THE VIEW FROM THIS SIDE

Tales of Old Toton, and Other Stories
The East Midlands, 1965-1968.

Locations are Toton Yard and the surrounding network. The locations are on all lines radiating from Trent, the show visits each general route in turn eg to Erewash Valley line, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester etc. Also included are Uttoxeter, the Denby and Wirksworth branches, Kingston on Soar Gypsum Mine Railway, Market Harborough and the Stamford-Seaton line.
Traction types include:-
Steam:- 8Fs, Austerity 2-8-0s, B1s, a 'Britannia', a V2, a 'Jubilee', Ivatt 'Pigs', BR Standard class 4 4-6-0s, 9Fs, Fowler 4Fs and a BR Standard 2-6-2 tank (pull and push fitted). Also a Peckett industrial.
Diesel:- various, 31s, 45s, 47s, mostly in green. DMUs are in green, or plain blue (1).
Special, interesting or otherwise rare features include:-
Churnet Valley line trains at Uttoxeter, then with all its platforms and buildings.
What may be the only colour view of North Erewash Junction (a rarely photographed location anyway).
Derailments, one minor, one spectacular (but no serious injuries, hence the inclusion)
The Stamford to Seaton Pull and Push train ('motor' fitted 2-6-2 Tank and two trailers).

Samples from this show. These images are compressed. Actual images on the CD are high resolution:-


Bennerley Junction 23rd July 1966.An Ashwell to Frodringham iron ore train passing under the viaduct,which once carried the Great Northern Nottingham to Derby (Friargate) line. The viaduct still stands but the adjacent embankments have been reduced. D5528 is the locomotive, note the wagons - all 18 ton unfitted iron ore tipplers. These had no side or end doors, and were designed for discharge via mechanical hoist.
 
 
 


Castle Donnington. 4th August 1966. The aftermath of the derailment of
a Nottingham to Bristol van train. Both Toton and Derby steam cranes are in  attendance. A 44 is in charge of  one of the BDV trains. Just look at the crowd in the bothy in the foreground - is a game of cards about to start or has someone just brewed up?


 

Toton October 1966. Efforts being made to rerail a delinquent class 20
in the Brake Sidings, all with the aid of a jack, a few bits of wood, a packet of Woodbines and no small amount of jocularity. Minor derailments on the heavily used, barely maintained trackwork found in busy yards like this were every day occurrences once. Not so today, nor should it be, but it was a different world then...

Denby 21st  July  1965. This was the remains of the former Little Eaton to Ripley line, which by this time terminated at the improbably named Marehay Crossing, where it continued to serve some collieries. It remains in use today. 8F 2-8-0 48670 propelling the brake van of number 44 trip from Chaddesden, before running round and returning home. Notice the guard (probably this was an ‘old mans link’ job!) leaning nonchalantly over the verandah, and the fire buckets on the building to right.


Market Harborough  1st June 1966. Nowhere near Toton really, but an interesting location in these years. Enormous super-elevation here, as D136 waits with the 1640 Leicester London Rd to London St. Pancras, and the 1550 London St.Pancras to Bradford Forster Square approaches behind a similar machine. Market H. was a joint station, this is the Midland side. ‘The enemy’  (theLNW) also had an interest…...


 

Lenton North Jn. 3rd September 1966. 4-6-0 45562 Alberta leaves  Nottingham Midland for the last time with the 1005 Poole to Bradford Exchange train. This was, incidentally,  the same day that the Great Central main line through Nottingham closed.
 
 
 

Back