Kings Cross

[strang steel]

Thanks very much v3man.

Does anyone have any memories or links to reports of some of the more obscure types working the route?

I presume that in the late 1950s the NBL and BRCW type2s must have been tried, for instance?

[StevieG]

I have a vague recollection of sometime having seen a B&W photo, possibly in a 'Trains Illustrated' or an early 'Modern Railways', of an Up NPCCS train (non-passenger-carrying coaching stock; e.g. parcels vans) passing through York Road platform before the 'Snow Hill link' between Farringdon and Holborn Viaduct/Ludgate Hill was closed, and that it was headed by a Brush Type 4 (Class 47), which type arrived after 1961, but anyone know if they were also allowed that way, or is the old memory box playing tricks?.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

That would be fun trying to get a cl 47 down the drain there quite a bit longer than a 31, if my memory still serves me correctly, is'n't there a point half way down York Rd platform, that allows you to access Platform 1, fairly sure I've seen mainline trains come in that way, not very often though.

manna

[hq1hitchin]

A Midland correspondent confirms that the dreaded MetroVicks did indeed work via St Pancras tunnel into Moorgate for a while. The already foul air can't have benefited from their presence.

[StevieG]

G'Day Gents

" .... is'n't there a point half way down York Rd platform, that allows you to access Platform 1, fairly sure I've seen mainline trains come in that way, not very often though.

manna "

Quite so manna; No. 8 points (with a right-bracketed Red/Green signal for going that way, on the side of 3-aspect/R-Y-G KC3 signal halfway along the platform, and even a disc below for when Plat.1 was occupied), but my recollection is that it was a train heading for the 'Widened lines', presumably from the caption : Though I could be wrong about it having been a '2750' on the front of course.

[v3man]

I've now got the info from the summer 1963WTT on locos passed for Kings Cross-Farringdon as follow. Note that by now all steam has disappeared from the list.

1963Code HP Description Loco nos.
1/17 170 Yorkshire Engine Co. D2850-69
3/series
3/1 Cl 08 350BR/EE D3000-116/27-36/67-438/454-472/503-611/652-664/672-718/ 3722-4048
3/1B 350 BR/Crossley D3117-26
3/1C Cl 10 350 BR/Blackstone/GEC D3137-51/439-453/473-502/612-651/4049-94
3/1D 350 BR/Blackstone/BTH D3152-66
3/1A 350 BR/EE(Max 27mph) D3665-71/719-21
3/8 350 LMS/EE (4’3”wheel) 12003-32
3/8A Cl 11 350 LMS/EE (4’0.5”wheel) 12033-138
3/10 350 LNE/EE 15000-3
3/11A 350 GW/EE (4’1”wheel) 15100
3/11 350 GW/EE (4’0.5”wheel) 15101-6
3/9A 350 SR/EE (45mph) 15201-3
3/9 350 SR/EE (27mph) 15211-36
8/4 Cl 16 800 NBL/Paxman D8400-9
8/5 Cl 15 800 BTH/Paxman D8200-43
10/3 Cl 20 1000 EE/EE D8000-127
10/4 Cl 21 1000 NBL/MAN/GEC D6100-37
11/1 Cl 24 1100 BR/Sulzer D5000-49
11/1A Cl 24 1100 BR/Sulzer D5060-150
11/3 Cl 23 1100 EE/Napier D5900-9
11/6 Cl 26 1100 BCW/Sulzer D5300-46
12/2 Cl 31 1250 Brush/Mirlees D5500-19
12/5 Cl 28 1200 MV/Crossley D5700-19
12/6 Cl 26 1250 BCW/Sulzer D5347-415
13/2 Cl 31 1365 Brush/Mirlees D5520-44/46-654/71-99/5800-34/36-62
15/6 Cl 33 1550 BCW/Sulzer D6500-585

Of these the only 3series permitted Farringdon-Moorgate appears to be the 3/4 but all the others are listed.

[KX6465]

As York Road platform is currently under discussion does anyone else remember some of the buildings on the platform being used as classrooms?

After I'd done two weeks cleaning locomotives with a couple of guys we were then moved on to being trained for passed cleaner status.

I remember being instructed in a room on York Road platform by a loco inspector, can't remember his name but do remember he was very knowledgeable about all things concerning railway working.

