Origins
This blog, which will be very occasional, looks at the world of diesel traction railway preservation (that’s Diesel Railway Engine Preservation to most normal people). It’s a varied world with many participants, who are as widely different as the rest of the population, some normal, others are anything but. We are however a fairly friendly bunch, sharing a common aim, but with a fair amount of inter-group rivalry to spice it up.
I got involved over 15 years ago, following a long and largely undistinguished career as a basher. A little explanation is called for perhaps: Where as train spotting involves the recording of train numbers as you see them. Bashing involves recording the numbers of the trains you are pulled (hauled) by. Yes both disciplines keep note books and some participants are both spotters and bashers. I digress….
Bashing is a fairly social activity, you meet like minded souls (mostly in the front coach), and at every station some will leave or join the train as they make their moves to pick up other trains. Through this network, gen (information) about which locomotives were being used on which services is passed around. Accurate gen combined with an all line timetable (Bible) allows the basher to plan his day and obtain the most mileage out of his favourite locos, and position himself to be in the right place at the right time to pick up those he needs. Consequently bashing and the opportunity to partake of a beer or three while waiting for the next train, creates a close knit community with its own language and customs.
In the late 1980s, much to my consternation, my favourite type (class in the jargon) of locos, were considered life expired by British Rail, and they started to disappear from service to be recycled into razor blades and Sony walkmen (is that the plural of walkman?). So when one of my fellow bashers, with similar tastes in locomotives (we’ll call him Will), suggested we should club together with a few others and buy one, I did the obvious thing, and told him he was potty and there was no way I was wasting my money on his silly idea………
Will didn’t give up, along with Sonning, B&H, Glassy, Twyford and Newbury Donkey (ah yes, many of the bashers have nick names, some with more obvious origins than others), he raised enough to out bid the scrappers. Then he went and put a bid in for a nearly complete example, that was being kept at Strongbridge depot near London.
BR accepted the bid and gave him 7 days to hand over the money plus the VAT…….
He hadn’t reckoned on the VAT (purchase tax for those living outside the UK), so Will was just a little short. Needless to say his desperate appeals to save him from a fate worse than a long interview his bank manager and eternal debt, soften my resolve and along with a few other original doubters the short fall was covered.
Three weeks later we met up at Strongbridge for the first working party, and started to realise the size of the task we had before us……….
I got involved over 15 years ago, following a long and largely undistinguished career as a basher. A little explanation is called for perhaps: Where as train spotting involves the recording of train numbers as you see them. Bashing involves recording the numbers of the trains you are pulled (hauled) by. Yes both disciplines keep note books and some participants are both spotters and bashers. I digress….
Bashing is a fairly social activity, you meet like minded souls (mostly in the front coach), and at every station some will leave or join the train as they make their moves to pick up other trains. Through this network, gen (information) about which locomotives were being used on which services is passed around. Accurate gen combined with an all line timetable (Bible) allows the basher to plan his day and obtain the most mileage out of his favourite locos, and position himself to be in the right place at the right time to pick up those he needs. Consequently bashing and the opportunity to partake of a beer or three while waiting for the next train, creates a close knit community with its own language and customs.
In the late 1980s, much to my consternation, my favourite type (class in the jargon) of locos, were considered life expired by British Rail, and they started to disappear from service to be recycled into razor blades and Sony walkmen (is that the plural of walkman?). So when one of my fellow bashers, with similar tastes in locomotives (we’ll call him Will), suggested we should club together with a few others and buy one, I did the obvious thing, and told him he was potty and there was no way I was wasting my money on his silly idea………
Will didn’t give up, along with Sonning, B&H, Glassy, Twyford and Newbury Donkey (ah yes, many of the bashers have nick names, some with more obvious origins than others), he raised enough to out bid the scrappers. Then he went and put a bid in for a nearly complete example, that was being kept at Strongbridge depot near London.
BR accepted the bid and gave him 7 days to hand over the money plus the VAT…….
He hadn’t reckoned on the VAT (purchase tax for those living outside the UK), so Will was just a little short. Needless to say his desperate appeals to save him from a fate worse than a long interview his bank manager and eternal debt, soften my resolve and along with a few other original doubters the short fall was covered.
Three weeks later we met up at Strongbridge for the first working party, and started to realise the size of the task we had before us……….
posted by TonyB at 1:13 pm
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