Roy B

Continues from above: As Grandon lost a wheel and the associated suspension, that was overshadowed by the extensive front end damage which was suffered in the same incident by Carl Boswell (84). After the race was brought to another temporary halt, just five cars remained for the last segment. Darby looked in control, but a strong by Paris saw him relieve Darby of the lead for a lap. However, Darby fought back to claim first place and land the Cornish title. Bristol Sunday 30th August 2021 There was a massive crowd on hand on this gloriously warm and sunny day high in the Mendip Hills. The cars raced to a two from three format. Andy Smith helps out on the 921 car. Brad McKinstry (747) alongside. Top 3 results: Ht 1: 584, 931 and 828. Ht 2: 700, 895 and 667. Ht 3: 127, 700 and 584. Mike Cocks copped for some damage in his heat, but had it repaired for the GN Jack Bunter got his money's worth out of this three-wheeler in one of the support races Final: 667, 700 and 127. Tommy Farrell won the Final, and finished second in the GN GN: 700, 667 and 53. Continued below:

Continued from above: St.Day – Sunday 29th August 2021 The BBC were filming at this event. They were gathering footage for a documentary in the We Are England, Belonging series entitled: Cornwall’s Last Raceway. It is very good and is available on BBC iPlayer now. Returning briefly to the Semi-Final’s, there were 11 south-west based drivers who gridded but only three of them managed to make it through. Congratulations to Jamie Avery (126), Paul Rice (890) and Steven Gilbert (542). Justin Fisher (315) was a reserve at the Semi meeting, and did make a brief appearance in the non-qualifiers heat at the start of the meeting, but soon hit problems that left him needing to be pushed off, post-race, by one of the recovery tractors. Whether the mechanical issue was traced to a sandbag has yet to be confirmed. This meeting saw the Snell Family Trophy raced for. The sizeable trophy needs more than one person just to lift it! It was the fourteenth time in its history that this jaw-dropping piece of auto sculpture for the Brisca F2’s was being raced for. It was created by former Hot Rod star Tyrone Snell to be raced for each season at St. Day. The trophy features an array of motor components which are commonly found being used on modern day F2’s. The framework to the trophy which holds everything in place is finished in trademark lime green – the colour strongly associated with Tyrone from his Hot Rod racing days, and from his days as a famed and respected manufacturer and supplier of quality trailers. Top 3 results: Ht 1: 605, 828 and 35. Ht 2: 895, 667 and 418. Cons: 24, 584 and 325. Final: 24, 35 and 700. GN: 540, 605 and 689. Julian Coombes was out of the Final soon after the start JP was the winner of the Snell Family Trophy Despite there only being 13 Saloons in attendance they stole the show. During the opener the Phil Powell (199) car ended up with the back end mangled after Warren Darby (677) cannoned Simon Paris (672) into him. Phil’s car ended up exactly like this after an earlier season Taunton meeting. The Cornish Championship was on offer for the main event and this race brought multiple explosions. The first of these saw Junior Buster (902) bundled into the pits bend, and as he barrel rolled, Richard Regan (319), who was racing his ex-Diggy Smith car for the first time clambered up and on top of him in truly spectacular fashion. The race was stopped and when it resumed, the lead continued to change hands, before another explosive moment as Darby thundered Jack Grandon (277) into the pits bend wall. Various bits and pieces of the 277 car are retrieved off track. Continued below:

Hi there folks, A brief look at four F2 meetings this week, followed by some pics from last weekend’s tram event at Blackpool. Bristol – Wednesday 18th August 2021 15 cars raced at this last midweek outing. These welcome visitors were first to arrive The new Matt Stoneman (127) transporter brought him luck as he won Heat & Final Andy was kept busy Not a good night for Ryan Sheahan (325) Top 3 Results: Ht 1: 127, 736 and 325 Ht 2: 736, 127 and 315 - 390 eighth. Final: 127, 667 and 736 - 390 eighth. GN: 667, 315 and 736 - 390 fifth. Northampton Semi-Final Meeting – Sunday 22nd August 2021 The first Semi-Final lined up with the front row of Dave Polley (38) and Andrew Palmer (606). Missing from the line-up were Gordon Moodie (7)(ill), Tony Blackburn (225), who had lent his car to Jack Aldridge (921), and Courtney Witts (780), who was injured at King’s Lynn. Steven Burgoyne (674), Luke Johnson (194) and Michael Lund (995) therefore joined the grid from the reserve list. As the race got going Palmer nosed in front of Polley until the red flags came out for Jamie Jones (915) who ended up on his roof as the rear half of the grid piled into the third bend. 606, 38 and Luke Wrench (560) headed the restart. Wrench was pushed wide at the drop of the green which aided the front two to break clear. Mark Gibbs (578) lost a wheel and as he dragged his car to the infield ended up brushing the leader’s car which gave Palmer a scare. He and Polley safely negotiated the backmarking traffic to secure their places on the front two rows of the WF grid. Rob Mitchell (905) finished third, while Wrench and Charlie Guinchard (283) traded places a few times. Wrench hit the European champion wide on the last bend to claim fourth. Jamie Avery (126) and Paul Rice (890) could both be proud of their efforts to successfully qualify in their regular tarmac cars. Result: 606, 38, 905, 560, 183, 377, 78, 126, 4 and 890. The second Semi-Final gridded up with Micky Brennan (968) and Jon Palmer (24) on the front row. Second row starter Jack Cave (801) edged inside of Brennan at the start but the two-time world champion held onto his lead as, from the outside of rows two and three, Jack Aldridge spun, and Ollie Skeels (124) was clobbered. Matt Linfield (464) was another who had a spin, and with other pile ups occurring a caution was called. Brennan made a good restart and built a gap to the rest headed by Rob Speak (218), Palmer and Cave. However, the man making moves through the pack from mid-grid was Billy Webster (226). He used the bumper to good effect to shove Cave past Palmer and overtake them both in the process and move up to third. At half-distance Webster was lining up to pass the 218 car. The eight time world champion half spun, and was collected by the 226 car. While Webster managed to extricate himself from the scene, chaos followed, with Cave and Palmer among those to lose out a lot of ground before the yellows came out, with Speak unable to continue. With the exception of Brennan and Webster remaining in front the cars following them had changed completely. Chris Burgoyne (647), Andy Ford (13), Reece Cox (149), James Riggall (527) and Steven Gilbert(542) were next in line. Cave and Palmer were still running but outside the top 10 and with very hobbled cars. Brennan made what he thought was another good restart as he raced clear to win, but was penalised by the steward for his start-stop-start technique, which caused a concertina effect, and was docked two places. That promoted Webster to the win, and Burgoyne into second. Further action between Cave and Palmer, which also caught out Courtney Finnikin (55) didn’t help their cause and both were shown technical exclusion flags, for a broken exhaust and wheel guard, respectively. Result: 226, 647, 968, 13, 527, 149, 542, 618, 324 and 9. Other top 3 results from the day: Ht 1: 286, 47 and 209. Cons: 218, 995 and 55. Final: 13, 69 and 183. GN: 226, 69 and 38. Tommy Farrell’s 20+ year old wing Continued below:

Continued from above: Looking quite at home representing Stevensons MFR 41P is former Grampian No.60 (ORS 60R), a 1977 Leyland Leopard PSU4C/4R with Alexander Y-type 45-seat body. This is a great pic. The driver of an unidentified LMS ‘Patriot’ 4-6-0 leans from his cab as a New Cross Speedway Supporters Club special comes past Albury, on the WCML. It has been suggested the train was heading for Manchester on 21st August 1937, where the supporters were due at the first leg of the National Speedway League final against Belle Vue. (Credit to Mike Morant) With only three weekends left from now until the F1 season returns i’ll not be able to give full coverage to all of the remaining eight F2 meetings from 2021 that i’ve got left. Instead, i’m going to list the results, and put any photos of interest on for these dates over the remaining w/ends. However, i will be looking in depth at the WF meeting, and the last ever Birmingham. These will be in a fortnight’s time along with our last walk off the beaten track this winter. We’ll be having a look at an area out in the wilds where the highest railway viaduct in England once stood. In addition to this there’s not one, but two abandoned signal boxes to see! Next weekend sees the first Brisca F2 meeting of 2022. This is at the United Downs Raceway, St. Day. Check back here and we’ll have a look at any new cars, drivers etc. In addition I’ll put some pics on of this weekend’s Blackpool Trams Heritage event.

Continued from above: Coal stock had a storage capacity of 250,000 tons. (Many thanks to the Gang of 3 for these great photos) The ‘Five Sisters’ have been gracious enough to reveal all of their secrets, and have been the perfect date, so now i think it’s time to leave their ghostly embrace. A final look at this vision of beauty More pics in the gallery Trams in Trouble With the wild weather over these past few days it’s the track of the Blackpool tramway from earlier storms that is in the spotlight this week: High tide and storm, Manchester Square, Blackpool. Saturday 12 November 1977 Further south down the promenade at Watson Road, Blackpool. Saturday 12 November 1977 Storm damage, Pleasure Beach turning circle, Blackpool. Saturday 05 February 1983 (Pic credits to Ian 10B) Miscellaneous Pics The oldest bus in the Delaine Heritage Trust collection is this splendid 1956 Willowbrook-bodied Leyland PD2/20 No.45 (KTL 780), passing through Bourne on its way from Rippingdale. No.47 is a Yeates Europa-bodied Leyland Tiger Cub seen here setting off from Market Deeping. Beautifully restored by Leicestershire Museums. Continues below:

Continued from above: In Derby back in the 70s & early 80s there always seemed to be a bit of "mystique" about the 202xx ex D83xx batch of 20s as none were ever Toton based back then, the only ones were occasionally the Tinsley based ones, though they were far from common at Derby where the bog standard Toton based machines reigned supreme. In 1983 this monstrous ex-Scottish one, 20217, along with equally monstrous 20179 which was ex-Haymarket appeared on the scene. 20217 & 20179 arrive at Willington power station with a coal train from Denby on 21st September 1983. Back in the 70s at this location you would never in your wildest dreams expect to see these ex-Scottish 20s. At full load the two stations together burnt a total of 8,400 tons of coal every 24 hrs At full output the 6 boilers would burn 52,000 tons of coal a week Each train brought around 1000 tons of coal The Derby to Burton main line to the right Continues below:

Continued from above: The hot water inlet pipe goes straight up the centre into a mushroom shaped water spray nozzle assy In close up. The water then travels back down through the cooling fins. The supports for the brick cooling fins There was a slight breeze blowing on this visit. However, the updraught within the tower was that great it was difficult to remain upright as you were buffeted around. It was a perfect example of how they worked. I had to lie on my back to get this shot. I could have easily remained in this spot for a long time just watching the sky drift by far overhead. From this position it looks like the view of planet Earth from space. Spot the light aircraft. There are plenty of uncovered drains and tanks to fall into which always keeps you on your toes. Numerous glimpses of rail appear here and there. These were for the coal drop area of Willington ‘A’. The next set of pics show the various loco’s that brought coal to the site. Continues below:

Continued from above: with a fence thrown in for good measure Their sheer size up close has to be experienced to be believed. Standing inside these giants is a once in a lifetime experience. This is one of the two that have been stripped out and the base filled in. It is amazing to think that the whole structure is held up by the ring of slender concrete pillars around the base. Sound makes the most wonderful echoes spiralling around and up to the sky It is an amazing place and ranks as one of my favourite explores Three towers are still complete internally. The concrete hot water inlet pipe. When in use this base would have been filled with water. As on a previous visit. It is a 10ft drop off that pipe. Continues below:

