Trains- Trivia and Tunes and Tales

[Mjwomack]

Fun Facts, Great Toons and Happy Memories, All Aboard!

[Mjwomack]

A poignant one....

 

Between recording the song and filming the promo, Roy Orbison died- in the parts which are his lines, there's an empty rocking chair- a lot of my old work colleagues are no longer with us anymore.

 

[Mjwomack]

And to brighten things up

 

It's just like being at Tulse Hill!

 

 

[psdavidson]

We need this one in here

 

 

 

[Paul821]

My contribution is to offer:

 

 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

When I was a young child, my grandad used to visit once a month.  He would take me out to have my hair cut at Mr Peet's.  After that we would walk down to the railway and watch the trains for a bit.  This was the Liverpool to Wigan line.  We would then walk a mile or so along the lineside footpath to the village junction station and sit for a while watching more trains.  This was the early 60s so the trains were quite frequent.  One day a 9F drifted into the station running light engine.   The engine came to a stop and the driver leaned out of the cab and yelled "Oi!  Tommy!!!" to my grandad.   It turned out that they had served together in the RAF during the war but hadn't seen each other in years.  

 

The driver's name was Nobby and he and my grandad had a bit of a catch-up which was rudely interrupted by the station master who didn't take kindly to "a bloody great engine cluttering up my station".  So Nobby invited us on to the footplate and off we set for Wigan.  All totally illegal even then, but then it was the 60s.    

 

For a five year old, this was an almost overwhelming experience.  It was noisy, incredibly hot and very dirty.  The firebox belched flames like a metal dragon.  But my overall impression was that the thing was huge!!!

 

We got off when the engine arrived at Wigan and got on a bus to go back home.  So as far as I was concerned that was a good day.  I had ridden on the footplate of a steam engine, had a ride on a bus and got to spend time with my grandad.  We were both filthy though.  When we got home my mother was not pleased!  

 

As I grew older I came to believe that the apparent size of the engine was due to the fact that I was just a small boy and everything seems big to a child.  Then, I visited the National Railway Museum in York, where the final 9F is preserved.  And you know what?  That thing is huge!!!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

 

The video was filmed on the Nene Valley Railway.  The engine is a GWR 2884 class 2-8-0, no 3822.  The red highlights on the livery (specially applied for this video) make it look almost German. 

[Mr T]

One of my favourite folk rock groups, from a 1971 BBC concert. Jacqui McShee voice is still wonderful, even though she is not the lead vocalist on this song

[Mr T]

1 hour ago, Enzo the Magnificent said:

 

 

As I grew older I came to believe that the apparent size of the engine was due to the fact that I was just a small boy and everything seems big to a child.  Then, I visited the National Railway Museum in York, where the final 9F is preserved.  And you know what?  That thing is huge!!!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my childhood memories is watching 9Fs (my older trainspotter brother told me what they were) going over Colwick crossing with either coal or oil tank trains. You think a 9F is big, having been to the Citie du Train at Mulhouse and the Deutsche Technikmuseum, they have seriously large locos. 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

1 minute ago, Mr T said:

You think a 9F is big, having been to the Citie du Train at Mulhouse and the Deutsche Technikmuseum, they have seriously large locos. 

 

nodnodnod   The NRM has a Chinese 4-8-4 which is just monstrous!   It was actually built in Britain by the Vulcan Foundry.  Goodness knows how they got it to the NRM as it far exceeds the British loading gauge.  

[Mr T]

I had forgotten about the 4-8-4, it dwarfs everything near it. I think it was brought in before the ECML was electrified around York, and if it came through Hull, I think it could have avoided tunnels. I notice a lot of stuff is moved by road these days. I saw a Britannia on a seriously large lowloader last year on the A1

[dromia]

Deltics Chris Rea.

 

 

[Mjwomack]

8 hours ago, Mr T said:

I notice a lot of stuff is moved by road these days.

It's easier that way🥲, a lot of the preserved lines aren't rail served so the move either starts or ends on a low-loader and once it's on, it might as well stay on. Also saves paperwork and trying to get timings out of Network Rail. Even lines that are rail served- Mid and North Norfolk both come to mind tend to use low-loaders rather than their real connection.

 

9 hours ago, Mr T said:

Britannia

 

Will be an exception when it comes to the North Norfolk at the end of October as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations and WILL arrive over the level crossing at Sherringham. 

[Mjwomack]

1 hour ago, dromia said:

Deltics Chris Rea.

Deltics on freight- not something you saw very often! I've read whole articles discussing what note a Deltic engine idles at!

[Enzo the Magnificent]

 

[Mjwomack]

Let's go further, and older... to North America and the Conway Scenic Railroad

https://www.conwayscenic.com 

 

And the world's oldest operational Pullman Carriage from 1898

 

 

 

Wicker chairs are not original feature but excellent for taking in the views of New England

 

 

This is original ceiling design though

 

 

 

It makes an old codger smile

 

 

 

I introduced Mary to Deltics, and she fell in love with(I may have been an after-thought)

 

 

 

Don't you worry, she got covered bridges and New England leaf-fall in the deal

 

 

 

[Circloy]

16 hours ago, Mr T said:

I had forgotten about the 4-8-4, it dwarfs everything near it. I think it was brought in before the ECML was electrified around York, and if it came through Hull, I think it could have avoided tunnels. I notice a lot of stuff is moved by road these days. I saw a Britannia on a seriously large lowloader last year on the A1

 

The costs of moveing loco's by road is far less than than by rail, It's been this way since the latter day's of British Rail when Loco's were shipped from Plymouth to Doncaster for repair. 

Track access fee's, time tabelling & the risk of delay/repay consequentials make it so.

 

21 hours ago, Enzo the Magnificent said:

Goodness knows how they got it to the NRM as it far exceeds the British loading gauge.  

 

If it's out of gauge there's only one way - Road.

Nothing to do with electrification of the east coast mainline or tunnels, bridges also count and to the best of my knowledge  you can't get out of Hull on rails without going under at least one bridge.

[Enzo the Magnificent]

Every Beat Of The Heart  -  The Railway Children.

 

 

[Circloy]

See your You Tube clips & raise you these two

 

 

 

 

[Mr T]

1 hour ago, Circloy said:

 

The costs of moveing loco's by road is far less than than by rail, It's been this way since the latter day's of British Rail when Loco's were shipped from Plymouth to Doncaster for repair. 

Track access fee's, time tabelling & the risk of delay/repay consequentials make it so.

 

 

If it's out of gauge there's only one way - Road.

Nothing to do with electrification of the east coast mainline or tunnels, bridges also count and to the best of my knowledge  you can't get out of Hull on rails without going under at least one bridge.

Thanks for the information about train movements. It explains why I see carriages, power cars etc when we are on the motorway. 

[psdavidson]

3 hours ago, Mr T said:

carriages, power cars etc when we are on the motorway

I've passed a (faceless) Thomas the Tank Engine on the M8 several times

[Rob Sutto]

On 13/09/2025 at 21:54, psdavidson said:

I've passed a (faceless) Thomas the Tank Engine on the M8 several times

 

That sounds painful 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

 

Ivor will soom be available from Rapido.

[Rob Sutto]

I guess you lot will know about this place:

 

 

I'd thoroughly recommend you all pay a visit some day, it certainly lives up to its name. I went about 10 years ago and I'd love to go back as they've extended into a new building across the water and built the Italy, Monaco and Rio and Patagonia sections since then. 

[Circloy]

There is (was) one company that has built more steam engines than all the other UK companes combined.

 

it may be a suprise to some

 

Spoiler

Mamod