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Stratford to Cheshunt


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A new Middleton Press album of pics and informative captions.  I suppose you have to be interested in the area/line, but if you are this is great  Lots of photos of Stratford, Temple MiIls, Lea Bridge, Coppermill Junction, etc etc.  Oh for an rtr N7 and Class 125 dmu!

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I shall seek this book with keen anticipation as it covers a swathe of my former stamping grounds. Our Rolls-Royce DMUs were designed to run on EMU timings, hence the extra grunt, and I had many a lively trip in them. It was a sad day when we lost them to the Great Northern after the Lea Valley electrification.

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I remember the days when the normal service on the Cambridge (Kings Lynn) to Liverpool Street line was an EE3 with 9x mk1 coaches, centre one being a Buffet car. Oh so boring (well it was then!). Then one day I arrived back at Liverpool Street to catch the said train, an express, probably Bishops Stortford/Audley/End/Cambridge etc, only to find there was another booked departure 5 minutes before it, terminating at Cambridge. Not sure if it stopped anywhere else en route. So I thought I'd take it, it turned out to be a 125 dmu, busy with commuters, but I got a seat up the front. Did that thing motor to keep ahead of the 37! I believe this was a single summer timetable only, Fridays Only extra. It was rare to see a 125 at Cambridge.

Happy days.

 

Stewart

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I shall seek this book with keen anticipation as it covers a swathe of my former stamping grounds. Our Rolls-Royce DMUs were designed to run on EMU timings, hence the extra grunt, and I had many a lively trip in them. It was a sad day when we lost them to the Great Northern after the Lea Valley electrification.

Remember travelling on them when commuting on GN suburban services for a while, rather a long time ago now.  If you could sit at the front and if the driver hadn't pulled down the window blinds behind his seat, it was interesting to see the different controls for the hydraulic transmission with the little vertical levers rather than the normal dmu gear selector.

One incident that sticks in my mind: at a  stop at Finsbury Park on a down service, a lot of people got on to the already crowded carriage. The slam doors in the middle of the unit wouldn't shut.  Am exasperated porter hustled some people off and the doors could then be shut.  The weight of the excess passengers had bowed the floor of the unit downwards distorting the door frames.....

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... Maryland, Forest Gate, Manor Park, Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Gidea Park, Harold Wood, Brentwood, Shenfield ...

 

Yes, those announcements still run and anyone who has spent time within earshot of Platform 8 can reel them off virtually in their sleep!

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Used to train spot down Ponders End and Brimsdown, can just remember coal traffic coming into the PE gas works. Late 60's early 70's, friday evening used to be good. Around 6:30 there was a down Kings Lynn which usually had a Tinsley 37, but occassionally an odd Brush 2 D58xx might turn up or even an odd 47.

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The timing of that "down Kings Lynn" is suspiciously close to one we had at Cambridge, though it was an UP train from Whitemoor to London? Is that what you meant by any chance? We spotters used to call it "the Tinsley" as it was hauled by a Tinsley loco. Though we had our own GE D58xx, we always associated the D58xx series with the Sheffield ara, always looking for a cop with this one!

 

Stewart

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... Maryland, Forest Gate, Manor Park, Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Gidea Park, Harold Wood, Brentwood, Shenfield ...

 

Yes, those announcements still run and anyone who has spent time within earshot of Platform 8 can reel them off virtually in their sleep!

On the way to Cheshunt?  I think you were on the wrong platform :no:

 

Now Turkey Street, there's a name for you :O

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The timing of that "down Kings Lynn" is suspiciously close to one we had at Cambridge, though it was an UP train from Whitemoor to London? Is that what you meant by any chance? We spotters used to call it "the Tinsley" as it was hauled by a Tinsley loco. Though we had our own GE D58xx, we always associated the D58xx series with the Sheffield ara, always looking for a cop with this one!

 

Stewart

Stewart, it was certainly a down train

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On the way to Cheshunt?  I think you were on the wrong platform :no:

 

Now Turkey Street, there's a name for you :O

Merely responding to bike2steam's "spotting" reference to platform 8 - which serves stopping trains to Gidea Park, Shenfield, Southend Victoria and sometimes Southminster and Shoeburyness.  I'm fully aware that it is not the platform for Lea Valley services!

 

Down Mudchute with you!

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Merely responding to bike2steam's "spotting" reference to platform 8 - which serves stopping trains to Gidea Park, Shenfield, Southend Victoria and sometimes Southminster and Shoeburyness.  I'm fully aware that it is not the platform for Lea Valley services!

 

Down Mudchute with you!

I guessed you had 'knowledge' of the GE.

 

Certainly an interesting urban network.  I remember as a youth finding the EMU services somewhat enchanting, however my mates who came along with me to spy 37s thought I was deranged :no:

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I guessed you had 'knowledge' of the GE.

 

Certainly an interesting urban network.  I remember as a youth finding the EMU services somewhat enchanting, however my mates who came along with me to spy 37s thought I was deranged :no:

Mates tell you what others are too polite to say!  :O

 

I never really appreciated the early EMUs until they'd all but gone.  Apart from the 302 sets out of Fenchurch Street, I think I had 100% spotting records for the Eastern Region EMUs, but sadly took very few photographs of them until it was too late.

 

For some reason I'm reminded of a preserved 306 set running specials on the Braintree branch.  With their highly sprung (horsehair?) seats and branch-line standards of track laying, the occupants of the seats at the end of the carriage were merrily bouncing up and down in unison in what would have made a good advert for the Natural Law party!

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Thanks for flagging up this book.  Definitely one to look out for - I grew up in Cheshunt, and used it and Theobalds Grove a lot.  Theobalds Grove was the choice if wanted the underground ( usually at Seven Sisters).  Cheshunt was the station if I wanted to go to Liverpool Street.  Funny how places like London Fields, Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green always sounded nicer than they looked, especially in late 70s! 

 

Ralph

Lambton58

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I did a lot of spotting all over this area in the fifties and early sixties,lots of freight and variety on trains many of the stations were slowly falling to pieces and in need of tlc.The line through Ponders End produced a variety of freight to watch and then hop a train to Stratford bunk the shed (until thrown out ) used to catch the 121 bus from Chingford to Ponders End once rode on a Guy Arab with wooden slatted seats very uncomfortable.When I lived in Newbury Park used to see freight from Chigwell, went past the back of my home on the way to Ilford , change from Central Line tube.Stratford seemed  a very spread out station with trains going in all directions the low level lines provided an interesting journey through to the docks.The emu,s out to Shenfield  were lovely things to ride on and were fast .My father used to take me to Goodmayes to watch the marshalling yard always seemed to be busy with all tracks full.When our branch was being electrified we had the Rolls Royce powered dmu s running Chingford to Wood Street most Sundays great to sit up front and watch the view .Did not like the 304,s much preferred an N7 with Quad Arts on the back,the electrics made Liverpool Street a bit dull on the surburban side but at least a few interesting sights on the west side.Was not Turkey St closed for a long time until the wires went up? Train watching was a very good hobby to pursue in all of this part of the world.A4,s at Wood Green ,WD ,s out to Cheshunt,Brits on the GE to Norwich plus the N7,s all in all geat fun in the company of good friends.

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Googling around this I found the Cheshunt Railway, an early horse-drawn monorail. Is there any mention of this in the book?  Apparently the guy who built the Wuppertahl line got the idea from this. 

 

I can't find any photo's of the Cheshunt Railway,does anyone know of any please?

 

Ed

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