Lord Nelson and me
on a summer's ride
in the crook of his arm
through the countryside
I stood while he huffed
and stood while he puffed
in his green shiny coat
he shovelled the miles
and hot he ran with his iron will
and we rode like the Lord
and we're riding still.
Ray - you encouraged me to seek out my "Observer's
Book of British Steam Locomotives" and be sure I got my
facts right. I was impressed to read about that class of
loco and how its 6'7" driving wheels were 5 inches larger
than my favourite BR "Britannia" class - the SR engine
designed for mainly Continental boat-trains between
Victoria and Dover. The OB reckoned they were spoiled
by the addition of smoke deflectors, previously being
"considered by some to rank among the most handsome
4-6-0s to run in this country". At least the original Lord
Nelson was retained by BR for steam preservation.
JC - I bought a few hundred shares in the Watercress
Line (Winchester & Alton) when it put itself forward for
the purpose. I still have the two certificates somewhere
plus the original full page Daily Telegraph prospectus
that attracted my attention. I am delighted to see
how the concern has progressed since those days but
I doubt if I'll get more than a reduced single fare out of
my contributions.
Can't beat a good railway poem. They are purpose made for the rhythm.
The NYMR runs from Pickering to Whitby and is excellent. The Wartime Weekends are especially magical, when the whole town and visitors get in costume. Alternatively, the Goth Weekends in Whitby are brilliant too.
(As it happens I am a shareholder in the Railway although staff have dropped the courtesy of doffing their caps to me).
my first girlfriend was from bridlington! what a shit hole.
Thanks Stu. Out of my territory I'm afraid, but that line has a great vista for the enthusiast! I used to gig in Bridlington , I think that was the terminus. Great. Steam trains make a great brush stroke on the canvas, as Turner realised!
Mark , your comment deserves some attention! Actually, your guess was nearly right; the Schools ran mainly out east to Ramsgate and I think Hastings before electrification. Much admired by the footplate men. The Lord Nelson were reckoned to be underpowered - though obviously iconic and just as romantic with those names!
What a thrill to be where you were - repressed power bursting out. How lucky we were - I watched the same locos at West Drayton at high speed. A joy.
lovely memories here ray. some of my favourite childhood moments are aboard steam trains. pickering in yorkshire was my favourite haunt, which also boasts an astonishingly fine second hand book shop.
You have to be a southern lad for that particular loco name
to ring a bell. Was is a "Schools" class, Ray?
My own memories include living beside the main London-
Bristol GWR line at Box and as a 12 year old lad being able
to climb unsupervised to the rickety "halt" platforms just
west of the famous Box Tunnel and watch the far end
pin-point of light suddenly darken and know that in a
matter of seconds an express would roar out of the nearest
end and thunder past me - mere feet away - unhindered by health and safety and all the rest of modern cotton-wool cossetting.
I bet you got that little bit of wind in your eye didn't you Ray?
Isn't it wonderful how these lovely old beasts conjure up clear memories. I can smell the coal!
I took my two oldest grandsons to see Bitterne (a Gresley streamline class) when it raced through here a couple of years ago. Their faces were incredulous!
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raypool
Tue 24th Nov 2015 13:46
Thanks everyone for stoking up this one! Nostalgia can't be beat. Mark, the Schools were 4 4 0s and were reckoned to run really well. I remember all these beauties stripped of their nameplates pulling coal trucks. Thanks again.
John , I am impressed with your credentials ; where would be without the brave restorers and explorers? Apparently, there was a line running from Whitby down the coast south, but axed. That would have been spectacular.
Regards, Ray