ROY@34F wrote:
I certainly remember that winter.We even had fires lit on the ground adjacent to the injectors on the engines in the loco at Grantham.'Don't remember the temperature,but it was quite severe.
Regards , Roy.
Thanks Roy.
The coldest period of that winter was between the 17th and 25th Jan approximately. In most places around Eastern England (excepting large cities, and possibly the extreme coastal strip for a few hours during the day) the temperature did not rise above freezing during that spell. There was a lot of dense freezing fog as well.
Night time temperatures were regularly between -10 C and -20 C, and in the middle of that period when the freezing fog was at its densest, the daytime maximum reached around -5 C over much of the region.
I suspect that this was the time when the majority of the diesels were frozen and although I wrote it all down in my notebook at the time, my mother threw it all away one day in my absence when she decided trainspotting was a childish pursuit, so I only have fading memory to go on.
The early April steam substitutions are interesting and I might have to do some more digging around to see if I can find any clues.
Re:keeping diaries (John-61070 earlier today).
In my case I think it was mainly to keep a check on wages due.As you know pay varied during night time hours and overtime (after 8 hours),which were 1.1/4 time.I think sundays and bank holidays were 1.1/2 time,and christmas day and easter sunday were the highest paid (holy days) at 1.3/4 time. Then there was mileage allowance to work out.For each 15 miles over 140 we used to get 1 hr.extra ; e.g. KX return from Grantham was "a day and five" ; ie.8 hrs.+5 hrs. or 210 or so miles,rounded up.
It was also interesting of course to look back in things.Unfortunately I only kept 2 of my diaries,as I have said before;much to my eternal regret.I know quite a few of us of my age kept diaries,but not sure weather older chaps did,I would imagine the novelty would wear off over the years.I'm sure there was no requirement to do so.
Regards,Roy.
The early April steam substitutions are interesting and I might have to do some more digging around to see if I can find any clues.
Thanks John. Yes,not sure what the problem was.Hope you can find an exclamation.I admire the effort you and others put in to researching things like this.
Good luck,Roy.
I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I started trainspotting in August 1962 (age 7), our favourite location being Vicarage Lane Level Crossing at North Muskham and continued to visit there over the next 40 years. I can just about remember the final days of ECML steam in spring 1963, and can still visualise a very dirty 60025 Falcon northbound over a bridge in Grantham, and "Captain Cuttle" northbound at Bathley Lane. However on Aug 25th 1971 I took the train from Nottingham and spent a glorious summer's day at Grantham where I took around 20 colour slides. I have posted these on my Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrcrepello ... 6745936721 and hope that you will find them of interest.
I find it fascinating to compare my photo of 9009 "Alycidon" (img0212) with an almost identical shot of the same loco taken pretty much 10 years to the day earlier on Aug 22nd 1961, posted by Firbeck on page 6 of this thread.
In addition there is a photo of a Class 114 dmu (img0227) about to depart on a Nottingham service (my train home) with both driver and guard visible. Does anyone recognise them?
I appreciate these pictures are not from the steam age, but they do capture a day at Grantham 40 years ago and I hope that you will enjoy them.
Hello John (MrCrepello), and thanks for the photos and the link. Very enjoyable, taking us to another period in the continually changing scene at Grantham. Great pictures which have kept well, and you were just 16 at the time (if my sums are correct)? Separate exposure meter too I see. Taking photos is a breeze these days!
It's quite possible that the dmu driver and/or the guard will be recognised, especially if they are Grantham men. Perhaps ROY@34F will know who they are? Some of my ex-footplate contacts at Grantham aren't dabbling with this modern internet thingy (and who can blame them - the change from steam to Diesel was more than enough 'modernisation' for one lifetime) but I may be able to make a passable print from your picture as posted, send it round and we'll see where we get.
Were you at Grantham more often but without the camera?
Last edited by 61070 on Sat Feb 04, 2012 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks for explaining the purpose behind your diaries Roy. I can imagine the wages clerk being kept fully occupied with all the various allowances over and above the basic rate! And no electronic calcuator, just his mental facility with numbers and maybe a mechanical comptometer or a 'ready reckoner' book of tables.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the photos, and that they fit in here. I did visit Grantham on a couple of of other occasions in 1970 and 1971 but did not have my camera with me, and yes I was just 16. Please by all means pass the pic of the dmu around, I do remember asking the guard if I could take his photo. If it would help, I have a hi res version of the pic (approx 4.5MB) that I can email to you.
61070 wrote:...I'll be writing soon to the gentleman who's allowed me to copy these photos of his, providing him with an update on our researches - including the still unsolved mystery of the device on the up main line alongside 60533's wheels. It's just possible that he might know what it was! I'll also ask if he's OK with me sharing his tale of the day C1 No.2810 came to grief.
I've heard back today. My friend regrets that he has no knowledge of the device in the photo of 60533 but he's pleased to hear that the photographs, which in fact were taken by his brother, are being enjoyed on the Forum. I'm pleased to say that he's more than happy for me to share his story of No.62810's final hours in service.
