Things you never see anymore

[DJW1]

11 hours ago, worth_the_wait said:

Not really.  Or certainly not like they used to in the British Rails 60's, 70's and 80's.   For various reasons eg:

 - There's not the spare rolling stock capacity just lying around unused waiting to be used,

 - The timetable is much busier and there isn't as much spare capacity to stick on special trains at short notice.

 - Separate Train Operating Companies (TOCs) leads to it being no one's overall responsibility and it just doesn't get done.

 

There's no longer the expectation of "football specials" ever being run, and most young people have either got a car, or know someone with one.   So there's just not the demand for special trains, like there used to be years ago.       Having said all that ... you do still get the occasional ones.   I think Chelsea still have occasional charter special trains, or they certainly did up to a few years ago.

 

The last proper "football special" I'm aware we had, was Derby away for the Friday night FA Cup 4th round match in 2016-17.     East Midlands Trains ran a special extra train there and back.

 

(not sure whether we had one the year after away to Peterborough, or whether Cross Country just put on a longer train for the normal service?)

 

Thanks for the reply.

To combine 2 topics, my dad and brother went to an FA Cup tie at Carlisle on a football special, and my dad hitched to Sunderland for a game. Both around 1971 I think

[DJW1]

36 minutes ago, davieG said:

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

The Swiss Cottage

This one was Lee Circle.

 

I think there was one in Nottingham, although we preferred Berni Inns!

[Brizzle Fox]

36 minutes ago, davieG said:

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

The Swiss Cottage

This one was Lee Circle.

 

That's taken me back to childhood.

 

Used to always meet my gran for lunch in the one that was in the Haymarket when I went into town with my mum.

 

Always had mushroom omelette and chips. 

 

Still a very vivid memory. Happy days.

[Brizzle Fox]

2 minutes ago, DJW1 said:

I think there was one in Nottingham, although we preferred Berni Inns!

Posho...

[NAKC20]

49 minutes ago, davieG said:

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

The Swiss Cottage

This one was Lee Circle.

 

Used to work for a company that done a lot of maintenance for Swiss Cottage. There was 5 in Leicester (Lee Circle, Haymarket, Odean Arcade, Charles Street and another one I cant remember where) 2 in Nottingham and 1 in Derby

[Heathrow fox]

1 hour ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Only a couple of days ago I asked if Fina was still around when I noticed my Grandson plying with a toy tanker similar to this.......

 

It was seeing a toy like this that jogged my memory

[Parafox]

22 hours ago, worthosoriginals said:

Are the rolled up carpets in the back out of sight from the cameras?

There is a privacy curtain if your driving a sleeper cab but cameras would pick up anyone else in the cab besides the driver. 

[davieG]

[Trav Le Bleu]

7 minutes ago, davieG said:

I remember Our Price being the most expensive record store in town. Their price was the most expensive price.

[Stuntman_Mike]

Foot locker's still going. 

 

I've always loved their staffs distinctive uniform, I wonder if that was a thing back in the day. 

 

 

[Izzy]

56 minutes ago, davieG said:

Ah, Tandy.

 

My first job as a 16 year old YTS was at Dixons the elecrical retailer in Rugby. It was in the shopping centre about 5 doors down from Tandy. Apparently our manager got on well with their manager and told me on my first day that we "take it in turns" every week to vacuum each others' shop floor at the end of days trading. This week was our turn to vac Tandy's and it was my job as the newbie.

 

So once I'd finished doing our shop floor, I dragged the Henry vac down the precinct, walked into Tandy's who were just about to close for the day and told the manager I was from Dixons and was here to vac their shop. He smiled and said thanks so I plugged it in and got started.

 

After about 5 minutes with my head down I looked up and saw all the Tandy staff gathered by the till looking at me pissing themselves laughing. That's when I knew I'd been stitched up, so I dragged Henry and my sorry ass back to Dixons where I was greeted by my new colleagues also pissing themselves laughing.

 

One of many initiation ceremony's in my first few weeks that soon made me wise up.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

Ah, Tandy.

 

My first job as a 16 year old YTS was at Dixons the elecrical retailer in Rugby. It was in the shopping centre about 5 doors down from Tandy. Apparently our manager got on well with their manager and told me on my first day that we "take it in turns" every week to vacuum each others' shop floor at the end of days trading. This week was our turn to vac Tandy's and it was my job as the newbie.

 

So once I'd finished doing our shop floor, I dragged the Henry vac down the precinct, walked into Tandy's who were just about to close for the day and told the manager I was from Dixons and was here to vac their shop. He smiled and said thanks so I plugged it in and got started.

 

After about 5 minutes with my head down I looked up and saw all the Tandy staff gathered by the till looking at me pissing themselves laughing. That's when I knew I'd been stitched up, so I dragged Henry and my sorry ass back to Dixons where I was greeted by my new colleagues also pissing themselves laughing.

 

One of many initiation ceremony's in my first few weeks that soon made me wise up.

I was given some clocks to assemble where the glass was fixed with putty, they set me up to do it using plaster of paris of course it always set before I could finish. But at least i didn't get caught be sent to the stores for a long weight/wait.

[ajthefox]

On 17/01/2026 at 10:03, NAKC20 said:

Used to work for a company that done a lot of maintenance for Swiss Cottage. There was 5 in Leicester (Lee Circle, Haymarket, Odean Arcade, Charles Street and another one I cant remember where) 2 in Nottingham and 1 in Derby

One on Churchgate wasn't there? I remember going in as a kid for lunch when our Mum took us into town. Loved it.

[Izzy]

3 minutes ago, davieG said:

I was given some clocks to assemble where the glass was fixed with putty, they set me up to do it using plaster of paris of course it always set before I could finish. But at least i didn't get caught be sent to the stores for a long weight/wait.

One of the fluorescent lights on the shop floor ceiling had gone out so I was sent to Wilkinsons to buy a 'six foot fallopian tube'

 

I can still picture the look on the old dears face at the counter.

 

The naivety of youth 

[FoyleFox]

9 hours ago, davieG said:

I was given some clocks to assemble where the glass was fixed with putty, they set me up to do it using plaster of paris of course it always set before I could finish. But at least i didn't get caught be sent to the stores for a long weight/wait.

On my first shift at Hinckley Leisure Centre, I was sent to the gym for a long weight... after a long wait, sent back to duties 

[Jon the Hat]

18 hours ago, davieG said:

I walked past a Foot Locker the other day, and I go to Woolworths regularly.  Not quite the same as they were in the UK though.  Woolies = Sainsburys, Footlocker seems to be 50% clothes.  Still does trainers though.

[Jon the Hat]

On 16/01/2026 at 03:57, davieG said:

Yeah Ian Allen LMS Region

 

My brother and I used to visit siblings in London and take in all the main line stations. Another popular destination was Grantham. 

The Ian Allan publishing works used to be down the road from me as a kid in Surrey.

[davieG]

I guess some of these things still happen but not much.

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

I remember the barbers in the the shops I went in as a youngster, used to place their scissors in a small steriliser unit. This was not much bigger than a shoe box, mounted on the wall, had a blue tinted glass door and the word  'Steriliser' in red letters on the front.

Even Googling couldn't find one like those I recall.

 

[ElusiveEd]

Anyone remember Ron's hair dressers (barbers) on Churchgate?

 

Up a long staircase with an aquarium above it and into a huge barbers where you'd either turn left or right.

 

I HATED it but if I went quietly I'd get an ice cream sundae at Swiss Cottage afterwards.

[SystonFox]

Rocket Ron

[DJW1]

On 22/01/2026 at 12:12, davieG said:

Was Foster's a menswear "boutique", as they used to say in the 70s?

[Parafox]

7 hours ago, ElusiveEd said:

Anyone remember Ron's hair dressers (barbers) on Churchgate?

 

Up a long staircase with an aquarium above it and into a huge barbers where you'd either turn left or right.

 

I HATED it but if I went quietly I'd get an ice cream sundae at Swiss Cottage afterwards.

My dad took me there when I was a kid. I remember having to sit on a wooden board placed across the arms of the chair to be at the right height for a haircut.

 

I think I got a toffee or some boiled sweet if I sat still.

 

It was always busy there.

 

Ron's is a bit of a Leicester legend for those of a certain age.

 

Another legendary Leicester place that has gone, Brucciani's. I used to love going there for an ice cream float or a lemon iced bun.

 

And the Café Alto in the arcade between the Market Place and Silver Street.

 

Also, the lifts in the Silver Arcade where you had to operate the lever yourself to arrive at the floor you wanted and then open the cage-like barriers. If there other people in the lift it felt like I was at Harrods. 

Edited 23 January by Parafox

[DJW1]

Do the home fans at other grounds applaud the away team's goalkeeper when he takes up his position before KO?

This was usual, but doesn' t seem to happen at Leicester anymore.

[worthosoriginals]

23 hours ago, DJW1 said:

Do the home fans at other grounds applaud the away team's goalkeeper when he takes up his position before KO?

This was usual, but doesn' t seem to happen at Leicester anymore.

No, the focus here is on, ahhh twat your shit ahhhhhhhhhh