Railways

As well as gardening, but for a lot longer in my life, my main hobby has always been railways and since a young age as most boys/men have been in any hobby. It all started when living where I was born at Laindon in Essex and in the glorious days of Steam haulage. Every so often, our parents would treat us to a day-trip to London, but normally changing to the Underground at Barking. One day and just for a change, we went through to Fenchurch Street, where in those days, the platforms were wooden and with no H&S around to create.

Upon us getting off the train, Dad asked the driver if my brother and I could step on the footplate and he kindly allowed us to. While my brother showed very little interest and if any, I decided there and then I wanted to be a Train Driver when I eventually left school. After this event, all I ever asked for whether birthday, or christmas, was a train-set and have to admit, I plagued the life out of our parents for one at every opportunity I had. Oh I got them, but only the cheaper clockwork sets that always went round in a circle and stopped every few laps, so as to wind them up again.

One Saturday, Mum had taken our sister shopping in Romford, when Dad suddenly said to my brother and I that he had to pop out for a while. Living where we did and even at our then ages, we were scared because it was literally pitch black apart from the odd street-lamp. When Dad came back nearly an hour or so and so it then seemed later, he had a couple of parcels under his arm that he passed to us boys. My face lit up like a searchlight, never mind a household bulb. We had our first Electric train-set to play with and so couldn't wait to put it together and get the train going round. About two years later we moved half-a-mile down the road and so we had a loft with easier access to, Dad got us a board to put it on and built a layout on it with a town, etc.. I spent most of the time operating it, or as many would say, playing trains.

We had lived there two years when I left school and steam was in decline ready for the electric trains, which back then I didn't like, so instead of becoming the train-driver i wanted to, I went to work in the same factory as Dad, but another department. I retained my Love of railways and eventually in August 1964, we moved to a village near Thetford, Norfolk, where again the layout went into the loft. Sadly, we were 12 miles from Thetford and with poor public transport compared to Laindon, because I was offered a job as a Porter actually on Thetford Station. Diesels were the motive power here by then, but due to no transport, I couldn't do the job and so lost out. At the time I was learning to ride a motorbike, but Dad's one, so again ended up in a Factory and again with Dad.

Rather than give my life history in this thread, I will go forward to the early 1970's when by this time, I was living in Kings Lynn and our television had broke down so had to call an engineer out. On our living-room wall, I had two framed railway prints displayed and when the tv engineer saw them, his face lit up. It turned out that there was a Model Railway Club actually in Kings Lynn and he invited to join it. I joined the following week and remained a member until the day of closure in 1987. Members were gutted at the closure, but some kept in touch with each other.

In 1989 while working in a factory at Kings Lynn, I used to visit the station at every given opportunity and one day, a member of staff asked if I had applied for one of the Guard jobs advertised? I hadn't, but very soon did. Unfortunately, I was one day too late, but six months later got the phone call I Never expected and offering me an interview and medical to work on what was then known as British Rail. Less than 2 weeks later, I was on my Training Course and to become a Guard. On 12th march 1990, I got to work not only my first train, but the first of the day as a Guard and was in my elements. I had to sadly take early retirement in January 2002, and to say I was gutted, is putting it mildly.

During the 1990's, I moved to Wisbech - invisible a in it so pronounced whizbeach - and in about 2003, I became pals with a guy who owned a Model Shop, but by doing minibus driving for the same employer as such. In the October of 2003, he formed a group to reopen the now disused railway line between Wisbech and March, at one time where the largest Marshalling Yard in the UK was situated. Even though I supported his project, I never joined it until early 2005 for the simple reason, had I joined and been elected on to the committee, some would have classed it as fixed to happen. At the inaugral meeting of the group in October 2003, they adopted and then became known as the Wisbech & March Bramley Line, or The Bramley Line for short.

After the first meeting of the Bramley Line that I attended, I enquired about the
whereabouts of the Wisbech Model Railway Club, yet got strangely told it had closed years previously due to 'Lack of interest' if you can believe such a thing. Within 3 weeks, the Wisbech Model Railway Club was formed and we have both since gone from strength to strength, with another two Ex-Members of the Kings Lynn Club joining the Wisbech Model Railway Club.

More about these later, but in the meantime, Happy New Year for 2009 and above all, watch this space for yet more news of both groups.

 

As I wrote above, almost 4 years ago, I had the pleasure of starting the Wisbech Model Railway Club up. Last year, we had finally got the layout up to Exhibition standard and had the honour to attend 3 Exhibitions and an Open Day.

Now we have the Christmas over, the members are already back and working hard to build a 6ft extention into it and before June when we have the first of four more Exhibitions this year. Two of them, we have been asked to organise in two different places. One will actually be in Wisbech itself in aid of both 'The Club' as the members call it, and the Bramley Line, followed by another in the Village Hall where I live and to help raise funds for them and 'The Club' again. We did one locally last year and raised a nice amount for the Village Hall.

I do hope it is okay to add a link here for both the Bramley Line and 'The Club' so you can drop in and see what we are about? For the Bramley Line, go to either www.bramleyline.org.uk or www.freewebs.com/bramleylinesupporters while 'The Club' can be found on www.wmrc.weebly.com

 

I found this book yesterday,printed in 1926.
Very interesting...I learned how Express Steam Engines topped up with water without stopping:wink:
It certainly looks well used!

