Peterborough North

[Mallard60022]

Oh that includes me too then.....oops! I've not really done that 'enlarged looking before' - wow.

P

[artizen]

Yes I just downloaded looked at the photo as well.

 

If I didn't know better I swear it's a photo of Gilbert's layout. Just the finescale track to the left gives it away. Nice work Gilbert (and team).

[Theakerr]

Tonys picture of Peterborough north is rather interesting in that it appears to show a least some of the overall roof without the lovers on, much as was the case at Grimsby and other area stations.  I wonder if the louvres were off for repair or whatever.

[New Haven Neil]

Cracking photo - the N2 seems to have express passenger lamps - or is it one each red and white for a pilot?  Also - lookit all those telephone wires, wow!

 

Oozing with detail and interest, I'm trying very hard not to copy it - no I didn't either, I'm a good lad!  Thanks for posting it, I am poring over it with relish.

[Tony Wright]

I forwarded this correspondence to Gilbert some little time ago. I hope it might be of help in the discussion over ECML Pullmans.

 

There's an excellent shot of the southbound TTP in Keith Pirt's little Retford softback, hauled by MALLARD. The front two cars (Parlour Brake Third and Kitchen First) are wooden-bodied, aluminium-clad, pre-'28 cars but neither are the same style as Hornby's cars - size of brake storage, window patterns, etc. The rest, with the exception of the HADRIAN BAR are 1928 all-steel cars. So, three trussed Pullmans in a rake of nine, none of which is made by Hornby. The picture was taken in 1959, so for 1958 the set might be different. That said, I doubt if any of Hornby's cars (with the exception of No. 248) could ever be used in the TTP. 

 

Now, ECML Pullmans.

Queen of Scots - two rakes of eight/seven cars (one up, one down) plus a pair for Leeds-only.

Yorkshire Pullman - one rake of 11 cars (south of Doncaster).

Tees-Tyne Pullman - one rake of eight/nine cars including The Hadrian Bar.

Master Cutler/Sheffield Pullman - one rake of six cars, older Pullmans originally.

There was also the Harrogate Sunday Pullman, which was the south-end Queen of Scots set with two cars taken out of the main train.

 

Up to 1960 these sets were mainly formed of the 1928 all-steel cars (two of which are in the Hornby Railroad range - Parlour Brake Third and Parlour First). The only way of obtaining a complete set of these is by buying Golden Age's cars (hugely expensive!) or by doing what I did - fitting Comet sides on Hornby donors with Mike Trice bogies. Hornby's current Hornby cars are not suitable for making up a complete rake, though one or two in a train might be all right. If a car has no trussing, it's all-steel. If a car has trussing and curved rainstrips on the roof, it's wooden-bodied, aluminium-clad (like some of Hornby's current cars). Check on photographs to see. Several aluminium-clad cars (not Hornby) had exactly the same window arrangements as their all-steel equivalents (look at the previously-mentioned TTP picture), so using Comet sides these can be reproduced with addition of trussing and longitudinal rainstrips. I did two of these for my QoS article in BRM many years ago. 

 

As for which cars go in which trains, other than they're the right type, who knows? The ER/NER/ScR had a pool of some 50 cars from which they made up the appropriate sets. 43 cars were usually needed at any one time, allowing about ten spares for repair, etc. As the Mk.1 cars came on stream, the 1928 cars (and later rebuilds) were cascaded to the SR and the earlier wooden-bodied cars (though aluminium-clad) were withdrawn. 

 

So, how does this help?

 

Here's a list of the all steel cars (Firsts have names, Thirds have numbers). The Hadrian Bar was Third/later Second and was a wooden-bodied car with aluminium cladding. Only Golden Age makes that RTR.

 

Parlour First. SHEILA, AGATHA, URSULA, LUCILLE, EUNICE, JUANA, ZENA.

