Sheffield Steam Sheds Article in Steam Day Magazine

[hillsbro]

Oh that's right, a half-fare (under 14) day return to Donny was 1s 8d in the late 1950s. The train would be 5 or 6 elderly coaches pulled by a Darnall B1. Usually there would be someone with a bike by the paint shop wall and so you could see what was in there. This is how I copped a rarity - 61997 McCaillin Mor on a rare visit from Scotland for a major overhaul. Does anyone remember the scrapyard near St James' Bridge with ex-WW2 tanks? If there was nothing doing on the main line you could climb in and out of the turrets. My first visit to Donny was also on a Sunday, in the summer of 1958. Copped my first streak - 60010 Dominion of Canada, complete with bell. Happy days...

[CHAIRBOY]

My final A4 was from the paint shop wall/window, Kingfisher, with that oval badge on the side of orange and light blue of the bird. I remember the 1s 8d fare as clearly as the 4s 6d to Manchester London Road, dash to the ticket office and buy a 3s 6d return to Crewe.

I had a school satchel which had to remain for that purpose so I had an Army Stores' haversack, although I did possess a duffel bag as well as the coat!

Doncaster sheds was up towards Balby Road, I think, just beyond the left-hand curve visible at the south end from St.James's Bridge. The front line often disappointed with a line of "austerites" but it was always worth the visit, if only for the chat. There was a wire-netting fence which allowed you to view. Many years later, I saw a pupil's book with wire-netting spelt (yanetin)!

I have raised this point before and am surprised with such avid spotters on board, nobody has substantiated it. There was a Sheffield Locospotters' Club run by a man called Charlie Foster who lived at Gleadless. Can't remember the subs but it was fantastic value. A coach would leave LMS at midnight on the Saturday and you'd arrive at your destination early Sunday morning ready to 'do' the London sheds or Bristol area etc./Swindon Works. Even more local trips around Notts and Coalville areas were done. It was great value and the 'underlining' took well into the following week!

Hillsbro has made well this point before about a discipline this instilled and it certainly enriched my UK geography. Nine Elms, Hither Green, Temple Meads started to mean something and I am amazed at the poor level of knowledge some pupils/students have of their own country. It may be dismissed as trivia but allied with a knowledge of football venues, I was soon able to form a mental picture of counties and capital county towns, eg Trowbridge.

On sporting trips to London on Saturdays, the evenings were spent on stations, either autograph hunting or spotting - or even doing a shed - Old Oak Common for one, four massive roundhouses in one!

When there was the Paddington disaster of 2004, that trip to 81A ensured I knew the surrounding area of Ladbroke Grove and could identify with the Sky News story. Then there was the excitement of the monthly TI being bought on the way to school, dying for break in order to glimpse it.

As hillsbro said, there were many positives to come from trainspotting and I haven't mentioned photography yet.

[hillsbro]

... Doncaster sheds was up towards Balby Road, I think, just beyond the left-hand curve visible at the south end from St.James's Bridge.

 

That's right, CHAIRBOY, and to judge from "multimap" there is still a small depot there, with heavy freight locos. and a scrap line with older ones - see http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GB|sheffield#map=53.50893,-1.13306|19|256&be=7684517|East&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:53.38308:-1.46487:14|sheffield|Sheffield,%20Norton,%20South%20Yorkshire,%20England,%20S1%202

 

It's only when we grow up that we realise what we learned from trainspotting. A knowledge of geography certainly, and the experience of travelling aound seeing other parts of the country and abroad. But even the names of the engines taught us something, whether it be the names of Commonwealth countries or characters in literature, or famous people, regiments, football teams or Derby winners. And when last year I was in the Karoo National Park, looking at Kudu and Klipspringer, Mrs hillsbro noticed that I went all misty-eyed...

[CHAIRBOY]

And pronunciations - MacLeod of MacLeod, Duchess of Buccleuch et al.

There's a whole gamut of knowledge lurking behind the locos' names. The then, four mainline Glasgow stations and the areas they served. The London Underground lines and network. Fascinating knowledge and never forgotten thereafter.

[hillsbro]

And pronunciations - MacLeod of MacLeod, Duchess of Buccleuch et al.

 

Quite right, though I still don't know how to pronounce Alycidon (http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kalyr.com/pictures/YorkAlycidon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/2004/05/&h=300&w=400&sz=37&hl=en&start=3&um=1&usg=__2I0YsjDIy1xoKvw_1cXL_mwSuGQ=&tbnid=GI09lIsn4QFOPM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalycidon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ie%3DUTF-8)

 

It looks like ALIS-EYE-DON but a racing buff at school pronounced it AL-SEED...

