New to Arriva Yorkshire in 2002, most of this type has now been withdrawn from the Arriva Yorkshire fleet and has seen further use with various independant companies and Arriva Subsidary Yorkshire Tiger. However, a few examples such as 706 seen here have been Re-Instated for use within the Arriva Yorkshire Fleet. 706 is seen here leaving Dewsbury Bus Station with a 280 service towards Thornhill Edge. (03/02/2018)

The sun is just starting to disperse the early morning mist as 20127 and 20025 crawl out of the haze as they head along the Goods line “round the back” of Wakefield Kirkgate station with a train of 16 ton mineral wagons, 29th January 1976.

 

Locomotive History

20127 was the last of the initial run of class 20 locomotives and entered traffic as D8127 in August 1962 allocated to Polmadie MPD (Glasgow). It was a Scottish based locomotive for a long time (as denoted by the cab recess for single line token exchange equipment) until it moved south to Tinsley in the mid 1970’s. In 1982 20127 was stored when a large number of the vacuum braked class 20 fleet were stored due to the reduction in coal traffic from pit closures and the continued introduction of air braked MGR coal wagons. 20127 was re-instated in December 1982 following air brake fitment to enable it to operate MGR coal duties and transferred to Eastfield. Withdrawn during the early 1990’s it found a new lease of life with Direct Rail Services and was one of the five heavily refurbished class 20’s with which DRS commenced operations in 1995 and it is numbered 20303 in the DRS fleet. 20025 entered service as D8025 in 1959. It would survive in traffic until withdrawn in September 1991 and was broken up by MC Metals at Glasgow in February 1995.

 

Praktica LTL, Orwochrome UT18

08565 stabled between duties at Haymarket MPD, 28th August 1977. Originally D3732 it was a product of Crewe works and was built in 1958. On entering traffic it was allocated to Edinburgh (St Margaret’s) MPD. It transferred to Leith Central when St Margaret’s closed in May 1967 and transferred to Haymarket when Leith closed in the early 1970’s. In the summer of 1982 08565 was withdrawn, however in November 1984 it was re-instated, received a classified repair at Swindon works which included fitment of dual train brakes and transferred to Motherwell on re-entering traffic. It was withdrawn in July 1993 and broken up on site at Motherwell MPD by MC Metals in May 1997.

 

Praktica LTL, Kodachrome 64

Brand New seen in 1990 Working route 2 to Warstock ths route now run`s to Maypole replacing 2Y operated by Yourbus.

 

LIFE OF BUS 1090

 

New to Yardley Wood Garage August 1989

Withdrawn Janaury 2000

Refurbised & Repainted into Travel Yourbus Livery

Re-Instated to Travel Yourbus by September 2000

Repainted into TWM Livery January 2001

Transferred to Acocks Green Febuary 2001

Transferred to Yardley Wood September 2002

Transferred to Lea Hall July 2003

Withdrawn June 2005

Converted to Trainer to TWM By Janaury 2006

Withdrawn November 2008

To Travel Dundee as Driver Trainer

Withdrawn September 2009

Scraped

 

Location: Yardley Wood Road, Yardley Wood WMT Garage

March 1990

YW

A beautiful litte chapel, built in Gothic style..."

 

New Connexion Methodist's Chapel (1867–1873)

Methodist Chapel (1876–1973)

Pedare Medical Clinic (15 September 1997 – )

 

The New Connexion Methodists, a sect which established one of the earliest churches and missions in South Australia, was founded by the Reverend James Maughan in 1862.

 

The Hope Valley Methodists New Connexion Church was built of freestone quarried from Anstey Hill in 1867. It was the second, and last, permanent church building to be erected by the New Connexion Methodists Church in South Australia. In 1876 the building was sold to the Primitive Methodist Society and continued to be used as a Methodist church and Sunday school until 1973. The closing service of this church was held on September 30 1973, following the opening of a new Hope Valley Methodist Church. The building was later owned by the North East Alliance Church.

 

An historic landmark in the Hope Valley area, the remaining Hope Valley Chapel represents South Australia's only surviving church built by the New Connexion Methodists. In recognition of this, the main part of the building has been retained and the original steeply pitched corrugated iron gable roof to the church has been re-instated. A pair of lancet windows and a vertical eye shaped window over the paired lancet windows, a grouping reminiscent of the early English style, has been preserved in the restored western facade. The old door has been used as a feature in the new entrance and timbers from the original ceiling form part of the reception counter. The original floor boards have been polished and left partially exposed to recreate an ambience of the era.

 

"Pedare", the clinic name borrowed from Hope Valley's heritage as a wine growing and wine and brandy making tradition, originates from Mr Douglas A Tolley who, in 1891, established a vineyard in the area. The name is derived from the first two letters of the names of his three grandsons: Peter, David, and Reg. The name was subsequently given to a new Tolley vineyard in Ladywood Drive, Modbury and later applied to the firm's premium wines.

 

On the 15th of September 1997, the Pedare Medical Clinic opened its doors to the first patient.

 

Ref: History of the building, displayed inside the Chapel.

 

A lot of confusion surrounded this move of 50033 and 50007 regarding their return to SVR. Showing as 0Z50 0934 from Eastleigh to Kidderminster and due to pass CNM at 1300, it was cancelled, and then re-instated, and finally left over 100 mins late. It was rumoured that it might return via Oxford, but thankfully it reverted to the original route. This is 0Z50 passing Hatherley, Cheltenham with 50007 leading 50033 “Glorious” ( but without nameplate/number on one side ), and now only 60 mins late. 29th August 2019.

The up through platform at Hartlepool has been abandoned ever since I remember. After a recent refurbishment of the station, the platform was re-instated. 156420 can be seen on a train to Hexham taken from a location, previously inaccessible for many years indeed.

45041 "Royal Tank Regiment" has just passed over Bolitho viaduct towards Liskeard with a freight into Cornwall consisting of box wagons & a single China Clay vehicle on 28th January 1983.

 

The Sulzer was withdrawn in June 1988 but was preserved.

Information below from the Great Central Railway website:

 

"45041 suffered a traction motor problem whilst working a stone train from Peak Forest to Leeds and was taken out of service on 18th May, 1988. 45041 was sent to Thornaby depot for assessment but it was condemned and was taken out of service on 8th June, 1988.

 

Thornaby depot became the locomotive’s home until January, 1994 when it was moved to Crewe Heritage Centre having been purchased for preservation by locomotive collector Pete Waterman. It was displayed at Crewe Works Open day in August, 1994 and at the Crewe Railfair event in August, 1995 although no restoration work was undertaken on 45041.

 

The locomotive was purchased from Pete Waterman by the Peak Locomotive Company in February, 1996 and had bodywork repairs and a complete repaint so that it could be re-dedicated by the Reverend Bernard Baines, the Royal Tank Regiment Padre at Crewe Works Open Day on 17th August, 1996. Following the Open Day, the locomotive was moved to Crewe Electric Depot where it had its tyres turned before being hauled over the main line to the Midland Railway Centre.

 

Restoration work began upon its arrival at the Midland Railway Centre alongside the groups other locomotives (at the time); Class 44 D4 “Great Gable” and Class 46 D182. 45041 made its debut in preservation on 28th September, 2002 and subsequently visited diesel events at the East Lancs Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as well as making a return visit to Crewe Works for an Open Day in September, 2005.

 

The locomotive was repainted once again into BR Blue livery with Full Yellow ends in September, 2010 and the owning group have plans to re-instate the locomotive’s train heating capability at some point in the future following an overhaul of its train heating boiler."

The loco passes the signals at the north end of Swithland yard, whilst running round its Demonstration Parcels train. The line off to the right is the recently re-instated Mountsorrel branch.

 

It is in the Derby "utility green" scheme applied around 1965/66 as an economy measure, saving the separate painting of the roof in gray, and the white lining stripe and grille detail.

56074 still in its LoadHaul Black/Orange (probably the best livery I have seen them in 😊).

 

This loco was still officially stored while being prepared for Fertis and sent to France.

 

Its final pool and storage dates are ambigious.

 

WNXX has it as stored October 2006 from the WZGF pool.

 

railuk.info says it was "withdrawn in Sept 2010 and Sold to EMR Kingsbury 14/19/12; reinstated Nov 2014" and its last pool was COLS - Colas Railfreght Locomotives Stored.

 

The November 2014 is crap as it was scrapped 25/04/2014 at

Ron Hull, Rotherham (both WNXX & railuk.info agree on that!).

 

It was in EMR Kingsbury as confirmed by Craig in his photo here on 16/07/2013:

www.flickr.com/photos/37260/9304583141/

 

So they may mean re-instated November 2013, moved for more stripping and then scrapped at Ron Hull's in 2014.

From www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/chapter...

 

The Chapter House in the East Cloister was a meeting place where the monks gathered with the abbot to ‘hold chapter’: to pray, read from the rule of St Benedict, discuss the day’s business and when the abbot decided on punishments.

 

It was probably begun in 1246 and completed around 1255 as part of Henry III's re-building of the Abbey and is one of the largest of its kind (internally 18 metres or 60 feet). It is octagonal in shape with tiered seating for up to eighty monks and an imposing central pillar, fanning out to a vaulted ceiling. Henry of Reyns was the supervising master mason, probably with Master Aubrey.

 

Wall paintings still remain in many of the arches and depict scenes from the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation. The Last Judgement, dating from about 1390, is shown on the east wall. Large figures of the Annunciation (the Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel) stand inside above the doorway. Around this doorway are small seated figures representing a 'Tree of Jesse'. The floor has one of the finest medieval tile pavements in England. it includes a Latin inscription translated as "As the rose is the flower of flowers, so is this the house of houses".

 

The Chapter House was also the place where the King's Great Council assembled in 1257. This was effectively the beginning of the English Parliament. Later on the House of Commons met here for a few years in the 14th century before using the Abbey Refectory for meetings. After the monks left in 1540 it was used until 1863 as a repository for State records.

 

The room was rescued and restored by the Abbey's Surveyor Sir George Gilbert Scott Between 1866-1872 he reconstructed the stone vault and roof and re-instated and re-glazed the windows. Much of this stained glass was damaged during air raids in the Second World War but some was salvaged and re-used in the post war glazing scheme. An inscription underneath the windows recalls the work of the original masons "In the handiwork of their craft is their prayer".

Houghton Mill, near St Ives in Cambridgeshire, is the only working watermill left on the Great Ouse. There has been a mill here since 974. The present Grade II*-listed building probably dates from the 17th century, when a previous mill on this site burnt down, and was substantially altered and extended in the 18th and 19th century.

 

In its mid-19th century heyday, the mill ran 10 pairs of stones, powered by three separate waterwheels. Much of the internal machinery remains intact although the wheels were removed in the 1930s when the mill stopped production. Today, corn is ground by a pair of millstones powered by the north waterwheel which was re-instated in 1999.

 

Houghton Mill is owned by the National Trust.

