‘Scene’ at Manchester International Airport (MIA) 1

When I first visited in the 1950’s, ‘MIA' as it is now it was simply Ringway airport where we lads sat on the grass writing down the registrations only a stones throw from the aircraft. 

 

Only the posh kids possessed cameras, I certainly didn’t. The ladies in the nearby cafe kept us going with cups of tea and bottles of pop.

 

That has all gone and we have progressed ??? to security fences and razor wire. Still, there are more aircraft these days and I still get the same ‘buzz’ as I did nearly sixty years ago.

 

There are still some old timers (other than me) ‘lurking’ in the background,

 

G-AWZK

A Hawker Siddeley  (HS) Trident 3B stands at the back of the spectators area. Originally a 

De Havilland (DH) project before ‘DH’ became part of ‘HS’ which then went on to become part of British Aerospace (BAe).

 

A trijet in the earlier models 1 and 2. It had acquired a fourth ‘booster’ engine by the time of the model 3B. You can see it under the flag and above the port engine.

 

Delivered to British Airways in October 1971 for whom it flew until withdrawal in 1985. Used at Heathrow as a ground trainer it was declared surplus in 2005. Saved from scrapping, it eventually came to ‘MIA’ in bits and was re-assembled and put on display.

D-ABOL

A Boeing 757-330 of German carrier ‘Condor Flugdienst’. The aircraft first flew in April 2000 and has only worked for ‘Condor’.

 

This is the fuselage stretch version of the 757. The standard model being the 757-200.

 

A6-EDG

An Airbus A 380-861 ‘The Super Jumbo’ of ‘Emirates’. First flew May 2009 and carried the French test registration of

F-WWST prior to delivery.

 

‘Easyjet’ together with ‘Ryanair’ have revolutionised the airline business in the UK having adopted the ‘low cost’ business model first introduced in the USA by ‘Southwest Airlines’. 

 

Initially using the Boeing 737, ‘Easyjet’ switched to the Airbus A319 as its standard aircraft and then introduced some of the longer A 320 model.

 

G-EZWR

An Airbus A 320-214 which first flew in February 2014. It carried the German test registration D-AUBO prior to delivery.

 

G-GDFC

A Boeing 737-8K2 which first flew in August 1998 and was delivered to ‘Transavia’ in Holland as PH-HZC. During its time with ‘Transavia it was leased to ‘Spicejet’ in India as VT-SPY and to ‘Sunwing Airlines’ in Canada a C-GHZC.

It joined Jet2 in January 2011. Named 'Jet2Cyprus'

 

D-AIZW

An Airbus A320-214 of ‘Lufthansa’. It first flew in June 2013 carrying the German test registration D-AVVH.

Named 'Wesel'.

 

G-LSAD

A Boeing 757-236 of ‘Jet2’ which first flew in 1989 as G-BRJD for Air Europe, While with them it also carried the registrations EC-349 and EC-ESC both of which are Spanish.

Whilst on the Spanish register, ‘Air Europe’ became ‘Air Europa’.

From 1991 to 2003 it worked for ‘Air 2000’ and ‘First Choice Airways’ as G-OOOS before becoming SX-BLW for ‘Greece Airways’. It finally gained its current identity in June 2006 when it joined ‘Jet2’.

 

G-ECOC

A De Havilland Canada designed ‘Dash 8’ of ‘flybe’ taxi’s out for take off. 

New to ‘flybe’ in 2008 it had a year with ‘Wideroe’ in Norway as LN-WDU before coming back to the UK.

 

G-LSAH

A Boeing 757-21B of ‘Jet2’ which first flew in October 1987 as B-2802 for ‘China Southern Airlines’. After a period in store at Guangzhou in 2006, it came to to ‘Jet2’ in 2007.

 

C-GTSZ

 

An Airbus A 330-243 of Canadian operator ‘Air Transat’. It first flew in November 2008 and was delivered to ‘Mexicana’ who ceased operating in August 2010. It joined ‘Air Transat’ the following month.

 

G-OZBX

An Airbus A320-214 which first flew in October 2001 with the French test registration F-WWDM.

 

Delivered to ‘Air 2000’ as G-OOAU who then became ‘First Choice Airways’.

It then had a spell with ‘Thomson Airways’ as G-OOPU before joining ‘Monarch Airlines’ in March 2012.

 

G-VXLG

A Boeing 747-41R which first flew in September 1998 and it has spent its entire working life with ‘Virgin Atlantic’.

