if only i had a tardis
 

I have been a rail fan all my life now nearly 50 but i would love to go back to the days of bashing on a sat morning 40s out of man vic etc if any member could go back in time in a tardis what and when would it be myself it would be inverness late 1970s steam heat pair of 26s to thurso or class 76s over woodhead around 1969 arghh happy days.

I'd love to spend a day watching some of Gooch's masterpieces on Brunell's broad gauge...

Just one for me, May 3rd 1975, Maiden Newton-Bridport final day of the branch, up and down the line all day, alas i was just 7 at the time...

id love to be able to go spotting and photting in the late 70s early 80s but with todays technology ie digital cameras, mobiles, email gen etc, knowing what I know now.

If I could have just 30 mins anytime, any place, with a modern camcorder / microphone I'd choose the southern end of Newcastle Central station in 1959/60 between about 12:05 pm and 12:35 pm to take in the arrival/departure of the Flying Scotsman followed by the departure of the Northumbrian. If I were very lucky I may also catch a freight by-passing the platforms but I doubt they'd schedule any for that time! But I'd really want at least 1 year.

mine would be man vic too,in the mid 60s-before i was born,to see the once massive station with steam-soon to end,and the first gen dmus,i remember victoria as a child of the 70s,i didnt really appreciate it though as was too young,when i got into trains it was the early 90s,i passed that station many times..how i wished i would of gone in and looked around the station with its 17 platforms still in situ,iwent in there 95 onwards,dead in the day and busy at rush hour,you dont realise how much you miss something until its gone.

I would love to travel back to the days of the 'Big Four' when they were at their best. At least a year on each of them (that is possible with a Tardis) with a modern 3D camera/camcorder.

I started my days at Man Vic in 1959 as a youngster. 1d for a platform ticket,stayed all day, the place was brilliant.Went back a few months ago, sorry sight now though.

Manchester Victoria seems to be featuring prominently here. I only ever had one experience of it (in 1966 it was). I took a very late Black Five hauled train from Lime Street (about 11:30 pm) over Standedge to York - and thence to Newcastle & Sunderland. I'm pretty sure we passed through (& probably stopped at) Victoria at some ungodly hour. I slept most of the way but woke up here and at Huddersfield.

Quite a few instances I'd like to go back to, hurtling through Leicester on the Night Mail on the footplate of a good steaming Black Five at around 80mph, any of the times spent firing up Camp Hill, or on the Kingsbury branch with the loco barking, or any of those shed turns where I got to drive, especially the night I put 70049 away. Happy days, and only just turned 16 at the time.

I'd love to go back to the Steyning branch before it was closed and ripped up in 1966. I thought Bramber was one of the loveliest country stations I'd ever seen. I can just remember steam on the branch up to 1963/64 then demu's during the final days. It would be the little things like buying a "real" size train ticket (for about a shilling), seeing all the stations staffed with waiting facilities and nice comfortable Bulleid rolling stock.

I have so many happy memories of my spotting days back in the 50's and 60's. So many places I loved including Lincoln Central especially on a sunday when we saw ECML locos diverted through. Grantham was a good spot too, so was York and Nottingham and Derby. I also managed to travel a lot to the smoke on my way to Belgium at least three times a year from Linclon to Dover and onto Brussels passing through KX, and Victoria. Now that was special and I would take my tardis back to those days. I too would like to hit the big four at the peak of their days. I could go on but I still have many memories, sadly not many photos though.
Regards
Phil

very sorry state went there in 50s usualy for brit or scot on glasgows usually went to london rd much better altho manchester was not a frequent place usualy it was doncaster or york or leeds

I'd use the tardis first to go to all the many places I didn't get to in the late 50 s and early 60 s.
Then I would go to the WCML, around Golborne, and watch the endless procession, most of them hammering down the fast straights.
Another area a little further north, was Taylors lane bridge overlooking the branch, and the sand brew, where you could cover both Wigan NW, and Wigan Wallgate.
mickey:)

I'd love to spend a day at Tonbridge station in the mid 50s. Bulleid pacifics and Schools 4-4-0s rushing through regularly, interspersed with local goods and passenger trains... I missed it all by a decade or so.

Well if I had only one chance to go back it would be to pre grouping days at Carlisle. Six of seven different companies using the station, all with their distinct liveries. It would be a fantastic experience to watch a LNW "George V" taking over a train of JWC stock from a Caley "Dunalistair" , with the crimson lake of the Midland, and various greens of the N E, GSW and N B all coming in and out as well.
If I could have another go, Shap in the days of unrebuilt "Scots" and streamlined Duchesses might get the vote

Tardis
 

If I could go back it would have to be somewhere inbetween the drought of 1977 and spring 1980 and i would do another London depots trip. From Derby down to St Pancras behind a peak, off to kings cross and up to Finsbury Park MPD for some deltics and 47's, across to Liverpool street and out to Stratford MPD for some 31's then across north London to Willesden MPD for some AC electrics and a brisk walk across the road to Old Oak Common MPD for (of course) the big class 50's (still to this day never got haulage from), and the if we had time a quick sprint into south London and a visit to Hither Green MPD for some Class 73 and 33 action and then back to St Pancras for a very pleasing trip back home, knackered and pages of numbers and reels of photo's to get developed. Did this about four times ever within the dates i chose, what classic traction and depots where you nearly always got round either with permission (FP and WN) or without permission (OC, SF and HG). Thats my tardis day out, cheers guys.

anybody have memories of the scottish region as we all seem to go for ecml or wcml areas etc.

Manchester in the early 50's was a great place for spotters. Manchester Victoria/Exchange with over 400 movements with ex L&Y locos on Lancashire coast trains and local trains, on a Summer saturday. Freight between Liverpool and Yorkshire with O2's, O4's and WD's.
London Road with LNWR locos from Crewe, Stoke and all points South, LNER locos from Sheffield and the Great Central line. There were also the Altringcham electric units. Again about 300 Saturday movements.
Central (Now Gmex) was very interesting for Midland trains from St Pancras and the mix of CLC trains with LNER locos, although there were fewer movements than at the other two stations there was always interest in the turntable at the end of the platform and in the enormous goods depot which could be seen from the platform ends.
I was also a saturday regular at the East Lancs Road bridge at Golborne on the West Coast line.

Yes. The week-long "Freedom of Scotland" ticket in 1960 allowing one to get away from the main depots to places like Forfar, Polmont, & Fort William

Yes mate fond memories back around 1967 68 69 and 70 on my way up to Fort William for the New Year parties with some scots friends who lived there. I would travel from Peterborough on the evening train and meet with a mate from Lincoln who would join at Grantham. Then off we would go to Edinboro and on to Glasgow. Get on the rear carrages and on to Fort William arriving early morning. Those were the days!!
Regards
Phil

I'd like to take a trip back to watch the Blue Pullman running over the Monsal viaduct, and earlier than that watch the Fell locomotive traverse the same location.

Now that WOULD be good Monsal Viaduct from the Hotel last train I remember was a Black 5 heard it before we saw it made my parents stop until it had gone into the tunnel