 

Not bragging, but the loco on the cover of this well viewed book is what is called a Schools Class and 850 Lord Nelson that it currently in Preservation. They mainly topped up with water through what they had as Water troughs along main lines and the fireman had to be good to prevent losing what they scooped when passing them.

Thank you for showing the book Paladin.

 

Mikkel,
read your thread with interest.

I was born and brought up in Kenya, lived in Kisumu, Nairobi and mombasa....so you know what I'm going to say next.
The EAR&H East African Railwasy and Harbours.

I have spent many many happy hours in Mombasa Railway station and done many journeys on the train from Mombasa to Nairobi and back again.
Going to Nairobi, you had two steam engines to pull you up there with some spectecular view of the Rift Valle and coming back you had two steam engines at the back of the train just to hold the train back.
The train alwasy stopped at Voi and it also always always paid respect(blew the whistle and slowed down) to a tomb of one of the many workers that died building this railway.

As a child I loved the smell of steam and coal and even now that smell takes me back to my childhood days. I go to steam fairs in this country just so I can sniff the steam engines because they do so smell like the steam railway engines I grew up with.:luv:

I know it sounds loopy but I have a great attachement to steam trains ....even thinking aobut it, I ca almost smell that smell again and I also remember the smell of the leather seats on the train, they converted to beds for the night.

Ahhhhh..........:thumb:

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that Loves the smell of the steam and/or smoke. Back in December, I stood on the bridge overlooking Whitemoor Marshalling Yard, March, Cambridgeshire and one time the largest in the country, when a Steam loco passed underneath. I stood directly over it and inhaled the Beautiful smell it produced. Oh what Fab memories flooded back?

 

http://www.gwsr.com/
Three minutes by car away from here and the Garden Center is right next door:gnthb:

The line is now opened fron Cheltenham Race course almost to Broadway,where a new Station is to be built...a five minute walk away

 

www.bramleyline.org.uk and www.freewebs.com/bramleylinesupporters just 14 miles down the road for me, plus I am currently the Chairman of, plus I have www.wmrc.weebly.com for the Model Railway Club I started almost 4 years ago and current Chairman of.


It has been my intention to visit every Preserved/Heritage Line in the UK before I attain the age of 65 and I have done about a dozen so far. I have just under 3 years to do the rest.

 

So Mikkel...when will I have the pleasure of your company down here..or have you done Toddington?

 

Toddington is one of those to visit and seeing as I also get some FREE travel on main line, who knows when I will get there? Seriously, I get 16 FREE journeys per year and to go anywhere on the railway network.
:gnthb:

 

As many of you are aware, I am Chairman of the Wisbech & March Bramley Line and from where the idea of Wisbech Model Railway Club was started. The first photo below was I will admit, taken in 2008. The site was identical to this on Easter Sunday morning when the Track Clearing Team arrived at 09.30 in order to clean the site up a bit.

Now look at the same site, just before they left at 14.00.

Not bad eh, for 4 of us?

 

:wink: Not bad at all!... and a lick of paint on the signal post will round off the job nicely:D

 

Yes it would Paladin, so I'll have to do an Sir Alan Sugar and tell the painter 'You're fired.' There are some more photo's of this taking place to be found on the Blog Page of the main website www.bramleyline.org.uk

At present, I don't get down on the track every week and due to my Partner undergoing Chemo and an operation next month for yes, Cancer. I have even given up going out on train trips until she has finished treatment and well enough to be left alone.

 

Hello!! :D

It's really nice to read about peoples experiences.

I grew up when there were only diesel trains around. I didn't actually realise that my late grandfather used work on steam trains. I was quite young when he passed. Also my uncle used to work as a track worker many years ago. My other grandfather used to signal trains during the war.

I must admit, that I have never showed any interest in trains. Maybe it's because I'm a girl & it's abit of a boy thing.......who knows!!

But the strange thing is is that I now work on the railway. Im a signaller in a old victorian signal box with levers & block bells!! I really enjoy my job & I will admit that that best times during my work is when I can signal a steam train. It's so wonderful to see the steam train coming along the track & it brings my signal box back to the correct era!! It makes my job worth while & I can also understand the joy that the old steam trains bring!!

 

Hi BB,lucky you to be able to enjoy the trains as your place of work.I was brought up also in the age of steam and would spend hours with my younger brothers and our Ian Allen Locospotters books and we would always wave to the Guard as the trains went past.I swear the Railway Children film was based on us.:DEven Mr Kandy was an Anorak going with his mates to the various yards and sheds and underlining the various trains around at the time:D

It was a sad time when the old lines were ripped up and the tracks made into cycle routes although we have walked many of them,one of which we did part of the other week and I got some photos of various artifacts that are still to be found at the side of the paths.

Whenever we go on holiday where steam trains are to be found we always try to make a point in travelling on them because Steam trains for me are my favourite form of transport,although we have fallen out a bit with the Minehead crowd because the last time we travelled on them the windows were so dirty we couldn't enjoy the views or get any decent photos.:( I know they are all run by volunteers but they could at least wash the glass once in a while