 

46010 is seen here in the erecting shop at Derby works undergoing what would be its last classified repair, 1st September 1979.

 

Locomotive History

46010 was originally D147 and was built at Derby works, entering traffic in December 1961, allocated to Derby MPD for Midland Main Line and North East – South West cross country duties. A short spell at Cricklewood was followed by a transfer to the Nottingham Division (Toton) in 1964,where it was to remain there until 1971, when a major fleet re-organisation occurred and 46010 was part of a batch of class 46 locomotives transferred to Bristol Bath Road as replacements for the then rapidly disappearing diesel-hydraulic fleet on the Western Region. 46010 was transferred to Laira in October 1974 where it was to remain until October 1980 when it was stored unserviceable at Swindon works. A year later an increased demand for Type 4 locomotives found British Rail looking to the storage lines at Swindon for an answer and 46010 was one of eleven class 46 locomotives re-instated in December 1981. The expectations demanded of these locomotives must have been something of a challenge as they had been in open storage for at least twelve months. However that challenge was met by 46010 as it would give over two years further service, allocated to Gateshead. By May 1984 46010 was approaching five years since its last classified works repair which included the year in open storage and was becoming increasingly unreliable and spent most of the summer of 1984 under repair intermingled with brief bouts of work. By the end of August 1984 it was stopped awaiting repairs at Gateshead and these were not sanctioned and 46010 was officially withdrawn on the 4th November 1984. 46010 was then moved to Doncaster Works along with several other class 46’s for breaking up, however in 1985 it was selected to test new depot protection scotches (being such a heavy locomotive) at Doncaster MPD and moved across to the depot where it was basically forgotten. It was eventually offered for sale by tender in February 1993 and bought for preservation and following restoration moved under its own power for the first time since 1984 in July 2000.

Syria though Ages

 

it seems that, since hundred thousands years ago, people were eager to settle at the Euphrates banks the Assi (orantes) river valley in Syria, and among gardens of pines and oaks. The people from the first stone ages – such as Chilean & Ashouli period – have resided at the area where some very old tools such as scraper, manual axes and Clint stone plates have been fund out.

 

Moving to the Mesolithic (medium Stone Age) and Neolithic (modern stone age), we surly see in this area - Euphrates area in Syria --- the oldest population settlement and residency have ever found. This has been really discovered while having protected the ruins and antiquities available at the Euphrates dam site.

 

The scientific mission at Tall Mrebet site, located at Euphrates river, west to Tabaqa (presently Thawra) city, have discovered a location in which human resided since eleven thousand years ago, which in turn considers to be the oldest stable residency known up to day. That human used to live in circle big rooms made out of mud, wood along with some stone, where we find that the ceilings or covers of these rooms used to be made out of branches or the animal leathers.

 

At Tall Abu Hurira, not too far from Tall Mrebet, antiquities have been found out there belonging to the same age, the nineth C BC. But those immigrants coming from Euphrates site or those original people have not in their minds that they are going to build up at the Euphrates banks location, presently called Tall Hariri, 100 km west of al-Bokamal county, a very big civilization belonging to the third Millennium BC. Ascribed to Mary city.

In 1933, just for the our fair luck, through excavations still in progress, this important site is still on up to day; as a matter of fact, this site indicated out various levels, layers and premises. Many thousands of muddy inscriptions tablets have enriched our knowledge about the ancient history of this area and indicated that the Euphrates regions, as well as Egypt used to have the ancient civilization and population settlement in the world.

 

Mary used to occupy the prominent place in history of Euphrates regions. In 1935 a palace belonging to the 02nd Millennium BC, has been discovered under which in 1964 another palace belonging to the Pre- Sargon reign (which means from 2700 – 2350 BC)

 

Another layer again has been discovered belonging to Ninava the 5th, which means fourth Millennium BC.

 

Out of the pre– Sargon age, Shamash, Dagan, Ashtar and Ninni Zaza temples have been discovered there.

 

At the second period, the big palace of the city which has been fully destroyed after a sweeping war launched by Hammorabi in 1750 BC. has been discovered. At that time, Hamorabi, has destroyed his enemy Zimiri Lim, the king of Mary. Flourish and importance distinguished city reached up at the age of that king has no more existed .

 

From this big palace, Zimiri Lim, used to control big part of the Middle East, and at the same time, the destiny of many people were used to be in his hand up to be occupied by Babylon army.

 

Upon excavation, more than twenty thousand inscriptions and slabs written in cuneiform style and Akkadian languages, have been found out along with other various statues made out of mud and stone; one of them is a splendid statue representing the beautiful female-singer Urnina of the temple Ninni Zaza, Lamji Mary statue, statue of the fortune-teller, Ashtar statue, the calf Statue and Eidi Naroum, Eiko Shamagan statue the flour miller which has founded at Ashtar temple.

 

The most two important and greatest findings of Zimri Lim belonging to the 2nd Millennium BC, have been the statue of The Goddess of spring, and the statue of Eshtob Eilom, along with head cut-off statue of Eidi Eilom

 

At the court-yard, remaining of a colorful wall-paint decorated portraying a festival scene, with King Zimri Lim standing worshipfully in front of goddess of war Ashtar, which was in her costumes erected on her lion-symbol; with other views we may see the Springs goddess and Palms goddess.

 

During 1975 , a significant discovery of cultural historical importance existed at Tall Merdikh, surely it is the discovery of Ebla City. Two rooms containing 17 000 of clay-documentary inscriptions were found in one of the meeting halls of the royal palace third Millennium BC- of Ebla, the biggest and most ancient city in the world.

 

These inscriptions, which carried original texts written in Amorit, Canaanite, and Sumerian old Syrian languages, were filed on wooden shelves as exactly as any modern library nowadays.

 

The initial reading showed that these clay-documents were the lists of Ebla's old trades, royal laws, official reports to the king of Ebla about military battles, lists of taxes paid by subjugated cities, and treaties with other great states. In addition to these documents, many lingual texts were found, between which the oldest multi-languages dictionaries that gave a series of Sumerian words (the language of the southern Mesopotamia), and Canaanite words ( the Syrian language at that time). At the same archive, there were found a lot of literary and religious texts about the Sumerian epics and myths. The famous epic of Gilgamesh was one of them.

 

In 1929, Ugarit city was discovered in Ras Shamra, a location to the north of Lattakia which was the greatest sea-port on the Mediterranean during second Millennium BC. That was when a farmer picked up a rock from over the soil while cultivating his land, and found that the rock was hiding a pass ending with a tomb. The scientists received the news. Cloude Schiffer took over the excavation process which is still going on nowadays under his successors supervision.

 

The most important discoveries, belonging to the primal culture of Ugarit, were the incomparable Royal Palace, and the primal regulated city. Next to the Palace, there was the temple of the gods Baal and Dagan, the most important Canaanite gods at that time. There had been found too in Ugarit a lot of clay- inscriptions or boards carrying texts written in the language of that area, specifically, the Akkadian language. However, the greatest clay-board was the one engraved alphabet.

 

This alphabet was consisted of 30 letters arranged in the order of our current alphabets. The significance of this alphabet was not shown clearly till it was written on bulrush leaves. The letters were transformed into a softened form similar to that of Ahiram Alphabet at Jbeil which was the fundamental basis of the Semites and Latin alphabet.

 

In Damascus, there are still antiques from the Aramaic and Roman ages. The long street, the city gateway, the rampart, and the vestiges of Jupiter the Damascen temple are still standing as reminders of the city glorious ages. Still Saint Ananias Church together with St, Paul Gate are both Christian ancient landmarks; while mosques, schools, khans, and alms-houses are all Islamic landmarks still intact featuring all-around the city.

 

Septim Sever, a Qurtaj leader from Libya, speaking Phoenician language, had married Julia Domna from Homs City. Septim became an emperor, and his retinue did move from Homs to Rome. This helped the Syrian influence to appear clearly on governance and culture to the extent that Roman poet called Juvinal said:" al-Assi river is now pouring in al Tiber river.

At that time, Palmyra won much of the care of Rome. In Karkalla reign 212-217, it was called a Roman colony, ie. it was parallel to Rome, having no taxes to be paid.

 

Palmyra reached its ultimate glories during 2nd and 3rd C, extended to Anatolia, Cham regions, and Egypt. It was a huge city with glory-witness establishments still standing nowadays. The ever grand temple of Baal might be absolute evidence on the advancement and dominance of the city. Also, the straight street with its stores, forum, tetrapylon, and theatre, in addition to the huge rampart with the graves and sepulchers beyond constitute have been other evidences of the city’s economical and social high class prosperity.

 

Scarcely after Severus reign had ended, Philip the Arabic, borne in Shahba, was proclaimed as a Syrian Emperor of Rome. This helped again this country to attain some sympathy and awareness, and this was clearly evident with building Shahba (Philipopolis) and sustaining Bosra. We can still see today in Shahba the old stone-streets, stores, khans, canals, amphitheatre, temples, and Philip’s tomb in which he was not entombed!

 

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Bosra is another glorious city. It was the homeland for Arabs, specifically, Nabatean. It was, since 106, an important Roman city. During Alexander Sever reign, it was given the tile “ Mother`s Cities”Metropolis, and it became one significant post characterized by the tremendous architecture and construction. Its being a mercantile center was the reason behind its continuous flourish. The amphitheatre is all what was left in Bosra since the 2nd century. It is the only perfect theatre in the world since it still keeps its original parts after an Islamic citadel was built on it.

 

The amphitheatre was built of stone with a diameter of 102 m, consisted of 37 stairs adequate for an audience of 15 thousand spectators. The over buildings were removed to make it a place for visitors and huge festivals. The underneath marketplace was discovered (the Criptoporticus), which was an arcade under the ground of 106 m length. This arcade was lightened by 44 windows over decorative niches. The forum, baths, colonnade street, and arch of triumph were also discovered.

 

Apamea, the second capital city of Seleucid people , became after 60 BC a Roman urban with a magnificent extraordinary view.

 

The ancient Syrian inhabitants, Arabian Aramaic, embraced Christianity with full modesty. Arabian Monzers and Ghassans embraced this religion too; they built churches and monasteries for it.

like Bosra & Izraa appeared, and their ruins are still existed.

 

Rasafa was a Roman watch way, protecting the convoy between Damascus & Palmyra, and watching the Persians army movements. In the year 300, this city embraced the body of St Sergio, who was named saint after being killed during Diocletian's reign, then the city carried the name Sergio-polis. Within its ramparts there are still the ruins of three churches, Cathedral St Sergio and Martyrs Church is the hugest.

 

Since the fifth century and after Christianity was settled as the main religion of the Syrian inhabitants, a new phenomenon was known ,which is hermitage”. Monks were to sanctum in their hermitages, on mountains tops, in caves, or over bollards, and this was the case with St Simeon the Baptist, who lived on a platform atop a column for more than 37 years.

