Progress in the 21st Century

Well the annual pilgrimage to Doncaster is over and to commemorate this occasion I offer a picture of a very nice locomotive in a very nice setting.

Now the Gresley pacifics are a particular favourite of mine and I will not be churlish and comment that the german style wind deflectors should not be coupled to a locomotive in its pre 1948 livery,,, if the people who pay vast amounts of money to keep this thing entertaining thousands want it like this then that is fine by me.

For me the real point of this photo is as much about the building in the background as it is the engine.

That is the famous Crimpsall Works in Doncaster where Flying Scotsman and thousands of other locomotives were actually built,,,,mmm,,,, unfortunately this building is no more and where it was now looks like an industrial wasteland,, in fact it looks just like the steel working area of Sheffield has for the past 20 years,, a flat, empty, dusty  barren wasteland.

I am sure that in a few years this area will be yet another "Simtown" industrial or housing estate and I am also sure that it will bring about lots of jobs and create lots of rubbish and graffitti.

Having sat on Donnie station for about an hour smiling at all the other "baldies" who were also wandering up and down the main platforms in quiet contemplation and reliving their youth I took myself off round the back of the plant to wander down other area's of my personal memory lane and the scene of many earlier conquests,,, seeing that Crimpsall had finally gone was distressing.

Surely knowing what had taken place in their since the mid 1800's somebody could have done something with it,,, obviously not,,, and if this is progress then in my book progress STINKS.

To add to my personal gloom I decided to lift the spirits and go and have a look in Doncaster's model shop which in the past has supplied me with all end of goodies and hard to get bits,,,NOT ANY MORE   that also has suffered a severe case of the progress and has been bought out by ModelZone,, who will sell you anything you like at full retail price only and if you want any useful bits that don't come in a blister pack then they don't stock it.

Anyway now we are back we will be pushing on with all manner of improvements and that should take the nasty taste away,,, hopefully.