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British Railways 1973

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"Flying Scotsman" at Edge Hill on its return from America

February 1973



Liverpool Riverside station, 2 years after closure

10 March 1973



Rock Ferry, the electric service for Liverpool on the left and the dmu for Chester on the right with the closed lines to Birkenhead Woodside behind

10 March 1973



The Preston platform at Ormskirk

10 March 1973



Emu for Liverpool Exchange at Ormskirk

10 March 1973



Ede Hill station

28 March 1973



Newton Abbot

28 March 1973



A class 52 at Newton Abbot with a local train to Paignton

28 March 1973



Aller Junction

28 March 1973



Torre

28 March 1973



Torquay

28 March 1973



Paignton

28 March 1973



Paignton

28 March 1973



In May some friends and I joined a BR-sponsored excursion from Bristol to Wick (!). Here we are at Bromsgrove waiting for the banker to be attached

04 May 1973



The Bankers are buffered-up to the 17-car train

04 May 1973



Passing Blackwell with the bankers about to be dropped off

04 May 1973



Dalwhinnie at dawn

05 May 1973



Kingussie

05 May 1973



Approaching Aviemore

05 May 1973



Aviemore

05 May 1973



The Speyside line at Aviemore

05 May 1973



Carr Bridge

05 May 1973



Near Slochd

05 May 1973



Near Slochd

05 May 1973



Findhorn Viaduct

05 May 1973



Looking down Strath Dearne from the Findhorn Viaduct

05 May 1973



Strath Dearne

05 May 1973



On arrival at Inverness we were propelled into the "North" platform 6 and the sleeping cars removed, leaving 11 for the run north

05 May 1973



Inverness

05 May 1973



The River Ness

05 May 1973



The River Ness

05 May 1973



The River Ness

05 May 1973



The 08.20 to Edinburgh at Inverness. Note the Griddle Car 4th back from the locos

05 May 1973



The "Royal Highlander" from Euston on arrival at Inverness

05 May 1973



The excursion from Bristol ready to depart from Inverness

05 May 1973



The excursion from Bristol ready to depart from Inverness

05 May 1973



Muir of Ord

05 May 1973



Muir of Ord

05 May 1973



Muir of Ord crossing the morning train from Kyle of Lochalsh

05 May 1973



Dingwall

05 May 1973



Dingwall

05 May 1973



Dingwall

05 May 1973



Dingwall

05 May 1973



Invergordon

05 May 1973



Invergordon

05 May 1973



Tain

05 May 1973



Running along the Dornoch Firth

05 May 1973



Running along the Dornoch Firth

05 May 1973



Kyle of Sutherland

05 May 1973



Carbisdale Castle from Invershin bridge over the Kyle of Sutherland

05 May 1973



Looking down the Kyle of Sutherland from Invershin bridge

05 May 1973



Carbisdale Castle

05 May 1973



Looking up Strath Oykel from Invershin

05 May 1973



The Shin Falls

05 May 1973



Lairg

05 May 1973



Lairg Town and Loch Shin

05 May 1973



Running down Strathfleet to Rogart

05 May 1973



Strathfleet

05 May 1973



Helmsdale

05 May 1973



Strath of Kildonan above Helmsdale

05 May 1973



Kildonan

05 May 1973



The mountains of NW Sutherland

05 May 1973



Loch an Ruathair and Foinavon

05 May 1973



Forsinard

05 May 1973



Forsinard

05 May 1973



At Forsinard we had to wait 45min for the midday train from Wick

05 May 1973



The A897 to the north coast of Scotland at Forsinard

05 May 1973



Mainstreet, Forsinard

05 May 1973



The train from the north arrives at Forsinard

05 May 1973



Entering Wick

05 May 1973



Wick (in pouring Rain)

05 May 1973



Wick station

05 May 1973



High St, Wick

05 May 1973



Wick Harbour

05 May 1973



Wick station

05 May 1973



The 4-coach Wick portion is shunted clear (the other 5 cars went to Thurso)

05 May 1973



A coach trip was arranged to John O'Groats

05 May 1973



Friends (I foget their names!!) at John O'Groats

05 May 1973



Scrabster harbour (near Thurso)