Continued from above: Coal for the boilers – a million tons a year, just for the ‘A’ Station – found its way into the railway sidings, through a specially constructed connection at Stenson Junction. This shows the sidings and the line which went between the two towers of Willington ‘A’ The 19,000 yards of sidings could store wagons containing 7,000 tons of coal. The Central Electricity Generating board, as the nationalised industry had become known, owned a pair of Drewry 0-6-0’s diesel shunters built in 1956, for moving the coal wagons from the yard into the coal tipplers. In there, a chain ‘beetle’ would drag the truck in, then back out after it had been tipped onto its side and its contents emptied onto a conveyor. Coal was either fed straight into the station bunkers or stacked on a large area of ground to the north of the site – almost over shadowing the nearby Findern primary school. A largely overlooked waste product of power station operation is ash from the boiler. In the case of Willington, the geography of the area was fortuitous in that gravel extraction from the alluvial flood plain of the Trent was (and still is, of course) widespread. Thus there was a readily supply of large holes in the ground in need of filling in. The trouble was that the majority of the gravel extraction of the time was taking place on the other side of Willington village, closer to Burton. The solution, rather than transport this ash by lorry through the village – with the attendant nuisance that would create – was to build a pipeline. This prominent feature was buried underground through the village, but otherwise snaked its way along the south side of the railway – with the need for ramps and ladders wherever public footpaths encountered it! Although a generally successful method of transporting the ash, it was not without its problems. Around the point the pipeline disappeared underground a house called Ivy Cottage stood. This was the first building on the left after passing under the railway bridge on Twyford Road. Despite significant efforts by the CEGB to cure it, this section of the pipeline was troubled by considerable vibrations – with consequent nuisance, and even damage, to the nearby house. The solution was that the CEGB bought the property and demolished it. The detached garage of Ivy Cottage survived until 2002 before being demolished to allow a new house to be built on the site. A twin 16" diameter ash disposal pipeline ran down the railway embankment and crossed under the Twyford Road on its way to fill the in the gravel pits off the Repton Road, with pulverised fuel ash from the power station. Ivy cottage, close to the bridge, had to be demolished as a result of this causing vibrations. Perhaps as a testament to the solid nature of the work the power station achieved, there were few notable events during its working life. The “big freeze” of 1962/63 was to place great strain on the system – with the link between the station and the National Grid freezing and tripping out – leaving the station “all revved up with nowhere to go” – an undesirable state of affairs. Even the coal in the railway wagons was frozen solid, so that when they were tipped upside down to empty them their contents remained fast! Sadly the wagons were designed by a committee and were an utter disaster in winter conditions. The original idea was to supply coal on an 'as needed' basis to the boiler hoppers and have no coal stocks put to ground. It worked fine in summer months, but due to the design of the door closing mechanism, the doors would not open when the contents of the loaded wagons froze solid in freezing winter conditions. Wagons would not empty and had to be put into sidings to thaw out and to keep the stations operational, vast stock-piles had to be put to ground. It was these very large stocks on the ground at each Power Station that kept the Electricity supplies going during the Miner's Strike. The CEGB built a huge freezer unit at High Marnham Power Station to try and find ways of discharging HAA wagons frozen solid in said freezer! It had to be done in the summer months, because the situation was so dire in the winter on these stations. The discharge problem arose because the NCB modernised their coal extraction methods and instead of the mined coal being in small lumps, it was much more of a fine powder - what would have been called 'Slack' when the coal man dumped 5 cwt of powdery rubbish down the cellar grate! The NCB added to the problem because they washed the mined coal to remove dust - they did try adding antifreeze to the washing water and even coating the wagon interiors with non-stick coatings! So in actual fact the continual 'shuttle service' of HAA wagons never did work in the way it was intended - coal face to boiler hopper direct. There was always a 'heap on the ground' as well. In 1973 the ‘A’ Station won a CEGB award for its exceptionally high availability during the winter – 98.56 per cent. The 1980s was to prove a significant decade. In 1981 British Rail introduced a new system for handling the coal delivered to power stations. The practice of bringing wagons of coal to the power station for the CEGB to empty them into their tipplers at their leisure was inefficient – as was the reverse procedure at the collieries. The solution was the “Merry Go Round” system where a fixed formation of coal hoppers would shuttle back and forth between colliery and power station being loaded and unloaded via ‘drive through’ bunkers in a heavily automated process. At a stroke, therefore, Willington’s eleven through sidings used to store coal wagons until they were needed became redundant – as were the two Drewry shunting locomotives. Whilst most of the sidings were soon torn up and taken away, the shunters remained on site – apparently seeing little or no use in the later days. Happily, at least one lives on in preservation — albeit under an assumed identity! The miner’s strike of 1984 saw railway deliveries of coal suspended for the duration. A token picket line of Welsh miners under the railway bridge at Findern (referred to as the ‘picnicker’s at the time, such was the laid back nature of their presence!) was sufficient to prevent the railway unions from delivering. Lorry drivers had no such compunction and coal stocks were maintained by a procession of 30 tonne tipper lorries. Given this was before the A50, it pushed the capacity of the A5132 to its limit. Several open days were held at the power station during the 1980s and were always immensely popular with locals. and not-so locals alike. Also during this decade, visitors from far and wide – including tv crews and press photographers – were attracted to the cooling towers. All to crane their necks and peer through binoculars at a pair of nesting peregrine falcons. Apparently, to a falcon, a small ledge high up on the side of a cooling tower is a more than adequate substitute for a remote cliff face. Arguably, the beginning-of-the-end arrived at Willington on 16th August 1989 when privatisation saw the power station become part of National Power PLC. Ironically, this event was heralded with bands and fireworks. Without getting too political, the crux of privatisation is that there is no stone left unturned in the pursuit of a profit. If an asset is weak it will be cast aside with thought only for its scrap value. 27th January 1993 saw Unit 3 of Station ‘A’, having the highest hours at 179,579, shut down, followed a few months later by Unit 4 with 174,343 hours. At this time, the station was operating on short term contracts selling its electricity to National Grid PLC at fixed prices – but this was only a short-term expediency until National Grid could upgrade their installation at Willington to allow it to operate without input from the adjacent generating station. With the expiry of the last of the short term contracts, Willington Station ‘A’ was finally “de-synchronised” from the National Grid with due ceremony at 1830hrs on 30th September 1994, the Unit concerned being the oldest – No.1 – having operated for 173,464 hours. Closure was a formality and took place on 31st May 1995. Meanwhile the ‘B’ Station was still going strong. Local rumour had it at the time that the policy of National Power was to run it into the ground – in other words to run it at full capacity with minimal maintenance until something broke. This certainly seemed to be borne out by the amount of coal the station was receiving at this time – as much as any other period in its history according to observers on the railway. Another clue to this policy is available in a report from the Office of Electricity Regulation (“Ofgem”) – the Government’s means of keeping some control over the once Nationalised industry. This wordy document, in a nutshell, illustrates that as a condition of its licence, a private electricity generator must justify why it wants to close a generating Unit – more specifically, why a competing company can’t take it over; such are the priorities of privatisation. Thus, in September 1997, National Power notified Ofgem of their intent to close Unit 5 at Willington, leaving just Unit 6. It was reported that Units 5 and 6 had operated for 162,000 and 161,000 hours, each being due for a major overhaul in 1998 and 1999, respectively. National Power’s case was strengthened by the fact that Unit 5 had “suffered extensive damage to the HP/IP turbine which has adversely impacted on both capability and thermal efficiency and hence economic viability of the unit ” (NP 30 September 1997). Ofgem appointed a company of independent assessors to investigate National Power’s plans – and it is this report which is publicly available. The assessor performed a series of complex calculations based on a cost/benefit ratio and concluded that the closure criterion was generally satisfied for Unit 5. The closure of the power station was not proposed by National Power. They appeared to be resisting closure of the full station in favour of closure of the unit that requires imminent overhaul. National Power’s case for the closure of only one unit appears to be based mainly on the availability of constraint payments for the remaining unit. However it was believed that these payments were unlikely to materialise. The reluctance to propose full closure of Willington Power Station may relate to a strategy to retain ownership and operation of the site, and thereby to deny the site to other users and, in particular, a competing generator. It was also revealed in this report that National Power had recently bid for and acquired a 72 per cent shareholding in Hazelwood Power Station in Australia. The Hazelwood generators were reportedly in poor condition compared to those at Willington and a part of the success of the bid to run the Australian power station was the identification of the use of the Willington Unit 5 AEI Generator. They therefore intended to ship the generator stator and rotor from Unit 5 to Australia to provide spares to cover Hazelwood’s needs. Consequently the end for Willington Power Station was in sight. Unit 5 was allowed to close as proposed on 31st March 1998, leaving just the sixth and last unit to struggle on. By now down-rated to 188Mw, Unit 6 took its turn to be de-synchronised a year later on 31st March 1999 — thus ending the 41 years, 3 months & 14 days history of electricity generation at Willington. Demolition commenced in November 1999 with a specialist company called Abel Ltd winning the contract for the work. By then the site was the property of Innogy Holdings PLC as, by amalgamation or takeover, this is what National Power had become. The demolition of the majority of the site left the most distinctive features standing - the cooling towers. These remain for the new owners of the site (whoever that may be) to deal with. An update from 2011 stated: As has been widely reported, a new gas-fired power station is to be built on the site of Willington ‘A’ & ‘B‘ Power Station — logically, to be known as Willington ‘C’. In August 2016 a planning application was submitted to South Derbyshire District Council resulting in permission to demolish the five cooling towers of Willington ‘A’ & ‘B’ stations being granted. The notice indicated that the demolition would take place between January and June 2017. In mid-November 2016 contractors moved onto the site and replaced the perimeter fence and restored the access from the A5132 for heavy machinery. Preparatory work on Willington ‘C’ seemed to be beginning. Then again... Nothing at all substantive happened. Apparently, the owning company was bidding in an energy supply auction... but didn't win. That meant it wasn't economically viable for them to advance any further with Willington ‘C’ at that time. The diggers and workers disappeared. Presumably there will be another auction in the future? Whatever the holding company that owns the site happens to be called by then will (probably?) bid again and (maybe?) they will be successful. Then again, maybe they won't? (Many thanks to Dave Harris for the above info) There they stand to this day, five sisters, 300 feet high, 145’ diameter at their brim, 122’ around the neck, 218’ at the base and weighing 6.500 tons. Each tower had an effective cooling surface of 858,000 square feet, together handling up to 6.9 million gallons every hour. One company that used to make regular trips to the power station was the Blue Bus Service. Anyone who has moved to Willington within the last 25 years may be forgiven for having never heard of The Blue Bus Service. Those who lived in the Derby & Burton area in the 1980s may remember the name being used on the City Transport coaches, but not know the connection with Willington. However,The Blue Bus was integral to daily life in Willington for much of the middle part of the 20th Century. During the pioneering days of rural motor omnibus services in the 1920s a fledgling service began between Burton and Derby. The route passed through Newton Solney, Repton, Willington and Findern and saw fierce competition with the already established Trent Motor Traction service. The vehicles in use then appear somewhat primitive to the modern eye. Reputedly, on at least one occasion, the combination of poor weather and the climb up the valley side between Burton & Newton Solney required the passengers to get out and push. The regular driver, a chap named Jack Dean was apparently quite a character - beginning a tradition of friendliness with which The Blue Bus was to remain synonymous. This early start gradually grew, via a series of partnerships; Jack Dean and Arthur Allen, then Jack Dean and Percy Jowett Tailby, followed by Jack Dean, Percy Tailby & Harold George, and finally, in 1927, Tailby & George. The service these men provided had become known as The Blue Bus Service and in about 1930, the company moved their operation to premises on Repton Road at Willington. The company had expanded their operation to include a second route between Derby and Burton, this time via Etwall, Egginton and Stretton. On 9th October 1939, the company became Tailby & George Ltd. and entered a period of steady, reliable and, above all, committed service, continuing under the branding of Blue Bus Services. Passenger numbers were such that during the Second World War, the company began operating double-deck vehicles requiring special low height vehicles due to the 13’6” headroom of the railway bridge in Willington. Despite the odd scrape (and one quite heavy thump on the Twyford Road railway bridge in 1968) the double-deckers were very successful. The seriousness with which the Blue Bus company regarded its duty to its passengers was not lost on the local population and the company was a much loved part of Willington village life. Staff were urged to bear in mind they were providing a service and without the customers there would be no job. Politeness was the watch-word with passengers each receiving an individual thank you as they alighted. The company outgrew the original garage which was on the east side of Repton Road and new premises were built on the opposite side of the road, opening in June 1956. The low stone wall on either side of the entrance to this garage can still be seen just on the village side of Saxon Grove. Throughout much of their history, the company were loyal to Daimler as suppliers of vehicles, which was rewarded by Tailby & George being heavily involved in the trial of a prototype vehicle during the 1960s and receiving two of the first vehicles off the resultant production line. Since the untimely deaths of their spouses in 1955 & 1957 respectively, the company had been run by Mr Tailby & Mrs. George. Percy Jowett Tailby died in 1957 leaving Bunty Marshall (the daughter of the Tailby’s) and Katherine George as partners until Katherine's death in 1965. The remaining shares in Tailby & George Ltd. were then acquired by Douglas (a Spitfire pilot in WWII) & Bunty Marshall. By the 1970s public transport was in a state of serious decline. The railways had been decimated by Beeching, and the majority of the bus industry was either nationalised (i.e. Trent) or in the hands of the local council, as in Derby and Burton. Small independent companies like Tailby & George faced fierce competition from the bigger companies. On 1st December 1973, the then proprietors of the company, Mr. & Mrs Marshall made the decision to retire. After much speculation the operation of the Blue Bus Service passed from Tailby & George Ltd to the Derby Corporation. The transaction cost Derby Corporation £212,039, for which they gained a fleet of 23 vehicles and a tremendous amount of Goodwill. The passing was mourned by locals and bus enthusiasts alike. Careful and skilled maintenance of the fleet had meant that as well as a steady programme of new vehicles, older examples were still available for duty, leading to a certain nostalgic charm whilst maintaining a more than functional day-to-day service. Transition to Derby Corporation (Derby Borough Transport from 1974) was slow but steady. A gradual integration of the fleet, livery and, notably, working practices took place such that by early 1976 the future of Willington as a bus depot was questionable. At best the garage was likely to retain the ever growing private hire business with the Burton & Derby service buses moving completely to Derby. Thus the writing was already on the wall for Blue Bus Services to become Derby Borough Transport's private hire brand when fate leant a helping hand. The last vehicle into the garage had been parked up and the garage locked at 23:05hrs on the night of Monday, 5th January 1976. For many it had been the first day back at work after the long New Year holiday and, as was normal practice, the entire fleet had been fuelled on returning to the garage ready for the next day’s work. In all 19 buses and a van were in the garage when, at 23:25hrs smoke was reported issuing from the building. By the time the fire service arrived the entire garage area was engulfed and the fleet was wiped out The premises were destroyed along with a number of unique and historic vehicles as well as the spirit of Blue Bus Services. Derby Borough Transport hastily acquired replacement coaches to maintain its services and private hire commitments but all operations were now centred on Ascot Drive garage in Derby. Two former Blue Buses which were at Ascot Drive awaiting disposal were reinstated after the fire, but were subsequently scrapped when the unexpected need for them was ended by replacement vehicles. The Blue Bus garage was pulled down and the site lay empty for a number of years. In the 1990s Saxon Grove and the appropriately named Tailby Drive were built on the site. Even the name Blue Bus Services has vanished from commercial use. Derby Borough Transport became Derby City Transport and subsequently privatised. Quaint names with local historical significance don't fit into the corporate world of 21st Century transport. A number of vehicles from the Blue Bus fleet did survive, having been preserved before the 1976 fire. Now that their connection with Willington has been severed, who knows if they'll ever visit the village again? (With thanks to David Stanier for info in this article) Let’s make our way in and have a look around. This site is guarded by killer attack security sheep who inform the locals of any incursion. The route in means negotiating mud and water-filled dykes and stinging nettle infested undergrowth Continues below:

Continued from above: The ‘A’ Station comprised four generating Units, each of 100 megawatt capacity. To service these, a pair of 425 foot chimneys (each reportedly amounting to 5,000 tons!) were provided, along with just two cooling towers. Hailed as a revolution of the time, the design of the ‘A’ Station was of four “semi-outdoor” boiler units, only the burners and steam drum of which were enclosed, arranged in a square formation. The outdoor part of the design was indicative of the austerity of the period; by restricting the cladding around the boiler areas to a minimum, significant cost savings were achieved. The design, however, was not popular with the staff who had to brave the elements all year round. Even as the ‘A’ Station was taking shape in early 1957, the Central Electricity Authority were exercising their statutory powers by applying to the Minister of Power to extend the Willington Generating Station with a second section to be known as Willington ‘B’. The ‘B’ station was to be only two Units, albeit each of 200MW capacity – equalling the output of the ‘A’ Station with half the hardware. Only one 425 foot chimney was required for the ‘B’ Station, but three cooling towers were provided. Of course the cooling towers are the largest and therefore most distinctive features of any power station. The three structures provided for the ‘B’ station were set at right-angles to the north of the pair for the ‘A’ Station. The towers are 300 feet high and have 145’ diameter at their tops, 122’ at their “throat” and 218’ at the base. Each tower had an effective cooling surface of 858,000 square feet. By the end of 1957 the ‘A’ Station was nearing completion. The construction had not been without its cost – three workers lost their lives in falls, a hazard faced daily by the transient population of builders who moved from site to site on this work during the 1950s and 60s. The first Unit of the ‘A’ Station was commissioned on 17th December 1957 with Unit 4 bringing the station up to full operational capacity on 10th July 1959. An official opening ceremony was performed on 2nd October 1959 by the 11th Duke of Devonshire. Such was the demand for electricity (calculated to be doubling every ten years at that time) the capacity of the four Units of the ‘A’ Station were up-rated to 104 megawatts. The net effect of this was to significantly reduce the spare capacity of the station – meaning the plant had to be driven hard almost all the time. Once Units 5 & 6 in the ‘B’ Station came on line a few years later, the whole site settled into its work-a-day job of providing electricity to the adjacent National Grid sub-station. The water for the cooling towers being sucked out of the Trent to cool the steam prior to its return to the river (the same water probably went through the process half a dozen times before it reached the Humber!) meant that the Trent in the area had a somewhat higher temperature than it would naturally, thus making for excellent fishing. Ken Lucas, a former employee shared his memories: “I served my time as an electrical fitter at Willington from 1965 to 1969 and remember that the exciter on one of the B station units, No.6 I think (the one on the left as you looked out of the workshop window towards the coal plant) had burnt out and was going to be away for repair for many months. Don Eddison came up with the idea of using a diesel loco to supply the excitation for the unit. The links from the loco generator to the shunt drive motor were removed and cables were run to the alternator excitation terminals. A set of loco controls were installed in the plant control room to allow raising and lowering of the speed of the diesel and thus the excitation. The loco was actually moved two inches per day back and forth to prevent brunelling of the wheel bearings. I seem to remember someone calculated by the amount of fuel used and the average revs of the diesel that the loco would have travelled twice around the world had the loco been in normal service. The loco was called THE ROYAL PIONEER CORPS. I think it was a D class loco. I had my picture taken on the footplate which later appeared in the company newspaper that used to be called the Power News.” This appears to be the press clipping that Ken is referring to. D54 “Royal Pioneer Corps” (later Class 45, No. 45 023) was built at Derby in 1962 and received its name at St. Pancras on 14th November 1963. It was withdrawn by British Rail in 1984 and cut up in Leicester two years later. Continues below:

Continued from above: Both the Smith girls were in attendance. Jessica having raced there on a few occasions, whilst Rebecca was making her track debut. The top prize for this evening was the Roy Goodman Perpetual Challenge Trophy. After a remarkable and outstandingly successful racing career that spanned more than 50 years from 1954 to 2004, Roy finally hung up his helmet but with a wish to instigate the trophy as a lasting legacy to the sport that had been his life. Heat 1: From the yellow grade it wasn’t long before Jessica Smith (390) passed early leader Mike Cocks (762). She stayed there until the closing laps when Neil Hooper (676) took advantage of traffic to nudge her wide, with Matt Stoneman (127) doing likewise on the next corner. Hooper stayed just far enough ahead of the 127 car to take the win. Result: 676, 127, 390, 315, 667, 302, 988, 762, 835 & 881. Heat 2: Two complete re-starts were required after some dramatic opening laps which saw almost half the field lost to the early clashes. They included Luke Trewin (529) and Paul Rice (890) walloping the Honiton bend wall, Archie Farrell (970) spinning and getting collected by Charlie Fisher (35), and Josh Weare (736), Jamie Jones (915), Ben Goddard (895), Lauren Stack (928) and Ian England (398) all ending up in a heap – and that was just the first attempt! Luke Trewin doesn't have much luck at Smeatharpe! The second period of red flags were required when Ryan Sheahan (325) and Matt Hatch (320) collided on the home straight before the 325 car was collected at high speed by Jon Palmer (24). On the third start Rebecca Smith (931) and Jack Bunter (128) both had spells in front before Charlie Fisher moved ahead to take a comfortable win. Result: 35, 418, 184, 736, 931, 398, 128, 903, 572 and 194. Consolation: Richard Andrews (605) led until Ryan Sheahan took over and went on to win from Rice and Palmer, all three having been caught up in the action in the previous race. Result: 325, 890, 24, 320, 605, 232, 895, 114, 446 and 915. Final: Jamie Ward-Scott (881) was the early leader before Ben Spence (903) moved ahead, but Spence’s fellow ‘B’ grader Weare was setting a strong pace and moved past both into the lead. Spence initially stayed with him and had Jessica Smith following close behind, as Stoneman led the star grade challenge. Stoneman passed Smith and finally pushed Spence wide on the Honiton bend to take second with a lap to run. Cheddar driver Weare was sufficiently far enough ahead in his ex-Luke Wrench (560) car to take his maiden Final win from Stoneman and Spence, with Jessica holding onto fourth ahead of Palmer. Result: 736, 127, 903, 390, 24, 320, 325, 881, 35 and 184. GN: This race for the Ash Sampson Memorial Trophy was led out by Ash’s grandfather Roy Goodman, and Mick Whittle in his latest magnificent recreation from yesteryear. Spence’s start in the race was deemed too good, and he was shown the black cross, but it helped propel him into the lead early on and from there he never looked back as he went on to take the flag first. Behind him, Vaight, Tommy Farrell (667), Stoneman and Palmer enjoyed a great scrap as they fought through the field. They finished in that order in positions two to five, but Vaight inherited the win when Spence was docked two places. Result: 184, 667, 903, 127, 24, 931, 605, 33, 988 and 302. A heavy World Championship weekend at Mildenhall for the Saloons no doubt contributed to a lack of visitors but whilst the 13 car entry was unspectacular the action on track was far from it with a trio of entertaining and hard hitting races. Heat 1: Sole white top Marc Chenery (281) broke away at the front as the six yellow graded drivers battled, while Jack Grandon(277) and Junior Buster (902) traded blows with Warren Darby(677) at the rear of the field. Yellow flags were required after Bryn Finch (314) went head on into the Honiton bend wall, which brought Phil Powell (199) onto Chenery’s tail. Powell used the bumper to take the lead and drove to a comfortable win as Junior Buster worked his way into second, and Ian Govier (28) shifted Chenery for third on the last bend. Result: 199, 302, 28, 281, 677, 489, 276, 799, 444 and 672. Heat 2: This race began in similar fashion but ended spectacularly for Powell when a tangle and spin on the home straight left him open to being collected very heavily by Darby. The 199 car was left with significant rear end damage which ended Powell’s night, but he was able to extricate himself from the wreckage. Govier had pushed Chenery wide to take the lead before the stoppage and went on to win. Junior Buster had worked his way into second but was docked two places for a jumped restart, putting Chenery back into second and Grandon third. Result: 28, 281, 277, 902, 677, 799, 489, 444, 33 and 672. Final: Just 10 cars had survived for the Final in which Chenery was able to build a huge gap, which this time couldn’t be closed down as he went on to take a second consecutive Final at the track. Behind there was action all around with spins and shunts galore to conclude an evening’s racing which promised little and delivered a whole lot more than the car numbers would suggest. Result: 281, 33, 902, 276, 444, 799, 28, 672 and 489. Pics from both meetings in the gallery. It’s date time! Welcome to Derbyshire, and the abandoned Five Sisters of Willington: Maybe not what you were expecting, but still a magnificent scene. This place is unlike anything else. There are few sites you can see five or so miles before you get to them. The five cooling towers completely dominate the area. You don’t really get the scale of them until you get up close and their size sinks in. Three of the five have still got the inner cooling systems fitted, while the two nearest the main road have been cleared and are just shells. It gives a surreal feeling to this fantastic place with its titans to power generation. Here is a very brief summary on how a cooling tower works: Natural draft cooling towers provide air circulation. The towers are usually very tall in order to induce adequate air flow, they are also expensive to construct and are only used for applications where a large constant cooling requirement over many years is required. Cooling water is pumped from the cooling tower basin to the power plant. The cooling water is heated by the process and its temperature increases. The warm cooling water is now pumped back to the cooling tower to be cooled. The incoming warm water is distributed through spray nozzles inside the tower. The spray nozzles spray the warm water evenly over a set of cooling fins. Water passes downwards through the fins whilst air passes upwards. As the water travels downwards through the fins, some of it evaporates which causes the remaining water to be cooled (evaporative cooling). As air travels through the fins, its temperature increases and it rises to the top of the cooling tower due to the stack effect (hot air is less dense than cool air and thus rises above it). The air exiting the top of the tower draws in more air at the base creating a natural air flow from bottom to top; this is the stack effect and it is continuous providing cooling water is constantly circulated. Natural draft cooling towers have a very unique shape for several reasons. The first reason is that the shape reduces the amount of construction material required when building such a large tower. The second reason is that the paraboloid shape of the tower accelerates the air flow through the tower, which increases the tower’s cooling capacity. Natural draft cooling towers are sometimes referred to as hyperbolic towers although the correct term is hyperboloid. A history of Willington Power Station: The Power Station once dominated the village and was the landmark by which Willington is most often characterised. For many locals when travelling by road the sight of these said clearly that they were approaching home! Willington Power Station was comprised of two almost entirely independent generating stations situated on the same site. With separate management and staff, the few facilities they shared amounted to the coal and water supply. The two stations were formally known as Willington ‘A’ and Willington ‘B’, with the ‘A’ Station closest to the main road. (The A5132 was then known as the B5009). Post-war Britain saw a sea change in the way electricity was produced. The National Grid, which had been devised in the 1920s, allowed the removal of the small generating stations located in urban areas, to be replaced with large, purpose built, “Power Stations” linked together to deliver electricity wherever it was required. While the location of the customer was no longer a high priority in siting a power station, ready access to raw materials of fuel and water certainly were. The Trent valley, with its obvious water supply and proximity to the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire coal fields – which were then thought to be inexhaustible – was an ideal choice. An extensive, although already clogged, railway system was also on hand to move the coal from pithead to power station. Small, previously unheard of villages and hamlets became well known landmarks; High Marnham, Staythorpe, Ratcliffe & Drakelow to name a few, followed by Willington. The beginning of 1954 saw the bulldozers move onto a 286 acre area of pasture land, a small covert and boggy, unused scrub between the B5009 and the Derby – Birmingham railway. No buildings were at peril – at least not yet – but Marples, Ridgeway & Partners Ltd, the company responsible for site clearance, foundations and the railway works, had a long job ahead of them preparing the site – especially the boggy land which was to form the railway marshalling yard. Thousands of tons of sand were tipped to build up the ground away from the water table. The consulting engineers Ewbank and Partners were responsible for the design, engineering, construction & commissioning of the ‘A’ station with a legion of sub-contractors being tasked with the multitude of disciplines required in building such a station. Continues below:

Continued from above: The man himself Continues below:

Hi there folks, This week we have the 2021 Saloon World Final from Mildenhall where history was made as three brothers filled the podium places for the first time in any major stock car championship. It’s then F2’s/Saloons from Taunton, before we get our heads turned on our date with the curvaceous ‘Five Sisters of Willington’. The Scrapco Redlodge Ltd Saloon Stock Car World Final from Mildenhall – Sat 14th August 2021 This was the 39th running of the race and was the biggest event held here under the current promoting team. The Saloons had been an integral part of the Mildenhall scene throughout its history. It was the sixth time it had been held here. They were keenly supported by the previous promoters – RDC, and since the takeover of the stadium, by the same promoting team that run the Spedeworth and Incarace group of tracks. Mildenhall is the smallest track on the Saloon schedule but it certainly packs a punch and the action here just at a run of the mill domestic meeting is explosive, put a major championship on the line and it is likely to be ballistic! The one regret was not having the defending champion on the grid, due to a technical infringement racing ban. Nick Antwerpen (D153) made it over from Germany and was the only driver from mainland Europe. With a number of hard surface only racers not taking up their grid spots Scottish racers Ian McLaughlin (684) and Kyle Irvine (85) had an opportunity to move onto the grid in the reserve spots. The 60 car entry was Mildenhall’s highest since 2005. With 29 seeded entries, and four of the remainder without any World Ranking points, that left 27 to contest the last-chance qualifier, with six places up for grabs. Last Chance Qualifier Jack Rust (172) on pole led Tommy Parrin (350) and Tam Rutherford (5) away as Kegan Sampson (329) was put into the wall with Ivan Street (420) following soon after. An early caution flag flew with more chaos around the circuit. The resumption of racing saw Rust pull clear whilst Harry Barnes (126) jumped up to second. Half-distance saw Rust with a safe lead from Barnes and Tom Yould (214), who then spun, before a fire in the Jordan Cassie (697) car with four to go brought out further yellow flags. At this stage the qualifying places were held by Rust, Barnes, Shane Emerson (888), Rutherford, Rowan Venni (370) and Wesley Starmer (525). Emerson and Rutherford spun on the restart allowing Charlie Morphey (92) and Yould into the top six. Starmer moved inside Venni for third, but apart from this all looked safe for those in the top six. However, this all changed on the final bend when Morphey launched a suicidal last-bend hit which took out Starmer and Venni as well as himself. Rust and Barnes cruised to first and second and were joined in the all-important top six by Yould, Dom Davies (261), a quickly recovering Starmer and Michael Boswell (328). Result: 172, 126, 214, 261, 525, 328, 129, 364, 888 and 30. Three support races followed before the WF. Each competitor entered the track between bursts of flame to receive mementoes from Diggy’s wife Sally, and a handshake from Deane Wood before forming the 35 car grid. OUTSIDE INSIDE 730 Deane Mayes 600 Barry Russell 399 Cole Atkins 389 Ryan Santry 902 Brad Compton-Sage 161 Billy Smith D153 Nick Antwerpen NI747 Matt Stirling 349 Michael Allard 670 Ross Waters 199 Phil Powell 26 Tommy Barnes NI811 Kieran McIvor NI153 Ryan Wright 84 Carl Boswell 120 Luke Dorling 171 Adam O’Dell 428 Lee Sampson 170 Ryan Patton 131 Timmy Barnes 618 Stuart Shevill Jnr 277 Jack Grandon 229 Graeme Anderson 573 Marty Lake 38 Barry Glen 570 Simon Venni 561 Aaron Totham 57 George Boult Jnr 341 Austin Freestone 126 Harry Barnes 172 Jack Rust 261 Dom Davies 214 Tom Yould 328 Michael Boswell 525 Wesley Starmer World Final Unfortunately the track had dried out by now making for dusty conditions. Polesitter Barry Russell hit the front at the drop of the green followed by Santry, Stirling and Smith, as the outside line escaped the mayhem, before Stirling was among the many spinners. They also included, further back, Timmy and Harry Barnes. The lead two opened a small gap to Smith who was closely followed by his uncle, Tommy Barnes. Russell’s hopes of securing a major title took a big blow when he clipped the broadsided Anderson car and he spun on the home straight with Santry also delayed. Smith now took over at the front from Tommy Barnes, Santry, Allard and Watters, before Santry spun a lap later. As Barnes challenged he half spun, which sent Smith into a full spin towards the infield and he dropped right down the field. Russell was sent up the back straight wall soon after and got driven over by McIvor bringing out the first caution. Having dropped several places Mayes had managed to make his way through the chaos into the lead spot. Timmy Barnes was now up to ninth followed by younger brother Harry. Dorling and Lee Sampson spun out of 5th and 6th spots as Tommy pushed through on the inside to take the lead followed by Allard who then spun the 26 car. Allard’s attack now let Mayes back in front. With Smith’s chances now gone he turned his focus to helping his uncles. He spun onto the infield and rejoined behind Mayes, then spun him out on the pit bend. That put Allard into the lead, with Timmy passing Watters for second. He then took advantage of backmarking traffic to hook Allard out on the back straight and take the lead of the race. Freestone was the next driver to require a caution after being cannoned hard into the turn three fence by Billy Smith. Timmy now led from Watters, Harry Barnes, Tommy Barnes, the quickly recovered Mayes and Venni. Harry dived inside Watters for second on the restart with Tommy following through. The Barnes brothers were now, incredibly, sitting 1-2-3 in that order. Tommy moved into second but Timmy was well clear as the race reached 5 to go. Another caution was called when a fire broke out on the Allard machine. A four lap Barnes brothers showdown was on the cards with Mayes, Sampson, Watters and Venni ready to take advantage if the trio took themselves out. However, Timmy shook off Tommy’s initial challenge and the remaining laps passed without incident with the 131 car far enough ahead to escape any last bend attack by the 26. Harry exchanged places with Mayes to clinch the historic 1-2-3 on the final corner before going for a roll on the slow down lap. Mayes had to settle for 4th, ahead of Venni – the only driver from outside Norfolk in the top six – and Sampson. Leading Scot Shevill Jnr came home 7th in the car that had taken him to British Championship honours some 15 years earlier. “Brilliant!” Timmy Barnes declared, after the brothers were joined on track by their delighted father Willie and other family members. “I couldn’t ask for anymore. I got spun out straight away but the track dried up and the thing was like it was on rails. I was hoping not to get a yellow but it is what it is – you’re going to get it around here. Luckily enough I got going at the restart and couldn’t have driven any better. The car’s been on form – well, all our cars have been on form on shale. It was either me, Tommy or Harry, wasn’t it – it was meant to be!” Result: 131, 26, 126, 730, 570, 428, 618, 525, 84 and 277. Consolation White top Ashton Armstrong (527) initially kept clear of the chaos to lead until he was spun out by back-marking Dorling who had been an earlier spinner himself. Kegan Sampson inherited the lead until he was overtaken by Street who took the win. Result: 420, 811, 329, 349, 670, 92, 573, 610, 250 and 389. Final Brad Dyer (48) led the field away but was briefly demoted as Will Morphey (129) passed him until Dyer spun him out to move back in front. However, Dyer was then taken out by Michael Boswell (328) who led until halfway when he was passed by Emerson and Watters. Scotsman Watters motored through to the victory. Result: 670, 570, 389, 525, 126, 730, 811, 573, 26 & 328. Allcomers The meeting finished with a busy allcomers race. Allard was cannoned up the wall amid a chaos filled event. Thomas Howard (30) fought hard to claim his maiden win. Result: 30, 561, 389, 26, 399, 386, 126, 570, 370 & 525. The F2’s were also on the bill for the weekend. 56 cars were in the pits. Heat 1 Result: 584, 606, 129, 226, 225, 464, 78 and 296. Heat 2 Richard Rayner (413) led for the majority of the race until being passed by Rob Mitchell (905). Rob then tangled with a back marker and Rayner re-claimed the lead and subsequent win. Result: 413, 94, 38, 324, 55, 414, 618 & 9. Heat 3 Result: 231, 103, 543, 183, 81, 374, 43 & 612. Consolation Pat Issit (113) wins the race which included Scotsman Euan Millar (629), and West Country driver Steven Gilbert (542) each having a shale outing before the World Semi-Finals at Northampton in a week’s time. Result: 113, 761, 377, 992, 69, 905, 286, 724, 209 & 629. Final The 33 car race sees a chaotic opening lap with a group of ‘B’ graders in a pile on the exit of turn four. Matt Linfield (464) had climbed to second place by quarter distance and spins out Charlie Sime (584) for the lead. Result: 464, 606, 94, 183, 905, 103, 324, 38, 81 & 55. GN Result: 94, 38, 225, 905, 183, 324, 43, 9, 4 & 542. Sunday 15th August The Sunday morning family pic Pre-meeting lap of honour for the new World Champ The Saloons were in fine form on day two with a mesmerising display of action-packed races. Heat 1 Armstrong led before Boswell went in front whilst Santry spun Timmy B. Boswell’s pace was so great that even with a spin he still took the win. Result: 328, 561, 129, 697, 30, 428, 131, 747, 316 & 389. Heat 2 The fourth Barnes boy of the weekend was out in this race. He led until Dyer took over. Petters, Emerson and Venni engaged in a battle over second being joined by Allard. Venni took the lead from Allard and going down the back straight for the last time Allard got him sideways which sent the youngster into a marker tyre ending his race. Result: 349, 888, 26, 386, 126, 730, 573, 350, 570 & 600. Consolation Venni’s luck didn’t change in this race when he took up the lead before Dyer spun him out. Georgie Boult Jnr then spun Dyer with Dorling going through to win. Nick Antwerpen finished second but was not given the place although he was allowed to take part in the Final. Result: 120, D153, 57, 370, 399, 902, 277, 364, 38 & 298. Final An early caution was called for when Russell became stranded on track. Boswell led away the restart with Emerson soon taking over. Boswell stayed with him and tried a last bend attack which came close to succeeding. Boult fired Compton-Sage hard into the fence rolling the 902 car. The race ended in more drama with Emerson being docked handing the win to Boswell. Result: 328, 730, 570, 399, 30, 126, 131, 428, 561 & 120. Dash For The Cash The start was predictably explosive as Lee Sampson, Venni and Trent Arthurton (610) came together on the exit of turn two, with the 610 car ending up on its roof. The restart saw the new champ Timmy B take up the challenge after sending Santry wide to claim the cash. All done in a car that is over ten years old. Result: 131, 389, 126, 26, 399, 38, 370, 129, 349 & 570. Just under 50 F2’s made it for Sunday. Heat 1: Tony Blackburn (225) crosses the line first but is demoted by the steward. Richard Rayner (413) inherits the win after losing it on the last lap. Result: 413, 464, 225, 542, 4, 195, 38, 544, 226 and 69. Heat 2: Josh Rayner (414) keeps it in the family with victory in this one. Result: 414, 905, 183, 103, 81, 606, 377, 324, 149 and 375. Consolation: Matt Clayton (231) claims the win after Aaron Cozens (76) had led the majority of the race. Result: 231, 43, 76, 127, 57, 9, 296, 55, 286 and 209. Final: A chaotic last few laps sees confusion reign as to the rightful winner. In the end it is given to Marcus Gilbert (43) after he survived a last bend tangle with the 225 car. Result: 43, 225, 57, 183, 226, 129, 464, 905, 81 and 195. GN: In a repeat of the previous evening Stu Sculthorpe (94) races away to the victory. Result: 94, 38, 129, 464, 183, 231, 542, 55, 43 and 226. Taunton – Monday 16th August 2021 The run of four consecutive Monday nights’ racing for the F2’s came to a close with an excellent 39 car turnout on a dry but cool evening. With the addition of a pair of St. Day meetings, and a couple of Bristol fixtures it had been a real challenge for the region’s drivers. Mick Whittle unveiled his latest creation. A truly stunning piece of craftsmanship was on display in the pits and it took to the track alongside Roy Goodman later in the evening to run some laps. Continues below:

Continued from above: Onto Trams in Trouble: It’s the turn of a bus this week to be in the spotlight Blackpool, Leyland Titan PD3/1 bus 361, Rigby Road bus yard, Blackpool. September 1976 The bus had collided with the canopy of a petrol station in Thornton. A Miscellaneous couple to finish: Coppull Colliery's Leyland F2 steam wagon. Birkacre is an old industrial area just to the south of Chorley, near Coppull, and in 1778 a water mill was leased by Richard Arkwright for cotton spinning. In 1779 it was the scene of a notorious Luddite riot and the cotton mill was set on fire by machine workers and destroyed. Sometime later the mill was rebuilt and used for calico printing, dyeing and bleaching. Water power was replaced by steam and Birkacre Colliery opened in 1880 to supply the works. Nearby, Coppull Colliery had been in existence long before the one at Birkacre and in fact it closed soon after Birkacre opened. Back in 1852, on 20th May that year, there had been an explosion of fire damp, found to be caused by a lighted candle; 90 men escaped, suffering from chokedamp or burns, but 36 men and boys died. That colliery was renamed Hic Bibi Colliery in the 1860s. Road transport for Birkacre was mechanised in 1906 with the purchase of a Coulthard steam wagon. This was made in Preston just before the firm merged with the Lancashire Steam Motor Co to form Leyland Motors. The vehicle pictured has poppet valves and was new in 1921. It ran until the closure of the mine in 1933. A Leyland Hippo 19.H/7 with bodywork by Wilkinson for J.D. Inglis & Co of Laurieston, Falkirk, new in January 1947. Next time: It’s the Saloons WF weekend from Mildenhall, and the Roy Goodman Perpetual Trophy F2 meeting from Taunton. We then need to be on our best behaviour as we’re off to meet some beautiful sisters.

Continued from above: If you look carefully enough there is usually a solitary tile marked with the manufacturer’s name. In these tunnels it is W.B.Simpson & Son. W.B. Simpson: William Butler Simpson was born in 1798, and inherited his talent as an artist from his father, and founded the family firm in 1833. He gradually built up the business during his lifetime. In 1852 his two sons were apprenticed to the firm and later were made partners. The company has been passed down through the family ever since. In 1858 an arrangement was made with George and Arthur Maw of tile manufacturers Maw & Co for the sole agency of their products in the London Postal District. Simpson’s own tiles were made in kilns under the South Western Railway arches at Vauxhall, and later at Chandos Street which became the Civil Service Stores. A large business was also done in hand painted tile decorations for theatres, restaurants, and cathedrals, many of which still exist today such as the Criterion Theatre, and Holborn Restaurant. The company was reorganised to meet the demands of large scale plain tiling required for many new operating theatres, toilets and clinics throughout the country. Around this time they had to meet the challenge of the largest contract ever undertaken by a single tile company at the time - the London Underground. They had a long history with tiling the underground stations going back as far as the late 1880s. This new contract comprised station work to the Hampstead & Highgate Railway, the Piccadilly & Brompton Railway and the Bakerloo line. Within the price of £100,000 was included the necessary equipment to crane the materials to the subterranean site, and their own trains for moving about underground. The company’s tiles can be seen all over London stations including but not limited to Swiss Cottage, St. John’s Wood, Kentish Town, Chalk Farm, Camden Town and Tufnell Park. In the 1990’s they were called upon to work on the Jubilee line extension including North Greenwich, Canada Water and Southwark stations. They have also put their mark on some of the busiest stations in the capital such as King’s Cross St. Pancras and Waterloo. The Gatwick monorail is also part of their portfolio. As can be seen on the tile above Maw & Co were the appointed agents. Maw & Co The company was formed in 1850 by George Maw and his brother Arthur when they bought an ailing tile business in Worcester. They manufactured floor tiles and quickly gained a high reputation. However, they had to contend with the same problems as the company they had bought out – the local clays were unsuitable and materials had to be brought in at great expense from Shropshire. In 1852 they relocated to Shropshire to the Benthall Works at Broseley where they could make use of the clay as well as coal. The brothers soon opened their own mines. At first the company barely covered its expenses and full commercial production did not begin until 1857. A few years later medieval style tiles became the height of fashion. Maw & Co were the first to use six and more colours. Mosaic tiles also formed a large part of Maw's business. In 1862 a patent mosaic tile was introduced. At the same time George Maw was experimenting with transfer printed and hand painted picture tiles, as well as relief tiles and gilt ones with the entire design executed in gold. By the 1880’s Maw & Co had become one of the most influential and important tile manufacturers. To help meet the increasing demand Maw & Co made more and more mechanical improvements using steam driven tile presses for example, and in 1883 moved to new premises at a more appropriate site at Jackfield covering five acres with every convenience in services and layout. At the height of the tile boom the company produced over 20 million tiles a year and published lavishly printed catalogues. Maw’s “lists of persons and establishments supplied” ran to five pages and included the Royal Family, Alexander II of Russia, two maharajas, nine dukes, twelve earls, the railway companies, thirteen cathedrals, thirty-six hospitals, fifty-three public buildings, nineteen schools and colleges, and five warships. At the end of the century Maw & Co was the largest tile factory in the world. Art Nouveau designs were followed by unique Art Deco geometric styles. Unfortunately the recession at the end of the First World War, building restrictions, and the closure of the railway in the decades following World War II were very detrimental for tile production in Jackfield, and eventually the factory closed in January 1970. It’s not everyday that you get to stand at the bottom of a lift shaft that has been empty for 90 yrs. You can see two openings where passengers would have accessed the lift from two levels. This shaft has been sealed off with the exception of an inspection hatch at the top. After escalators were fitted in the 1920s, former lift shafts, landings and passageways were closed to the public. The emergency staircase was removed, and the shaft converted to provide ventilation to both lines. This was aided by a large extractor fan, and an opening cut into the wall at platform level covered with a grille through which air could freely flow. A unique view is seen in this old pic. It’s possible to see the southbound line of the Bakerloo line from the very end of the northbound platform. Back out of the abandoned section into the ‘live’ booking hall now to have a look at a new memorial honouring Frank Pick. Artists Langlands & Bell were commissioned to design the permanent installation to celebrate London Transport’s first chief executive, Frank Pick, the mastermind of many of London Underground’s designs, including the Johnston typeface and roundel. Mounted on the wall of the ticket hall the memorial comprises a roundel with “Frank Pick” written in the centre, and is made of bronze, vitreous enamel, LEDs and marble. Pick is widely credited with transforming London’s transport network into a design-led organisation in the 1930s, commissioning famous designs including many of its Underground’s Art Deco stations, the Johnston typeface and roundel. Frank Pick: the man behind London Transport’s identity Frank Pick, Chief Executive of London Transport, was a towering figure who had an unrivalled flair for design management. During his 30-year career, Pick changed the face of London Transport. He believed in ‘fitness for purpose’ and the power of good design to enrich life. This ethos aimed to enhance the quality of the passenger environment through innovative architecture and design, and attention to detail. Pick successfully cultivated a large network of artists and designers. His vision brought London’s transport system international acclaim for its architecture, graphic art and design. Climbing the ladder Frank Pick was born in Lincolnshire on 23 November 1878, but grew up in York, where he attended St Peter’s School before being articled to a solicitor. On graduating with a first-class degree in law from the University of London in 1902, he returned to York to join the North Eastern Railway as a trainee manager. After two years in the Traffic Statistics Office, Pick became Personal Assistant to the General Manager, Sir George Gibb. In 1906, Gibb took over as Managing Director of the struggling Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), often known as the Underground Group. He invited his young assistant Pick to join him. The Underground Group had recently taken over the debt-ridden District Railway and were in the process of opening three deep tube railways at this time. By 1907 the new Tubes were in serious financial trouble and a new General Manager, Albert Stanley (later Lord Ashfield), was brought in as a last-ditch attempt to save the company. Stanley gave his staff six months to turn the business around, and in doing so gave Pick the freedom to follow his instincts in publicity. Despite a lack of experience, Pick found a natural affinity with this role, establishing a series of pictorial posters to encourage travel, before addressing the appearance of stations, signage and branding, with Stanley’s support. By 1909 Pick oversaw a new Traffic Development and Advertising Department for the Group, which led to his later role as Commercial Manager in 1912. Pick revolutionised transport poster design, injecting new life into a conservative, largely text-based medium. He was aware that almost every attraction in London was within reach of the Underground, or at least could be marketed as such. Eye-catching posters enticed prospective travellers indirectly, by focusing on the destination rather than the mode of travel. Imagery never seen before on the Tube let commuters know that a trip to the countryside, the theatre or the zoo was within their reach. Posters promoting off-peak travel were designed by some of the foremost artists of the time in a variety of styles. Rambling for routes Pick was interested in all aspects of transport. He played a major role in the planning and joint promotion of bus and Underground services after the Underground Group took over the Capital’s biggest bus operator, the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC), in 1912. Seeking to optimise bus routes and Underground connections, the ever thorough and hard-working Pick walked miles researching and discerning patterns for potential demand. He provided new routes, services and interchanges between bus and Underground that stretched further than they had before. These were advertised on posters and proved popular among commuters who were now venturing out during their leisure time, demanding an increased service. A type to last In 1912, Pick started to experiment with a new typeface to replace all the various ones used by the previously separate companies. In 1913, the calligrapher Edward Johnston was commissioned to design an official typeface known as Underground Railway Block, better known simply as Johnston. He continued to tweak the lettering until 1929 and, even today, an updated version called Johnston100 is used exclusively by Transport for London (TfL). Brand loyalty The Underground Map With an intuitive grasp of branding and corporate identity, Pick hit upon the idea of presenting the disparate underground companies as a coordinated network in 1908, to increase ticket sales. Deals were made to allow the cross-selling of tickets between companies and the first colour-coded maps of the whole system were printed under the heading Underground. The same branding was added to station exteriors. The Roundel This is the earliest known drawing of the Underground's standard bullseye design from 1925 Around the same time, Stanley had developed the original solid red disc ‘bullseye’ symbol to add impact to the name signs on station platforms. Pick was unsatisfied with the solid disc, thinking that it did not ‘hold the eye’ sufficiently. He sketched a ring in place of the circle and turned to Edward Johnston to work it into a final design, who brought all the elements together by incorporating the ‘UndergrounD’ branding in his new typeface. Finally, Pick had a unique visual symbol that the organisation could be associated with. The ‘bullseye’ was applied to all the Underground Group services – to be seen and recognised everywhere. Known as the ‘roundel’ since 1972, the emblem has changed little over the years and is one of the most recognised organisational symbols in the world. A philosophy of architecture During the 1920s and 1930s, the Underground expanded massively. Pick chose the architect Charles Holden for much of this work. The pair had first met through the Design and Industries Association (DIA) in 1915 and were kindred spirits, sharing a similar principled approach to architecture. Buildings should be easy to use, with clean simple lines, in keeping with the DIA’s slogan ‘fitness for purpose’. Starting with a new entrance to Westminster station in 1922, the two collaborated until Pick left London Transport in 1940. Examples include stations on the Morden extension on the Northern line (1926), the Underground headquarters at 55 Broadway (1929) and the stations of the Piccadilly line extensions (1931-1933). The latter are often considered Holden’s finest work. Pick worked closely with Holden, to the extent that the resulting buildings are almost considered their joint achievement. When Piccadilly Circus station was rebuilt, it was Pick’s idea to incorporate the circular booking hall, which Holden then designed. The pair travelled around Europe together in search of a ‘new architectural idiom’ in 1930. Sudbury Town station, opened in 1931 on the Piccadilly line, was chosen to demonstrate the new ‘house style’ and described by one critic as ‘a landmark not only in the history of Pick’s work but also in that of modern English architecture’. To Holden, Pick was a ‘tower of strength where his sympathies lay’ and a ‘friendly and genial’ travelling companion, with an understated sense of humour. Attention to detail Pick oversaw a coordinated design policy for London Transport, but retained his focus on details, partly because he was reluctant to delegate responsibility. He remained interested in every aspect of LT, its vehicles and services. He commissioned designs for train interior details like arm rests and lampshades, station furniture and even signal cabins and substations behind the scenes. Pick was the first to commission unique designs for the seating upholstery known as moquette on trains, buses and trams. As with his approach to posters, the best of both established and up-and-coming textile designers were commissioned. Moquette continues to be a prominent feature of TfL’s vehicles today. A lasting legacy Pick was appointed Managing Director of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) in 1928. In 1933, he became Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the newly formed London Passenger Transport Board, better known as London Transport (LT). He set and expected high standards, which he usually achieved. His publicity campaigns and commissioning initiatives cast a long shadow and are still much admired. His portrait hung at 55 Broadway, London Transport’s headquarters, for many years. Pick’s sharp administrative skills were utilised in both world wars. In 1917 he oversaw coal rationing for the Board of Trade, then chaired by his Underground boss Lord Ashfield. As the Second World War approached, Pick helped coordinate London Transport’s involvement in the mass evacuation of civilians. Pick left London Transport in 1940, after a technical disagreement with Lord Ashfield over government interference in LT finances. For a short but unhappy time he was Director General of the Ministry of Information. However, Pick clashed with Prime Minister Winston Churchill on another point of principle when he refused to distribute false propaganda in Germany. He moved to the Ministry of Transport, studying the usage of Britain’s canals and rivers. A complex man, Pick appeared shy to some, but overbearing and arrogant to others. His work was his life, though he refused offers of a knighthood and a peerage. Pick died suddenly at home in Hampstead shortly after his retirement in 1941. That completes our look at Piccadilly Circus - an iconic station. More pics in the gallery. Continues below:

Continued from above: This reduced staff costs and improved passenger flow at a time of rising passenger numbers. Annual passenger traffic at the station was 1.5 million in 1907, but by 1922 the number had risen to 18 million. The effects of this growth were clearly felt in the station with large queues in the booking hall and crowding on the platforms. Escalators were required to improve the flow of passengers, but they could not be installed within the existing station design. The only way of fitting escalators in would have meant going on an incline which would end up in the basement of the adjoining Criterion Hotel. So, a brand-new station was proposed, to be constructed underneath Piccadilly Circus itself, right in the heart of London. A drawing from 1928 shows the complexity of the newly constructed station below Piccadilly Circus AN ENORMOUS UNDERTAKING To achieve this ambitious vision of building a station directly beneath one of London’s busiest thoroughfares, the proposed design was meticulously planned and tested with a full-scale mock-up erected at the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre. The final design included a flat steel roof deck able to bear the weight of the traffic above, a circular booking hall connected with several subways to the surface, and a total of 11 escalators connecting to both Underground lines below. Construction began in 1924, shortly after the statue of Anteros (commonly known as Eros or The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain) was relocated to Victoria Embankment Gardens. A 5.5 metre (18ft) wide, deep shaft was sunk in its place from which all the construction was undertaken, starting with the fortified steel and concrete roof, installed in stages to minimise disruption to the roads above. It’s amazing to think that the entire station’s enormous space underneath was dug from this one tiny shaft. With it being one of the busiest thoroughfares in London it was not practical to stop traffic going through there for years on end even in the 1920s so it was a brilliant way of constructing the entire station. THE UNDERGROUND’S FLAGSHIP STATION The new station was commissioned by Frank Pick, Managing Director of the Underground Group, and designed by architect Charles Holden. Pick’s vision was for a flagship station, to project a sense of sophistication and modernity for the rapidly growing railway company. Holden created a concept which celebrated the Underground using his signature ‘Art Deco style’ design. The beautiful Art Deco ticket hall There was a problem with damp permeating the ceiling from the road which was close overhead. This was rectified in short order. Notice the ‘world clock map’ installed on the right. It showed the time around the world with London at its centre. Still there today The station theme was ‘The Heart of London’ and opulent finishing materials were used to offer a luxurious experience to 50 million annual passengers. They enjoyed Travertine marble from Tripoli, bronze poster frames, telephone booths, shop windows and lampshades, and red scagliola marble finishes on the concourse columns. The Underground also commissioned artist Stephen Bone to paint a grand mural (now lost) above the escalators. The rebuilding of the station cost a total of £500,000 and the main opening ceremony was held on Monday 10 December 1928. The old station was closed the following year on 21 July 1929 and a shopping arcade was built on the site, utilising the three original station entrances. SHELTERING FROM THE BLITZ Up to 2000 people a night sheltered down here During the Second World War, when the Blitz started in September 1940, Londoners started seeking shelter from the air raids in the Underground, at first without official permission. London Transport resisted allowing people to shelter on the platforms since the company’s priority was for the Underground to run a good service, so people could get to work and support the war effort. However, the devastating effects of continuous bombing forced London Transport to reconsider and allow sheltering at their stations. At first the conditions were very unpleasant. Hundreds of bodies were packed together on the cold platforms, trains were still running with passengers trying to get on and off and there was very little in the way of lavatory facilities or first aid posts. The situation grew increasingly dire and members of the public complained to their MPs, and the management of London Transport asking for basic facilities to be installed. In November 1940 the old passageways of the Leslie Green station were adapted to provide 24 toilets for male and female shelterers. The toilets were emptied into a holding tank and the waste was pumped up to the sewers using compressed air. The unpleasant job of emptying the buckets fell to station staff. Piccadilly Circus being so centrally located and one of the main Underground stations for the West End, and the many social clubs of Soho, was continually packed night after night with up to 2,000 people seeking shelter. The platforms were often so full that shelterers would sleep on the escalator landings and even on the escalators themselves. Shelter wardens supervised the shelterers but the wardens did not always get on well with the station staff whose main priority was to keep the railway running and serve passengers. By 1943 over 50 female staff were working there as women stepped into roles previously occupied by men. KEEPING SAFE Toilets were not the only thing kept in the disused passageways of Piccadilly Circus. On 22 and 23 of March 1941, over 150 crates of artwork from the Tate collection and London Museum were moved in to a secure storage especially built for safekeeping purposes. The collections had been stored at Dover Street station (Green Park) in the disused passageways there since the beginning of the Blitz in 1940. In 1941 the entire collection had to be moved but in secret, away from the curious eyes of the shelterers by erecting screens on the platforms at both stations. A special train with covered windows transported the collection between the two stations. The collections stayed there until 1946 when they were restored to their respective homes. STATION INNOVATIONS AND REFURBISHMENT As a flagship for the Underground, Piccadilly Circus has often been prioritised for station upgrades. On 2 October 1945 it was the first to receive fluorescent lighting, a state of- the-art technology at the time. It made the station appear bright as day compared to the gloom of the Underground elsewhere. By 1969 all the escalators had been upgraded, and by 1979 powers were being sought to modernise the entire station as a part of an upgrade programme planned for the 1980s. The refurbishment included a new subway leading up to Haymarket and Anteros (or Eros), and a complete retiling of the landings and platforms. The new tiles were designed especially for the project, inspired by the bright lights and the atmosphere of Piccadilly Circus above. The tiles were fixed directly onto the old tiles, this method having been successfully tested on the disused platform at Aldwych station in 1983 before being used at Piccadilly Circus. As well as improving the passenger environment the upgrade included improvements to staff facilities and ventilation. Piccadilly Circus was intended as a stop on the proposed Chelsea- Hackney line in the 1970s. This was planned as the next major construction project after the Victoria and Jubilee lines. It was designed to relieve pressure on other Tube lines in south west London. For financial reasons the line was not built, but the idea has recently been revived in proposals for Crossrail 2. However, after much consideration a station at Piccadilly Circus has been ruled out due to constraints underground. So, Charles Holden’s cleverly designed station will continue to offer a glimpse of the best of Transport for London’s heritage for years to come. Today’s passengers hurrying through the station booking hall are unaware that forgotten parts of history that you never get to see are just feet away. The corridors that closed in 1929 are at the bottom of a secret gated spiral staircase. Let’s get ourselves down it. This was the original construction access dating from the early 1900s. Entering this abandoned world is like entering a time warp. The first thing you notice is the coloured tiles which are different to the present day. The tile pattern and colour scheme was designed to make each station distinct. A lot of people were unable to read in 1906 so relied on the individual colours to let them know which station they were at. Continued below:

Continued from above: A beauty from Niven’s T.P.Niven from Palnackie, Scotland 1926: Where it all began During the General Strike of 1926 Thomas Paisley Niven used his life savings to purchase a petrol lorry and the firm was born. 1933: Firm growth The firm began hauling milk in 1927. Following the creation of the Milk Marketing Board in 1933 Tom continued to grow the firm specialising in the haulage of milk. 1948: Surviving the war After WW2 Tom’s children Jim, John and Doreen became involved in the business. 1960: Expansion The firm continued to expand after gaining a contract to haul panels for radiator firm Stelrad. This partnership remains today with T.P. Niven and Stelrad celebrating 61 years of working together in 2021. 1983: New management Current managing director Jim Niven Jnr took over the company at the age of 23. Throughout his management period the firm has seen significant growth to where it is today. 1994: Lockerbie Depot With the continual success in milk haulage T.P.Niven expanded with a new depot in Lockerbie to aid their operation. This depot remains integral to the company’s distribution today. 2000: Millenium The start of the new millennium saw the fleet expand again with TPN gaining the contract for Scottish store deliveries for nationwide store Pets at Home. 2011: Palletline An opportunity to become part of the Palletline Network arose in 2011 covering the DG and KA postcodes. This allowed T.P.Niven to diversify their services to smaller consignments, and access clients that were unavailable to the company by their full load business. 2016: Taking TPN south of the border The firm gained a new contract with the Organic Milk Supply Cooperative. This came with a dedicated milk collection depot in Charlton Adam, Somerset. 2019 – Present day: Moving milk for 90 years T.P.Niven’s formidable reputation in milk haulage gained the First Milk contract for Scotland adding three new depots in Mauchline, Campbelltown and Stranraer. For me the truck of the show was a classic Brit though, with STAS Trailers’ newly restored ERF EC14 Olympic getting a lot of attention. An early model on an L-reg, it featured a rarer angled dash. A cracking bit of kit. Plenty of pics from the show in the gallery. Here’s a couple of YouTube items: Over to Ireland where we find out the result of a Bridgestone v Michelin 55,000 mile truck tyre trial, with the added bonus of a look at the new trucks in stock at T. Nolan & Sons in Co.Kerry. If you need a proper laugh check out this lad’s YouTube channel : Chris Allen-Professional Struggler. He’s a mobile HGV mechanic and has a great old school attitude to the job with a crackin’ personality. If you’re offended by swearing then it won’t be for you though. He has his lad helping him on this vid so his language is somewhat restrained! It’s heart-warming to see them spending quality time together with his son getting involved and learning, and not a computer in sight. We’ll make our way now to our final stop this week. We’re going into the centre of London to one of the city’s most famous landmarks – Piccadilly Circus. It’s the tube station, and what’s under it that we’ll be looking at to be more precise. Let’s see how it all came to be: PICCADILLY CIRCUS: THE HEART OF LONDON Piccadilly Circus is one of London’s most popular tourist destinations and home to one of the city’s most distinctive Underground stations. Originally opened in 1906, the station was completely remodelled in the 1920s. The new station, designed by architect Charles Holden, became the Underground’s flagship in the heart of London. There were three separate entrances. The Haymarket entrance with its ornate office doorway in the centre. The Jermyn Street entrance before the Haymarket Hotel was added on top After the hotel was added No expense was spared in delivering the station’s extraordinary design features, reflecting a time when London was still perceived as the capital of the British Empire. Today, the station continues to be a busy hub, serving over 40 million passengers a year. Piccadilly Circus reflects the different periods of the Underground: the rapid expansion of Tube railways in the early 1900s, the golden age of design in the 1920s and 1930s, the Underground as a place of shelter during the Second World War, and refurbishment in the 1980s to keep pace with demand. PICCADILLY OPENS Piccadilly Circus station opened on the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway (now the Bakerloo line) on 10 March 1906, followed by the Great Northern & Piccadilly Railway (now the Piccadilly line) on 15 December the same year. The booking hall, entrances and platforms were designed by architect Leslie Green. From the booking hall, eight lifts (four for each line) transported passengers to platform level. The booking hall looking out towards Piccadilly The view looking in In 1914, Piccadilly Circus became the first Underground station to operate two automatic landing operated lifts (previously serviced manually by lift operators), quickly followed by two more. The Bakerloo line part of the station also required four lifts as this was at a lower level. This was the highest number of lifts at any station in Edwardian times. The lift hall with the Bakerloo set to the right Continues below:

Continued from above: A Bedford TK and a Volvo F12 from Stuart and Eddie Holt. Holt’s are a Yorkshire transport company taking pride in its heritage. Established in 1935 they became the premier name for haulage in East Yorkshire. Over the years, their reputation for outstanding service ensured that they were able to apply their regional success to the national stage. Their Yorkshire-based transport services diversified as they accessed the wider UK market, and in 2001 they established Palletforce with a group of national hauliers. Though they have grown to become one of the leading general haulage firms in the UK, they have not lost their personal touch. Owned and run by the Holt family, the company has survived many years in the UK market, largely as a result of its friendly, family-oriented approach to business. Some of today’s fleet. On the road It was tippers and technology inside, with the tankers parked outside up in the stunning Tanker Village on the Majestic Hotel’s front lawns. The trucks on show were almost all brand new, and it was interesting to see so many tippers that had yet to shift a single load. Iveco, Volvo, Merc and Renault all had sizeable manufacturer displays. The most technically advanced piece of equipment was the Vol-Tar volumetric asphalt plant which was mounted to a Renault Range-T eight-legger. Volumetric concrete mixers have been around for years, but this was the first mobile batching plant seen for tar. One fascinating stand was Jost GB. They are the leading global producer and supplier of commercial vehicle components. Featured at the show was their new automatic trailer coupling system enabling drivers to couple and uncouple via remote control. The system automates the entire process, including air, electrics, and brakes. The fifth wheel is the mothership containing the sensors, connector, lube system and pneumatic release valve. Fitted to the underside of the trailer, the star of the show is the KKS connector. This controls all the mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic connections between the truck and trailer, eliminating the need for vulnerable air, electrics and ABS/EBS spiral lines. During cornering, cable and hose handling takes place in the trailer floor, with resetting taking place automatically once the vehicle is travelling in a straight line again. Hand cranking is a thing of the past with an electric auxiliary drive that deploys the landing legs automatically. All components can be retro fitted to most vehicles/trailers. It all sounds good to me but how’s it going to perform after it’s taken a few deluges and got covered in salt and grit in our winter. Time will tell I suppose. To the tankers now. A well looked after 7yr old R490 Continues below:

Continued from above: Taunton – Monday 9th August 2021 The Nostalgia Trophy was the feature prize at this meeting. The trophy was presented to the sport by former racer Mick Whittle. His own link with nostalgia is very strong indeed, as he has built a number of cars for the Heritage Stock Car class, and is also responsible for the stunning re-make of the Ivor Greenwood ‘side-saddle’ car. Never one to rest easy, Mick had been busy constructing another new car with a strong tilt to history, and he had planned to have that very car here on display the following Monday. The Grand Parade was led off by a younger member of the Darby family in honour of a fine achievement the previous weekend. It had been a summer to remember for Ministox racer Harry Darby (577). Having captured the Devon title at the start of June he comprehensively won the English Open at St. Day at the beginning of July. However, an even bigger success came his way when he claimed the British Championship at Cowdenbeath a week prior to this meeting. Harry on track later in the meeting A heavy downpour soaked the track before start time, although the sky lightened by the time of the evening’s Finals, and a dry line was starting to appear. 26 cars raced to a two-thirds format. Heat 1: John Brereton (948) and Adrian Watts (222) spun out in turn one whilst Jack Bunter (128) made the most of his white grade start to lead the opening half of the race until he was caught and passed by Ryan Sheahan (325). A tremendous battle between Justin Fisher (315) and Tommy Farrell (667) raged behind which culminated in an attempted hit from 315 on the rear of 667 which only succeeded in Fisher spinning himself out. Sheahan claimed the victory from Bunter, and a fast closing Matt Stoneman (127). Result: 325, 128, 127, 35, 895, 667, 315, 915, 27 and 988. Heat 2: Hitting the front early was Paul Rice (850) who ran unchallenged to the flag. However, there was plenty going on behind. Archie Farrell (970) on his Brisca F2 debut was caught out on numerous occasions by the track conditions spinning multiple times. Ben Borthwick (418) and Charlie Fisher (35) were enjoying a fine battle, the two swapping places frequently for the minor placings whilst Justin Fisher made amends for his opening race spin by pushing Bunter aside on the last bend for second place. Result: 890, 315, 128, 24, 736, 418, 35, 27, 988 and 895. Heat 3: Rice was again the man to beat, but behind him a chaos filled race unfolded with the majority of the field involved in either a collision, or a spin at some point. This included many of the star graders with Tommy Farrell and Borthwick tangling in turn two, whilst Stoneman hooked together with Matt Hatch (320) on the back straight. Result: 890, 325, 736, 24, 915, 418, 127, 667, 194 and 948. Final: Rice looked like he was on for the hat-trick as he stormed through the field, but trouble lay ahead. Justin Fisher smoothly climbed through the pack to relieve Rice of the lead who then got caught out by what looked like oil dropped in turn one and crashed into a pile up of cars. Jon Palmer (24) joined the growing list of casualties also being caught out. Fisher continued to avoid the chaos to stretch his lead. At one stage he was half a lap ahead of his closest pursuer and consistently set the fastest lap. His son Charlie had spun around in the pit bend early on but such was the nature of the race he found himself back up to fourth by race end. An excellent charge in the final few laps saw him follow home podium finishers Sheahan and Borthwick. Fisher remarked in the post-race interview that he was unsure why the car was going so well as he was not known for his wet track form around Smeatharpe. He was even more pleased for the fourth place finish for his son, Charlie. Result: 315, 325, 418, 35, 988, 127, 398, 667, 27 and 33. GN: Rice duly completed his hat-trick with victory in this one. It was a good reward for the hard work in the pits to repair his car after it had required a double tractor tow off the circuit following the Final. Without a caution, Fisher’s fifth place finish from the lap handicap cemented the pace he had shown during the evening. Result: 890, 128, 736, 418, 315, 667, 27, 35, 762 and 895. Let’s head up country now to North Yorkshire and the spa town of Harrogate. We’re here to have a look around the last ever Tip-Ex/Tank-Ex event to be held at the Convention Centre. The show is a unique event aimed at operators, and all the big players in tanker and tipper technology had their latest products on display. The 2021 event was bigger than ever with more than 100 exhibitors and extra floor space, both inside and out. Leading truck manufacturers, body-builders, trailer, tanker, tipping gear and load handling companies were all represented with their latest models. Workshop equipment also featured heavily, as did all the accessories, kit and compliance services needed to keep fleets safe and efficient on the road. From telematics and cameras to walking floors and hydraulic tipping gear - there was something for everyone. Taking place right in the middle of scenic Harrogate, trucks were also parked outside the front of the hall, with a road closed off to accommodate displays. Stand-out vehicles in this area were: Matt Waller’s Baerlocher 45ft Feldbinder tipping tanker and Merc Actros 2551 A classic post-war Foden Some golden oldie Cooper’s Continues below:

Hi there folks, This week we’ll be heading to Taunton for another two Monday evening F2 fixtures, before making our way to Harrogate to have a look around the last Tip-Ex/Tank-Ex show to be held in the town. It is the UK’s only dedicated event for the tipper, bulk transport and tanker sectors. We then leave here and finish below the streets of London. Join me at Piccadilly Circus Underground Station as we cover the story of one of the most iconic stations on the network. We’ll go behind secret doors, and to passageways and lift shafts closed to the public since 1929. Taunton – Monday 2nd August 2021 The second of the quintet of Monday evening fixtures here at Smeatharpe was also the fourth in an eight day spell in the West-Country. With Skegness the following evening being the last World Championship qualifying round numbers (22 cars) were a little below the level normally accustomed to here. Dave Williams (32) and Jamie Ward-Scott (881) added a northern flavour to proceedings, with the former set for a track debut. There was also a Brisca F2 debut planned for former Ministox and Stock Rod racer Archie Farrell (970). A stunning new WRC car for James Rygor (783 ) also made its debut here. Heat 1: Mike Cocks (762), Jack Bunter (128) and Richard Andrews (605) set the early pace in this one. Charlie Lobb (988) had risen to second behind Bunter when a caution was called for Ian England (398) who had ended up across the front of Charlie Fisher (35) and sent into the back-straight wall. Bunter made a good restart as Paul Rice (890) and Ben Goddard (895) demoted Lobb. Bunter got out of shape which allowed Rice and Goddard to get ahead where they proceeded to exchange hits, and the lead on several occasions. This brought Tommy Farrell (667) into play. He got inside the 890 car and then pushed 895 aside for the lead with two to go which he held to the end. Result: 667, 315, 890, 895, 522, 736, 988, 128, 460 and 320. Heat 2: Andrews led away, but Lobb soon took up the running under pressure from Josh Weare (736), in the ex-Luke Wrench (560) car, whilst Rice also passed Andrews before half-way. This quartet remained in that order to the flag with Andrews fending off a last-bend lunge from Jon Palmer (24) who had missed Heat 1 with mechanical troubles. In the end Palmer was docked two places for jumping the start, promoting Goddard and Farrell to fifth and sixth. The star grade had been depleted by Justin Fisher (315) and Chris Mikulla (722) – on his first appearance of the season – crashing into the Honiton bend wall, and gearbox trouble for James Rygor’s (783) brand new car. Result: 988, 736, 890, 605, 895, 667, 24, 128, 398 and 762. Gearbox trouble for 783 Final: Andrews led the field away until a spin put Bunter ahead from Lobb, Cocks and England, but Farrell and Palmer were the fastest men on track as they worked their way up. Palmer hit Farrell wide from a long way back into the pit bend just before half-way in what could have been a race-defining move as he began picking off those in front. Lobb had pulled clear, and Palmer was up to second when the 24 car went straight on into the Honiton bend wall with five to go, as a result of a puncture. That handed Lobb a big lead and he duly reeled off the remaining laps to claim his maiden Brisca F2 Final victory for the Pat Hudson Trophy in memory of a long serving member of the Autospeed team. Farrell survived a last-bend hit from Justin Fisher for second, with Mikulla, England and Bunter completing the top six. Result: 988, 667, 315, 522, 398, 128, 736, 895, 320 and 35. JP went straight on into the Honiton bend fence during the Final GN: Having suffered mechanical issues for most of the meeting, Ward-Scott led away as Andrews and Bunter tangled on the first bend. Weare moved ahead, with Charlie Fisher also passing Ward-Scott as star men Farrell, Justin Fisher and Palmer charged through the field. Justin Fisher nudged his son Charlie wide for second with Farrell following through the gap as Weare pulled clear. Palmer shoved the younger Fisher wide for fourth with two to go then tried a huge lunge on Farrell for third on the last bend. It didn’t come off however, and allowed Charlie back inside as Weare took a resounding win from Justin F and Farrell. Lobb rose to eighth from the lap handicap without the need of a yellow flag situation. Result: 736, 315, 667, 35, 24, 895, 881, 762, 988 and 526. Pics in gallery from this meeting. Continues below:

Continued from above: On to Trams in Trouble now: This week it’s the turn of Blackpool English Electric Series II Railcoach 616. It is pictured in Rigby Road depot after a major accident with a twin-car set at the Cabin in July 1970. In October 1971 the bodywork was scrapped down to the basic wooden frame, this was carried out in the body shop at Rigby Road works. The tram later became the first production OMO car 616 / 1. After it was converted to one man operation. The story of Blackpool’s OMO trams: Following the closure of the inland routes by 1963, there was a need for Blackpool Corporation Transport to cut costs on operation of the tramway during the winter period when the number of passengers carried was drastically less than during the summer months. There were three initial experiments carried out using existing members of the fleet to see if costs could be saved. Initially, there was an experimental conversion of Brush Car 638 to one person operation. The initial experiment was a failure as the door was placed too far back, the driver had to swivel round to collect money from passengers and with the narrow entrance door, it would make loading slower. 638's seating capacity would also have been reduced, the capacity was only 48 prior to the experiment taking place. It was soon converted back to a two person car. Here it is with a fire in the trolley tower at the Pleasure Beach. Next up Railcoach 611 was converted. It was built to look like a twin car Railcoach to try and boost capacity (56 seats as opposed to 48 seats on ordinary Railcoaches). They also lengthened Railcoach 618 to allow a greater capacity. These experiments were unsuccessful as the expensive 2 man crew was still needed and the same number of service trams would still be required. In the late 1960's / early 1970's, many bus companies had begun to dispense with conductors and convert their vehicles to One Person Operation so the logical decision was for them to follow suite and use OPO on their trams on winter services. The issue they had, however was that none of the fleet of trams were capable of OPO operation in their then present form and with the failed OPO experiment on Brush Car 638, a new idea was needed. A brand new fleet of OPO trams built from scratch was out of the question, both on the grounds of cost and the probable need to import new trams from abroad as Blackpool was the only remaining tramway in the UK at the time, so the only real solution was to rebuild some of the existing fleet. The single deck fleet at that time consisted of 3 Series 1 EE Railcoaches, 10 Series 2 EE Railcoaches, 10 twin car motors and 17 Brush Cars. BCT then formulated a plan to turn their remaining Railcoaches (excluding towing Railcoaches 671 - 680) and Brush Cars to One Person Operation. However on further examination, they found that the Brush Cars could not be easily converted due to their less substantial framework. This ruled out their use in the conversion programme and they remained in their present form. (In hindsight this was probably lucky as following the OMO car's demise there would have been very few crew cars left to maintain the service). The conversion from Railcoach to OMO would require extension of the underframe and tapered ends to be fabricated. Series 2 EE Railcoach 616, which was in store following a collision with a Twin Car in 1970, was chosen as the prototype for conversion. Work on the conversion began with the removal of the distinctive pointed cab ends. The existing underframe was strengthened as was the remainder of the frame. The underframe was extended and tapered ends were created. The new tapered extension not only served as the entrance to the tram (on the left hand side of the tapered area) but also on the right hand side was a small driving cab containing the E.E Z6 controller and the braking system from its previous life as an EE Railcoach. Uniquely for the Blackpool fleet however, was the placement of the controller and brake. The controller was placed on the right hand side of the cab, with the braking systems situated so they could be operated by the left hand. This was the opposite of the layout on the other trams in the fleet. The reason for this was to give sufficient room for the collection of fares by the driver. In the passenger saloons, back to back bus seating was fitted and the bare bulb lighting that was becoming standard on refurbishments of the time was also fitted. The central entrance doorways were retained but to be used as exits only. With so many of the series 1 EE Railcoaches having been scrapped in the 1960's and ten of the twenty EE Series 2 Railcoaches having been converted for twin car operation, there was very few Railcoaches available for conversion that were in a serviceable condition that of the first 5 conversions, one was accident damaged (616), three were stored requiring an overhaul (608, 610 and 620) and one was an ex works tram (609, or works car 5). These five trams were chosen to be converted first to allow as many Railcoaches as possible to remain in service for as long as possible. From early October, the OMO trams began to find use on specials with OMO 2 being first to be used. From the 30th of October 1972 OMO 1 - 4 were introduced to the winter timetable on the Starr Gate to Fleetwood Service, OMO 5 would join them in November 1972. OMO 5 required more work to be done to it than the other trams as the underframe and body frame required more straightening and strengthening work than the others, this additional work probably aided OMO 5's survival in service and ultimately its preservation. The original livery for the OMO trams was Plum and Custard to distinguish them from the regular crew trams. Initially the OMO trams were to be called the 'Sea Spray' class but the OMO name was more commonly used (as well as the nickname 'coffins' which were used by the crews due to the shape). Following the introduction of OMO 1-5, the remaining conversions would require Series 2 Railcoaches to be withdrawn from service. 617 and 619 were withdrawn from service in 1972 and would become OMO 6 and OMO 7. OMO 6 had a distinctive shape as straightening works carried out on the original 1935 part of the underframe led to the cab ends pointing upwards slightly. Both OMO 6 and OMO 7 entered service in 1973. The next batch of Railcoaches, 612, 613 and 614 were withdrawn in 1973, becoming OMO 8, OMO 9 and OMO 10, and entering service during 1974. The OMO cars operated along-side the Brush Cars and remaining Railcoaches until there was enough OMO's to run the whole service (in approximately 1975). Soon after introduction it was realised that the Plum and Custard livery wasn't really suitable as it had started to fade quickly and all cars were repainted in a red and white livery. It is thought that the OMO's were painted a different livery from the rest of the ordinary fleet to allow passengers to distinguish between pay on entry and the normal conductor operated trams. The last remaining 'real Railcoach' 615 became OMO 11, and the experimental Railcoaches 611 and 618, became OMO 12 and 13 respectively. The last OMO (13) entered service in 1976, and the main difference between it and the rest was that it was fitted with an inverter and flourescent lighting. However, it was withdrawn and scrapped after only 8 years in service. This particular tram was unpopular with drivers due to a number of faults and problems. It was soon discovered that the OMO's could not cope with the extra length and their bodies began to droop badly at each end resulting in continual remedial work having to take place. By 1988, there were enough Centenary cars to replace them and many of the 13 cars were withdrawn upon reaching 100,000 miles travelled. Withdrawal started with 13 in 1984 followed by 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9 which were all scrapped soon after withdrawal. OMO 7 survived following withdrawal and was converted to a replica Vanguard tram which was supposed to be similar to those which operated in Blackpool in the 1920's. However, due to a number of problems with the Centenary cars, some of the OMO cars that were in the best condition had a reprieve from withdrawal, 1, 5, 8, 10, 11 and 12 remained in service after the Centenary cars entered service. Two of them however, would be withdrawn by the end of the 1980's with OMO 1 being withdrawn following a compressor fire, and an accident in the depot in 1989, and OMO 12 being withdrawn as surplus to requirements in 1988. By 1991, there was only four OMO's available for service these being 5, 8, 10 and 11. OMO 8 was withdrawn in 1992 and stored in the depot, and 5 was given an experimental invertor, however this caused problems with the electrics of this tram and the lights would not work meaning this car could not be used after dark and soon had its original equipment restored. In 1993 both cars 1 and 12 were stripped of any remaining useful parts and scrapped. By March 1993, the remaining serviceable OMO's: 5, 10 and 11 were withdrawn, with Brush cars, and the 3 ex towing car Railcoaches taking over their winter duties. Following withdrawal. 11 served as a test car for new bogies and motors for what was to become the experimental Roadliner 611 tram before moving to Carnforth for further trials. After the trials were complete, 11 returned to Blackpool where it was stripped to its shell and stored at the rear of the depot until it was scrapped in 2000. OMO's 5 and 8 remained stored, whilst 10 was sold and became a static coffee shop in a conference centre in Reading in 1996. In 2000 OMO 5, which had been stripped of its windows and doors to be reused on the Brush Cars, was transferred to Clay Cross Stores, part of Crich Tramway Museum, to await restoration. In 2005, 8 became part of the LTT fleet and has since been repainted into its original livery of plum and custard, and received windows from OMO 10 which was scrapped in 2005. OMO 8 was transferred to the LTT depot for further work to take place on the tram. It made its return to service in preservation with Blackpool Transport on 29th September 2010. OMO 8 was then returned to store requiring a major overhaul and replacement underframe. OMO 5 remains at Clay Cross awaiting restoration. OMO's 5 and 8 remained stored, whilst 10 was sold and became a static coffee shop in a conference centre in Reading in 1996. In 2000 OMO 5, which had been stripped of its windows and doors to be reused on the Brush Cars, was transferred to Clay Cross Stores, part of Crich Tramway Museum, to await restoration. In 2005, 8 became part of the LTT fleet and has since been repainted into its original livery of plum and custard, and received windows from OMO 10 which was scrapped in 2005. OMO 8 was transferred to the LTT depot for further work to take place on the tram. It made its return to service in preservation with Blackpool Transport on 29th September 2010. OMO 8 was then returned to store requiring a major overhaul and replacement underframe. OMO 5 remains at Clay Cross awaiting restoration. Finally if you’re still with me here’s this week’s Miscellaneous pics: Taylor Walker & Co was an old-established London brewery company operating from the Barley Mow Brewery in Limehouse. Around the beginning of 1938, they took delivery of seven Leylands. There were two twin-steer Beaver Six (later called Steer) an Octopus, and four Beaver TSC12A’s including this one. It was almost certainly not bodied by Leyland, as this photo was taken on 5th April 1938, three months after the chassis was delivered. It was described as an ‘Express Van’ and had moderately streamlined features. However, all of those roller shutters must have proved to be an absolute nightmare to operate once they had become well-worn through repeated use! The company had been founded in Stepney in 1730 as Salmon & Hare, being renamed in 1816. They moved to Fore Street, Limehouse in 1823 and into the Barley Mow Brewery in 1889. The company was taken over by the Cannon Brewery in 1930 and again by Ind Coope in 1959, after which the brewery was closed and demolished in the mid-1960’s. After a number of changes in ownership, the Taylor Walker name was revived around 2010 but disappeared again after acquisition by Greene King in 2015. An early Octopus ready for delivery to Aitken of Linlithgow outside Joseph Wilkinson’s body shop on McDonald Road, Edinburgh. How about this – ‘A Leyland Whale’! A most unusual Leyland Bull with a ‘cabriolet-style’ cab, hauling a whale on a raft. Haulier John Wilkinson was the brother of Joseph Wilkinson whose works is featured in the previous pic. Next time: A further two Monday evening visits to Smeatharpe, a trip to a North Yorkshire town to have a look around a specialist trade show which was the last to be held there before it moves south for 2022, and a look underground at a place that was considered to be the very centre of the British Empire.

