Kings Cross

[hyperion]

Well, Strang Steel, since I've looked my memoirs out again, thanks to this forum, I'm trying once again to put them into some kind of publishable order, it's something I've had little goes at now and again over recent years but never settle to it. As to the use for modellers, I have a job to remember just how things lay at that time. When I go up to Kings Cross in today's trains I try to see below the blocks of flats and houses on Clarence Yard and Holloway Carriage sidings and the cattle dock etc. try to place Finsbury Park and Western carriage sidings etc. and of course what they've done to Kings Cross itself, both sides, platform 0 on the 'Arrival' eastside, where we used to go 'down the hole' - blocked up ! - and especially where the old 'Passenger Loco' and 'Milk Yard' stood, on the west side where they intend to join us to St.Pancras - all mind boggling. In fact some of the memories which are posted here bring back the old scenes, but I'm amazed that some, who must have been colleagues at the same time or soon after mine, remember so much more than I can now put together, not only at the London end but out in 'arfordshire as well.

N.H.

[52D]

Apparently today i have been working in an area that was once Sir Nigels office but there is nothing but an empty shell now. The chap who i was working with has showed me some of the WW2 damage and generally talked about history.
He was intrigued by the nearby building that is now the German Gym. He has had a few explanations about its original use that dont ring true and asked me if i could find anything out.
Was this building originally for a Baltic Trading House like the Hanseatic league as the inside rooms are cavernous and barn like.

[ROY@34F]

hi.i'm quite new to this cmputer thing,but have found this site fascinating.i was afireman at grantham'57 to 63,when grantham shed closed;BUT iwas on loan to top shed dec.58 to dec.60,and remember jack looty foreman at top shed at the time.quite a terse character as i recall,originated from hull or grimsby,i believe.i once did similar thing to"hypirion" making a movenent on my own on an engine.with driver larry goddard ,we relieved an A4 crew in the cross,larry cleared off to the snack bar,told me to take the engine to the end of the platform if the empty coaches were taken away from behind us..they went,i did that..and soon the dolly came off to reverse up to belle isle,accross to the spur,and then forward to top shed,and onto the turntable.going up to the spur,then levelling out and going downhill slightly towards buffers,especially a big engine like an A4,mean't good control of the regulator and brake;...but i did myself proud,including turning the engine.but where the hell was larry? ican't remember.it was just another day!!on another occasion again with larry,on night shift in holloway carriage sidings,larry cleared off for a couple of hours,again!!i reckon he had a bit on the side in that snack bar just outside kx..so i'm left on my own again doing the shunting.ok, it was'nt hectic,and i enjoyed it of course,being only about 18 or 19 at the time.well hope you guys find my small contribution interesting.

[hyperion]

Yeh but Roy@34F you were in a real engine, 'struth an A4, and all the way to top shed ! My trip was in and out of Gasworks with a litle old Baby Brush diesel. What were you shunting with that night ?

[StevieG]

Certainly appreciated ROY, and welcome.
Reminds me of once when, about 16, and only a 'visitor', a signalman in a country-ish Box with a moderately busy level crossing (not in the 'dark blue' Region), left me alone one Sunday evening 'just for a few minutes' to go to the hostelry about 70 yards away. There were about five trains during the two hours, no problem, not worried ; But, even though I knew he was not far away in case of need, boy did I hope that no 'phones rang !

[hq1hitchin]

Welcome Roy - always lovely to read real footplate experiences. Not at Kings Cross, but a Kings Cross man at Hitchin on this occasion. Roy 'Codsmouth' Williams - who perhaps you knew - had left his Class 31 on the arrival road in the Up Yard with secondman on board, whilst he walked across to Hitchin Loco to buy cheap Cornflakes from the foreman - some tie in with Kelloggs traffic at Marshmoor, think they might have been damaged cartons etc. - when Ernie 'Duff' Cooper, Hitchin guard and acting shunter that evening, decided he didn't want the engine left there so asked the young secondman to shift it, which he obligingly did by taking it round the back of the Up platform. When Roy came back he was initially surprised to see his engine missing but then got quite angry - the secondman had only been on the job a week. Not a lot Roy could say about it really, though...

[Mickey]

Deleted

[strang steel]

hi.i'm quite new to this cmputer thing,but have found this site fascinating.i was afireman at grantham'57 to 63,when grantham shed closed;

That is excellent Roy.

When you have an hour or so to spare, could you read through the "Returning To Grantham" thread and let us know if we are getting things right with our nostalgic memories and recollections? Especially so, if you ever fired a 9F from there.

John

[52D]

Come on you GNR men one of you must know the origins of the building that is now the German Gym. I have looked at it externally as well as internally and think its a very fine building. Im interested because of a chap on the Kings Cross building site has asked me what i know about it and had to confess nothing so i am hoping one of you will enlighten me so i can pass on the info.

[hyperion]

Well, 52D, to my shame and after all these years I didn't know of this "small but handsome and historic building." That's a quote from the internet on the 'German Gym' because it's all on there. It was built 1864-5 for the German Gymnastics Society and known as 'Die Turnhalle', paid for entirely by contributions from the German society in London. And there is much more. I suppose until they rebuilt all this we wouldn't really think about it, it stands somewhat south of Kings Cross station proper, doesn't it ? Anyway that's my excuse - and I can't wait for my next trip to town to have a look at it.

