King's Cross in the 1960's

[Hermit 109]

While it's nice to reminisce about working premier trains to Newcastle, Leeds, York and so on, I can't but help remembering the early years also, when I reckon I spent more time wedged in a corner of a 350 shunter than I ever did on a Deltic. Although K.X goods had it's own shunt link, mainly single manned, we still found ourselves shunting Holloway Carriage Sidings, Ferme Park, Ashburton Grove, East Goods and so on. We had "provender' turns on 350's that involved circling between K.X Goods and Bounds Green picking up and dropping off goods wagons at every point. We took trains up the bank from Goods & Mineral to the Rowntrees depot above Copenhagen Tunnel (Ladykillers fame) and up to the North London from Goods & Mineral to take or collect wagons (token working). Who can remember the McFisheries depot at Finsbury Park? The up Aberdeen Fish train used to drop a couple of wagons off on the Up Goods about 4 in the morning, and we would pick them up and take them via Finsbury Pk No 2 into McFisheries siding. There was also the Clarence Yard shunt turn & not forgetting the two KX passenger station shunts as well. Then there were the empty stock workings in and out of K.X, where it took half a day to do a round trip to Bounds Green with sleeper empties and put the engine away.
All this work was done before I ever got near to working a passenger service, but it was a great insight into railway work at it's most basic and a great way to learn every nook and cranny and shunt signal in the London Area. Not all of K.X footplate work was glamour.

[JeffB]

Hi Hermit 109, I can remember going to McFisheries Depot at Finsbury Park, in the early 60s. As you say, the Aberdeen fish used to drop a couple of wagons off at East Goods yard, and the Grimsby fish dropped a couple off just after midnight. We went there twice a night at one time.
We also had a pilot job at Highbury Vale, outside Arsenals old football ground, sometimes doubling up and getting the refuse trains ready at Ashburton Grove.
I can remember once, sitting on the pilot at Highbury Vale, an N2, and watching them make a film at the Arsenal football ground, William Hartnell was one of the stars in it, and in the film he fell off the stadium roof. Was watching them make the film for about a week.
The pilot work at the Cross in the late 50s early 60s was mostly an L1 or N2, although we did once get a Hornsey J50 (Uboat), I have no idea how they got a nickname like that. And, not forgetting, Topsheds pilot, 68846 preserved as 1247 I think.

[Mickey]

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[Dave Cockle]

Hi Hermit 109, I can remember going to McFisheries Depot at Finsbury Park, in the early 60s. As you say, the Aberdeen fish used to drop a couple of wagons off at East Goods yard, and the Grimsby fish dropped a couple off just after midnight. We went there twice a night at one time.
We also had a pilot job at Highbury Vale, outside Arsenals old football ground, sometimes doubling up and getting the refuse trains ready at Ashburton Grove.
I can remember once, sitting on the pilot at Highbury Vale, an N2, and watching them make a film at the Arsenal football ground, William Hartnell was one of the stars in it, and in the film he fell off the stadium roof. Was watching them make the film for about a week.
The pilot work at the Cross in the late 50s early 60s was mostly an L1 or N2, although we did once get a Hornsey J50 (Uboat), I have no idea how they got a nickname like that. And, not forgetting, Topsheds pilot, 68846 preserved as 1247 I think.

When I was Telegraph Lad at Finsbury Park No 3 Box 1969/70 I well remember a 350hp shunter (Now class 08) propelling three con flats of fish containers for McFisheries along Down Goods line 2 from Finsbury Park No 2 Box. Special authority was granted in the Sectional Appendix for this propelling move and a bell code 4-3-3- was used. The train was simply spelt out as "MAC" on the single needle telegraph instrument. The Class 08 shunter undertaking this short trip from East Goods used to "Zip" about at fair pace and not hang about. I have an old Train Register Book from No 3 box in front of me now and it shows the "MAC" arriving in the Fish Dock at 07:09 and away light engine at 07:12 not bad eh?

[Mickey]

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[JeffB]

Hi Micky, We spent many hours on the pilot at the end of Gillespie Road near the tube station, just watching the world go by.
I can vaguely remember a black tender near Clarence Yard, but have no idea what loco it was off, or what it was being used for, could have been a sludge carrier, or sand for a snow plough.

[Mickey]

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[manna]

G'Day Gents

Have only once shunted in Highbury Vale sidings, we pushed 22 car flats in there, but regularly use to shut Ashburton Grove in the early 70's, there used to be a open sided shed there that dealt with returned magazines (minus front cover) if we had a spare 5 mins we would have a quick look see, and often took a pile of 'Mayfair or Penthouse ' back to KX mess room, and nearly got bowled over in the rush

The old GN tender at Clarence yard, was a snow plough, it was still there when the depot closed and was later scrapped (shame)

manna

[hq1hitchin]

G'Day Gents

there used to be a open sided shed there that dealt with returned magazines (minus front cover) if we had a spare 5 mins we would have a quick look see, and often took a pile of 'Mayfair or Penthouse ' back to KX mess room, and nearly got bowled over in the rush


manna

You too?

[Andy W]

The old tenders at Clarence Yard went a few years before the shed shut - about 1978/9, when there was a cull of the ER ploughs. Finsbury Park had two "mediums" (old tenders) - 13 & 68 (presumably DB 330913 & 330968), Hitchin had two "large" (old tenders) - 65 and 82 and Peterborough had a "medium" -64 and an "independent" (BR) - 209 (presumably DB965209).

13 and 68 were sent for scrap via somewhere for spares, if I recall correctly, and 65 and 82 were sent to York. They were turned on the Hitchin turntable - the last vehicles that ever were and the table took a bit of shifting, as it hadn't been used for some time! 64 at Peterborough was swapped for another independent - I can't recall the number - could have been 203 or 210.

We also had to get rid of all our steam lances in 1978 because 25kv and steam lances were generally regarded as an unhealthy mix. We used to keep them at the Pass loco, Clarence Yard and Hitchin.

The only tender left in the KX area after that date was the old LMS (4F) one that we used to get the sludge out from Waterworks Washer. It was coupled to an old milk tanker and usually sat on the back road at Ferme Park, next to the turntable. That one was ADM 1629 and eventually went to some preservation mob for spares.

[Bryan]

The old tenders at Clarence Yard went a few years before the shed shut - about 1978/9, when there was a cull of the ER ploughs. Finsbury Park had two "mediums" (old tenders) - 13 & 68 (presumably DB 330913 & 330968), Hitchin had two "large" (old tenders) - 65 and 82 and Peterborough had a "medium" -64 and an "independent" (BR) - 209 (presumably DB965209).

13 and 68 were sent for scrap via somewhere for spares, if I recall correctly, and 65 and 82 were sent to York. They were turned on the Hitchin turntable - the last vehicles that ever were and the table took a bit of shifting, as it hadn't been used for some time! 64 at Peterborough was swapped for another independent - I can't recall the number - could have been 203 or 210.

Plough 965209 still alive at Bristol Barton hill or was in Oct 2010.
965203 at Thornaby and 210 at Tonbridge

[60526]

A friend gave me some photos that he had taken around KX - Hornsey some time ago and I thought that I better look for them. He wasn't a railwayman but I think he must have known quite a few of them. Might be a lot earlier than what your looking for, but here's a photo more of the driver than the loco at Ferme Park top yard. If it's of interest I'll post some more.