Kings Cross

[Mickey]

Deleted

[strang steel]

I suppose this could go equally in the cement train thread, but it does feature Kings Cross.

The April 1965 Railway Observer states:-

"On 25th January trials were conducted with 4S37 cement train which was diverted via Hither Green, Blackfriars, Farringdon and the Widened Lines. D6573 was assisted by a 34G D50XX Type 2 from Farringdon to Finsbury Park; special instructions were given that the signalmen at Kings Cross Main Line must not accept the train until the line was clear to Copenhagen Junction."

I would have loved to have been at the platform end when that train came out of the Hotel Curve tunnel. I think the term 'mobile earthquake' may have been appropriate.

[60526]

From Jack (or Frank) the Stratford driver who used to sell prints at KX. "I remember him! He sold me a print of a photo of one of the green A4s (Sea Eagle?) he had taken when she was brand new in Doncaster Plant."
Well found it, but was it Doncaster? or perhaps Darlington?

[60526]

"On 25th January trials were conducted with 4S37 cement train which was diverted via Hither Green, Blackfriars, Farringdon and the Widened Lines. D6573 was assisted by a 34G D50XX Type 2 from Farringdon to Finsbury Park; special instructions were given that the signalmen at Kings Cross Main Line must not accept the train until the line was clear to Copenhagen Junction."

I can only remember seeing it once, 1970's, but I saw a BTH coming up from the hole into Platform 16 with Mk1 suburbans, in light rain. Must have been a Finsbury Park crew with a sense of humour since the second man was jumping up and down in the doorway trying to wish the loco forward. Eventually with help from some sand laid on the track it got some grip but it must have taken about 10 minutes to get going and probably lost about 1/2" on the tyres.

[lar1976]

Corrrr an A4 in apple green, Now that would be a sight, shame nobody offers a RTR A4 with the black reaching the 1st boiler band.

[hq1hitchin]

From Jack (or Frank) the Stratford driver who used to sell prints at KX. "I remember him! He sold me a print of a photo of one of the green A4s (Sea Eagle?) he had taken when she was brand new in Doncaster Plant."
Well found it, but was it Doncaster? or perhaps Darlington?

That's the very same photograph, complete with the 'cods mouth' slightly open. He told me it was taken at Doncaster, when he sold me a print somewhere on the GE section about 1976. Anybody able to confirm the location, please?

[strang steel]

An interesting book there John, wouldn't have minded several more photographs of a few more of the s/boxes between New Southgate-Welwyn Garden City especially Cemetery, New Barnet South box and Hatfield nos.1 & 3 but you can't have everything. Very interesting photographs of all the Holloway s/boxes especially Holloway North up outside & inside as well as the SUPER RARE photographs of Ferme Park North up & Ferme Park South up s/boxes. Peter Coster is featured on several TVP dvds and is a long time L.N.E.R. man going back to the just pre-WW2 so he knows his stuff on the L.N.E.R. alright

Mr.Coster was the author of a recent in-depth book on the Gresley A4s published sometime in the last couple of years i believe.

I have just bought this book and I can say that from a quick look at some of the photos, it is well worth the money.

[2512silverfox]

The photo was taken at Doncaster in the paint shop. I suspect he may have been copying photos because the original of this one was published by Photomatic in the 1950s and 1960s!

[Mickey]

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[strang steel]

Sorry Micky, but the blurb on the back of volume one suggests that Vol 2 will be Welwyn to Doncaster. It sounds as though only two volumes are projected.

Nevertheless, if it is as good as the first one it should be worth buying.

[hq1hitchin]

The photo was taken at Doncaster in the paint shop. I suspect he may have been copying photos because the original of this one was published by Photomatic in the 1950s and 1960s!

Thanks for that, even so wished I'd have kept it as I got it framed by the local disabled peoples workshop, which is (or was) on the curve approaching Dunstable Town station.

[JeffB]

Hi 60526. Have just been looking at the original photo/copy of Sea Eagle. In Brian Haresnapes book on Gresley Locomotives, published 1981, is the same photograph, stating that it was taken in the paint shop at Doncaster Works in April 1937, the colour scheme, apple green and black as far as the rear of the smoke box did,nt go down to well apparently.

[hq1hitchin]

Just chanced across this on Youtube - this is Part 2. Fortunately, the cameraman went to places not normally seen such as the Milk Dock, The Potato Market and Goods and Mineral - wonderful stuff but note how grubby everywhere seems!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euiVzxrHNGk&feature=fvw

[giner]

Thanks for that, hq1. Grubby, yes, but that was part of the lore/mystique/nostalgia with railways in those days. Of course, from your view as an employee, the rose spectacles effect probably wasn't part of your daily grind experiences. I mean, when I see railway scenes of today with grass and weeds etc. sprouting from between sleepers, etc., it seems to bear little relevance to my youthful memories. I prefer to hang on to them.

[MickB]

Talking of the 'Cross' does anyone remember around about 1970/71 an old Stratford (East London) driver who must have been about 60-65 years old at that time who use to visit the end of platform no.10 on a Saturday afternoon for several hours between about 1:pm-5:pm who usually use to have a group of spotter's around him cos he was selling black & white photos of steam locos out of a briefcase he use to carry and generally talking railways to one and everyone who was gathered around him (on a very full) end of no.10 platform?.

Sorry Micky, only just caught up with this thread.
Yes I do remember the Stratford driver selling the photo's, I actually brought one ot two from him and I also well remember he had some prints of DP2 for sale a couple of days after its fatal accident at Thirsk. He actually offered me a cab ride to Cambridge and back if I was to turn up on a Sunday at Liverpool St. I did go to visit him and he showed me around the innards of D5835, the 2000hp machine which he was about to take out. Alas I had to get back to Oxford as my father was taken ill. I hope all his negatives survived with somebody. I wonder whether this was connected with the KX12 group which used to hand around platform 10 on summer evenings and at weekends?

That might be the late Jack Searle, who retired as a driver at Stratford around the mid 1970's. In the latter years of his career (he started back in 1927 I believe) Jack worked as a Steam Heating Boiler Instructor in the former Diesel Repair Shop at Stratford, something which he continued to do for a while after his retirement. Indeed Jack taught me Boilers at SF DRS back in September 1976.

He was renowned for his B&W photography and he used to spend most weekends visiting various London Termini (but mainly KX) and supplementing his pension by selling examples of his work to enthusiast gatherings.