As for Sir Nigel's 'chambers' I've always thought they were in the long east-west room at the extreme southwest corner of the station buildings, first floor, overlooking today's concourse and Travel Centre, where the TEB was, and I used to approach the three short steps up into that hallowed spot at the end of the corridor with suitable reverence - especially if I had to do 12 hours in there !

[ROY@34F]

following my post of aug.24: thanks for the kind comments gents. in reply to hyperion,the engine was a class n2,met tank..i was often on that job,usually with driver brazzaggi (not sure of spelling). he seemed to be always on that job on nights.maybe off the "main line" due to health/eyesight...not sure,but at grantham we had an "old mans link"with 5 or 6 jobs in it,goods shunt,passenger shunt "pilot" ,generally within "station limits",though i think they had one job on days up the stainby branch,4 miles up the main line!! however ,i'm drifting a little from KX...on the night in question larry goddard must have had faith in me to leave me to it while he persued his"dalliances"...in reply to strang steel :yes,i do follow the "return to grantham"thread.the knowledge/info those chaps come up with,and the research they do is phenomenal,very commendable,and they know more about the job than i did at the time,let alone could remember!! though there are one or two occasions,usually assumptions,where i smile to myself,and wander,but don't feel i can argue really...as for fireing a 9F,yes i have ,but only once or twice,i think..with a KX driver.i remember a trip on one , ferme park to .new england .and on another day the other way round. ..a little story: on a ba llast train at harringhay, one sunday, my leather lunch bag,(which were all the go at that time, from the army and navy shops), was in the cupboard on the tender front (9F).. when i opened the cupboard, my bag had shrivelled up..like shrink wrap around my lunch tin!! it turned out the pipe to the tender water sprinkler went through the cupboard, and had sprung a leak!! in the cupboard of all places!! i think i got my snap tin out,but can't remember if my sambos' were eatable. ah well, it was just another day. regards, roy.

[StevieG]

" .... the 'German Gym' .... it stands somewhat south of Kings Cross station proper, doesn't it ? "

It actually stands about 120 yards west of the ent./exit of 'the suburban' (Plats. 9-11) part of King's Cross terminus, at the east side of Pancras Road (adjacent to the remaining portion of the also historic in their way, 'Stanley Buildings'), opposite the north end of St. Pancras' 'Barlow' train shed/the modern west side entrance of St.P International station.
Up to a few weeks ago, and perhaps still, it houses what I believe is a display/exhibition of the development proposals under way and planned for the whole KX/St.Panc. 'Railway Lands' area : -
- Open to the public, but the hours are slightly restricted, something like 10:00 - 16:00 or similar, possibly also closed for lunch : Not much good to those interested who pass through the stations but work full-time office hours.

[manna]

G'Day Gents
The 'German Gym' ? never heard of it until I read about it on this forum, although I've probably fell over it a few times on nights!! did'nt go round there much, except to park the car! did it back onto the cobblestone road that ran at the back of the 'Milk Dock' ??? if so I did back my car into it one day when I was doing a 3 point turn, I had a Mk3 Zephyr, with the big 'fins' and one of them just touched the wall, and broke the glass brake light!

There was also a staff car park, just outside the suburban station, some of it undercover,(always full) and just inside the doorway there was a 1940's style beige Rover, must have been there for years, I know I never saw it move, and was still there when I left the railways, Was it Sir Nigels??????????

manna

[Hermit 109]

The car park you remember was called Punters garage and rumours have it that Jimmy Saville used to doss down there in the early days. This thread has been an interesting read for me as an ex King's Cross footplateman and I can remember Les Henderson well, he was a junior driver when I started at top shed. Referring to the early morning departures, we used to work the 02.00 paper train to Grantham in the late 60's, put the train away in the down yard and pick up empty passenger stock (much resented by Grantham men) and work empty to Lincoln St Marks where we ran round the train and formed 07.35 (I think) direct service back to London, always with a class 47. When I started at top shed, the junior link for firemen was the "Bottom Bunk". This was the small brick hut between the turntable and coal tower. It was manned by three shifts of medically restricted drivers and their job was to move the loco's coming on shed under the coal tower, coal the loco, then take it onto the disposal pits after dropping off the tools at the stage outside the stores. After the fires had been dropped, the loco's would then be moved to their allocated place in the loco yard or shed. We young firemen would more often than not do most of these movements on our own (with our driver's blessing), which of course we relished, particularly as most of the loco's were Gresley pacifics and the occasional Peppercorn or Thompson. When I think back, it was quite a responsibility on young shoulders moving loco's on our own, off the disposal pits with barely enough steam to create a vacuum, down to the outlet signal at Goods & Mineral, the back into the depot. Never heard of any mishaps though, and it allowed me to say truthfully that I have driven Mallard, albeit only on shed. Got some old black and white photos of those day's somewhere. After I came out of the top link and passed as a driver in 1973, I can remember working on the first engineers trains at the beginning of electrification. worried about possible redundancy I transferred to Waterloo in 1974 and began a whole new career, but I remember my King's Cross day's with affection. Incidently, if anyone out there reading this knows why New England crews were given the nickname "Bungits" I'd love to know.

[ROY@34F]

In reply to Hermit 109; I too remember the "engine movements"job,as I called them ,at top shed.I was on loan there dec.'58 to dec.'60.not the same time as you by any chance?? One of the old Drivers was Sid? Tappin I recall,can't just think of any others at the moment.One of the young firemen,the same seniority as me, was Harry Newberry.I would be interested to know if we're talking of the same period.