Engineer

The Metropolitan Railway's twenty Metropolitan-Vickers electric locomotives received names from 1927 onwards, all with a common theme of connections to Metropolitan Railway territory. Loco 2 was the fifth to leave the factory (in early 1922) and was the first of the locos to be a new build without re-using major components from the precursor locos. When names were assigned it was named Oliver Cromwell. https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-88883 During the Second World War and subsequent years the loco livery was changed to suit the times and all nameplates were removed. In the 1950s, the remaining members of the fleet were overhauled, repainted and fitted with new nameplates. Loco 2 became unique because it received a completely new name, Thomas Lord, and the sporting connection was reinforced by adding small plaques with crossed cricket bats. https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-62852

A while ago I passed through the Colnbrook area and, with time to spare and favourable weather, chose to make a small diversion. I found a path, maybe unofficial and in a very poor state of repair, that led from a Poyle estate road to the trackbed of the former Staines branch. I believe this might have been access for a foot crossing. There is much accumulated rubbish in the area. Roughly at the boundary of the former railway land, there is a post of bridge rail section, presumably a remnant of company fencing/gate post support. Moving north along the track bed, there is a river bridge, looks like a relatively modern span but with older railway abutments. Even further north the track bed reaches the south extent of the development site across the line. In the far distance of the image, just visible is the old building at the Colnbrook station site and a last remaining sign/lights on a post for the level crossing. Returning to the previous access path then heading southward the former line becomes less-used and at times more of a jungle path, occasionally ballast underfoot. It runs out after a few hundred yards. From OS map evidence, the path leading to Poyle Estate Halt seems to have been built over as the estate evolved so it is hard to locate the former station site precisely. There has been some building beyond the established edge of the estate and onto the footprint of the old line and there is assorted old and new building material dumped in the general area where the platform may have been This is amateur speculation only. I wonder if the discarded large, low reinforced concrete portals have a railway past? http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/p/poyle_estate_halt/poyle(8.1957_harden)estate_halt_old7.jpg Very recently I stood opposite a structure (below) including some 'family similarity', which encouraged me to post.

Can't find this film mentioned elsewhere, tiny railway snippet: https://www.reelstreets.com/films/frieda/ SR territory, named Denfield for film scene, actually Shalford. Also a clip, probably out-take: https://lolaclips.com/footage-archive/studiocanal/SC-01-0596/train_8

Question in earlier post: "... would these have been diesel hauled at any point?" Tenuous justification to relate to the original question (plus opportunity for an M-V loco to appear with a City Stock coach in model form): One of the electric loco histories reports a 1950s parent with one young offspring in tow, waiting on a Metropolitan platform. Apparently, they pointed to a passing loco, saying to the child "look at the diesel". Apologies for a very rapid photo lash-up and for the anomalies of detail, however the basic combination is correct - in the appropriate era, these would have been seen together.

Station Road Yatton; several examples

I don't have any answers of my own, but I've just had a chat with a long-retired person with lots of experience in LT depots. I'm told that the plates came in sets of five held together with a hefty ring, top centre. Plates were 14 gauge steel, and a measured sample comes out at 5 3/4" high, 4 1/2" wide. The dimensions and design were consistent from the Underground Group onwards into LT. By the 1960s, with many grubby or missing plates, 'Fablon' sticky numbers with the same character forms were applied to otherwise unusable plates. With luck, I may have a chance soon to examine some plates at close quarters.

Immediately beyond the military rail station at Liss, there are some allotments in the narrow area between the railway and the main line station. In the shadowed corner of the allotment to the right of the image there is a rail, planted upright maybe to carry a sign, with traces of paint from past times. Further along the railway walk there are a few places where there are sleepers either in place or uprooted and left on one side. There are a number of bridges along the walk, all of which are modern in upper structure and suited to use for walking and cycling. One of these, Rose Bridge, has a length of flat-bottom rail laid on its side across the line of route at each end, presumably to stabilise the construction. Abutments may still have some the original construction and there seems to be a length of rail reinforcement hanging around close to water level. At the end of the rail walk, at the site of the level crossing at Liss Forest Road, a couple of sleepers remain in place, firmly buried.

The line owned its terminus station at Liss and the platform remains are alongside the walking route. The shelter was probably constructed by the Army and uses rail as its structural skeleton. There are eight uprights/roof supports, and four of the uprights have added shorter supports. All seem to be flat-bottom rail with 5" foot and 6" height, all with substantial head wear so have earned their keep in life. The main supports each include a bend in the rail, which seems to be formed by removing a segment of the foot and web, bending the head then welding the joint to make the required shape. In one example, maybe the first try, this didn't work out well but was still used. There are a few further rail-related examples, further up the line, in the following post.

