Atomic Systems

lol, i just discovered this evening that Dr Beechings lived in my Village! We have a Street named after him, lol!

Also, my Great Grandad (or something like that) helped build the Mallard, and worked with Sir Nigel Greesley.

It all fun and games!
What about you?

My local line was first in the UK to be electrified, but no-one famous has come from Morecambe

martinhodgson wrote:My local line was first in the UK to be electrified, but no-one famous has come from Morecambe

I thought the trial electrification of the Brighton mainline, was first?

petermakosch wrote:lol, i just discovered this evening that Dr Beechings lived in my Village! We have a Street named after him, lol!

Has the street been closed?

well im 16 miles from the industrial revolution and the worlds first steel and iron railway in Coalbrookdale.

the royal trains been through shrewsbury more than 15 times since i was born and the wierdest royal train was when 3 DRS 20's took it to aberystwyth.

Morecambe line was the first to be AC electrified, as a test bed for the WCML stage 1 electrification. Was either dual Voltage or 6.25kV, not sure.
Anyway, Loughborough has many links with railways. Being home of the Brush works which have produced some of the most sucessful Diesel locomotives to run on the rail network, and has been involved in one way or another with many others, aswell as producing the Class 92 and Shuttle electric locomotives, in my opinion only second to EE when it comes to great British Diesel manufacturers. Loughborough was also the desitination of the first railway excursion by Thomas Cook, although I have never quite understood why. It is very much a railway town, having 3 stations at one point (MR, GCR and LNWR).
Personally, two people in my family have worked in the railway industry, one being my dad at Brush, where he helped design the class 60 and later at Adtranz (now Bombardier) where he was invloved in the designing of the Scotrail Turbostars. The other was my Great Grandfarther who worked as a good guard for the GCR at Langwith in Derbyshire and recieved an MBE for services to the railways (not sure of exact details). I'm currently trying to trace my family tree, so maybe I'll find some famous railwaymen in their somewhere.

The real IKB came from Portsmouth.
I expect if i looked, i know quite a few famous railway people, as my grandads family had a major stake in the local area's railways;

From what i know;
My grandad Albert {Bert} Wright, was in charge of Fratton steam shed
My great uncle, Bernard {Bernie} Wright, was someone big in the current Fratton depot
My Grandad's other brothers, Stanley {Stan} and Frank {?} Wright, were also big names in the railway, but i'm not sure exactly what they did.
Up until a few years ago, i couldn't go very far on the railway without someone saying "Oh, you're Bert's grandson" or "Oh, you're Al's boy" still get it today through people i get chatting to
What might be interesting, is if i post a list of all the railway people i personnaly know, and then see how many other members know these people?

micksasse wrote:

petermakosch wrote:lol, i just discovered this evening that Dr Beechings lived in my Village! We have a Street named after him, lol!

Has the street been closed?

It's now a cyclepath

Im living in a house once owned and lived in by the grandson of the great Ivatt (haven't a clue what his first name is ) engine designer. Bit tenious - sorry - but does it make it slightly famous?

Oh yeah and I just remembered, Loftus where I currently live had the first Female Porter/signal...person.

Can't find a link but I did find an intresting one about wartime railway women - http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/rail/women.htm

Those that no 'famous' or influencial people in the rail industry tend to use their connections to an advantage, and thus dont give away details.

As for historical people, ive had numerous conversations and meetings with the architect who designed the CTRL. Thats about it though.

martinhodgson wrote:no-one famous has come from Morecambe

That well-known railway engineer and designer, Dame Thora Hird? Or one Eric Bartholomew, later to achieve fame and fortune as Eric Morecambe?:D

chriscooper wrote:...Loughborough was also the desitination of the first railway excursion by Thomas Cook, although I have never quite understood why...

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

It was a methodist church meeting (fun!).

Bristol... What is better or more famous than that which comes from Bristol? I mean the glorious and still unsurpassed GWR of course.

Oh yeah, and my house was a GWR housing project.

I think IKB was born in France, I know his mum and dad came over to escape the revolution...

As for where I grew up in New Barnet, well there's a huge poster in the NRM that shows New Barnet signal box...

Not too sure about people, but IKB certainly spent a good few years living in Bristol. First for the railway, and then for the two trans-Atlantic steamships he built here.

Bletchley .... well .... errr .... it's there ....