A rainy Sunday at Biggleswade 1970

[Mickey]

The third and last Sunday return journey between WGC & Huntingdon back in 1970.

I caught the same train as on the previous two Sunday trips before this one from WGC with the train arriving and departing WGC sometime around 8:50 am again hauled by a blue livered Brush type 2 (class 31) hauling a relatively empty rake of about 8 or 9 blue/grey B.R.Mk.1s. The Sunday was dry but a bit overcast all day anyway after departing WGC this train stopped at Stevenage (old station) Hitchin, Biggleswade, Sandy, St Neots & Huntingdon which it arrived at a short time after 10:00 am and 55 years on I can't recall if this train terminated at Huntingdon and continued on forward as a passenger train or as ECS (Empty Caching stock) to Peterborough because Huntingdon North no.2 s/box located north of Huntingdon station box was closed which would have probably caused this train to go beyond Huntingdon.

From memory this train was 'stopped dead' outside Hitchin on the Down fast line at the Hitchin South outer home signal that was carried on a medium size straight GNR/LNER concrete post where we stood for several minutes (my head was out of the carriage door open window looking along the line ahead) after which this semaphore signal was 'cleared' along with the next signal the Hitchin South inner home signal that had the junction arm 'cleared' for the 'turn in' off the Down fast line and onto the Down slow line at Hitchin South box and along the Down slow line and on into the platform where we stopped for several minutes. With platform duties completed at Hitchin the driver got the 'right away' from the guard and the train was 'turned out' onto the Down fast line again at Hitchin Yard box and we slowly passed Cambridge Junction s/box while gathering speed before entering the GNR 'Racing grounds' north of Hitchin on the Down fast line heading towards Three Counties & Arlesey s/boxes and beyond into the county of Bedfordshire.

Sometime a little after 10:00 am the train arrived at Huntingdon station although 55 years on since that Sunday I can't recall if the train was still on the Down fast line when arriving at Huntingdon station or before it reached Huntingdon it had been 'turned in' off the Down fast line and onto the Down slow line after departing Sandy(?) anyway either way I got off the train and then pretty much remained on the Down side platforms for virtually all of that Sunday from a little after 10:00 am until sometime around 5:30 pm when the next all stations stopping train a x2 car Cravens unit departed Huntingdon for Hitchin and during all that time none of the railway staff on duty at the station bothered me unlike what would be the case today I assume?. Huntingdon station back in 1970 had one Up line platform and two Down line platforms with one platform face on the Down fast line and the other platform face on the Down slow line. The Up side of Huntingdon station was where the main entrance/exit from the station was located along with the station booking office (or ticket office) and was also where the station staff were located along with the station waiting room and probably station toilets, and the Down platforms also had several buildings including a waiting room and maybe toilets as well. Huntingdon station had a bit more activity about it compared to both Sandy or Biggleswade stations that were both pretty much devoid of any life on a Sunday back in 1970 and this was no doubt because several main line expresses on both the Up & Down lines called at Huntingdon throughout that Sunday.

The signalling at Huntingdon was controlled by two signal boxes of different designs with one box being situated to the south of Huntingdon station and a second box being situated to the north of Huntingdon station with both these boxes being located on the Up side of the running lines. Huntingdon North no.1 box was situated a few hundred yards off the south end of the station and was 'the main box' which appeared to be open continuously with Huntingdon North no.2 box being situated several hundred yards off the north end of the station and appeared to be 'switched out' during the Sunday that I was on the platform. Huntingdon North no.1 was of a mainly wooden construction with a gable roof and was painted in a all over 'off white' colour although the window frames may have been picked out in black but I am not sure of that 55 years on(?) and and I am guessing this box was opened either in the 1890s or early 1900s by the GNR. Huntingdon North no.2 was I am guessing the older of the two Huntingdon boxes and was similar in design to several other earlier GNR signal boxes such as Baldock on the Hitchin-Cambridge branch and also similar to Arlesey and Sandy with all these boxes having 'curved wooden window frames over the top of the glass' which gave them an attractive look also the bottom half of Huntingdon North no.2 was constructed of brick with the upper half of the box being constructed of wood along with the wooden window frames and topped off with a gable roof with an ornate barge board at either end of the gable roof.

The Huntingdon North No.1 Down fast line home signal & Down fast to Down slow line semaphores.

