WELCOME TO DAVID HEY'S COLLECTION
This site now contains over 1,800 archive images of BR steam/diesels
'TRANSITION FROM BR STEAM'
NEW PAGE! This is the true story of a young train spotter metamorphosing into a fat, baldy bloke driving a Flying Banana! Retired railwayman, Fred Wagstaff recently made contact (via the Guest Book page) seeking 
old photographs of North and South Blyth Sheds. Being a relative newcomer to web hunting - and, at 72 years of age, finding the task somewhat daunting - he wondered if someone could point him in the right direction. I directed him straight to 'Barking Bill's' excellent Flickr site. Meanwhile, during our exchange of emails it struck me that Freddy's anecdotes ought to be shared with others, and I'm pleased he agreed to 
write something about his 49 years service with British Railways, starting as a cleaner at Bournville in 1953. From there he moved to South Blyth, made fireman at North Blyth, then National Service. Following closure of North Blyth he moved to Cambois MPD, and after 30 years in the line of promotion finally made Driver at Gateshead MPD. I'm sure Freddy's memories of steam days will appeal to everyone. Click here to read Fireman Fred's reminiscences of life on the footplate in the North-East of England...
NEW SITE! Since starting the 'David Hey's Collection' in 2007, more than 1,800 photos have been posted on the Internet and the site is full to bursting! One way of alleviating the congestion is by upgrading the existing mrsite.co.uk package to include additional pages and more MBs of webspace. Another way is to build a new site which will display the photos in the best possible way. This 'Extra' site is planned around a wide page format template and provides a perfect showcase for photos. Click here for link
NEW! HELP! This site receives a lot of requests for photos and enquiries from visitors seeking information on trains and railway, but since I can't deal with them all myself I've decided to launch a new 'Help' facility to help broaden your search to a worldwide audience. Over the years, more and more visitors to this site are using the 'Guest Book' page in their search for information, so if you are seeking assistance in your own search then visit the Guest Book page. However, I am not in the business of brokering any deals (I am not a middleman or agent in any form) therefore you must provide your own email contact address IN YOUR MESSAGE and deal with it yourself.
Having started the 'David Hey's Collection' back in 2007, I was happy to let change happen at its own pace and updated pages as I went along rather than reaching some kind of deadline. The site started out as a rehabilitive form of exercise, a means of stimulating the old grey matter in retirement, but now the time has come to get a grip. After all, this collection would not have been possible without the generous help of photographers, all of whom have searched through old negatives, prints and slides to find suitable pictures to fill the gaps of my own collection. Their photos deserve to be displayed in the best possible way, so the original thumbnail images have been replaced with large-size photos to fit the page. If you find the text in the photo illegible, then simply 'click' on the image as you would a thumbnail to see the correct size.
So, having changed the photos, the next task is to make the site easier to navigate, therefore additional 'clickable' photos have been added to the Home Page which will link you to the relevant pages elsewhere on this site. Trouble is, over the years such a lot of has been added even I have a problem finding it! But then, forgetfulness is one of the foibles of old age - a senior moment, as it's often called. It's not until the foggy confusion suddenly clears into bright perspective that I'll glimpse a memory of uploading a page more than two years ago. I'm sure the new links will make navigation simpler for everyone, me included!...
BRITISH RAILWAYS REGIONS
Click photos below to visit the relevant web page...
LINKS TO RAIL CAMERAMEN GALLERIES
JR CARTER: The reason railway enthusiasts are ridiculed in some circles is because the po-faced opponents of the hobby underwent emotional by-passes when they were young, and have no nostalgia reserves of their own from which to draw. Such is the unforgiving climate nowadays, that to express one's feelings about childhood spotting days is to invite ludicrous charges of soppy sentimentality. Well, excuse me, but what made train spotting so remarkably civilised is that by its very nature the hobby embraced every emotion from great joy and elation to deep despair and unfulfilled hopes, so to run away with notion that railway enthusiasts are 'not quite the full shilling' is way off the mark. One has only to study the photographs of retire railwayman, Jim Carter, to understand the depth of feeling - yes, even amongst hardened railwaymen. Click on photo to visit Jim Carter's collection.
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JOHN STODDART: Whilst discussing plans for a 'Rail Cameraman' page, John admits to being totally buoyed-up going through old negatives and making some exciting discoveries. One is that he didn't know where quite a few of them were taken, although running them through the scanner solved much of the mystery, including this photo whose origin had completely escaped him until he blew it up and its neighbours. There were some shots of grubby 9Fs and 8Fs rounding the curve to Chester No.6 box, all taken on a dreary winter morning. Then suddenly, there's this A4 in the same location! Couldn't be! In a flash of recall, John is back in the mid-Sixties hearing the chimed whistle in the distance and the heart-pounding it inspires, as Class A4 60007 appeared out of the mist on an LCGB special. John adds, 'Technically, the shot's far from pristine. It looks like it had started to rain and anything below a blazing British summer day was beyond the capability of my camera. But I feel the picture was worth all the effort because of the atmosphere it generates. My son was impressed anyway, and few things outside of skiing, women, climbing and ice hockey impress him...' Click on photo to visit John's page.