In his own words then:
This locomotive, together with its stablemate, 62822, were the last two remaining at Grantham when I joined the railway as a cleaner. Their class was C1, and they were well-liked locomotives apart from their rough riding when travelling at speed, partly due to their top-heavy boilers and the trailing ‘pony wheel’ suspension. Both were ‘shedded’ at Grantham and on a date which I cannot recollect , in 1949 [but which, from the loco's date of withdrawal, must have been towards the end of May], I was scheduled to book on duty with ‘Benny’ Kirk, a fairly senior Driver, and our job was to take a passenger train out of Grantham at 8.40pm to Lincoln, stopping at several stations en route.
On arrival at Lincoln we were uncoupled and went ‘light engine’ to the Loco Dept. where we topped up with water and had our sandwiches on the footplate (the canteen was not open at 10pm). We reversed in due course onto a goods train which we were to take back to Grantham and straight through to Peterborough (New England). This was a recognised regular working of 6 nights per week.
We reached New England at around midnight, deposited our train in the goods yard and turned the loco in preparation for a run ‘light engine’ to Grantham. Visibility was good, but it was not moonlight.
My Driver told me to telephone the Signalman at New England North and inform him we were ready to leave for Grantham. By the time I had got back to the cab of the loco my Driver had already ‘got the board’ (signal) and was rolling forwards. One got quite adept at jumping on moving loco steps and didn’t think anything of it! (No ‘Health and Safety’ then.)
It was a very short length cab on the C1 and the crew usually stood up all the time. There were very basic wooden seats, but with their tendency to roll rather violently it was safer to stand up. I stepped onto the footplate and looked through the spectacle plate (front window) to see the white light of a loco coming back towards us – too fast for comfort. We had not reached the main line and were still within the Loco Dept. I turned and shouted to my Driver, but he had already seen it and was dropping down behind the large reversing lever which the C1 was fitted with.
Within seconds there was a loud crash and I found myself half-lying, half sitting on the front platework of the tender, and the footplate was ankle deep in coal.
We found we were alright and examined the front of our engine, where the K3 class loco had collided, running tender first. The front bufferbeam had taken all the shock and was bent backwards. I remember the buffers were in quarters – the castings had cracked into four pieces. However, it was deemed by the loco fitters that it would get us back to Grantham, which it did, but the following day it disappeared and was never seen again and duly scrapped.
Its stablemate 62822 was in use on local passenger work until late 1950 when it carried out a special non-stop run from King’s Cross to Doncaster, after which it was withdrawn from service.
What an unforgettable day for a lad not yet aged 17!
I'm glad that you enjoyed the photos, and that they fit in here. I did visit Grantham on a couple of of other occasions in 1970 and 1971 but did not have my camera with me, and yes I was just 16. Please by all means pass the pic of the dmu around, I do remember asking the guard if I could take his photo. If it would help, I have a hi res version of the pic (approx 4.5MB) that I can email to you.
John Russell
Yes, an excellent set of photographs of Grantham in a slightly later period, and shows how much rationalisation there was even at that stage. They bring back a lot of memories to me as I was one of the few who carried on my spotting activities after the end of steam, (unlike a lot of enthusiasts who just gave up, or became interested in overseas steam, or the preservation movement).
Thanks for sharing them with us. I dont suppose you have any notes from that period to go with the photos?
My interest from that period is how many Deltics actually appeared on 4S04 or whatever other headcode the Scotch Goods ran under in those days.
Sorry John(61070),not sure of the chaps on crepello's photo.I have one or two ideas who the driver might be,and will bear it in mind.Very nice photos though.
Very interesting story of your friend and the mishap on the C1.Did he leave the railway before my time? ('57 to '63) I can remember Benny Kirk.
Roy.
Hello John (MrCrepello),
My word those photographs are magnificent and really bring back memories of my home town station. Many thanks for sharing them with us.
Regards,Derek. (60129 Guy Mannering)
ROY@34F wrote:Very interesting story of your friend and the mishap on the C1.Did he leave the railway before my time? ('57 to '63) I can remember Benny Kirk.
Roy.
Hello Roy - I don't think your paths will have crossed on the railway - this chap was a cleaner and fireman at Grantham from March 1948 until August 1954, when he left the railway for the police force. The 'other' Roy remembers him though.
All the best.
I have been analysing the Winter 56/57 WTTs and will be posting some questions and observations later; however I do have a BIG question.
I am finding it very difficult to find any information on A3 rosters for the ECML, let alone Grantham shed. I have some info for other pacifics, but the A3s are proving difficult.
Can anybody help?
I am also trying to gain access to WTTs (Passenger and Freight) for Summer 1957, Winter 1957, Summer 1958 and Winter 1958. If amybody has copie sof these and are willing to loan them to me then I would appreciate a PM!
Tommy Knox has been working on a complete listing of Gresley pacific workings and may have the info you are looking for.
Looking for his site brings up the message " The web site has been down for a period because it had been hacked into and we are trying to get it back to normal. If anyone has any query please contact me on Tommy@lner-pacifics.me.uk and I will try and help. The database which is kept on a stand alone machine has not been affected by the above"
My email to Tommy has hopefully made its way from Oman to Tommy.....
I can see myself going through shed-loads of photos to see if I can identify workings I am looking at; so any help gratefully received. I will be posting some specific questions again later today hopefully!
