I grew up next to the West Coast Main Line in Coventry in the 60's so it was pretty boring. Mainly class 8x's of all types and coaches plus the units. Only saw a steam engine once at Coventry station and it frightened the life out of me.
Saw a rebuilt and unrebuilt Bulleid hauling Pullmans past Meyrick Park whilst on holiday in about 1965 and Blue Pullmans on the Western whilst on holiday in Reading. Favourite locos being Hymeks, Westerns and Warships at the time.
Not a fan of blue - diesels should be green or maroon :thumblef:
I grew up in Sale, south Manchester. Mostly saw ex-MSJ&R emus, and DMUs, and nondescript tank engines doing yard shunting. But during the electrification of Manchester - Crewe, we got diversions, and I well remember rushing down to the railway after school to watch the diverted 'Pines Express' come through - usually behind a Brittania.
And on bike rides, only a few miles south at Timperley were the freight lines of the ex-CLC and LNWR to Warringtom. Lots of Stanier 8Fs and BR 9Fs!
One of my earliest memories is being lifted onto the footplate of a Jubilee at Manchester Exchange. I remember the gleaming copper and the hot fire, and the driver saying "tonight when you're in bed we'll be racing along somewhere up in Scotland. It'll be too hot for us in the cab, and freezing cold if you stick your head out of the cab".
I had recently learned to read (I was about 5), and thought the engines name was 'Tobacco', which seemed very strange to me. It was, of course, Tobago!
CS