IAN S. CARR: Our interest in steam trains has its roots in childhood and is thus born out of nostalgia. Well, the same can be said of the early diesels - the 'Westerns', 'Warships', 'Hymeks', 'Deltics', 'Whistlers', 'Hoovers', 'Claytons', 'Syphons', 'Peaks', 'Duffs' and 'Cromptons' chief amongst them. At first they were openly disliked by steam fans until we realised that they too had identities, and many examples have now been preserved as part of this nation's industrial heritage. This brings me to the railway photographs of Ian S Carr, because if I had to single out the cameraman who influenced my interest in diesels the most, then Mr Carr is my first choice. Click on photo to visit Ian S. Carr's Collection.
Roy Lambeth did not start taking photographs of trains until 1960, by which time BR steam was already in steady decline. His first camera was an Ilford Sporti that used 120 film, but it was a very basic model with a fairly poor lens, a 1/50 sec shutter speed and a choice of only 2 apertures - sunny & cloudy. Coupled with that, the camera's limitations meant that his photos could never match his expectations, but judging from what you'll find on his page, Roy had many successes, including this selection of 'gems' from his collection of unforgettable steam days…click on photo to visit Roy's page.
Railwayman Keith Long started working in signalboxes in 1960 at the age of 15, and passed out as a signalman in 1965. His first camera was a Kodak Box Brownie, which he used for three years before graduating to an Ensign 120; a very good camera, which took ether 2.5" x 2.5" or 2.5" x 3.5" negatives on 120 roll film. Keith opted for the larger size because in spite of getting 8 negatives instead of 12 from one roll, they were larger and at that time he didn't own an enlarger. Most of Keith's B&W pictures were taken on Ilford HP4 film, though some of the early ones were on Kodak. All B&W films and prints were developed at home in a makeshift darkroom. Click on photo to visit Keith's page.
PHIL SPENCER is a professional photographer, who regularly travels the world covering international news stories. In between hanging about in bars, Phil may take a few railway shots for me to have a gander at on his return home...isn't that what friends are for? Of course, many non-anorak types think 'nerdish' people like me (who have a passion for trains) are totally bonkers - 'chuffing loco' as Phil so eloquently puts it, but he's only partly right. There is a logical side to railway enthusiasts too. We might be misty-eyed steam fundamentalists, who lament the passing of an era, but hankering after the old days isn't only because we miss the spectacle of BR steam in everyday service, it's because we miss the vitality of youth. It's called nostalgia, pure and simple. Ckick on photo to visit Phil's page.
E.R.MORTEN (1904-1986): A large number of railway photographers are creatures of habit. One has only to
MIKE MITCHELL is perhaps the most fêted photographer of railways in Yorkshire, so I'm delighted to include his photos on this website. Mike is an outstanding cameraman, whose generous contributions to publishers of railway books and magazines have been an invaluable aid, not only to the authors of the work, but to readers. This shot of Class B1 No 61020 Gemsbok heading the 2.30pm Leeds-Scarborough at Church Fenton evokes all manner of train spotting memories, from the NER station nameboard (with raised white letters mounted on a tangerine background) to the ornate station platform lamp and water column complete with drip bowl and brazier - and, of course, the quintessential young train spotter at the end of the platform. Click link on photo
PETER BATTY: To give credit where it's due, the compilation of this website would not have been possible without the support of many 'seasoned old timers' (now well past the Big Six-'0') who have all shared a small boy's passion for collecting engine numbers at one time or other. As the years rolled by, many turned their attention to railway photography - a natural adjunct to train spotting - and spurred on by the pictures that appeared in the monthly railway magazines, set about the task of recording the railway scene for the sheer joy of it. One such man is Peter Batty, whose collection of railway photographs date back to the 'Big Four' railway companies (LNER; LMSR; GWR; SR) before they came into public ownership in 1948. Click Link on photo.
