Day and Night Photos of Leamington Spa Station Platform Sign 2016

GWR Leamington Spa Station Platform Signs

Photo: Charles Moorhen

I visited Leamington Spa railway station a few summers ago on a train spotting/photography session, and couldn't resist taking this picture of the railway platform sign surrounded as it was by a fantastic variety of colourful flowers.

It was a pleasant encounter to discover an old-fashioned wooden platform sign such as this  which for me brought back memories of the days of locomotive smoke, steam and whistles; the waving of green flags and the morning milk train - when compared to the plain, bland metal platform signs that are so numerous at stations across the UK now.

During the summer of 2016 I once again visited Leamington Spa station, this time during the evening.  During a break in the railway traffic, where I captured a number of diesel multiple unit images, I decided to photograph the same sign again; this time with a tripod and a long exposure.

After a few trial exposures I believed that I'd got it right, and back at home I was pleased when I compared the two images on the computer.

I hope that as a new or regular blog visitor you will also enjoy them.

  Photo: Charles Moorhen

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Night Photo Milk Churns on Kidderminster SVR Train Station Platform Trolley 2016

Shining in the Night

Milk Churns on Platform Trolley
Photo:  Charles Moorhen

"Drinka Pinta Milka Day"!

Milk churns such as these - photographed at night in October 2016 on a platform of the Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster - were once a common sight at railway stations throughout Britain's rail network.

The churns were collected from farms or dairies and delivered to the local station.  

To identify the owner of the churn either a metal nameplate was attached to the container or the farm/dairy name was stamped into the metalwork.  In addition to this, a label was attached to the handle stating whether or not the milk churn was full or empty.

This system of transporting milk survived for decades until a modern system was introduced whereby milk was collected directly from farms by motorized tanker vehicles.  The milk was subsequently transferred to specially-built milk tank wagons operated by the railway.

Along with barrows loaded with wicker racing-pigeon baskets and others piled high with packages for transport on the trains, seeing platform barrows containing milk churns was a common sight back in the days of steam.

Travelling between Kent and Hampshire as a young lad with my spotting book ready on my lap as my train - usually hauled by a Southern Region steam locomotive - sped through country stations, saw milk churns standing in the shade of a platform canopy.

In the early 1920's around 282,000,000 gallons (339,000,000 litres) of milk was transported by the four national railway companies.

The system ceased completely in the 1970's.

 

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Night Photo Class 57307 DRS Diesel Loco 'Lady Penelope' Rugby 2016

Railway Loco Homage To 'Thunderbirds' Television Show Character

 

Direct Rail Services Class 57 57307 'Lady Penelope' 
 Photo: Charles Moorhen

A night photo of Direct Rail Services Class 57307 diesel locomotive 'Lady Penelope', named after the popular UK Thunderbirds TV series, standing in a former bay platform looking bright and clean after a sudden downpour at Rugby railway station on the 25th August 2016.

'Lady Penelope' is one of 16 Class 57s that carried a 'Thunderbirds' name and the only locomotive that retains its name.

In January 2014, the locomotive nameplates donated by Virgin Trains, Tin Tin and Parker, fetched over £4,000 at a charity auction run in association with the Railway Magazine to raise funds for The Alzheimer's Society.

The locomotive was built on the 20 September 1965 by Brush Traction at Loughborough and is allocated to Carlisle Kingmoor Traction Maintenance Depot, operated by Direct Rail Services (DRS).  The current depot code is KM.

The original steam shed was called Carlisle (Kingmoor) and its shed code was 68A which was later changed to 12A.

This Class 57 locomotive originally carried the number D1901, later to be renumbered 47225.

Apart from its 'Lady Penelope' name, it has also carried the name, 'Cable Thieves: We're Watching You'.

 

Class 57307 'Lady Penelope' on YouYube:

Class 57307 drags Pendolino.

 

Class 57307 departs Carlisle.


512 Class 47s were built, of which 30 have passed into preservation and can be found (at time of blog-page publication) at the following locations, though this may be subject to change for various reasons.

D1524  47004 - Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway.

D1693  47105 - Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

D1705  47117 'Sparrowhawk' - Great Central Railway.

D1842  47192 - Crewe Heritage Centre.

D1855  47205/47395 - Northampton & Lamport Railway.

D1994  47292 - Great Central Railway Nottingham.

D1787  47306 'The Sapper' - Bodmin & Wenford Railway.