 

CS-TRL

An Airbus A320-214 of ‘Orbest’ a Portuguese carrier. The aircraft first flew in January 2009 with the French test registration F-WWBZ and was delivered to ‘Iberworld’ as EC-KYZ. ‘Iberworld became ‘Orbest Orizonia’ which for various reasons became simply ‘Orbest’ a company registered in Portugal.

 

G-CELG

 

A Boeing 737-377 which first flew in September 1988 registered VH-CZN for 

‘Ansett Airlines’ in Australia. It had a spell from 2002 to 2004 with ‘Region Air’ in Russia as S7-ABD before coming to ‘Channel Express’ ( the owners of ‘Jet2’ )in 2004. Named 'Jet2Turkey.

 

 

EI-DWD

 

A Boeing 737-8AS one of many operated by ‘Ryanair’. It first flew in September 2007.

 

G-EZDM

An Airbus A319-111 of ‘Easyjet’. It first flew in June 2008 with the German test registration D-AVWU.

 

‘Scene’ on the West Coast of Scotland part 2.

Earlier this year, I had a short break staying at the Alexandra Hotel in Oban. The tour company was ‘Highland Heritage’ (HH) with whom I have no connection other than as a satisfied customer.

 

‘HH’ have a fleet of 16 identical Van Hool Alizee bodied Volvo B12BT’s. 

 

All carry different names to identify them to passengers because there are times when more than one is at the same place.

 

Part of the ‘HH’ holiday package is a Highland Concert which takes place on one afternoon either in Oban or Fort William.

 

Here 9 of the fleet are seen in Fort William waiting for the end of the days performance.

 

YN07 KHB

A Mercedes-Benz 0816 with Plaxton Cheetah bodywork.

 

Currently operated by ‘shiel buses’ of Fort William. A company that has been around for over 30 years and today operate a fleet of over 20 vehicles.

 

Prior to joining ‘shiels’ this bus worked for ‘Express of Batley’ in Yorkshire wearing basically the same livery.

 

PN11 ZBW

A MAN/Neoplan Tourliner operated by 'Mearns Executive Insight Vacations' a Glasgow based company.

 

FG10 WEN

A Mercedes-Benz Tourismo operated by Owen’s Coaches of Oswestry which is on the English Welsh border in Shropshire. The ‘Travelmaster Holidays’ branding is one of Owens own brands.

 

K80 SBL

 

A Mercedes-Benz 1523LL with Esker bodywork operated again by ‘shiel buses’.

 

PO14 HHY

A Jonkheere bodied Volvo of ‘Trafalgar’ tours.

 

M17 YNE

A DAF Van Hool Alicron TX15 of ‘Mayne’s of Buckie’. One of 7 in the 30 plus vehicle fleet. 

 

Mayne’s are a long established company with a history going back over 60 years.

 

JIL 3961

 

A Mercedes- Benz with Spanish built UNVI GT-R bodywork again in the fleet of ‘shiel buses’.

 

 

BZ-VD-68

A VDL Futura from Dutch operator ‘contiki Holidays’ seen in Oban.

I thought I would eventually get used to the new ’Futura’ shape but I still prefer the original.

 

 

BI+NR 3500

A Neoplan ‘Cityliner’ with Neumann of Bielefeld in Germany seen at Inverary.

 

SN13 DBO

Another UNVI body on a Mercedes-Benz chassis . This time the Vega GT from J. Russell of Strathaven in Southern Scotland.

 

YN13 EGU

Unmistakably an Irizar i6 from ‘Silver Fox’ coaches of Renfrew. Seen in Inverary.

 

H9 CTT

A Scania K114EB4 with Van Hool Alizee T9 bodywork.

Operated by ‘Coopers Tourmaster’ of Bedlington in England’s Northeast. It is an interesting vehicle having previously carried the registrations AE03 LFH and 450 UXM. 

 

As AE03 LFH it operated for ‘Peakes of Pontypool’ in South Wales and also had a spell with ‘Kenzies’ of Shepreth in ‘Cosmos’ colours.

 

As 450 UXM it had a spell with ‘Reay’s of Wigton’.

‘Scene’ on the North Norfolk Railway (NNR)

I recently had a day out on the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) which runs from Sheringham via Weybourne to Holt. The day was a father’s day outing paid for by my son Andrew and his wife Joy.

 

We got there by way of ‘East Midland Trains’ from Nottingham to Norwich and then by ‘abellio-greateranglia’ to Sheringham.