BILL WRIGHT: Being a relative newcomer to the world wide web, I am constantly amazed at the quality of 'top drawer' railway photographs to be found among its myriad of sites. For example, I recently came across Yahoo's online photo management and photo sharing facility called 'Flickr' (okay, it was launched back in 2004, and
discovering it four years later is hardly spellbinding!) On the other hand, it's better to be late than never, I suppose, for it was there I discovered a veritable treasure trove of colour photos taken by the dubiously-named 'Barking Bill'! Evidently it's 'cool' to call yourself a daft name on Flickr! But then, with a Flickr name like 'woowoofan', who am I to talk? The point is, don't be put off by silly names, because as I browsed through his top-notch pictures of 1960's steam and diesels it struck me that I was looking at one of the best collections of railway photos on the web. Therefore I am delighted to include a small selection of Bill's work here. Click on picture to visit the page. A link to Bill Wright's full Flickr collection (containing over 2,000 photos) is also provided on the page.
ANDY SPARKS's photo-journalistic approach to recording the railway scene during the 1970s provides a thought-provoking journey through a period of economic, political and social change. At the start of the decade, the thirteen-year-old aspiring photographer realised that the economical changes would
eventually impact on our railways - and thank goodness he did. For in his quest to record the scene, Andy has captured perfectly all the key ingredients of Britain's railway infrastructure during the 1970s - a poignant reminder of better days before our railway heritage was swept away by rationalisation and demolition. Indeed, using the railway as a vague backdrop, Andy record the everyday activities of rail passengers and station staff going about their business, but unlike the voyeuristic stitch-up artists of the paparazzi, who point their cameras at people in an exploitive frame of mind, Andy has captured something quite remarkable - a slice of 1970's railway history and northern life now long since gone...click on photo to visit Andy's page.
NOSTALGIA FOR THE OLD DAYS
On the whole, this website is intended to be a good-humoured look at contemporary attitudes and lifestyles; a personal observation of a gentler, more innocent age. The train spotting memories cover a period from the 'Dowdy Fifties' to the vibrant 'Swinging Sixties' which, for my generation of post-war baby-boomers (brought up on a diet of jam butties and roly-poly pudding) was something of a 'Boy's Own' adventure, if you like.
However, in today's hard-nosed society there are times when I feel most uncomfortable about my passion for train spotting, particularly at social gatherings, where the people I meet are constantly looking over my shoulder in case someone more interesting enters the room. This is especially the case when they find out I'm cuckoo about trains, or perhaps it has something to do with my droll sense of humour? Whatever the reason, their behavioural tic gets increasingly frantic when I do my favourite party trick, a tongue-twister - 'The train now standing at platform four is the five o' four for Forfar, calling at Fife…the first four coaches are for Forfar...the far five coaches are for Fife. The first four coaches arrive at Forfar at four fifty-four and the far five coaches reach Fife at five forty-five!' It works best if you pinch your nose and speak in a train announcer's voice; it adds pathos to the drama... It's surprising how swiftly people find someone else to talk to.
Okay, you're probably thinking there's a village missing an idiot somewhere so I'll stop larking around. After all, there is a serious side to this site too. It is the growing sense that if we lose sight of our past then we may as well say goodbye to the future. For the growing number of 'Silver Surfers' new to the internet the links below will take you on a trip down memory lane...
BR DIESEL PAGES
Of course, BR's Modernisation Plan didn't effect everyone. The 1960's spotting community was made up of countless thousands of youngsters, who, by virtue of their youth had no way of knowing what had gone before, so with the introduction of charismatic diesels like the 'Peaks', 'Deltics', 'Warships' and 'Westerns', the end of steam mattered little to them - and, if truth be told, even die-hard steam enthusiasts had to admire the performances of the new diesels. At the same time, BRs decision to name diesel locomotives was a commendable policy. The fitting of bodyside nameplates and, in some cases ornamental regimental crests, upheld a tradition going back donkey's years which added a certain panache to the new diesel fleet.
THE SECOND GENERATION DIESELS
By 1965, BR's diesel fleet entered the much-maligned era of the 'Corporate Identity Programme' and the newly-formed British Rail Board (BRB) decreed that everything had to conform to a given standard. The BRB's design panel advised British Rail on the best means of attaining a high level of appearance by introducing a new livery for diesel and electric locomotives, passenger coaches, freightliner rolling stock and ships, along with the use of a new barbed wire logo, based upon the idea of two-way traffic movement. The diesel fleet's unimaginative colour scheme (devoid of a two-tone livery and bodyside lining) wasn't helped by the BRB's strict policy forbidding any concession to livery changes, which deprived depot staff of any incentive to take a pride in their particular traction, and it wasn't until the late 1980's that the BRB finally adopted a more enlightening approach for its newly-launched Regional Services and Sectors.
