Coronation Sidings

[ajax103]

Hi everybody,

Been a while but I hope someone here can answer a question that vexs both myself and a former ICEC driver formerly based at King's Cross many years ago.

Was the above called that because it was where the coronation sets were originally stabled or was it called that for some other reason?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Yes you are correct, it was a new shed built to stable the Coronation coach set. It can be seen in the background of this picture.

manna

[Mickey]

From a vague memory of just over 50 years ago I think 1L09 was a late morning departure from 'the cross' bound for Leeds. The picture possibly dates from around 1970-72 because Hornsey no.2s Up fast inner distant & Up slow distant signals are still both just visible beneath the Wood Green Up Box No.4 starting signals before they were abolished a long with Hornsey no.2 box in June 1973.

[manna]

G'Day Mickey

The Brush 4 is numbered 1573. Can't remember what time it was but it's a Pullman, you can see the blue and grey is reversed.

Taken from a ECS working, 28-12-1970.

manna

[Mickey]

Hi manna.

Brush 4 1573 was a regular in the Kings Cross area, I think? Nos 1500 to 1519 and maybe some higher number's than 1519 were always seen around the cross at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s.

I was going to say that picture looks like it was taken from a open window from inside Wood Green no.1 box but 1L09 hadn't passed the tall Wood Green no.1 signal gantry so it probably wasn't taken from the box window.

The old GN in 1970 still had some character left about it into the early 1970s before it was all swept away two or three years after the picture was taken

[Dave S]

Hi manna.

Brush 4 1573 was a regular in the Kings Cross area, I think? Nos 1500 to 1519 and maybe some higher number's than 1519 were always seen around the cross at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s.

1500-1519 were known as 'Generators' as some of the electrical gear was different to what followed. They were all shedded at Finsbury Park so that the maintenance staff understood them better (IIRC)

[Mickey]

Hi manna.

Brush 4 1573 was a regular in the Kings Cross area, I think? Nos 1500 to 1519 and maybe some higher number's than 1519 were always seen around the cross at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s.

1500-1519 were known as 'Generators' as some of the electrical gear was different to what followed. They were all shedded at Finsbury Park so that the maintenance staff understood them better (IIRC)

Those early 1500 series Brush 4s were always to be seen around the southern end of the GN in the 1969-74 era to the point of them becoming boring to keep seeing them everyday!.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Never got boring climbing on any loco, D1500, was my pet.

manna

[Mickey]

Never got boring climbing on any loco, D1500, was my pet.

I always liked the cabs of the Brush 2s but some of the Brush 4s (class 47s) and some of class 46 'peaks'' cos Finsbury Park had a few in the early/mid 1970s for the Cambridge workings and the few remaining EE type 4s (class 40s) could be a bit grubby with an ever present 'oily smell' about them.