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Millhouse Train Sheds And Totley Cutting.

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My mate, David Oldfield, were avid train spotters in the 50's and frequently visited the train sheds.  We weren't allowed in of course, but it was easy to climb the wall and get around the barbed wire.  Being close to the big old steam engines was exhilarating and, providing no one was looking, we used to board the engines, which to us train spotters was known as cabbing.   The Totley cutting was a great place to patiently wait for passing trains.  Life was good, especially in the summer.

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Hi John, could go on all night about Millhouses Shed  19B and then 41A

Used to look forward to Sunday morning when often there was a Clan Class on shed having brought down the night sleeper.

Totley cutting and the sight of those Beyer Garrat's, MAGIC

Fond memories but can't think now why I spent so much time writing numbers down.

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Had many trips to Totley Cutting 1958/9. Saw the occasional Beyer-Garratt.

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Saturday morning and the occasional LNER V2 came in from York

Too long to turn on the table at the Midland Station

The crew took the loco up to the Totley Cutting to turn it round

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The Cutting was a great place to spend your summer days.  
I’d go early morning after breakfast and stay there all day,  usually till the Thames Clyde Express came through.

You could also kill time racing round the dirt track on your bike.

You got such a wide range of engines with a lot of passenger traffic on the London line and heavy goods on the Manchester line.

Often hopped on the bike to do Millhouses shed if word got round there was something special in.

Happy, trouble free days !!

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Yes, you had to be a fit lad to see all the locos at the cutting

Darting from one side to the other and then up to the cutting PHEW !!

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1 minute ago, Runningman said:

Yes, you had to be a fit lad to see all the locos at the cutting

Darting from one side to the other and then up to the cutting PHEW !!

Summer Saturdays were the best with all the excursions. 
Somebody would shout ‘ Up London ‘or. ‘Down Manx’ as soon as they saw the signal arm raise and you’d run one way or the other hoping not to miss one.

Meanwhile if there was an engine stood in the cutting you could go and  chat with the driver.

Got packed up with marmite sandwiches and a bottle of Tizer and I was set for the day 

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I was a rank amateur at it, but used to love the trains, the noise the rumble of their huge wheels and the smell of the coal burning.  Sheer bliss for a young lad.

Edited by John bycroft
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A strange tale re Millhouses Shed, you might not believe this !

I worked with a lad called Jack Thompson, ex fireman at Millhouses

He was in a loco cab at the side of the coal stack when a guy he knew walked past.

He said hello and the guy didn't reply, miserable sod he said !

At work the following morning he was told that particular guy had died the day before, that was before he thought he had seen  him !!

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That certainly does sound strange.   I don't think that it would be listed in any of Ian Allen's books though,  so no use to the train spotter.

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Remember going to Millhouses sheds one Sunday and being chased out of the sheds after seeing Clan Dornock Firth which had been in for attention. This would have been about 1955.

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