Peterborough North

[great northern]

This morning I shall find out whether my knee likes golf again yet, but first some more GN atmosphere, as a short goods runs through from South yard to New England.

[Liam]

http://www.traintalk.tv/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SirHayden.jpg

 

This is an even smaller goods, but with such a large locomotive!

[great northern]

http://www.traintalk.tv/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SirHayden.jpg

 

This is an even smaller goods, but with such a large locomotive!

It is a rather small locomotive, actually, and very old, so light duties are good.

[great northern]

Today turned out to be horrible, and would have been much better spent indoors. Torrential rain, coming sideways, is not my idea of fun. It was fine stuff too, so it got everywhere, down the jacket collar, up the sleeves, yuk.

 

It is not raining at PN though, even though it is getting crepulscular.

The J3 has time to dive into the yards the other side of Spital Bridge, as the A4 is not due to leave for a few minutes. Next on the Up is more coal, more GN style, and an under roof shot.

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

Loving all the GN loco's, almost a torrent

 

manna

[great northern]

Still under the roof for the first image, with the 02 advancing slowly.

and then captured again as it emerges into the fading daylight.

[great northern]

02 emerging from under the bridge tonight.

and then we have what must have been a rare sight at PN, two Gateshead A4s in sight at the same time. It would of course happen at a time when all the spotters would be long ago home, and probably in bed.

[great northern]

I decided that it was too dark to photograph the end of the last sequence, so we shall shortly be starting bright and early at 7.15am again. First though we have the remaining three images from the gloom of evening.

Tango in silhouette. After it had crept onto the Up slow, the Talisman followed.

All was well, and it didn't get checked by the 02's slow progress.

[westerner]

Gilbert, I do like the under the bridge and under the canopy shots

[trw1089]

Gilbert, I do like the under the bridge and under the canopy shots

Me too, I can just imagine the O2 under light steam gently moving under the roof at the regulation PSR speed, then getting to the end of the platform and opening up again. In Oz, the Gresley valve geared D57 class in NSW were said to say "three bricks and a bucket, three bricks and a bucket" when working, so can imagine the O2 sounding very similar through the station, that is until the driver gave her full regulator, then it'd be like "THREE BRICKS AND A BUCKET, THREE BRICKS AND A BUCKET"...

[great northern]

OK, another day of train spotting has begun. We shall start by reminding ourselves where we are.

And a bit later on we will take a walk around the station, and see what is going on at 7.15am.

[great northern]

Our look around the station precincts starts at the North end, where a V2 has backed on to the stock for the 7.25 am stopper to Kings Cross. It can't yet move into the sole Up platform though.

Moving back towards the safety of the platforms, the next sighting is at Platform 6, where B1 61023 waits with the 7.35am Parliamentary to Doncaster.

Edited March 20, 2017 by great northern

[Liam]

Our look around the station precincts starts at the North end, where a V2 has backed on to the stock for the 7.25 am stopper to Kings Cross. It can't yet move into the sole Up platform though.

V2 in siding.JPG

Moving back towards the safety of the platforms, the next sighting is at Platform 6, where B1 61023 waits with the 7.35am Parliamentary to Doncaster.

1023.JPG

Via which way?

[great northern]

Via which way?

The Doncaster?  Tallington, Essendine, Little Bytham, Corby Glen, Great Ponton, Grantham, Newark, Retford, Ranskill, Bawtry and Rossington. One of Tallington's two Down stopping trains, but not for much longer.

[Corbs]

blaaady 'eck those last two are amazing!

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

WOT, no sleeper running three hours late  !!!!!, latest I worked a up sleeper out of Peterborough was 8.15 am, so we've still got time.

 

manna

[great northern]

G'day Gents

 

WOT, no sleeper running three hours late  !!!!!, latest I worked a up sleeper out of Peterborough was 8.15 am, so we've still got time.

 

manna

 That would open another can of worms. First acquire all the necessary sleeping cars.... then find somewhere to store them. I'd love to feature them, and some of the evening ones really should appear as it is before my cut off point of 2200, but I've looked at the formations and, even if I could manage the cost aspect, some of the necessary stock doesn't seem to be available at all, even in the form of kits. I suspect that my period is just a bit too early to allow MK1 cars as well.

[great northern]

We seem to have seen all there is at the North end, so a leisurely stroll down the length of Platform 6 will reveal what is happening around the South bays.

Tucked into number 1 bay is the relief loco for the Up Edinburgh- Colchester. Unsurprisingly, it is 61666, which we saw bring in the Down service late last evening, and which will soon return to its home shed.

and a change of angle reveals the N5 pilot standing in the next road, and waiting for something to do.

[New Haven Neil]

MMMmmmmm!  You expected that I suppose.

 

The black V2 is rather tasty too, a livery that suits them IMHO.  I do like the early BR device too.

[great northern]

This is why the V2 has to wait its turn. The Edinburgh - Colchester is a Gateshead turn as far as PN, and the loco provided is in that shed's usual external condition.

Not quite sharp. Don't know why.

[great northern]

For your evening entertainment, here is another grubby A3 shot, from a rather different and partly obstructed location.

and then we see the two locomotives changing over, as 60070 heads for New England, and 61666 back on in its place.

[great northern]

Well chaps, I seem to be getting hit from all sides at the moment. I now have blurred vision in my other eye. . Highly unlikely to be TIA, I'm told, so hopefully the optician will be able to tell me more this afternoon. I'm not sure what I'll be able to do with the railway, or photography, but I shall give it a go later. For now, here is another shot of the A3 on its way down to New England for turning and servicing.

[great northern]

I'm trying to keep my mind occupied while waiting to find out what my new eye problem might be, and so I have done some research on sleeping car trains. Not many types are available, as I suspected. Bill Bedford does sides for a Gresley Dia 18/19 twin first, and for Thompson Dia 368 SLSTP and Dia 369 SLSP. That seems to be it for pre nationalisation stock. Then there are the Bachmann SLF and SLSTP, the first of which seem to have appeared from late 1957 onwards. The ER got some SLSTP from 8/58, which would be OK, but it seems no SLFs till the 3/59 batch, which is pushing my limits somewhat.

 

However, so far as the Up trains are concerned, they would have to be running pretty late to appear within my timescale, which starts at 0715. The Aberdonian would have to be an hour late to come through after that, and as it was composed of at least four Gresley twins, plus several other cars, that is a non starter on grounds of expense. The likes of the Night Scotsman were due into KX by 5.30am or earlier, and so would have been through PN between 4.00am and 5.45am, which means they would be very late indeed. I've read that they could be well delayed sometimes, but I wouldn't have thought it would be commonplace for that to happen.

 

Most Down trains didn't get to PN until well after dark either, so they will be left out both on timing and expense factors. There are just a couple of earlier trains, due through PN at 8.58pm and 9.10pm which might be practical. Much more pondering is needed, and don't even mention the Car Carrier.

[Brian Hawkins]

What about the car carrier Gilbert ?  

[New Haven Neil]

Hope there's a simple explanation to the eyesight issue, Gilbert.