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  1. Madge Wildfire

    What’s the Supersonic Rocket Ship of the railway(idea inspired by the Kinks song Supersonic Rocket Ship)

    Gresley's Hush-Hush 10000 would be my entrant. My Dad saw it as a teenager; and said once he picked himself up off the embankment, he really did think the distant future had arrived.
  2. Madge Wildfire

    Early class 43 allocations.

    Although, to be pedantic, the DMUs and EMUs were listed in many of the 1970s Locoshed books, together with their allocations. I think these units were added because the the locos only volume had become very slim by the 1969 edition, and was not really worth the money they were charging for it...
  3. Madge Wildfire

    Early class 43 allocations.

    Wow. This is far more information than I ever envisaged. Thanks very much everyone. I will save the later info for future pages (as the site has one page for each year and I'm only up to 1976 at the moment), although I have pasted my mysterious database search data on later pages. Thanks once...
  4. Madge Wildfire

    Early class 43 allocations.

    Thanks very much. That is excellent and just what I was looking for. I will change the OC to OO as there must have been a distinction between the two areas of the depot. Similarly (although not quite the same) PM rather than BR for the Bristol based sets. I was just like you at first, noting...
  5. Madge Wildfire

    Early class 43 allocations.

    As part of the continual update of my spotting log site, I have reached 1976 in my tidying up and adding depot allocations to locos seen at the various locations. However, I have no details of the class 43 early allocations when introduced. I have Locoshed books for 1976 and 1977, but there...
  6. Madge Wildfire

    Will Mallard Ever Run Again?

    The problem with briquettes is that while they generate lots of heat, they tend to disintigrate quickly and turn the fire into a glowing mass without structure. Although coal is unloved, it will burn steadily on its own given a free supply of air from below, and tends to stay in lumps for much...
  7. Madge Wildfire

    Will Mallard Ever Run Again?

    I doubt many mainline steam locos will run in the future, once the climate change activists realise how much coal the loco would burn on a single trip. I am informed that burning coal on my open fire will be illegal from May 2023. I don't know how long heritage steam locos might be exempt.
  8. Madge Wildfire

    Steam shed websites

    I have a website with locos seen at all manner of locations, plus some photo pages. It is nowhere near as refined as 'Shedbash' or BRdatabase', but it does show what was seen on visits through the years. You can find the index page at...
  9. Madge Wildfire

    Celebrity Train/Station Announcers You'd Like to Hear

    My vote will go to Stephen Fry. I'm sure he could calm the nerves of harassed travellers.
  10. Madge Wildfire

    Words and phrases recently introduced into the English language.

    This happens on many groups these days. Moderators mis-interpret their role as being censors.
  11. Madge Wildfire

    How unusual is it for a train on a route to skip all intermediate stations?

    When I was commuting betweem Cardiff and Bristol Parkway, this happened regularly if the service included a reversal at Parkway and was running late. Passengers were told to get off at Patchway and walk, and the train continued towards Abbey Wood (the Filton version) making up some time.
  12. Madge Wildfire

    Longest through journeys for first generation DMU sets

    At times in the 1960s, there was a SO summer service from the West Midlands to Skegness. Living in a house which had a garden overlooking the line between Sleaford and Boston, this was always an exciting train as it consisted of Met-Camm DMUs of various formations - but always ones where I had...
  13. Madge Wildfire

    Does anyone recognise this disused station? (update: it's Borwick)

    Thanks very much folks. That makes a lot of sense, as other images on the film are at Bentham.
  14. Madge Wildfire

    Does anyone recognise this disused station? (update: it's Borwick)

    Does anyone recognise this disused station? The photo was in a strip of negatives, most of which are in the S&C area. That is Settle & Carlisle.
  15. Madge Wildfire

    Can I run this on my layout? Of course you can.

    For those with a spare BR blue class 20 and a Mk2 air-con coach, you will need to model York in the mid-80s. 20189 passes the station in 1985 with what looks like E5810 in tow.
  16. Madge Wildfire

    Trivia: Unusual diesel loco combinations in the BR era

    Yes they did, on freight trains mainly. I have trawled through some of my mid-70s notes and saw E3003+81022 at Pitstone 8 April 1974 81016+86205 at Watford 11 November 1975 83011+85014 at Watford 3 May 1976 81004+86024 near Crewe 15 November 1976 85034+81016 at Bletchley 9 March 1977...
  17. Madge Wildfire

    The Forest of Dean again. .....

    Somewhat O/T from the OP, but I have just discovered to my delight that Ben Ashworth is still alive and well. I worked with him in Cardiff at times during the 1980s, and have often wondered if he was still with us. For those unfamiliar with his work, here is a link -...
  18. Madge Wildfire

    Harry Gration has died.

    Poor chap. He didn't get much of a retirement, as he only left the BBC local news team when he was 70. :'(
  19. Madge Wildfire

    In your opinion what is the most depressing song you've listened to?

    It is interesting you mention that, because I was very unhappy at home when I first heard that track in the late 1960s; and the lyrics seemed so relevant to my situation at that time. I ended up feeling very guilty as I didn't have the guts to do what the girl in the song did. I remember an...

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