14th October 2019 · ‘T’ebay – Part 2’
Presenter: Dave Pearce
On 14th October we welcome back Dave Pearce from Norwich for the second instalment of his T’eBay presentations. All the images were sourced from the web-based eBay sales platform. A mix of colour and black and white images were interspersed with some musical and poetic anecdotes. Scenes covered a Duchess at Marylebone on a diverted LMS train whilst Euston was being rebuilt, 70014 ‘Iron Duke’on the Wembley Stadium loop. LNER, LMS and GWR motive power were abundant as we travelled the Great Central north from Woodford Halse to Nottingham and Sheffield. We were then entertained with a series of shed shots, many from the camera of Jim Carter, affectionately known as ‘The Footplate Cameraman’. These includes images taken from high vantage point such as light towers, signals and even coaling plants.
Opening the second half of the evening close calls for a soaking showed classic shots of trains picking up water on troughs on the main line. Moving west, the Cambrian was not forgotten and featured sea defence work where the wagons were lifted off the track by crane and their rock contents tipped sea-side. The rocks being too heavy to man handle into place. To emphasise that not all images can be purchased for a song an image of the Cambrian Coast Express sold for a mouth watering £135.00 in August 1918. Not purchased we add by our presenter!
Moving on, to keep within the scope of the title, Shap, Tebay and the west coast line to Carlisle were not forgotten with dramatic scenes of bankers assisting heavy northbound passenger and freight trains. We then headed south towards Crewe for some fascinating images through the industrial north-west. At Crewe a 1960s image showed the Duke (71000) and Duchess of Gloucester (46225) standing side by side. Who could have foreseen that all those years ago? Some RCTS Railtours featured, as did the 1938 ‘Dunlop Jubilee’ works outing. The finishing cameo’s covered shots in roundhouses, Britannia Pacific’s, Franco Crosti 9Fs at work and in store and a series of consecutively numbered locos alongside each other along with several images from the Eric Bentley collection.
If you thought that paying £135 for an image was excessive then spare a thought for the buyer of a superb colour slide of Class 21s on Eastfield shed that went under the hammer at a staggering (few pennies) over £500.00. Such is the interest in our hobby!
The appreciative audience thanked Dave, also commenting on his eloquent, enthusiastic and often humorous commentary. We look forward to Episode 3. Thanks are also expressed to Rob Wood for his assistance in compiling these notes.