Deadmans Handle's photostream  

An historic shot in many ways....
During the time that I worked at Stockport Infirmary as a theatre technician from 1973 until joining the railways in 1977, I spent many Saturdays with a one time friend of the family, Garry Robertson. This was his van. He was an aerial rigger.
I had, by this time, passed my driving test and it was thanks to Garry and this van that I put in days and days of practise. He'd pick me up at 0700 on a Saturday morning, we'd go for a 'greasy spoon' breakfast in Salford, the 'L' plates went on the van and I drove it all day, sometimes in abject terror as he would rap me on the knuckles with an ever present aerial spanner if I stalled it or, god forbid, exceeded the speed limit (that was his province alone!).
Thanks for the invaluable experience, Garry, wherever you are, also the extra money that supplemented the pathetic NHS wages and, finally, the 8 track cartridge player that seemed to favour The Moody Blues, Neil Diamond and Simon and Garfunkel - that was a contrast for a lifelong Zappa/Beefheart fan!

I always maintained it was a medical problem.......

Pretty sure this was an early Sunday morning in between trains en route to Liverpool. It wasn't so much the train, as the light and the Refuge building that caught my eye, though in retrospect, the building and the station are still there and the AM4 is long gone!

The symmetry of this view came to me as I got off the train and I hurriedly took the photo as the lady on the right dashed (!) into view, spoiling my 1977 aspirations towards 'arty' shots at the same time as making it a priceless 'moment in time' shot, ensuring her (anonymous) place in history! Without her, it would be a soulless photograph.

Second week of a two week 'All Line' rover and Mr Heyl had organised our meanderings to coincide with a trip around Eastleigh works. I never printed this at the time because of all the people in the way! Here we are 38 years down the line and they are more important than the loco, in fact, they make the photograph!