The LNER Encyclopedia

Hello from the Southern Region! I need some help and wonder if you good people up north can throw any light on the picture attached. It is a very old oil painting circa late half of the 19th century or very early 20th. It is very dirty but clearly shows a railway station in a largely stone built environment. The station colour is a drab stone and black or dark brown. An engine is steaming into the station from a tunnel with a footpath immediately in front of the tunnel. On the front of the train on the red buffer plate is the number 437; until the picture is cleaned it could also be 487 or 497! A station employee has a black kepe sort of hat although across the platform there appears to be a station controller in top hat and tails!! (Shades of Thomas here). To the left of the station is higher ground with large stone built buildings. The station name board is at right; on it appear the letters HARS or MARS. Now either this is the initials of the amateur artist or the start of the name of the station that goes off under the frame of the picture. Any helpful suggestions would be very welcome as this is an intriguing little insight into early steam - I think! Many, many thanks.

Francis Plowman

There also appears to be the start of a trailing crossover in the track.

Why do I get the feeling of the Furness Railway?

Looks like Southern to me, maybe LSWR?

The footbridge is lattice pattern, and how about the angle of the roof on the far platform. Does the loco look something Southern to you, Francis?

If its any help I blew that photo up and that is almost certainly a tunnel in the background.

I was sent this update by the Original Poster as a PM


Hi

Many thanks for your kind response. I have taken the back off the painting! There appears to be a label on the reverse - may be a baggage label (?) - with the following codes:

S.257 (Revised May 1907)

Then, there are two lines of capital printing erased mostly but starting GA and the last letter of the bottom line is R (could be a three letter word eg a station?)

Then another code: N.L. 4678 / 1907 then a double line beneath which in small print:

I. 200 Books. - D.28 - 2.10

I don't know if this helps any! Meanwhile thanks for your interest.

Francis

Bryan wrote:I was sent this update by the Original Poster as a PM


Hi

Many thanks for your kind response. I have taken the back off the painting! There appears to be a label on the reverse - may be a baggage label (?) - with the following codes:

S.257 (Revised May 1907)

Then, there are two lines of capital printing erased mostly but starting GA and the last letter of the bottom line is R (could be a three letter word eg a station?)

Then another code: N.L. 4678 / 1907 then a double line beneath which in small print:

I. 200 Books. - D.28 - 2.10

I don't know if this helps any! Meanwhile thanks for your interest.

Francis

"Phones Lieutenant Columbo".