Kitchen First. NILAR, BELINDA, THELMA, PHYLLIS, IONE, JOAN, LORAINE, EVADNE.

Parlour Brake Third. Nos. 77, 78, 79, 80.

Parlour Third. Nos. 73, 74, 75, 76.

Kitchen Third. Nos. 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72.

 

29 cars in total to make up the majority of the 37 cars needed (as mentioned, the MC was older stock until it was the first to get the Mk. 1s). The extra brakes needed usually were 1930 all-steel ex-Kitchen Cars rebuilt into Parlour Brake Thirds (the way to tell is an absence of guard's duckets). Numbers of these were 62, 63 and 65 - there might be others. 

 

The following are the wooden-bodied cars, aluminium clad. According to my research (though it's not exhaustive), only Car 248 is really suitable for ECML-allocation from Hornby's current range of Pullmans.

 

Kitchen First. ADRIAN, CYNTHIA, IOLANTHE, LYDIA.

Parlour Brake Third. Nos. 161, 162, 209, 248.

Parlour Third. Nos. 59 (The Hadrian Bar), 64, 83, 84. 

Kitchen Third. Nos. 32, 33, 58, 66, 81, 82, 105, 106, 107.

 

All the above are from the ER/NER/ScR pool of Pullmans from the mid/late-'50s. Other than No. 248, does Hornby make any of these?

 

Too many layouts have ER Pullman trains made up solely of Hornby's current cars. Most of these were on the SR in BR days, so aren't suitable. These comprise Nos. 51, 64, 167, ARGUS, LEONA, OCTAVIA, none of which is on the list above and never (having looked through dozens of pictures) appeared to have worked on the ER/NER/ScR. However, Nos. 51, 64 and LEONA were not regionally-allocated, being spares, so you 'could' use those, but no more than one or two in a train. Being spares, there more usual use would be in race specials or as single Pullman cars in boat trains (on the SR).

My list goes up to the end of 1958, so there could well have been changes after that, and Hornby has made lots of other cars I've not noted. Looking at lists, many of these were in the 'Devon Belle', 'Bournemouth Belle' and 'Thanet Belle'. 

 

I hope this helps,

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2014 by Tony Wright

[Timara]

Hi Tony,

 

A handful of corrections to your posting above, if I may be so bold?

 

Cars 62, 63 and 65 are in fact aluminium-clad wooden cars.  Cars 81 and 82 are 1930-built all steel kitchen thirds, later rebuilt (c.1959) to parlour brake thirds.  Cars 209 and 248 are nothing like the current Hornby model (which is only appropriate for 62, 63 and 65) and were both rebuilt from 1925 parlour firsts not long after Nationalisation.  Car 66 is a wooden-bodied (non-clad until 1959) parlour third, not a kitchen car - Hornby have indeed done this car in the Bournemouth Belle train pack.

 

Incidentally, in the Keith Pirt book, the photograph of 'Mallard' has cars 248 and 58 as the leading pair.  The car behind the Hadrian Bar is a 1925 kitchen first, probably Fingall (a regular in the TTP).  The picture above it shows either car 81 or 82 as the third vehicle in the HSP.  If you have a copy of "The Eastern around London - a colour portfolio", there is a lovely photo of the up Yorkshire on page 8, which has Car 62 leading.  Ok, it's 1957, but I can discern at least 5 alu-clad wooden cars in it.  Third car is 66 and the fourth is one of either 105/106/107.  It's close to the Comet sides, but the toilet window isn't quite in the same position as either the kitchen third/first etches, being perfectly central between the windows (offset on both comet etches).

 

I have a few more observations on Pullmans of my own, but I'll leave those for another day.

 

Cheers,

Tim

[Mallard60022]

Tim, did the Hadrian Bar come from or go to the Southern in the mid/late 60s? Or, I was dreaming I read this somewhere!

