Water Orton Memories part 1 1994

[Phoenix]

Well I don’t know if I should really call this a story but more nostalgia.
Basically at the age of 6 which was about 1994 in the summer when my dad had the day off and there was no football on my dad would take me for a walk down the road to Water Orton station for a while (after going to the shop’s to get our must needed sweets).
So we would basically sit in the shelter waiting for the train’s to pass and I would watch them go by and just stand there in sheer excitement and my dad would try abit of armature spotting with his note book.
So to set the railway scene for 1994 as I remember it was basically Privatisation was just a rumour and train services were slow but a lot more pleasing to the eye the west coast was full of intercity electrics and the cross country services were either HSTs or class 47’s and the rest ill get to.
So for a few hours (usually 3) we would sit there and watch the trains fly by and my dad would tell me all sorts of things about the railways and would mention words like Crewe, Doncaster, Mallard, Deltics and generally things that still retained their glory.
So generally on your average day there would be the constant stream of 150’s racing to and from derby and then the 158’s to and from Nuneaton so that was the norm that you come to expect.
Then there were the expresses as you would call them which mainly produced HST’s but a few times in the day it would be class 47 Hauled which used to be the highlight.
All I could remember was the distant light set to green and then I would pop my head out so I could see what was going to come around the corner and say to my dad ‘is it the express’ which if replied with a yes would send me thinking like crazy about if it was the 47 (and btw I didn’t have a clue about classes back then I used to just remember loco’s by their shape alone) but anyway if it was the 47 I would see it poke around the corner and put on an amazing amount of power for a 6 year old to deal with and then I would move towards where the loco would actually be passing and wait.
Then it would appear once more and fly pass me with the sound of its engine pounding my ear and then the sharp noise of the Mk2’s flying along the rails.
At this point I was in my element and the smile on my face was larger than when I was given a truckload of sweets. And then it would all be over the express would make its way towards Birmingham and disappear around the corner...................................

Basically a taste of my childhood railway experiences there is a lot more to be told but if you wanna hear more than let me know

 

[andrewmay]

Very nostalgic. Reminds me of many an hour spent down at Marston Green where any train was a frightening and exiting experience to behold.

 

[Jord]

Very nice, although I used to do have the same experiences when I lived in Birmingham and when I was between say 6 - 12, then at late 13/14s I used to start going out myself bashing 87s 8).

We sometimes used to go to 'The Dog' for our dinner at Water Orton then after either go on the footbridge or sit on the wall to watch the trains go by and I was the same, didn't know what classes were back then a train was just a train to me.

Also when my dad used to take me to Marston Green for an hour or two and then we would get Intercity liveried HSTs/47s/86s but the HSTs being all Valenta, I used to always **** myself when a set would come screaming past with my fingers in my ears standing as far back from them as possible and now I love them

Ahh the memories...

 

[Phoenix]

Very nice, although I used to do have the same experiences when I lived in Birmingham and when I was between say 6 - 12, then at late 13/14s I used to start going out myself bashing 87s 8).

We sometimes used to go to 'The Dog' for our dinner at Water Orton then after either go on the footbridge or sit on the wall to watch the trains go by and I was the same, didn't know what classes were back then a train was just a train to me.

Also when my dad used to take me to Marston Green for an hour or two and then we would get Intercity liveried HSTs/47s/86s but the HSTs being all Valenta, I used to always **** myself when a set would come screaming past with my fingers in my ears standing as far back from them as possible and now I love them

Ahh the memories...

Funny you should mention the footbridge and marston green they will individually be the next installments just waiting for abit more interest but thanks for your stories allways great to hear a good old bit of nostalga.

 

[D306]

Also when my dad used to take me to Marston Green for an hour or two and then we would get Intercity liveried HSTs/47s/86s but the HSTs being all Valenta, I used to always **** myself when a set would come screaming past with my fingers in my ears standing as far back from them as possible and now I love them

Ahh the memories...

Similar to this. I always went upto Wolverton/Bletchley/MKC, to watch the trains when I was about 8-10 yrs old. I lost interest for 2 years, then I came back thanks to BVE. After that, I learned all the class numbers.

