I was looking over some old posts and saw a few folk were looking for some nostalgic posts.and seen as we have a few new folk on here I've decided to rehash some old posts, i apologise wholeheartedly to those who've already read these witterings on.
A Different way of Doing things
In the late 80's something new turned up for the lads and I, now bashing and spotting had slowly lost some of the regular lads, Cal, who was the master of the timetable, his visits to Tyne Yard got less frequent and slowly drifted off the scene altogether. Mavis, our light fingered friend, moved away because his Dad got a good job down South, much to WH Smith's delight no doubt, we were gutted not only to lose a very good friend but it also meant, we had to pay full price for platform 5 books and Rail Enthusiast magazine
I always thought he'd end up as a magician, he was so slight of hand. We were young and now i realise, the trouble he couldve landed himself in, silly when you look back. We lost a few but somehow recruited a few new lads, who went full hog into the hobby but drifted by the wayside just as quick as they'd came. Leaving just 3 of the original 6, who were John, Glen and I.
However one evening at Tyne Yard, a few of us were sat on the fence at the end of the bridge, as Glen arrived, with a cheery evening boys, he produced a couple of sheets of paper, which he unfolded and said, lads I've got to show you this, the usual jokes ensued, I'm not looking at it, if its green go and see the doctor or oh, you've got the letter to confirm the date of your sex change, Glen answered in his usual manner but went on, I've been passed this list, from someone he knew and proceeded to showed us a list of organised bus trips, roughly 1 a month for the year, visiting depots, stations, works and stabling points over every point of the Country. You go overnight on a Friday evening till late Saturday and the bigger trips included 2 nights with a one night Bed n Breakfast included. He'd certainly got our attention, as we poured over the list, the prices stood out immediatley, they were a damn sight cheaper than what we were shelling out for a bashing day here n there. The Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire Depots and Stabling points trip, stood out like a sore thumb, it ticked big boxes for us all. The list was as follows :-
Thornaby(hillside), Knottingley,Doncaster Station, Worksop, Shirebrook, Coalville, Barrow Hill, Derby Works, Toton, Tinsley, Healey Mills(bank side) Holbeck, York, (the siding next to the NRM).
Woah Glen mate, you've hit a home run there alright mate, I said. The lines in our platform 5's were devoid of these new fangled Class 58's and units, South of Donny, would be major gap fillers too. For us though getting amongst the bones, in their natural habitat of Notts was obviously the big temptation.
We all needed permission ofcourse and My dad was his usual self, how much? I offered to pay for the trip, if he stumped up some spends, my Dad readily agreed, John n Glen got permission too, so a day after, Glen booked us all on the trip, we were chuffed to bits but I only had roughly 3 weeks to save the cash.
2 nights after booking , I thought my Dad was gonna drop a bombshell on me, You know that trip you booked on, (inside I was screaming, don't you dare pull the plug on this) I said, yeah, what about it? He said, well you know Alan who you went to Crewe with, he helps organise them, hes going too. He says, you have to be at Central Station for 7.30, bus leaves at 8pm. I let out a huge sigh of relief, I can tell you.
On the day, we were at Central about 6 and just stood on the Station watching stuff come and go, before we walked off the station and went to one of the bus stops at 7.30. We got talking to some other cranks, who were also booked on the trip and climbed aboard the coach and bang on 8pm, we left bound for Stockton to pick up other folk, before viewing Thornaby from the bank side and getting back on board the bus, as i got on, Alan asked if I copped owt?, couple of shunters and a couple of 20's, I gleefully said, well its a start he said.
The organisers, who were all up front of the coach, certainly knew their stuff and i was shocked at the myriad of stuff they had to bribe depot foreman, from trays of dog or cat food, sometimes on entrance to a depot, the odd collection was had, for the lads Xmas fund, normally a couple of quid each, trays of beer, I seem to remember, broon ale was quite popular, as was the newest playboy calendar too.
En route to Knottingley the domino card came round, the winner gets half the kitty were told, the other half goes into the permit fund. John, Glen and I bought 2 each and vowed to split it 3 ways, if we won, which we didnt.
Around 11.30pm, 2 lads got off and went to see the foreman at Knottingley, no-one off the bus until the lads come back, 5mins later, we'd got permission to go round, the place was heaving with 56's, I snared a few of them, plus a couple of gronks. In amongst the lines of locos, were a couple of much needed 58's and we delightedly copped them. As we came off the depot, John, Glen and I, looked at each other and said, this is amazing.
After a quick peak round Doncaster station, we roped in the shunter, a couple of locos stabled and a few units parked in the platforms. John and I had a ciggy before getting back on the bus and went towards Donnie shed, however on asking if we could have a look see, the answer apparently a very swift No. Afterwards i promptly fell asleep.
Glen woke us up in the early hours of Saturday morning, howay lads, we're getting round Worksop. Again a few 56s were knocked off the list, including about half a dozen 58's too.
During them early hours of Saturday morning, it was sleep, followed with howay man, were getting round such n such, as the organisers and negotiators managed to get us around the lot of what we called the 58's stamping grounds, Shirebrook, Barrow Hill another one, whos name escapes me and although it was winding down at the time, we got round Coalville too.