Cheers, Phil

[Timara]

Hi Phil,

 

I believe it transferred to the Southern when replaced by a Met-Cam car (354) in 1961.  S789S seems to ring a bell!  It even got painted green.  I haven't got the link handy, but it's on page 4 of the SEMG site regarding Pullman cars.

 

HTH,

[Mallard60022]

Hi Phil,

 

I believe it transferred to the Southern when replaced by a Met-Cam car (354) in 1961.  S789S seems to ring a bell!  It even got painted green.  I haven't got the link handy, but it's on page 4 of the SEMG site regarding Pullman cars.

 

HTH,

Thanks Tim. Oh yes. I knew I'd seen that somewhere recently. It went in the Bournemouth Belle I believe, as that was one of the two(?) surviving Pullman services on the BR SR

I think Wrenn attempted to 'recreate' that car when they produced a green Pullman way back when.......they go for silly money on that auction site. I don't have any of that livery. It is a pity the Wrenn cars were so out of scale as they would/could be helpful these days (if somewhat lumpy).

It is quite good fun researching such stuff except it usually opens up so many cans it is untrue and then we are overwhelmed with 'worms'

Fortunately there was no Devon Belle to worry about in my layout (planned) era. Or should that be unfortunately

Phil

P.S. an unusual Pacific is on shed at 34E + two recent, temporary 'transfers'. Intrigued? Works attention is required on all three. 

P

[New Haven Neil]

Green Pullman cars - you learn something every day!

[great northern]

Cracking photo - the N2 seems to have express passenger lamps - or is it one each red and white for a pilot?  Also - lookit all those telephone wires, wow!

 

Oozing with detail and interest, I'm trying very hard not to copy it - no I didn't either, I'm a good lad!  Thanks for posting it, I am poring over it with relish.

Station pilot lamps on the N2, as you say one red and one white. Please don't mention the wires - someone has to model the posts that hold them up.

[great northern]

More detail on the Pullman debate, having done some more research. TW is rightly regarded as an authority on matters concerning the ECML, but even he is not always right in every respect, and I know that he would not make such a bold assertion himself. As Tim has pointed out, there are one or two errors in the list TW included in post 5555 above, and Tim's correction isn't quite right either. Being a "former Solicitor", as my professional body insists I call myself, I rely always on evidence, and quote the sources which I rely on to support my opinions. The following relies on two volumes by Antony M Ford, Pullman Profiles 2 and 3. Volume 3 covers the all steel cars, and volume 2 the Standard K type cars. Both have been extremey useful in sorting out the Pullman minefield.

 

Dealing first with the identity of all steel cars, Ford confirms most of what TW says. The exception though is as Tim has already partially pointed out. Cars 81 and 82 were 1931 built all steel Kitchen Seconds, whilst Cars 83 and 84 from the same batch were Parlour Seconds. Although they started life on the then Southern Railway, they were transferred to the LNER by the end of 1933, and remained in LNER/BR(E) stock until the arrival of the MK1 cars. Those four cars then need to be added to the all steel list. Antony Ford's books are  very well illustrated by the way, and all the photos of these four cars confirm that they were from the outset devoid of underframe trussing and of all steel construction.

 

There were then in total 33 all steel cars:-

 

Seven Parlour First.  One of these, Zena, was in the late 1950's in the South Wales Pullman, so effectively there were six.

Eight Kitchen First

Four brakes

Six Parlour Seconds

Eight Kitchen Seconds.

 

According to Ford, the ER allocation in 1956 was 52 cars, 37 rostered and 15 spare, distributed as follows:-

 

Tees- Tyne Pullman  PF 2, PS 1, KF 1, KS 2, one of which was Hadrian, and BKE 2.

 

Yorkshire Pulman     PF 2, PS 1, KF 3, KS 3 BKE 2.

 

Queen of Scots        PF 1,  PS 2, KF 1 KS 2 BKE 2, plus one KF and one KS for the Leeds Portion.