 

However, the Islamic era in the history of Syria is the longest and most important era ever. Umayyad Mosque will continue to be the most perfect and ancient Islamic eternity, which is an everlasting evidence on the significance of Damascus as the first Islamic capital for the greatest Islamic state, or to say Khilafa in the history.

 

The mosque design laid-out the foundation of the Islamic mosques in

general. The mosaic wall panels reminded of the Muslims’ dreams about Heaven and Paradise.

 

The time and age of Hisham Ibn Abdul Malik (724-743) was the time of a major architectural flourish. He installed many monuments in Cham like Rasafa Palace, Eastern Heir Palace, Western Heir Palace to the south of Palmyra. They were of the admirable early Islamic architecture, which used its decoration from Sasanean and Byzantine arts. But, of course, they figured a new form which was indicated and considered the beginning of the Islamic Art.

 

Historians reported about two palaces of Hisham, one at al-Raqqa and al-Mofajjar palace and other ones in Palestine & Jordan.

 

Moving through the later Islamic ages, Aleppo citadel – being continued an Islamic pride on citadels. During the Ayyubids age, King al-Zaher Ghazi Ibn Salah Din established some other sections in the citadel, restored many others, dug its dike, coated its surface with stone, built a mosque and palaces inside, and lived in it with his wife Daifa Khatun, who had been buried inside the citadel before her body was removed to the Paradise school.

 

The citadel of Damascus is not of less significance! It is characterized by its location on the ground level to the west-north angle of the rampart or wall of old Damascus city.

 

It was a fortification citadel at the age of Seljuk's and Atabics. But, King al-Adel, Salah-Din’s brother, ordered it to be constructed in its current rectangular shape at the beginning of the 7th century. The palace and the royal quarter were to the west of it. It contained a tower for messenger pigeons, coinage house, arms factory, bazaar, bath, and some small mosques. The citadel was the power and leadership center of the state surrounded by huge towers and gates.

   

Damascus Governorate

 

Demashqe, Damishqi, Tamshouq , Tamashqo, Timashki Uro, Sha Imiri show, Oaas kingdom, Aram kingdom, Dar Masq, Demetries, Damascus, Canon, al–jallq, al-Faiha, Eski sham, Ein al Sharque Koleh & Cham Sharif ….

   

Damascus Province

 

Damascus City, a city of the following description:

 

162 km. distant located from Homs, 124 km from Suweida, 101 km from Daraa, 67 km from Qunaytera. It is located on longitude 36 d and 18 m E/GMT, on latitude 33 d and 33 m N, altitude 598-900 m above sea level, 633 km2 Damascus Basin City, surrounded by mountains from three directions, opened from the east on the Syrian semi desert, To the north and west north there are the mountains of Antar & Kassiun. To the east we find the mountains of Abu al-Ata & Dumeir. To the south east we see the high volcanic mounts, and to the south west we notice the eastern mounts of Lebanon (known as Jabal Asheikh and Haramun).

 

Till now, it is believed that it is the oldest continuous inhabited city in the world! As the excavations show, it is presumed that the human existence in it is back to seventh millennium BC! This is at least in the hills surrounding the city center like Tall Aswad, Tall Salhiyeh, Tall Ghorayfeh, Tall Khozama, and Tall Ramad.

 

The whole city population had reached four million inhabitants according to the population statistics of 2002. This number constitute 25.5% of the country population. The old city area is not more than 0.0001% of the country survey, i.e. 1.6 km2. It is surrounded by a rampart which gathered quarters like Bab Touma, Qeymarieh, Amara, Shagur, Bab Sharqi, and al-Amin quarter.

The building structure is consisted of oriental-style houses, built of clay and stone, with wooden roofs, and broad gardens; in the middle adorned by green trees and spring-ponds. The lane inside the quarters are very narrow, therefore, most of their parts are shadowy. In-houses are wonderfully designed. The visitor is amazed by the mixture between the architecture and the genuine Damascene traditions.

 

The city does include also a lot of significant mosques and churches that are visited by people from all over the world due to their sanctity and

ancientness.

 

In addition to that, there are the tombs of significant persons in the history, the old mansions that are considered as architectural masterpieces, the important bazaars that exhibit various types of stocks and traditional manufactures; also we notice clearly , the restaurants inside the old houses presenting delicious Damascene dishes to attract the visitors.

 

Arrivals to Damascus are received at its International Airport or its access-road at Jdeideh on the Syrian-Lebanese borders. Visitors are carefully looked after. They are taken to the multi-levels comfortable hotels, restaurants, cinemas, and theatres.

 

As for the literate people , the city is full of many national libraries, old and modern ones. Also, annual cultural and artistic festivals are instated together with the international expos for business men, foreign and native cultural centers, institutes, companies, and administration.

 

The Syrian antique treasures newly discovered are a manifestation of the successive cultures and generations who lived on the ground of this city thousands of years ago. We should not forget the Damascene baths, which the name Damascus was always connected to them.

 

In the evenings, there is the anecdote-teller at the folk-house telling the social and historical entertaining stories to reinforce the Arabic social and religious values and traditions.

 

Damascus was first mentioned on the boards and inscriptions of Mary Kingdom(2500 BC)as Damashka, then on Ebla's (2400 BC) as Dameshki, then in the archive of Tall al-Amarnah at the Nile Valley (Akhit Atoon)

During Pharaoh Thotmose III residence in Syria (1480 BC), Damascus was named Tamashko, and it was added to the Egyptian territories. It was recorded so too during Pharaoh Aminofes III reign. In a letter from the Prince of Qatna (an Amorit kingdom near Homs , flourished after the fall of Ebla kingdom)to Pharaoh Aminofes IV it was named as Timashki Uro. In another letter from Ribadah, Prince of Biblos (in Lebanon), it was Damashk; its Prince was Azira. The Assyrian documents mentioned it as Sha Emiri Sho.

 

The first Assyrian king who faced the Kingdom of Damascus was ShalmanezzerIII 858-824 BC. Its spoken language was the Aramaic. King Shalmanezzer III defeated King Hadad Adri Bar Hidu of Damascus, and Damascus was called at that time the Mat Sha Emiri Sho. And, it was named as Dar Mesk during the Aramaic Syrian King Roson Ibn Alida reign 732 BC, and so in the some texts of the old testament of the Aram Damascus Kingdom.

 

In the movement of adopting the Semitic race, it was said that Geron Ibn Saad Ibn Imad Ibn Aram Ibn Sam Ibn Noah was the one who built Damascus, and Sham / Cham is a proportion to Sam , the son of Noah.

 

The Assyrian Tiglat Plezzer III called it Canon. He reported its being under siege for a long time till it fall down; the king was killed and the dwellers were migrated to the Assyrian region. Some of the ruins of that period were the temple of Hadad and a basaltic rock which were founded in 1949 to the east of the northern wall of Umayyad Mosque.

 

The historian Yaqout al-Hamwi 13 C, reported that the name Damascus was from Damashek Ibn Kani Ibn Malek Ibn Arfakhashd Ibn Sam Ibn Noah, and that P. Abraham al-Khalil was live in a place within its circulation orchards (Ghouta).

 

He mentioned also that Adam & Eve, Able & Cain settled in some places around the city; and he narrated that the story of the murder of Able took place on mountain Kasiun. He reported too that the first wall built after the Flood was that of Damascus and Harran. The same story was reported by Ibn Asaker.

 

Another narration said that Aliazar P. Abraham`s servant build Damascus, and that he was from Habashah city, given to Abraham when he got out of the fire. That boy was called “ Demashk”. The Patilmus called it Demitrius. Stephan the Byzantium at sixth C stated that its name is attributed to the hero Damascus, the son of the god Herms. Josephus 1st C, said that one of its suburbs was called “ Abraham House” in which he espoused. It was said too that Sham meant the north of the creation center, the residence of Adam & Eve and the place of the divine Paradise.

 

Emperor Julian 4th C described it as “ Eye Orient”, and Fosidius 2nd C complimented the excellence of the Damascene wine. It was called “Gullak” in the Aramaic language and “Dramsuq” in the Syriac Language. It was given many other names too, like Sham Damascus, Sham Sharif (Prophet Mohammed’s wives and companions are buried there), Eski Sham (old Sham), and the name Faihaa due to its vastness and abundance.

 

Hesael assigned the throne. Hesael was slain by Shalmanezzer in 841 BC and the trees of Ghuta were cut down. In 837 BC, Shalmanezzer tried to re-appropriate Damascus but his trial was not successful.

 

In 721-705 BC, at the time of Sargon II, Damascus tried to separate from the Assyrian state in a revolution led by the King of Hama, but the Assyrians could defeat it totally.

 

In 694 PC, Elo Easia – or Eli Atiba- reined the kingdom of Damascus. However, during Sinharib reign ( 704-781 BC ), the city was a military post for his invasions on the Nabatean & the Arabian tribes.

 

After the collapse of the Assyrian empire and the short period of the Egyptian control, Aram-Damascus became a part of the new Babylon empire 605 BC. Thereafter, it was occupied in 538 BC by the Persians , who caused it to become famous for significant industries like olive oil, spinning, textures, winery, arms, and the agricultural instruments. Also, we should not forget the water distributive- system design in the old city.

 

In 333 BC, the Greek ended the Persian, It was by the hands of Alexander the Great who fought them the Persians at Issus battle (lies just to the north of the pass in the Amanus Mountains, S/E Turkey, called the Syrian Gate). But his successors could not manage the administration of Syria in a right way due to the temporary transition of the capitals from Damascus to Anatolia and due to the dreadfulness of the Nabatean influence over the region.

 

Seleucid tried to naturalize Syria with Greek stamp; therefore, they built many specific quarters in a chess-board–like design which was dominant at that time, where the buildings surrounding the public squares, and the upright streets.

 

Between 84 and 85 BC, Damascus faced the Armenian occupation led by King Dikran the Great II. The Greek period was ended by arrival of the Roman forces led by Pombi in 64 BC, and this activated the communication between Europe and Asia for more than 700 years. But the genuine glory of the city was when the Nabateans entered the city twice during the Roman occupation period: in 85 BC and in 37 BC.

 

Therefore, Damascus became a Nabatean realm disciplined by the Roman empire. At that time, it witnessed many important achievements that are still working nowadays like water streaming of the river Barada, distending the city rampart to become of a rectangular shape 1500 m × 750 m, opening the seven gates, rebuilding the temple of God Hadad and renaming it as “Damascene Jupiter”, and decorating the upright street with scenic arcs to relieve the eyes with their view instead of watching the distant end of the street.

 

Damascus led a peaceful and stable time, especially when it was a main station on the silk-road. It continued its outspreading of the religious beliefs to the out-world, amongst which was Christianity, as recorded in the Bible- the versions of Saint Paul, Saint Anania, and John the Baptist.

 

In 117 BC, Emperor Hadrian granted Damascus as a metropolis, i.e. the primal city. During the reign of the Syrian Phoenician emperor " Septimus Severus”, the founder of the empirical Syrian race 197-235, and his successors, the city was endowed with many concessions.

