The human side of the railway...

[Oldddudders]

That last shot shows 4-RES 3056 re-formed as a 4-PUL with a Pullman. Ran like that 1964-8.

[keefer]

And I thought wheelie-cases were a modern invention!

[Rugd1022]

4 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

That last shot shows 4-RES 3056 re-formed as a 4-PUL with a Pullman. Ran like that 1964-8.

 

Thanks Ian - sadly my Southern Region geekery is nowhere near as tip top as yours! Since I signed the road down to Clapham and Battersea via both Kensington and Barnes though my interest in the SR has grown somewhat .

[Oldddudders]

46 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

Thanks Ian - sadly my Southern Region geekery is nowhere near as tip top as yours! Since I signed the road down to Clapham and Battersea via both Kensington and Barnes though my interest in the SR has grown somewhat .

Not quite the luxurious railway complex it once was in the Longhedge - Battersea area, even when I used to cover the Yard Manager in the late '70s, with three signalboxes, at Longhedge, Factory and Stew Lane Junctions. The VARS (Victoria) scheme in the early '80s took an axe to some little-used rails. And it is more than 50 years ago, in my Control days, that I first heard a voice on the phone say "Battersea Yard - morning figures". 

 

As I have said before, when I met managers from other Regions they sneered at the 'tram-track' Southern, but the smile faded if they found themselves faced with being responsible for bits of the network. The fact that there were and are junctions that take you back into London, rather than just splitting into two routes away from it, was fairly confounding, it seemed. So there were regular trains from Waterloo to Waterloo, while the London Bridge rush-hour included no less than three out-and-back routes in each direction. But just like every other railway, it works - thanks to the humans we celebrate in this thread. 

[73c]

Going to stick my neck out on this and say that I'm fairly certain that the photo of the 2 railway men with their hats up, is Blackheath station.

Left hand side is the bay platform and a siding, that later on, a weed killer train was kept. The water tanks were L1 tenders I've been told.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackheath_railway_station#/media/File:Blackheath_railway_station_1814222_fec4318b.jpg

The canopies on both sides were shortened at some point. The tall dark area on the right between the support and the start of the wall posters, is the door to the downside staff room.

 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, keefer said:

And I thought wheelie-cases were a modern invention!

You could buy a 'suitcase trolley' which was a small folding sack trolley which you could strap your suitcase too. They were sold from the mid 50's until the wheelie suitcases came into fashion. I still have one inherited from my parents, its very useful for moving model railway stock boxes.

[Rugd1022]

15 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Not quite the luxurious railway complex it once was in the Longhedge - Battersea area, even when I used to cover the Yard Manager in the late '70s, with three signalboxes, at Longhedge, Factory and Stew Lane Junctions. The VARS (Victoria) scheme in the early '80s took an axe to some little-used rails. And it is more than 50 years ago, in my Control days, that I first heard a voice on the phone say "Battersea Yard - morning figures". 

 

As I have said before, when I met managers from other Regions they sneered at the 'tram-track' Southern, but the smile faded if they found themselves faced with being responsible for bits of the network. The fact that there were and are junctions that take you back into London, rather than just splitting into two routes away from it, was fairly confounding, it seemed. So there were regular trains from Waterloo to Waterloo, while the London Bridge rush-hour included no less than three out-and-back routes in each direction. But just like every other railway, it works - thanks to the humans we celebrate in this thread. 

 

This particular area of the Southern (and the West London line which comes down to it from Mitre Bridge) has always fascinated me but it's only since I signed the road that I've been smooching about in the weeds looking for signs of times past. It's difficult to imagine just how much 'railway' there was between Mitre Bridge and Battersea, stations and junctions have come and gone, as have many sidings, loops and signalboxes....

 

 

 

 

All of the sidings at Chelsea Wharf have now gone, replaced by new shiny glass apartment blocks....

 

 

It still feels a little strange backing a stone train into the yard at Stewarts Lane where Bullieds, Uries and Maunsells once stood!

 

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Rugd1022

[keefer]

Another line not shown on the first two maps above is the former GW goods line.

Came off the NNML at North Acton then shadowed the Central line and joined the WLL just north of the H&C viaduct.

Nothing of the line exists but the trees etc. growing on the trackbed show the route.

Not really anything to do with your South London area but it did allow GW goods trains on the GW/GC Jnt. to access the WLL and all points South.

[Welly]

On 05/08/2021 at 09:30, Rugd1022 said:

Which halt was that? I can't make out the name of the place.

[Oldddudders]

4 hours ago, keefer said:

Not really anything to do with your South London area but it did allow GW goods trains on the GW/GC Jnt. to access the WLL and all points South.

Including the GWR depot at South Lambeth, reached by reversing opposite Battersea Yard. 

[Rugd1022]

33 minutes ago, Welly said:

Which halt was that? I can't make out the name of the place.

 

Horsepath Halt 

[keefer]

RCH Junction diagram covering Stewarts Lane and South Lambeth:

(Stated as in Public Domain)

[Southof1E top tmd]

Spa Valley volunteers at Groombridge studying the diesel galas timetable on Friday 6th August 2021

 

an excellent event

 

NR

 

https://leightonlists.com/

[Oldddudders]

7 minutes ago, Southof1E top tmd said:

Spa Valley volunteers at Groombridge studying the diesel galas timetable on Friday 6th August 2021

 

an excellent event

Always pleased to hear good things about this line. After all, I was Project Manager for the closure in 1985 that enabled it....

[Welly]

18 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

Horsepath Halt 

How bleak did that halt look in the snow, that was an inspired shot by the photographer! I looked up the place and it was on the Oxford - Thame - Princes Risborough line

[Rugd1022]

18 hours ago, keefer said:

RCH Junction diagram covering Stewarts Lane and South Lambeth:

(Stated as in Public Domain)

 

A couple of years ago I was on the Battersea job and was wrong routed twice by the same signalman, once at Latchmere where he gave me the route to Clapham by mistake and again the following week at Longhedge where he tried to send me to Brighton! Luckily on both occasions I was only crawling along to managed to stop and question it. It's a fascinating web of railway lines, but you have to keep your wits about you on these jobs!

[drjcontroller]

The traincrew and groundstaff exchange pleasantries at Warcop on the occasion of the last trip to uplift MOD supplies, 16/3/89.

 

[Rugd1022]

Dahn the tube....

 

[Rugd1022]

Wimbledon, 1967....

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Clapham Junction, 1970....

 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Three more from Waterloo....

 

 

 

[62613]

2nd picture; is that Paul Robeson?

 

[Rugd1022]

5 minutes ago, 62613 said:

2nd picture; is that Paul Robeson?

 

 

Yes it is .

 

I rather like this....

 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

[Rugd1022]

Exeter St.Davids in 1971, photo c/o Roger Geach and taken by John Turner : An up train in platform 5 getting relief, I wonder of Mike the SM can assist in identifying any of the train crew....?