FENLAND RAILWAY FOTOS :: Fotopic.Net

Top Photo

A little closer to Grassmoor Box showing the Distant still in place. I only assumed that the film was shot on this date - near enough I suppose.
(5 hits)
THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.

Welcome

Welcome to my new gallery. You may know my 'Eurospotter' gallery of Continental pictures. I've created this one to show British stuff specifically shot between Whittlesea (sic) in the west and Ely North Junction in the east, giving details of locations etc., so rather than being chronological, I aim to make it location specific. Good photographic vantage points are few and far between in the Fens due to a marked lack of bridges (only two road overbridges and two footbridges between Whittlesea and Ely!) and bends (three, 2 through March and a kink at Three Horseshoes) but we do have a plethora of level crossings (about 40 by my (amended) reckoning between those same two points) so I hope to give some idea of where good spots are on what is fast becoming a very busy stretch of railway line, particularly on a Saturday afternoon, when it may even be the busiest freight route in the country.
24/01/06: I have just bought a scanner and so I am putting some of my old pictures onto the gallery. You might think they are bit odd datewise but there are two reasons fot that: the first is that family problems kept me more or less away from all railways between 1990 and 1995 and the pictures published here are virtually all I have from this period, secondly, when I bought my first Praktica MTL3 in about 1984, a 'friend' who was 'in the know' convinced me that slides were better than prints and, knowing nothing, I went along until about 1989 and then I saw the light. I only took prints when I couldn't afford expensive slide film. I have about 2500 slides of March from 1984 to 1989 which I have no idea what to do with - anyone got any ideas?
20:02:07 I have just bought a slide scanner and have 2641 slides to scan and add. Many are elsewhere than the Fens and I am doing them just at random. It will take me years, I hope. Checkout my British Rail Rover site for the first ones, Rugby in July 1986. Some are none too sharp but I was using 65ASA Perutz on an MTL 4 in those days - loads of 1//125th!

About Me

I am a 56 year old retired schoolteacher, still almost sane, who has never grown up and quite pleased about it too. I have been interested in railways for at least 49 of those years. I used to love UK railways but what's to love anymore? I do still photograph in this country, mainly in my own locality, but I do find endless parades of Yings a little depressing.

Location: March, Home of Whitemoor Yard

Photo:

Top Photographs This Week

1	A little closer to Grassmoor Box showing the Distant still in place. I only assumed that the film was shot on this date - near enough I suppose.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(5)
2	The shunters hut at Norwood Yard. The sign says 'RIP Norwood Yard, 1909 - 1982, murdered by BR Management' - a picture I never thought to take although I passed it by hundreds of times.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(5)
3	A view along the Wisbech Branch, now truncated by a buffer stop from the old Whitemoor dumped on it.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(5)
4	Lost in a forest of silver birches, this board once controlled access to/from the Norwood Yard.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(4)
5	The new signal, set about 25 yards further back than the current one, will control traffic leaving the yard. The point has also been motorised.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
6	Another shot of Grassmoor and its Distant with the derelict Up Hump Control Tower behind. As I saw no one on my walk, I assume they were there the day before me.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
7	Standing on the old Joint line, Up Yard to the left, Norwood Yard to the right, looking south. The signal has been weighted with concrete blocks by some wag.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
8	08 580 has returned to Doncaster and been replaced by reliveried 08 754, Whitemoor Pilot No.7.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
9	This meant that they all sloped downhill and so an old scrap brakevan was placed at the end of each to act as a buffer stop. These 3 shots show the result of this experiment!	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
10	08 580, Whitemoor Pilot No.5, replacement for the HNRC pilots as they were not mainline registered. Apparently, there are another 2 to come. An old 31B loco.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
11	Norwood Yard, previously home of the 100 wagon coal trains, now deserted and soon to disappear in a birch forest - there were some lovely apple trees on this bank!	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(3)
12	A week later and 66 708's side-tippers are still stabled on the Branch.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
13	The new Whitemoor Junction point is now fitted and operational.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
14	Grassmoor Signalbox, which controlled the northern end of Whitemoor Yard. I believe it has been preserved somewhere.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
15	Looking north at Grassmoor Box from thje signals in the previous shot. The photographer took 4 other shots identical to this one.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
16	D9504, KESR No.48, arrived from the CTRL site at Beechbrook Farm the day before to become Whitemoor Pilot No.1.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
17	08 754 shunts a rake of PNA's on a misty morning in Whitemoor Yard.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
18	66 708 has brought in a rake of side-tippers with ballast for Whitemoor. This is the last train I ever saw on the Wisbech Branch, albeit only just.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
19	The sleepers have now been moved over to form the base of the headshunt.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
20	The track is all linked up now and a large pile of ballast is beginning to appear by the Wisbech Branch.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
21	Week 10 - sleepers are laid out to the right of the Wisbech Branch for use on the headshunt.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
22	Old GER wagon body in use as a store. I wanna tell you a story! I didn't take these pictures - I found a roll of film just about here whilst walking my dog on Jan.22, 1986 and had them developed.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
23	Trainee shunters on the running boards on a Class 03 on March Depot.	MARCH DEPOT	(2)
24	The old Goods Shed at Twenty Foot Station is used by a farmer for storing bales.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)
25	This pattern of brakevan was to become the BR Standard but this one, DE310694, was built by the LNER at Darlington.	THE FALL AND RISE OF WHITEMOOR YARD.	(2)