 

At the end of the fourth century AD, the Roman Empire was split into two parts, and Damascus followed the eastern Christian part. Since 378 , a part of the Damascene Jupiter Temple was transformed into a church which was ascribed to John the Baptist. Macakeer III, the Patriarch of Syrian Antioch who died in 1672 , mentioned in his book about the seven holy communities that the bishop Magtus of Damascus was one of the 318 participant bishops of the Nicea community in 325.

 

Between 612-628, the Persian re-occupied the city. As a result, the dwellers suffered a lot from the confrontations between the Persia and Byzantium troops. The end was the reclamation of the lost territories and interests by Hercules, the Byzantium Emperor.

 

The Arabian Islamic armies arrived in march 14th 635, to redeem the country from the foreign Byzantium oppression, and to spread out the new religion. After six months of siege, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah succeeded to enter the city through its western gate, Khalid ibn al-Walid through the eastern gate, Moawiya ibn Abi Sufean through Bab Kisan, Yazid ibn Moawiya through Bab Saghir, Sharhabil ibn Hasana through Bab al Faradis, and Amro ibn al-Aass through Bab Thuma. Historical resources mentioned that Mansour ibn Sargon, one of the city men-of honor requested the reconciliation for the Damascene dwellers – except the Roman ones.

 

Hereupon, the Islamic epoch had begun, starting with the reign of Rashidi Caliphs to the Umayyad dynasty 661-749, during which the city reached its ultimate flourishing. It was titled as the Umayyad capital of the greatest caliphate state in history, and due to its political, religious, cultural, and economical importance extending from the far East till the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

 

Damascus witnessed a golden age started by Moawiya ibn Abi Sufian, with plenty of reformations that were accomplished by his successors. These reformation were: building palaces, decorating the city, and gathering intellectuals and poets from all over the Islamic world. As an evidence, there was the establishing of the grand mosque in a part of Jupiter Temple during the reign of al Walid ibn Abdul Malik in 705-715. The whole place was transformed into an incomparable architectural antique still being visited by Muslims and tourists nowadays.

 

The Abbasid revolutionary troops entered the city in 750, led by Abdullah ibn Ali. The troops slaughtered the dwellers to the extent that that 50 thousand people were killed. They destroyed the rampart, raked up the graves of the Umayyad figures, unearthed the dead bodies and burned them.

 

The Abbasids took al Koufa city in Iraq as their capital untill Baghdad was built. Therefore, Damascus became a minor city and was isolated from the important events. It fall a victim to the captivations and conspiracies, and to the tension and greed of the power seekers.

 

In 878, the Tolonid and Akhshidid eras began. Ahmad ibn Tolon occupied Damascus after being assigned the Prince of Egypt by the Abbasid Caliph in 868. Under all conditions, the commandership was under the control of the Abbasid Caliph, nominally speaking.

 

The Fatimids reconditioned the rampart of Damascus in 978 as a protection from Abbasids, then the Hamdanids came for a short period of time in the 10th C. The fight between Seljuks & Fatimids in 1075 led to the ending of the Fatimids reign by the Seljuk prince Tetch. His reign proceeded till 1154 which was characterized by the rebuilding of Damascus citadel by Atsez’ hands.

 

The European crusaders made many invasive trials to appropriate the city. They besieged it in 1129 commanded by Baldwin IV the King of Jerusalem, then they moved away in the very same year. They made other trials in 1148 under the leaderships of Luis VII, the King of France, and Conrad III, the Emperor of Germany. Once again they failed in 1149.

 

Between 1154-1173, the prince of Aleppo, Mahmoud ibn Zenki, was assigned the governance. He executed many important processes like uniting the Sham and Egypt regions, eliminating the minor authoritarians, unifying the efforts to regress the external French aggression so that reclaiming Jerusalem and redeeming Palestine would be possible.

 

He led also many reformations in Damascus like repairing its citadel, building Abi-Dardaa mosque, increasing the fortification status of its ramparts against the crusaders’ invasions, opening new gates like Bab al-Faraj to the west of it, sustaining the eastern gate, closing Bab Kisan to the south of the rampart, building the observation towers, the hospitals, the Nuria school for teaching The Holy Quran, a bath in Bzurieh Suq ( still carrying his name), and the Omari school in Salhieh quarter.

 

After the death of Nur Din Mahmoud ibn Imad ibn Zenki in 1173 in Damascus, his youngest son Ismael succeeded him and was assigned a King nominally.

   

In 1176, Salah Din Yousef al-Ayyubid was appointed the governance and preceded for 26 years. His reign was characterized by the union between Egypt and Syria and making Damascus the Capital city after eliminating the corrupted state members who started to arouse the internal tensions.

 

His brother, King al-Adel, succeeded him in 1193. His reign was characterized by a wide fame of some industries like Damascene textures ( Damesco), silversmith, glass craft, developing the Syrian-Italian trade, and building a new citadel instead of the old one in 1206. His reign proceeded for 20 years. When he died in 1218, he was buried inside the citadel, but his body was removed later to the Adelie school.

 

The Mongols invaded Damascus for the first time in 1260, led by Hulaga and they departed away in the same year. The second invasion was in 1300, they stayed within it for 100 days then they left again. The third time was in 1400 led by Timurlink and they stayed for 80 days during which they destroyed the city and took the professional craftsmen by force to Samarkand which caused the receding of industries. During those invasions, Mamelukes always got back to the city.

 

In 1516, the Ottoman troops entered Damascus under the leadership of Sultan Salim the 1st. This was after killing the last Mameluke Sultan “ Kanswah al-Ghuri” in the battle of Marj Dabeq at north of Aleppo city, under the charge that he was helping Shah Ismael al-Safawi, the real founder of the Safawid State in Iran, and due to his aspiration to control all the Sham region.

 

The Ottoman occupation lasted till 1918, during which Damascus became a very important station for hajjis( Pilgrims ) and for internal trades. Its political and cultural position declined because the ottomans concentrated only on building mosques, hospices, khans, water containers, and bathes (hammams), and they streamed the water of al-Fijeh spring.

 

The Egyptian Ibrahim Basha occupied Damascus in 1831-1840 as a result of the Bashas’ strife for power. He exploited the weakness and dissolution of the sultan ship. But, the great powers of the world forced him to return to Egypt because they were afraid that he might found a modern country after he had widely opened the gates for the foreign forces.

 

In 1898, the Emperor of Germany “ Wilhelm II” exploited his visit to Damascus on his way to Jerusalem to draw himself a near position to Sultan Abdul Hamid II. This was planned to open the gate for the German economical pervasion. He proclaimed himself a protector of Islam and sultan ship in front of Salah Din al-Ayyubid grave, and got a license to gauge the rail-way between Baghdad, Hijaz, Asitana, and Damascus.

 

The Arabian forces freed the city from the Ottoman occupation in 1918. Faisal ibn al Husein was assigned a temporary king on the Sham region in 1920.

 

In July 24th , 1920, after the battle of Maisaloun and the martyring of the Syrian Minister of War “ Yousef al-Azmeh”, the French armies entered Damascus, running after their greedy interests in this region. They relied on Sikes-Piceau agreement 1915 between the great forces. Therefore, the mandate period on Syria had started. They separated Lebanon from Syria and proclaimed it an independent country, then, they conspired with Turkey on handing her Alexandria area (Lewaa) in spite of the investigation and voting results which were with the Arabian Syrian side. But, due to the French intention to contend Turkey and conform an alliance with it, they rendered it Alexandria totally in June 23rd, 1939.

 

The occupation on Syria lasted till April 17th, 1946, when the last French soldier was evacuated. In February 22nd, 1958, the unity between Syria and Egypt took place. In September 28th, 1961 was the separation, and it happened because of the non-proper previous preparations for this unity.

 

At last, we should mention the large numbers of Damascenes who left their prints on the history and culture of Syria through the passage of time like writers, poets, medicine and architecture scientists, princes, and those who contributed in instituting universal edifices, headed by the engineering Abu Adorr the Damascene.

 

References :

(Atlas of Damascus, Ministry of Tourism publications)

(Mohammad Ahmad Dahman–In the Yards and spaces of Syria).

(Ali Mousa & Mohammad Harbeh, In the Yards and spaces of Syria).

(Qutaiba al-Shehabi, Damascus as History & Pictures)

(Ebn Asaaker, History of Damascus)

(George Hadad, Damascus in The Classical Arab Authors, les Annales Archeologiques Arabs Syrian's No 1).

(Horst Clinkle–Germany–Translated by Qasim Tweir, Damascus in Cuneiform Texts – les Annales Archeologiques Arabs Syrian's No 35).

(Abdulkader Rihawi, History of Architecture of Damascus,les Annales Archeologiques Arabs Syrian's No 14).

(Farid Juha, Pierr Rosseih, City of Eizes, The Arabs at the real History)

 

Ahmad Dawoud , Old Civilized Syrian History, the center).

 

(Afif Bahnasi, Syria the Civilization-What did provide for the West).

 

Geographical Dictionary of the Syrian Arab Republic - Part 1& 3

    

Seen in May 1993 operating Service 101 which was extended as a Centrebus route to Handsworth to replaced the 76 Service.

 

LIFE OF BUS 1104

 

New to West Bromwich Garage August 1989

Transferred to Hockley July 1990

Transferred to Perry Barr March 1998

Transferred to Hockley April 1999

Withdrawn August 1999

To Travel Dundee by September 1999

Renumbered 304

Returned to TWM by January 2000

Re-instated to Travel Yourbus January 2000 reverted back to 1104

Withdrawn Febuary 2001

Sold to South Glostershire Bus & Coach September 2001

TO Rml2418, Wemberley July 2007

Scraped June 2011

 

Location: Birmingham, Paradise Circus

May 1993

HY

This magnificent bridge opened to the public of Aberdeen in 1830, I've admired it for many years,I finally captured some images to post on Flickr , please find below a brief history on this breathtaking piece of engineering .

 

The Wellington Suspension Bridge (also known as the Chain Bridge and Craiglug Bridge) is a suspension bridge crossing the River Dee from Ferryhill to Craiglug in Aberdeen, north east Scotland.

 

Designed by Captain Samuel Brown and the Aberdeen City Architect John Smith, it was opened to pedestrians in November 1830 and to traffic in May 1831. Closed in 1984 to vehicles and then pedestrians in 2002, it was restored in 2006/07 and pedestrian use was re-instated in 2008.

 

History

Aberdeen was undergoing rapid expansion in the early 19th century and landowners in Torry, the Menzies family of Pitfodels, wished to capitalise on the opportunities arising from the establishment of the turnpike road between Aberdeen and Stonehaven in 1799. A series of legal disputes as to exact ownership of the lands ended in arbitration.

 

An Act of Parliament was eventually obtained by the Heritors of Nigg and the Road Trustees in 1828 for a bridge to replace the Craiglug Ferry.

 

The City Architect in Aberdeen John Smith and his rival Archibald Simpson were asked to tender design proposals for the bridge and its approach roads from the north and south side in June 1829.