We covered quite a fair amount of stuff to do with signalling and how it worked including signalling worked from signal boxes and automatic one and how to differentiate between the two.

Another area covered in great detail was Rule 55, I remeber him saying this was the most important rule in the Rulebook and he made sure we fully understood it.

Also covered was the operation and use of the train heating boilers. Names that spring to mind are Spanner Swirlyflow, Stones, Clayton.

I mentioned at the begining of this post the first two weeks spent cleaning, this was as far as I can remember just limited to cleaning the cab floors of the locomotives when they arrived at KX. I still to this day remember the distinctive smell of paraffin and of the cotton waste.

Another memory of this two weeks was having my sandwiches in a carriage that was in the milk dock (permanently?). I think it was old corridor stock left there for that purpose but I may be wrong.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[sandwhich]

I remember York Road platform very well, it was used in the morning peak hours for Moorgate bound trains as an exit only, it was also used for the same purpose on sat. mornings and again on sat. lunchtimes when a couple of trains terminated there around noon then they would run empty to Moorgate to form services from there, (if memory serves me right these workings along with a couple of Broad Street trains were the very last remnants of Saturday peak hour workings that were normal before WW2 on all suburban lines and started to fade away afterwards). After the electrification of the inner suburbans in Nov 1976 and their diversion to Moorgate via Drayton Park the resignalling of Kings Cross began and a number of loco hauled outer suburban trains with block end stock used York Road in the morning peak then ran empty to Moorgate then back out again, this carried on into 1977 when the new layout was completed these workings ceased and York Road platform was finally closed for good and the eastern portals of Copenhagen and Gasworks tunnels as well as the up and down hotel curves were abandoned.
There were indeed a couple of classrooms on this platform that were used for training courses including Fireman/Secondman being passed out as Drivers. These rooms ceased to be used after 1970 when all training facilities were moved to Wellers Court just outside the suburban platforms.
I do also remember a lead from York Road to Platform 1 but could never remember it ever being used, their was a story told to me on a number of occasions by different people of an East Coast express headed by an A4 pacific that was diverted that way into platform 1 but either spaded or because of a signalmans mistake not realised in time and only managed to stop with the chimney just under the tunnel entrance. If true then it could have lead to this connection never being used again except in an absolute emergency.
After the demise of cross London freight by the widened lines there was a daily parcels train to and from Ferme Park to London Bridge which was hauled by a D8200 Paxman Type 1, this working finished in 1970 and the Snow Hill incline was lifted (reinstated when Thameslink came about in 1986).

[hq1hitchin]

Can anyone remember what the instructions were about trains going onto the LTE being trip-cock fitted? I'm a bit hazy about it, I'm afraid, but seem to recall that all traction units going onto their system were supposed to have it. Can remember York Road and the trip-cock tester well enough and how, seemingly,widely ignored it was

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Yes, all traction had to have a trip cock etc fitted, and the trip cock was pulled down into the 'on' position at York Rd, but the big lever just under the cab wasn't activated, as any debris on and around the track would trip the trip cock! and stop you, probably where you didn't want to stop (right next to a green signal)

As long as the trip cock was down LT was happy, if I remember correctly, firemen had to put the other end trip cock down when they changed ends at Moorgate, very dark, but luckily no third rail

When I started at KX,(1970) the Snow Hill junction and tracks were still down and only lightly rusted, fairly sure they were there for a few years before they were taken up.

manna

PS, wasn't there a booking office on York Rd, I seem to remember one being there, or am I getting it mixed up with somewhere else

[Mickey]

Deleted

[manna]

G'day Gents

I did that day as well, only moved 40feet and came to a grinding halt, never did that again ! I'm sure that Cravans units had a trip cock as well, seem to remember that drivers had to get out and do there own.

Happy days, always fun on a wet morning

manna

[Mickey]

Deleted

[strang steel]

Excuse my ignorance, but this page http://mediarail.be/UK_Thameslink/Metro ... 863_02.htm shows a west curve called Maiden Lane curve. Where did that begin? And how did it cross the hotel curve?

Was it all just a complex junction, or was the Maiden Lane curve taken out many years earlier?

Sorry, it may be explained in the text, but I dont do French very well.