05 May 1973



Scrabster

05 May 1973



Carlisle early on the Sundat morning, with the OHLE masts being erected

06 May 1973



Carlisle at 07.20 on a Sunday morning

06 May 1973



Carlisle

06 May 1973



Carlisle

06 May 1973



Leaving Carlisle via the S&C

06 May 1973



Petteril Bridge Jn

06 May 1973



Passing the remains of Durran Hill sheds

06 May 1973



Appleby

06 May 1973



Ormside Viaduct - the class 47 had the 17-car train at nearly 80mph here at the bottom of the "Long Drag"

06 May 1973



Kirby Stephen

06 May 1973



Above Kirby Stephen

06 May 1973



Birkett Tunnel

06 May 1973



Looking across the Eden Valley at MP 262

06 May 1973



The upper Eden Valley

06 May 1973



The upper Eden Valley

06 May 1973



Ais Gill

06 May 1973



Looking down Garsdale

06 May 1973



Dent station

06 May 1973



Dent Dale

06 May 1973



Arten Gill Viaduct

06 May 1973



Dent Head Viaduct

06 May 1973



Blea Moor

06 May 1973



Battymoss Viaduct

06 May 1973



D340 in the dirt at Hellifield

06 May 1973



Hellifield

06 May 1973



Daisyfield Jn, Blackburn

06 May 1973



Blackburn station being rationalised

06 May 1973



Blackburn

06 May 1973



OLE awaiting insulators at Farrington Jn

06 May 1973



Rugeley TV, heading for the Chase line

06 May 1973



Climbing over Cannock Chase

06 May 1973



Cannock Chase

06 May 1973



Ryecroft Jn, Walsall

06 May 1973



Passing Walsall station

06 May 1973



Rounding the curve from Grand Jn to St Andrews Jn

06 May 1973



View from the Camp Hill line of the GW line into Moor St (Snow Hill was closed at this time)

06 May 1973



3H 1126 at Westbury

12 May 1973



Westbury

12 May 1973



Class 47 1646 at Westbury with a Bristol - Weymouth train

12 May 1973



Westbury

12 May 1973



Bristol TM with 3H 1127 after arrival from Portsmouth

12 May 1973



3H 1127 at Bristol TM forming a train from Portsmouth

12 May 1973



Paddington train arriving at Bristol TM

12 May 1973



The nameplate of 6000 "King George V"

02 June 1973



Hereford looking north with 6000 in the distance on the Down Goods. The layout here was radically changed shortly after this was taken, and many buildings demolished

02 June 1973



"KGV" passes Aylestone Hill signalbox

02 June 1973



"KGV" in Platform 1 at Hereford

02 June 1973



9F 92203 arrives at Hereford with an excursion from the nouth

02 June 1973



9F 92203 at Hereford. This had been given the name "Black Prince" by its owner David Shepherd

02 June 1973



Some of the crowds at Hereford

02 June 1973



KGV ready to set off after taking over from the 9F

02 June 1973



6000 "King George V" departs fro Hereford with a southbound excursion

02 June 1973



That policeman would not be stood there today!

02 June 1973



"Hymek" D7001 awaits departure from Worcester with aPaddington train

02 June 1973



Worcester

02 June 1973



With a friend, I took a week's railroving in 1973. Here we are at Lincoln St Marks: this station has been completely redeveloped

