| James.... 09:53 - Feb 7 with 2923 views | ncfc_chalky |
I was watching a program the other day on the old steam trains of the 40's and 50's and it got me wondering if there are train spotters anymore or is it just a thing of the past,I know that if it was known that the Flying Scotsman for example was passing through it would generate an audience but today's trains all seem to look the same and don't have the charisma of old trains so I'm presuming trains don't interest the X Box generation |  |
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| James.... on 09:59 - Feb 7 with 2361 views | funkkk |
I watched a really good film on this, it was set up in Scotland, I think it was actually called ‘Trainspotting’. Turns out it’s quite a seedy pastime. |  | | |
| James.... on 10:02 - Feb 7 with 2355 views | James1980 |
Yes there are still spotters they take numbers down of modern rolling stock. Some make videos and upload them onto YouTube |  |
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| James.... on 11:50 - Feb 7 with 2253 views | DiddyDave |
I was a trainspotter:summer time with no football,it was ideal. Of course it was the steam engines that we were only interested in,magnificent beasts,most with fabulous names and lots of different classes. When they started to scrap them and bring in diesel trains that looked like a big long bus,that was the beginning of the end as far as I was concerned. But great memories,I loved the Coronation Class engines named City Of Sheffield,Duchess of Balcluth,etc and the Princess Class,there were only about twelve of those. Pissed me off I never got to the West Country to see all their wonderful engines,but no matter,it was great while it lasted. | | | |
| James.... on 13:01 - Feb 7 with 2159 views | D_Alien |
| James.... on 11:50 - Feb 7 by DiddyDave |
I was a trainspotter:summer time with no football,it was ideal. Of course it was the steam engines that we were only interested in,magnificent beasts,most with fabulous names and lots of different classes. When they started to scrap them and bring in diesel trains that looked like a big long bus,that was the beginning of the end as far as I was concerned. But great memories,I loved the Coronation Class engines named City Of Sheffield,Duchess of Balcluth,etc and the Princess Class,there were only about twelve of those. Pissed me off I never got to the West Country to see all their wonderful engines,but no matter,it was great while it lasted. |
A good few are restored to their former glory and doing great service on tourist lines and occasional mainline specials. Very much part of the UK heritage and tourism industry
The Flying Scotsman was restored at a local works in Heywood:
https://investinrochdale.co.uk/news/post/on-the-right-track-company-behind-resto
[Post edited 7 Feb 2021 13:02]
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| James.... on 13:18 - Feb 7 with 2141 views | onedalefan |
| James.... on 11:50 - Feb 7 by DiddyDave |
I was a trainspotter:summer time with no football,it was ideal. Of course it was the steam engines that we were only interested in,magnificent beasts,most with fabulous names and lots of different classes. When they started to scrap them and bring in diesel trains that looked like a big long bus,that was the beginning of the end as far as I was concerned. But great memories,I loved the Coronation Class engines named City Of Sheffield,Duchess of Balcluth,etc and the Princess Class,there were only about twelve of those. Pissed me off I never got to the West Country to see all their wonderful engines,but no matter,it was great while it lasted. |
Do you mean Duchess of Buccleuch? |  | | |
| James.... on 18:52 - Feb 7 with 2005 views | ArthurDaley |
| James.... on 11:50 - Feb 7 by DiddyDave |
I was a trainspotter:summer time with no football,it was ideal. Of course it was the steam engines that we were only interested in,magnificent beasts,most with fabulous names and lots of different classes. When they started to scrap them and bring in diesel trains that looked like a big long bus,that was the beginning of the end as far as I was concerned. But great memories,I loved the Coronation Class engines named City Of Sheffield,Duchess of Balcluth,etc and the Princess Class,there were only about twelve of those. Pissed me off I never got to the West Country to see all their wonderful engines,but no matter,it was great while it lasted. |
Ah them were the days, anyone remember the series of books you could buy. There were books with birds, dogs, trains and when you spotted one you ticked it off.
The innocence in those days. Think the books were called I Spy.
In the Saturday Obbie late 50s early 60s there used to be a little column about trains passing through Rochdale By the time it got in the Obbie they had already passed through. [Post edited 7 Feb 2021 19:19]
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| James.... on 18:55 - Feb 7 with 2000 views | finberty |
A fair crowd turned up at Smithy Bridge and all available viewing points either side when Tornado, the newly-built steam loco, came through from Yorkshire on its way to Liverpool in the Summer. |  | | |
| James.... on 20:07 - Feb 7 with 1949 views | D_Alien |
| James.... on 18:52 - Feb 7 by ArthurDaley |
Ah them were the days, anyone remember the series of books you could buy. There were books with birds, dogs, trains and when you spotted one you ticked it off.
