Peterborough North

[Mallard60022]

Thanks Peter. I do have an ice pack, and use it now and again on whatever part of my anatomy is playing up at the time. Regular exercises do best for me though, which reminds me I haven't done them yet this morning.

I can not resist   

Phil

[great northern]

Whilst on the subject of buildings, here is a reminder that some of them were, what shall we say? Yes, functional I think is a good word to describe this one.

This one was down the bottom end of the forecourt, and still is on my version of PN of course. It was still there not so long back, and I photographed it to give Peter Leyland the basis for the model. Photo was taken by leaning over the roof and placing the camera on the forecourt. I'm sure that if there was a footpath in front of it we would have put one in on the model, but I'll check, if I can find the photos.

Can any of our local residents tell me what this was used for?

Huddersfield Town is seen from the opposite side as it runs into Platform 6, while Deltic is about to move off on its way to Kings Cross.

 

And now for golf in gale force winds.

[New Haven Neil]

I'm almost getting used to those B17's.     

 

I do rather like that photo!

[LNERGE]

Crescent Bridge in the early hours of this morning..

 

 

Poor photo sorry. The new 1214 points await unloading.

 

 

[dcordingley]

Liked your Deltic shots, Gilbert, and I was interested to read your comments about prototype Deltic liveries. I think (others will no doubt confirm or dispute!) that in its earlier incarnation proving its worth on the WCML Deltic was pointed in a darker shade of blue. When it moved to the ECML (1957/58-ish?) it ran in a lighter shade of blue. I run one of the first NRM/Bachmann editions of Deltic on my model quarter-mile stretch of the WCML; this is in the darker blue, so I think I've got the right livery. I believe the more recent NRM release has the lighter shade - can anyone confirm?

 

Photos of Deltic in action on the WCML are rather harder to come by than on the ECML. And, of course, given the notorious difficulty of differentiating between shades of colour in early colour transparencies it's hard to produce convincing photographic evidence of precisely what the reality was. Even more so when most photos are in black and white, of course!

 

David Cordingley     

[jukebox]

Liked your Deltic shots, Gilbert, and I was interested to read your comments about prototype Deltic liveries. I think (others will no doubt confirm or dispute!) that in its earlier incarnation proving its worth on the WCML Deltic was pointed in a darker shade of blue. When it moved to the ECML (1957/58-ish?) it ran in a lighter shade of blue. I run one of the first NRM/Bachmann editions of Deltic on my model quarter-mile stretch of the WCML; this is in the darker blue, so I think I've got the right livery. I believe the more recent NRM release has the lighter shade - can anyone confirm?

 

Photos of Deltic in action on the WCML are rather harder to come by than on the ECML. And, of course, given the notorious difficulty of differentiating between shades of colour in early colour transparencies it's hard to produce convincing photographic evidence of precisely what the reality was. Even more so when most photos are in black and white, of course!

 

David Cordingley     

 

David - I agree with your summation of the NRM Deltics; I rushed out to order the 1st release, and thought it was a touch dark. A few years back there was a re-issue described as "in service", as opposed to "as preserved" which was a few shades lighter.  

 

As an East Coast modeller, I preferred the lighter blue, so went ahead and bought a second edition sample - and will, having decided it is better suited to my needs, in due course, dispose of the original.

Edited March 26, 2016 by jukebox

[landscapes]

PN will be in operation today, and I will record some more movements, but first here are a couple more shots of that large noisy blue thing.

deltic under roof 1.jpg

deltic under roof 2.jpg

 

Hi Gilbert

 

Very nice photos of Deltic DP1 and A4 60023 Golden Eagle, both favourites of mine, thank you for choosing and posting them.

 

I was very fortunate to see 60023 in June 1963 inside 34A Top Shed, God knows what it was doing in the London Area in the last official week of steam south of Peterborough and the month Top Shed closed.

 

I do hope you do not mind me saying this but I would cover that coupling pocket on the front of the Deltic it just does not look right, I fitted a three link screw coupling and that did the trick for me.

 

But great photos Gilbert.

