Wow lads,
Some fantastic recollections and pics in there. Sorry about the 47 bowling you for 56, I did laugh but even as a Spoon lover, I'd have been a bit p*ssed off if a 47 turned up instead of a Grid. My pain would've been less than yourself but I can appreciate the rarer things too. Although 47709 was a little lost, its a rather scant reward.
Having done Stewart Lane Depot too, the place was actually pristine, by far the cleanest and tidiest depot, I'd been round. Our guides took us to places outside to see stuff BUT we were told come this way, do not stray away, then stand there and don't move. Just ask if you want to know anything, at the time, I remember thinking(well apart from being **** scared I put my foot on the 3rd rail by total mistake or tripping over) this is like being shown the route through a mine field.
My abiding memory of SL was a slim Jim throbbing away in the shed, the reverberations seemed to go right through you. Also inside the main shed was a loco, I'd recently seen in Rail Enthusiast magazine and thought, I hope we see that when we're in London. None other than, 09012 DIck Hardy (yes, I did have an immature titter too) in the ever increasing but still relatively new, Inter City livery but titter ye not, I was delighted to see it too, as it was a cop too.
After coming off SL, with a boat load of cops(it was my first sojourn to London, I still cop loads when I go there), a guy on the coach asked, you do well there son, I said, aye, what about you? I got a few for the year, a name and livery, he replied. I was gobsmacked, I said, Year, You completely start again every year? I still have a book for all time sight but yes, I start from 1st Jan to 31st December, Keeps it interesting for me. I asked if I could possibly look at his books, he readily agreed and passed them over. His all time sights, the ones he needed were in pencil, of which, I'm told, he just rubs out when he sees them. Trust me, there wasn't very many pencil lines and haulages underlined in red biro, of which there was as many as I had for sight. His book for the year, did have more than I'd seen for sight. His books were immaculate too and complimented him on it, the one thing I nicked from him, from that day forth I made a promise to myself, my books I would try to keep equally as immaculate as his.
Everytime I see a pic of 33113, could be in outer Mongolia and like was posted in this thread earlier, I'll always think of it as the one that came to the Toon.
Mr North West Rover, loving these old photos, especially the 40s because coming up to and in my early teenage years, seeing 40s in the North East was becoming a bit of a rarity, not uncommon on freights but not passenger turns, certainly seemed more prevalent in the North West and Scotland if memory serves me right. I loved the whistling but the noise they make when thrashed was amazing. The shape of the nameplates on them too, added to their character.
Sure you guys will have many bashing tales to tell chasing 40s. I knew a guy, well a friend of a friends, who'd drive down to Preston on a regular basis, normally a Friday for the 40 turn, doing them to Blackpool and back. Then kip in his car for a bit, then over to Manchester to try his luck there, then drive home. His name escapes me sadly.
