GCR Childhood Memories [GCRkid]

[Chrissaf]

I was lucky enough to grow up in a town with 3 railway lines - GCR, Great Northern and Midland. Our mainstay locos were 04, 8F and 9F, and Austerity (known as Aussies) along with Brits, V2 and B1. There was also a good sprinkling of Robinsons, Fowlers, Staniers and Ivatts, Class 5MT, Black 5, Jubilee (Jubes), Scots and Patriot (Pates) but also lots of 'one offs' that had visited Annesley Sheds for servicing etc. (One Saturday morning by chance - I was lucky to see a rebuilt Bullied - 34042 Dorchester - canter down our local line in pristine condition!!) Steam was the king and many hours I spent trackside watching them at our local station plus occasionally having the treat of visIting Nottingham Victoria and Nottingham Midland Stations.

If we were very lucky we were allowed to go to Granny (Grantham) station to see A1, A3 and A4 (Streaks) locos. I had the great privilege of hearing "Please stand clear of the platform edge as the ????? Express is about to go through the station." Looking down the line, and seeing this express approaching, with a slight left to right wobble, and then the thrill of watching 60022 Mallard thunder through at top speed with a full compliment of passenger coaches. Unbelievable.

In the 60's all DMUs were known as Crates - because we hated them. However there were many Peaks (class 45), Tractors (class 47) and Brush (class 47) and Hymek (Class 35) Diesel locos. I was also able to witness the power of the magnificent Deltic Diesel locos at Granny. Some diesels like these had our approval - but still never quite had the magic of even the dirtiest clapped out Robinson O4.

I still own my Ian Allan Combined Volumes from 1963 and 64 - all carefully underlined in blue, red for named locos and green for diesels, and it still brings a tear to my eyes when I look at the volume of steam engines scrapped in that era. Thank God for the Woodham Brothers at Barry Island Scrapyard who inadvertently saved a lot from the cutters torch.

Very happy memories of a childhood hooked on railways and I am proud to admit its all happening again as my 4 year Grandson is as fascinated with railways as I was. He lives only 5 mins away from the WCML and we spend many hours watching 'trains', and now gradually his 'fast train' he recognises as a Pendolino, he can tell a 'dieslel' from an 'electric'. Just have now to get him to understand the difference betweeen a 'train' and a loco. happy times ahead I think.

[Chrissaf]

Have a look at TIP 4 regarding 'How to get paragraph gaps to show in your post.'

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See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum.

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[LCDR]

I moved to Chesrerfield in 1979 and discovered that there was a deep seated railway enthusiasm in the North Midlands (In which I include Nottingham, and Derby to Sheffield and Rotherham). There were very few days there were not train spotters on the lineside or on stations (my eldest son spent many hours on the platform at Chesterfield where we had a spotters compound at the south end of the station building), and I was pestered for car trips out to various vantage points including Clay Cross, Egmanton, and the Asda car park at Woodhouse .

 

Model railways were very popular and there were at least two model railway shops in Chesterfield and plenty in Sheffield including Rails in Heeley just round the corner from where I stayed in 'digs' when I first arrived before I bought our house. With others I helped found a Model Railway club in Clay Cross where we held a number of very successful annual shows.

 

The area had been served by the Midland and Great Central companies but Beeching had slaughtered the GC and there was only a DMU service from Worksop to Huddersfield via Deepcar, on the main line, but this was very quickly diverted via Barnsley. Bits of the GC still survived for goods, including through Killamarsh and Staveley  to Arkwright Town, and to Westthorpe colliery at Spink Hill, but it was hard to find much of it. 

 

The Midland was still vibrant with lots of goods services, including MGR coal trains and trains to and from the Sheffield steel industry. Peaks were in charge of the St Pancras services and the Cross Countries, it was still a few years before HSTs took over. 

 

I regretted I did not know the area in steam days as GCRkid did 15 years earlier.  they used to say on Monday morning in Mexborough the sky was black as they lit up all the goods engines!

 

The area still had many loco sheds including Barrow Hill, Westhouses, Shirebrook, Darnall and Tinsley although plenty had been shut before. 

 

A great area for railways.

[Derek 19B]

Born in a house overlooking the GC about a mile west of Sheffield Victoria.On a clear day I could watch the procession of coal trains going west and the empty trains returning east  and ocasional passenger trains .

My Grandfarther and great Grandfather both worked for the GC / LNER my uncle was the black sheep of the family and worked for the LMS/BR/EWS, always said he was a midland man.

 

On the sheds around Sheffield you missed out Neepsend ,still traces of the shed . Grimesthorpe demolished for the new goods depot, burnt down a few yeras ago.Millhouses closed 1960ish later used by Guy Leas for making chucks for Electric drills, if you have a old bronze and gold Black and Decker drill check th name on the chuck. Lasted a few years after but derilict until replaced by a TESCO's.And last buy not least Canklow closed mid 60's the building lasted till the mid 80's

 

The ASDA at Handswoth my first Intruder alarm installation although I was still a apprentice we were that busy I was asked to run the job, good lunch times watching the trains come and go.

Derek 19b

[LCDR]

Very interesting stuff Derek, may I pick your brains concerning a firm called Atcheson Graphite who were located near Neepsend and made electrodes for the steel making industry.

 

They received graphite in Covhop wagons from Goole Docks and BR painted some of the wagons in an interesting livery, 

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do you remember seeing these?

[Derek 19B]

Hi LC&DR.

Colour and Neepsend did not realy go ,down by the gas works etc. The name Acheson did not ring any bells at first , the sight is actually at Hillsborough on clay wheels lane ,which on the railway would be just passed Wadsley Bridge Station.

 

In 1966 we moved to the housing estate just across the river Don from Clay Wheels Lane, so much closer to the railway.

From Memory Clay Wheels lane had the following along the road firts was a bakery then two brewerys ,Police  stables /garage and right at the end was a engineering works Acheson. The only photo I have found is from the Worral end looking into Sheffield .

On GC memorys my Dads parents lived near Bridgehouse goods yard so a Sunday watching trains from on high , the wall was frighteningly high. My Mums parents lived at Tinsley there house was demo;ished to make way for the slip road to Tinsley roundabout. So happy hours sat on a wall looking at the Tinsley triangle waiting for said uncle to come home .

Regards 

Derek 19b