 

Regards

 

David

[Mallard60022]

Hi Gilbert

 

Very nice photos of Deltic DP1 and A4 60023 Golden Eagle, both favourites of mine, thank you for choosing and posting them.

 

I was very fortunate to see 60023 in June 1963 inside 34A Top Shed, God knows what it was doing in the London Area in the last official week of steam south of Peterborough and the month Top Shed closed.

 

I do hope you do not mind me saying this but I would cover that coupling pocket on the front of the Deltic it just does not look right, I fitted a three link screw coupling and that did the trick for me.

 

But great photos Gilbert.

 

Regards

 

David

I seem to remember a note in TI for August/September '63 about Enthusiasts' Specials and 60023 may have been involved; however it was a long time ago that I read that.

Phil

[great northern]

Just a quick visit tonight, I shall catch up in the morning. A couple more images for now.

Some rather nice stock behind the B17, so i did a few photos of that. Lovely Gresley BSK to start with. I know it didn't wear well, but I think this livery suited them much better than maroon.

And another grotty building shot, showing the wall and a lean to between the end structure and the hotel.

 

[nerron]

coach 1.jpg

Some rather nice stock behind the B17, so i did a few photos of that. Lovely Gresley BSK to start with. I know it didn't wear well, but I think this livery suited them much better than maroon.

I agree.

[rockershovel]

Crescent Bridge in the early hours of this morning..

 

20160326_011357.jpg

 

Poor photo sorry. The new 1214 points await unloading.

Where are the frog juicers?

[rockershovel]

Off I went to the railway room, where Deltic was still standing at Platform 2. It occurred to me that I'd seen a similar prototype picture somewhere, and for once I found it swiftly.

deltic1959.jpg

Photo courtesy of peterboroughimages.co.uk and not to be further reproduced please. It was never going to be possible to get an exact copy, but I decided to have a go and see what could be done.

deltic copy.jpg

So, we have an expanse of sky where the buildings on Station Road should be. I'm hoping to remedy that in due course. We also don't have, and unfortunately never will have, the extension to the hotel. Apart from that though, things seem to be roughly where they ought to be.

 

I spent quite a while fiddling with brightness and contrast trying to get a match, but as you can see, I didn't manage it. Any of our experts are welcome to do a better job, if they would like to have a go. Deltic's paintwork on the original looks very faded to me, but that may be just down to the lighting conditions. I've also only just noticed the lamps, which of course I could have put on. Somehow I expected there would have been a more modern solution, but apparently not.

This shows how important the GN Hotel is, in setting the scene. It really makes the layout, or at least the photos in this area, and the addition of the Station Masters House/ BTP building would add to it greatly.

[rockershovel]

PN will be in operation today, and I will record some more movements, but first here are a couple more shots of that large noisy blue thing.

deltic under roof 1.jpg

deltic under roof 2.jpg

Photos under the roof work very well!

[great northern]

Hi Gilbert

 

Very nice photos of Deltic DP1 and A4 60023 Golden Eagle, both favourites of mine, thank you for choosing and posting them.

 

I was very fortunate to see 60023 in June 1963 inside 34A Top Shed, God knows what it was doing in the London Area in the last official week of steam south of Peterborough and the month Top Shed closed.

 

I do hope you do not mind me saying this but I would cover that coupling pocket on the front of the Deltic it just does not look right, I fitted a three link screw coupling and that did the trick for me.

 

But great photos Gilbert.

 

Regards

 

David

60023 was one of the last A4s in regular use I think David. It crops up regularly in those last weeks of steam on the ECML DVDs, and in photographs too. Thanks for the tip about Deltic, which I shall do.

[great northern]

An eclectic mix of photos this morning, hopefully to suit the tastes of all. For the carriage fans first

Gresley all door CK, followed by

end door SK, and bringing up the rear

Thompson three compartment BSK - not many of these were made. Then back to buildings,

The hotel from the left side. And finally a locomotive shot.

Taken from the end of Platform 6. The hut is a bit intrusive, and I still don't like the sky coming down to the horizon. What do you think? It's a nice view if it can be got right.

Edited March 27, 2016 by great northern

[Richard E]

next to last building.jpg

And another grotty building shot, showing the wall and a lean to between the end structure and the hotel.

 

 

 

In more recent times the building on the left (alas not there now) was used as a car repair business and looked as if it was storage/garaging or even stables for the hotel prior to that.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Richard E

[rockershovel]

I don't know about the present Peterborough station being any more of a "soul-less place" than in the past, or about rail travel being any more, or less about speed. I've travelled the ECML off and on, since the 1970s and commuted to London from the mid 80s to the early 90s and I wouldn't say that services now were generally much faster than in the past; certainly the London ones haven't much improved since the introduction of the Intercity stock. The stopping trains are about the same, although they do actually arrive now, which couldn't be relied upon during the truly dreadful period when increasingly decrepit slam-door stock hauled by diesels apparently condemned from anything that mattered, held the fort until the much-delayed electric was not only introduced but more importantly, persuaded to run reliably.

 

The early electric trains were hideously cramped, and quite abominable in winter.

 

I formed a certain respect for the then MP, Dr Brian Mawhinney around that time. He regularly used the line, knew its quirky little ways and I particularly remember him chairing a couple of highly acrimonious meetings of the Rail Travellers Group in the GN Hotel, with considerable panache and firmness. One in particular came very close to degenerating into an all-out shouting match between furious season ticket holders and the platitudinous bureaucrats representing the railway. That very much confirmed my view, that regular users are completely oblivious to the livery-and-acronym-of-the-month, but simply want functioning trains at affordable cost.

 

The car park still bore clear stigmata from its earlier life as a coal yard, a filthy, uneven morass with little or no lighting, freezing puddles everywhere and odd sections of ad-hoc fencing made from obsolete rails. It was quite rank, especially the Stygian gloom South of Crescent Bridge on a winters morning or evening, and to add insult to injury the BTP and local plod appeared to mutually regard it as very much the responsibility of the "other lot" so vehicle crime was endemic

 

So, I wouldn't make any great claims for aesthetic merit of the present setup but on the whole, I'd say it was an improvement functionally.

[Mallard60022]

Where are the frog juicers?

Merry Easter.

Duck

[great northern]

I have somehow built up a backlog of photos - we are still on Wednesday's shoot, so here is another tribute to Peter Leyland's skills, the hotel from an angle I haven't managed before.

[great northern]

A strange thing. If I see a B17 I'm unable to prevent myself pointing the camera at it. This is positively the last one of 61653 though.

until its next duty, of course.

and one more too of assorted roof lines at the end of the forecourt. I thought I had weathered those cars.   Thus ends Wednesday's images. Now all I have to do is photoshop all of those I took on Friday and today.

[chaz]

Positively the last picture of the Sandy? Come on now, it's sitting in the platform, it's got to go somewhere. Give us some photo's as it moves away!

 

You can't have too many pictures of Sandys....

[trw1089]

You can't have too many pics of B17s either! I've been enjoying the travels of this latest visitor, encore, encore!!

[New Haven Neil]

I've got it.  My eyes tell me B17's have driving wheels that are too big for them.  A quick bit of what passes for research around here reveals they are basically the same size as an A4's drivers.  The loco is a shapely things, it's just got lower legs that are too big for her body!!  IMHO of course, whilst wearing much protective clothing.....in a bunker......many miles from PBHQ!

[chaz]

I've got it.  My eyes tell me B17's have driving wheels that are too big for them.  A quick bit of what passes for research around here reveals they are basically the same size as an A4's drivers.  The loco is a shapely things, it's just got lower legs that are too big for her body!!  IMHO of course, whilst wearing much protective clothing.....in a bunker......many miles from PBHQ!

 

Personally I have always liked the look of long legs....

[chaz]

You can't have too many pics of B17s either! I've been enjoying the travels of this latest visitor, encore, encore!!

 

When (in short trousers) I was taken to "Airpool" Street (apparently this little boy couldn't cope with "Liverpool") by my father they were all Sandys. I'm sure Dad never took much notice of the tenders.

Edited March 28, 2016 by chaz