 

There were two Q of S rakes, so total weekday requirements were as follows:-

 

Parlour Firsts  6

 

Parlour Seconds  6

 

Kitchen Firsts  7

 

Kitchen Seconds  10

 

Brakes     8.

 

Total 37 as stated by Ford.

 

 Available all steel cars were:-

 

PF 6

 

PS 6

 

KF 8

 

KS 8

 

BKE 4.

 

Thus on a daily basis if all of the steel cars had been in use, every PF and PS, and all but one KF would have been required. There would have been a shortfall of 2 KS, and 4 BKE. This means that given 100% availability of all steel cars, 6 wooden bodied cars would have been needed, including 50% of the Brakes. I doubted that 100% availablity could ever be achieved, hence my request for information from Ian(Olddudders) and Mike(Stationmaster) who had years of hands on experience. I'm very grateful for their input, which confirms my view that 80% availability would have been as much as could be expected, Stationmaster's point about cleaning of Kitchen cars was particularly relevant I thought, as it is noticeable that very few Parlour Firsts in particular are shown to have been loaned or transferred from the SR. That seems to suggest that their availability was higher than that of the Kitchen cars.

 

As I said in my earlier post, that means that only 29 all steel cars would have been available daily, 28 actually as Zena was on the GW, and it follows inexorably that there must have been a minimum of 9 wooden cars in regular use. But in addition to cars stopped for routine maintenance and repairs there would also have been others in works for major repairs or overhauls, and by definition defects that would not have required say an ordinary MK1 being taken out of service would have been sufficient to ensure the removal of a Pullman car, given the very high standards demanded by the elite pasengers carried.

 

Logic thus dictates that at least 25% of cars, and more likely getting on for 33% would have been wooden bodied. What does photographic evidence show?

 

Here are a very few of the examples I've found.

 

In Banks/Carter LNER passenger train formations.

 

P205. Hull portion of Yorkshire Pullman 3/7/59 - three out of four cars wooden.

 

P207 Up Tees-Tyne Pullman - 7/7/58 Majority of cars wooden, and commented on in the caption.

 

P208  Harrogate Sunday Pullman, formed of Q of S set, 14/4/59 at least four cars are wooden.

 

In On Great Northern lines- Flying Scotsman on Yorkshire 14/7/59, at least first three cars wooden.

 

In Power of the A1's - Great Eastern on Tees -Tyne no date but early crest - emerging from tunnel, so only three cars in view, all wooden.

 

Finally, the Tees- Tyne TW refers to - certainly three wooden bodied cars, including Hadrian, and Tim, whose eyes are much sharper than mine says there is a fourth.

 

There are more, but I won't bore you with them, and can't reproduce them for copyright reasons.

 

Finally, on the subject of wooden cars. Cars 62 63 and 65 were indeed wooden bodied, confirmed by Ford's books. 62 and 63 were by the 1950s brake cars which had been rebuilt from third class cars. 65 was a Parlour second as was 66, and both were ECML regulars in the '50s. 66 incidentally is available from Hornby, but as an aluminium clad car. In 1958 it was still matchboard, as apparently were many others. Some cars were part aluminium clad too. All of this is shown in photos in the Ford book. Car 32 was another ECML regular, as were Brakes 248, though not in the form modelled by Hornby, and 209, which Tim tells me is!

 

The whole subject is a minefield, and it isn't surprising that probably no-one gets it 100% right, but logical analysis backed up by photographic evidence shows that there were more wooden bodied cars on the ECML than one might think, and not all of them plated. Whether Hornby models can be used straight from the box is another story, but I'm sure you've had enough of this one.

[Mallard60022]

I found a pic of the Tees Tyne in June '59 in Steam Days October 2006. 8 cars: leading and trailing 'flat sided brakes'; others look modern MK1 ish. Probably of no use, however the picture following this one mentioned above is July '61 and it appears to be the same formation.