The innocence in those days. Think the books were called I Spy.
In the Saturday Obbie late 50s early 60s there used to be a little column about trains passing through Rochdale By the time it got in the Obbie they had already passed through. [Post edited 7 Feb 2021 19:19]
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I used to climb up onto the wall on the High Level (the now-closed road to the left of the station) to watch the "double-headers" steaming through around 6pm on a weekend evening
Had a book we used to call a "combine" (dunno why) that Ian Allan put together listing all the current engines, and you'd underline the engine number when you'd spotted it
Re Finberty: just happened to be in Skipton on a day out a couple of years ago, when Tornado pulled into the station and got a close up of it, along with several hundred others crammed onto the platform
Re DD: know what you mean about the West Country engines. In 1966 (just before the World Cup Final) i was with my family visiting some relatives and stopped off at Brockenhurst station in Hampshire when a Bulleid Pacific class came through, something i never thought i'd see. It was as special as England's victory!
[Post edited 7 Feb 2021 20:26]
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| James.... on 21:19 - Feb 7 with 1882 views | judd |
Trains are shit |  |
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| James.... on 21:31 - Feb 7 with 1861 views | TVOS1907 |
| James.... on 21:19 - Feb 7 by judd |
Trains are shit |
Is that the title of Michael Portillo's new BBC2 series? |  |
| If you don't know why your posts keep getting downvoted, there's no hope for you. |
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| James.... on 21:33 - Feb 7 with 1859 views | judd |
| James.... on 21:31 - Feb 7 by TVOS1907 |
Is that the title of Michael Portillo's new BBC2 series? |
If it is then he owes me royalties. | |
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| James.... on 21:37 - Feb 7 with 1855 views | Beechball |
They are alive and well. Check out the channel "All The Stations" on YouTube. Geoff and Vicki have a large audience and do a Livestream quiz on a Saturday evening which is actually a good pick me up after the pain earlier in the afternoon. | | | |
| James.... on 21:37 - Feb 7 with 1855 views | since58 |
| James.... on 20:07 - Feb 7 by D_Alien |
I used to climb up onto the wall on the High Level (the now-closed road to the left of the station) to watch the "double-headers" steaming through around 6pm on a weekend evening
Had a book we used to call a "combine" (dunno why) that Ian Allan put together listing all the current engines, and you'd underline the engine number when you'd spotted it
Re Finberty: just happened to be in Skipton on a day out a couple of years ago, when Tornado pulled into the station and got a close up of it, along with several hundred others crammed onto the platform
Re DD: know what you mean about the West Country engines. In 1966 (just before the World Cup Final) i was with my family visiting some relatives and stopped off at Brockenhurst station in Hampshire when a Bulleid Pacific class came through, something i never thought i'd see. It was as special as England's victory!
[Post edited 7 Feb 2021 20:26]
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It was called the black wall. If you remember it had a turntable. When we were kids we used to cab the the trains at stoney field cleaning sheds.
Happy days. | | | |
| James.... on 21:47 - Feb 7 with 1831 views | finberty |
| James.... on 21:37 - Feb 7 by since58 |
It was called the black wall. If you remember it had a turntable. When we were kids we used to cab the the trains at stoney field cleaning sheds.
Happy days. |
The street lamps on High Level Road used to have some kind of cowl or covering to keep the glare out of the loco drivers's eyes. Or at least that's what I was told. Long since removed, and presumably the modern ones don't glare in the same way, or electronic signals have replaced the old raised-arm ones. | | | |
| James.... on 22:03 - Feb 7 with 1815 views | EllDale |
Until I was ten my grandmother used to live off Merefield Street backing onto the railway line just opposite those sheds.
Spent many a Saturday evening after tea waiting for those trains to pass. I know now that many of them would have been mundane engines like Black 5s but they all seemed majestic in those days.
