Hi everyone, this is my first post and i'm hoping to have some answers to questions! I've no idea whether i've posted this in the right area so please forgive me if i haven't.
From memory there was a signal box at Derby station until the 1980's when it was demolished. Does anyone know when it was demolished and how it had survived in the first place? I was also wondering about the signal box that used to be at Spondon too.
As a spotter in the 1980's (interest wained with the discovery of girls and university) i can remember class 20's being parked on the curve opposite the PSB at Derby on weekends. Does anyone know what trains they were have likely to have worked and why they didn't return to Toton and other local depots.
Up until the Etches Park extension (ie the new maintenance shed) the area was covered with sidings which held some rather old looking coaches. Does anyone know whether the vehicles were cut up on site or moved to another location?
Thanks,
Richmond Commuter!
Welcome to the forum!
I can only accurately answer the Class 20 questions i'm afraid. I was a Drivers Assistant at Derby from 87 to 89.
Derby was still very much a mixed traffic depot at that time and Class 20's were a common sight being used on the Denby opencast to Willington Power Station MGR trains. Normally these ran twice a day, although when demand was up sometimes a third train ran. These trains were manned by Derby crews until, i believe about 1988-89 when Toton crews took over. You could recognise a Denby service by the fact that the rake of 42 HAA's had a brakevan on the end where the Guard travelled. Although the trains were fully fitted the Guard would travel in the brakevan as it was his responsibility to close the gates of the 5 or 6 (cant remember exactly if it was one or two crossings at Denby pit itself) manual level crossings on the route. It was the Drivers Assistants job to open them, the train then proceeding over the crossing until clear so the Guard could do his stuff.
Another regular job for the 20's were the Chaddesden sidings ballast trains. There was a morning turn when a single 20 would shunt the sidings. In addition there were two daily turns (am and pm)for a pair of 20's which would go to, say Mountsorrel, Cliffe Hill or wherever to load up with ballast, which would then return to Chadd sdg's, the wagons to be used on the weekend engineering trains.
20's would also, on occasion, turn up on the as required Wirksworth quarry trains, although a 47 was more usual.
Other classes you may remember were 31's and 45's. We had one turn, "9 trip" it was known as, which was an 08 shuttling up and down between Etches Park and St Mary's yard with whatever few wagons were needed. Normally fuel for the loco fuelling point. There was also another trip working which would have whatever was available, 20's, 47, 31, even on occasion a 37, which would just work from St Mary's to wherever it was needed with whatever was needed. Liquid Chlorine tanks to Courtaulds at Spondon (VERY nasty stuff, only one down from the infamous HCN when it comes to dangerous goods on rail) and also serving Eggington MOD sidings where you had a very different kind of "tank train"!
There were also the research trains from the RTC. Normally hauled by the departmental 31, although i distinctly remember one i worked which had the old Class 24, 97201 "Experiment" on the front. That was on a pantograph test train on the Old Dalby line, and the lads at the RTC had kitted one of the coaches out with a remote driving position so the 24 could work it push pull style so i suppose that technically i've had it for haulage. Another memorable week at Old Dalby was the first trip out of 90001. The RTC lads fitted a camera in the driving cab of the 90 and ran a cable all the way back to a TV monitor on the propelling loco and we were given dispensation to propel at 90mph, a highly unnerving feeling! Original plan was to use a 47 until it was realised on the first day, that there was nowhere to put the big TV monitor, and so a 45 was pressed into service, the monitor being placed on the stoves flip down lid. The rest of the week it was a 47 as someone had found a smaller TV.
Aaaaaaah, memories!
Hope this helps!