I'd been round Tyne Yard, well the stabling point, not the yard itself and Gateshead shed but this was completely different. The sense of getting round these depots in the dead of night without a permit too, was amazing, walking through the lines of locos with a torch, trying to write the numbers down, added to the joy of it. We were copping boat loads, shunters and the 58's were big gains, 20's and 56s were biting the dust just as quick.
Surprisingly the night had flew over and by 8am, all the Depot's and stabling points in that area were done. So off we trooped at a truck stop for a well earned cuppa and breakfast. Suitably refreshed and stuffed to the gunnels, John and I had went outside and joined the throng, having a ciggy, by the coach, whilst contemplating what the day had yet to bring. Glen joined us outside and the 3 of us, spoke of the visits ahead. With permits for Tinsley and Toton, the cops list, would certainly rocket.
We got on the bus, i tried getting a bit more kip but excitement had replaced any need for sleep. The 3 of us spoke about getting some Class 13's underlined. We'd obviously seen pics of them at Tinsley, in various books n magazines but and were equally keen to get them underlined.
When we arrived into the car park at Tinsley, I just turned to both John and Glen and said, jesus, look at this lot. It was heaving, the lines of locos, both outside and inside the shed was staggering, knocking the 13's off was very pleasing indeed, some 20's, 31's, the odd 37, and a huge quantity of their 47's were all snared, it was a cop fest for us, I'd always imagined Tinsley would be good but not this good, this was awesome.
After a good hour or so, everyone assembled in the Car Park, I was having a ciggy when my Dads mate, Alan came over and asked the 3 of us, How it was going lads? bloody amazing so far, we'd replied, adding, jesus, this place is heaving aint it. Aye he said, theres a fair bit on today alright. You enjoying yourselves then? We puffed out our cheeks in exasperation and as one, all said, Aye!!. So do you think you'd do another, cos if you do., see the main man and he'll get your addresses and put you on the mailing list, for future trips. Count us in, cheers Alan, we'd all said. Alan left knowing full well, we'd be back and no doubt drag others with us.
About 5 mins after we got back on the coach, the main man came to see us, asking if we'd got much, how we were enjoying ourselves and asked our opinions on the itinerary?
We told him, it had been brilliant so far, we've copped loads, Tinsley, that was chocker mind wsnt it. He readily agreed but added, If you think thats good, wait till you get to Toton. I think we all just gawped at him. Needless to say, we gave our addresses and we were on the mailing list.
I somehow dropped off to sleep on the journey between Tinsley and Toton, with John shaking me, howay man, wake up, we're at Toton, just, as we got to the security gates, despite my grogginess, my eyes went as wide as saucers, at the sheer numbers of locos outside the place,. I gasped, F#&k Me, look at this lot, i looked at Glen and John, who's faces, spoke a million words without opening their mouths and said, this is gonna be amazing.
We just ran off the bus but were told to wait here for our guide. What seemed an everlasting 15mins our guide arrived and took us into every nook and cranny of the place. I loved every minute of it, i lost count of what I scratched off in Toton. we must've spent a good 2 hours in the place. I know for a fact, I'd managed to go from having seen just 1 class 58 before boarding the coach at Newcastle to having seen 32.
That was THE BEST EVER Depot visit, I ever had the pleasure to do. We got back on the bus and were grinning from ear to ear, saying how amazing was that. I put a huge dint in my class 20 requirements, I was down from needing about 50 in total, to nearly wiping all but 4 of Toton and Tinsley's 20's, the rest were all Scottish ones, I think I needed 16 after this trip and gronks, were snared at rapid rates too.
By now its about 3pm, next stop Derby Station, was shouted up the bus, a chance get a bit down time, a bit time to pick of some units and more importantly a bite to eat. We hammered the stations buffet, coffee, crisps and Mars Bars done the trick, after the hour or so at Derby Station, we left to visit Derby Works but apart from a few shunters and a couple of loco's stabled close by, there wasnt much else to see really, we seemed to be in and out in half an hour, I vaguely remember, at the time, they were building some new units but I can't for the life of me remember which ones they were.
I have to admit after the works I truly zonked on the bus, I was only half awake on that bank side at Healey Mills, my mate was calling out numbers picked up with bino's and I was on auto pilot just writing them down. I climbed back aboard the bus, had what seemed like 5 more mins shut eye before my mate John was shaking me awake saying, haway man, we're getting round Holbeck. I mouttered something incoherently but rapidly got off the bus to see an an old guy resembling Alfred Hitchcock, shouting, with a thick Yorkshire accent, get t numbers of t locos you see and get away before t'other foreman comes on.
We did just that and to be fair there was a canny bit on too, I saw a 47 with a white roof and 1st thing that comes into my mind is, please be 47579, it was among the last of my last 4 SF 47's I needed, I picked off what was on view in front of me and walked round the back of the front line of loco's, to see what was behind, especially the one with the white roof, 4 7 5 7 and 9, I shouted, get in there, John called me a jammy so and so, I didn't care, don't you need it too, I asked, he replied, rather industrially, no, you know I'm after 580, oops sorry mate, I'd forgot then laughed.
Holbeck proved to be the last visit of the trip too, with everyone tiring the decision to hit York was scratched and it was straight home after dropping off some lads on Teeside.
It was an exhausting 24+ hours but very wortwhile, it was the first of many of them coach trips and even though i went to all four corners of the UK and between, I always fondly remember that trip.