Memories recalled thanks to Heritage Railway

THE latest HeritageRailway ( issue 269) has landed onmydoor steptoday– thankyou for anabsolutelywonderful magazine. Twofeatureshavebrought backmemories forme: Pete Kelly’s article about the LNER A1 Pacifics and RobinJones’feature about the 60th anniversaryof the Lincolnshire Coast LightRailway ( LCLR).

I immediately recognised the photograph of the signalboxonpage 65 asDukeries Junction atTuxford, Nottinghamshire. Inmyyoungerdays, I carried outmostofmy trainspotting there. Weused to talk to the signalman when he had the time, whichwasnot a lot! Wesatontop of thegrass bank opposite the ’ boxand in themeantime, I took somewonderful colour slidesof our bikes leaning on the fencebehind us and a tractorworking in the field, but only took one slide of a train going by and thatwas LNER A2 ClassNo. 60536 Trimbush passingthe ’ box fromabout the same angle. Well, theywerealways goingtobethereweren’t they and there wasalways tomorrow! Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing…

Turning to the LCLR article, I drove Peckett 0- 6- 0ST Jurassic from1962 until 1965 and carried out a lot of work on the railway. I usedtorun that locomotiveonmyownuntil11pmto ensure all the peoplegothomefromthe BeachcomberClub and thenspent the night inthe bungalowwhichwehad on site!

Itwasalsomewho designed those truss rods on the Ashover carriages as they hadawful sags in them– about 4ins if I recall correctly. We jacked them up in the middle and left themover the winter. Wepacked them up at both ends tooand everyweekwhenIwentdown the Humberston to check on the state of them. Itwasamazing howoften I had to adjust the packings as the sag came out. Weleft the packings about3/ 8ins clear at eachend.

I alsodesigned thenewstation building whileIwas apprenticeat United Steel Structural in Scunthorpe. This spanned over three tracks and at lastwehadawater tank, which I designed to go in the rafters. I also acquireda250- gallon tank to go up there too, fromalocal farmerwho seemedto sell everything.

I acquired most of the sleepers for ournewline fromourownOre Mining branch.

I have lots of other stories which I won’tboreyou with just now. I amnow a retired charteredcivil engineer.

DougHewson, email

Jurassic at that timewas painted in thisDuluxpaint shade, which was acquired cheaply. The photographwas takenat6amonemorning after the writer had finishedpolishing thebrass– steambeing raisedgently.

Right: Peckett 0- 6- 0ST Jurassic takeswater at North Sea Lane withahose pipe fromatap. Inside thetruck is LeoBates. On the footplate holdingthe hose pipe isMalcolm Gregory, who waswriter’s regular fireman.