Many of my early memories are of steam engines, My grandfather was a train driver and many of my uncles also worked on the railway. My most earliest memorie is of my Grandfather pointing out to me a 'Garrick' engine I was 5 I think at the time and it seemed like a giant to me. Garricks used a brake van in front of the engine as well as a large tender behind which made them seem very large. all Garricks where sold to South Africa in the fifties and I've been told that my grandfather had the chance to relocate to SA to train drivers there, but he chose to remain here in GB.
Like most youngsters i had a collection of Ian Allen books and would spend most of my spare time train spotting. Every year we spent our holidays in Bournemouth and the train journey there and back was 1 of the highlights. It was great to see a line of engines in the sidings next to stations on the way, if you were lucky you might see up to a dozen engines all in a row. I loved spotting southern region class engines like the merchant navy or the lord nelsons. I still am passionate about steam engines, we visited the north Yorkshire moors railway last year and often when visiting my father in Peterborough we will take a run out to see the Nene Valley Railway. I have been collecting the British Steam Railways magazines & Dvd's and have around 64 DVD's in my collection now, they give me great pleasure to watch and bring back great memmories of happy days train spotting.   

Guess Nobody is Interested in The Age of Steam ??

I was a signal man in the age of seam until Beeching came along, I loved that job and so did my sons, who i used to sometimes sneak into the box on a quiet day.
Since leaving the railways I have never been a steam fan.
They may be living and romantic but they were dirty old things but each to his own.
I have been caught in a tunnel when the steam train was puffing uphill and the smoke and soot made breathing hard, used to hope for a train coming down to push the smoke out.

I think Beeching was paid 23,000 pond a year to sort ouy the railways,all he ever did was close the ones that wernt paying, any fool could have done that,he should have been made to find out why they wernt paying and make them pay.

I very positive thing came out of the beeching period...

By shutting branch lines he gave opportunities for private individuals to step in and create preservation societies.

We are so lucky in the country to have so many of these preservation lines about, I've visited quite a few and there are some excellent ones about and many also help the local communities to get about and provide some work.

The ones i have visited and enjoyed are the Nene Valley Railway, It's the nearest to us ... The Seven valley Railway, perhaps the best of the presevation lines... Great Central Railway, Runs from Loughboro to Liecester , some great engines run on this line... Northyorkshire moors Railway which also takes you through Heartbeat country and some spectacular yorkshire Countryside... The Bluebell Railway, well worth a visit and the Kiethly and York railway, this line was used in the making of the Railway Childron which is one of my favourite films.

So we have a lot to thank Mr beeching for ...tho he wasn't to know it at the time.

As previously mentioned. there is good and bad in all!!
 If beeching had not have 'closed' those railway lines -- there would not have been any 'preservation railways'
That!! Is the only Good Job -Beeching actually Did!!Is there any Trains from peterborough To Hunstanton or Skegness ??

I Also, was being Positive, but one also has to look forward, to possibly foresee what life can be like in The Foreseable,  Future!!-- Not akin to the M25?? Obsolete before it came off The drawing board??-- Or even with the High production of Motor cars -- unable to cope with the Increased Road Traffic -or- The Heavy HG Vehicles from abroad, using our narrow Roads?? It is not All 'rocket Science!!-- As regards to adapting to change?? We all prefer to be Independent -- Hence The Car??

Yes!! Having a car, when one is retired, is quite an expencive item. We retain 'ours' for total convenience for Doctors and shopping. When the legs restrict walking, the car becomes esential!! -- £200 seems the average cost, for a 'service and mot'?? without possibly paying for any repairs??