Family Cabride

[locojoe]

Family Cabride
When we worked the last train of the day from Enfield to Liverpool Street we would run back to Enfield light engine. One night when the last train 12.15 AM had left for Enfield a couple with two small boys just missed it.
The next train to Enfield was about 5AM. My driver Chris Chapman went over and asked where they were going. The man told Chris they were going to Enfield Town, Chris asked if they would like a ride on the engine and he said yes. so they climbed aboard husband wife and two kids plus suitcases. When we got to Enfield they were so pleased they tried to give Chris some money but he would not take it.

[60800]

You'd never get that happening these days. Do you remember what the loco was?

[locojoe]

You'd never get that happening these days. Do you remember what the loco was?

The loco in question was an N7 which for a small loco had a fair sized cab.[/size][/color]
N7 photo below.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[locojoe]

Hi JJ
I see your "Avatar" is "Green Arrow"
"Green Arrow" was a topshed loco and I fired on her occasionally.
is "Green Arrow" your favorite loco.

[locojoe]

That story kind of reminds me of a story that i heard 40 years ago about an incident happening from the 1950s of a regular light engine (i believe it was a steam loco?) that use to run from Kings Cross to somewhere like Hornsey or Hatfield but always use to have on the foofplate 3 or 4 sets of loco crews and guards so you can imagine that the footplate was a pretty crowded place!!.

Anyway one particular morning this light engine left Kings Cross with a footplate full of railwaymen as usual but on passing Holloway south down box it came off the road!!. Apparently it was noted by an observer that about 9 or 10 railwaymen were seen climbing down very quickly from the footplate and running away from this light engine in all directions!!. It was further noted by the observer that they had never seen a bunch of railwaymen move so fast!!.

Hi Micky good story of yours about the 1950s regular light engine.[/size][/color]
In my days plenty of unauthorised people did travel in the cabs of steam locos. At that time rules about unauthorised cab riders was fairly relaxed.
I've seen footplatemen with wives, kids, pushbikes and all sorts travelling in steam loco cabs.

[kudu]

I had a cabride with I reckoned 14 other people plus a large package, possibly a domestic washing machine. Mostly rail staff, plus 3 enthusiasts. It wasn't an N7, though. Time: November 2003. Train: JF class 2-8-2 hauling loaded coal wagons. Place: Washiwa Colliery to Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province, Central China. (The only place JFs were known to be still working.)

They have big cabs in China.

Kudu

[Boris]

Loco crews used to hitch rides from Darnall Loco' down to Sheffield Vic on regular occasions.

On one journey with several on board, travelling tender first the driver missed a red signal at Woodbrun Junction and ran into the back of the Bournmouth Leeds which was standing on the main line waiting to get into Sheffield Vic.

Talk about the cab emptying.

There were several injuries to passengers, mostly restraunt staff with scalds.

The rear coach,that day it was Southern stock, was badly bent and finished up as a shunters cabin at Rotherham Road sidings.

I have no idea what happened to the driver and his mate regarding discipline

It would be between 1947 and 50 ish or could have been later

[60800]

Hi JJ
I see your "Avatar" is "Green Arrow"
"Green Arrow" was a topshed loco and I fired on her occasionally.
is "Green Arrow" your favorite loco.

Yes she is. I'd love to hear your accounts of firing her

It's only recently that I've managed to get into her cab at York, after more than a decade;

Oh how I'd love to still be a little kid at Scarborough on that cold morning in 2001, sat in 60800's driver's seat, toasting away by the fire with my little bit of souvenir coal resting in my soot covered hands.........

[hq1hitchin]

Family Cabride
When we worked the last train of the day from Enfield to Liverpool Street we would run back to Enfield light engine. One night when the last train 12.15 AM had left for Enfield a couple with two small boys just missed it.
The next train to Enfield was about 5AM. My driver Chris Chapman went over and asked where they were going. The man told Chris they were going to Enfield Town, Chris asked if they would like a ride on the engine and he said yes. so they climbed aboard husband wife and two kids plus suitcases. When we got to Enfield they were so pleased they tried to give Chris some money but he would not take it.

As the most senior Regional Operations Manager on BR (himself having started on BR(E) as a clerk at Cambridge) once said, after listening to a witness at a formal investigation, "It's people like you who make me proud to be a railwayman".

Don't try it today, though

[60800]

I've been incredibly lucky with what I've managed in this decade. I've been in about 40 cabs overall and have had rides in L&Y 1300, 60007, 60009, 4464, 61994 and 70000

[locojoe]

Hi JJ

I see your "Avatar" is "Green Arrow"
"Green Arrow" was a topshed loco and I fired on her occasionally.
is "Green Arrow" your favorite loco.

Yes she is. I'd love to hear your accounts of firing her

It's only recently that I've managed to get into her cab at York, after more than a decade;

The attachment 4771 fb.jpg is no longer available

Oh how I'd love to still be a little kid at Scarborough on that cold morning in 2001, sat in 60800's driver's seat, toasting away by the fire with my little bit of souvenir coal resting in my soot covered hands.........

Hi JJ nice photo of a young man on "Green Arrow"
I liked working on V2s and as I've said "Green Arrow" was a KX engine, as I remember "Green Arrow" was usually turned out in fairly clean condition. Other V2s we used on New England fitted goods were not that clean. I did quite a lot of New England runs and it was usually a 9F or a V2. 9Fs were good locos but I thought firing one was hot work, I prefered the good old V2s as did my driver Arthur Kistruck.
Photo Arthur Kistruck.]

[60800]

In the prototype Dellie too! I presume that's you in the doorway?

[locojoe]

In the prototype Dellie too! I presume that's you in the doorway?

Yes JJ Thats me in the doorway, I worked on Prototype Deltic many times. We shared the Doncaster runs on Deltic with the No1 Newcastle lodge link. Men in our No3 link called them lodging Basta-ds [

[giner]

Green Arrow was my first cab ride as a five-year-old in 1948 when my uncle, Jim Ellis, a top shed fireman brought my Dad and I for a look round the sheds one Sunday morning. All I remember is a big green, shiny engine. I guess I'd have more appreciation these days.