Returning to Grantham

[workev]

Try this

http://www.gnrs.150m.com/

You need to go to the Contacts page and hit the link requesting an application form.

If all else fails, email Allan Sibley direct (its the Editor's link).

Ian

[61070]

Whilst at Warley I joined two Societies, the Gresley Society and the Great Northern Railway Society. The GNRS is smaller, but what a fantastic decision on my part to join. A 7-part article has been written about Grantham, the station and shed. A wealth of information and inspiration in one. The Society promotes research and encourages members to declare their interests so that information can be shared. Best £18 I ever spent!

The Gresley Society is bigger, and owns N2 1744 as well as some important coaches. Again, a wealth of information and the archivist is Tommy Knox, so a plethoror of data exists on those Pacifics we all love (and V2s)!

I encourage all readers of this forum to consider joining either society; and don't be put off by the GNRS website (it's very basic), download the form and join!

Ian

P.S. I am not on commission!

I'm sure I'd heard about the articles on Grantham (did someone mention it in this thread?), and I went to the GNRS website but did get put off. I'll join as you suggest. Presumably information about what they've produced and are currently engaged with comes with what's sent out to new members. Thanks for the tip.

[40A]

I have just bought a copy of a colour slide showing 8F 48269 with an up goods at Gamston in April-60. It made me ponder once more the chances of an 8F in Grantham. I assume that this working was to Colwick via Newark, although if this was the case why route it down the ECML in the early afternoon?

Does anybody now the working (I don't have a WTT from that time) and by chance now the shed of the loco?

Thanks, Ian

I don't have the 1960 WTT, but I do have the 1961 and there are only a few goods trains booked to take the Bottesford North Junc route, and most would be running at rather inconvenient hours for photography in April.

The loco database indicates that 48269 was a Northampton engine, which is interesting. This is a bit of a wild stab in the dark, but there was a 3pm Doncaster Mineral to Welham class J which rain daily, except Sundays. It could be that for some reason it had been diverted away from the GN&LNW Joint and was running through to Peterborough East, where it could reverse?

I know that it is a long shot, but stranger things have happened.

PS, I did see a very occasional 8F between Sleaford and Boston on High Dyke iron ore trains, so they were not complete strangers to the area, although in this latter case they would not have visited Grantham.

That train to Welham passed Gamston at 1605, and is only shown on the main line as far as Newark. I would have thought therefore that it would then go via Bottesford and Melton Mowbray North onto the GN/LNWR joint?

[strang steel]

I have just bought a copy of a colour slide showing 8F 48269 with an up goods at Gamston in April-60. It made me ponder once more the chances of an 8F in Grantham. I assume that this working was to Colwick via Newark, although if this was the case why route it down the ECML in the early afternoon?

Does anybody now the working (I don't have a WTT from that time) and by chance now the shed of the loco?

Thanks, Ian

I don't have the 1960 WTT, but I do have the 1961 and there are only a few goods trains booked to take the Bottesford North Junc route, and most would be running at rather inconvenient hours for photography in April.

The loco database indicates that 48269 was a Northampton engine, which is interesting. This is a bit of a wild stab in the dark, but there was a 3pm Doncaster Mineral to Welham class J which rain daily, except Sundays. It could be that for some reason it had been diverted away from the GN&LNW Joint and was running through to Peterborough East, where it could reverse?

I know that it is a long shot, but stranger things have happened.

PS, I did see a very occasional 8F between Sleaford and Boston on High Dyke iron ore trains, so they were not complete strangers to the area, although in this latter case they would not have visited Grantham.

That train to Welham passed Gamston at 1605, and is only shown on the main line as far as Newark. I would have thought therefore that it would then go via Bottesford and Melton Mowbray North onto the GN/LNWR joint?

Yes, that is correct.

Which is why I mentioned that the idea "that for some reason it had been diverted away from the GN&LNW Joint" was a wild stab in the dark and that stranger things have happened.

[workev]

After a foray into Iron Dukes's separate thread, thought I would raise another question here. Does any one possess any photos of parcels activities at Grantham? Most of this was done at night or in the early morning, but I have not seen many photos showing the processing of mail trains, as opposed to mail on normal passenger workings.