Another stand-alone buffer stop. My searches haven't found previous mentions of it on here, but I could have missed it. In this case, not only a buffer stop but enough rail for a short vehicle, secured in place. The stops are painted, and also have an unusual feature, a descriptive 'plate in appreciation of a local involved person. There's an information board, too. Overall it isn't abandoned, strictly, but rather more appreciated and cared for. The feature celebrates the Longmoor Military Railway and it is at the Liss terminus site, now the start of a walk along the end section of the railway, as far as Liss Forest Road. There are other relevant features further along, in the following posts.

In the Redruth and Chacewater Railway section of the Cornwall Railways web pages, another sample of re-created track is mentioned, this time close to Carharrack. Though not visible on an aerial map it is sited alongside a bridleway that follows the original alignment alongside the road from Lanner as it enters Carharrack. The display has two short sections, heavier construction (a 'skinny' bullhead] for steam operation, then some sample chairs and bearer blocks, then the lighter version (close to rectangular bar section) for horse operation. Alas the display is overgrown compared to the 2020 images on the Cornwall Railways pages. One of the local area history boards is a short walk away at the Carharrack end of the bridleway. This indicates where to find the track display and also, just a little closer to the town, a footbridge over the former railway alignment. At the moment the surrounding vegetation hides the bridge structure completely. The more visible upperworks and handrails incorporate some modern rectangular sections yet there are still many iron rail sections that can be examined at close quarters. Only space here to show the more general views. Approaching from the far side:

The boots-on-the-ground visit confirmed the pairs of granite bearers with various evidence of chairs or rail fixings. The random effect of bearer positions, shapes and details is excellent. Not all the bearers remain in place and the 'length' doesn't have cleanly defined ends. From aerial maps, the route alignment can be followed through the streets of Redruth, though there seem to be no definite surviving details. Relatively recently, mentioned in Cornwall Railways, a length of replica track has been laid in a public open space alongside Trefusis Road. Continued in following post ...

Here are some results from a walk along part of the route of the Redruth and Chacewater Railway. I needed to look at some internet references in advance, and sources were the excellent Cornwall Railways pages and a useful mention in RMWeb that's unfortunately lost its images. http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/military-and-industrial-tramways--light-railways.html https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/168642-redruth-and-chasewater-railway/#comment-4657810 With the aid of these plus study of aerial maps and current and past OS, I arranged the walk to see not only route and countryside but also, for this thread, some iron rails and stone blocks. At the Redruth end, thanks to use of the aerial map and street view beforehand, there appeared to be stone blocks - no abandoned iron rails - in a service road/cul-de-sac running south from Wesley Street. This seemed to coincide with the terminus layout shown on the 1906 25" OS map. https://www.google.com/maps/@50.234147,-5.2223088,3a,75y,137.3h,89.43t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sNnzsQOiNk6MmcbiEQZvX5A!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DNnzsQOiNk6MmcbiEQZvX5A%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D86.92649%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?authuser=0&entry=ttu The RMWeb reference mentioned a surviving building, probably the above. More details of bearers to follow ...

Compounding a recent boundary-stretching sub-theme ... This evening, at Pulborough, a lonely buffer-stop ...

I made a routine trawl today for any new information on the Uxbridge Vine Street branch and came across a reference in a movie database: https://railwaymoviedatabase.com/its-hard-to-be-good/ Cowley on the Uxbridge branch doesn't seem to have many mentions on RMWeb, so I hope I'm not duplicating any previous entry. The film seems also to include scenes at Hayes and Harlington and possibly a distant glimpse of the West Coast Main Line.

Barbican Station in the City of London has featured in RMWeb several times, including images of Widened Lines diesel and electric times. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/145709-backdrops-discuss/?do=findComment&comment=3673282 https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/121467-overhead-emu-photos/page/4/#comment-4821713 https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/172255-disused-lines-with-track-still-in-situ/?do=findComment&comment=4837085 Just to add a tiny present-day observation. Here is a view taken just outside the Crossrail interchange lift lobby, looking along the Westbound/Inner Rail island platform towards Moorgate and Liverpool Street, with much of the former Widened Lines track removed and tunnels fenced off pending future developments. A closer look at the outer end of the island platform's abbreviated canopy shows a sign that related to the electrification that's now removed. At the centre canopy support, two further electrification warning plates that have no apparent information role now.