From the guard's van

 Regular readers will have gathered that I am scanning old negatives at present.... we have reached Lichfield Trent Valley in early 1993. The line to the south was still only two tracks at this stage. In 2008 the line from here to Tamworth was quadrupled. A down express. A down freight headed by 90 029 in special DB livery. A class 308 still in Network South East livery transferred from London when they had finished with it. It is working a Cross City Line service and is standing on the high level platform. The LNWR signal box which is no more. The fast lines passed very close either side of the box and the trains must have rattled the teacups a bit.  A loaded MGR train comes down the chord from the ex Midland line from Derby and heads north probably heading for Rugeley power station. The loco is 58.001.

 Since these pictures were taken a second island platform has been added to the station. In 1993 all through trains used one long platform which had a scissors crossing half way down its length to assist flexibility of operation. 

Class 47 on the shed... now open ground.  HST in the centre road awaiting its next turn of duty. The train is standing under the bridge used to carry mail into the local sorting office... mail travelled by rail in those days. The bridge and the sorting office have now gone.   

 

 Two very different locos with very different jobs to do. The class 91 was spotted in the bay at York station this week and W&LLR  no. 85 was on the Santa Trains in December 1992.

 Having been brought up in ex LMS territory, the WCML was not far from home. Spending a few days in Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire in 1992 gave an opportunity to visit the lineside on the recently electrified ECML to see the class 91s and HSTs in action. 

  You may not appreciate steam engines but you have to admit that this is an impressive machine especially as it was one of 150 built between 1943 and 1945 with an expected life span of just a few years. This one was seen at Pickering station on the NYMR in August 1992.