Name that station

[rodent279]

Hey Rmweb hive mind,

 

Another of my mystery location photos I'm afraid!

 

This is another that my dad took during the electrification of the WCML. I have no date, but at a guess it's around 1963-4. The wiring train is just entering a station-it appears to be double track, and as far as I can tell, there isn't another pair of tracks to the right of the platform wall. If you look carefully, you can see that the train is curving into the station, presumably from a siding or loop, and that there are two sets of insulators and contact wires being put up. One of these will be the run off into the siding/loop. If you look closely at the left of the photo, there is what looks like a small yard, with possibly a single OHL gantry terminating the overhead wire off a siding.

 

My first thought was Long Buckby, but looking at Google maps, that is on a very definite curve, and the platforms on the photo appear straight. There's also no sign of a former yard at Long Buckby. I can't think of anywhere that ties in with this photo, not on the southern WCML at least. Pretty well every station I can think of between Rugby & Euston is 4 track, with at least 3 platforms, apart from Northampton and Long Buckby, and I think we can discount Northampton as well. Dad's section was Roade-Euston, but I guess it's possible he went off his patch to see wires being put up elsewhere. I did think of Blisworth, but that closed in 1960, which would be a couple of years before wiring, and the station in this photo does not have the look of one either recently closed, or about to choose.

 

Any ideas? 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by rodent279

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 minute ago, rodent279 said:

Hey Rmweb hive mind,

 

Another of my mystery location photos I'm afraid!

 

This is another that my dad took during the electrification of the WCML. I have no date, but at a guess it's around 1963-4. The wiring train is just entering a station-it appears to be double track, and as far as I can tell, there isn't another pair of tracks to the right of the platform wall. If you look carefully, you can see that the train is curving into the station, presumably from a siding or loop, and that there are two sets of insulators and contact wires being put up. One of these will be the run off into the siding/loop. If you look closely at the left of there photo, there is what looks like a small yard, with possibly a single OHL gantry terminating the overhead wire off a siding.

 

My first thought was Long Buckby, but looking at Google maps, that is on a very definite curve, and the platforms on the photo appear straight. There's also no sign of a former yard at Long Buckby. I can't think of anywhere that ties in with this photo, not on the southern WCML at least. Pretty well every station I can think of between Rugby & Euston is 4 track, with at least 3 platforms, apart from Northampton and Long Buckby, and I think we can discount Northampton as well. Dad's section was Roade-Euston, but I guess it's possible he went off his patch to see wires being put up elsewhere. I did think of Blisworth, but that closed in 1960, which would be a couple of years before wiring, and the station in this photo does not have the look of one either recently closed, or about to choose.

 

Any ideas? 

 

If we could see the photo, that might help.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Quite unusual for the original station building to have been retained. The WCML electrification was somehow a justification to demolish a lot of nice buildings and replace them with kit-built monstrosities.

 

From what we can see of that building, we may be somewhere on the North Staffs.

[rodent279]

23 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

If we could see the photo, that might help.

It certainly would.....I pressed Submit before I attached the photo!

[rodent279]

10 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Quite unusual for the original station building to have been retained. The WCML electrification was somehow a justification to demolish a lot of nice buildings and replace them with kit-built monstrosities.

 

From what we can see of that building, we may be somewhere on the North Staffs.

Well...a few (most) of the stations on the southern section retained their original buildings. But yes, a lot of those in earlier schemes, such as Manchester-Crewe, were rebuilt. I can't discount that it's somewhere up there, but I'm struggling to think where.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

On zooming in, there "seems" to be some OHLE in the left background, maybe an avoiding loop line or immediately after a junction?

 

Mike.

[rodent279]

1 minute ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

On zooming in, there "seems" to be some OHLE in the left background, maybe an avoiding loop line or immediately after a junction?

 

Mike.

Yes, I thought it looked like a yard with some sidings.

[5BarVT]

The station name appears to be quite short.

The platforms appear straight, but the wiring train is on quite a sharp curve, so either coming off a sharp curve, or out of a loop or siding.

Paul.

[Joseph_Pestell]

26 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

The station name appears to be quite short.