 

The design for the architectural sections was awarded to Smith working in collaboration with Captain Samuel Brown who undertook the engineering designs of the suspension and span.

 

The metalwork was manufactured at the nearby Ferryhill Foundry owned by James Abernethy (1809–1879), a cousin of James Abernethy.

 

Abernethy was the engineer who supervised the work.

 

In March 1830 the trustees chose to name the bridge after the Iron Duke, Wellington,[6] although it is also known as the Chain Bridge[7] and the Craiglug Bridge.[8] The foundation stone was put in place in 1829 and the bridge was in pedestrian use from November 1830. Six months later, in May 1831, it was opened to use by vehicles.

The costs of building the bridge totalled £10,000.

 

Construction

 

Pairs of bar-link saddle chains one above another with suspender rods hold the deck, which is 220 feet (67 m) in length and 22 feet (6.7 m) wide.

 

Thomas Telford's method of "three lines of rectangular cross-section eye-bar links with short connecting links and cross-bolted" was copied from his 1822 Menai Suspension Bridge construction. The chains were installed on either side of the deck, one above the other with a dip of 18 feet (5.5 m), giving a span ratio of 1:12. James Slight described the bridge as "the strongest bridge that Capt. Brown has yet erected"[10] and he assessed the highest chain stress was around "812 tons sq. in. and all the bars were proved to 9 tons sq. in."[10] The chains bear the stamp "Cable TF&S" and were obtained from Thomson, Forman and Son, of Pontypridd.

 

The chains are anchored at each end to twin pylons with semi-circular archways; these were constructed from bull-faced granite by Robert Mearns. Modifications were made to the north end archway in 1886 and a stone engraved with the date is mounted at the apex of the arch to signify this.

 

The approach roads, designed by Smith with the bridge, were 3 miles (4.8 km) in length and incorporated a slow ramp from College Street on the northern side; a new road also ran from around Nigg to the Craiglug side on the south approach.

 

An octagonal toll house, also designed by Smith, was originally sited on the northwest corner of the bridge.

 

Restoration

The bridge underwent some restoration work in 1930 when steel replaced the cast iron bearers and wrought iron suspenders.

 

Of the original iron work, only the main chains remained.

The toll house was derelict in 1964 and was demolished soon after.

 

Further restoration work was done on the bridge in 1984 after a replacement bridge, the Queen Elizabeth II bridge,was finished, as this enabled the suspension bridge to be closed to vehicles.

 

Due to safety concerns, in 2002 it was also closed to pedestrians.

 

After Aberdeen City Council engineers undertook further work to preserve and strengthen the bridge, it resumed use as a pedestrian walkway and cycle lane in 2008.

 

The main chains were still retained. The work was carried out in four phases. The first step comprised repairing welding of the main chains and saddle chain replacement.

 

The next stage involved renewing the timber decking and structural re-painting. Phase three concentrated on the granite towers and included re-pointing and cleaning; the final stage was to provide architectural lighting. Total costs were estimated at £760,000 and were expected to preserve the bridge for another century.

 

Aberdeen City councillors were informed in October 2007 that the cost for the first three phases had increased to £995,000 and the estimate for the final stage would be £100,000.

 

From 1979 until 2010 it was listed as a scheduled monument; from 2010, it was included on the list of Category A listed structures.

Blackpool Transport 365 UWW5X, Leyland Olympian/Roe. One of two Leyland Olympians re-instated in September 2011 to cover for seat belt installation in newer Volvo Olympians. Both re-instated buses made a surprise appearance on normal service work on Sunday 11th September as seen here in the town centre on route 20.

4570 is seen here in Bartley Green working the 18 service which consists of loads of tridents!! Despite only seeing three tridents and photographing two, this was the best out of the lot mainly because this was re-instated back in service not long back - it could’ve easily been sat at a scrap yard by now!

 

And here’s me photographing it still in passenger service.

 

I won’t comment about how long these have left in service because A) It is not confirmed when they will actually be withdrawn and B) I’m sure people are already aware of the electrics that NXWM have purchased to replace these!

a 26 heads from Cambus and ultimately Menstrie with molasses wagons. This track has now been electrified and is the re-instated line to Alloa

Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

 

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation in 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways, and the Grimsby Dock Company. The principal reason for existence was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland.

 

Little change in the system took place until the appointment, in 1854, of Edward Watkin as General Manager.

 

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic on 25th July 1898 and to passengers a year later.

 

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London.

 

Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

 

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity to raise funds through covenants.

 

Since then, the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signal boxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

 

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

 

Taken 10/01/17; Newhaven Town Box is looking slightly sorry for itself. However, I have found the following interesting history on the internet:

 

"The signalbox at Newhaven Town station is a wooden signalbox designed by Saxby and Farmer who were Victorian signalling contractors. The box was opened in 1879 and controlled the railway traffic by means of Track points, signals and locking mechanisms (for safety) using a 24 lever frame (called a "Rocker Frame" which was designed by the same company.

Over the next 30 years, because of growing needs for industry sidings and other infrustructure, the building was physically extended by a quarter to enable more levers to be installed. By 1917 there were 41 levers in the frame, all of which were in use, and there was also a wheel for controlling the original wooden crossing gates. Both world wars had a significant influence on the signalboxes workings. Much rationalising and simplification occured over the next 40 years, which steadily resulted in a few spare levers. In 1953 the box aquired a replacement lever frame from Three Bridges signalbox, it is called a Westinghouse A2 frame and is the current frame in use today. The building needed a few big changes to support this frame, a brick extension to the rear was put on and this is where most of the frame sits. This is partly to improve the Signalmans view out the front windows although it also meant space for an indoor toilet room was available rather than an outside privy.

Over the next 50 years or so, with the decline of railfreight through the port, the closure of the Engine sheds and the West quay branchline to the Breakwater, when combined with moving of freight haulage from rail to road all resulted in a steady decline in the use of the industrial sidings and other infrustructure which consequently became redundant. As a result the number of working levers in the signalbox was significantly reduced. Another notable change was the replacement in 1964, of the old crossing gates by the current barrier arrangement. The old wheel became redundant and the barriers are now controlled by a simple electrical panel. Over the years, because of all these changes even the entrance door has had 3 different positions, and the widening of the road finally forced it to the north end where entry is gained these days.

Today there are only 6 working levers, the remainder being 3 redundant levers and 31 white spare levers. The primary role of the signalbox in this day and age is to work the level crossing barriers and ensure that it is clear and safe for trains to pass over. It also works in conjuction with Lewes and Newhaven Harbour Signalboxes. Lewes signalbox controls and routes the trains from the main line at Southerham Junction onto the Branch towards Southease, Newhaven Town Box controls the passage of trains between Southease and the Harbour Station, and the Harbour signalbox takes care of the Harbour and Marine stations as well as the single line to Seaford.

It is hoped that the new incinerator (unpopular as it is) will generate the need for some sidings for transport of waste by rail. It is also likley that the crossover points to the south of the station together with its shunting signals could be re instated for use by the engines running round the hopper wagons carrying the refuse, which would generate the need for more levers to reinstated into working use. An external repaint is also on the cards but only time will tell whether any of this will happen."

 

www.ournewhaven.org.uk/page_id__2174_path__0p2p107p4p.aspx

 

150106 071013 Worcester Shrub Hill

 

The Class 150's have been linked with the West Midlands since their introduction in the 80's.

After being initially based in Derby they quickly moved to Tyseley where they went in all directions.

The first 32 units were snapped up by Centro to operate the Birmingham suburban services, especially via the re-instated Snow Hill route. They worked the services until displaced by the class 172's in 2011-12.

150106 leaves Worcester Shrub Hill for Birmingham on the 13th October 2007

The Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe and Anatolia, including Phrygia, Dacia and the Balkans. In early modern Europe it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty through a confusion with the pileus, the felt cap of manumitted (emancipated) slaves of ancient Rome. Accordingly, the Phrygian cap is sometimes called a liberty cap; in artistic representations it signifies freedom and the pursuit of liberty.By the 4th century BC (early Hellenistic period) the Phrygian cap was associated with Phrygian Attis, the consort of Cybele, the cult of which had by then become graecified. At around the same time, the cap appears in depictions of the legendary king Midas and other Phrygians in Greek vase-paintings and sculpture.Such images predate the earliest surviving literary references to the cap.By extension, the Phrygian cap came to be applied to several other non-Greek-speaking peoples ("barbarians" in the classical sense) as well. Most notable of these extended senses of "Phrygian" were the Trojans and other western Anatolian peoples, who in Greek perception were synonymous with the Phrygians, and whose heroes Paris, Aeneas, and Ganymede were all regularly depicted with a Phrygian cap. Other Greek earthenware of antiquity also depict Amazons and so-called "Scythian" archers with Phrygian caps. Although these are military depictions, the headgear is distinguished from "Phrygian helmets" by long ear flaps, and the figures are also identified as "barbarians" by their trousers. The headgear also appears in 2nd-century BC Boeotian Tanagra figurines of an effeminate Eros, and in various 1st-century BC statuary of the Commagene, in eastern Anatolia. Greek representations of Thracians also regularly appear with Phrygian caps, most notably Bendis, the Thracian goddess of the moon and the hunt, and Orpheus, a legendary Thracian poet and musician.

While the Phrygian cap was of wool or soft leather, in pre-Hellenistic times the Greeks had already developed a military helmet that had a similarly characteristic flipped-over tip. These so-called "Phrygian helmets" (named in modern times after the cap) were usually of bronze and in prominent use in Thrace, Dacia, Magna Graecia and the rest of the Hellenistic world from the 5th century BC up to Roman times. Due to their superficial similarity, the cap and helmet are often difficult to distinguish in Greek art (especially in black-figure or red-figure earthenware) unless the headgear is identified as a soft flexible cap by long earflaps or a long neck flap. Also confusingly similar are the depictions of the helmets used by cavalry and light infantry (cf. Peltasts of Thrace and Paeonia), whose headgear – aside from the traditional alopekis caps of fox skin – also included stiff leather helmets in imitation of the bronze ones.The Greek concept passed to the Romans in its extended sense, and thus encompassed not only to Phrygians or Trojans (which the Romans also generally associated with the term "Phrygian"), but also the other near-neighbours of the Greeks. On Trajan's Column, which commemorated Trajan's epic wars with the Dacians (101–102 and 105–106 AD), the Phrygian cap adorns the heads of Trajan's Dacian prisoners. Parthians appear with Phrygian caps in the 2nd-century Arch of Septimius Severus, which commemorates Roman victories over the Parthian empire. Likewise with Phrygians caps, but for Gauls, appear in 2nd-century friezes built into the 4th-century Arch of Constantine.The Phrygian cap reappears in figures related to the 1st-4th century Roman Mithraic Mysteries. This astrology-centric mystery cult (cultus) projected itself with pseudo-oriental trappings (known as perserie in scholarship) in order to distinguish itself from both traditional Roman religion and from the other mystery cults. In the artwork of the cult (e.g. in the so-called "tauroctony" cult images), the figures of the god Mithras as well as those of his helpers Cautes and Cautopates are routinely depicted with a Phrygian cap. The function of the Phrygian cap in the cult are unknown, but it is conventionally identified as an accessory of its perserie.

