Help with dating photos via an exhibition

[Marcus-Jay]

Hi All,

 

I'm trying to date a film I've scanned but I just can't seem to work it out. The rest of the film is generic local southern ECML stuff (I lived in Woolmer Green at the time (MP24) and it includes 31174 on Seacows, 47425 on pax. 31154 looking V shiny in railfreight colours.

 

The only things that might give it some date reference is an exhibition I visited with my dad.

At which we took the following photos. Anyone care to put a year and or month to it?

[bécasse]

Railfreight livery (effectively) only appeared in 1983 so it can't be before that.

[F-UnitMad]

Second photo, of Operator with pipe in mouth, certainly 'dates' it, but maybe not in the specific way you wanted!!

[John Tomlinson]

I don't think this is as old as the attire of some of the operators - in tweeds and with pipe - suggests.

 

If you enlarge the second picture, with the pipe smoker and little boy, the little boy has a badge on his jumper of a 25? that I think came from the early days of "Rail" magazine, might have been called "Rail Enthusiast" to begin with back then. The little boy's camera is quite a smart Nikon SLR, that in all black has a definite '80's feel to it. I'll put my bet on 1986!

 

John.

[woodenhead]

And side burns!!

 

I suspect people who might recognise themselves might not want to admit it.

 

Is that how we really looked in the eighties?

[John Tomlinson]

And side burns!!

 

I suspect people who might recognise themselves might not want to admit it.

 

Is that how we really looked in the eighties?

 

Not as dreadful as in the '70's!!

 

John.

[PMP]

I think it’s a Welwyn Garden City Model Railway club show in the old Campus east hall where the library used to be, before crossing to Campus West. The building had windows like those in the first image, and also parquet herring bone pattern flooring. The crowd barriers were tins filled with concrete and a tube in the middle for a rod with a coil at the top to wind the rope through. As a junior/young member of WGCDMRC I can recall putting them out for exhibitions. I don’t recall those layouts pictured being WGC club layouts but the stock display is Joe Rowes scratchbuilt LNER stock in EM Gauge. Joe’s work was exceptional, museum quality work, and he was president of the WGC club. As to the year, can’t help, but the club was still pretty healthy in the early 80’s with an annual exhibition at the Campus (east) Library.

A long shot to find the year might be through WHT archives if available, they used to plug it every year.

 

Edit: : first image almost certainly shows a Mainline 03 shunting, and Lima GUV’s in the station, their release dates might also help close on the year.

Edited August 12, 2018 by PMP

[PatB]

A visitor in the first pic is carrying a magazine with a back cover ad with the line "Don't spoil the ship", which, I think, was a Humbrol advert. When was it current?

[Dave47549]

.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Dave47549

[Marcus-Jay]

...the little boy has a badge on his jumper of a 25?..

Yeah, that's me :-)

[Marcus-Jay]

I think it’s a Welwyn Garden City Model Railway club show in the old Campus east hall where the library used to be, before crossing to Campus West. The building had windows like those in the first image, and also parquet herring bone pattern flooring. The crowd barriers were tins filled with concrete and a tube in the middle for a rod with a coil at the top to wind the rope through. As a junior/young member of WGCDMRC I can recall putting them out for exhibitions. I don’t recall those layouts pictured being WGC club layouts but the stock display is Joe Rowes scratchbuilt LNER stock in EM Gauge. Joe’s work was exceptional, museum quality work, and he was president of the WGC club. As to the year, can’t help, but the club was still pretty healthy in the early 80’s with an annual exhibition at the Campus (east) Library.

A long shot to find the year might be through WHT archives if available, they used to plug it every year.

 

Edit: : first image almost certainly shows a Mainline 03 shunting, and Lima GUV’s in the station, their release dates might also help close on the year.

Now someone's (thanks PMP) narrowed it down I can, as a member of the Stevenage and Distric club, ask a few of the De Haviland members if they know anything about it. 1985 is certainly the right ball park as that would make me v early teens, which ties in with the picture,

 

Thanks all.