Hi from Leeds.

[Lee H.]

Hello everyone.

I am Lee from Leeds and in my youth i was a trainspotter/rail enthusiast from 79-86.

I found this site through Google this evening as i was watching "Trainspotting" on Sky channel 523.

I decided to have a look on Google earth at some of the old haunts that i used to frequent as a youngster. I was suprised to see that the majority of the old engine sheds that had loco's in abundance are now defunct!!!!

I started my love for trains through some friends in my street as a 9 y/o and we used to stand my the line at east Garforth.

I can remember to this day how chuffed i was when my father bought me my first ever "Locoshed" numbers book, it has the green class 40 standing in Chester depot. I was so proud of this book and my love for diesel loco's grew from here.

MY main haunts were Garforth, Leeds, Holbeck sheds, York and Doncaster. Now and agin my dad and i would get the early morning train via Stalybridge and Stockport and visit Crewe which was a real highlight for me.

Times were differant then in the 80's and in September for my birthday i would save all my money and a friend and i would have a big day out somewhere like Cardiff, Scotland or London. They were great times as young teenagers going around the country, it was great.

My proudest moment as a trainspotter was watching 55 018 "Ballymoss" rumble into York station.....i had classed my Deltic's (seen them all) including Nimbus and St Paddy.

I still have my old Platform 5 spotter book in my bedside drawer which i still look at from time to time to bring back some old memories.

Lee

[locojoe]

Hi Lee Welcome to the forum I see you spotted at Doncaster a station I visited many times when I was firing at Kings Cross.
Alan Locojoe.

[Lee H.]

Yes i visited Donny on many occasions.

I remember vividly going to the works around 1980 and peering through the fences and seeing the noses of 55 001 and 55 020 (St Paddy and Nimbus) before they were scrapped.

On Thursday i had to visit Rail part a company in Donny works and after i finished there i drove around the corner to where the main gates were to donny works. It was the first time that i had been here in over 20 years and was shocked/upset to see it all flattend.

I travel to Kings cross from Leeds every now and and agin with work and it saddens me to see how much the railways have changed from when i was a lad. Finsbury Park shed is no more and the fueling point at KX is no more too.

79-86 was my era for loco's and seeing the loco's of today again upset's me as i feel that they have no charchter.

Nothing beats the sound of a Deltic or a class 40....todays railways are balnd and uncharachteristic in my opinion.

[Lee H.]

Hello Alan.

sorry i did not say that in my previous post.

Lee

[swisstrains]

Hello Lee and welcome to the forum.
I really enjoyed reading about your spotting days. I am a bit older than you so my first spell of train watching was in the days of steam but my most recent period roughly coincides with yours. I really enjoyed watching and photographing British trains in the 1980's but for me everything started to go downhill in the early 90's and now my main interest is in Swiss trains.

P.S. For old times sake I have posted a photo of the green Class 40 at Chester depot in 1984
http://www.railwayforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2725&cat=500&ppuser=40

[GBRf_66709]

Hi there Lee and welcome to the forum.

GBRf_66709

[chapelon]

Hi Lee I'm from Leeds too! but live near to Scunny now since the last 4 years.