[CHAIRBOY]

Quite right, though I still don't know how to pronounce Alycidon (http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kalyr.com/pictures/YorkAlycidon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kalyr.com/weblog/2004/05/&h=300&w=400&sz=37&hl=en&start=3&um=1&usg=__2I0YsjDIy1xoKvw_1cXL_mwSuGQ=&tbnid=GI09lIsn4QFOPM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalycidon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ie%3DUTF-8)

 

It looks like ALIS-EYE-DON but a racing buff at school pronounced it AL-SEED...

 

Got to dash but I would have said Alis-i-don but never given it any thought. Never sure when it doesn't relate to a language.

[biker]

Oh that's right, a half-fare (under 14) day return to Donny was 1s 8d in the late 1950s. The train would be 5 or 6 elderly coaches pulled by a Darnall B1. Usually there would be someone with a bike by the paint shop wall and so you could see what was in there. This is how I copped a rarity - 61997 McCaillin Mor on a rare visit from Scotland for a major overhaul. Does anyone remember the scrapyard near St James' Bridge with ex-WW2 tanks? If there was nothing doing on the main line you could climb in and out of the turrets. My first visit to Donny was also on a Sunday, in the summer of 1958. Copped my first streak - 60010 Dominion of Canada, complete with bell. Happy days...

 

We used to go to the Doncaster Plant in our pre teens.I remember being pushed up the wall to see inside the workshops when I unfortunately dislodged a house brick onto one of my friends head.The local chemist patched him up (thanks again!!).We were caught cabbing there and our names were taken by the railway police!!!!!.Another memory is being at Retford station when a streak came through at speed.We were on the wrong platform and dashed through to the other platform as it flew through.This gave a massive impression of speed.We often went on those holiday express holiday weeks from the Midland station for our family holidays and I saw a lot of trains then.I,ve still got my Ian Allen book somewhere.What innocent pre vandal days they were.

[Rowlinson]

Saw McCailin Mor there in 61 - it was awaiting scrapping as a non standard engine. nothing left of that end of the works now - only the old wagon shops opposite the station. Started spotting on the wall at Dore & Totley in 1959 and reached Millhouses shed steps in early 61. I think the last loco to leave Millhouses was V2 parked under repair at the bottom of No 1 road in late December 61. The shed closed on 1st Jan 62. I ended up very lucky - passed out as an engine driver on a narrow gauge line 18 months ago.

[hillsbro]

Preparing for a house move I found my notebook from a 9-day trip to Scotland in September 1973. A few excerpts might interest railway-oriented forummers:

 

Sheffield - York: unusual route - to Normanton then via Castleford and Church Fenton. D2326 scrapped beside line near Bolton-on-Dearne.

 

Sleeper to Aberdeen; shared a compartment with a posh Gordonstoun boy returning to school. The Aberdonian left at 10:40 - 12 coaches pulled by a Brush Type 4.

 

Sunday

Aberdeen - Inverness - sat at the back of the dmu and could see speedometer - train was on time all the way but always travelling 5-10 mph faster than the speed limit, so timetable requires driver to exceed limit. Touched 78 mph approaching Elgin.

 

Tuesday

Royal Train at Inverness, pulled by two English Electric Type 4s - Prince Andrew starting school; Queen & Duke arrived from Gordonstoun in a Range Rover.

 

Wednesday

Inverness - Thurso: unscheduled stop at Alness - station just reopened. Dreary landscape approaching Caithness. Train divided at Georgemas Junction.

 

Friday

Mallaig - Fort William: the 14:05 Glasgow train only went as far as Glenfinnan due to a viaduct being repaired - bus from there to Fort William.

 

Monday

Left Glasgow on the Royal Scot - nice new air-conditioned coaches. Saw an Electric loco north of Carlisle. Arrived in Carlisle early - not surprising with 5,400 h.p. Overhead wires not completed between Lancaster and Preston.

[CHAIRBOY]

Great memories hillsboro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_K4

I've put the whole link so that readers can focus on what appeals but I was looking at the named locos like Loch Long. Somewhere along the line, I seem to remember an Earl of Ochiltree? My youth in Scotland was a stone's throw away from Haymarket (64B) and I never made it to north of Glasgow on the West. Was very much east-coast biased and made it to Ferryhill and Kittybrewster in Aberdeen. The backcloth of those Highland shots was breathtaking and the names memorable but I had to rely on T.I. to see them.

We'll be 'doing' Caledonian MacBrayne boats next!