Ged Holmes

D182 joined the fleet in 1992. We had been told to leave it alone it was a waste of time. So we bought it anyway. one piece of wire about a metre long and a set of batteries later the engine was started.

In 1982 a group of enthusiasts purchased an old diesel loco from British Rail. That loco was BR Type 4 number 44004. When this purchase was made diesel engines were still considered to be the new thing and to be fair the machine had only been built at Derby Locomotive works in 1959.

So why did they buy it?.........Simply because they wanted to and becauase they could!

One member of the group,  had been a good friend and work colleague for a number of years and had been asking me to come and see what they were up to with their engine. So in 1988 I went to the Midland Railway Centre to see "GREATGABLE" and.... well to be honest I was really disappointed. I was expecting to see this gleaming green machine but it was parked out of the way with a sheet over it and the engine was in bits in the workshop. That said I stayed, joined up and am pleased to say that I am part of an organisation that owns four railway engines. The four are to the untrained eye the same, I can assure they aren't.

The one that started it all, GREATGABLE.

My name is Ged Holmes, I'm married to Tina, we have four children and two dogs.  I work for Plumbing Trade Supplies., a national builder's merchant.  My spare time is spent doing familly stuff; walking the dogs, helping my wife with her Border Collie Trust volunteer work, spending time with the kids, or repairing an old railway engine or two.