Early Christian art (and continuing well into the Middle Ages) build on the same Greco-Roman perceptions of (Pseudo-)Zoroaster and his "Magi" as experts in the arts of astrology and magic, and routinely depict the "three wise men" (that follow a star) with Phrygian caps.In late Republican Rome, a soft felt cap called the pileus served as a symbol of freemen (i.e. non-slaves), and was symbolically given to slaves upon manumission, thereby granting them not only their personal liberty, but also libertas— freedom as citizens, with the right to vote (if male). Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Brutus and his co-conspirators instrumentalized this symbolism of the pileus to signify the end of Caesar's dictatorship and a return to the (Roman) republican system.[2][not in citation given]. These Roman associations of the pileus with liberty and republicanism were carried forward to the 18th-century, when the pileus was confused with the Phrygian cap, with the Phrygian cap then becoming a symbol of those values.

France's bonnet rouge.French revolutionaries wearing bonnets rouges and tricolor cockades.In revolutionary France.In 1675, the anti-tax and anti-nobility Stamp-Paper revolt erupted in Brittany and north-western France, where it became known as the bonnets rouges uprising after the blue or red caps worn by the insurgents. Although the insurgents are not known to have preferred any particular style of cap, the name and color stuck as a symbol of revolt against the nobility and establishment. Robespierre would later object to the color, but was ignored.

The use of a Phrygian-style cap as a symbol of revolutionary France is first documented in May 1790, at a festival in Troyes adorning a statue representing the nation, and at Lyon, on a lance carried by the goddess Libertas.[4] To this day the national allegory of France, Marianne, is shown wearing a red Phrygian cap.By wearing the bonnet rouge and sans-culottes ("without silk breeches"), the Parisian working class made their revolutionary ardour and plebeian solidarity immediately recognizable. By mid-1791, these mocking fashion statements included the bonnet rouge as Parisian hairstyle, proclaimed by the Marquis de Villette (12 July 1791) as "the civic crown of the free man and French regeneration." On 15 July 1792, seeking to suppress the frivolity, François Christophe Kellermann, 1st Duc de Valmy, published an essay in which the Duke sought to establish the bonnet rouge as a sacred symbol that could only be worn by those with merit. The symbolic hairstyle became a rallying point and a way to mock the elaborate wigs of the aristocrats and the red caps of the bishops. On 6 November 1793, the Paris city council declared it the official hairstyle of all its members.The bonnet rouge on a spear was proposed as a component of the national seal on 22 September 1792 during the third session of the National Convention. Following a suggestion by Gaan Coulon, the Convention decreed that convicts would not be permitted to wear the red cap, as it was consecrated as the badge of citizenship and freedom. In 1792, when Louis XVI was induced to sign a constitution, popular prints of the king were doctored to show him wearing the bonnet rouge.[6] The bust of Voltaire was crowned with the red bonnet of liberty after a performance of his Brutus at the Comédie-Française in March 1792.During the period of the Reign of Terror (September 1793–July 1794), the cap was adopted defensively even by those who might be denounced as moderates or aristocrats and were especially keen to advertise their adherence to the new regime. The caps were often knitted by women known as Tricoteuse, who sat beside the guillotine during public executions in Paris and supposedly continued knitting in between executions.[2][not in citation given] The spire of Strasbourg Cathedral was crowned with a bonnet rouge in order to prevent it from being torn down in 1794.In 1814, the Acte de déchéance de l'Empereur decision formally deposed the Bonapartes and restored the Bourbon regime, who in turn proscribed the bonnet rouge, La Marseillaise and Bastille Day celebrations. The symbols reappeared briefly in March–July 1815 during "Napoleon's Hundred Days", but were immediately suppressed again following the second restoration of Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815.The symbols resurfaced again during the July Revolution of 1830, after which they were re-instated by the liberal July Monarchy of Louis Philippe I, and the revolutionary symbols—anthem, holiday, and bonnet rouge—became "constituent parts of a national heritage consecrated by the state and embraced by the public."Mariannes with bonnets rouges demonstrate against same-sex marriage in Paris on 13 January 2013, organised by the group "Manif pour tous”In modern France?The republican associations with the bonnet rouge were adopted as the name and emblem of a French satirical republican and anarchist periodical published between 1913 and 1922 by Miguel Almereyda that targeted the Action française, a royalist, counter-revolutionary movement on the extreme right.

The anti-tax associations with the bonnet rouge were revived in October 2013, when a French tax-protest movement called the bonnets rouges used the red revolution-era Phrygian cap as a protest symbol. By means of large demonstrations and direct action, which included the destruction of many highway tax portals, the movement successfully forced the French government to rescind the tax.

In the United States: A Phrygian cap on the Seal of the U.S. Senate.In the years just prior to the American Revolutionary War of independence from Great Britain, the symbol of republicanism and anti-monarchial sentiment reappeared in the United States as headgear of Columbia,[8] who in turn was visualized as a goddess-like female national personification of the United States and of Liberty herself. The cap reappears in association with Columbia in the early years of the republic, for example on the obverse of the 1785 Immune Columbia pattern coin, which shows the goddess with a helmet seated on a globe holding in a right hand a furled American flag topped by the liberty cap.Starting in 1793, U.S. coinage frequently showed Columbia/Liberty wearing the cap. The anti-federalist movement likewise instrumentalized the figure, as in a cartoon from 1796 in which Columbia is overwhelmed by a huge American eagle holding a Liberty Pole under its wings.[8] The cap's last appearance on circulating coinage was the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, which was minted through 1947 (and reused on the current bullion American Silver Eagle).The U.S. Army has, since 1778, utilized a "War Office Seal" in which the motto "This We'll Defend" is displayed directly over a Phrygian cap on an upturned sword. It also appears on the state flags of West Virginia (as part of its official seal), New Jersey, and New York, as well as the official seal of the United States Senate, the state of Iowa, the state of North Carolina (as well as the arms of its Senate,[9]) and on the reverse side of the Seal of Virginia.In 1854, when sculptor Thomas Crawford was preparing models for sculpture for the United States Capitol, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (later to be the President of the Confederate States of America) insisted that a Phrygian cap not be included on a Statue of Freedom, on the grounds that "American liberty is original and not the liberty of the freed slave". The cap was not included in the final bronze version that is now in the building.

In Latin America: The coat of arms of Haiti includes a Phrygian cap on top of a palm tree, commemorating that country's foundation in a slave revolt.Many of the anti-colonial revolutions in Latin America were heavily inspired by the imagery and slogans of the American and French Revolutions. As a result, the cap has appeared on the coats of arms of many Latin American nations. The coat of arms of Haiti includes a Phrygian cap to commemorate that country's foundation by rebellious slaves.The cap had also been displayed on certain Mexican coins (most notably the old 8-reales coin) through the late 19th century into the mid-20th century. Today, it is featured on the coats of arms or national flags of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Paraguay.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygian_cap

 

The revolutionaries are wearing a Phrygian cap. In this article we will be interested in the origin of this bonnet. The cap was worn for the first time in France at the Procope, a coffee shop where revolutionaries used to gather. It resembles the cap worn by freed slaves in the Roman Empire; slaves whose masters had endowed them with freedom and whose descendants became fully-fledged Roman citizens. The Phrygian cap was thus a symbol of freedom as early as Antiquity already. The oldest traces of this bonnet date back to Mithra, the Iranian divinity of the Sun, of friendship, oath, and contracts. Mithraism was the most widespread religion in Europe before Christianity. The statues of Mithra, which have survived to present day, represent Mithra wearing a Phrygian cap and a floating cape; he is kneeling on the primordial bull, holding a dagger in the right hand and drawing the bull's head towards the back with the left.

aramis.obspm.fr/~heydari/divers/marianne-eng.html

Seen here outside the Luton Galaxy is former Yourbus (operating under National Express) and Dave Dove Travel Levante DO04DDO (which is a private reg instated by the previous operator). It was new as FJ60EGZ

 

This was only recently acquired by BCC and it would appear to be on a Volvo B9R chassis. Whether or not this is their only Levante, I'm not sure.

 

The vehicle has been upseated to 70 seats and now is in a 2+3 configuration. Judging by the seats used, I believe this was done by BCC and not the previous operator

Ex-B.R. class '05' Hunslet 0-6-0 diesel mechanical shunter (W/No.4870 built in 1956) at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway's yard at Haven street on 17th November 2010. Withdrawn from B.R. capital stock in January 1981, it was renumbered in departmental service as 97803. D2554 spent the first 10 years of her career on the Western Region, though was transferred to the Southern and the Isle of Wight in 1966, being allocated to Ryde Depot for work on the island's newly instated electrification policy. She left the BR network for the steam railway in 1984, when replaced on the 'Island Line' by a class '03' No.03079, though has only worked demonstration freights and service trains as she is not fitted with air brakes. The loco has not run since 2005, but in early 2011 work started to see what needed doing to return it to service. The fuel pump was known to be faulty so was sent away for reconditioning. The loco was started for the first time in October 2011 and work still continues.

 

© Copyright Gordon Edgar - No unauthorised use

46037 was re-instated early in 1982, until final retirement in June 1984. 46019 was not so lucky, and was eventually cut up here in 1983.

Having been engaged in work near Croes Newydd, Class 40 40060 (97405) heads away from Wrexham en route to Chester with an engineers' train.

The locomotive was one of the four Class 40 machines that had been withdrawn from normal traffic and then re-instated in April and May 1985 to work engineering trains around Crewe as 97405-408. A major project was in progress to remodel the railways around Crewe station. Once the project was completed, the locomotives were withdrawn and three of the four were later preserved.

Delivered as D260 in February 1960 from EE Vulcan Foundry, this locomotive completed 28 years service prior to withdrawal in March 1987 and as 97405 it was the final Class 40 in Departmental use to be withdrawn. It was scrapped at Vic Berry, Leicester.

 

All images on this site are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed written permission of the photographer. All rights reserved – Copyright Don Gatehouse

The scene at Knighton station, where the 10:10 Swansea to Shrewsbury Central Wales Line DMU service was about to continue its journey. On the platform, a lady and gent were talking to a colleague who had just joined the DMU while the chap with the dog was about to zip up his jacket having left the warmth of the Class 101 Metro-Cammell unit.

The station was built in 1865, when the Central Wales Railway reached Llandridnod Wells. The original northbound platform was abandoned in 1964 but the removal of the passing facility created a long section from Craven Arms to Llandridnod Wells and in practice it was considered a 'capacity bottleneck'. With the modernisation of the route signalling in 1986, British Rail refurbished the platform (as can be seen on the left) and the northbound loop was later re-instated.

