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TOPticl

Digital Memories

Let me bring your memories into the digital age

I was a train spotter between 1958 and 1965 and saw the last days of steam. I gave it up for better pursuits (girls, beer and rugby - not necessarily in that order). I started again in 1974 when I observed the TOPS renumbering start - my hope was to "get every one" - but despite a valiant effort, early scrapping and renumbering thwarted me. So again my interest died (this time it was definitely women, or rather one particular woman - and then my wife found out !!!

Being constrained by my Yorkshire upbringing, photography was too expensive for me to be serious about. I took very few photos and they were mostly of poor quality. This is one of my better ones - it actually won third prize in the school Transport Society photo competition.

Fortunately my customers are much better with a camera than I am. The photos they allow me to sell are of excellent quality.

The dawn of the Internet gave me renewed hope of completing "the set". I became a "cyber-spotter". So now I have a record of every TOPS loco and its complete allocation history, and a picture of each in every livery it has carried - well not quite - I am now missing just one picture - and some better colour shots of a few more, mostly dating between 1974 and 1980.

 

So my aim is for "Total.TOPS" and is - in part - why I started TOPticl. I want to digitize old railway photos and maybe - just maybe - I will come across one of the missing ones.

 

So if your collection dates from the 1970's then it will be most welcome for my services -if you don't want to avail yourself of my services, but have a picture of one of these then please get in touch.

 

Here is the current wants list - hopefully if you come back regularly you will see it diminish.

08267 - 08316 .

27120 - 27124 - 

47126 .

86040 . 

As you can now see I have achieved my aim and I now have a picture of every TOPS numbered loco. A few that can be improved but in the main my search is over. All a bit of an anti-climax!! What now? I have contacted the NRM to see if they are interested, but copyright issues preclude them from taking this collection. Any ideas anyone?

Legend

x - no picture of any sort in my collection

-  -  black and white picture

.  -  colour shot and visible number but not full body

So what next - something that will keep me busy forever. A picture of every loco in Britain. So pre-TOPS diesel and electric and Steam.

Actually doing quite well for the post 1948 era but masses yet to find.

Fancy helping - get in touch

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