Hello!
 

Hi. New member here.
Love of railways, all things Southern, LSWR, (was there really any other way to the West Country!?) LMS Midland. Based in Herts. Started interest in the 50s.

Hi Steve, welcome to the forum.
I have only known steam in preservation so I have a general love of all things steam, although my hometown of Hastings puts me firmly in Southern (LBSCR/SECR) territory so I have a particular liking for the Bulleid pacifics, Terriers & the Schools class which was designed to fit the Tonbridge-Hastings line.

Tony

Thank you Tony.Yes since my son has moved to Tenterden we have been to the KESR quite a bit and very good it is too!
Very friendly and enjoyable there. Have you been at all? Hastings is a nice part to live.

Hi Steve.
Yes the K&ESR is my closest line and I've been there a lot! I'm quite lucky here with the K&ESR, Bluebell Railway, Spa Valley Railway, Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and the Lavender Line all within about an hour's drive, plus a few others just slightly further afield.

Tony

Hi Steve and welcome to the forum. I am also a an ex-fireman from the Rhodesian Railways (now Zambian and Zimbabwe railways) I used to fire Garratts, both hand fired and worm and steam jet fired. I spent most of my mainline working on the Dett Straight, which is 73 miles of dead straight track, although it did go up and down a bit. Not much fun for new people on the footplate when you could see an approaching trains 250 watt headlight coming towards you 73 miles away on single track working. I was glade to latter be posted to Umtali where there were 365 curves down to Portuguese East Africa. We did not have to do any firing as it was all deasil locos, but my driver and I took turns in driving. If he took it down, then I would take it up, then change around for the next trip. Still miss those days.

Hello Steve and welcome to the forum, enjoy and all the best.

Hi Steve, and welcome to our forum.

Until I retired from driving trains recently, I used to rip through Hadley Wood & New Barnet on my journeys between Kings Cross & Kings Lynn.

It's the best main line I've ever driven - very smooth and flat. :D

From your interests it sounds like you should have much to discuss with us.

Cheers, John

Hello everyone,
I'm Tyra Noah, completely new to this forums, a trains and railways enthusiast, especially the antique old school trains.
Looking forward to learning from the best and also acquire some experience myself.

Hi Tyra, welcome to the forum too.

Tony

Good morning all!
Very interesting that you mention driving through Hadley Wood and New Barnet John. Scene of my very earliest railway memories!
Looking up at the magnificent Gresley machines with rhubarb and custard carriages flying along from the golf course. Getting so excited about seeing the new Blue deltic coming through. From the over bridge I recall seeing the new tunnel being built (second bore).
Collecting numbers at New Barnet!
Definitely the places that got me hooked on railways as a nipper!