 

Its pleasing to see that the NNR uses the ‘British Railways’ signage from the 1950’s which is entirely in keeping with a ‘Heritage Railway’.

There is a direct link with the rest of the railway network to the East. Beyond the level crossing is the start of the line that runs through to Norwich.

 

While to the West the line runs parallel to the coast as far as Weybourne and then swings slightly inland to terminate at Holt.

 

 

The ‘NNR’ is what remains of the ‘Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway’ (M&GNR) which prior to largely being axed in the 1960’s served a wide network across North Norfolk.

 

From the grouping of 1923 the ‘M&GNR’ which itself was an amalgamation of many smaller lines dating from 1893 became part of the LNER. Today the major rolling stock on the line reflect that companies ownership.

 

There were two loco’s in steam on the day. Resplendent in LNER Apple Green was No. 8572. A B12 class loco built in 1928 to an earlier Great Eastern Railway design.

 

 

 

and British Railways (BR) No. 44767 George Stephenson. An LMS Stanier ‘Black Five’ which is unique in that it was the only one in a class of 842 locomotives built to be fitted with the ‘Stephenson’ type of valve gear.

 

It’s other claim to fame being that it was completed on the 31st of December 1947 so being the last loco to be finished for the LMS and on the following day, the LMS became part of ‘BR’.

 

 

The main purpose of the visit was to see and ride on the Gresley ‘Quad-art’ coaching stock  that is the jewel in the ‘NNR’s crown. 

 

I first saw this at Weybourne 40 years ago when it was in a run down condition. At that time I seriously doubted that it would ever run again. Now and half a million pounds later, it looks magnificent.

 

 The ‘Quadruple-Articulated’ principle was the work of Nigel Gresley (before he became Sir) when he was the Great Northern Railway’s (GNR) Carriage and Wagon Superintendent.

 

Initially converted from older coaches and then as new build stock they were an exercise in reducing cost. ie Five bogies in four coaches instead of eight. 

As a consequence it reduced the weight and also kept the overall length to reasonable proportions for use in some of the more cramped stations such as Moorgate.

 

The articulated principle is still in use today. The Eurostar trains being prime examples.

 

The set now on the NNR were built as set No. 74 in 1924 by the LNER. Continuing in service with ‘BR’ it was withdrawn in 1966.

 

Initially destined to be scrapped, it was stored and eventually came to the ‘NNR’ where it became the lines early coaching stock.

 

Withdrawn again in 1979 because of its poor condition, it was stored for over 20 years before it was decided to restore it. The restoration which was undertaken at Carnforth starting in 2003 took five years to complete.

 

 

 

 

As well as the exterior, the interior was restored to the same standard.

 

The full story can be read on the information boards on display in the coaches.

 

The NNR attracts a lot of cyclists and for carrying their cycles provides this former LNER Pigeon Van is provided.

 

The line leaves Sheringham and runs across the top of the cliffs with extensive seaward views to the intermediate station at Weybourne.

 

This is where the lines workshops and storage is located.

 

The view from the footbridge looking East towards Sheringham.

 

The view from the footbridge looking West towards Holt. The brick built station buildings to the right is faced by the timber built signal box and waiting room opposite.

The buildings are painted in a tan and cream colour scheme which matches the livery in which the M&GR loco’s were painted.

 

 

 

For the last service of the day, this Metro-Cammell built Class 101 DMU was substituted for the B12/Quad art train.

D5631 

Formerly Class 31 207 was parked up at Weybourne. Built by Brush at Loughborough in 1960 and withdrawn in 2001. Owned by the M&GNR Society who have chosen to paint the loco in the livery it wore when first built.

 

As was Class 37 D6732 formerly 37032. Built by English Electric at Newton-le-Willows in 1962.

 

 Holt is the end of the line where there is the usual run round loop together with a small goods shed.

 

 

Parked at Holt is a small selection of wagons of which No. 12, a tool and brake van is probably the pick. Built by the M&GNR, it has been splendidly restored.

 

Another original is this van built for the mustard traffic which is grown widely in Norfolk.

 

Sandwiched between the two is this ‘ESSO’ tanker.

 

Another link with the past is the signal seen here on the right located at Holt being of the  Great Northern Railway ‘somersault’ type.

On the second train in service the cycles are accommodated in this former British Railways Covered Carriage Truck.

 

 

The obligatory Class 08 shunter at Sheringham is D3940 (which was formerly 08772). Built at Derby in 1960 and withdrawn in 1994.