Same as you Jord, when the 87s, 86s and the 43s came through, fingers in ears as they scared the S*it out of me.


Memories

 

[Jordy]

Much the same here, except I was terrified of Grids storming through Barnetby

 

[metrocammel]

Much the same here, except I was terrified of Grids storming through Barnetby

That reminds me of our old dog, Holly. She always used to bark at trains, especially preserved rlwy kettles and such like. We then had a holiday in York, and she was barking at the XC Spoons and the units etc. Then she heard a Virgin 'XC' HST leaving. That completely shut her up, and she cowered as it roared out of the station!!! From then on, she never barked when she heard HSTs!!

 

[Gilo]

Well I don’t know if I should really call this a story but more nostalgia.
Basically at the age of 6 which was about 1994 in the summer when my dad had the day off and there was no football on my dad would take me for a walk down the road to Water Orton station for a while (after going to the shop’s to get our must needed sweets).
So we would basically sit in the shelter waiting for the train’s to pass and I would watch them go by and just stand there in sheer excitement and my dad would try abit of armature spotting with his note book.
So to set the railway scene for 1994 as I remember it was basically Privatisation was just a rumour and train services were slow but a lot more pleasing to the eye the west coast was full of intercity electrics and the cross country services were either HSTs or class 47’s and the rest ill get to.
So for a few hours (usually 3) we would sit there and watch the trains fly by and my dad would tell me all sorts of things about the railways and would mention words like Crewe, Doncaster, Mallard, Deltics and generally things that still retained their glory.
So generally on your average day there would be the constant stream of 150’s racing to and from derby and then the 158’s to and from Nuneaton so that was the norm that you come to expect.
Then there were the expresses as you would call them which mainly produced HST’s but a few times in the day it would be class 47 Hauled which used to be the highlight.
All I could remember was the distant light set to green and then I would pop my head out so I could see what was going to come around the corner and say to my dad ‘is it the express’ which if replied with a yes would send me thinking like crazy about if it was the 47 (and btw I didn’t have a clue about classes back then I used to just remember loco’s by their shape alone) but anyway if it was the 47 I would see it poke around the corner and put on an amazing amount of power for a 6 year old to deal with and then I would move towards where the loco would actually be passing and wait.
Then it would appear once more and fly pass me with the sound of its engine pounding my ear and then the sharp noise of the Mk2’s flying along the rails.
At this point I was in my element and the smile on my face was larger than when I was given a truckload of sweets. And then it would all be over the express would make its way towards Birmingham and disappear around the corner...................................

Basically a taste of my childhood railway experiences there is a lot more to be told but if you wanna hear more than let me know

Being from Water Orton your story and the one below yours reminded me of my youth spent watching all sorts of traction pass through Water Orton between the late 70's to late 80's, inbetween this time i starting going further a field and eventually following Class 50's as much as i could in the mid to late 80's.

I still visit Water Orton regularly as my family live there and i did for 30 years. I go to the Dog pub which only reminds be of the brilliant memories of the locos that used to work up and down, from and across the east of the country. Regulary saw 45's & 47's, always 31's on the Norwich's and Yarmouths in the summer. 25's, 37's, 56's and later on 58's on freight, coal etc.

It hurts to look back and remind myself what it was once like. Those that never had the railway bug certainly have missed out

Cant access your website - would have liked to have seen your photos, certainly wouldnt mind hearing more

 

[EE Type 3]

My memories of being a kid was my dad taking me out on the 37s between Crewe and Chester, and being sat on Crewe station watching electrics race through. And heading off to Cardiff behind the most unusual traction (33008 for example) and being sat on the station in amazement as 37s, 47s, and 56s would roar, scream and blast their way through towards there destination on all manner of expresses and freight.

Them were the days

 

[RonS]

Back in the early 1950s I used to sit on the wall by the Dog Inn at Water Orton. Back then there was a Signal Box by the footbridge called Water Orton Station Junction. About half mile towards Birmingham there was a very busy large sidings with many freight train departures. All thats left now is the Dog Inn and the wall, and the footbridge. I wish I had a time machine!!