I HATE TEENAGERS!!

[giner]

First steam? Probably a GWR Pannier followed by one of their bigger 4-6-0's. This would have come about by my first trip into England as a two-year-old. My later 'conversion' to LNER came about by living my childhood in two prime locations on the ECML: Oakleigh Park and Stevenage.

Never cared much about anything other than steam, so I've no idea what my first diesel, etc., might have been.

[StevieG]

" .... My later 'conversion' to LNER came about by living my childhood in two prime locations on the ECML: Oakleigh Park .... "

Presumably then giner, you'd have been familiar with the views from 'the skeleton bridge' for the footpath between Alverstone Avenue and Oakleigh Park South, and also with the one below ...

Edited 23:07 07/10/12 to correct 'footbridge' to 'footpath'.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

My first steam? Interesting.

I have a vague memory of being scared witless by one when I was a baby but, seeing as I was about 18mths old when steam finished, I cannot rely on that one.

1st proper steam memory was 45212 at the Worth Valley, circa 1969. Happy days! Oh, and I also saw in wallpaper. Yeuck!

[Bryan]

First steam - Whatever was working over the line from Liverpool Exchange to Preston as I lived alongside the line near Aintree racecourse Old Roan Station.
First preserved then mid 60s Ffestiniog.
Other than that the Liverpool - Ormskirk electrics The 1938-9 LMS build.

[giner]

" .... My later 'conversion' to LNER came about by living my childhood in two prime locations on the ECML: Oakleigh Park .... "

Presumably then giner, you'd have been familiar with the views from 'the skeleton bridge' for the footbridge between Alverstone Avenue and Oakleigh Park South, and also with the one below ...

Yes indeed, Steve, a very familiar view, and so nice to see it with semaphores and no knitting (I wonder what's about to come thundering into view on the down fast, there). Thanks very much for that. I don't know if you're old enough to remember, but in the goods yard on the up side there was, for a few years after the war, many army surplus items in wooden crates - all boxed up and nowhere to go, so to speak. Some of those crates contained Norton model 16H motorcycles and the army started selling them off, virtually for a song. My dad bought one and that was my initiation into riding bikes.

Re. the 'skeleton bridge', we used to walk through to there on a public footpath from Oakleigh Park South. A great location to be sure, as you'd hear the rumbling of an approaching down express from the tunnel before bursting out into the open. My first experience of that, my first on the ECML for that matter, was an express blue A1 (I've no idea which one), but what a gorgeous sight. I don't know what sort of fencing is on that bridge these days - I'm guessing it's that spike-topped rigid metal stuff that seems to be everywhere. Back then it was just a heavy wire mesh. Also at that time, you could walk along the embankment and sit on the tunnel parapet wall. Great days!

While I have your ear, would you have any photos of Langley troughs? That'd be great. Thanks.

[StevieG]

giner,
Regrettables, but I only started occasionally pointing a camera at 'the GN' in about 1967, so no A1s etc., and no Langley troughs either.

Not sure what was in OP up yard then, about 1968 ; I should think all the tunnel segments for the Victoria Line had gone by then.

[kudu]

First steam could have been almost anything. Something LMS, probably. But could have been Southern or LNER if it was on the North London.

I can remember being taken to Willesden roundhouse, where there was an exhibition of the latest motive power - various new Standards alongside 26000 (I think) and one or two of the local main line diesels. I had a brochure at one time, but sadly it's disappeared.

I can also remember being taken to Kings Cross to see a special train depart, though it meant nothing at the time. That was a pair of Ivatt Atlantics, that's all.

Kudu

[Percy Main]

Does anyone else here remember the first time they've seen a steam locomotive?
I pretty sure no two experiences are the same, and it would be pretty interesting to hear how others have gotten into the hobby.

I remember lying in bed as a very small child and hearing steam engines and ships' fog horns.

But, unusually I think, the origins of my enthusiasm come from my mother who had worked in the office of Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn locomotive builders during the war. In the very early 50s I can remember being taken to Forth Works in Newcastle and seeing small engines being built for export to the Empire.

[strang steel]

The first steam engine that I remember seeing was on the M&GN leaving Bourne station. It must have been about 1957 and would have been in December because it was late afternoon and was pretty much dark. I must have persuaded my mother to wait to see what was about to cross the level crossing, probably an Ivatt 4MT flying pig, although I dont remember details.

However, I would have seen many more before that as my parents took me to Bournemouth for a week in 1956. A chance to re-live that journey in those days would be preferred to a lottery win as far as I am concerned. We also had a trip to Scarborough from Bourne via Spalding, Doncaster and York in 1957 of which I remember little, and nothing of the locomotives.

I guess that I could probably have added quite a lot more steam locos to my ABC had someone noted down numbers of what I had seen before my true spotting years commenced.

[Iron Duke]

Earliest steam locomotive...........

I remember standing on the road bridge south of Peascliffe Tunnel at the time when the Deltics were first introduced. (circa 1962 - 1965??) Pullman coaches and all that.......

Along the main line came a (named) light engine, either H.A. Ivatt or W.P.Allen or something similar with initial letters in the nameplate. The engine had front end damage.

Not even sure of the direction of travel, but can anyone tie this in with a recorded movement of either locomotive at the approx dates above? I would love to confirm what it was.

[PGBerrie]

My first steam? Probably something LMS or a WD in Horbury Cutting next to Slazenger's Cricket ground, where my father used to play in summer. We boys would drink pop, help with the scoreboard, then run down to the fence as soon as we heard anything coming - which was pretty often in those days. Once the bug hit we would route our Sunday walks past the railway (we had no television until 1964) and in summer be in time for the "ten past eighter": Mars, Glorious, Dauntless and 45517, the unnamed Patriot, were the regulars on the run.

Why the switch to the LNER? Well after I had finally saved up the 2/6 to buy an Ian Allen for the Eastern and North Eastern Region - after all, we lived in the North East - I was horrified to find it had no 4ers, just 6ers! When I asked around, I was told the place to go was Wakefield Westgate. Wow, real engines! I think my first spot was Papyrus pulling the down Queen of Scots. After that, no looking back.

Peter

[Mickey]

The topic heading is a joke?.

Probably the very first recollection of seeing a steam loco was possibly around 1959/60 that loco being a black tank loco (i presume?) shunting in Highbury Vale sidings at Finsbury Park?.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up, Micky!

Yet another example of "Topic Drift." If Continental Drift was as fast, Pangea would have been remade then broken up again about 20 times since this one started!

If you want to see horrors, you wanna see what we're getting through the doors. Apparently, "Special Needs" these days means "Too Idle To Wipe Their Own A###s!" Ye Gods, am I glad I don't have to face the little buggers this year.

Anyone want any fence panels? Or Bird Boxes? Computer, anyone?

[Bryan]

But what became of Gondwanaland?

[giner]

Probably scrapped like Bechuanaland and other Jubes.