Category: Railways

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A Tram in Moorland Raod, Burslem

This picture of a tram outside The Wedgwood Big House, on Moorland Road Burslem, was taken by my Grandad, W. T. Vickers.


I still have the original plate glass negitive and Grandad wrote on it, in pencil, that it was taken in 1925. I don’t know the exact date, but it was 1.30pm according to the Town Hall clock.
This is now 100 years ago and Grandad would have been 18 years old when he took it!
The picture has been published many times both in print and online, but it was first printed in Ernest Warrilow’s famous book “A Sociological History of Stoke-on-Trent” in 1960.
The first image is one I scanned directly from the negitive a few years ago and is a better scan than Hanley Library took not long after Grandad died. This one has been floating around online for a while now (hence the watermark on mine as people don’t credit Grandad).


The second image is a scan of a print I have that is hanging on my wall. This was printed in 1948 and I found it in a bundle of prints Grandad had done but not displayed. The print has a different feel as it’s sepia.


The last one is an AI generated one I found recently on Facebook. I think it’s from the Hanley Library scan. If you look closely, you can see that the AI has screwed up a bit! It’s having issues with the spelling of “Andrews”, there is a second, vertical trolley pole at the front that has appeared and the middle window seems to disappear!
I think it’s amazing such a clear and well detailed photograph was taken 100 years ago by my then 18 year old Grandad. It wasn’t all point and shoot in those days!
I have no idea why he took this, as this is the only photo of a tram, that I know of, that he took (if you exclude the one in the background).
The Potteries Electric Traction Company’s trams ran for another three years until they were withdrawn in July 1928. The PET continued as Potteries Motor Traction, PMT, First Potteries and now First Bus.

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New Hornby Dublo Layout & B12s

After rather long absence, I’ve decided to try and start writing again. But now not just specifically Scouting, although that is still an active part of my life (I just ran out of stuff to say!), but going back to what I originally did, write about what is interesting to me or on my mind.

So today we start back with model railways.

I’ve intended to set up a small Hornby Dublo 3 rail layout for a while now as I have been adding to my collection, but not really had anywhere to run the trains.
I had a small oval of track that I made a long time ago which was 2 and 3 rail convertible, but the glue on the centre rail was failing so it was time to do something!
I decided to extend the board as much as I could in the space available and the video shows the results, from the original board, to the extensions to running and a few modifications.
You’ll see some of my locos along with my full collection of N2s (including 2 of my Dad’s). One of these has been restored and repainted, the 2 GWR ones have been repainted (not by me) and one is on a much later chassis than it should be.
They all run, a bit more oiling and dusting is needed, but a couple, including the pre war N2, need re-magnetizing.

The second video is of three of my (Triang) Hornby B12s running together.
The first is the original model from the early 1960s (mine’s a hybrid 60s & 70s version), rather nicely detailed for me by my uncle.
The second is the late 1990s Hornby version, which was the original one, slightly updated and now made in China.
The last one is the rather nice, current, modern, highly detailed version.
I must admit to the 1st one being my favourite, because it was specially detailed for me! Still runs very well for something that is around 40 years old!

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An Old Scouting Postcard

A while back I borrowed an album of old postcards from my Uncle He has some postcards of the area where I (and he used to) live, as I wanted to copy them. Amongst these I found a postcard that I’d actually found for him many years ago.

NS Scout

It’s a postcard produced by the North Staffordshire Railway to promote the little narrow gauge Leek and Manifold Light Railway which used to run through the Staffordshire Moorlands. Railways often produced these type of postcards to show the beauty of the areas through which their railways travelled. If you click on the image you will get a larger version and you can see the beauty of the landscape. However, notice the two figures. Yes, they’re Scouts, and  in the old traditional uniform from when Scouting started. This would be because the postcard was issued before 1923 when the North Staffordshire Railway ceased to exist.

Of course it’s interesting to think that Scouts were walking in that area over 90 years ago and still do to this day. If you area ever around North Staffordshire, I would highly recommend a visit.

The rail fan in me also loves this film of the Leek and Manifold Railway before it closed!

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All Change Please

As I’ve been blogging more and more, I’ve noticed that the majority of my posts have been Scout related. And as the people who have been good enough to link to me from their blogs are also Scout related, it made me think that the majority of them aren’t all that interested in me waffling on about trains etc (correct me if I’m wrong someone).