P

[Tony Wright]

Hi Tony,

 

A handful of corrections to your posting above, if I may be so bold?

 

Cars 62, 63 and 65 are in fact aluminium-clad wooden cars.  Cars 81 and 82 are 1930-built all steel kitchen thirds, later rebuilt (c.1959) to parlour brake thirds.  Cars 209 and 248 are nothing like the current Hornby model (which is only appropriate for 62, 63 and 65) and were both rebuilt from 1925 parlour firsts not long after Nationalisation.  Car 66 is a wooden-bodied (non-clad until 1959) parlour third, not a kitchen car - Hornby have indeed done this car in the Bournemouth Belle train pack.

 

Incidentally, in the Keith Pirt book, the photograph of 'Mallard' has cars 248 and 58 as the leading pair.  The car behind the Hadrian Bar is a 1925 kitchen first, probably Fingall (a regular in the TTP).  The picture above it shows either car 81 or 82 as the third vehicle in the HSP.  If you have a copy of "The Eastern around London - a colour portfolio", there is a lovely photo of the up Yorkshire on page 8, which has Car 62 leading.  Ok, it's 1957, but I can discern at least 5 alu-clad wooden cars in it.  Third car is 66 and the fourth is one of either 105/106/107.  It's close to the Comet sides, but the toilet window isn't quite in the same position as either the kitchen third/first etches, being perfectly central between the windows (offset on both comet etches).

 

I have a few more observations on Pullmans of my own, but I'll leave those for another day.

 

Cheers,

Tim

Thanks for those corrections, Tim. My research goes back two decades, in correspondence with Charles Long and David Jenkinson, so some of it might be (probably is) slightly flawed, and it's right that notes made in good faith in the last century are corrected if they're wrong. However, I misread some of Charles's notes with regard to 62, 63 and 65 - they were originally built in 1925, and converted 1947-50, so would have trussing. My apologies to all for the error. 

 

I compliment you on your ability to discern the numbers/names in the Keith Pirt pictures. 

 

To another point, though, how many of Hornby's current Pullmans are really suitable for ECML operation in 1958? Not many I reckon.

 

In answer to another query about green-painted Pullman Cars, ex-MEDELINE (1926) was painted green in the '50s, branded BUFFET and numbered S78755S. There were others as well. In the same way that a few ex-Pullman cars were painted carmine/cream for operation in the Highlands in the '50s to act as Buffet Cars.

[Tony Wright]

More detail on the Pullman debate, having done some more research. TW is rightly regarded as an authority on matters concerning the ECML, but even he is not always right in every respect, and I know that he would not make such a bold assertion himself. As Tim has pointed out, there are one or two errors in the list TW included in post 5555 above, and Tim's correction isn't quite right either. Being a "former Solicitor", as my professional body insists I call myself, I rely always on evidence, and quote the sources which I rely on to support my opinions. The following relies on two volumes by Antony M Ford, Pullman Profiles 2 and 3. Volume 3 covers the all steel cars, and volume 2 the Standard K type cars. Both have been extremey useful in sorting out the Pullman minefield.

 

Dealing first with the identity of all steel cars, Ford confirms most of what TW says. The exception though is as Tim has already partially pointed out. Cars 81 and 82 were 1931 built all steel Kitchen Seconds, whilst Cars 83 and 84 from the same batch were Parlour Seconds. Although they started life on the then Southern Railway, they were transferred to the LNER by the end of 1933, and remained in LNER/BR(E) stock until the arrival of the MK1 cars. Those four cars then need to be added to the all steel list. Antony Ford's books are  very well illustrated by the way, and all the photos of these four cars confirm that they were from the outset devoid of underframe trussing and of all steel construction.

 

There were then in total 33 all steel cars:-

 

Seven Parlour First.  One of these, Zena, was in the late 1950's in the South Wales Pullman, so effectively there were six.

Eight Kitchen First

Four brakes

Six Parlour Seconds

Eight Kitchen Seconds.

