What was I doing 50 years ago today

1st March 1976

From 1974 until 1985 I was based in BR Nottingham Division offices at Furlong House. The office was built on part of the old Nottingham steam shed yard and from my desk I overlooked the west approach to Nottingham and the extensive goods yards. On this day, a Monday I seem to have anticipated the sunny day, taken to work my camera and spent my lunch hour photographing over the boundary fence by the office. The class 31 is interesting as at this point in time they were not that common at this location,

08617 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6010356539/
20067 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5775649398/
20169 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8058561725/
25118 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8018513600/
31180 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7855342790/
45054 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/48622590171/
45147 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5900031276/
45148 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5538256038/
47213 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8282595677/

 

6th March 1976

A sunny Saturday ride out from Nottingham to Peterborough via Leicester.

08713 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9515279626/
25099 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7554107676/
31255 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8494561668/
45121 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/14003362545/
47413 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5976425655/
47426 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6067878359/
47457 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16202813945/
47459 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9048279052/
55022 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5979972763/

 

7th March 1976

A grey, damp Sunday and a somewhat strange day out. Outbound from Nottingham via the Midland Main Line, brief visits to Kings Cross and Paddington, a bit longer at Euston, and a return up the West Coast via Birmingham

1072 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6225795836/
55010 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6855374207/
86022 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16701149452/
86208 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/15578038670/
86213 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16160430687/
86237 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/49929017201/
86250 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/35032556310/

 

Helping return GWR pannier 3738 to steam when I should have been doing my engineering degree. I believe it is still the fastest return to steam from Barry ever, 1975 t0 1977 or 2 1/2 years. Mind you it had gone through Swindon 6 months before withdrawal. One of my favorite stories remains the contrast between the general public idiot questions and crazy statements to that of an old man leaning on a stick. I was getting the gunk off the frames of the locomotive and he stopped and watched me for a bit. I too stopped and looked at him. He hit me with an amazing question which I did my best to answer. He nodded and came up with another stunner. I did my best. He nodded again and went away. In Didcot shed you can only go two ways between the pits. I went the other way to the one he did and found one of the stalwarts "Who was that old man who quizzed me?". "Ah, you just met Ernie Nutty, he was on the Swindon test staff in the '50s!"

 

13th March 1976

A wet Saturday trip to Leeds.

45022 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6850191267/
45112 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5774504729/
47433 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/17662367522/

 

14th March 1976

It is a Sunday and three shots at Euston station only. Was this a brief interlude whilst working? I did do a Sat/Sun night shift in Euston PSB working on the old crossbar train describer equipment around this time, Sadly I can not remember the detail around these three shots.

25311 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/15000065694/
86005 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/14114100453/
86237 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/34230308842/

 

15th March 1976

Not strictly railway relevant but might be of interest. It is a Monday and I have my camera with me in the office. On the way home I came across this

Fire - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/33143462835/
Fire - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/12379730605/

 

18th March 1976

It is a Thursday and my twentieth birthday and I am on Nottingham station after work to have a ride over to Grantham behind 47135 working the Harwich Boat Train for a celebration night out and a few beers with my oldest friend Phil in his home town

31127 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6903861882/
47135 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8347995477/

 

19th March 1976

It is a Friday, a day off work after my night out in Grantham with Phil and a few shots on the way home to Nottingham. I spoke to Phil last night and the penny dropped on the night out when I realised it is his fiftieth wedding anniversary tomorrow. Hence the night out was nothing to do with my birthday but his stag night, which I sort of remember through a haze of alcohol.

08277 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/14369164139/
40104 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5742163794/
47402 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5973236548/
47471 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/10550513324/
47524 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6067879069/
47526 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8137577697/

 

21st March 1976

A Sunday ride up the Midland Main Line to London

1015 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6651364719/
09009 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6706423733/
31186 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5892626717/
31210 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8739612369/
31224 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8181284876/
31401 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7168306843/
31416 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6787609947/
40083 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7065456401/
45107 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9685136836/

 

27th March 1976

It is Saturday and day one of a weekend trip to Scotland, traveled up to Glasgow Friday night on the overnight Nottingham - Glasgow and spent the day "shed bashing" (Ayr, Motherwell, Hamilton, Eastfield) before heading to Inverness. Of note are 27015, withdrawn within a year and RS1052 a steam breakdown crane dating from 1907 built for the Caladonian Railway

08326 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5645634532/
08343 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7566431262/
08566 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7828998680/
08754 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/49999213741/
20002 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5792192889/
20080 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5928739355/
20095 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6242871442/
20112 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5795254539/
20118 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6774793387/
20126 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6928803457/
24006 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5938750253/
24118 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5609053158/
25011 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5939305168/
25172 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8898031001/
25244 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8898649398/
26028 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7614072310/
27006 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6004056109/
27015 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6004603728/
27017 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/50093679657/
27021 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5796377169/
27041 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5714651523/
27104 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6285570579/
27106 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/49837617973/
27206 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/49819975483/
37155 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8107894245/
37237 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5858778075/
40019 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5558998460/
40160 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5890155824/
47466 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/10357568233/
Sc59400 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9373364923/
Sc59792 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/40497022193/
RS1052 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5631458361/
RS1073 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7360512462/

 

28th March 1976

It is Sunday and I have returned from Inverness overnight to Edinburgh for more "shed bashing" out to Haymarket and Millerhill before a Sunday afternoon ride down the East Coast Main Line, probably behind 55004 to Grantham and then over to Nottingham and home.