 

All images on this site are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed written permission of the photographer. All rights reserved – Copyright Don Gatehouse

Stabled at Derby on the 6th September 2016 is 37800

 

Locomotive History

37800 was originally D6843 and was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry Works, entering traffic on the 29th May 1963, allocated to Cardiff Canton MPD. In August 1966 it headed north for Scotland and would spend the next eight years generally on freight duties in the Scottish lowlands allocated initially Polmadie and later Eastfield. At the end of 1974 it was back to South Wales with transfer to initially Landore and then within a couple of weeks to Cardiff Canton. On the 29th January 1975 whilst departing Marine Colliery with a coal train bound for Llanwern steel works, 37143 went through the a set of trap points, incorrectly set by the shunter, and continued through the stopblock and down the embankment stopping just short of the river Ebbw, thankfully the train crew escaped with minor injuries. 37143 would spend the next six months here until finally recovered from the bottom of an embankment on the 4th August 1975 after two previous attempts had been unsuccessful. It was transferred to Tinsley in February 1977, Immingham in November 1977 and Stratford in May 1984 before entering Crewe Works for refurbishment in March 1986 and remerged in September 1986 as 37800, allocated to Cardiff. It was transferred to Immingham in 1993, Stewarts Lane in 1994, Eastleigh in 1997 and Toton in 1998 prior to being sent overseas to France for infrastructure duties in August 1999. It returned from France in July 2000 and departed for Spain for further infrastructure duties a year later in August 2001 operated by GIF and numbered L33. After eleven years in Spain it returned to the UK in September 2012 and following overhaul it was re-instated to traffic in May 2016

 

1898 Organ set in the north chancel wall facing both the choir & nave

The church was built 1891 - 1893 financed by Hon Mark Rolle on his land on “The Lawn” replacing a small chapel of ease which the Rolle family had also paid for.

It was designed by architect George Fellowes Prynne in Early English style and was built by the Exeter builders Luscombe and Sons. The main walls were built from limestone while the interior carvings were of Beer stone with Ashburton marble columns.. The total cost of the building was £10,000.

The church was consecrated on April 25th 1893 by the Bishop of Exeter, Edward Henry Bickerseth but it remained a chapel of ease until 1900 when it became a parish in its own right and in July 1900 Rev Rees Charles Price was instated as the first vicar.

It comprises of a nave, north and south aisles, double south transepts with apse on the east side, and south porch and is "light and airy due to the high roof and limited stained glass".

 

For the next 20 years the interior of St Peter’s was beautified with stained glass windows and mosaics and on 28th September 1920 a chancel screen was installed as a memorial to the dead of WW1

 

Sadly on 17th April 1942 a bomb, dropped from enemy aircraft, hit the north aisle. A large part of the wall and the flying buttresses were damaged and every window had been blown out. Worship continued at the Temple Methodist Church whilst rebuilding & restoration began.

On April 25th 1953, sixty years after its original dedication, Archdeacon of Exeter, the Ven. W A E Westall dedicated two new stained glass windows. One was a memorial to the fallen of WW2, www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/cc4FBL8hP6 the other a new west window to replace the one destroyed in the air raid.

 

in 1989 it was decided to buy the moveable organ from the nave of Worcester Cathedral to work alongside the organ which had been installed in 1898

 

- Church of St Peter , Budleigh Salterton Devon

tdoa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/organs/2005/budleigh-pipes...

Purchased from L.T. out of store 11/87 Southampton CityBus w/d her during 1/89 re-instated her for the Christmas Shoppa-Hoppa services 11/90.

Sold to Southend Transport 1/91 as 117, sold on 1/94 to Brakell of Cheam and exported to Germany used as a McDonalds restaurant Party Bus by 1996.

Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

 

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation in 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways, and the Grimsby Dock Company. The principal reason for existence was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland.

 

Little change in the system took place until the appointment, in 1854, of Edward Watkin as General Manager.

 

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic on 25th July 1898 and to passengers a year later.

 

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London.

 

Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

 

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity to raise funds through covenants.

 

Since then, the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signal boxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

 

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

 

Commentary.

 

Each year many owners of dwellings with impressive gardens,

open their doors to visitors.

Money given for the privilege is given to a variety of nominated charities.

Such a case applied to Holford Manor, near North Chailey in East Sussex,

towards the end of May, 2022.

Holford Manor donated their takings to a number of local charities supporting

people with severe disability, particularly children, in their educational setting.

Holford Manor used to be a farmstead.

Now, it is a privately owned house with splendid gardens, one pond and one lake.

Adjacent to the house is an Iris Nursery, nationally recognised for its wide variety of the plant.

Irises also feature in several borders in the garden.

Set nearly a mile from the main A.272 road, linking Haywards Heath and Newick.

Roses and Allium also feature in the colourful borders.

The trees are mature and impressive, ranging from Lebanon Cedar to Ash, Pine and Fir.

Copper Beech, ordinary Beech and Yew hedging has been used to separate different plots.

One area has been left as wild meadow containing, Buttercups, Poppies and Ox-Eye Daisies.

This is so important, so as to attract pollinating insects and keep the ecology diverse,

thus, re-instating the essential food-chains.

To the north-east of the house is a sizeable lake with two islands

and flocks of breeding Geese.

In future years, such a visit is well worthwhile for the charities,

the sustaining of Iris varieties and a diverse local ecology.

 

Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

 

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation in 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways, and the Grimsby Dock Company. The principal reason for existence was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland.

 

Little change in the system took place until the appointment, in 1854, of Edward Watkin as General Manager.

 

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic on 25th July 1898 and to passengers a year later.

 

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London.

 

Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

 

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity to raise funds through covenants.

 

Since then, the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signal boxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

 

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

 

Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

 

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation on first of January, 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways and the Grimsby Dock Company. The area of operation of the MSLR is clear in its title and its reason for existence and principle traffic was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland and through the Woodhead Tunnel.

 

Little change in the system took place until the appointment, in 1854, of Edward Watkin as General Manager.

 

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. A short spur, going under Lords Cricket ground, was built from Metropolitan tracks at Canfield Place to the new terminus at Marylebone. It has since become known as the London Extension. It is on this line on which the present day Great Central Railway is based.

 

Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic on 25th July, 1898 (to bed in the line) and to passenger and goods traffic started on 9th March, 1899.

 

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London. Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

 

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group (MLPG) was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity in order to raise funds through covenants. This too proved not to be sufficient to raise funds for the purchase of a short section of the line so the Great Central Railway (1976) Ltd was formed to raise funds through the sale of shares.

 

Since then the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signalboxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

 

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

 

LNWR Coal Tank No 1054 is seen in steam in the yard at Shildon Locomotion.

 

No.1054, an LNWR Coal Tank, was built at Crewe and entered service in 1888, becoming No.7799 on the LMS Railway after the grouping in 1923, and then carried No.58926 under British Railways after the railways were nationalised in 1948.

It is thought to have worked in the Birmingham area before the First World War, and in North and South Wales before it was withdrawn from service in January, 1939. It was almost scrapped but for the outbreak of war it was overhauled and re-instated to traffic in December, 1940, a consequence of the shortage of locomotives required for the war effort.

No.7799 continued to move around the country. It operated in the Manchester area working local trains from Bolton, and the Liverpool area from Edge Hill, before moving south to Bletchley where it worked the local passenger service to Dunstable.

In 1950 it was at Shrewsbury, again working local passenger trains this time to Craven Arms and, after four years, moved to Abergavenny from where it was loaned to the National Coal Board for 12 months working alongside two of its classmates at Windsor Colliery in Ynysybwl near Pontypridd. It returned to Abergavenny as the last survivor of its type and, incidentally, the last Webb-designed locomotive in operation. It was kept as a spare engine and fitted with a snowplough during the winter months in case of heavy snowfalls on the line. It is doubtful, however, if it was ever utilized in this role.

After working the last train on the Abergavenny to Merthyr line with 0-8-0 Super D No.49121 it ended its days at Ponytpool, where it was finally withdrawn for scrap in 1958, having travelled over one million miles in 70 years of public service.

There the story might have ended, but for a group of determined enthusiasts headed by Max Dunn. Mr Dunn, the former Shedmaster from the locomotive depot at Bangor, was persuaded by a friend to organise an appeal to raise the £666 required by the British Transport Commission to buy No.1054. The appeal was successful, and he then arranged for it to be repainted in LNWR livery at Crewe, following which it went to Hednesford in Staffordshire for safe storage by the Railway Preservation Society.

 

1054 at Quorn & Woodhouse - Cliff Jones

No.1054 at Quorn & Woodhouse - Cliff Jones

During 1963, Mr Dunn and his supporters arranged for No.1054 to be transferred into the ownership of the National Trust for display at PenrhynCastle in North Wales, not far from where the engine worked in the 1920s.

 

Although Penrhyn provided public access in safe and secure surroundings, facilities for effectively exhibiting the locomotive were limited. After nine years at Penrhyn, and with the growth of railway preservation groups providing improved facilities, some of the locomotive's original trustees arranged for the engine to be cared for by the Bahamas Locomotive Society at their former GCR single road engine shed at the Dinting Railway Centre near Glossop.

 

In 1980 the engine was overhauled, put into working order, and restored to the LNWR condition in which it would have appeared just prior to the First World War. In May that year it attended the great exhibition at Rainhill held to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Locomotive Trials won by George Stephenson's famous Rocket in 1830.

20107 and 20096 form one of the pairs of class 20s working 7X09, Derby Litchurch Lane – Amersham LUL S Stock transfer waiting for the road south at Derby, 16th April 2014.

 

Locomotive History

20107 was originally D8107 and was built by English Electric at the Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn works, Darlington. It entered traffic in December 1961, allocated to Eastfield MPD for Scottish lowlands, and Fife coalfield duties. In December 1978 it transferred south to Humberside being allocated to Immingham and in December 1982 20107 was stored unserviceable when a large number of the vacuum braked class 20 fleet were stored due to the reduction in coal traffic from pit closures and the continued introduction of air braked MGR coal wagons. 20107 was re-instated in June 1983 following a visit to Crewe works for a General classified repair and fitment of air brake and slow speed control equipment to enable it to operate MGR coal duties. On release it was transferred to Tinsley. In January 1987 it returned to Immingham and migrated to Thornaby in May 1990 for steel traffic duties. However it was displaced from these duties by new class 60 locomotives and withdrawn in October 1991. Following withdrawal it was sold for industrial use at Flixborough wharf, Humberside. By 2003 it was out of service and in October 2006 it moved to the Weardale Railway. In 2008 it was bought by HNRC and in October 2008 moved to Barrow Hill where it has been overhauled and returned to main line service.

 

Blackpool Transport retired its final Excels with a flourish, only to re-instate a few - here is T935EAN at Starr Gate.

