Returning to Grantham

[stembok]

61070: another social history goldmine. The footballer may be Denis Law, given the date, as he signed for Manchester United in July 1962. George Best was still to come. Also one can see evidence of an approaching General Election (Oct) in the 1964 picture, with mention of Jo Grimond the Liberal leader. Incidentally, Jo Grimond as MP for Orkney& Shetland was a frequent traveller on the ECML and reputedly always tried to secure sleeper berths in a coach riding on Gresley bogies for their superior ride. Other features show the debate on the first firm statistical links between smoking and cancer, very much in the news at that time.

[StevieG]

A newspaper seller on the track in the station, and possibly in no hurry??
How times have changed.

Nowadays in most cases, a suitably trained, qualified and certificated railway person needs a legitimate, justifiable reason, planned, documented, and probably some sort of protection arranged, to even be in such a spot.

[61070]

Yes, times have changed indeed. I think the railway, at least in station areas, was a far more 'sensory' environment back then. You had semaphore signals that could be 'read' from the rear (in daylight, at least), sounds such as moving signal wires, point rodding and block bells that warned you that a train might soon be approaching. And there were many more pairs of ears and eyes around than there are today. For example, the main lines at this point were in clear view from both the North and the Yard 'boxes. However, as we all know, the railway has, on numerous occasions, shown no mercy to the unwary or momentarily careless - ever since Huskisson.

[manna]

G'Day Gents
Many thanks to 61070 for sharing his and his fathers photo's with us, they are a wonderfull glimpse onto the end of the steam era on the ECML, but have you any pics of the older GN loco's that may have still been around at that time, I know there would'nt have been many, Hummm, pretty please!!
manna

[61070]

Hello there manna. Our first visit to Grantham (from Leicester, where I grew up) was in late summer 1961. According to the allocation lists I've seen there would have been a few N2s around at that time, although I don't remember seeing them and unfortunately none were recorded on film by my father. I think we were just too late for anything older. Our visits really began in earnest in spring 1962, and by then I think the only GN-derived engines at the shed were O2s, and A3s, both classes being of late GN origin but mostly built - or ordered - by the LNER and subsequently modified/reboilered by the LNER/BR. There aren't very many O2 pictures, but I will look them out for you and put them up soon. Thanks for the request.

[manna]

G'Day Gents
Thanks for that 61070, I did'nt think you would have many, so many had gone by 60/61, BR certainly cleared up the old GN loco's pretty early, thanks again
manna

[52D]

Shame on BR for clearing up the GNR stuff, happier circumstances prevailed on the ex NER lines where the good old J27s, J72s and Q6s soldiered on till the end. They outlasted Gresleys attempt to build a modern uncomplicated 0-6-0 by a few years.
I wonder with hindsight should the great man have perpetuated an updated J27 as an all lines 0-6-0 instead of building J38/39s.

[61070]

April's here so we could be in for some sunshine and showers. The weather at Grantham on 18th April 1963 turned out to be typically seasonal. These seven photos were all taken that afternoon and, though not consecutive, are in chronological order.

1. The first picture is from the steps leading to the footbridge on platform 2, probably just after arriving. What an adventure that train journey's going to be! Puddles remain from a recent splash of rain.

2. Wild Swan puts in an appearance, glistening in the sunshine.

3. The older man seated on the barrow with hammer and spanner, the tools of his trade, is Carriage & Wagon Examiner Charlie Wallbanks. The young man, with the oil can and spanner, is Tony Stevens, an Oiler - a grade below Examiner.

4. Fortunately the camera is not put away when the skies darken, but we retreat to the shelter of the covered area of the platform. Raindrops are almost bouncing off the platform as WD 90180 of Immingham (40B) trundles through from High Dyke with ironstone. Note the evaporation rising from the top of its hot smokebox.

Continued …

[61070]

5. Before long the afternoon sunshine reappears. Here is Tony Stevens again, now in the Carriage & Wagon Examiners’ cabin at the south end of the down platform. Dad would have taken this picture because he was attracted by the backlighting, and the challenge of getting a well balanced exposure with detail in both light and dark areas.