 

According to Ford, the ER allocation in 1956 was 52 cars, 37 rostered and 15 spare, distributed as follows:-

 

Tees- Tyne Pullman  PF 2, PS 1, KF 1, KS 2, one of which was Hadrian, and BKE 2.

 

Yorkshire Pulman     PF 2, PS 1, KF 3, KS 3 BKE 2.

 

Queen of Scots        PF 1,  PS 2, KF 1 KS 2 BKE 2, plus one KF and one KS for the Leeds Portion.

 

There were two Q of S rakes, so total weekday requirements were as follows:-

 

Parlour Firsts  6

 

Parlour Seconds  6

 

Kitchen Firsts  7

 

Kitchen Seconds  10

 

Brakes     8.

 

Total 37 as stated by Ford.

 

 Available all steel cars were:-

 

PF 6

 

PS 6

 

KF 8

 

KS 8

 

BKE 4.

 

Thus on a daily basis if all of the steel cars had been in use, every PF and PS, and all but one KF would have been required. There would have been a shortfall of 2 KS, and 4 BKE. This means that given 100% availability of all steel cars, 6 wooden bodied cars would have been needed, including 50% of the Brakes. I doubted that 100% availablity could ever be achieved, hence my request for information from Ian(Olddudders) and Mike(Stationmaster) who had years of hands on experience. I'm very grateful for their input, which confirms my view that 80% availability would have been as much as could be expected, Stationmaster's point about cleaning of Kitchen cars was particularly relevant I thought, as it is noticeable that very few Parlour Firsts in particular are shown to have been loaned or transferred from the SR. That seems to suggest that their availability was higher than that of the Kitchen cars.

 

As I said in my earlier post, that means that only 29 all steel cars would have been available daily, 28 actually as Zena was on the GW, and it follows inexorably that there must have been a minimum of 9 wooden cars in regular use. But in addition to cars stopped for routine maintenance and repairs there would also have been others in works for major repairs or overhauls, and by definition defects that would not have required say an ordinary MK1 being taken out of service would have been sufficient to ensure the removal of a Pullman car, given the very high standards demanded by the elite pasengers carried.

 

Logic thus dictates that at least 25% of cars, and more likely getting on for 33% would have been wooden bodied. What does photographic evidence show?

 

Here are a very few of the examples I've found.

 

In Banks/Carter LNER passenger train formations.

 

P205. Hull portion of Yorkshire Pullman 3/7/59 - three out of four cars wooden.

 

P207 Up Tees-Tyne Pullman - 7/7/58 Majority of cars wooden, and commented on in the caption.

 

P208  Harrogate Sunday Pullman, formed of Q of S set, 14/4/59 at least four cars are wooden.

 

In On Great Northern lines- Flying Scotsman on Yorkshire 14/7/59, at least first three cars wooden.

 

In Power of the A1's - Great Eastern on Tees -Tyne no date but early crest - emerging from tunnel, so only three cars in view, all wooden.

 

Finally, the Tees- Tyne TW refers to - certainly three wooden bodied cars, including Hadrian, and Tim, whose eyes are much sharper than mine says there is a fourth.

 

There are more, but I won't bore you with them, and can't reproduce them for copyright reasons.

 

Finally, on the subject of wooden cars. Cars 62 63 and 65 were indeed wooden bodied, confirmed by Ford's books. 62 and 63 were by the 1950s brake cars which had been rebuilt from third class cars. 65 was a Parlour second as was 66, and both were ECML regulars in the '50s. 66 incidentally is available from Hornby, but as an aluminium clad car. In 1958 it was still matchboard, as apparently were many others. Some cars were part aluminium clad too. All of this is shown in photos in the Ford book. Car 32 was another ECML regular, as were Brakes 248, though not in the form modelled by Hornby, and 209, which Tim tells me is!

