Photos by Alf Jefferies

[Ocean Swell]

The Daughter of the late Essex photographer Alf Jefferies is currently uploading to Flikr some 10,000-12,000 images that he took between the 1950s and 80s. Amongst these are a few railway shots mostly around Colchester, Brightlingsea and Ipswich. The first one (J15 65432) has appeared in a couple of publications. The second and third photos were taken at the same time at Colchester one shows B1 61364 and the other a D16, I would be interested to know what the coach nearest the camera in the D16 hauled train.

I have got permission to add post copies of railway photos from the collection on this forum, and any additional information on location, date, train composition etc would be appreciated.

Cheers

[Ocean Swell]

These two show what is thought to be the Colchester lathe factory near St Botolphs with a possibly a Thompson B2 (first photo) and a B17 pulling local trains. Again any details that could be added would be appreciated.

Cheers

[jwealleans]

Your carriage behind the D16 is Great Eastern main line stock, 50' or 54'. It might be an all 3rd, but hard to tell without seeing the rest. That lower panelling is very distinctive.

In the last photo, is the leading carriage a Gresley 54' steel 3rd?

[JASd17]

Hi Chaps,

JW is as good as we can know on the carriage details.

Can I argue that the location of the Lathe factory was not quite correct:

http://maps.nls.uk/view/104192397

Not the St Botolph's branch, now Colchester Town, but on the line further south? Even with allotments in the foreground?

John

[Ocean Swell]

Thanks for the additional details jwealleans and JASd17, I will pass them on. The last two photos do match up with the map as being just south of Colchester Hythe, which in turn suggests the trains are going to and from Walton or Clacton (or at least Thorpe-le-soken). I was also wondering if one of the coaches was a D265 steel sided TL although I was looking at the middle one in the 4th photo. Also I was speculating on the loco in that one being a B2 because the tender coal rail looks like one of the ex-NER ones.

Cheers

[jwealleans]

I think you might be right about the other 54' steel 3rd. It's the position of the lav window which usually gives it away.

Can I speculate wildly that in the top photo (the J15 on the bridge), behind the Thompson CL is a D 244 Gresley CL?

[Ocean Swell]

It could well be a D244. Most of the photos of the Brighlingsea train that I have seen are CL,TL,BT (sometimes running as mixed with wagons trailing). but the second coach does have a central toilet and differing sized windows so it looks like a CL D.338, CL D.244, BT (Teak?) on this occasion. There seemed to be lots of Gresley steel sided non vestibule coaches running around Colchester in the 50s I have seen photos of them on trains to Walton-on-the-Naze , Clacton, Brightlingsea, Harwich and the Colne Valley line.

Cheers