The LNER Encyclopedia

Over the Christmas holiday period a relative of mine showed me one of his "railway related" poems.
It was one of his favourite haunts in steam days, anyone have any memories of this place?

Not too keen on the poem tbh. Spent many happy hours at the Vik watching 'Windcutters' trundle through behind 01s,04s, Ozzies, 2-10-0s etc. The 'Fish' was a must (see separate thread). Caught the very last of the A3s on the 'Master Cutler' and later the Brits on the semi fasts when they were transfered over from the LM. Hazy memory of 'Alcazar' on a diverted Yorkshire Pullman circa 1956. 'Silver Link' and 'Woodcock' on Specials. Various Bullied Pacifics in the very final days of steam. A gleaming red 'City of Nottingham' in 1964(?) - 60847 without nameplates on stand by. Other v2s of course and 'Directors' plus the wonderful 4-6-2 tanks on the Grantham run.
Amongst those missed - 60103 running in after a service on a Derby Friargate local; 'Happy Knight' on its unsuccessful trials at Annesley; 30925 - even though it hung around for a week; But very late in the steam days peering over the wall by Cripps Garage to check the black smoke belching into the sky and seeing 60112 on the Marylebone newspaper empties.

In the late 1950s I used Nottingham Victoria everyday on my way to and from school in Nottingham as I lived in East Leake. To me, barely 10 years old at the time, it was an awesome place, huge and at times quite eerie.

It had a very good Smiths bookstall, from which my parents, who also used the station everyday, often bought magazines and books.

I remember often seeing the up Master Cutler, usually V2 hauled, the trains I used generally had B1s. I can remember D11s (Marne and Jutland in particular I think) and J11s as well as 04s together with many LNER and some BR classes.

There are some photos taken by my later father on my flickr site at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidwf200 ... 554560373/ and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidwf200 ... 170248915/

I have a lot more to add when I get them sorted out and indexed.

David

Have you seen this aerial view of Nottingham Vic. from June 1925?
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw013017
There are at least two locos visible at each end, though not at sufficiently good resollution to be identifiable. If you register on the site you can zoom in on the photos, leave comments and read other people's.

I completely agree about the atmosphere of the place. We sometimes went that way home from Grantham. The approach from Weekday Cross through the smoke-laden tunnels was all part of the build-up to being delivered into a huge, cavernous train shed. By 1963/64, being pretty much deserted, it seemed all the more ghostly. The multiple tracks and platforms, lower quadrant signals on gantries across the platforms, unused barrows and closed facilities all pointers to departed glory. We went up to the booking hall at least once. I seem to remember that it was expansive too with a large number of ticket windows, though only one was needed by then.

On the same site there's a shot of Leicester Central on 10/6/1927 with what could be a GC Atlantic on a train in one of the north-end bay platforms:
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw018430