Location query - The Capitals Limited

[Flamingo]

[quote/] lner mile posts are on the west side [where they are still existing].the mile post on the left appears to have a sloping top to it [who had posts like that???].
also below the copyright logo there appears to be the remains of large building outline in the grass.[/quote]

Many years since I timed any runs but that milepost reminds me of ex-North British routes. Same goes for the tall lattice type signal posts. That plus the amount of coal in the tender seems to suggest it's the southbound train not very far from the start of its journey. If it was the northbound Capitals nearing Edinburgh and there had been an engine change say at Newcastle, surely they would have burned getting on for 3 tons by the time the photograph was taken?

[robertcwp]

I have had a close look at the master scan (done at 4,800 dpi). The rear of the train is wrong for The Capitals Limited as there is no restaurant first and there is an odd, older vehicle at the end. The train is clearly heading towards Edinburgh and only a few miles away from that location. I think this must have been some kind of staged publicity photo. It was clearly taken on a pretty good camera for the time.

[52D]

It may be a relief train formed from an ad hoc set of coaches.

[52A]

Both of these are possible explanations, I am sure it has just passed Monktonhall. Obviousy this location is much changed in the intervening 50 odd years but the hills don't change. I have searched for an up to date photo from this location without luck up to now.

[Flamingo]

52A's possible location is certainly plausible. I looked the route up in one of Michael Oakley's pocket guides, which states that the mileposts were on the up side of the line. That seems to confirm that the picture does show a northbound train.

The suggestion that the photograph might have been a staged one for publicity purposes may be the answer to the mystery of the tender being still full of coal within 10 miles of Edinburgh.

You might consider sending the picture to one of the specialist Scottish railway groups, someone would surely be able to provide a definitive location.

[v3man]

Doing a bit of browsing I've just come across this location query. The A4 is passing Newhailes Junction down outer home and distant about 5 miles from Edinburgh. Newhailes Junction had two loops and the small signals are the entry signals for these. The line on the right is the freight route from Monktonhall Junction to Wanton Walls.

Newhailes Junction was where the Musselburgh branch left the East Coast mainline and I spent a lot of time working the box (unofficially) in the early 1960's when my signalman friend, the late Ted Clarkson, was on late turn. On Saturday nights the coaches of the last Aberdeen into Edinburgh were brought down to Newhailes to be stabled in one of the loops for the weekend, usually with an A3 or V2. Although it was meant to go on to Monktonhall Junction to run round before returning Ted was always worried about delaying an overnight London which was often following pretty closely. With nothing due on the up line for some time he had worked out how to do the run round at Newhailes and he used to send me down to the loco to tell the crew what he wanted done. I would sit in the fireman's seat while the manoeuvere took place and the engine crew were quite happy as they got off back to shed a bit earlier. The Monktonhall signalman was probably pleased to have been spared the shunt there.

Soon after Ted transferred to Portobello West and I was often there with him for half the night shift as well when he was on evenings.

[52D]

In my mile by mile guide to the LNER only the ex NBR mileposts were on the up side. This was a general rule but there are some exceptions such as at Alnmouth where one MP is placed on the up side probably for sighting and to avoid the Alnwick branch junction.

[4493]

Looking at the OS map, the train looks to be passing what is now the site of Musselburgh (new) station? The field on the left is now a housing estate.

[v3man]

Yes, I'm pretty sure the new Musselburgh station is sited just on the Edinburgh side of the bridge from which the picture was taken. This bridge is on a road which used to be known as the Mucklets which we used to cycle up to watch the excavation work for the, then, new Millerhill Yard. We would spend all day happily watching Caterpillars bulldozers, Euclid dumpers and enormous graders at work, machines the like of which we had never seen before. Can't imagine today's youngsters being content to sit by a fence watching machines at work but we were fascinated!

[KX6465]

VIRUS ATTACK

I have been browsing through and came across the above which was picked up by my security package.

52A made post on Sunday May 17 2009 and gave a web site address and it is this website which has the problem

My security package identified it as "Blackhole Toolkit"