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Things Ancient and Modern

9577 Views 73 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Julian2011, 
John Webb
6
'Make Mine a Double' instituted a thread on railway posters to which I also contributed and which was concluded in November 2020.

This proved to be a popular posting, and as a New Year treat I've decided to institute a new thread based on old and new photos available on the Geograph website. Most of the old photos were taken by Dr. Ben Brooksbank from 1945 onwards; he had over 9,000 photos on this website taken up until shortly before his death two years ago, so there is plenty of subject matter! Dr Brooksbank was a well-travelled person as a medical researcher and covered much of the UK.

If anyone has old photos of railway subjects in England, Wales and Scotland and cares to post them in this thread, I'll try and match them to modern photo(s) on the Geograph site. Please note I'll only be posting once or twice a week.

Today's offerings are of Ashchurch in Gloucestershire, starting with Ben Brooksbank's first-ever railway photo (click on the photos to go to the larger originals):
Ashchurch Station, December 1945

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Ashchurch was the junction between the Midland Railway's line from Bromsgrove to Cheltenham and Gloucester, and it's own branches from Great Malvern and Evesham. Besides coming into the station, the branches were linked to each other in a direct connection over the main line on a level crossing just north of the station - note the signal on each side protecting the main line from trains using the link:
Ashchurch - Great Malvern railway

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
The detailed caption to this photo has much information about these various branches.

From 1957:
Ashchurch Station, 1957

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

From 1969:
Ashchurch station, northward from road bridge

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

From 1989:
Site of Ashchurch station

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

And in 1997:
New Ashchurch Station

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

John
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John Webb
9
Back to the centre of Preston Station.
The first photo, from 1950, is roughly of the same area where the Pedolino in the last picture of last week was:
Up side of Preston station, with Workington - Manchester express

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

The Down side of the station in 1962:
Smoke and noise as a Special runs through Preston Station

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Also from 1962, the central area seen from the north end of the main train shed:
Down WCML express at Preston

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

View of part of the station outside the overall roof, from 1963:
Preston Station, with train

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

From 1966:
Preston Station: Up side, Platforms 6, 7 and 8

© Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Some colour light signals visible - possibly the precursors to electrification?

No pictures of electrification in progress, but one unique visitor - the APT - in 1984:
Preston Station

© Copyright Ben Gamble and
licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

From 2003, the wires are everywhere, but here are two DMUs:
Preston to Blackpool

© Copyright Stephen Craven and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Part of the central area in 2007:
Preston to Blackpool

© Copyright Stephen Craven and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Seems to have been something of a clean-up and repaint by the time of this photo; another photographer says there was a large amount of work done on the station which was completed in 2009.

This photo is from 2010:
Platforms 4,5 and 6 at Preston Station

© Copyright Steve Daniels and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Next time we'll be looking at the north end of the station and the complex trackwork and signals on the northern approach to it.

John
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John Webb
Apologies - last but one photo above is a duplicate - forgot to use the 'Preview' before posting, otherwise I'd have spotted it. It should have been this one from 2009:
Preston station

© Copyright Dr Neil Clifton and
licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

John
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John Webb
Regret there will be a break of unknown length - had a heart attack on Weds 21st July. Fortunately treated at Harefield Hospital successfully, but under firm instructions to minimise activities for a few weeks!

John
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dwb
I hope your recovery goes well.

David
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hoonsou
That's bad news John. Take it easy and here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
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Julian2011
I'm very glad that you got successful treatment and timely, too. It's good that you can be posting the news so soon, which makes for good reading as well.

All the very best wishes for a rapid recovery.

J
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John Webb
Thanks for your best wishes - I am recovering. It was completely out of the blue - previous day I'd climbed a narrow spiral church tower staircase with no problem! Was working up at St Albans South box and thought I'd strained something; drove home and sat on the bed, rang my sister, a retired nurse, whose response was "Dial 999." so I did. Got 'blue-lighted' along the M25 to get to Harefield and fifty minutes after arrival I'm being wheeled into a ward after having three stents fitted to a blocked heart artery!
No driving for four weeks, and have numerous tests lined up over the next few weeks.

Hope to be back in action here soon.

John
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Julian2011
Good phone call to your sister and NHS response. Looking forward to you having a quick recovery. All the best

J
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hoonsou
How are you doing now John? Hopefully you're getting stronger by the day.
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John Webb
hoonsou said:
How are you doing now John? Hopefully you're getting stronger by the day.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your enquiry. I am a great deal better, but keep getting prodded and poked, and may have to go in for a further stent to be fitted in a different artery. Have just completed a 6-week on-line education course covering why the heart can suffer, medication, diet and exercise etc. I have been put on an 'At home' exercise programme done on DVD - some 40 minutes of a workout at least twice a week designed to strengthen the heart. Taking me ages to catch up with things put off after the original attack, which is why I've not got back here yet. Hope to do so by the end of the month.
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hoonsou
Good news that you're still improving and there's no rush to get back. We'll be here... I hope. :)
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John Webb
Dear Fellow Members,

It is with regret that I've decided not to continue with this thread, I just cannot find the time to get back to it as I'm still trying to (slowly) catch up with a number of things that were put off following last year's ill-health, and have no wish to overdo things!
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hoonsou
No problem John. As much as I for one will miss it, your health and well being comes first.
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Julian2011
Thank you for all your previous contributions, never a dull moment. As Hoonsou, says, you should do what you feel comfortable with and hopefully, you will feel up to adding your expertise to other threads, as and when you feel up to it.

in the meanwhile, I wish you well and hope you catch up after the unplanned break.

All the very best wishes

Julian
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