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I was born and brought up in a row of colliery houses on Tyneside surrounded by railways. At the bottom of the street was a four track(2 BR, 2 NCB) main line to the docks carrying coal traffic. At the bottom of the garden was a passenger line where Gresley EMU's clanked around (and later took me to school daily). About a couple of hundred yards past the other end of the street was another colliery railway to the docks which lead from the colliery where my dad worked (and knew the loco drivers). I later spent many happy hours illicitly on the footplate....I didn't stand a chance really
Two early memories.
Firstly, for a number of weekend nights the east coast main line was diverted past my bedroom window due to a Bridge replacement. The traffic used the steep curve between the coast pasenger line and the four track line and I lay in bed at night listening to the sound of heavy trains being thrashed up the curve. What the Loco's were I never knew. I couldn't see in the dark.
Secondly on the coal line to the docks there was a procession of trains up three or four miles of bank. They were nearly always a J27 and 20 x 25 ton hoppers. One day when I was about 9 yrs old the signalman at the nearby level crossing said "Come back in half an hour and you'll see something unusual" A J27 had failed and a collier was due to sail. The hoppers from the three trains were coupled up and double headed by two J27s. 60 hoppers and the two J27s came up the bank. Engines full fore and regulator wide and doing all of 4 - 5 mile and hour.
As I said, did not stand a chance of not being an enthusiast
Tony p
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