LNER k4 area of operations

[jimmysbow]

Hello

Can anyone help me with the following please:-

When the K4's were moved away from the West Highland Line later in their careers did they ever work in the borders area or the Waverley Route? I have seen a reference to them having to have worked to Tweedmouth, is this correct?

Thanks in advance
John

[Greedy Boards]

Hi John

a quick check of Yeadon's Volume Eight, Gresley K3 & K4 Classes highlights that they operated out of Thornton Junction after Eastfield and the West Highland line.

Sorry that I can't provide any further info.

Regards

Greedy Boards

[52D]

Have K1, K2 & K3 pics at Tweedmouth plus Great Marquis in preservation watch this space im looking. From the top K2 4702, K3 61952 & K1 62006

[52D]

Im doing a bit of surmising but there was one set of workings which brought unusual locos to 52D and that was the annual seed potato trains from Mid Scotland to East Anglia, If the Clans could be seen on these trains I suppose its not impossible for a Thornton K4 to have worked in.

[Dixie]

I cannot add to the comments about the workings of the K4s. However I was interested in the photo of No 4702 at Tweedmouth. Do you know when it was taken and who has the copyright? This shed and the surrounding area is of particular interest to me. Currently building a live steam model of the K1/1 in gauge 1 - it was too challenging to build a three cylinder K4! Info on this, whether as No 3445 or 61997 would also be of interest.

[52D]

Dixie I don't have exact date or photographer but the K2 is one of a batch Gresley sent to Scotland as mentioned in the Loco section on here. They performed similar duties to the K3s and V2s on freight between Edinburgh and Tyneside, I have another pic somewhere in my collection. They also worked in off the St Boswells line occasionally.

[jimmysbow]

Hello

Thanks for taking the time to reply, much useful info.

Kind Regards

John

[rockinjohn]

Hi bit late entering this subject but we had a K4 in the Eastern Region mid' 50's for a little while, I just cant remember whether I sighted it in the Kings Cross or Liverpool Street/Stratford Area(maybe both) but I remember clearly 61997 because of the Name Plate,hope this helps.

[silverfox]

Rockingjohn

You may have solved a problem, and at the same time i may well add to it

In the period 1954-1962 the nearest line to the house was the Lea Valley line and Picketts Lock Box. ( Lower Edmonton was slightly nearer but the variety wasn't as great!!!)

One day i saw through the trees on the east side of the line from Picketts lock Lane a freight heading north The number was 61994!!! I was on my own so no confirmation
Which begs the question Could there hsave been 2?
Reading my mates locshed book it did occur to me that it may well have been a misread for 61894, but IIRC that was also a northern based loco. All my books are in the loft at present but if anyone has Yeadons K3 book perhaps they could look up the history Luckily i did catch up with it in preservation. At least the other doubtful ( to many London based people) was the sighting of 60004 at Wood Green.It was summer either 60 or 61( the Lizzie was still steam st I had cycled over the Ally Pally and on descending the hill saw an A4 heading North. Too far away to get the number ,but on reaching wood Green Station there was a small boy and his mum collecting numbers. She had written it down as 60004, so i had no need to doubt her honesty and claimed it. I did contact willie and Tommy Know but both could not find 100% proof So if anyone out there knows different.........

Another what could have been moment was when the Lizzie was running 60027 had been the 64B regular and was due down that afternoon, Only it went north at lunchtime on the Heart .It was the only time we ventured over to the water beds on the west of the line, Confusion was rife, what would be on the southbound,what happened? rumours went around it would be 4 or 12 or 31 rather rare visitors at the time mostly it was 9/11/24/27
At 15.50 Wood Green Stn was packed with schoolkids and 33 rolled through on time!!
So another question. What was the story behind this? Does the book 'What was on the Non Stop' have anything?

[rockinjohn]

Hi Silver Fox 61997 was the Thompson rebuild & the prototype of the K1's,which would have made it quite @home on the GE summer Saturdays saw Stratford pushed for locos (31B) allocated members could be found on the Clactons quite regularly &early '50's on the Southends, not I think post'56,only ever saw one(1)class member also a (31B) allocation in the Kings Cross Goods Yard.

[harvester]

Silverfox I liked your story about waiting in anticipation for the replacement engine on the Elizabethan , if it helps I remember seeing 60004 on shed at Doncaster early 1961 (March/April ?) so maybe used for a up working to Kings Cross .

[silverfox]

As our school was on the corner of Bounds Green Road and Green Lanes ( for the LT trolley buffs on here it was a novelty seeing 1521 regularly on the 521) Wood green was within spitting distance through the gardens under the Palce Gates Branch and the onto Station Road dinner time was from 12.15 to 13.40 so 5min e/w gave us a fair bit of time there. If anyone can recall the public footbridge ( now long gone) at the south end , the underside of which we could get to and shelter out of the rain. as it rose up from Station Road That was the time one of the station staff was nicknamed 'Thunderguts, as he spotted us huddled under there from the down Hertford platforms and his voice was heard over a passing train 'to get the hell out from there you are trespassing' which we duly did.
The weather problem was overcome by the getting a half return to Hornsey, bunking the shed, and returning back keeping warm in that lovely waiting room on the down platforms in winter. Once the Ticket office chaps got to know us we saved money by getting a platform ticket, and if Thunderguts was not on duty , getting in for free!! The old guy was very exact in us staying for no more that the allotted hour! I well recall sliding along the length of the seat on seeing 60086 go through on the 1.20 before heading back to school.Then returning by 15.50 and doing homework on the platform before getting on the 233 back to Tottenham high Road and the trolley to Edmonton. I can thank LT for putting double deckers on the route as that is how i copped 60527 seeing it go through at about 17.30 one day
Re the Hornsey Trips, after school we decided to get Pacific 'insect haulage' by getting a 10d half return to KX and getting the service that was Pacific hauled with first stop Finsbury Park . Oh for a time machine to go back and find my spotting books!

Harvester

It might well have been the Easter Hols instead of summer 60 years is a long time ago!! so there could be legs on this!!

[rockinjohn]

Hi Silverfox you forgot 954&1379 living near the "Nags Head"they also were regulars &"special".jj