In case you`re wondering why the 20 at 1.57 has its nose roof ripped open i can now tell you. A few weeks before your visit a group of us had visited MC Metals to purchase spares for a class 20 we owned at the time. A 20 was found there with compressors that were in excellent condition. To access them the scrappy suggested taking off the nose roof which he did with a JCB with a pincer fitting allowing the compressors to be craned out. So now you know. 😄
I was a 'spotter' in the 70's and 80's before 'life' got in the way. My dear old dad (welling up thinking of him) used to take me to Watford Junction on a Wednesday evening, Kings Cross/St. Pancras on a Friday evening and either Old Oak Common or Paddington on a late Sunday afternoon, with the odd train ride out to Reading thrown in if I was lucky. The one place he never took me was Stratford. That was a one boy/young man daytime trip. Saturdays when I was still at school and weekday afternoons when my shift finished as a young sparky. Looking at this lovely video brought the memories flooding back. The lines and lines of Loco's ticking over. The smell of Diesel. I remember getting so excited as I took the long walk through that tunnel, occasionally nodding at a driver finished for the day. As has been said. No Hi Vis, nothing. But I wasn't confident enough to be 'brazen'. I ducked and dived through the lines of locos, the running sheds and even the 'heavy' workshop, with locos often stripped to the core. I would never of dreamed almost 30 years later I'd be driving 377/456/455's out of Vic and Bridge. Okay, nothing like driving one of those old work horses, but hey, it was still a thrill. Retired now. Thank you for jogging such wonderful memories.
I remember these very well. A big resurgence of the 31s in the late 80s to mid 90s through Leyland with the Blackpool trains and a few of course on the North Wales run. Great video as ever 👍
This was my old depot I was a fireman at eastfield traction depot springburn 1974 onwards my uncle was a mainline driver I spent many shifts with him on the west highland line queen st to Oban was my best shift day shift and the ghost train at night mailtrain with a class 37 or 27
Eastfield always had loads of Scottish Loco's as well as the Usual class 20,24,25. 26 &27's, I went there every year for a visit from 1976-1978 always asked permission to go around & always allowed, that was the good old days, always remember seeing a few smashed up locos like 20, 24 & 25 with various dings and heavy dents, Haymarket was also good with a few Class 55 always on shed along with the usual 26/27's my favourite depot back in the late 70's was Motherwell, A few pages of locos could be had & being from the South, good ones too.
Always been impressed by the sheer power they can put down, just like the Deltics could do. Quite awesome to hear them come on song and screaming with turbos boosting that 16 cylinder engine! Had a pair of 56s on a rail tour many years ago, 6,500 horse power opening up was amazing to hear and feel the acceleration.
What a sad story brought tears to my eyes watching all those wonderful locos going to waste just to end up with Class 66's The only people who got rich from the railway was the scrapman