D1886  47367 - Mid Norfolk Railway.

D1895  47376 'Freightliner 1995' - Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

D1500  47401 'North Eastern' - Midland Railway Butterley.

D1501  47402 - East Lancashire Railway.

D1516  47417 - Midland Railway Butterley.

D1566  47449 - Llangollen Railway.

D1662  47484 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel' - (Private Location).

D1107  47524 - Dean Forest Railway.

D1778  47183/47579/47793 'James Nightall G.C. - Mid Hants Railway.

D1762  47167/47580/47732 'County of Essex - Carnforth.

D1933  47233/47596 'Aldeburgh Festival' - Mid Norfolk Railway.

D1606  47029/47635 'Jimmy Milne' - Epping Ongar Railway.

D1970  47269/47643 - Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway.

D1948  47505/47712 'Lady Diana Spencer' - Crewe Heritage Centre.

D1619  47038/47564/47761 - Midland Railway Butterley.

D1643  47765/47059/47631 - East Lancashire Railway.

D1946  47503/47771 - Eastleigh Works.

D1755  47541/47773 - (Location Not Known).

D1909  47232/47785/47820 - Wensleydale Railway.

D1656  47072/47609/47834/47798 'Prince William' - York Railway Museum.

D1654  47070/47620/47799/47835 'Prince Henry' - Eden Valley Railway.

D1966  47266/47629/47828 - Carnforth.

D1661  47077/47613/47840 'North Star' - West Somerset Railway.

More Class 47 and 57 images on 'Along These Tracks'.

Class 47100 'Merlin'

Class 57316 'Fab 1'

Class 57305 'John Tracy'

Class 57308 'Tin Tin'

Class 47822

Class 47701

Class 47790 'Galway Princess'

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Night Photo Desiro UK Class 350250 EMU UK Passenger Train Wolverton 2016

London Midland Trains Class 350250 EMU

Photo: Charles Moorhen

Strangely enough, this 2016 night photo of London Midland Trains Class 350 250, UK passenger commuter train, standing in Wolverton station on its way to Euston station, London, came about following the change of a set of spark plugs in my car earlier in the day...and an infuriating lapse of memory.

In my eagerness to ensure that I had set the plug gaps to the correct size I decided to drive the 16 miles to Wolverton railway station, a station I've visited a number of times in the past, to test how the car was performing and do a spot of night photography while I was there.

Arriving at Wolverton station I opened the boot only to find that I had left behind a vital piece of equipment - my tripod!  

Now I was left with two options.  Drive back home and collect the tripod, or take my chances hand-holding the camera and hoping for the best.  

Well, the first option was totally out of the question as it would have meant a total driving mileage for the evening of around 64 miles. And it was only meant to be a quick trip!

So, it was the latter option or a complete waste of time and petrol.

After a couple of blurred, out of focus failures I managed to produce a small number of half decent hand-held photos, this one of electric multiple unit, Class 350 250, probably being the best of the bunch.   

The moral of this little tale?  Even if the odds are pretty much stacked against you have a go anyway.  You may be pleasantly surprised!

And yes!   The spark plugs worked fine.

 

 

 

Video Clip - Two Class 350 EMUs Passing at Bletchley Station

Class 350250 electric multiple unit was built between 2008 and 2009 and is allocated to Northampton King's Heath Siemens Depot.

The unit coach numbers for this EMU are as follows: 61450  65250  67550  61550.

 

Wolverton railway station historical note:
It was at Wolverton railway station in Buckinghamshire, on the 9th September 1845, that bare-knuckle fighter, Bendigo, stepped from a carriage of a London & Birmingham Railway train surrounded by a horde of his supporters.

His destination was the nearby town of Newport Pagnell where it was arranged that he would take part in an illegal fight with Ben Court.

At the last possible moment, for various reasons, the venue was switched to the village of Lillington Lovell, 4 miles north of Buckingham.


The match went ahead with Bendigo being heralded the winner after 96 gruelling rounds.

___________________________

 

 

 

A few historical facts about Wolverton railway station:

• The first station was built on the canal embankment above Wolverton Park and opened on the 17th Sept. 1838

• In 1840 a newer, more permanent station was built close by.

• The waiting room of the newer structure, which surprisingly had a full-time staff of 29, was lavishly redecorated for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1824.

• In 1881 yet another station was constructed replacing all previous buildings.

