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Not to mention this. Earlier we speculated that a similarly loaded LSWR horsedrawn wagon must have been staged for the photographer. Perhaps not. London, caption says ca. 1900. Getty Images, embedding permitted.

Obviously it didn't relieve congestion, or if it did only for a short while.

Did that result in decongestion? (genuine question). I ask because there is political debate here about whether the recently expanded Copenhagen Metro will actually lead to decongestion. The argument is that it only frees up space for private vehicles = more private vehicles. Ah yes, at 3:53. 1903 seemed quite early to me, but it seems that while there were only 14-15 cars in the UK in 1895, there were 7-800 by 1900 (according to this page).

Only one motor vehicle? must have been a wealthy man!

@Northroader, snap!

Isn't it Blackfriars station, with the bridge over Queen Victoria Street?

Re the “trains”sign, this is what it looks like today, the corner where Queen Victoria Street passes under the Thameslink line and crosses the Blackfriars bridge road. Thankfully the distinctive triangular building is still there, as it the Blackfriars pub, where NR has been known to enter. The sign refers to the District line Blackfriars station, now with modern signage.

When my grandfather was a born, there were no cars whatsoever. Almost no real technology at all as we would think of it today. Are we any happier now...? Probably not.

Don't kid yourself, Mikkel. I just flail around and sometimes find something that works. This was just an idea that came into my head one evening and it was useful to me, as it provided a stepping-stone to a full 3D print.

Mikkel, I think it is difficult to say if it resulted in decongestion as London was, and still is, an expanding city. People obviously preferred the Underground as even though it was full of smoke and steam very quickly it was overcrowded. A much expanded system later, it is still overcrowded. In answer to today's question, what is known is that when we have a Tube or Train strike the amount of cars coming into London dramatically increases. What is also known is that the Congestion Charge reduced traffic into London. Hope this helps and does not hijack your thread. The reverse is that the motor car stopped this country/ the western world, (?), from being drowned in horse poo and starving to death as we tried to feed the horses.

Full baskets sheeted over and empties piled on top?

A real beauty, and so neatly constructed. I like that cab height and outline, it almost makes the Belpaire firebox look stylish

Yes, mostly buses and cabs - plus ça change... A couple of perilous-looking loads at 2:07!

Thanks @Methuselah, hadn't seen that one before. Congestion isn't anything new either, I see . Railway owned horsedrawn wagons don't often turn up in moving pictures of the time, maybe they kept away from the city center during rush hour!

Thank you for commenting, Snitzl. The plastic template seemed a good way of using the computer to determine all those tricky curvatures to match the wheels as closely as possible. My first build ended up with a slight 'droop' to the front of the footplate which is actually far more noticeable in photographs than in reality. My next target will be a Gooch Goods with similar bicycle-like splashers.

Hi Mike, In the past, I've made three models with this type of footplate and managed to make a reasonable job by cutting a piece of brass for the valances with only the top edge shaped to the footplate. There has to be plenty of material on these valance plates to keep everything flat and rigid and they should have squared ends and lay flat on your work bench. It's only when the loco is nearly complete that the valances are trimmed back and filed to the correct profile. Your combination of metal and plastic looks fine though, should make a nice model.

Horses and wagons...saw this and thought of you sir;-

Does this help ? Grahame