Another good place for watching used to be in Castleton outside the Directors on Heywood Road. | | | |
| James.... on 22:06 - Feb 7 with 1818 views | since58 |
| James.... on 21:47 - Feb 7 by finberty |
The street lamps on High Level Road used to have some kind of cowl or covering to keep the glare out of the loco drivers's eyes. Or at least that's what I was told. Long since removed, and presumably the modern ones don't glare in the same way, or electronic signals have replaced the old raised-arm ones. |
Yeah thats right. Sorry i meant the milkstone road side of the station which was still the black wall up to around boundary street .then thre was the bridge and 100 yards further down the line was the cleaning sheds .another 100 yards down the line was the old signal box at new barn lane .which i lived facing and used to get shook out of bed every morning wirh the old 9 norters. | | | |
| James.... on 22:26 - Feb 7 with 1792 views | D_Alien |
| James.... on 22:06 - Feb 7 by since58 |
Yeah thats right. Sorry i meant the milkstone road side of the station which was still the black wall up to around boundary street .then thre was the bridge and 100 yards further down the line was the cleaning sheds .another 100 yards down the line was the old signal box at new barn lane .which i lived facing and used to get shook out of bed every morning wirh the old 9 norters. |
I was born at Bosworth Square. Bosworth St led to New Barn Lane and first saw trains from there
I remember the turntable but never saw it used
By the 9 norters, do you mean the ones with six main driving wheels? Incredible amount of pulling power | |
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| James.... on 22:41 - Feb 7 with 1772 views | since58 |
| James.... on 22:26 - Feb 7 by D_Alien |
I was born at Bosworth Square. Bosworth St led to New Barn Lane and first saw trains from there
I remember the turntable but never saw it used
By the 9 norters, do you mean the ones with six main driving wheels? Incredible amount of pulling power |
Yep they were the coal wagons.
Do you remember the coal yard at the bottom of Bradford Street.later on we moved to worcester street in the mid sixties. Not too far away eh. | | | |
| James.... on 22:44 - Feb 7 with 1768 views | ncfc_chalky |
| James.... on 10:02 - Feb 7 by James1980 |
Yes there are still spotters they take numbers down of modern rolling stock. Some make videos and upload them onto YouTube |
Thanks James,it looks like a fair few of them are Dale fans going by the replies | |
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| James.... on 22:52 - Feb 7 with 1759 views | since58 |
| James.... on 22:44 - Feb 7 by ncfc_chalky |
Thanks James,it looks like a fair few of them are Dale fans going by the replies |
Chalky ,it took our minds off things in those dark days.
Come to think of it i might go back to it ffs. | | | |
| James.... on 23:13 - Feb 7 with 1735 views | D_Alien |
| James.... on 22:52 - Feb 7 by since58 |
Chalky ,it took our minds off things in those dark days.
Come to think of it i might go back to it ffs. |
Dark, in terms of the amount of smoke in the atmosphere but growing up you were also more free
Free to wander and explore as far as your legs (or daylight) would carry you
That's been lost, and kid's imaginations confined to a screen and someone else's limitations | |
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| James.... on 12:00 - Feb 8 with 1622 views | since58 |
| James.... on 23:13 - Feb 7 by D_Alien |
Dark, in terms of the amount of smoke in the atmosphere but growing up you were also more free
Free to wander and explore as far as your legs (or daylight) would carry you
That's been lost, and kid's imaginations confined to a screen and someone else's limitations |
No DA imeant supporting dale and having to apply for re election at the end of most seasons.
Growing up was great,yes you free to roam all over the place with no weirdos to bother you,we were out from dawn till dusk . | | | |
| James.... on 13:00 - Feb 8 with 1576 views | D_Alien |
| James.... on 12:00 - Feb 8 by since58 |
No DA imeant supporting dale and having to apply for re election at the end of most seasons.
Growing up was great,yes you free to roam all over the place with no weirdos to bother you,we were out from dawn till dusk . |
Ah, sorry, of course!
I was getting carried away with the nostalgia thing!
Not sure about the weirdos though - after we moved near to Broadfield Park, i'd only go in there with my pet dog (who was part Bull Mastiff) | |
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| James.... on 13:40 - Feb 8 with 1549 views | since58 |
Yeah there were a couple but you knew who they were,the fookers couldnt catch us anyway.ha ha. | | | |
| James.... on 19:52 - Feb 8 with 1421 views | robtheb |
| James.... on 22:03 - Feb 7 by EllDale |
Until I was ten my grandmother used to live off Merefield Street backing onto the railway line just opposite those sheds.
Spent many a Saturday evening after tea waiting for those trains to pass. I know now that many of them would have been mundane engines like Black 5s but they all seemed majestic in those days.
Another good place for watching used to be in Castleton outside the Directors on Heywood Road. |
Spent many hours as a kid outside The Directors train spotting, spent many more hours inside The Directors in later life! | | | |
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