Continued from above: Scorched earth The two men extricated themselves from the shattered cockpit and walked along one of the streams until they reached the Hayfield to Glossop road. A passing lorry driver stopped and picked them up and took them to a nearby pub where Lt Houpt telephoned Burtonwood to report the accident. They were then retrieved by an ambulance from Burtonwood and their injuries were then treated. These were mainly cuts & bruises but Lt Houpt did suffer a broken jaw. The undercarriage is still in the flight retracted position within the wing This undercarriage leg and wheel has been thrown clear of the aircraft on impact The split pins inside are like new Part of a fire damaged frame Continues below:

Continued from above: View across the bridge To the platform Peak Rail operate the line and this was once the southern terminus point of all their trains. This station is only used in the event of any operational difficulties with obtaining access to Matlock Platform 2. This station consists of a temporary wooden platform, together with a small waiting shelter. The station is located a good 10-minute walk from the main Matlock Town Centre, access to which is via the footpath alongside the riverbank or by using the A6 by-pass road a short distance from Sainsbury’s store and near to the A6 roundabout. Whether it’s simply a nostalgic journey back to a bygone age or a discovery of the sights and sounds for very first time of a steam or diesel locomotive Peak Rail allows you to experience the thrill of its preserved railway whilst travelling through the delightful Derbyshire countryside. The Midland Railway route linking Derby and Manchester across the Derbyshire Peak District must rate as one of the most spectacular lines ever to have existed in the country. Whatever the merits and claims of other lines, the railway, which carved through Derbyshire’s great limestone hills, has been described as the most scenic line in Britain. Because of the terrain, numerous tunnels and other impressive civil engineering features including the magnificent viaducts at Millers Dale and Monsal Dale had to be constructed. The railway was not conceived as a single entity by one company but was in fact the result of the ambitions of several separate companies who for their own individual reasons, built the line at different times over a period of some 20 years. Nevertheless, the eventual result of these ventures was a mainline providing a direct route between Derby and Manchester. The first section of the route between Derby and Ambergate was opened to traffic on 11th May 1840 as part of the “North Midland Railway” line to Rotherham via Chesterfield. North-westwards from Ambergate to Rowsley was constructed by a company with the lengthy title of the “Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway” (M.B.M. & M.J.R.). June 4th, 1849 was the official opening day of the Ambergate-Rowsley section, with passenger and coal traffic commencing running on 20th August. The original scheme was to build a line from Cheadle to Ambergate with the Manchester and Birmingham Railway and the Midland Railway providing financial support as both companies expected to gain from this link. However, the L.N.W.R. having been formed by an amalgamation of various railway companies, found it had a shareholding in the M.B.M. & M.J.R., a line that it was not interested in as it would be a source of competition. Eventually in 1871 the M.B.M. & M.J.R. was absorbed into the Midland Railway system. Before this date the Midland had already constructed a line from Rowsley to Manchester, although this did not follow the route intended by the M.B.M. & M.J.R. owing to the opposition of the Duke of Devonshire to the idea of a railway through Chatsworth Park. In its efforts to gain a through route to Manchester, the Midland Railway had surveyed several possible routes to achieve this end. A line from Duffield to Rowsley was commenced but was terminated at Wirksworth. One outrageous proposal, however, was the upgrading of the Cromford and High Peak Railway to main line status which would have resulted in Derby-Manchester expresses going over gradients as steep as 1:8. The section of the Rowsley-Manchester line was commenced in September 1860. Heading north from the new Rowsley station was Haddon Hall, ancestral home of the Duke of Rutland. The Duke was unwilling to allow the railway to cross his estate on the surface, so the company was forced to go underground. Haddon Tunnel at 1058 yards is the longest between Matlock and Buxton; it is in fact a covered way being on average only 12 feet deep. A cutting would have sufficed to preserve the view from Haddon Hall, but the Duke did not want to see smoke and steam rising above his stately gardens. (We’ll be having an explore of this majestic tunnel in a future post). The Duke used Bakewell station for boarding and alighting from trains and it was therefore a far grander affair than one would expect of a small market town. His coat-of-arms was built into stonework on the platform façade. The Duke of Devonshire used Hassop station which was 2 miles from the village from which it took its name. The next station along the line towards Buxton was Longstone, later named Great Longstone, which served the occupants of nearby Thornbridge Hall. Heading farther northwards, the railway passes through the 533 yards Headstone Tunnel, and from this the line bursts spectacularly on to Monsal Dale viaduct. The structure has five spans each of 50 feet. Although resented by a few prominent people when built, it now blends perfectly well with the surrounding countryside. The station at Monsal was provided for tourists, as there are very few dwellings in the area. The down platform was cut of the stone hillside while the up platform was built on wooden piles, as the valley is so sheer at this point. Cressbrook and Litton tunnels at 471 yards and 515 yards respectively follow in quick succession. Climbing at 1 in 105, the line reached a summit east of Millers Dale before falling into the station here. Before Millers Dale station is entered, two viaducts stand. The southern-most was built when the line was opened while the northernmost was opened in 1905. Millers Dale was originally two platforms plus a bay for the Buxton branch. When the second viaduct was completed, two platforms were added making a total of five. This might seem, again, to be a very large station for what was only a small hamlet with few inhabitants, but this was because people wishing to travel to the Spa town of Buxton had to change trains at this point. Such was the practice of the Romans for building settlements on the tops of hills, that there was no other means of providing rail communications other than a branch to this important Spa town. However, in recompense the Midland provided a fine station building, which possessed a handsome façade and this, was copied by the L.N.W.R. terminus next door. From Millers Dale innumerable problems were encountered with the next section towards the junction at Peak Forest. With the River Wye occupying the valley floor, three tunnels were constructed, Chee Tor No. 1, Chee Tor No. 2 and Rusher Cutting. Such was the shortage of space at this point; the track bed was hewn into a shelf in the valley side. Moving northwards, the branch to Buxton deviates from the main line to Manchester at Millers Dale Junction. Here the smallest station in Britain was sited at Blackwell Mill Halt. This was built to provide transport for the nearby railway cottages. Only a few trains a week stopped here to enable the wives to collect their shopping from Buxton. From Peak Forest, this line enters Wye Dale and the 191 yards Pic Tor Tunnel and into Ashwood Dale. A further tunnel here exactly 100 yards long brings the line on to Ashwood Dale viaduct and into Buxton Midland Station. 1st January 1923 marked the first major change in the administration of the railways in the Peak District. From that day the railways of England were grouped into four companies. As far as the Peak District was concerned, the lion’s share went to the L.M.S. From a local point of view nothing much changed. Red carriages with gold lettering still formed the Midland expresses. On some occasions, an L.N.W.R. locomotive hauling Midland coaches could be seen, a sight unheard of before 1923 and one that would have virtually caused civil war. The amalgamation meant that competing routes could be rationalised. The two Buxton stations were placed under one stationmaster; the former L.N.W.R. platforms were numbered 1, 2 and 3, and the Midland ones relegated to 4, 5 and 6. Departures for Manchester could be arranged alternately instead of simultaneously, but the longer journey time via Millers Dale resulted in alternate departures from Buxton becoming simultaneous arrivals in Manchester. Throughout its long career, the Peak Line was used by many fast expresses including the “Peak Express”, the “Palatine” and the “Midland Pullman”, providing evidence of the significance of this railway. Impressive locomotives were frequently observed traversing its metals including Samuel Johnson’s superb 4-2-2 express engines, while in later years, Jubilees, Patriots and the occasional Royal Scot handled the heaviest passenger traffic over this steeply graded line. Before the eventual demise of the route, Britannia’s and the Blue Midland Pullman gave glory to the twilight years. Freight traffic was also of great importance throughout its history. Following the demise of the Lancashire coalfields during the inter-war years, much of the coal to power the industry of the north-west had to be transferred across the Peak District from the East Midlands. The increased volume of freight resulted in large numbers of Stanier 2-8-0’s, the large Beyer-Garratts and in later years 9F’s could be seen blasting their way up the inclines with their seemingly endless coal trains. Because of the severe gradients encountered on this line, particularly from Rowsley northwards, banking engines were often required, supplied from Rowsley engine shed, to ensure a clear flow of traffic over the main line. Except for a few short downward stretches, the line from Rowsley climbs at an average of 1 in 100 over its entire length, making life for the engine crews particularly difficult, especially in wintertime when the weather can be extremely severe. From Rowsley the line climbs almost 600 feet on its journey to Buxton. In 1962 came the publication of “The Reshaping of Britain’s Railways”, more commonly called the “Beeching Report”. The recommendations of this weighty volume included the closure of two-thirds of the unprofitable lines, to leave the remaining system to pay its way. The first implementation of the report’s proposals was to be the closure of both Buxton branches to passengers. The protests of the local inhabitants deferred these closures. The closure of the Ambergate-Chinley section began in 1954 when Dove Holes tunnel was found to be unsafe. The line was closed at night in order to carry out repairs and trains never again ran at night over this section. Freight traffic was diverted via Chesterfield before local passenger services ceased in March 1967, with the closure of the following stations: Millers Dale, Bakewell, Rowsley, Darley Dale and Matlock Bath. However, through trains from St. Pancras to Manchester continued for another year. Since that time trains still run as far as Matlock and freight trains travel along Ashwood Dale from quarries in the Peak Forest area. When in 1968 the last of the direct St. Pancras-Manchester express service was transferred away from the Peak Line and the track quickly lifted, it seemed like the days of rail access to the Peak District had gone forever. Rail enthusiasts on their own initiative got together to form the “Peak Railway Society”. After an initial meeting, membership quickly grew to over a thousand people and then later a commercial operating company “Peak Rail Operations” was formed with the aim of restoring the Peak Line for recreational and community use. The long uphill struggle then began to convince local authorities of the viability of restoring and maintaining a 20-mile railway. Shops were opened at Buxton and Matlock and members attended many fund-raising and publicity events to inform the public of the society’s aims. In 1981 the former Buxton Midland site was purchased and turned from what was derelict ground into a thriving Steam Centre. In 1986 P.R.S. and P.R.O. merged to form Peak Rail Limited to provide a more co-ordinated approach with a tighter management structure. Eventually in 1987 a special local authorities joint working party agreed to recommend to their respective constituent authorities’ acceptance of Peak Rails “Fifteen year Financial and Operating Plan”. This comprehensive document detailed the phased plan for reconstruction and operation of the railway identifying sources of finance, method reconstruction, analysis of potential business markets and the pattern of services, with due regard to environmental protection. October 1988 saw the successful launch of the first major share issue converting P.R.L. into “Peak Rail plc”. The proceeds of this issue were used to fund the rebuilding of the railway from Darley Dale to Matlock (Riverside) which opened to public services in 1992. Insufficient finance delayed further construction so the Buxton Steam Centre was closed, and parts of the land sold, which allowed building to continue northwards. A second share issue provided the funding required to reach Rowsley (South) in 1997 and allowed the redevelopment of the former Rowsley engine shed site. Following some years of consolidation Peak Rail has prospered and completed its southern objectives in 2011, when the major redevelopment of the former Cawdor Quarry in Matlock allowed the railway to extend its services into Matlock Station giving Peak Rail a town centre terminus and a cross platform link with the national rail service. However, the ambition to complete the re-opening of the railway through the Peak District National Park to Buxton remains alive. Consequently, Peak Rail is currently in discussions with various commercial interests, together with the relevant national and local authorities about the possibilities of re-opening the railway as a freight diversionary route which would allow Peak Rail to extend its services northwards. The lines rich railway history, together with the prospect of again being able to travel through magnificent scenery on a railway linking some of Derbyshire’s principal tourist centres, ensures that the desire to fully re-open the railway will never diminish. Pics in the gallery The B-24 Liberator on Kinder Scout Our next stop is a layby on the highest point of the A57 between Sheffield and Glossop. The Pennine Way crosses here and we are going to get the walking boots on and head south along the flagstones that have been laid across this wild moorland. The flagstone’s earlier lives were spent on the floor of the West Pennine mills of the Industrial Revolution. They were destined to be broken up as waste but instead were lifted, packed in crates and flown by helicopter to the Pennine Way. The large rectangular slabs of Bacup sandstone were placed rough side (underside) upwards in order to give maximum grip to walkers’ boots. Laid directly onto the ground, in effect they float on the soft peat as their size spreads the surface area loading. As far as possible they were laid in gentle curves, following natural undulations and contours, and so avoided artificially straight lines. Since the stones were recycled, they already had 150 years of weathering and didn’t have the look of newly quarried material. Some still had drilled holes that were once used as the footings of looms. The stone was originally cut from the Pennine hills and was now laid to rest in those very same hills. It has gone full circle. The mill workers looked to escape the weekday drudgery by walking in the same hills; when they finally achieved decent access people were able to walk for leisure, and some of the moorland paths became eroded. Repairs were needed. When the mills closed down the redundant stone was returned to the hills to form durable and lasting pathways. How neat is that? We are on the lookout for the remains of a B-24 Liberator that came down here nearly eighty years ago. First though we’ll have a look at the marque’s story: The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. A highly modern aircraft for its day, it first saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the most-produced heavy bomber in history. Employed in all theatres by the US Army Air Forces and US Navy, the Liberator routinely served alongside the more rugged Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In addition to service as a heavy bomber, the B-24 played a critical role as a maritime patrol aircraft and aided in closing the "air gap" during the Battle of the Atlantic. The type was later evolved into the PB4Y Privateer maritime patrol aircraft. Liberators also served as long-range transports under the designation C-87 Liberator Express. Origins In 1938, the United States Army Air Corps approached Consolidated Aircraft about producing the new Boeing B-17 bomber under license as part of the "Project A" program to expand American industrial capacity. Visiting the Boeing plant in Seattle, Consolidated president Reuben Fleet assessed the B-17 and decided that a more modern aircraft could be designed using existing technology. Subsequent discussions led to the issuing of USAAC Specification C-212. Intended from the outset to be fulfilled by Consolidated's new effort, the specification called for a bomber with a higher speed and ceiling, as well as a greater range than the B-17. Responding in January 1939, the company incorporated several innovations from other projects into the final design which it designated the Model 32. Design & Development Assigning the project to chief designer Isaac M. Laddon, Consolidated created a high-wing monoplane that featured a deep fuselage with large bomb-bays and retracting bomb-bay doors. Powered by four Pratt & Whitney R1830 twin Wasp engines turning three-bladed variable-pitch propellers, the new aircraft featured long wings to improve performance at high altitude and increase payload. The high aspect ratio Davis wing employed in the design also allowed it to have a relatively high speed and extended range. This latter trait was gained due to the wings thickness which provided additional space for fuel tanks. In addition, the wings possessed other technological improvements such as laminated leading edges. Impressed with the design, the USAAC awarded Consolidated a contract to build a prototype on March 30, 1939. Dubbed the XB-24, the prototype first flew on December 29, 1939. Pleased with the prototype's performance, the USAAC moved the B-24 into production the following year. A distinctive aircraft, the B-24 featured a twin tail and rudder assembly as well as flat, slab-sided fuselage. This latter characteristic earned it the name "Flying Boxcar" with many of its crews. The B-24 was also the first American heavy bomber to utilize tricycle landing gear. Like the B-17, the B-24 possessed a wide array of defensive guns mounted in top, nose, tail, and belly turrets. Capable of carrying 8,000 lbs. of bombs, the bomb-bay was divided in two by a narrow catwalk that was universally disliked by air crews but served as the fuselage's structural keel beam. B-24 Liberator - Specifications (B-24J): General Length: 67 ft. 8 in. Wingspan: 110 ft. Height: 18 ft. Wing Area: 1,048 sq. ft. Empty Weight: 36,500 lbs. Loaded Weight: 55,000 lbs. Crew: 7-10 Performance Power Plant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830 turbo-supercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp each Combat Radius: 2,100 miles Max Speed: 290 mph Ceiling: 28,000 ft. Armament Guns: 10 × .50 in. M2 Browning machine guns Bombs: 2,700-8,000 lbs. depending on range An Evolving Airframe An anticipated aircraft, both the Royal and French Air Forces placed orders through the Anglo-French Purchasing Board before the prototype had even flown. The initial production batch of B-24As was completed in 1941, with many being sold directly to the Royal Air Force including those originally meant for France. Sent to Britain, where the bomber was dubbed "Liberator," the RAF soon found that they were unsuitable for combat over Europe as they had insufficient defensive armament and lacked self-sealing fuel tanks. Due to the aircraft's heavy payload and long range, the British converted these aircraft for use in maritime patrols and as long range transports. Learning from these issues, Consolidated improved the design and the first major American production model was the B-24C which also included improved Pratt & Whitney engines. In 1940, Consolidated again revised the aircraft and produced the B-24D. The first major variant of the Liberator, the B-24D quickly amassed orders for 2,738 aircraft. Overwhelming Consolidated's production capabilities, the company vastly expanded its San Diego, CA factory and built a new facility outside of Fort Worth, TX. At maximum production, the aircraft was built at five different plants across the United States and under license by North American (Grand Prairie, TX), Douglas (Tulsa, OK), and Ford (Willow Run, MI). The latter built a massive plant at Willow Run, MI that, at its peak (August 1944), was producing one aircraft per hour and ultimately built around half of all Liberators. Revised and improved several times throughout World War II, the final variant, the B-24M, ended production on May 31, 1945. Other Uses In addition to its use as a bomber, the B-24 airframe was also the basis for the C-87 Liberator Express cargo plane and the PB4Y Privateer maritime patrol aircraft. Though based on the B-24, the PBY4 featured a single tail fin as opposed to the distinctive twin tail arrangement. This design was later tested on the B-24N variant and engineers found that it improved handling. Though an order for 5,000 B-24Ns was placed in 1945, it was cancelled a short time later when the war ended. Due to the B-24's range and payload capabilities, it was able to perform well in the maritime role, however the C-87 proved less successful as the aircraft had difficulty landing with heavy loads. As a result, it was phased out as the C-54 Skymaster became available. Though less effective in this role, the C-87 fulfilled a vital need early in the war for transports capable of flying long distances at high altitude and saw service in many theatres including flying the Hump from India to China. All told, 18,188 B-24s of all types were built making it the most produced bomber of World War II. Operational History The Liberator first saw combat action with the RAF in 1941, however due to their unsuitability they were reassigned to RAF Coastal Command and transport duty. Improved RAF Liberator IIs, featuring self-sealing fuel tanks and powered turrets, flew the type's first bombing missions in early 1942, launching from bases in the Middle East. Though Liberators continued to fly for the RAF throughout the war, they were not employed for strategic bombing over Europe. With the US entry into World War II, the B-24 began to see extensive combat service. The first US bombing mission was a failed attack on Wake Island on June 6, 1942. Six days later, a small raid from Egypt was launched against the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. As US bomber squadrons deployed, the B-24 became the standard American heavy bomber in the Pacific Theatre due to its longer range, while a mix of B-17 and B-24 units were sent to Europe. Operating over Europe, the B-24 became one of the principal aircraft employed in the Allies' Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany. Flying as part of the Eighth Air Force in England and the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Forces in the Mediterranean, B-24’s repeatedly pounded targets across Axis-controlled Europe. On August 1, 1943, 177 B-24’s launched a famous raid against Ploesti as part of Operation Tidal Wave. Departing from bases in Africa, the B-24’s struck the oil fields from low altitude but lost 53 aircraft in the process. Battle of the Atlantic While many B-24’s were hitting targets in Europe, others were playing a key role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic. Flying initially from bases in Britain and Iceland, and later the Azores and the Caribbean, VLR (Very Long Range) Liberators played a decisive role in closing the "air gap" in the middle of the Atlantic and defeating the German U-boat threat. Utilizing radar and Leigh lights to locate the enemy, B-24’s were credited in the sinking of 93 U-boats. The aircraft also saw extensive maritime service in the Pacific where B-24’s and its derivative, the PB4Y-1, wreaked havoc on Japanese shipping. During the course of the conflict, modified B-24’s also service as electronic warfare platforms as well as flew clandestine missions for the Office of Strategic Services. Crew Issues While a workhorse of the Allied bombing effort, the B-24 was not hugely popular with American air crews who preferred the more rugged B-17. Among the issues with the B-24 was its inability to sustain heavy damage and remain aloft. The wings in particular proved vulnerable to enemy fire and if hit in critical areas could give way completely. It was not uncommon to see a B-24 falling from the sky with its wings folded upwards like a butterfly. Also, the aircraft proved highly susceptible to fires as many of the fuel tanks were mounted in the upper parts of the fuselage. In addition, crews nicknamed the B-24 the "Flying Coffin" as it possessed only one exit which was located near the tail of the aircraft. This made it difficult to impossible for the flight crew to escape a crippled B-24. It was due to these issues and the emergence of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in 1944, that the B-24 Liberator was retired as a bomber at the end of hostilities. The PB4Y-2 Privateer, a fully navalized derivative of the B-24, remained in service with the US Navy until 1952, and with the US Coast Guard until 1958. The aircraft was also used in aerial firefighting through 2002 when a crash led to all remaining Privateers being grounded. Our particular aircraft was B-24J Liberator 42-52003 of the 310th Ferry Squadron, 27th Air Transport Group which crashed on Mill Hill after a shaky take off. We need to search this area! The aircraft was being ferried from Burtonwood to Hardwick by a two man ferry crew on the 11th October 1944. This was a brand new B24 on its delivery flight. It took three attempts to get off the ground and was damaged in the process. The two men took off from Burtonwood, near Warrington at 10:32. They set a course of 135 degrees and climbed to an indicated altitude of 2800 feet. At approximately 10:45 while in cloud and moderate to severe turbulence the pilot Lt Houpt spotted a small gap in the cloud and saw the ground was only about 150 feet below him. He then applied full power and began to climb, but before they could gain any meaningful height the aircraft struck the ground on Mill Hill some 1.5 miles from the Grouse Inn between Hayfield and Glossop. The crash site located Continues below:

Continued from above: Defending title holder was Steven Gilbert (542) who took his first ever Final win at Mendips with the last running of the Pink Ribbon. However, the Cornishman was not going to be taking part as he was serving a ban for misdemeanours at Taunton earlier in the month. After a busy period of race action, with the July Speedweekend’s, and championships getting redistributed it was an opportunity to ‘come home’ for the West Country superstars. Jon Palmer (24) would be looking to follow up his Heat and Final double last time out here, whilst a couple of the super quick lower graders from the previous meeting like Luke Johnson (194) and Ian England (398) would be in the dizzy heights of the star grade. As it turned out yellow was the primary colour, as each of the five races were won by drivers from the yellow grade. 24 cars competed in a two thirds format. Paul Moss (979) won Heat and Final. Luke Beeson (287) scored a brace of victories in his Heat and the GN, with Josh Weare (736), in his first appearance in the ex-Luke Wrench (560) car winning the remaining Heat. Results: Heat 1: 979, 24, 976, 667, 27, 315, 581, 935, 895 and 438. Heat 2: 736, 992, 287, 581, 979, 184, 828, 27 and 325. Heat 3: 287, 992, 315, 115, 667, 184, 935, 976, 460 and 438. Final: 979, 287, 581, 115, 315, 24, 184, 667, 935 and 460. GN: 287, 24, 935, 581, 184, 27, 762 and 194. Taunton – Monday 26th July 2021 After a stand-alone Monday night fixture at the start of the month this meeting marked a run of five consecutive Monday evening events. Whilst some of the West Country drivers found it challenging to attend a Monday evening session a decent amount of long distance travellers boosted the numbers. Jamie Jones (915) from the Potteries, and the north-west pair of Phil Mann (53) and Aaron Vaight (184) would all be clocking up the motorway miles. Jones had been a regular visitor since making his debut in 2020, whilst Mann has regularly headed to the south-west throughout his career. As for Vaight his attendance record with Autospeed has been phenomenal. However, the furthest travelled for this meeting was Ulverston’s Josh Vickers (446). In addition to the rise of Ian England (398), and Luke Johnson (194) to the star grade there were three new 2021 Superstars in attendance. Kieren Bradford (27), Jamie Avery (126) and Tommy Farrell (667). Luke Trewin (529) debuted a brand new WRC Unfortunately it was christened after just a few laps in practice with a hard hit to the fence Pre-meeting proceedings commenced with appreciation and applause for two recently departed stars of years past, 1985 British Champion Nick Lawrence (ex-561) and George Beckham (ex-621), who finished third in the 1986 World Final. The 30 car entry raced to a full format with 8 through to the Final. Heat 1: Led by Lauren Stack (928) until five to go when the speedy duo of Steven Gilbert (542) and Ben Borthwick (418) moved to the head of the field. Borthwick kept close to Gilbert through the race but not close enough for a last-bender. Result: 542, 418, 127, 828, 895, 53, 988 and 232. Heat 2: The early leader was Richard Andrews (605) who was chased down by Ryan Sheahan (325) and Justin Fisher (315). These two in turn were hunted down by Paul Rice (850) who passed both for the victory with deft use of the front bumper. Result: 850, 315, 325, 315, 184, 605, 903 and 194. Consolation: All three superstars were present in this one after suffering DNQ’s in their respective Heats. Farrell had received a black cross for starting out of position, Bradford had crashed out with Mike Rice (438), and Jon Palmer (24) had retired with mechanical trouble. Stack built up a big lead which came to nothing when caution flags flew for Luke Trewin (529) who had crashed heavily in the pit bend. Luke was not having much luck in his new WRC. Lauren fell towards the back when the green came out but still qualified for her first Final. Palmer and Bradford had an easy run into the top two places. Result: 24, 27, 398, 438, 667, 928, 320, 446, 948 and 207. Final: The 26 car race saw a race stoppage almost immediately. Mike Rice (438) crashed hard into the turn four wall practically roof first after riding over the Matt Hatch (320) car. Stack led the restart away as five cars piled up into turn three resulting in Fisher (315) and Gilbert’s race being brought to a premature end. Charlie Lobb (988) then took over the lead spot until seven to go when Palmer shifted him wide entering the pit bend and setting sail for the win. Lobb suffered diff problems and he and third placed Charlie Fisher (35) ended up being shuffled back in the closing stages as the other stars - headed by Borthwick and Matt Stoneman (127) put the pressure on. With Stoneman secure in second, Borthwick shoved third-placed Sheahan wide on the last bend, which let Bradford come through both for third. Speaking to commentator Alan McLachlan (the Cowdie man on the mic, who travels down from Scotland for the Autospeed meetings) after the race Palmer said that passing all the red tops in one move early on was key to the win, adding: “Trying to catch little Charlie Lobb, that was the hard work!” Result: 24, 127, 27, 418, 35, 828, 325, 667, 184 and 605. GN: Andrews led until past halfway before Stoneman came through for the victory. Palmer showed plenty of speed on his way to sixth from the lap handicap without the help of a stoppage. Result: 127, 35, 903, 890, 605, 24, 315, 27, 184 and 667. A few pics in the gallery for the above three meetings Let’s now head back to last week’s abandoned site near to Matlock where we’ll leave the factory site and take on the undergrowth to get to Matlock Riverside station via the overgrown works branch. Through the undergrowth to the station. This is the point where the line branched off to the works. An original British Rail cabin, formerly located at Luffenham junction. The restored cabin is mounted on a non-typical stone-block base with an internal staircase to protect the box from vandalism, required due to its isolated location. The 19-lever frame was recovered from Glendon North Junction near Kettering. Mechanical interlocking allows the signals exiting and entering the loop via the Darley Dale end to be cleared in opposing directions when the cabin is switched out via the King locking lever. Continues below:

Hi there folks, We start this week with a summary of three July F2 meetings, we then return to the Permanite site near Matlock to find ourselves on the ‘rails’, before finishing up at the highest point on the A57 Snake Pass road to go and find the site of a 1944 air crash. Skegness – Thurs 8th July 2021 After a year lost to Covid the UK Speedweekend got underway with the traditional Thursday night warm up event. 65 F2’s were in the pits to race before a huge crowd. Ted Holland, the 2019 Irish Champ Bumped into Les Mitchell (ex-238), the man who won three consecutive Finals at Brafield in 1971. Heat 1: Long distance traveller Mike Philip (195), from Forres on the Moray coast, made the 8hrs 30 mins journey worthwhile with a fine second place finish. He had led the way for the majority of the race until being overhauled by Jordon Thackra (324) at the end. Result: 324, 195, 419, 226, NI998, 915, 127, 359, 629, 581, 844, 5, 674 and 854. Top 14 to the Final. Heat 2: 31 cars on track for this one. Brad McKinstry (NI747) powered to a convincing win with a classic last bend hit on Dave Polley (38). Result: NI747, 38, 78, 560, 184, 606, 315, 190, 482, 210, 512, 780, 236 and 564. Consolation: Only the top 8 finishers from this one to qualify for the Final. It was a tall order in a field of 34 cars including 12 Star and Superstar drivers. Jessica Smith (390) led until 2 to go when a race stoppage allowed the pack to close up. Jonathan Hadfield (142) went on to take another win in his new car. Result: 142, 968, 647, 667, 24, 584, 595, 890, 27 and 16. Final: This was another action-packed race which saw Micky Brennan (968) with a dominant win. His form since returning has been outstanding. He led Graham Fegan (NI998) and Luke Wrench (560) over the line. Result: 968, N1998, 560, 647, 127, 24, 210, 226, 629 and 38. GN: The last race of the night went to the 560 car as he headed a WRC 1-2 with Tristan Claydon (210) following him home. Result: 560, 210, 226, 629, 780, 78, 854, 419, 184 and 976. The Saloons were a big part of the UK Championship weekend, with 62 cars present for this Thurs night meeting. Heat 1: The opener began with a rollover for Rowan Venni (370) who was racing his brother’s car for the weekend. Sam Parrin (250), Dom Davies (261) and Bradley Fox (162) were up front early on. West Country duo Ian Govier (28) and Warren Darby (677) challenged for the lead with the 677 car taking the win. Top 3 result: 677, 618 and 525. Heat 2: Jordan Cassie (697) running from the front had a good battle with Michael Allard (349). Allard’s cause was helped by a caution flag for Steve Honeyman (607) after a massive hit from Graeme Shevill (661). Allard soon took the lead on the restart with a tussle for 3rd between multiple drivers with Irishman Kieran McIvor (811) surviving a ride around the fence for the place. Result: 349, 697 and 711. The 607 car after a huge hit from 661 Steve on with the repair Consolation: An air filter fire in the Venni car brings out an early caution. Fox leads from Colin Savage (14) and Tommy Parrin (350) in his new car. The end of the race saw the sparks fly when Shevill went in with a last bend attack on Andrew Mathieson (124) for the win. Result: 661, 124 and 350. Final: The Final was run in tribute to former Skegness marshal/starter Dave Garner. It was obvious from the start that Rob Speak (318) was determined to get the trophy. Austen Freestone (341) was soon in front with Darby the first blue, along with Speak the first red to make their moves. Freestone got a lucky break through the backmarkers with Darby going through as well. A caution closed the field up though which saw Speaky make his move into the lead. However, Freestone remained close in behind and attempted a last bend hit just missing the 318 back end. Darby nipped through for second. A great race with a fine drive by the promoter. Dave’s son, Jason the Skegness starter presented Rob with the trophy. Result: 318, 677 and 341. GN: Davies led this one but couldn’t hold back Allard who was on a mission winning the race from Barry Russell (600). Result: 349, 600 and 261. Bristol - Sunday 18th July 2021: An aerial view of the quarry close to the track This little acre of the Mendips was turned a shade of pink as the meeting was raising funds for Cancer Research. It was also a day to remember one time Mendip official Lesley Maidment as the F2’s were racing in the 10th running of the Pink Ribbon Trophy. Nathan Maidment (935) borrowed the John Brereton (948) car for the meeting Continues below: