Why Total.TOPS ??

I was a train spotter between 1958 and 1965 and saw the last days of steam. I gave it up for better pursuits (girls, beer and rugby - not necessarily in that order). I started again in 1974 when I observed the TOPS renumbering start - my hope was to "get every one" - but despite a valiant effort, early scrapping and renumbering thwarted me. So again my interest died (this time it was definitely women, or rather one particular woman - and then my wife found out  :-)

But the dawn of the Internet gave me renewed hope of completing "the set". I became a "cyber-spotter". So now I have a record of every TOPS loco and its complete allocation history, and a picture of each in every livery it has carried - well not quite - I am still missing 8 pictures - mostly dating between 1974 and 1980.

So my aim is for “Total.TOPS” and is - in part - why I started TOPticl. I want to digitize old railway photos and maybe - just maybe - I will come across one of the missing ones.

So if your collection dates from the 1970’s then it will be most welcome for my services - if you don't want to avail yourself of my services, but have a picture of one of these then please get in touch.

Here is the current wants list - hopefully if you come back regularly you will see it diminish.

03104 x 03110 - 03153 - 03164 - 
08005 - 08009 x 08048 - 08122 - 08127 - 08165 . 08179 . 08213 . 08236 -
08267 . 08276 . 08287 - 08316 .  
24012 . 24013 - 24046 - 24062 - 24074 o 24102 - 24105 - 24148 - 
27113 . 27115 x 27116 x 27120 x 27123 - 27124 -
31140 x 31150 . 
33036 .
47126 x
76018 .
86040 . 86041 - 86043 -

97702 .

There have been 6231 TOPS numbered locomotives since the inception of the TOPS system

Legend 

 

x - no picture of any sort in my collection

 

o - poor picture, either number not visible or blurred

 

- -  black and white picture

 

. -  colour shot and visible number but not full body

  Update 10/6/2009: New pictures of 08044 and 08374, bring the total down to 30

                              and improved pictures of 03159, 08162, 08172 & 08184 remove them from the "improvers" list.

                              Thanks mainly to Bob Himsworth and his eBay sales

  Update 17/6/2009: Improved picture of 24033 (awaiting credit approval)

  Update 19/7/2009  Much Improved picture of 97709 found - think it was fotopic.net - but the searching there is so slow these days

  Update 11/8/2009  Good shot of 08307 - thanks to Steve Davies (therailwaynegativeman)

                              Picture of one end of Class 27 at Haymarket in 1975 - captioned 27117 so this one goes from 'x' to 'o' (seen on RPA)

  Update 19/8/2009  Nice colour picture of 08146 removes it from "improvers" list - thanks once again to Bob Himsworth

  Update 1/9/2009    What a Bank Holiday weekend a mind-blowing 9 pictures previously unseen and a further 20 removed from the improvers.

                              I am sworn to secrecy over the source and of course these pictures are now in my private collection and not for public viewing

  Update 16/9/2009  Improvers for 03014, 03018 and 08221 and TWO pictures of 08276 (but not quite perfection) - so down into the teens!! 

                             Also an absolutely fabulous shot of ... sorry sworn to secrecy. But the number has disappeared from the list. If you have been taking notes

                             you might know which one I am talking about

  Update  20/9/2009 Another massive step forward. Jack Perry,  who I have now "met" through a contact who bought some of my eBay auctions, and I share

                             the same goal and by a bit a mutual "back-scratching" we are moving our 2 collections closer to the target. A total of 31 off the list,

                             Including 7 from the Total TOPS list  - down to only 12 now

  Update 25/10/2009 Superb shot of 86047 at full speed - and in colour - added

  Update 10/12/2009 A nice B&W picture of 08048 brings the headline total down to 11

  Update 7/2/2010    Headline figure still 11 but a further 5 removed from the "improvers" list

  Update 8/3/2010   An elusive 27/1 is tracked down, plus two more "improvers" including the last Class 20 - Now down to 10

  Update 18/3/2010  A rare picture of 03156 before it was sold to Italy - only B&W but a very nice shot. Now in single figures

  Update 26/4/2010 Another 03 off the list (now down to 8 in total) and 3 further improvers  

  Update 2/6/2010   My first success from a customer to the scanning business - a nice colour shot of 84006 removes it from the list

  Update 25/8/2010 Long slow Summer - full bodied shot of 97701 means one less improver

  Update 10/12/2010 A few improvers cleared...

  Update 12/6/2011 Just 2 improvers - the pace has really slowed :-( and horror of horror a big debate looks like 47133 (and possibly some others) carried these TOPS

                             numbers in 1974 - so the total may go up!!!)

  Update 13/9/2011 A welcome batch of 03's so down to 7 and quite a few improvements