I know, as is mentioned in other posts, vans were often attached to DMUs to Lincoln and beyond, but does anybody know when the dedicated parcels to Boston that came off the early morning parcels from KX stopped running?

Ian

[strang steel]

Interestingly, my March 1967 to May 1968 WTT has an 0645 parcels from Grantham arr Boston at 0751 running MX, but has a squiggly blue biro line down through the column, as if the working was discontinued during the period of that timetable, but that is the best I can do.

Although maybe in earlier years, this train ran to different timings.

[silverfox]

Just adding a bit re the GNRS.
The Sociey, isnt stuck in a time warp that ends in 1923. There are lots of then and now articlesand some wonderful reprints of accounts of ccidents, notably recently the Abbots Ripton and a Boiler explosion at New England. Bits on modelling etc. Really look forward to each issue. Likewise the Gresley Soc. Superb mag with lots of reminisences. Also the GERS does a good mag as well. All worthily recommended

[Iron Duke]

End of Days

[Andy W]

The dedicated early morning parcels to Boston had ceased by the time the East Lincs line closed but re-appeared straight afterwards as an 0650 DMU parcels off Grantham which, on arrival at Boston worked the 0750 to Skeg. The only booked parcels working in Boston by this stage was the 1605 arrival from Peterborough and the 1700 departure back.

The two parcels workings that were around at Boston in mid 1970 I do remember well. From my 1970 Section D WTT, one arrived at 1520 from P'Boro and departed back at 1555 and another came in from Spalding at 1635 and went back at 1820. I used to hang around to see them both arrive and observe the variety of shunts that took place to position the vans and then load up. I cabbed quite a few Brush 2's as a result!

The thing about van workings is that they can be very variable to meet the traffic. Control order specials would be run if there was too much traffic to move on booked services and the special trains were too late to be booked in the STN. If you knew a loco and crew could be made available at a certain time then you could do the move. Most Divisions had "favoured" times that they could path short notice special moves along certain lines. I am pretty sure some of the steam hauled van workings I saw in the mid 1960's heading for Boston were some of those because they appeared only at odd times of the year and, looking back through the relevant WTTs, were not Q paths.

[ROY@34F]

End of Days

They're amazing and rare photos of the rear of the coaling plant,Iron Duke.I knew the wagons were tipped into a hopper,which somehow fed into a skip, which was then hoisted up and tipped into the main hopper at the top.This clarifies it a bit more,but exactly how the small skip was loaded without presumably too much spillage ,I'm not sure.But an unusual and interesting viewpoint all the same.
Regards,Roy.

[61070]

I'll gladly second that. The old tender under the water treatment plant's sludge discharge pipe is another rarely (if ever) featured part of the shed 'infrastructure'. Sad to see the track of 'the angle' being lifted in the second shot.

[61070]

Just adding a bit re the GNRS.
The Sociey, isnt stuck in a time warp that ends in 1923. There are lots of then and now articlesand some wonderful reprints of accounts of ccidents, notably recently the Abbots Ripton and a Boiler explosion at New England. Bits on modelling etc. Really look forward to each issue. Likewise the Gresley Soc. Superb mag with lots of reminisences. Also the GERS does a good mag as well. All worthily recommended

I sent off my application form and subscription to the GNR Society last week - I'm looking forward to hearing from them soon.

[Iron Duke]

Ref the Coaling Plant:- The attached may promote further discussion on the workings / procedure?

[ROY@34F]

Very interesting Iron Duke.Looks like the wagon tipped it's load into the hopper and there must have been some sort of flap in the base to allow a controlled amount of coal,maybe down a sloping chute into the skip.The coaling plant operator,a gent called Ron Kent in my day,had a concrete hut, presumably where he controlled the operation,but how ,I don't know exactly.I suppose the wagon tip was done by electric motor winding cables,but the"flap" at the base of the hopper?.Anybody any ideas?
I've searched T'internet on coaling plants,but there seems such a variety,and I have'nt seen any like the Grantham one.
Regards,Roy.

[Iron Duke]

Hello Roy,
Thanks for your input ref the hut, is this it on the left with the steps?