Back to my early days

[michaelborrill]

I have been interested in railways from the age of 9. One Sunday whilst leaving church(yes, I was a good boy then!) a friend said that there was probably a streaK coming and did I want to see it. I had no idea what a streak was but I went with him to Lincoln Central station.
I lived in Lincoln until I was 25 ish and I later learnt that Sunday regular diversions from the East Coast main line took place. From what I remember that first "spotting" was the Sunday Harrogate Pullman. No streak as I remember but my first A4 was at Newark a few weeks later and I always remember it because it was on a pick up freight.
I left school and went onto the footplate, firing from an early time from the 40A shed, later getting a regular job at the St Marks sub depot.
After a spell in the army, Royal Engineers Movement Control, I returned but shortly afterwards with the diesels and a certain Dr Beeching, moved into the Telegraph dept staying for a few years before I moved to other pastures prior to the more or less elimination of many lines in Lincolnshire.
After a gap of numerous years, my interest was ignited again probably with the many steam railways being brought back to life.
I have always built model layouts and over the last two years have started to make O gauge locos.
I now live in Boston which does not give me much scope for sightings but I visit Heritage lines whenever possible.
When I do go back to Lincoln I remember the days when freight traffic was "bumper to bumper" on the high line(Lincoln Avoiding line-permissive block
) and the heady days at Pyewipe and Boultham Junctions.
That is a brief introdution to me.

Michael

[redudley]

Welcome to the forum Michael. I'm sure you will enjoy it here.

[locojoe]

Hello Michael welcome to the forum.

[DSY011]

Hello Michael and welcome to the Railway Forum.

[G6 UXU]

Hello Michael and welcome to the forum, enjoy and all the best.

[6678bjm]

Hi Michael,
welcome aboard the Railway Forum
Regards

[Silver Fox Phil]

Hi Michael, I remember it all too well at Linocln Central, St Marks, Pywipe, Skellingthorpe crossing, and Brayford too. We used to cycle to Tuxford on occasion to see all manner of East Coast Main Line engines speeding through. I was brought up in Lincoln and Market Rasen and loved every bit of Steam and like you dropped it all for some time before realising our heritage scene is huge in this country.
Look forward to your posts.

[48111]

Michael, how the devil are you ? Welcome to the forum.


Enjoy.

48111

[John H-T]

Welcome to the Forum Michael. Look forward to your posts.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

[Bill Tooke]

Hello one and all,

I have just joined the forum, I came across it via the 'old Tuxford' website, really trawling the web for info on the ex LD&ECR and the Mansfild Railway. As an ex Mansfield stalwart but living in Plymouth since 1965 and ex Royal Marine, I have always maintained a strong interest in the ex LNER line from Nottingham Victoria to Lincoln via Mansfield, Tuxford and Pyewipe Junction. Whilst living in Mansfield I travelled the line both ways from Mansfield to Nottingham and to Lincoln, this was during the 'all steam' period, even going to the east coast via the Tuxford link onto the ECML to Scarborough. The excursion trains were always hauled by B1's, K3's and the occasional B16/3, I particularly recall one train returning to Mansfield from Tuxford really shifting by Boughton, coaches swaying prior to a stop at Ollerton, that was in 1959. I enlisted in the RM in 1965 and after spells in Aden, Singapore, Borneo, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, when I returned to Mansfield in 1970, the Mansfield Railway had gone and all I had were memories. Of course the ex LMS line is back with us and a possible prospect of passenger trains running back to Warsop, Edwinstowe and Ollerton, however we have the likelihood of the reinstatement of trains from Bere Alston to Tavistock
down here in Devon, it's been on the cards since the mid 1990's, so don't expect trains to Ollerton that quickly. It's all about money, housing investment and new estates providing passengers, mind in our case, the forecast of worsening weather conditions along the Dawlish coast will eventually see the reopening of the Okehampton line.

Nice to be on board the Railway Forum and I look forward to reading comments on the railway scene in North Nottinghamshire.

Bill Tooke