On hearing the news of my promotion, Mother concluded that I had gone completely insane! “What was wrong with that nice little signal box at Kimberley? Why on earth do you want go all the way to Chesterfield on that awful Ml? You’ll have to lodge near that new box – I’m sure you’ll find some boarding house to stay in.” This was not my idea of living. A boarding house indeed! Mother did not understand that the old Great Northern/Great Central was about to close, whilst all Father could say was “I hope that you’ll still get plenty of customers.” He related to all working activities in terms of customers! In this case he saw trains as customers!
I had left Kimberley before the final curtain came down [see BT Vol.34 No.10]. Freight between Ilkeston Stanton Junction and Eggington Junction finished in May 1968 leaving just the Belvoir to Stanton iron ore stone traffic. This was to remain for only a short time until Nottingham Midland and the Erewash could route it
I had difficulty finding Hasland Sidings box. It was situated along a dirt track that had until recently been the access to Hasland locomotive depot This had been a freight sub-shed for a few locomotives required to work the colliery traffic around the Clay Cross and Chesterfield areas – alas now closed and all the buildings, with the exception of a few railway cottages, demolished. Hasland Sidings box was a forlorn sight It was in a sorry state of repair, the paint that was left showed few traces of crimson lake maroon and cream. The box was situated alongside the down main line, amidst a sea of dereliction. To compound all this, Avenue Coking Plant was directly behind the box and continuously belched out a yellow smoke, polluting the air and all vegetation. A thoroughly depressing part of the world.
Inside, the box faired little better than outside. Everything was either worn out or broken. The ‘thunder box’ (Elson chemical toilet) was full and blocked, the door to it broken and the gas lighting in the box appeared somewhat dubious. Stores had never
