Atomic Systems

Like Yerkes I remember the I-spy book of the railway, which I also probably filled at the NRM too!

My earliest long journey would have been a family holiday down to the West Country (Exmouth or Newquay, cant remember now!) in 1976 on a staff ticket (my dad also worked - in fact still does - for the railway).

Not sure what engine pulled us (probably a Western or Class 50) but I do remember when we pulled in to Paddington on the way home, seeing my an unusual yellow & blue engine parked up, my very first sighting of a HST.

The longest trip we took was in the early 80's up to Inverness on the Clansman (from Euston) returning on an overnighter.

Happy memories

Shrewsbury-Looe when i was 5

47 Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton
86 Wolverhampton-Birmingham
50 Birmingham-Liskard
DMU Liskard to Looe

1. First one - Walthamstow Central (then called Hoe Street) to Walton on Naze, Sunday School outing in the mid-fifties. Gresley coaches in blood and custard hauled by B17 "Gayton Hall".

2. Last steam hauled train I went on - about 1965, Bournemouth - Waterloo, headed by a rebuilt Merchant Navy looking very dirty and run-down - but did it motor along!

47+MkIIs Paddington to Newport, age 6.

Travelled behind 4472 a couple of years later.

When I was about 12, around 1993. We were going to the South of France on holiday through some kind of offer my dad got in the rail industry magazines.

i remember going from Balloch - Glasgow Central, Glasgow Central - Euston. Somehow got from there to Dover for the ferry to Calais. From Calais we got a local train to somewhere so that we could catch a SNCF sleeper service to the south. We had to get another local service after that too. Just wish that I had appreciated the journey and all the loco's more at the time and maybe even took some pics! Oh well!

Some time in the late 80s, Basingstoke to Weymouth. Don't remember that much about the journey other than everything being blue/grey and it taking what seemed like forever, but I do remember seeing a boat train on the Quay branch when we were in Weymouth.

Hi,

My memories of my first long train journey was in the late 1950's we went by Swan Tours,to Rimini,Steam from London Victoria to Folkstone,Ferry MT Canterbury,Steam from Bouloigne to Paris,then Via Basle to Milan,changed trains at Milan then via Padua, Firenze to Rimini,the train from Bouloigne to Milan and back were couche coaches.

In the 1960's after starting work for BOAC I flew to South Africa,and caught the overnight Trans-Natal express from Johannesburg to Durban.

Michael

Reading to Newcastle for football match last month on an uncomfatable Voyager - 6 hours

Wakefield Westgate-Exeter St Davids On a Virgin HST/47...not sure which.

Not exactly a long journey and I'd certainly had longer train journeys before then, but I have vivid memories of when I was about 6, travelling from Colchester to Chelmsford in a 6-aside compartment of a 302 with blue and green moquette.

bgstrowger wrote:Not exactly a long journey and I'd certainly had longer train journeys before then, but I have vivid memories of when I was about 6, travelling from Colchester to Chelmsford in a 6-aside compartment of a 302 with blue and green moquette.

Ahh 302's, happy memories. Although i don't remember them being used on GEML and from every Google source i've it says theywere confinied to the LTS Lines .

Cheers

PT

Pyromaniac wrote:

bgstrowger wrote:Not exactly a long journey and I'd certainly had longer train journeys before then, but I have vivid memories of when I was about 6, travelling from Colchester to Chelmsford in a 6-aside compartment of a 302 with blue and green moquette.

Ahh 302's, happy memories. Although i don't remember them being used on GEML and from every Google source i've it says theywere confinied to the LTS Lines .

Cheers

PT

They were used fairly regularly on Colchester-Walton/Clacton stopping services when I was growing up. I also remember seeing 305s, 308s and one time, a 307, at Walton. It wasn't until the late 80s that they were all replaced by 312s. I also have strong memories of that 313 that ran over the buffers and demolished part of Walton station too.

Sometime around 1971 the whole family went from York to King's Cross on a 'Persil' ticket, six quid day return for all of us. Apart from Buckingham Palace Gates ( kids weren't allowed in back then, we had to stand with a policeman. ) and 10 Downing Street ( more policemen ), the only thing I remember about the whole day was the loco on the morning Up train was called St Paddy.

55007 or 8

ST. PADDY = D9001/55001