Recent content by 2392

Legend has it with regards to the North London Tank. That on seeing it one of the contractors demolishing the line to East Grinstead remarked, "That engine belongs in a Museum!" To which his colleagues replied." It is!" Taking the term museum in it's widest possible meaning, insomuch as the...

You beat me to it Ashley! As I was going to mention Mr Valentine so ably played by Stanley Holloway..........

I've for many years had the feeling, that but for the War starting in 1939 and Gresley's passing in 1941, a lot of the P2's "issues" would have been ironed out, making for a better improved machine. If you read Dudley Popes "Battle of the River Plate" about the first major sea battle of the War...

True, Rescars. The thing I find a little ironic is that the water-tube boiler off 10,000 out lasted the rest of the engine by 5-6 years. As once the project was ended and she was rebuilt with a conventional boiler. The original boiler wasn't scrapped but sent to [Darlington] North Road Work...

From steam days, there was Gresley's "Hush Hush" an experimental 4-6-4 [some say 4-6-2-2] high pressure loco 10,000. It had a Yarrows' designed water-tube boiler in lieu of the standard fire tube boiler. It ran with limited success IIRC, but as with so many experimental machines suffered with...

Can but agree with Fling Phil's reply. As there are so many diverse landscapes up and down the land, each with it's own unique character. On the one hand you have likes of the NYMR with at one end the coast and Whitby and the quaint archetypal country market town of Pickering with it's castle...

The Tanfield Railway run many former 4-6 wheelers. That had bee turned into "garden sheds, chicken coops" and assorted other grounded bodies. Which in turn have been re-wheeled using PMV [in the main] underframes, being an "industrial" outfit many have been fitted out with "freelance", rather...

Don't worry, they'll be contracting it out to the local Kebab/fast food outfit......o_O 8-);)!

The older small boilered Great Northern Atlantic's [990 Henry Oakley] were known as Klondikes. As the first Henry Oakley was introduce during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898... The A4's were also known as "Blu'uns" on account of being painted Garter Blue for a time.

The section from Manors to Newcastle Quayside was Overhead wired.........

OK to add to this game of one upmanship. The North Tyneside loop between Newcastle upon Tyne and the Coast at Whitley Bay/Tynemouth was electrified in 1904.....

Going back to the days of an independent [as part of the Department of Transport] Railway Inspectorate and the the late Major Olver. As the Inspectorates "Preservation" Inspectorate remarked that, they had no objections in principal, to a persevered line running electric trains, provided that...

Tanfield Railway run with no MK1s. As they've resurrected quite a selection of former, four and six wheeler "chicken Coop" ground Victorian carriages. Granted most have a more "freelance" rather original interiors, as befits the sort of outfit they portray, i,e, and industrial/colliery style...

Longbenton is/was problematic specially when the local Catholic Comprehensive finished. There regularly both the Police and school staff at the station. Though once on the train it'd been a case of seconds out round two and the rioting would start again. What's more there'd be barely a word of...

Passengers. As they now have "Customers" these days instead at the station or on the train......o_O!