none of the Big 4, being born at the end of '89. But I would like to see advertising come back. Proper advertising, advertising the companies trains and services. I don't want to look at adverts like Sady the bra lady, while I'm waiting for the train. I want to see adverts that make me want to go to Scotland on a cheap day return that is cheap. I would also like to see metal signs that advertise household products like Red Label Tea and Cadbury's chocolate. Also trains with no intercom where the TTI or guard comes through and tells you the next station.

Regards

Karl

Ah, York station. The haze under those wonderful arches and the undecipherable announcements from the lady up in the roof.
Or - standing on Huntingdon station and experiencing the havoc of an A3 coming round the bend at (very) high speed en route nonstop for London Town.

Sir Visto
Cadiz

I often used to look into York Station on my way home from school in the late 50s. I would leave my bike in the cycle stand just beyond the taxi rank and go and have look at the magazines on WH Smith's kiosk. At about that time a V2 came off shed and worked light through the station on the Up Main between platforms 8 and 9 on her way to pick up an express goods at Acomb. She often paused there, right by the footbridge and as like as not started to blow off, having a good fire ready for the long run up to London.

The sound, the smell, the smoke and steam........

Later, I would ride home over Scarborough Bridge, I would see the D49 Hunt loco bring the 4.46p.m. arrival, a Workman's train from Rowntrees Halt, which then formed the 4.52 to Doncaster from 8N.

Colombo

sir visto wrote:Ah, York station. The haze under those wonderful arches and the undecipherable announcements from the lady up in the

Sir Visto
Cadiz

Still undecipherable I'm afraid, I find it is crystal clear in the toilets between [Modern] Platforms 8 & 9.

and it is a magnificent sight when steam is going North or to Scarbrough, and it is inside, except Duchess of Sutherland came through on 3 (wrong side) and stoped out at the bottom end of 4!

Colombo wrote:
Later, I would ride home over Scarborough Bridge, I would see the D49 Hunt loco bring the 4.46p.m. arrival, a Workman's train from Rowntrees Halt, which then formed the 4.52 to Doncaster from 8N.

Colombo

My Gran (who passed away last August)'s house is on Longfield Terrace (I own 1 5th!) and it has 2 parking spaces, so I treck nearly every week down and round over Scarborugh Bridge to the NRM and the Station, must have been over it thousands of times in my life time!

The lady in the announcer's office at York has a shaky grasp of geography as well - last Friday night she announced that an incoming GNER train was for 'Northallerton, Peterborough and King's Cross'.