Please note that all the photographs uploaded to this Flickr site are "© Chris (The Mighty Hood)

If you wish to download an image for private or commercial purposes, please drop me a message first!

Much appreciated,

Chris

 

😎***NEW FOR 2023-24 - AUDIO MEMORIES OF THE 1980s - 'THE MIGHTY HOOD' SOUND ARCHIVE - EXTRACTED FROM MY 'BOOMBOX' TAPES - NOW APPEARING ON SOUNDCLOUD!***😎

 

During the 1980s, I spent many a day, week, or weekend chasing my favourite locos around the country, and I made a number of tape recordings at the time using my trusty 'Ghetto Blaster' or 'Boombox' - which I travelled with on many of my bashing trips. Although it was a very heavy piece of kit to carry around, with it's load of six large batteries, it was very worthwhile, as I managed to capture many of my favourite loco classes, as well as numerous incidental railway sounds, for posterity. I had no idea at the time if I would ever be able to properly share the recordings, but now - thanks to 21st century technology and the online resources that are now available - the sounds can go round the world 😎:)

 

Now, at last, some 35 years later, these recordings can be heard via the magic of SoundCloud.. Visit Sound & Vision on SoundCloud - soundcloud.com/sound-vision-10193594 for more memories from a mis-spent youth 😎

 

And... even newer for 2024/25 -- Sound & Vision is now on YouTube, with a selection of Modern Age 21st Century short iPhone videos of both railway traction and aviation, with the occasional bus thrown in 😀:)

Visit my YouTube channel @TransportMemories here: www.youtube.com/@TransportMemories/videos

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My interest in railways started young, in the late 1960s, with my older brother taking me down to Southall Station (a few miles out of Paddington) - where we used to while away the time on the footbridge steps, watching the Westerns, Warships and Blue Pullmans race by.

 

By 1973, I was out and about all over the country, after joining Dalesrail which organised shed visits etc.

 

My earliest photos are black & white and centred around the London sheds and stations. I went colour around 1975, and as mentioned started to travel further afield, including my first foray into Scotland.

 

My railway enthusiasm waned a bit towards the late 70s, and aviation took over for a while (living only 4 miles from Heathrow), but it was rekindled in the early 80s, just in time to record most of the remaining classes of locomotives from the 50s/60s before they disappeared for good.

 

From late 1982 to early 1985 I was chasing Class 40s around the North, based around Manchester and Preston.

 

There was an interesting interlude in Scotland around 1986 when I recorded the final months of steam heat haulage - 27s, 37s and the dreaded 47s.

 

Finally, I returned to the London scene and followed the Class 50s on the Paddington-Oxford and Waterloo-Exeter routes, with many a ride and a drink or two in Oxford, regular forays down to Exeter, and on occasion into deepest Cornwall. There's a good smattering of railtours from 1982 to 1988 as well.

 

My interest ended permanently around 1991-2 with the demise of the Class 50s, initially from the Paddington-Oxford route in 1990, and finally when they retired from the Waterloo-Exeter services in 1992.

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In this section I wanted to share links to the work of some of my favourite railway photographers and anecdotalists (is there such a word :) that I've met virtually on Flickr - so, in no particular order:

Steve a.k.a. westernbasher a.k.a. jetty - buns in black www.flickr.com/people/westernbasher/

Rob a.k.a. locoman1966 www.flickr.com/people/96915808@N03/

Arnie Furniss a.k.a. Deadman's Handle www.flickr.com/people/deadmans_handle/

Tim Proudman www.flickr.com/people/107203574@N07/

Russell Sedgwick a.k.a. Schwartz751119 www.flickr.com/people/90195807@N07/

Rob Finch a.k.a. crusader752 www.flickr.com/people/29288836@N00/

Adrian Hancock www.flickr.com/people/127526726@N06/

David Rostance www.flickr.com/photos/71592768@N08/

Gordon Edgar a.k.a Kingmoor Klickr www.flickr.com/photos/12a_kingmoor_klickr/

David Hayes a.k.a. david.hayes77 www.flickr.com/people/davidhayes/

Jim a.k.a Purley Phottr www.flickr.com/people/24343055@N03/

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And finally - if you happen to be wearing your 'Aviation Hat' on, you might like my alternative Flickr site: www.flickr.com/people/heathrowjunkie/

 

Or if you have your (mainly London Transport) 'Omnibus Hat' on, take a look here: www.flickr.com/people/southallroutemaster/