Jonny's "where are these?" photo album

[Blandford1969]

Could this be Birmingham New street on the Midland side?

[Oldddudders]

At least 10 platforms limits the sites a bit. Upper quadrant signal above the B1(?) tender. Is that mail piled up beyond the steam locos? Wymans rather than Smiths or Menzies. Loadsa clues for someone!

[TheSignalEngineer]

Birmingham New Street from the footbridge. The train in P8 is probably a Fowler 2-6-4T either having arrived from the Redditch/Worcester/Ashchurch area or waiting to depart to Leicester or Derby. The B1 in P7 could be the one off the Cleethorpes running light to Saltley, but depends on the year and day of the week. The east end pilot is standing in the siding between the platforms.

The girder bridge in the background is Queens Deive.

[luckymucklebackit]

Agree - conveniently network rail have a plan of the old station here  https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/resources/nrca130028s  you can pick out platforms 8 and 9 on the top left of the plan

 

Jim

[jonny777]

1 hour ago, Blandford1969 said:

Could this be Birmingham New street on the Midland side?

 

38 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Birmingham New Street from the footbridge. The train in P8 is probably a Fowler 2-6-4T either having arrived from the Redditch/Worcester/Ashchurch area or waiting to depart to Leicester or Derby. The B1 in P7 could be the one off the Cleethorpes running light to Saltley, but depends on the year and day of the week. The east end pilot is standing in the siding between the platforms.

The girder bridge in the background is Queens Deive.

 

Thanks very much for that, both of you. As I said before the Hastings and Thanet advert was corrupting my location ideas. 

 

 

28 minutes ago, luckymucklebackit said:

Agree - conveniently network rail have a plan of the old station here  https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/resources/nrca130028s  you can pick out platforms 8 and 9 on the top left of the plan

 

Jim

 

So they do, thanks Jim. I had no idea that plan existed online. I learn something every day, as was unaware that the old New Street had a turntable (although it makes a lot of sense). 

[TheSignalEngineer]

3 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

 

So they do, thanks Jim. I had no idea that plan existed online. I learn something every day, as was unaware that the old New Street had a turntable (although it makes a lot of sense). 

The PSB was built on the site of the turntable.

 

Any Idea of the date? I woud have said late 1950s.

The finger departure indicator has the clock set to 12noon by the look of it. If it was a Summer Saturday that would tie in with the B1 being off the Cleethorpes - Exmouth which left New Street around 11.35 on a good day, and there was a train from Ashchurch via Evesham and Redditch due in at about 11.45.

[jonny777]

I think that is correct about the Cleethorpes, as the B1 turns out to be 61408 - an Immingham loco until the end of 1962 when it was withdrawn. 

 

Most of the poorer quality photos appear to be either late 1950s or very early 60s. Later ones are better quality and I presume were taken on a replacement camera or new lens, or both. There are no details on the mounts which is why I am struggling with some of them. 

 

Thanks to everyone who has contributed with suggestions, they really are very useful to me. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

4 hours ago, jonny777 said:

the Hastings and Thanet advert was corrupting my location ideas.

Hastings and Thanet was formed by a merger in 1951.

BR signs replaced LMS ones about the same time. 

As you got the loco number,  was that from the picture? If so are any of the details on the other posters legible as I have dated some pictures in the area quite accurately by details of company, theatre shows or train services.

Edited December 10, 2019 by TheSignalEngineer

[jonny777]

No, sorry, the loco number was from another photo on the same film. However, it is at the platform end and has no station buildings visible. 

 

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

Any other New Street shots on the film?

[jonny777]

Yes, but they are not good quality. 

 

I will try and post others shortly, but am a bit busy at the moment. 

 

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

Thanks, no rush, just interested.

That's the platform where the Cleethorpes used to arrive, so looking like a good bet.

On that one I can see the Golden Eagle pub and what looks like a Gordon's gin poster on the end of the old GPO building.

[jonny777]

Here's another. As I mentioned, not wonderful quality but New Street has never been a place for good photography really. 