The platforms appear straight, but the wiring train is on quite a sharp curve, so either coming off a sharp curve, or out of a loop or siding.

Paul.

 

Yes, we know that the wiring train is coming out of a loop or siding from the two registration arms on the mast.

 

Like Mike, I noticed what seems to be a further mast to the left of the scene on a diverging pair of tracks. That would suggest Stone but we should be able to see the  main station building if that were the case. And I don't recall there being further waiting rooms etc on the platform.

[Bomag]

Both sets of platforms at Stone were on a curve. If we are talking about 63-64 I would say that it could be one of the stations on the Rugby to New Streat section or the line to Walsall, it looks suburban.

 

If there wasn't significant differences with what is there now I would say it could be Aston looking southbound from Aston North Jct. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

Blisworth was my original thought but that has already been discounted. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by TheSignalEngineer

[rodent279]

1 hour ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Blisworth was my original thought but that has already been discounted. 

I'm discounting Blisworth on the basis that it closed in 1960, and the station in the photo does not have the look of one about to close, or recently closed. The fencing looks like it has recently been renewed, and overall it looks too clean and well looked after. It also doesn't quite fit with the few photos I've seen of Blisworth, but I've not seen many good clear ones. All the photos I've seen post-electrification show the platforms razed to the ground.

[Davexoc]

2 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

I'm discounting Blisworth on the basis that it closed in 1960, and the station in the photo does not have the look of one about to close, or recently closed. The fencing looks like it has recently been renewed, and overall it looks too clean and well looked after. It also doesn't quite fit with the few photos I've seen of Blisworth, but I've not seen many good clear ones. All the photos I've seen post-electrification show the platforms razed to the ground.

 

Agree with that. The SMJ line platforms were rebuilt for parcels use while Euston was rebuilt. This link is a reasonable view towards the station area in '66, lots of lines under the wires....

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the-evanses/8020179815/in/gallery-29644579@N07-72157714177956811/

 

[rodent279]

14 minutes ago, Davexoc said:

 

Agree with that. The SMJ line platforms were rebuilt for parcels use while Euston was rebuilt. This link is a reasonable view towards the station area in '66, lots of lines under the wires....

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/the-evanses/8020179815/in/gallery-29644579@N07-72157714177956811/

 

You beat me to it, I was about to link to that very photo! There's this as well, showing the station being demolished. No wires in sight.

 

https://flic.kr/p/jimFTg

 

There's also a couple on Flickr showing a Jubilee, Royal Scot and Black 5 coming through on down WCML trains in 1957. Good views of the station, but the buildings look different. Unfortunately sharing has been disabled, so I can't link to them.

 

 

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

There looks to be quite a large goods yard or coal yard to the left. To the right there is either a road or station approach, which could be slightly lower than the railway judging by the lamps. 

 

[DY444]

This has been driving me nuts ever since it was first posted but I've finally found it. 

 

It's Mauldeth Road.  The wiring train is on the Up Styal line.

 

The station itself has been rebuilt since and the siding the train is emerging from is long gone but the single ole mast, the heavy duty gantry just visible in the distance and the flat roof building in the bottom left hand corner are still extant. 

 

At 12:31 on this:

 

plus:

https://tinyurl.com/3d9utvyn

https://tinyurl.com/4cfm84hm

Edited July 3, 2021 by DY444

[rodent279]

On 03/07/2021 at 10:19, DY444 said:

This has been driving me nuts ever since it was first posted but I've finally found it. 

 

It's Mauldeth Road.  The wiring train is on the Up Styal line.

 

The station itself has been rebuilt since and the siding the train is emerging from is long gone but the single ole mast, the heavy duty gantry just visible in the distance and the flat roof building in the bottom left hand corner are still extant. 

 

At 12:31 on this:

 

plus:

https://tinyurl.com/3d9utvyn

https://tinyurl.com/4cfm84hm

Thanks. I've had a good look on NLS maps & Google maps, and what few photos there are on Flickr etc, and I'm fairly convinced you're right. It doesn't help that the station buildings were demolished in the 60's, and there are precious few photos of it pre-1989. But the two gantries & the flat topped building, in relation to the platforms, give it away.

