Yes now you mention it I suddenly do also.

Just found a book on the book case where I keep the local history stuff and found a recent book called Hartlepool Railways by George Smith…published in 2013…120 pages to go though…our lass will get no sense out of me this afternoon…although she never does.

I always wondered what George Smith did after he retired from Pools

Went from Brylcreem to Brytish Railways….liked his Brylcreem did George..

I'm too young to remember that.

Thanks, I was trying to forget….mind you the train was pulled by horses then and you had to have a big top hat to get on…or maybe not.

Its strange how your mind can play tricks on you.
I once said to someone that i could remember the Elephant rock on the Headland.
But it fell down in a storm in 1891

Well yes and no Blue. I remember seeing it in 70s / 80s but it was not the full elephant shape. If I remember correctly it had a trunk and three legs and a body or was it no trunk four legs and a body.

I’m trying to recall when the subways under the railway lines at the bottom of Church Street closed I think it was about the early 90’s but not really sure.

I am pretty sure it was filled in back in 1981 the same time old town was demolished

I remember driving through it, but it must have been open till about the time of the marina because when they built the lock gates there’d be no other way of getting in that part of the docks.

Definitely 90's when they started the Marina. Remember they were open for Dock Rock 86 and quite a few years after.

Just got on the train to go to work in Billingham. It was weird seeing the station from the other side. Must be at least 40 years since I've been on that side.

same here as i was sure my old man showed something similar to me in the early 50,s.

I remember boarding the Pools special train to Villa from the up platform back in '74 for a (5th round?) League Cup replay. We could have beaten them at home but it ended up 1-1 and we got shafted 6-1 in the replay in an open game in which Villa seemed to score every time they attacked. The train was a rickety 6 or 8 car DMU which had seen better days even then - and for our troubles we got stoned by the Villa fans at Witton Park station, which is (or was) the station for Villa Park.

I’d rephrase that….

Did anyone find out how to use the new platform

If you go on YouTube there’s a walk through of the whole procedure down to using the lifts, very smart.

I am assuming there is a new bridge for those who don't like lifts and to comply with H & S

Obviously, all combined in one… er, where would the lift be going without a bridge …just up in the air and down again back to the same platform….

I can remember using the bridge and travelling on the train to London fom "the other side" on the eve of the 1973 FA Cup Final. It was Friday night at around 11-30 PM. Imagine a direct train to London at that time nowadays.

Milk or post train type?

I was on the late Friday train for the Wimbledon v Liverpool cup final

Two bunkerites on the rock?

Is that the ‘crime scene’ and is that you on the Victorian ‘ CRIMESTOPPERS’ photo…tell me weren’t bouncing on it.

I hope not.
I got is from arsebook and people say its Blackhall or Sunderland???

I have no idea, it looked like an ordinary train to me but I suppose at that time of night chances are it could have been collecting/dropping off as well. I went to the station from Seaton cricket club, boarded a carriage, had a compartment all to myself, stretched out and slept most of the way. It was my first experience of a sleeper !!!!!!

I used to get the last train back from Newcastle on a Sunday night and that was the sleeper to London. It was all compartments and like you I used to have a compartment to myself and often fell asleep only to be woken somehow just in time to jump off at Hartlepool.

This is going back a bit but my parents used to pick me up from my nans on a Sunday night when the pubs shut and we would walk down Warren road on the way home and at about 11.20/25 the train used to pass over the Hartlepool Roves bridge. Sometimes it was an A4 ( The Mallard etc ) . I was an Avid Trainspotter in those days. I think it left Hartlepool at either 11.23 or 11.32.

When I went to the Wimbledon Cup Final we travelled overnight on the Friday and returned overnight on the Saturday.

I remember back in the early 80’s someone said they came back from London on the overnight sleeper which stood over somewhere up near Wynyard way which baffled me a bit

back in the very late 50,s and early 60,s the only way to get to london on a cheap ticket was one of those trains on a friday night and back from london late saturday night. took ages and included old rolling stock from the LNER and LMS days.

That's makes sense Blue because if memory serves the last train from Newcastle on a Sunday night was around 10.30 / 11pm.

More of the Newcastle to Mbro expresses cancelled due to "driver shortage" and "more trains being serviced that normal".
Bollocks!
They need to invest into drivers and newer trains.
They published a timetable and and dont stick to it so the company needs to be held to account.
As Northern is in the "operator of last resort" (nationalised) then we should blame Sunak today and then Starmer on Friday.

Their drivers are on Action Short of a Strike at the moment until the end of the month or whenever they get a pay rise.
Northern, LNER, TPE & Southeastern will be the first part of The Great British Railway.

Thanks for the info ZBN regarding industrial action.
GBR is what the country needs.

Several days a week the express trains from Boro to the Toon (stopping at Hartlepool) are often being cancelled with the reason given that more trains are being serviced than usual. Bollocks!
Below is a reason given at Thornaby yesterday. Since when has our rail system had a 3rd rail

The third rail problem will be further North..the Metro.

That would be Blackhall Rocks, a half mile walk along the beach from Hartlepool.

I think its all overhead electrics now and the 3rd rail was finally decommissioned in 1967 according to Wiki.
I have seen pictures where it looks like a third but it may be of other use?

Surely that was the responsibility of Network Rail…who were never privatised…
Not that I’m a fan of privatisation I should add.

The Tyne & Wear Metro is defo 1,500 volts overhead. The units may have a third rail pick up shoe facility for use on short stretches of track where it is difficult to erect overhead wires ie under low bridges or tunnels but I can't be certain about that. The additional rails pictured above may be worn out rails left between the running track awaiting collection following recent replacement?

I suspect that the cancellation message above may be the result of someone with a GSOH taking the piss with an amusing alternative excuse instead of the usual tiresome ' problem at depot', 'crew problem', 'late arrival of inbound service', passenger taken ill' etc etc excuses for Northern not fulfilling their timetable commitments.

That third rail is a old piece of rail that's been left behind or could be a new piece of rail awaiting to replace the old one.the rail in the four foot is guide rail, incase it derails on the QE bridge. Then they stop the wheels going any further across the four foot.

Thanks for clarification.
At least these messages give us something to laugh at while waiting in the rain.

back in the steam days trains always seemed to be running late but eventually arrived unlike now. if one had a problem running there seemed to me an engine shed close for a replacement unlike todays fancy named motor power depots.

Way of the world now, everyone and thing needs a fancy name….latest one I heard was Filing Clerk is now a ‘Document Controller’..usually for more money.

Avanti West Coast do it again.

At least the away fans got a beer.
https://talksport.com/football/2029093/ ... eers-fans/

Did the train break down or aren’t they very good at working out time tables

Sounds like a promise of new trains if they extend the contract.The existing ones do kick out a lot of sh1t.
Lets see how long it takes and i bet they are not brand new.https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/t ... rs-4766706

Admit it Mr B, come clean, you’re the Fat Controller aren’t you.

I am trying to lose weight