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Nottingham

A Railwayman's View - BR Midland Region by Peter Collins > Nottingham
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Images 1-11 of 11 displayed.

LPPC DSL BW 0830 A last-minute decision to visit, in one day, the vast Traction Maintenance Depot and freight site at Toton between Christmas and New Year in 1971 was taken with no knowledge of how it would work other than a train from St Pancras to Nottingham and dmu trip to Long Eaton as recommended in the old British Locomotive Shed Directory. With limited time available due to short daylight hours, we arrived and happily walked everywhere we could with no-one demurring in any way. Our first sight was of this Sulzer Type 4 Peak Class 44 D6 ‘Whernside’, the tallest peak in Yorkshire. These first ten locos, after which the class as a whole took its name, were only of 2,300hp and ended their days on coal-hauls from the Midlands collieries to Whitemoor yard. This engine was unique at the time, in still being in its original lined Brunswick green but with full yellow ends and retaining the ‘D’ number prefix. A Toton livery speciality. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0822 An old-school British Railways freight yard still in full use in the early 1970s as a visit to Toton between Christmas and New Year in the early 1970s revealed. Just imagine that to reach the Traction Maintenance Depot we had to cross this yard first. Authorities would have a fit nowadays and that’s supposing you could gain initial access anyway! Meanwhile on this day the common combination of multiple Class 20s tick over waiting for their next colliery or steel works trip working and, no doubt, providing warmth and protection from the bitter cold for their crew. At this time no less than 109 of these locos were allocated to the East Midlands depot. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0820 Our New Year visit to Toton in 1971 and random roaming around the surrounding yards without challenge revealed the basic freight railway at work as semi-permanently coupled English Electric Type 2 Class 20s led by D8166, later to become 20116, wait for their departure time with local trip 9T65. Even in post-steam days, the working railway did not get much more basic than this. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0821 A picture for the modellers. Idling away to themselves, two English Electric Type 2 Class 20s stand in Toton yard waiting time to move their trip working to whichever colliery requires it. In typically unkempt condition it is remarkable just how reliable these workhorses were and rather like some animal and bird species who mate for life it was not unknown for their multiple coupled mates to stay together as a couple permanently between works visits or necessary depot repairs. The railway as it was. Replace the diesels with a steam loco and no-one would notice the difference. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0829 Bored of the Yuletide festivities, it was decided to make a visit to Nottingham and Toton in December 1971. For Peak class locos, Toton was an enthusiast’s delight. It was intensely cold the day of our visit and the frost on the ground never melted. Here, according to its headcode, is Class 45 44 (later 45035), the upcoming motive power for the 1C41 10.50 Nottingham to St Pancras that day, about to go off shed. Alongside is sibling number 64 ‘Coldstream Guardsman’. The shed fitter/pilotman with well-used overalls is heading purposefully towards the cab steps of 64 with cleaning rags in hand. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0819 There was, it seemed, an endless stream of locos going on and off shed with little time between each movement. How both the industrial map of the UK and the railway have changed today. Here, Sulzer Type 2 Class 25 number 5227 (later 25077), still wearing what was left of its original lined green livery and BR heraldic device, trundles from the yards to the shed dragging a diesel brake-tender behind it having powered a coal trip earlier in the morning. These were truly mixed-traffic engines if the headcode in its roofbox is to be believed, as that suggests a previous Class 1 passenger working. The locomotive was making one of its last journeys in the East Midlands as it was transferred to Ebbw Junction, Newport on the 8th January 1972. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0098-Edit Nottingham on 5th August 1972 sees 5242 (later 25092) and D5245 (later 25095) entering the station with the ECS of the 07.35 1D30 Nottingham to LLandudno service. The locos worked the train throughout returning to Nottingham with the 13.58 1D17 service from Llandudno. The transition to BR Blue was still underway (at least with locomotives) as D5245 is still in two-tone green. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0099-Edit At Nottingham station, passing through, in August 1972 Sulzer Type 2 Class 25 number D5246 is substantially in its original condition and livery, although it would only have had half-cab yellow ends. Otherwise its dual-tone green paint is unlikely to remain much longer before rail-blue and a renumber to 25096 takes the loco over. With the demise of the need for through corridor connections the doors that were evident on the noses of earlier examples of the class had now been deleted. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0101-Edit Early one morning at Nottingham station, having just arrived overnight on an overcrowded service from Glasgow we found, this very smart Sulzer Type 4 Peak Class 45 number 95 (later 45054) had followed us in and slowly moved down a through road. 3D04 was the 04.15 St Pancras to Nottingham parcels and it is heading for the nearby Parcels Concentration Depot. With two ex-Southern Railway designed GUVs heading a number of BR GUVs and CCTs it is obviously a busy service. Another source of income wilfully lost to the roads. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0823 Our Christmas & New Year visit to Nottingham and Toton 1971 produced this view immediately after alighting from our train from St Pancras. It was cold and bleak looking east from Nottingham Midland station towards the Parcels Concentraion Depot on the left, and the freight yard to the right. The Sulzer Type 2 Class 25 was beginning to move with its motley collection of freight wagons from the yards in the direction of Colwick, no longer in constant use with coal traffic. Note the Singer Vogue about to cross the bridge above. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0824 An extremely lengthy unfitted train of empty coal hoppers inches its way alongside a platform at Nottingham station trying not to stop completely and so avoid the wagons buffering-up. It is heading west, taking the empties back to the Midlands coal-fields to be loaded up and go through the east then west process again. Class 20s in multiple were very popular on these trains, allocated to Toton depot they were the ultimate load-luggers for the Division. Note that the station name is simply Nottingham as it had previously had the description ‘Midland’ added to the name when the, by then totally closed, Great Central ‘Victoria’ station was operating. The train itself is actually a timetabled daily working, 8D13, the MSX 10 50 Staythorpe CEGB Power Station near Newark to Newstead Colliery Sidings which were near Annesley on a remaining stub of the old Great Central main line.

Images 1-11 of 11 displayed.