 

The whole subject is a minefield, and it isn't surprising that probably no-one gets it 100% right, but logical analysis backed up by photographic evidence shows that there were more wooden bodied cars on the ECML than one might think, and not all of them plated. Whether Hornby models can be used straight from the box is another story, but I'm sure you've had enough of this one.

Thanks Gilbert,

                         My 'authority' status on ECML matters is certainly most questionable these days, though I'm glad that 'most' of what I posted was accurate. My problem is that a lot of what I did with regard to the making of 'correct' Pullman trains is now history - 20 years or more ago. My QoS is of that vintage and was based on material available then. Current close-inspection will reveal it to be what it is - a product of its time but still reasonably accurate, and a route still necessary if you want a 'representative' depiction of a 'typical' ECML Pullman rake of the period (other than Golden Age's products). I have ten cars, two of which are aluminium-clad, which I think is reasonably representative. It was based on a photograph. I think your assessment of 33% aluminium-clad is pretty near.

I look forward to seeing the results. 

[Tony Wright]

Gilbert,

             Might I question the consist of the 1956 TTP given by Ford? It shows only three Kitchen Cars (one being the Hadrian Bar car). The convention was usually half a Pullman rake would be Kitchen Cars, one car serving itself and an adjacent parlour or brake car. My BR consist for the summer 1958 TTP has five Kitchen Cars, one being the Hadrian Bar - with six on Fridays! The mentioned Keith Pirt picture shows at least five Kitchen Cars in the nine-car rake. 

[bigwordsmith]

Tonys picture of Peterborough north is rather interesting in that it appears to show a least some of the overall roof without the lovers on, much as was the case at Grimsby and other area stations.  I wonder if the louvres were off for repair or whatever.

 

Downside of reading messages with iPhone - I read "...overall roof without the lovers on..." and of course got completely the wrong impression!

[great northern]

I must say you have all been remarkably patient.   Not a single photo of a train on the layout for a fortnight. What have I been doing? I don't know really, but obviously something must have distracted me. Anyway, I seem to remember that many moons ago I said I would do a "shot of the day", but that didn't last long. Here is a variation on the theme, a train of the day.

 

The early evening KX - Dringhouses Class C swings under Crescent Bridge behind an immaculate Top Shed V2. The photographer was pushing his luck, trying to take this from the loading dock, while looking straight into the sun.

His mate on Platform 2 was a bit more sensible.

This chap was much more sensible, and I'm sure he had a permit to stand over here.

Only to find that the sun can be just as much of a nuisance from this side. It would have helped if I had remembered to shut the blinds.

Lots of photographers around today - yet another one on Platform 6 to capture this familiar view. I've used one of the skies Andy Y sent me as a backdrop to these, and the sharp eyed among you, and there are many, may notice the odd shrub getting into shot, and even worse, at least one far too modern object. No, it isn't that duck.

[Rail-Online]

Gilbert,

While we are at the North end I thought you might find useful this shot of a couple of bits of equipment stored there in 1963 (things moved slowly then and I am sure they had been at PN since before the war).The frame for corridor end connections is interesting -much better than just leaving them on the platform as we have all seen at other less well managed stations. The neg was slightly out of focus so not much use for its primary purpose, a shot of an A3 - but useful to modellers!

Tony

[Andy Y]

 and even worse, at least one far too modern object. 

 

Get out of jail free card - http://www.british-towns.net/england/midland/warwickshire/north-warwickshire/coleshill/album/hams-hall-power-station

[jonny777]

Well, you have lost me completely now. 

[Worsdell forever]

Well, you have lost me completely now. 

Clue, it's in the first photo. (I think)

[westerner]

A pylon over the last van?

[jonny777]

Did pylons not exist in the late 1950s?

Edited March 10, 2014 by jonny777

[Mallard60022]

Is it that new penny that has derailed the front pony of the V2? (new pence intro Feb 1971)

Quack.