So I’ve decided to spin off the non Scouting bits to Nick’s Other Ramblings Blog and keep this on just for Scouts. All the previous content will stay in place here and the other categories will survive as well and I may duplicate some posts on both. But generally non Scouting related stuff will be on number 2.

Lets just hope I can cope with two!

Arrow

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A New Sport for the Olympics?

With the British team doing so well at this year’s Olympics and the games in 2012 being held in London isn’t it time to introduce Mornington Crescent as an Olympic sport? 😉

mornington

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40 Years Ago Today….

The last main line passenger train to be hauled by a steam locomotive was run in the UK. Well not quite technically, as many others have run since, but it was the last one run by, organised by and with locomotives and stock owned by British Railways.

There was a re run yesterday, which included one of the original locos (Oliver Cromwell) on the same route.

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Photography is now Banned (Apparently)!

There seems to be an increasing trend that people who take photographs of landscapes, buildings, transport and general everyday scenes are now considered potential terrorists or paedophiles.

There was a story in the media this week of a chap who was getting abuse for taking photos of buses! This is despite the fact he’s done it in all innocence for many, many years.

It’s quite common to read in the train mags of officious jobsworths stopping people taking pictures of trains on stations as it’s against ‘regulations’ or a ‘health and safety issue’. This is despite Network Rail issuing clear guidelines that say it’s not a problem as long as the rules are followed. Mind, I read the other day that a Train Operating Company had employed someone to do work for them which involved taking photographs on their stations, but when he went to do his job the station staff banned him from doing so! Again ‘health and safety’. Great own goal that I think!

I used to enjoy standing on a station for hours on end taking snaps of the passing trains, but now I’m quite reluctant to do so. Having said that, I’m less likely to do so as things are more boring these days!

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A class 501 EMU at Gospel Oak taken around 1982 and a class 86 entering Stoke station around 1980

So there we go, two photos I took many years ago, when photos could still be taken without suspicion!

In fact, things have now got so silly that the MP Austin Mitchell has now tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament about this issue.

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Etruria’s Gone!

Well not the whole area, but the remains of the station. Thanks to the Dft‘s shortsightedness another bit of public transport in North Staffordshire bites the dust! Only about 9 more to go and then we will have no more stations!

Well to be fair, Wedgwood, Blarlaston, Stone and Norton Bridge are all effectively closed as no trains actually stop there, just buses! Stone is pretty safe, but the others aren’t. Angry

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Comfort on Trains

Last week we went down to Paignton in Devon for a couple of days. Travelling down on the train we went via Reading, which is an odd way to go as it’s a greater distance but cheaper! Anyway, to get to Reading we travelled on a CrossCountry Voyager and from Reading on a First Great Western HST.

The difference between the the 6(ish) year old Voyager and the 30(ish) year old HST is amazing. First of all the MK3 coach is a lot quieter as there isn’t a 750hp diesel engine underneath your feet. As there is no engine under the floor there is also no vibration and rattles! There is also more space for the passenger and more seats 8 coaches as opposed to 4! Shame Virgin didn’t think about this when they bought them!

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The view from the train at Dawlish!

It’s also interesting to note that First Great Western are using the HSTs in a dual role as an express from London to Exeter and then as a local from Exeter to Paignton! Interesting way to do things! Shame they’ve had to start using the ‘Nodding Donkeys’ again!

It was a cold weekend with a bitter wind coming off the sea, but we had fun.

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BETT & St. Pancras

Yesterday I managed to go to see the BETT show at Olympia in London. BETT is one of the largest educational IT shows in the world. We could have spent our IT budget very quickly there! In fact there is so much to see it is slightly overwhelming!

On the way back to Euston, we stopped off to see St. Pancras station.

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The photo is poor as it was taken against glass with my phone! The station is fantastic and is really worth a look!

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Longport Station Is Improved

Happy New Year – better late than never!

Between Christmas and New Year, I went to Llandudno for the day. Carol was working late so I thought a day out to North Wales would be nice as I haven't been for a while, especially on the train. When I got to Longport, I noticed that arrival and departure boards had been installed, along with a PA and CCTV.

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These were the improvements that were paid for by Stoke City Council and not Central Trains who operated the station at the time. Still it is nice to see some investment in the station.

As to Llandudno, well it was nice to be there, but it was absolutely chucking it down with rain and I got soaked!!!