Peterborough North

[great northern]

Next on the Down slow we have empties which started from Tempsford, and as shunting may well have been involved, a WD has the job.

They don't get many close ups. The second shot is more of Station Road and the N5, but 90246 has sidled into this one too.

[great northern]

Here's a treat, two pre grouping locos in the same shot. The A5 is ready to go to Grimsby, and the D16 will eventually be off down to East.

An A3 is always a treat. 60065 has the Up Ripon.

[great northern]

Now we record the departure of the A5.

And passing the WD, which, as usual, is drawing very slowly up to a signal at which it will wait for some time.

 

[great northern]

It has been very rare indeed for both Up and Down slow to be occupied at the same time, but the sequence dictated that it should now happen, and so it has been recorded.

The Up being out of service for quite a while will have had an effect on this, but I think also that, based on all the photographs I have seen, the Up slow was not used anywhere as near as much as the Down. Anyway, below is a shot of the 9F held at the signal which doesn't exist at the moment. The main is occupied by the Ripon, which will be on its way shortly.

[great northern]

Trains under Crescent Bridge this evening. On the Up, 60065 is just getting started.

and on the Down, a local V2 has the lunchtime KX-York parcels.

[great northern]

A3 and V2 meet.

 

and the V2 moves on through.

[great northern]

All been very quiet on here lately, so I'd like to try to generate a bit more than just me posting photos and people reacting to them with likes or other things.

 

This morning I've been on a walk which involved using a bit of the notorious old A46, on which traces of road markings can still be seen. If I'd tried to walk there about fourteen years ago, I wouldn't have lived for more than a couple of minutes, and it had me thinking about the drastic changes which have occurred all around me. That led me back to railways, and to the ECML. What, if anything, is left of it which is recognisable from the 1950s? There are people who visit here from many different areas, so if you do know of such places, anywhere from Kings Cross to Aberdeen, please let us know. Obviously some of the larger stations are instantly recognisable, but very different from the past, so its a matter of degree. To give one example, for me Grantham still has quite a lot of its past, but the fact that the whole engine shed area is now a housing estate means it can't have anything like the same atmosphere or physical resemblance.

 

I'm not sure I've put this very well, but I hope you will get what I'm after, and I look forward to hearing more. If you have pictures, so much the better.

[31A]

I think the remaining GN buildings at Newark North Gate and Retford stations retain quite a bit of the original 'atmosphere' (if that's the word); Retford on the Up side and Newark on the Down side, where the original buildings remain.

 

 

 

Newark is much busier than it would have been in the past in terms of passenger numbers but also in terms of train movements as there would have been no Lincoln trains from there in steam days, and the Anglo Scottish trains call hourly as well as the 2-hourly York trains.

 

Further north, Berwick station is very nicely preserved, having been rebuilt by the LNER in the Grouping period, and I suspect probably looks much as it always has (?) as the loco depot and main yards etc. were at Tweedmouth on the other side of the viaduct.

 

[New Haven Neil]

As a platform dwelling oik at Newcastle Central for many years, it pains me to see the current layout, but the roof and majority of the buildings are much as they were, plus the portico of course.  I'm not now in a position to nip down there and take a photo of the place, due to, err the Irish Sea, but I loved it in the 70's.....

 

 

[Ollie K]

As someone born long after steam, ECML track simplification and even electrification, playing 'spot the old infrastructure' is one of my favourite side hobbies. I was oddly delighted to discover that at the north end of Grantham station live some railings dating from the first time it was served by the 'LNER'...

 

 

Close up here (yes, I went for a look)

 

 

Being an Essendine / Bytham local I find the most evocative non-station locations on the modern railway to be the surviving GNR occupation bridges over the ECML on Stoke Bank. Though some were lost to electrification there are still several three-arch brick structures dutifully doing what they were built to over 150 years ago, looming over (or carrying) Azumas where there were once HSTs, Deltics, Gresley Pacifics, Atlantics and Stirling Singles striding beneath them. I've enjoyed cycling over to them and watching trains go by for years, hence my username here.

 

A few snaps, starting with the bridge at Westby just south of Stoke summit:

 

 

Burton Coggles

 

 

Bytham, looking south:

 

 

And a few from Essendine.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ollie

Edited November 26, 2023 by OliverBytham

[great northern]

Thanks for the contributions so far received, keep them coming please, as there must be plenty of other candidates.

 

Our evening images continue to follow that rather clean New England V2, as it passes the platform signal...

 

and then the WD.

This is the start of a series of shots taken from my small tripod, this being one I haven't tried before.

[31A]

Gilbert did say "some of the larger stations are instantly recognisable", but in taking note of that, I did find myself on Darlington station a few evenings ago en route from Bishop Auckland to York and was thinking how unchanged it was on a dark November evening, albeit nowadays very clean and smart, and as such fit for the 21st century with very modern information displays etc.  It still has a proper Station Buffet too, which seems to be a vanishing facility!  Obviously the acrid smoke from the steam engines has gone, but from within the train shed much seemed unchanged.  Slightly surprising that they still haven't found a use for the plinth that "Locomotion" and "Derwent" stood on until nearly 50 years ago!

 

I am always impressed by Newcastle Central, not least by the fact that it dates from 1850 when railways were in their infancy, only a few years really after the Stockton & Darlington and the Liverpool & Manchester Railways opened, yet has been fit for purpose ever since, and indeed remained so after the construction of the King Edward Bridge which could hardly have been foreseen when it was built.  Perhaps it could be said to have set the pattern for so many stations which followed.

 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

From the other side of the Planet, KX passenger loco, by it's absence is instantly recognizable.

 

manna

[great northern]

High level views of Knight of Thistle negotiating the over sharp curve on a part of the layout which was never originally intended to be in any way scenic.

This LED lighting is very efficient, much brighter than the old ones, and I find it near impossible to get the colour balance anywhere near right at this time of year.

[Oldddudders]

7 minutes ago, great northern said:

High level views of Knight of Thistle negotiating the over sharp curve on a part of the layout which was never originally intended to be in any way scenic.

 

But which now looks impressively authentic as a backdrop, and no doubt passes more than muster if examined. . 

[great northern]

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

But which now looks impressively authentic as a backdrop, and no doubt passes more than muster if examined. . 

Very good of you to say that, Ian, but it wouldn't pass muster if closely examined at present. There are still some areas which I haven't got round to finishing off, mainly because I can't make my mind up what to put there. You don't know about them, as I am cunning when cropping.

 

I'd love to have a half relief of the old Midland station, but it would need to be parallel to the two sidings a the back to look sensible, whereas in reality it was almost parallel to Crescent Junction box. I can't think of a way round that. There's some ballasting to be done as well, but matching Norman Saunders work looks a bit difficult. Perhaps Peter Leyland can come up with a solution to that though. Then there's a backscene to consider. And I thought the layout was nearly finished.

[great northern]

Another A3. This one is a Doncaster engine, has a nearly new double chimney, and thus gets rostered for the 1.20 KX-Leeds.

This shows very graphically what the lights can do to any light coloured surface. I just can't tone these down any further, so if anyone clever can tell me how to do so, I shall be much obliged.

[mullie]

I can't contribute much with regard to the ECML, surely some photos of York are always worthy of discussion. I took these this summer whilst we were visiting daughter number 2 who was in the process of moving from Harrogate to London having lived up north for two years.

 

 

 

 

For someone who has seen this station only once, around 46 years ago it is seriously impressive. When I was thirteen I had a day out with Dad to the Railway museum travelling up from Brentwood, Essex for the day. We were deltic hauled up the ECML and HST on the way back. It was a great day.

 

I have some photos of Knareborough too, suppose that doesn't count!

 

Martyn

[great northern]

32 minutes ago, mullie said:

I can't contribute much with regard to the ECML, surely some photos of York are always worthy of discussion. I took these this summer whilst we were visiting daughter number 2 who was in the process of moving from Harrogate to London having lived up north for two years.

 

 

 

 

For someone who has seen this station only once, around 46 years ago it is seriously impressive. When I was thirteen I had a day out with Dad to the Railway museum travelling up from Brentwood, Essex for the day. We were deltic hauled up the ECML and HST on the way back. It was a great day.

 

I have some photos of Knareborough too, suppose that doesn't count!

 

Martyn

Well it does Martyn, if it is still much in the state it was in the 1950s. Tim Dunn visited during the Architecture The Railways Built series, and the station and surroundings looked to have plenty of original features. I suppose that means I have just extended the search beyond the ECML, but never mind.

 

York is still very impressive, though for some reason the missing central tracks always spoil the effect for me. That's being very picky though.

[great northern]

Another high level look towards the South end. Got me thinking about a backscene down there again.

 

Now there is a chance for the 9F to get moving, and off it goes.

[great northern]

Following the 9F round the bend....

 

 

[46444]

22 hours ago, mullie said:

I can't contribute much with regard to the ECML, surely some photos of York are always worthy of discussion. I took these this summer whilst we were visiting daughter number 2 who was in the process of moving from Harrogate to London having lived up north for two years.

 

 

 

 

For someone who has seen this station only once, around 46 years ago it is seriously impressive. When I was thirteen I had a day out with Dad to the Railway museum travelling up from Brentwood, Essex for the day. We were deltic hauled up the ECML and HST on the way back. It was a great day.

 

I have some photos of Knareborough too, suppose that doesn't count!

 

Martyn

 

Knaresborough is a lovely station and set nestled above the Nidd.

 

Always worth showing a few snaps.

 

Mark

 

[mullie]

Another small contribution,  we stayed in Harrogate this year,  possibly for the last time and as we were close to the station went for a day out in York and to Knaresborough on the train. 

 

 

 

 

There seems to be quite a lot of original station infrastructure including semaphore signalling on the line through Harrogate to York. 

 

Martyn 

[great northern]

50 minutes ago, mullie said:

Another small contribution,  we stayed in Harrogate this year,  possibly for the last time and as we were close to the station went for a day out in York and to Knaresborough on the train. 

 

 

 

 

There seems to be quite a lot of original station infrastructure including semaphore signalling on the line through Harrogate to York. 

 

Martyn 

Oh, doesn't that look good. And very much as it must have looked 60 years ago too.

[drmditch]

1 hour ago, mullie said:

Another small contribution,  we stayed in Harrogate this year,  possibly for the last time and as we were close to the station went for a day out in York and to Knaresborough on the train. 

 

 

 

 

There seems to be quite a lot of original station infrastructure including semaphore signalling on the line through Harrogate to York. 

 

Martyn 

 

As far as I know, Knaresborough is not and never has been on the ECML, lovely station though it is.