An oddity at Huntingdon North no.1 was the Down fast line home signal that was carried on a tall bracket signal post along with the Down fast to Down slow line home signal as well. Firstly this signal along with its tall bracket signal post and left-hand doll that carried the Down fast to Down slow line home signal was sighted 'to the right' of the Down fast line with the signal post situated between the Up & Down fast lines and secondly even though beneath the Down fast line home was the Huntingdon North no.2 box distant signal no distant signal was beneath the Down fast to Down slow home signal with the next Down slow line stop signal being sighted just off the north end of the Down slow line platform and worked by Huntingdon North no.2 box so I am guessing that maybe the Down slow line 'platform starter' at the north end of the platform was maybe 'slotted' between both boxes so when Huntingdon North no.2 was 'switched out' Huntingdon North no.1 possibly had control and could work that signal if a train needed to be held in the Down slow line platform for some reason anyway that is just supposition on my part?.

A funny sight was seen by myself during the Sunday afternoon while I was standing on the Down side platforms when during another 'long gap' between any traffic the signalman in Huntingdon North no.1 box was seen descending the box staircase carrying a bucket where he stopped at the bottom of the staircase where his car was parked up and he then proceeded to 'wash his car' which was only interrupted several minutes later when he was seen dashing back up the staircase and back into the box and then moments later both the semaphore signals on the Down fast line which included Huntingdon no.1s home signal and Huntingdon's no.2 distant signal (beneath) both 'came off' to the 'clear' position for an approaching Down express that 4 or 5 minutes later would appear and rush through the station either hauled by a blue livered Deltic or a blue livered Brush type 4 hauling a rake of 11 or 12 B.R.Mk.2s by which time the signalman was again seen by myself descending the box staircase to carry on washing his car!.

As the Sunday afternoon wore on I was again hungry and was starting to look forward to my train back to Hitchin at around 5:30 pm that Sunday tea-time. The train service on a Sunday north of Hitchin back in 1970 with trains calling at Biggleswade, Sandy & St Neots in particular was very sparse with on the Up road the first train being I believe a all stations 'stopper' worked by a x2 car Cravens unit between Huntingdon to Hitchin and departing Huntingdon around 8:30 am on a Sunday morning with the next all stations service being worked by another x2 car Cravens unit departing Huntingdon to Hitchin around 5:30 pm on a Sunday tea-time although considering the large gap in the service between 8:30 am & 5:30 pm the next all stations service between Huntingdon to Hitchin again worked by a x2 car Cravens unit departed Huntingdon about 30 minutes later around 6:00 pm?. Also I think maybe a later service was run by another x2 car Cravens unit between Huntingdon to Hitchin around 8:00 pm on the Sunday evening?. On the Down road was the loco hauled service from Kings Cross that departed 'the cross' sometime around 8:25 am and called at Welwyn Garden City at about 8:50 am and after stopping at Stevenage (old station a mile north of the current station) arrived and departed Hitchin around 9:20-9:25 am and then called all stations at Biggleswade, Sandy. St Neots & Huntingdon arriving at Huntingdon sometime a little after 10:00 am and as I previously posted I am not sure if this particular train terminated at Huntingdon or went through to Peterborough?. The next two trains from Hitchin to Huntingdon stopping at all stations was again worked by a x2 car Cravens unit departing Hitchin around 6:00 pm and a second x2 car Cravens unit departing Hitchin around 8:00 pm for Huntingdon and that was the Sunday service north of Hitchin with trains stopping at all stations to Huntingdon back 1970.

Anyway eventually the time ticked on to 5:00 pm and nearly time to go home for my Sunday dinner!. From vague memory the train back to Hitchin was the usual x2 car Cravens unit and departed Huntingdon sometime around 5:30 pm which took me half-way home to Welwyn Garden City because I would still need to change at Hitchin for a London bound train that stopped at Welwyn Garden City.

The Sunday that I spent at Huntingdon station 55 years ago back in 1970 from a railway point of view was interesting for me to be on the station and just watching the few trains all expresses either Deltic or Brush type 4 hauled that sped through the station during that Sunday although as I previously said a couple of main line expresses also stopped at Huntingdon in both directions during that Sunday and also to watch the signalling which was of interest to me in particular back then. A fourth and final Sunday trip riding the same train that originated from Kings Cross and which I would have rode between Welwyn Garden City & St Neots the station in between Sandy & Huntingdon never took place because from memory it was actually quite an exhausting day being out for some 11-12 hours at a time and not eating or drinking anything all day and also to be standing on a station platform for maybe up to 8-hours straight!. Still thinking back 55 years ago when I was a young teenager then and I just lived for 'railways' 24/7 I am glad I took the trouble to visit Biggleswade, Sandy & Huntingdon stations on those three separate Sundays back in 1970.