new to site
 

Just joined, but have been regular visitor to ships nostalgia for a couple of years. Grew up in Northeast during heyday of steam, and still interested in steam history. Not a great fan of preserved railways (Stuffed steam?)

Hi Les & welcome to the forum

Hello and welcome to the forum Les, hope you enjoy the forum.

Adam

Welcome to the forum Les.
We're going through a bit of a quiet spell at the moment but some of us regularly reminisce about the "real" days of steam. Hope you will join in.

In he past
 

Thank's guys for the welcome. Spent many happy weekends in the 50s and early 60s around Newcastle and Carlisle. Had summer holidays on a farm just up the lane from the Waverly line. Incidentally it was always called the 'North British' by railwaymen in the area. Another half hours walk took me to the 'Caley' at Floriston just down the line from Quintinshill. Even now I can picture doubleheaded expresses still travelling at 85+ before braking for the Carlisle stop. A friendly signalman at the level crossing invited me into the box regularly, and would note the number of the train engine on the double headers, they were travelling too fast for me to see both! My main regret is that I have not kept my notebooks from then.

Great description !!

Same here Les:(
I also wish that I had been affluent enough to own a decent camera during my trainspotting days.

Welcome Les (shipmate!) great site here too! hope you have many enjoyable housr here like i do. look forward to your postings.

Welcome to the site Les. Look forward to your posts.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Welcome to the board Les, post often. :)

Your views on preserved railways should prove interesting!

Preserved railways
 

Thank's for the welcome Trev.
As I said in my original post, Being brought up in the heyday? of steam in the North East leaves me with memories of the dirt, and grime and ash at the sheds and stations. I will never forget the ash heaps at Gateshead shed for example. I applaud those who give their time and effort (and hard earned) to keep steam alive, I just prefer to remember them as they were, not polished and burnished, and even in some cases painted in colours which they never carried, and even when they did, it was often impossible to see any colour through the grime! As a result, I don't visit, photograph, or otherwise take much interest in 'stuffed steam'

Hi Les welcome to the forum.
I agree with you about how in the days of BR many things including locos were grimy and dirty, I should know I worked on the footplate for many years. But the average visitor without whom preserved lines could not exist does not want to get filthy as a result of their visit. Also heritage does not mean to show railways just as they were in BR days, lets not forget before BR most private railways kept their locos and rolling stock and stations in clean condition.
Alan Locojoe