AROUND THE REGIONS - STEAM DAYS
As I recall it, the end of steam overshadowed everything in the Sixties, but locking away one's feelings will not dispose of them, rather it evokes a lot more feelings besides. Once you start unearthing childhood memories long lost in the mists of time a much bigger story begins to unfold. As you get older you begin to develop an extraordinary affection for old red telephone boxes, Dinky Toys, Hornby Dublo trains, Vespa scooters, frog-eyed Sprites, old bangers with running boards and starting handles - even women PCs in stockings and suspenders. Indeed, much of what has disappeared during the past fifty years means something special to someone in one form or other, especially BR steam in everyday service.
But there must be countless thousands of ex-spotters like me who still bear the emotional scars of abandoning their allegiance to steam during the 1960s. Many abstained from the hobby as a matter of principle, others in reluctant surrender, but whatever the reason the overall feeling was that as steam had outlived its usefulness, then so had our interest in trains - a view in which I managed to persist until the bitter finale came in August 1968, and there were just five steam locomotives left: 3 Black 5s Nos 44781, 44871, 45110; a solitary 8F No 48448 and the last working 'Britannia' No 70013 Olver Cromwell.
(Below) Being a relatively newcomer to the web (better late than never, they say) the whole point of the collection is to try and build the best website possible and give something back to the community. At the same time I was keen to learn something about digitally enhancing old photos, such as 'burning' and 'dodging', sharpening, improving brightness and contrast, and removing spots or other unsightly blemishes. I began by practising in Adobe Photoshop; a powerful graphics tool that is used by cutting-edge designers who work at the sharp point in a studio, but since I have only modest ability, it is more like a computer darkroom that contains all the tools needed to work on old photographs - and, rather like a small boy rummaging in a toy cupboard, it allows me to zoom-in to a single pixel so I'm bound to get up close and personal with all photographers' work!
PLEASE NOTE - IMAGES FROM THIS SITE SHOULD NOT BE PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB WITHOUT THE PRIOR CONSENT OF THE RIGHTFUL COPYRIGHT OWNERS. IF YOU WISH TO USE A PICTURE ON THE WEB THEN YOU MUST ASK FIRST. A GOOD FIRST STEP IS TO CONTACT ME VIA THE E-MAIL ADDRESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. PERMISSION IS RARELY REFUSED, A RECIPROCAL LINK TO THIS SITE IS USUALLY THE CASE.
DEDICATION
On a final note, the most popular idols back in the Fifties were the comic 'cape crusaders' Spiderman, Batman or Superman, together with the Hollywood cowboy stars: Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger. However, the idols I worshipped above all others did not come from your usual ruck of pop singers, soccer players or film stars - and, unless you were a train spotter, none were household names. They were the railway photographers whose pictures appeared in the 1950-60s monthly magazines - the unsung heroes who helped shape my perception of the railway scene.
So when I bumped into Jim Carter in the mid-Eighties, the fear of causing him even the slightest embarrassment deterred me from asking for his autograph. We met on the embankment overlooking Marsden's reverse curves at the Yorkshire end of Standedge Tunnel, a line he regularly worked during his days on the footplate. Mindful of those romantic tales about steam, I asked him - Did he really fry eggs and bacon on a shovel across the firebox? Jim left me in no doubt about his feelings - "Yon shovel is for feeding t'engine, not your gob!" So there you have it - straight from the horse's mouth. This shot of a Class 8F and WD on snow clearing duties at Diggle at the Lancashire end of Standedge Tunnel is a classic. Few photographs - or photographers, for that matter - can leave such a lasting impression.
Thanks Jim, this site is dedicated to you...
Although this website is still in its infancy, I'll be pleased to include your spotting reminiscences from
steam days, but be warned - the seasoned spotter can spot a 'porky' a mile off, so embellishing your story with fictional flourishes is hardly convincing. That's because train spotting captured the hearts of thousands of boys during the less-worldly Fifties, and although most of us are well past our prime (and in all probability forgotten what we did two minutes ago) the ageing process is surprisingly kind in another way. In the glow of memory we only remember the good stuff, so our spotting memories are bound to be mired in sentimentality.
On the other hand, critics would argue that writing a personal account of 'bunking' sheds and chasing 'cops' is seldom illuminating or remarkable because all you are doing is regurgitating old anecdotes, which, by the very nature of the hobby, are exactly the same as everyone else's...RUBBISH! Call me an old-fashioned day dreamer, but any memory of bygone days is better than none. Just send me a favourite old photo accompanied by a meaningful caption and it will give visitors to this site a chance of escaping the grim reality of today's modern world...
New email address. Please note - this is not a 'clickable' mail-to link via Outlook Express; you will have to mail manually. dheycollection@ntlworld.com
Polite notice: All text and photographs are protected by copyright and reproduction is prohibited without the prior consent of the © owners. If you wish to use a photograph for commercial purposes, then permission is required from the photographers concerned...you only have to ask.
Meanwhile, you may dowload pictures for your own use only.
