…I paid a visit to the Harton Colliery railway, last remnant of the South Shields, Marsden and Whitburn colliery system, and home to the “Westoe electrics”, a fine collection of overhead-electric locomotives which worked the coal from Westoe colliery down to Harton Low Staithe on the Tyne.

There’s been a page on “Geoff’s Rail Diaries” for some time – “Seaham and Harton“; in response to interest shown by a number of site visitors, here’s the full set of photos taken at the time (yes, it’s been another cold wet day here…). Visit “The Westoe Electrics” on the “Specials” pages.

Another random dip into the boxes – and two “one-offs”, the only photos resulting from a couple of little outings in early 1975.

The Peak is climbing out of the Severn Tunnel. This was a little outing aimed at exposing some slide film, which would shortly become my first attempt at home processing. Not an entirely successful attempt, it has to be said. This was the only useable(!) result (and it was a very strange brown-purple when first scanned); most of the rest were pictures of the nearby Pilning station.

The 2′ gauge Hudson Hunslet (4395 of 1952) is “Dodington Dragon”, which was one of a pair used to operate the Dodington Light Railway. The line closed many years ago – the locomotives moved to the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man, then undergoing resuscitation.

A cold, grey, wet day – and, after around 3 months, the slides are back in the darkroom, following full redecoration and refurbishment (well-overdue). A random dip into the boxes revealed some photos taken on a cold, grey, but not wet, day just before Christmas 1987, recording things that have since gone near Clay Cross in Derbyshire.
Visit “A grey day near Clay Cross” on “Geoff’s Rail Diaries”

Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries, the full and illustrated account of the outing to Glasgow and our ferry trip at the “tail o’ the bank”. Visit “Both sides of the Clyde” – now!

Just back (figuratively speaking) from a “grand day out” – a day trip to Glasgow on “The Lakeland Scotsman”, an excursion organised by Compass Tours. Starting from Codsall (!), it ran via Telford and Shrewsbury, then Crewe and the west coast main line, and would give us, all being well, around 4¾ hours in the city…

…or alternatively…

Clutching a day rover ticket, we caught the next train to Gourock, where we could hop onto the ferry for a trip across the mouth of the Clyde to isolated Kilcreggan. Staying on the boat, we would then cross the mouth of Gare Loch to Helensburgh – for haggis and chips and the return trip to Glasgow along the northern bank – with time to browse the bookshops for something to read on the long journey home (mostly in the dark).