Great Western Coffee Shop

eightf48544?

Me thinks it's a warm welcome to a fan of the LMS railway!

Eight F's were about the biggest fleet of Steam Engines ever seen in Britain, built by the LMS (London Midland and Scottish Railway Company) used 99.5% of the time on Freight trains.

Smokey

I'll let you into  a secret I'm a Southern man, South Western to boot. Southern men are still Southwestern, Brighton or South Eastern.

However, I was on the footplate of 48544 on 4th June 1965 on a 22 coach pigeon special from Newcastle to Hove. I happened to have a footplate pass that week as part of my training so I joined the Norwood men at Stewarts Lane to Hove and back light engine to Redhill Shed (via Brighton to turn). The Norwood men hadn't been on a steam loco for 2 years but took to it again like riding a bike.

We had a cracking day out, she romped down the Brighton line at a steady 50/55. Amazingly we had a clear run all the way except for a booked stop at Haywards Heath.  to let an Eastbourne by and take water.  Plus of course a couple of pints in the station Hotel at Hove, it was different railway in those days!