• The wooden station buildings built on the road bridge over the tracks stood for 100 years until British Rail demolished them in 1991.

• A modern brick station building, close to the car park and platforms, was opened on the 21st June 2012.

• Wolverton station has four platforms although only two are used for 'stopping' trains; the other two being reserved for fast 'through' expresses.

• Between 1865 and 1964 there was a branch line from Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Railway Station, primarily for employees at the nearby Wolverton Railway Works.  It was closed to all railway traffic in 1967.     

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Pensioner Railway Enthusiast Photographed Every UK Railway Station

Railway Photographer David Brewer at Dumbarton East Station

Former railway worker and railway enthusiast, pensioner David Brewer, 68, has recently completed a personal ambition that has taken him to the four corners of mainland Britain to photograph every railway station in the UK.

His target was reached when he snapped the 15.52 train from Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street passing through the tiny station of Manea, Cambridgeshire, on the 9th May 2016, served by Abellio Greater Anglia.

Speaking about his eight-year hobby, Mr. Brewer said that Redcar British Steel was probably the most difficult to reach.  The station, used solely by the steel works employees, has only two services a day and special permission had to be obtained to photograph on the site.

Redcar British Steel Station

So, is this the end of David Brewer's photographic travels?  Apparently not.  He is now photographing every station on the London Underground system.

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Rare Heritage Railway 'Thumper' DEMU Destroyed By Fire

Mindless Vandals Consign 'Thumper' DEMU To History

Burnt Out 'Thumper' DEMU at Swindon Cricklade Railway

A vintage DEMU train, 'Thumper' number 1302, owned by the Swindon and Cricklade Railway and valued at around £100,000, was completely destroyed by fire in May 2016.

The 2-car 'Thumper', (so nicknamed by railway enthusiasts due to the noise the diesel engine made while running) DEMU, believed to be one of only three working units in preservation after withdrawal from Southern Railway service with British Railways, was parked up near the Hayes Knoll end of the line when the fire was discovered.

Dave Peacey, a trustee of the Swindon and Cricklade Railway, said: "It is completely beyond repair.  We are all devastated to say the least".

Three box wagons parked nearby containing electrical equipment were also destroyed.  It appears that the fire may have started in one of these and spread to the train.

The cause of the fire was investigated.  At time of writing the culprits had not been found.

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Photo Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class Loco 35006 Nameplate Unveiling 2016

 

 

'Merchant Navy' 35006 Steam Locomotive Nameplate Unveiled 

Pete Waterman Unveils Merchant Navy Loco Nameplate

Pop! Goes The Loco

Nearly 500 people recently attended the unveiling of the former Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class Pacific locomotive, 35006 'Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co', at Toddington, on May 20th 2016; home of the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway following an immense years-long overhaul providing a glimpse of times past and a bygone era.

John McMillan, P&O Locomotive Society chairman, opened the day's proceedings and GWSR's president, celebrity and record producer, Pete Waterman, unveiled the locomotive's nameplate.

One of 30 engines of the class to built, all named after shipping lines that used Southampton Docks, Class 35006 locomotive was salvaged from Dai Woodham's scrapyard in Wales, where she had stood rusting away since her withdrawal in the 1960's, and brought to the GWSR - then in its infancy - in 1983.

35006 in Dai Woodham's scrapyard 

David Brown, a locomotive fireman in the 1960's based at Yeovil, worked P&O's final journey on a mail train from Yeovil to Eastleigh, then returned it to its home depot of Salisbury.

The locomotive will make its public debut at the Cotswold Festival of Steam at the GWSR from 28th to 30th May.

Full details are available on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway website.

 

Merchant Navy Class Locomotive Technical Specifications: (British Railways Classification).
Designer: O. V. Bulleid.
Origin: Southern Railway.
Introduced: June 1941.
Purpose: Express Passenger.
Wheel Arrangement: 4-6-2.
Number Series: 35001 - 35030.
Driving Wheel: 6ft. 2in.
Bogie Wheel: 3ft. 1in.
Length: 69ft. 7 3/4in.
Weight: (without tender) 94 tons 15 cwt. (Increased to 97tons in rebuilt engines).
Water Capacity: 5,000 gallons.
Cylinders: (3) 18in. x 24in.
Boiler Pressure: 250 lb. sq. in.
Tractive Effort: 37,515 lb.
Coal Capacity: 5 tons.
Power Classification: 8-P.

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