Firstly, thank you Lambeg Man. As Tim's notes are singularly short of detail for some of the photos it's most helpful to be able to date those photos at Great Victoria Street Station as pre-1961. The first of the Irish photos are in 1958 so we can be sure that those in question can only be 1958 or 1960. I also appreciate your suggestion to consider a separate thread for each subject, but then the question comes how should I divide them up? As Martin says the whole raison d'etre of these pictures is that they are random and are displayed as they come out of a vast collection. Once I have scanned and post processed them all it may be possible to categorise them by some means but I have found that the randomness actually makes the thread more interesting. Certainly I've learned a lot and been down some very interesting rabbit holes as a result of comments. If you are interested in the earlier pictures you can use the search function - try entering "Belfast" and "oldravendale" and you'll find the earlier series. Not all of them are identified in this way but you'll get to the batch of photos and the associated comments.
Thanks too, Adrian, for pointing out a function I've not previously recognised.
Graham - Tim most certainly visited the Bluebell more than once. Your question about the GWR tenders raised an issue I, personally, have never seen addressed previously. We now know that a replacement tender was purchased to go with 9017. Thanks to Martin for chapter and verse. This info indeed suggests that the date of at least some of the photos is incorrect but a significant number are dated 1964 which would probably fit. It's just a case of separating t'other from which and that won't be an easy task. For certain some date from the visit of 123 and 120 which we can date accurately. The difficulty with this batch of photos is that they are large format, so in pairs - if they were in 35mm strips some better dating of adjacent frames could be achievable. However some sort of batching might be possible by looking at the locos adjacent to one another at any particuar time. Thanks too, Larry, for the info about the tender used with the loco at one time. I've never seen that either.
Tony, I guess the question about the whitewashed coal has been answered, but I've certainly seen other photos of special trains with whitewashed coal, and also whitewashed coal in loco depots when the store was a simple stack.
Continuing with the Bluebell, but with less certainty now about the date but most likely 1963 or 1964.
First is the Dukedog. I suggest that this is taken at the same time as the first picture in the sequence above - it gets us no nearer a confirmed date on its own but might help to do so when put together with other images.
Birch Grove at Horsted Keynes. The significant crowds make me wonder whether this could be on the occasion of the visit of 123 and 120.
Stepney just coming off or going on to the Blue Belle probably at Sheffield Park. No help there in confirming a date.
Gratuitous traction engine and who doesn't like a traction engine? I've researched a bit and the basic info is that this is Aveling & Porter compound Tractor 11997, Lucy May. It was built in 1928 and is of the AM Class.
North London tank 2650 again but this time with Stepney. The relatively smaller crowds suggest this could be 1964 and the direction in which the crews are looking suggests this may be a top and tailed train. It's the LNWR/Met Railway set again which may provide some help, although these were used extensively in the Bluebell's early days.
Birch Grove at Horsted Keynes again but once more with fewer people, so a possible for 1964.
No 55 Stepney approaching Horsted Keynes. A possible for 1964
The North London tank again.
And Birch Grove yet again.
Finally The Blue Circle in steam - probably at the same time as the last but one picture in the previous sequence.
Brian
