The Ian Moss (AKA - Magpie the Elder) Collection

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Can you identify this photo (and over a thousand like it...)?

 

Many of you will have known, or know of, Magpie the Elder, AKA Ian Moss. Father to myself and @magpie patrick

 

Ian passed away in late 2022. He left us around 50,000 slides, most of which were devoted to Waterway and Railway history. They date from the mid 1950's to the late 2010's (he went into a care home January 2020 and was losing mobility before that)

 

Fortunately (for him) and unfortunately (for us) his memory was excellent and detailed; two years after he went into care (and since he last saw his home) he was preparing for a lecture and "get me box 384, brown leatherette, and box 683, green, vinyl, probably in the study. And 772, grey slide carrier". But no written (or computer) notes of what was in what.

 

So, @magpie patrick and I have a mammoth task ahead of identifying places, buildings, boats etc, so we can put Magpie the Elder's Archive where it can do most good. We've scanned the first 1,000 slides and hope to have another 4,000 by Christmas (only 45,000 to go then!) and put them online.

 

Please have a look at Ian Moss Archive; if (as many will be on this forum) you are only interested in Waterways go to Ian Moss Waterways - genuinely, any hints on location, boats, date, history are welcome. Either use the comment facility on the site or reply here but please, if replying here, include the photo ID (six digit number beginning with a "1" and with an "E" on the end)

 

Thanks (in advance) - and if anyone knows a rail version of CWF, please let me know!

[Rob-M]

I'll take an easy one

 

 

100370E - Autherley Stop Lock

 

[TheBiscuits]

100006E if it was reversed would be Ellesmere port at the boat museum ...

 

 

[Rob-M]

101140E - Top of Frankton Locks.

 

My equivalent from this year, but Newtown seems to have moved 3 miles closer.

 

100310E - Willymoor lock on the Llangollen canal

[GUMPY]

100060E is reversed

Looks like it's here:

The Rhine River near Bonn - North Rhine Westfalia, Germany

 

https://www.worldwidepanorama.org/wwp906/BertramGrau-2567.html

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

100365E

In basin below Anderton Lift, 

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Thanks all - 5 down - 995 (from this batch) to go...

[GUMPY]

There are quite a few in the "unknown" section where the station/street/place name is visible in the photograph.

100158E, 100098E, 100207E, 100139E to name but four

[Pie Eater]

100308E Grindley Brook staircase on Llangollen Canal

[GUMPY]

100166E Watford Junction Station

 

[Pie Eater]

100310E Willeymoor lock, Llangollen Canal

[magpie patrick]

5 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

There are quite a few in the "unknown" section where the station/street/place name is visible in the photograph.

100158E, 100098E, 100207E, 100139E to name but four

 

I'm not surprised, but the sheer scale of the task means we're putting these up at the earliest  opportunity rather than doing an exhaustive review first! 

 

Edited to add - you've identified two that we would have seriously struggled with because neither of us have been to these locations 

[howardang]

1000022E     Sea Link Ferry St Columba Holyhead

 

1000356E   Pocklington Canal - Walbut Lock

 

Howard

[Tony Brooks]

I think that /100116E is the Bus interchange outside Bruges railway station.

 

100452E Looking from Marlow bridge towards the lock. I think this is a fairly modern photo because you can see the relatively new development of white houses that are on the left of the lock. Guess - post 1975

As it seems to be flying the German flag I think 100060E is in the wrong section. It is very similar to the upper ferry at Dartmouth, but the land is not right.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Tony Brooks

[TheBiscuits]

Ian Moss Collection » Railway, Light Rail and Tram » Stations » 100172E
 

 

I'm going to guess this one might be Chorley Station ... 

 

 

Edit to add: 2003 or later because that's when they called it the Chorley Interchange after building the new bus station opposite the railway station.

 

Also, Chorley football club are nicknamed the Magpies, but I'm fairly confident you knew that ...

Edited August 6, 2023 by TheBiscuits
Add a bit

[1st ade]

Thanks all - keep it up - I'll get on with moving and adding captions later.

 

Dates and "why might it be interesting" are equally valuable

[Ray T]

10111E Marple Junction with the Peak Forest Canal.

 

 

101052E is possibly the Caldon Canal with one of the pottery Barges.

Cargo Boats On The Caldon Canal | Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust (cuct.org.uk)

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Ray T

[Captain Pegg]

@magpie patrick I’ll have a crack at some of the railway ones as I possibly know the railway network better than the canal network.

 

For a start 100121E looks like it’s Achnasheen station on the Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh line. Sometime between 1985 and 1989.

[Dorlan]

100007E looks like Cardiff Pier Head, with the signals, and the Norwegian Church on the right. The photo has been reversed.

[Captain Pegg]

100103E - Belgium

[Ray T]

Easy one this 100173E Stockport No1 Signal Box

 

.

 

100122E One of the North of Scotland lines, the foot bridges are / were a distinctive feature.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Ray T

[Captain Pegg]

100148E is the south end of Stockport station (Edgeley Junction)

 

100149E is Huddersfield

30 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Easy one this 100173E Stockport No1 Signal Box

 

.

 

100122E One of the North of Scotland lines, the foot bridges are / were a distinctive feature.

 

100122E intrigued me because it’s a small station but also a passing loop judging by the signals and the token. I’ll hazard a guess it’s Rogart but I might dig further to see if I can put some certainty into it. I think it may pre-date 100121E.

 

100163E is Tring. Late 80s to mid 90s.

100177E is Battersby

 

As is 100179E

Edited August 6, 2023 by Captain Pegg

[BuckbyLocks]

As I was with Ian and Joan on some of these trips, I know some of them. 100058E is the junction of the Rhine and Mosel at Koblenz, Taken from the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress opposite. I think 100036E is the Mosel but not certain. 100039E, 40E, 45E and 46E are all on the Main-Donau Canal and the water saving locks. 46E may be Nurnberg Sluis. (I am probably in the picture!) 100049E looks like Rhine, but I cannot remember which castle that is. 100060E is the Linz-Remagen Ferry on the Rhine. 100052E is Germany. 100050E is probably the Rhine 100043E and 44E are near Cologne and the pic labelled Mancrop is a stop/flood gate on a German Canal but I am not sure where this particular one is.

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20 minutes ago, BuckbyLocks said:

...the pic labelled Mancrop...

That's worrying (for me) - all the images were labled with a six digit number and "E"! Now I've got to find what number it should be...

 

Thanks for the rest of the comments.

[Captain Pegg]

So, 100121E is actually Strathcarron station rather than Achnasheen.

 

Its possible 100122E is taken from the opposite side of the same train at the same time but there’s a mismatch between the locomotive and the semaphore signalling, which is why I though the 100122E  possibly pre-dated 100121E.