A typical weekend selection of line-up shots, taken on a sunny summer morning at Birmingham's Saltley depot. The date is 01/06/85 - 20 years ago. It's sobering to think that although this seems like only yesterday to me, a similar 20 year leap before these photos were taken would drop me into the tail-end of the steam era!
At the time, almost everything was still in corporate blue livery (still what the best-dressed loco should wear, for my money) and the collection of classes was mouth-watering. Yet I frequently couldn't be bothered with the complexities of the weekend bus/train/foot journey to Saltley as things seemed too samey, just too dull at the time. Unsuprisingly, now most of these machines are razor blades, I don't see it in quite the same way.
The class 58s were unpopular interlopers with me at the time, painted in a strange livery and looking like they'd been delivered from MFI as a flatpack. Now even these faithful companions are gone. Was it really 20 years ago?
Note that these photographs are not of a very high standard. They were taken when I was 'between cameras' using poor quality equipment on loan from a friend.
Currently On My Stereo: Magnum - On a Storyteller's Night