 

Now, here are two more from the same batch. I'm guessing they are taken in the same area, though not necessarily the same place or time. Looks quite distinctively early Mk1 OHL.

 

 

And for a couple of Brucie Bonus points, where's this? (I'm pretty damn sure I know...😜

 

Cheers N

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by rodent279

[MidlandRed]

On 03/07/2021 at 10:19, DY444 said:

This has been driving me nuts ever since it was first posted but I've finally found it. 

 

It's Mauldeth Road.  The wiring train is on the Up Styal line.

 

The station itself has been rebuilt since and the siding the train is emerging from is long gone but the single ole mast, the heavy duty gantry just visible in the distance and the flat roof building in the bottom left hand corner are still extant. 

 

At 12:31 on this:

 

plus:

https://tinyurl.com/3d9utvyn

https://tinyurl.com/4cfm84hm

I wasn’t totally convinced until I saw the 1:2500 OS plan on Old Maps and the whole thing fits perfectly including the southern end of the coal yard sidings (presumably the masts/OLE) in the left distance. Not sure why the yard is electrified but the Styal line was one of the first bits to be done and the subject of E1000 (E2001) operating. I wonder whether the sidings were used for parking stock initially? The yard is now occupied by a B and M Superstore and car park. The A34 Kingsway dual carriageway was also present in 1958 and the fuel station next to and just south of the coal yard sidings appears to have been there in some form also. 

 

Haven't a clue where the latest uploads are but those overhead power lines look like a major safety hazard for the wagon mounted crane and anyone on the flat roofed coaches! 

Having watched all stages of the electrification work on the Grand Junction around Perry Barr, Birmingham in the mid 60s, from bridge reconstruction to augering the mast holes, fitting the shuttering (usually a circular section steel unit), followed by concreting with a shutter (whole operation on one ‘conveyor belt’ train, usually hauled by an 8F), followed weeks later by mast installation and final concreting in, and then weeks after that the train of flat topped roof elderly coaches in black/grey with a number of men standing on top and fitting the OLE. There may have been another intermediate stage where the mounting brackets were fitted but I don’t recall that - but I clearly remember these construction trains which hung around whole week ends (my dad would have been playing in cricket matches adjacent to the line - but I was far more interested in this rail activity) - so these photos are very evocative!!

 

The first test trains seemed to run about 4 pm on weekdays in late 66/early 67 and usually hauled by AL3 E3037 IIRC. The BNS to Walsall service seemed to be formed of AM4 unit 022 every time I saw it, at the start of electric services, in very shabby condition compared with the Park Royal DMUs it replaced! 

 

Thanks for posting. 

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by MidlandRed

[rodent279]

On 04/07/2021 at 11:54, rodent279 said:

Thanks. I've had a good look on NLS maps & Google maps, and what few photos there are on Flickr etc, and I'm fairly convinced you're right. It doesn't help that the station buildings were demolished in the 60's, and there are precious few photos of it pre-1989. But the two gantries & the flat topped building, in relation to the platforms, give it away.

 

Now, here are two more from the same batch. I'm guessing they are taken in the same area, though not necessarily the same place or time. Looks quite distinctively early Mk1 OHL.

 

 

And for a couple of Brucie Bonus points, where's this? (I'm pretty damn sure I know...😜

 

Cheers N

 

Been a while now, no one seems to have got the last two uploads.

I'm pretty sure they are at Bourne End. I think my dad went there to survey the site for the neutral section. Obviously those wires would need moving before any OHL went up, and Google maps & NLS maps confirms they have been moved.

Anyone else think I've got it right?

[Compound2632]

Some nice ex-LNWR toplights there.

[Michael Hodgson]

On 04/07/2021 at 11:54, rodent279 said:

 

 

 

 

 

I love this photo.  That cherry picker would make a great add-on for one of the 3D boys to do for a  well wagon.  I'm not sure about that bit sticking up behind the arm though ... looks like the bloke in the flat hat and his hands in his pockets (the gaffer?) has aimed  an ack-ack guns at his mate up top !

 

A couple of great photos of pole route too - on both sides of the line.