Hydraulic heaven
A Western-bagging trip in 1974 saw me searching for somewhere new for photography, and I ended up at Newbury - by way of the Midland Main Line to St Pancras, and a train from Paddington.
It was quite an investment at the time travelling down from Nottingham but happily I managed to both spot and snap a few diesel-hydraulics. Regretfully, that didn't include Warship 821 'Greyhound', which I saw at Reading on the outward journey.
In this shot 1055 'Western Advocate' is hustling over the fast lines at Newbury hauling train 1A69, the 8.40am Penzance - London Paddington express. The fine building in the background is, I believe, the Saint Nicholas CoE School.
Local photographer D.E. Canning, whose work frequently appeared in rail magazines back then, was one of the regular signalmen on duty here and I often wondered whether he was working that day.
For the record, diesel hydraulics seen on the trip: 821, 1013, 1022, 1030, 1034, 1054, 1055, 1064. Class 50s were already making their presence felt and very much in evidence on the West of England expresses. In the case of 1055, it's hard to believe she was just over 11 years old when this shot was taken, and would be withdrawn and cut-up within 2 years.
Originally uploaded 10 years ago, this one has been given a new lease of life in the virtual darkroom, which included significant (but not total) spot removal. The original upload has been deleted.
Zenit E, Kodak Ektachrome64
28th September 1974
Hydraulic heaven
A Western-bagging trip in 1974 saw me searching for somewhere new for photography, and I ended up at Newbury - by way of the Midland Main Line to St Pancras, and a train from Paddington.
It was quite an investment at the time travelling down from Nottingham but happily I managed to both spot and snap a few diesel-hydraulics. Regretfully, that didn't include Warship 821 'Greyhound', which I saw at Reading on the outward journey.
In this shot 1055 'Western Advocate' is hustling over the fast lines at Newbury hauling train 1A69, the 8.40am Penzance - London Paddington express. The fine building in the background is, I believe, the Saint Nicholas CoE School.
Local photographer D.E. Canning, whose work frequently appeared in rail magazines back then, was one of the regular signalmen on duty here and I often wondered whether he was working that day.
For the record, diesel hydraulics seen on the trip: 821, 1013, 1022, 1030, 1034, 1054, 1055, 1064. Class 50s were already making their presence felt and very much in evidence on the West of England expresses. In the case of 1055, it's hard to believe she was just over 11 years old when this shot was taken, and would be withdrawn and cut-up within 2 years.
Originally uploaded 10 years ago, this one has been given a new lease of life in the virtual darkroom, which included significant (but not total) spot removal. The original upload has been deleted.
Zenit E, Kodak Ektachrome64
28th September 1974