British and Irish Steam memories 1950s 1960s

Memories of British and Irish Steam Trains 1950s and 1960s
LTSR & The Tottenham joint lines
I grew up in Dagenham and later Chadwel Heath Essex.
So my first memories of the steam locomotive were at stations like Dagenham Heathway, Barking and Southend.
Also between Dagenham Heathway and Bow looking from the window of District line trains on trips visiting family at Whitechapel. I can also remember steam while visiting the seaside at Southend.
GER lines
In 1960 my family moved to Chadwell Heath and thus I came in contact with the trains from the Liverpool street lines.
This was only for a short time as by 1962 this region had done away with steam. The last steam locomotive I saw on this section was at Romford station an N7 on a parcels train.
GWR lines.
My family are from Ireland so for quit a few times we had our holidays at Granmothers house in Cork.
This was an wonderful experience for a train mad boy. Paddington station to Fishguard Harbour and then the boat the Innisfallen to Cork. In Cork I saw steam running on the bridge at Albert quay and through the streets, also in County Kerry I remember seeing steam trains.
Train spotting days.
They started on wet Saturday in 1963 with a twin-rover for the bus and tube. With this in my hand travelling up to London and its termimus stations. Steam was seen on this cold rainy day (I can remember it so good) at Euston,Marlebone, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge.
With a school friend I visited Watford junction and we visiting the loco shed.
I had 4 happy years of train spotting visiting sheds at Nine elms, Southall, Basingstoke,Wilesden. Eastleigh and Watford junction. Waterloo, Marlebone and Paddington stations were regular haunts. Basingstoke was visited in the summer 1965. In 1966 I travelled on two Rail tours the Dorset Belle and the New Forester. 1967 the summer of Love, (but BR was not in love with steam) in that wonderful year steam became a thing of the past in the south. Just once more did I see working steam in London. In 1968 while travelling on the tubetrain at Faringdon in the early morning (afer been out all night at the middle earth, Hippy club) seeing a London transport ballest train headed by an Pannier tank.
Happy Days oh so happy days
The fotos from the southern region are from my camera

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[JimTLonW6]

Interesting reference to the LT panniers. These used to appear after the end of BR steam at Kensington Olympia station on works trains from the LT depot nearby. I remember seeing them regularly in 1970 on my way to work at Lyons in Cadby Hall.

[mikevalesenior]

Great pics I used to ride a lot of engines as my dad was a driver of these wonderful engineswhat about school you must be joking when i can go on the footplate on a steam engine lol

[andyg3]

Thanks for uploading!

some really wonderful pictures

[RailMon]

What a fantastic collection of photos. Thanks for posting. I particularly like the pic of the 'Teapot', as rare as rocking horse manure, LoL.

Hugh

[cattleman6420012000]

Thank you for your wonderful videos.I travelled on many steam trains when I was small both in Britain and Ireland. I remember getting the steam mail train from Euston to Holyhead and going across on the famous Princess Maude to Dunlaoghaire.Such a rough crossing and a terrible old boat.