6. King's Courier stops by on platform 5 with a northbound express freight, the low sun reflecting with a nice lustre from its grimy smokebox door. A Doncaster (36A) engine at the time, 60144 had been allocated to Grantham in the 1950s when it was, for a time, the regular locomotive of Fireman (later Driver) Roy Veasey and his mate. Roy has an amazing memory for the names of men who worked from Grantham shed during his time, and he has helped with the identification of many of the people in my father's pictures.

7. One of the final photographs of the day was this 'Still Life with Window and Shunter's Gloves and Lamp'.

Some O2s soon...

[StevieG]

My turn .....
May I say 61070, I have not enjoyed anyone else's series of evocative internet/forum photos of "the way 'we' (our railway) were" (was), as much as yours.

This is turning into an excellent picture-art gallery for railway lovers ; and/or vice versa.

[AndyRush]

Absolutely stunning images, excellent captions

Andy

[brsince78]

My turn .....
May I say 61070, I have not enjoyed anyone else's series of evocative internet/forum photos of "the way 'we' (our railway) were" (was), as much as yours.

This is turning into an excellent picture-art gallery for railway lovers ; and/or vice versa.

Seconded..... please keep them coming.....

[manna]

G'Day Gents
Wonderful and O2's to come? the WD in the rain 'ab. fab' it makes it look almost 'CLEAN' can almost 'SMELL' it!!
manna

[61070]

Thanks very much. I'm really enjoying sharing them, in particular because of the varied comments that are coming in - which often suggest themes for other short series. In fact I'm indebted to the expertise and knowledge of members of this forum who have previously enabled me, amongst other things, to date most of the pictures (especially the slides, which were nearly all undated).

The recollection by giner of working on 'The Statist' and 'The Lady' set me off on a little research trail because, though I'd seen these publications' titles on the slide, I'd never given a thought before to what they might be about and who would have read them; it was an interesting excursion into the realm of, respectively, the so-called 'news weekly' market and 'Britain’s oldest weekly women’s magazine ... where the Royal household goes when in search of domestic staff.' Perhaps we were not only witnessing the final days of steam, but the end of an era in which you could rub shoulders with almost anyone on the platform of a railway station in a market town. I have to say that the Kunzle Cakes observation led to some particularly mouthwatering internet research.

Much detail is thereby added to my growing database of information about the pictures. As I've mentioned elsewhere, Grantham Museum has digital copies of them all as a social history record of the town's railway scene, and I send updates on the info from time to time. I've also been priveleged to meet some of the railwaymen who appear in the pictures, including one or two who remembered our visits of nearly 50 years ago.

I'm pleased to report that there are still a good number of photos to go at. As always new information, or simply comments and observations, are very welcome/encouraged. It will help to keep our minds off the dreaded 'E' word. Perhaps we in the UK should all spend the next four weeks away from it all in S. Australia, eh manna?

[giner]

The recollection by giner of working on 'The Statist' and 'The Lady' set me off on a little research trail because, though I'd seen these publications' titles on the slide, I'd never given a thought before to what they might be about and who would have read them; it was an interesting excursion into the realm of, respectively, the so-called 'news weekly' market and 'Britain’s oldest weekly women’s magazine ... where the Royal household goes when in search of domestic staff.' Perhaps we were not only witnessing the final days of steam, but the end of an era in which you could rub shoulders with almost anyone on the platform of a railway station in a market town. I have to say that the Kunzle Cakes observation led to some particularly mouthwatering internet research.

As far as The Statist and The Lady were concerned, it was indeed the passing of an era. We produced these pubs. in 'hot metal' or letterpress printing, a process that had hardly changed in 400 years, and The Statist was probably the Garden City Press' first foray into the emerging technology of filmsetting and, being a weekly, it certainly got a bit hairy at times.

On the subject of rubbing shoulders, I can remember running along the platform at Cambridge and stumbling over a suitcase. Imagine my surprise when I got the evil eye, and a considerable glare it was, from astronomer Patrick Moore. I suspect he thought he'd happened upon some alien form from one of his distant galaxies.