08564 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8799690703/
08572 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5661686719/
20107 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6357181569/
24115 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6268065003/
25031 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5967618972/
25229 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/15577494351/
26006 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6825608812/
26007 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6286091582/
27004 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6004059469/
27201 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5592675675/
40060 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5642937680/
47353 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5792194619/
55004 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5823197553/
Sc51481 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/47999547647/
Sc55015 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9373368039/

 

3rd April 1976

A Saturday day out from Nottingham to Liverpool for a bit of "shed bashing" with a wander round Birkenhead and Allerton MPD's. It appears to be a successful "bash" round Allerton, one of the more difficult sheds to get successfully round in my experience. Of note is a battered 24089 which would not be repaired. My memories of Allerton centre around it being the home depot of my last Class 08 to see in my spotting days, that being 08922 which eluded me for a considerable amount of time and was in the end the last locomotive for me to track down.

08390 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5539376990/
08689 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5593269304/
24023 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6048531692/
24089 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5747928820/
25057 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6849645254/
25157 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8069658433/
25292 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8898118107/
40013 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6118920249/
40131 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7994866580/
45035 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9568702240/
45043 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8598884959/
47251 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9048282568/
47344 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5746667741/
82006 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6657905511/
83001 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6168679198/
86038 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/27754126221/
86102 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/14577641559/
87025 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8225812781/
TDM1015 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8419432100/
Birkenhead MPD - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5678669019/

 

7th April 1976

It is a Wednesday and I am at work, out and about trackside at Acton Wells Junction. I have traveled at least in one direction from Nottingham via Leicester, Nuneaton and Euston. From/to Euston, to Willesden Junction on the DC lines and walked along the track to Acton Wells. At the time I was involved in the signalling design for a couple of projects in the Acton Wells area, abolition of Old Oak Junction signal box and fitting point machines (clamp locks) on all the points at Acton Wells Junction. It was as you can see a grey and dull day with the unfortunate result of a lot of grey and dull photographs.

08697 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6989175771/
08805 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6071841117/
25256 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/15163221832/
45xxx - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/13791737985/
47125 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5584425574/
47163 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/17283762512/
73005 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6098653879/
84004 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6168680206/
Acton Wells Jcn SB - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6503824569/

 

10th April 1976

A Saturday day out from Nottingham to Paddington, Reading, Oxford and Banbury.

08303 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7566434962/
08835 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/13504731123/
20141 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5601651074/
25305 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7158786513/
31231 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8274498502/
31259 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/12379729425/
33023 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8298642799/
33032 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5595839211/
47020 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5839625775/
47090 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8283655868/
47119 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8282597397/
47119 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16516074609/
47147 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16200945861/
47214 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5976993040/
47492 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16524077262/
47506 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7002185043/
47512 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/20618873078/
47533 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/14162444523/
50018 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6940376285/
50042 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9147393659/
1030 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5632031786/
1071 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6225278897/
Oxford Station North SB - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/50332886667/

 

16th April 1976

Good Friday and the first day of a trip to Bristol and Exeter

08454 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6071842223/
08796 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6072385850/
08826 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9172749710/
31168 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5774509195/
31229 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6017148226/
45024 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8375751250/
45029 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5696257479/
45030 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8436664653/
45041 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8599985698/
45049 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8680291622/
45061 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5698774098/
46015 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6452506621/
46021 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6963636809/
47125 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/17259626066/
47137 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8393558083/
50004 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6171584704/
50016 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6346962242/
50016 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9147396845/
1054 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6651359893/
86222 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16907801300/
W51522 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6983996245/
Bristol Bath Road - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8446086343/
141 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7360514392/

 

17th April 1976

Easter Saturday at Exeter

08643 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8799694571/
33027 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5533453316/
47125 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16015475940/
47147 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9048286264/
47183 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/11883706393/
Exeter Middle SB - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8501939867/

 

19th April 1976

An Easter Monday day out to the North West including visits to Birkenhead, Allerton and Wigan Springs Branch MPD's

08069 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/14369164489/
08665 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/9172753106/
08846 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5668237925/
08924 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5649744639/
08939 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7194006988/
20030 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6774798033/
24054 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5721005146/
24063 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6995772923/
25202 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/7158787959/
25247 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/11416044446/
25308 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5668751864/
40018 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5668756564/
40178 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5649747819/
45113 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/11682842185/
47051 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6464435223/
84006 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6943498446/
87001 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5561166247/
M51568 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5650302764/
Birkenhead MPD - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5678669019/
Crewe Station A SB - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/8503046968/
Bidston Dee Junction SB - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/16621766123/
Birkenhead North SB - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/17503569376/