Heywood Grammar School Reunion

Last night after work I drove over to Heywood for a school reunion. Jackie was away at a bluegrass concert but Alex turned up right behind me and we met up with a few faces we hadn't seen in - what? - 36 years?!?

I learned a valuable lesson - even if your phone has a 5 megapixel camera, don't assume it will take photos! I should have taken a camera! Anyway it was great to catch up and chat with Brigid, Andrew (alias Sid), Jackie, Anne (both of them!), Jayne, Dave, Elaine and a few others.

There were a few teachers scattered about the room too and there must easily have been over a hundred people there.

Mike Law, our ex-Games teacher made a short speech and asked "Would you like another reunion in four years?" which prompted a few mutterings of "Blimey, I might not still be here in four years!

Toby The Tram Engine

A postcard commemorating the last steam tram to Heywood on 20 September 1905.

The small steam engines used to draw tram trailers were strange looking things, because regulations at the time required all moving parts to be covered.

This also meets the requirements of the challenge I lay down a while ago to find photographs of workers in uniform.

Trams started out as horse-drawn and were an efficient form of transport as two horses could draw a tram along smooth rails that would require three horses to pull over a cobbled street.

When steam trains started to become popular, steam was thought to be the answer to everything and so these steam locomotives started to pull trams. It was a similar engine that inspired the Reverend W Awdry to create Toby the Tram Engine to join Thomas and his friends.