The LNER Encyclopedia

Most members will know the invaluable contribution made by Brian Stephenson of 'Rail Archive Stephenson' with his masterwork 'Locomotives Illustrated'. Brian holds the original negatives of many of the most significant railway photographers of the 20th century, including those of Thomas Gordon Hepburn. Several of Gordon's wonderful images have (thus far) eluded identification as far as location is concerned. Knowing that members love to take on the mantle of 'Sherlock Holmes', here are two that Brian has suggested I post for you all to solve! The only clues are the fine GN signal that is seen in the view with the O4, and the fact that several suggestions have been made that 63676 may be 'near Staveley'. Even if no suggestions are forthcoming, I'm sure you'll all enjoy these wonderful scenes.
Steve Armitage

G'Day Gents

For my two cents worth, in the first picture, I think this maybe a secondary route or even a fright line, the ballast is very fine, ash like, compare the ballast with the second pic, which I would say is a mainline location.

manna

And is that other signal post on the other line a midland pattern? So maybe an ex-MG&N location somewhere in the East Midlands?

The O1 63676 was based at Annesley from September 1951 until withdrawal.

John

JASd17 wrote:The O1 63676 was based at Annesley from September 1951 until withdrawal.

Yes i had a feeling that the 2nd photo was taken somewhere on the G.C.R.?.

Below is a link to locos on Annesley shed-

http://www.annesleyfireman.com/id9.html

The signal is a Great Northern Rly "Somersault" on a lattice post.

I think it was the other signal, in the background on a much shorter post and on the other running line, which was being referred to, Mick.

That's right, jwalleans. It's not overly clear in the photo, but for some reason I'm leaning towards it being a midland post.

giner wrote:That's right, jwalleans. It's not overly clear in the photo, but for some reason I'm leaning towards it being a midland post.

Obviously the angle of the photograph isn't the view of the signal that the driver would see as he approached those 2 signals head on and being mounted on a small post with a countryside background behind them doesn't help matters much either, they're a bit hard to see and quite frankly both signals would have benifited with 'white sighting boards' placed behind one or both of the arms?.

Either a sighting board(s) or a taller post with a sky background?.

Those 2 upper quadrant signals could be mounted on a Midland Railway post but i find it hard to tell with the distance from the signals from where the photograph was taken.

manna wrote:G'Day Gents

For my two cents worth, in the first picture, I think this maybe a secondary route or even a fright line, the ballast is very fine, ash like, compare the ballast with the second pic, which I would say is a mainline location.

manna

Perhaps the ghost train?

Sutton Scarsdale area on the GCR?

I've been lurking on the board for some time, decided to join up. There's some very interesting stuff here.

As for the photos, no real idea why but the top one says Bestwood area of Nottingham where the GN line to Colwick via Leen Valley Junction and Daybrook splits from the link to the GC main line at Bulwell Common. It was quite rural there I think, much of the surrounding land now built over but the trackbed still mostly intact.
The lower one, no idea really, apart from the Tibshelf area of the GC perhaps?

Another long time lurker here who has decided to join!

I am sure the second picture was taken on the Nottingham side of Kirkby Bentinck station on GCR. The position of the footbridge and roadbridge correspond with the local pre 1960 map on the "Old Maps" site. The line to the left runs off to Bentinck Colliery.

Also the 1960 picture on the Kirkby Bentinck page on "Disused Stations" is a reverse view of the same location.

Hope this was of help.

Well done 67690, I think you have it spot on.

I was a bit sceptical when I looked at the 1:10000 map of the area, but on the 1:2500 for 1961 it shows those two large electricity poles by the line with wires that stop/start at that point, plus the footbridge across the line ahead of the road bridge.

And if you position your cursor on Streetview at the junction between Laburnham Avenue and Mill Lane, and look in between the gap in the houses, you can see one of those electricity poles, which is still there.

The first photo is an O4/7 on a coal train. Just a small number of steel minerals so probably early 1950's. By 1957 many of the coal trains were made up of a majority of steel minerals. Ballast very similar to the GN Derbyshire extension in the immediate post-war years. Although it could be the Leen Valley as suggested above, my guess would be the Pinxton branch possibly on the up approach to Newthorpe and Greasley station. If that were the case the distant on the double arm signal are would be Eastwood South's distant. The landscape fits as being in the Erewash Valley. The double arm post does look as though it is tubular although it is hard to be sure. If it is tubular, it would indicate possibly LMS origin (not sure if LNER ever used them in much later days but am doubtful) but this may still fit as the lines west of Basford came under the LMR from the early-mid 50's (I don't have the exact date of the regional transfer) and this may be recent replacement. Colwick certainly had a few O4/7s in the early 1950s - I particularly remember 63699. Of course in the final years the last survivor 63770 was at Colwick and much photo'd. I am away from home at the moment and I don't have access to my books and photos to check. Lovely photo.

I have very little to add with regard to the second photo - I think that seems to have been sorted.

Anyway - that's my take on it. I will check out some photos when I get back home and if I can, I'll confirm or refute the above.

Clem