The LNER Encyclopedia

Hello everyone. May I wish you all a very productive, peaceful and happy Festive Season.
Folk may or may not be aware that on the top of the 'famous wall' at the south end of Retford Station P1 (where loads of lads used to gather I'm told) there are still many 'engravings' presumably made by lads of the time. I have yet to climb on the wall and make a full study (would the station staff allow an old f**t to do this anyway?) Nevertheless, I think it needs to be done before any station 'improvement' occurs! (Is this REALLY too sad to be worth it?)
My proper questions are, are there 'equivalent' markings elsewhere on the good old ECML and area that anyone knows of? Also, the Retford archive; has anyone ever made a record of these remaining historic marks or perhaps you are or know someone who made their' mark'?
36E (GN)

On a simular theme is the concrete purpose built 'spotting vantage platform' just to the north of FINSBURY PARK station on the up side of the main line over looking all running lines up & down. I can remember standing at this spotting vantage platform as early as 1964 hoping to see a 'streak' (i didn't know what the locomotives were called at the time as i was only seven years old but they were of course Gresley A4s) and looking up the line towards Finsbury Park station and seeing Finsbury Park nos.5 & 6 s/boxes, also the line rising on brick arches from Finsbury Park no.5 s/box and going over a flyover towards Finsbury Park no.7 s/box and onwards towards Stroud Green but after about 10 or 15 minutes i went home after not seeing any steam trains!. That concrete spotting vantage platform is still there to this day.

Re the submission from "Mallard". I was one of the many lads who used to sit on the wall at Retford between 1946 and 1951 and, yes, there were many initials carved at the time. I do not live there now but on a visit, some years ago, I did have look for them.
As far as I could see they were untouched and I suspect they will still be there as I was in Retford a few months ago and not much seems to have happened since. It was a superb place for spotting, the engines stopped right at that point and the water bowser was there too. This was frequently set off by a mischievous lad much to the annoyance of the station staff and the fireman if he was about to use it. The through trains had to slow down at Retford because of the East coast crossing but the "stoppers" included Mallard and a host of others. Happy days!