Location Question

[jwealleans]

I've been given permission to post this photograph of D49 368 from the collection of Owen Russell. He's interested to know the location which up to now no-one has been able to identify. Can anyone help?

Photograph remains Owen's copyright, not for further distribution please.

[Mickey]

The Puckeridge?. I don't know if it is connected but a small place in east Hertfordshire in GE territory is called Puckeridge?.

[WTTReprinter]

I doubt if it refers to Puckeridge village; the nearest railway was the Buntingford branch (Standon or Braughing)
It's possible it was a train for The Puckeridge Hunt, which covered large parts of Herts, Cambs & Essex.
I also notice the train appears to have been travelling 'Wrong line' and is returning to right line via a crossover, or is leaving a single line onto a double line.
Brian

[Hatfield Shed]

No 368 was named 'The Puckeridge' as scribbled on the print. So place at a discount any thoughts of a train for that Hunt, or a location in Hertfordshire. Most likely to be on its home ground on the NER section, surely?

[Mickey]

The s/box maybe NER although it's a bit hard to tell?. As for the signals I thought they were originally GER but they maybe NER on closer inspection?.

[jwealleans]

Thank you for your observations so far. The signal box has been tentatively identified as NER Central Division. 368 was a Neville Hill loco, which suggests a possible sphere of activity. We had already noted that the train appeared to be regaining the right line or taking a junction after running wrong road.

The leading carriage doesn't help as i don't recognise it as an LNER or constituent vehicle. To my eye it has an LNWR look about it.

[billbedford]

The first vehicle is an LNER Mail van to diagram 164 or 165. Most of these seemed to have been used in the NE area.

[PinzaC55]

The signals are definitely NER Central Division so that makes it probably Darlington area. The number of crossbars on the telegraph pole suggests a very important line so I think it's ECML prior to colour lights.

[jwealleans]

Thanks to everyone who contributed. I've now posted it onto RMWeb, so let's see what they come up with.

Edit - now positively identified as Darlington Springfield.