 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

15 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

Here's another. As I mentioned, not wonderful quality but New Street has never been a place for good photography really. 

Not much for the gricer there, it's true - but bags of arty-farty atmosphere. People sell big prints with that level of soot and whitewash. It might benefit from a bit of a crop on the left.

[jonny777]

Mr Cowlishaw seemed to like the atmospheric shots. Maybe he had seen some work by Ian Krause? 

 

 

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

I'm not sure the first one is New Street. The roof steelwork looks wrong and the platforms don't seem to match up. The vehicle behind the Crab is a BR GUV so at least 1956 IIRC.

The second train is on platform 10 at New Street, probably heading to the Gloucester line.

[TheSignalEngineer]

13 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

I'm not sure the first one is New Street. The roof steelwork looks wrong and the platforms don't seem to match up.

We also had round lampshades and round clocks.

 

Edited December 10, 2019 by TheSignalEngineer
Deleted incorrect suggestion

[TheSignalEngineer]

Another interesting point about the one on platform 10. Half way up the main post of the bracket signal on the right hand side is an ex-LNWR rotating disc signal. 

[Phil Bullock]

11 hours ago, jonny777 said:

Here's another. As I mentioned, not wonderful quality but New Street has never been a place for good photography really. 

 

 

 

 

Is that OHLE above and to the left of the smokebox? If so restricts both location and time frame. 

 

Crewe has similar canopies on platform 2 but I cant find anything there that has a similar canopy on opposite platforms like this. Theres also a footbridge in the background - if this all holds wondering about the parcels platforms on the far side at Stafford?

[TheSignalEngineer]

Possibly Stafford. I did think it may be the the north end of platform 5 just past the footbridge. 

[jonny777]

10 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

I'm not sure the first one is New Street. The roof steelwork looks wrong and the platforms don't seem to match up. The vehicle behind the Crab is a BR GUV so at least 1956 IIRC.

The second train is on platform 10 at New Street, probably heading to the Gloucester line.

 

Yes, I thought the canopies looked too modern, but the mount has 'Birm N Street' written on it and I just went along with it at the time. 

[jonny777]

Here is another of the B1. There are a few of this loco, but none of Stanier Pacifics or Scots/Patriots. My theory is that the date for these photos is maybe 1962 and many of the London and cross country services have been dieselised? Suddenly, an Immingham B1 turns up and many shots are taken of one of the few steam locos which appeared and would be a big 'cop' for someone raised in Shropshire. 

 

Also, the weather doesn't seem to have helped with the exposures. 

 

As I say, it is merely a theory; and the shunter's number is unreadable on the original scan.  

Edited December 11, 2019 by jonny777

[TheSignalEngineer]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

My theory is that the date for these photos is maybe 1962 and many of the London and cross country services have been dieselised? Suddenly, an Immingham B1 turns up and many shots are taken of one of the few steam locos which appeared and would be a big 'cop' for someone raised in Shropshire. 

 

Also, the weather doesn't seem to have helped with the exposures. 

 

As I say, it is merely a theory; and the shunter's number is unreadable on the original scan.

It was unusual to see a 350hp shunter at New Street before  Monument Lane got D3839/40/41 in November 1960 although there was sometimes a Saltley one in the Fish Sidings at the back of Platform 11. 

I have a picture taken about August 1961 at the same spot as the B1 with the same poster on the billboard in the background.

Steam actually became more interesting on the North Western side around 1962 as the WCML, GW and GE were taken over by diesels. Aston got Brits including six from Canton in the Autumn of 1961. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

1 hour ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Possibly Stafford. I did think it may be the the north end of platform 5 just past the footbridge. 

Wrong canopies. Try again, but definitely WCML 1960s style.

[beast66606]

10 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Wrong canopies. Try again, but definitely WCML 1960s style.

 

There's 2 vehicles on the right which implies this is a reasonably large station.

 

Coventry ?

 

Probably not

Edited December 11, 2019 by beast66606