47500 awaits departure from Swansea, October 1976. Originally D1943 it was built at Loughborough and entered traffic in June 1966. It was renumbered 47500 in March 1974 and 47770 in June 1994. It carried the name Great Western between February 1979 and September 1991 and was the Western Region's designated 'Royal' locomotive and consequently, usually turned out in immaculate condition. In 1985 47500 was an obvious choice to be one of the class 47's (with 47079, 47484, 47628, plus Class 50 50007) to be specially treated for the GWR 150th anniversary celebrations. It was named Reserved in May 1994 and withdrawn from traffic in February 2004. Following withdrawal it was bought for preservation in March 2007 and moved to Tyesley. In December 2009 it moved to Carnforth and overhauled by WCRC for main line operation. It was re-instated to traffic in July 2010 and renumbered 47500.

 

Withdrawn in January 2013 and broken up in on site at Carnforth in October 2019

 

Praktica LTL, Orwochrome UT18

Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.

 

...from the Tree of Knowledge Cup race meeting; part of the Tree of Knowledge Festival, Barcaldine, Queensland, Australia.

 

The name Barcaldine originates from The Oban region in Scotland. Donald Charles Cameron was one of the first settlers in the Barcaldine district and a direct descendant of the Campbellâs of Barcaldine Castle. He settled on a portion of land fronting the Alice River and immediately named his property âBarcaldine Downsâ. In 1864 the rail line came as far as Lagoon Creek and the township of Barcaldine sprang up on land from the Barcaldine Downs run.

 

The ghost gum, Eucalyptus Papuana, which grew outside the Railway Station, earned its claim to fame as the founding site of the political movement we now know as the Australian Labor Party. In 1891 Barcaldine was the centre for the striking shearers during the âGreat Shearers Strikeâ when they met under its boughs. In May 1891, about 3000 striking shearers marched under the âEurekaâ flag to put forward their protests against poor working conditions and low wages. Because the area beneath the Tree of Knowledge was the scene of actions and decisions which had a profound effect on the future of labour and politics in Australia, it has become an icon of the Labor Party and Trade Unions.

 

The Tree of Knowledge was included in the National Heritage List on 26th January 2006. Sadly it was poisoned in 2006 and did not recover.

 

What was once a one day float parade on the Labour Day Monday and known as May Day Parade & Celebrations has grown to a full weekend of community celebration embracing a diverse range of activities including Street Festival, Rev Fest, and Goat Racing now known as the Tree of Knowledge Festival.

 

The May Day holiday was abandoned in 2013 but the festival proceeds as usual, using the motto "We may have lost the holiday but we haven't lost the tradition". The holiday has now been re-instated by the Queensland Government. (Source: www.treeofknowledge.com.au)

 

© Chris Burns 2015

__________________________________________

 

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This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.

Both of these locos were in store, and were soon re-instated - finally being retired in 1984 from Gateshead.

Stanier 2-6-4 tank 42622 is in store at Normanton on 2 February 1967. The sacking over the chimney suggests that the loco might be re-instated for further service, but it was not to be. The rods have already been removed to facilitate its final journey to the scrapyard. 42622 was allocated to Leeds Holbeck (55A) at the time. Normanton (55E) was closed at the end of September 1967, but was kept open to coal and service steam engines arriving from Carlisle and the Manchester sheds. That work ceased at the end of 1967. Steam engines still continued to work into West Yorkshire right up to the end of steam in August 1968.

 

The Patrick O'Brien Collection

Outstationed at Stockport on the 3rd July 1976 is Longsight allocated 08687.

 

Locomotive History

08687 was built at Horwich as D3854 and entered traffic in October 1959 allocated to Heaton Mersey MPD moving to Longsight in September1965. In July 1984 it transferred to Cricklewood and in February 1985 to Derby. In September 1987 it had its cab “cut down”, was renumbered 08995 and transferred to Landore In June 2004 it was stored, however it was re-instated in December 2006 and was to spend the next in and out of store between use at Thornaby, East Lancashire Railway/Manchester Metrolink, Hoo Junction, Westbury, Ketton and Eastleigh. In July 2013 it was again stored and this time there was no reprieve by DB Schenker who offered it for sale in 2015. On the 13th August 2015, it was announced that the Shillingstone Railway Project had successfully purchased 08995. Although the Project is based in Dorset, 08995 has moved to Goodmans yard, Wilshaw where it is currently (December 2015) receiving an overhaul and the refitting of its vacuum brakes.

 

Standing in the shed yard at Haworth on the 5th April 2014 is 20031.

 

Locomotive History

The most successful batch of Type 1 locos ordered under the Modernisation Plan were the English Electric Type 1, classified Class 20. The initial order of 1956 was for twenty locomotives; however, the design was an immediate success and, before all twenty were in traffic, an order was made for an additional thirty locomotives for delivery to the Eastern and Scottish Regions. 20031 was one of this batch of thirty locomotives built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn, Darlinton and entered service as D8031 in January 1960, allocated to Aberdeen Kittybrewster MPD. It would spend the next six years allocated to Kittybrewster until it closed and D8030 transferred to Inverness in October 1965. This was followed by transfer to Polmadie in November 1966 and Haymarket in September 1967 before heading south initially to the Nottingham Division in June 1968 before quickly moving on to Stratford three months later in September 1968. It was one of a small batch of class 20’s (8019/30-33/55-57) allocated to Stratford at this time and remained until October 1970 when it transferred to Immingham. It remained an Immingham engine for the next ten years until transfer to Tinsley in July 1980. In October 1982 20031 was one of a number of vacuum braked class 20’s stored awaiting an improved financial climate (following the 1982 steel strike) to allow classified repair and dual brake fitment. Eventually traffic levels and finance improved and 20031 was overhauled, fitted with air brake equipment and re-instated in September 1983 working off Toton. It transferred back to Immingham in July 1987 before its final transfer to Toton in September 1989 from where it was withdrawn in September 1990

 

45041 was built at Crewe Works in 1962 and was released into traffic on 25th June, 1962 and based at Derby. The locomotive carried the number D53 and was initially painted in green livery and carried a split centre headcode. On 24th September, 1964 the locomotive was named “Royal Tank Regiment” at Derby Works with no formal ceremony and above the nameplates the Royal Tank Regimental crest was carried. D53 was used on a variety of passenger and freight duties throughout the 1960s.

 

During a visit to Derby Works for refurbishment in 1967 D53 lost its green livery in favour of the new corporate blue livery and its headcode was changed to a full four character version. The locomotive was fitted with air train brakes in 1968 continuing in its role of a mixed traffic locomotive before being re-numbered to 45041 in May, 1975.

 

A further change to 45041’s headcode occurred in March, 1979 when the headcode mechanisms were removed from the nose ends and these were replaced with marker lights. 45041’s final works overhaul occurred during 1985 with the locomotive re-entering traffic in August of that year without its nameplates fitted.

 

45041 was used predominantly on freight trains during the 1980s as it was not one of the 50 Class 45s that were selected to be converted to supply electric train heat (ETH) in the mid 1970s and 45041’s boiler was isolated in the late 1970s being one of the first of the class to lose its train heating capability.

 

45041 suffered a traction motor problem whilst working a stone train from Peak Forest to Leeds and was taken out of service on 18th May, 1988. 45041 was sent to Thornaby depot for assessment but it was condemned and was taken out of service on 8th June, 1988.

 

Thornaby depot became the locomotive’s home until January, 1994 when it was moved to Crewe Heritage Centre having been purchased for preservation by locomotive collector Pete Waterman. It was displayed at Crewe Works Open day in August, 1994 and at the Crewe Railfair event in August, 1995 although no restoration work was undertaken on 45041.

 

The locomotive was purchased from Pete Waterman by the Peak Locomotive Company in February, 1996 and had bodywork repairs and a complete repaint so that it could be re-dedicated by the Reverend Bernard Baines, the Royal Tank Regiment Padre at Crewe Works Open Day on 17th August, 1996. Following the Open Day, the locomotive was moved to Crewe Electric Depot where it had its tyres turned before being hauled over the main line to the Midland Railway Centre.

 

Restoration work began upon its arrival at the Midland Railway Centre alongside the groups other locomotives (at the time); Class 44 D4 “Great Gable” and Class 46 D182. 45041 made its debut in preservation on 28th September, 2002 and subsequently visited diesel events at the East Lancs Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as well as making a return visit to Crewe Works for an Open Day in September, 2005.

 

The locomotive was repainted once again into BR Blue livery with Full Yellow ends in September, 2010 and the owning group have plans to re-instate the locomotive’s train heating capability at some point in the future following an overhaul of its train heating boiler.

Commentary.

 

Bodiam Castle is of a classic, Medieval vintage.

Rounded corner towers.

Vast moat.

Portcullis.

Drawbridge.

Castellated, with arrow-slit windows.

Keep and dungeons.

As seen here, it is always a popular

venue, for all ages.

It stands on slightly higher ground

than the partially flooded, flood-plain.

The southern levee is clearly visible and both

levees are used as raised footpaths.

To add to the attractions, just behind

the location where this shot was taken,

volunteers re-furbished and re-instated

the Kent and Sussex Railway.

It runs from Tenterden in Kent

to Bodiam in East Sussex, and back.

It has steam-driven engines, and is just as

popular as the castle, during the summer months.

 

Commentary.

 

Volunteers worked very hard to re-instate this Severn Valley Railway as a privately run, Heritage Line, in the 1970’s,

following the notorious “Beeching” cuts of the early 1960’s.

The line consists of a 16 mile stretch from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster with four stations and two request “halts.”

Arley, is the third proper station after leaving Bridgnorth.

What a delight to see litter-free stations with well-tended garden borders, no graffiti, trains running on time and helpful, friendly, unstressed staff, in full, proper uniform, with a smile on their face.

Is the modern system really a mark of progress?

Or like the N.H.S. is it just over-loaded by population despite the tireless efforts of its wonderful staff to provide an excellent service, in impossible conditions?

Short, though our journey was, from Bridgnorth to Arley, return, we found it a most pleasant and agreeable experience!

 

24038 was built at Crewe works and entered traffic as D5038 in August 1959, allocated to March MPD. It was transfered in August 1967 to the Stoke Division and was stored in August 1975 before being briefly re-instated in December 1975 and is seen here at Nuneaton on the 31st January 1976. Its return to traffic was brief and it was stored again in February 1976 at Basford Hall before final withdrawal in July 1976. It was towed to Swindon Works in May 1977 and broken up there by the end of June.

 

Praktica LTL, Orwochrome UT18

Birmingham Central based 2959 is seen resting in Coventry working the long 900 to Hasbury. A journey of nearley 2 hours.

 

LIFE OF BUS 2959

 

New to Birmingham Central Garage December 1986

Transferred to Coventry September 1995

Transferred to Acocks Green September 2000

Transferred to Perry Barr October 2001

Withdrawn August 2004

Rebuilt as a training vehicle For TWM training fleet June 2005

Withdrawn May 2011

Re-instated to TWM Tranning Fleet August 2011

 

Location: Coventry Pool Meadow Bus Station

June 1987

BC