24 September 1973



Lincoln

24 September 1973



Pelham St Jn

24 September 1973



Lincoln DMU depot

24 September 1973



Lincoln

24 September 1973



Market Rasen

24 September 1973



Approaching Wrawby Jn

24 September 1973



Wrawby Jn

24 September 1973



Wrawby Jn

24 September 1973



Barnetby station

24 September 1973



Grimsby

24 September 1973



Grimsby

24 September 1973



Grimsby

24 September 1973



Habrough

24 September 1973



Brocklesby, this station closed in 1993

24 September 1973



On the 4-track section between Brocklesby and Barnetby

24 September 1973



Approaching Barnetby

24 September 1973



Wrawby Jn

24 September 1973



Scunthorpe

24 September 1973



The Bridge over the Trent at Althorpe

24 September 1973



76023 ex-works at Doncaster

24 September 1973



Approaching Totley Tunnel

24 September 1973



Somewhere in the Hope Valley

24 September 1973



Castleton

24 September 1973



Castleton

24 September 1973



Hope sidings

24 September 1973



At the top of the Hope Valley near Edale

24 September 1973



Edale

24 September 1973



Cowburn Tunnel

24 September 1973



Chinley North Jn

24 September 1973



Chinley

24 September 1973



Ribblehead taken from the Thames-Clyde Express

25 September 1973



Ribblehead

25 September 1973



Ribblehead

25 September 1973



Blea Moor

25 September 1973



Dent Dale

25 September 1973



Garsdale

25 September 1973



Garsdale

25 September 1973



Garsdale station

25 September 1973



Garsdale

25 September 1973



Ais Gill

25 September 1973



Ais Gill

25 September 1973



MP 262 looking down the Eden Valley

25 September 1973



Meeting an up freight in the upper Eden Valley

25 September 1973



Annan station

25 September 1973



Dumfries

25 September 1973



Dumfries, the Castle Douglas branch diverges

25 September 1973



Nith Valley

25 September 1973



Nith Valley

25 September 1973



Nith Valley

25 September 1973



Nith Valley

26 September 1973



Llandudno: The bottom station of the Great Orme Tramway

26 September 1973



Llandudno

26 September 1973



Llandudno, EE Type 4 287 arrives from the east

26 September 1973



287 runs round

26 September 1973



Heading up the Conwy Valley

26 September 1973



Staff exchange at Llanrwst

26 September 1973



Llanrwst

26 September 1973



Heading on up to Blaenau Ffestiniog

26 September 1973



Blaenau Ffestiniog Branch

26 September 1973



Blaenau Ffestiniog Branch

26 September 1973



Viaduct above Bettws-y-Coed

26 September 1973



Stream under viaduct

26 September 1973



Approaching the tunnel

26 September 1973



The north end of the tunnel through to Blaenau Ffestiniog

26 September 1973



Blaenau Ffestiniog

26 September 1973



Blaenau Ffestiniog

26 September 1973



Blaenau Ffestiniog - the old Festiniog Railway station "Closed Temporarily"

26 September 1973



The view on beyond BF towards the old GW station, which is where the current joint NR/FR station is located

26 September 1973



Returning back into the tunnel

26 September 1973



Seascale

27 September 1973



Sellafield

27 September 1973



Sellafield

27 September 1973



Braystones

27 September 1973



Nethertown, crossing a train of long-welded rail

27 September 1973



Approaching Corkickle

27 September 1973



Corkickle, with the single line tunnel to Whitehaven

27 September 1973



Whitehaven Bransty

27 September 1973



Crianlarich, the overnight sleeper from King's Cross drops off the newspapers

28 September 1973



Crianlarich Upper with the overnight sleeper from King's Cross

28 September 1973



Crianlarich Lower, then used as a timber loading point

28 September 1973



Strathfillan

28 September 1973



Near Tyndrum Lower

28 September 1973



Glen Lochy

28 September 1973



Dalmally

28 September 1973



Kileburn Castle at the head of Loch Awe

28 September 1973



Kileburn Castle at the head of Loch Awe

28 September 1973



Looking up Glenstrae with the A85 on the bridge

28 September 1973



Loch Awe

28 September 1973



The Avalanche Signals in the Pass of Brander

28 September 1973



Pass of Brander

28 September 1973



Power station at the outlet from Loch Awe in the Pass of Brander

28 September 1973



Taynuilt

28 September 1973



Loch Etive

28 September 1973



The Connel Ferry Bridge (which used to carry the Ballachulish branch)

28 September 1973



Connel Ferry

28 September 1973



Connel Ferry Bridge

28 September 1973



Oban, with some sun at last!

28 September 1973



Arriving into Oban

28 September 1973



Oban with the morning train from Glasgow arrived

28 September 1973



Oban

28 September 1973



Oban

28 September 1973



The outside of Oban station

28 September 1973



Inside Oban station. This has now been demolished

28 September 1973



Oban

28 September 1973



Another view of Loch Awe

28 September 1973



Looking down Loch Lomond

28 September 1973



Loch Lomond

28 September 1973



Crossing a freight at Arrochar

28 September 1973



View across Loch Long of a campsite where we camped as a family in 1966

28 September 1973



Looking down Loch Long

28 September 1973



Glen Douglas

28 September 1973



Dalrymple Jn from a Glasgow - Stranraer train

28 September 1973



Girvan

28 September 1973



The start of the single line at Girvan

28 September 1973



Passing Didcot

29 September 1973



"Burton Agnes Hall" at Banbury

29 September 1973



Banbury

29 September 1973



Stafford with a pair of class 24s dragging a failed class 83

29 September 1973

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I was born in 1953 and educated at Tonbridge and Bristol University. Since then I have been employed on the Railways, most of the time in the West Midlands. From 1980 I lived in Wolverhampton, and for the last 20 years in Bridgnorth