Dave777 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have a photo on my hard disk that I got off the interweb (I think it was posted on RMWeb), but I'm wary of breaking the copyright rules. It shows what appears to be a parcels depot with St Pancras in the background, taken in the 80s I think (judging by the Mk II Vauxhall Astra), and it's got 'Everything but the Goyle' written in the corner (I can't seem to find it when searching online). I think it's a parcels depot for Kings Cross, shown in the photo here: http://www.railmagaz...&image=6&pid=16 It's the section between the entrances to each station, just below the gas holder that's seperate from the others where the triangular covered platforms are. I'm after some more photos of this area, particularly in the 70s, can anyone help? I've tried numerous searches with variations on the words used, but can't seem to locate any additional photos at all - as I said, I can't even find where the original photo came from. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 There was a good article on this in the May 1980 Model Trains (Vol.1 no.5 of Airfix's short-lived model railway mag). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 The triangular shaped platforms are what was known as "the parcels dock". To the left of "passenger loco2 as the stabling point was known, were buildings which in the 70's were labelled as NCL and was the road services part of the parcels network. For people wishing to collect and deliver parcels in that era, the parcels office was on the left side of KX station. This was latterly staffed by a driver who was taken off driving for medical reasons. When he was a driver, he was a keen fan of Elvis Presley and saved for years to go to Vegas to see The King in concert. He went on for ages as to his future visit to Vegas. The day before he was due to go to Vegas, Presley died! You can only imagine the ribbing this driver got when that happened, not so much at the death of Presley, but at his misfortune! Parcels traffic at KX was usually dealt with not so much in the parcels dock, which was used in the 70's for Motorail loading and locos coming off passenger loco, but in the high numbered platforms which were rarely used for passenger trains. On the blurb with the photo, it says about the curve of the Great Northern Hotel. It actually follows the line of the tunnel from the Widened Lines, which is why that line was known as Hotel Curve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted October 30, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2011 Dave, I have found a reference in a Camden development plan/conservation area document which regrettably won't link on the 'net as it instantly downloads as a PDF. In there it is described as 'V plan milk platforms' but is the item to which you draw attention and I'm fairly sure it did indeed become Kings Cross Parcels at one time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JohnR Posted October 30, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2011 After watching "The Ladykillers" on TV yesterday, I was looking at the amazing nest of railway lines in the area just north of Kings Cross. This photograph is fascinating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyrush Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 The triangular shaped platforms are what was known as "the parcels dock". To the left of "passenger loco2 as the stabling point was known, were buildings which in the 70's were labelled as NCL and was the road services part of the parcels network. For people wishing to collect and deliver parcels in that era, the parcels office was on the left side of KX station. This was latterly staffed by a driver who was taken off driving for medical reasons. When he was a driver, he was a keen fan of Elvis Presley and saved for years to go to Vegas to see The King in concert. He went on for ages as to his future visit to Vegas. The day before he was due to go to Vegas, Presley died! You can only imagine the ribbing this driver got when that happened, not so much at the death of Presley, but at his misfortune! Parcels traffic at KX was usually dealt with not so much in the parcels dock, which was used in the 70's for Motorail loading and locos coming off passenger loco, but in the high numbered platforms which were rarely used for passenger trains. On the blurb with the photo, it says about the curve of the Great Northern Hotel. It actually follows the line of the tunnel from the Widened Lines, which is why that line was known as Hotel Curve. A part of this area was known as the 'Milk Dock' which dealt with churns that used to arrive from all parts, before the establishment of the United Dairies depot at Finsbury Park and the use of milk tank wagons instead of churns. The platform retained its name and is seen here in 1974 with Culross Buildings on the right. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 A couple of photographs of Motorail at KZ http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brmotorail/ea65c8b9 http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brmotorail/ha65c8b9#h1808f565 I have some recent photographs, taken from the Eurostar lounge at St. P of the redevelopment of this area. Are they of any interest to you? Paul Bartlett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted October 30, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2011 Our old plant depot on Kings Cross was known locally as 'Platform 13' and was where all the chargers for the platform trucks were located, as well as a workshop, store and still. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TimC Posted October 30, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have a photo on my hard disk that I got off the interweb (I think it was posted on RMWeb), but I'm wary of breaking the copyright rules. It shows what appears to be a parcels depot with St Pancras in the background, taken in the 80s I think (judging by the Mk II Vauxhall Astra), and it's got 'Everything but the Goyle' written in the corner (I can't seem to find it when searching online). I think it's a parcels depot for Kings Cross, shown in the photo here: I know the photo you refer to, it was on the (now) defunct fotopic site. It was a June 1988 shot of the location Andyrush has posted above but from a different angle (and the track had then been rationalised/simplified) I've always thought it would be the good basis for a model too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 You could always try the Model Railway Club's website and go to the Copenhagen Fields bit; that is a scale model of the approaches to KX and may have some more info. What Andy Rush says is right, it was called the Milk dock. Culross Buildings were built for railway workers. A number of staff at KX lived there in my time at KX. Look at any picture of Passenger Loco and you'll see the NCL depot at the back of it. his memory seems to be better than mine! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merfyn Jones Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 British Railways Illustrated (Irwell Press) July 1998 has a number of pictures of road parcels van in what looks to be the Kings Cross depot. Merf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Very many thanks folks for all the links and references, some avenues for me to explore there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.C.M Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hi Dave, I have a pic of a class 31 parked up in one of the bays, taken mid 80s though. I will dig it out and post it on here if you like. Cheers Peter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 When I started at Kings Cross in 1979 I had to wait a month for a Traction Trainee course to start and spent that time working on the platforms. I used to clock on in the timekeepers office located off the cross passage between platforms 8 & 9, and our mess room used to be just off plat 8 just before the cross passage. (complete with obligitary non stop game of dominoes) Our main function was the sorting and loading of the almost endless supply of newspapers and magazines and then load them into the two main trains of the day, the 1411 and 1901 parcels that would be shunted into plat 8 for loading. The evening rush of newspapers that started arriving from Fleet St during the afternoon where loaded into most of the night trains in varying quantities, most ending up on the 2245 newspaper train that parked up in platform 9 after the evening rush had finished. This train carried sorters for preparing the newspapers for distribution on arrival at the stations en-route, as did the 0215 Hitchen paper train. Most night trains at that time had a couple of BG's or equivalent in which to carry parcels and the like and quite often the station would be brought to a stand as a long train of BRUTES or newspaper trollies made their way back to platform 8 from the lower numbered platforms. (Best done when the station manager was somewhere else). Although these jobs where "railman" grade sometimes I got "promoted" to senior railman and was tasked to meet allocated trains (usually HST's) to unload parcels ready for the parcels depot to collect. When loading the 1411 and 1901 trains two of you would be allocated a couple of vans to load. Anything that turned up in the BRUTES or trollies outside your van you loaded. Sometimes the whole BRUTE went in. When I started it was all I could do to lift a bundle of newspapers with 2 hands. By the time I left to start the traction trainee course 4 weeks later I could lift a bundle in each hand and chuck them across a BG to boot. Never did manage to load a BRUTE into a van single handed. There was a knack to that. Paul J. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hi Dave, I have a pic of a class 31 parked up in one of the bays, taken mid 80s though. I will dig it out and post it on here if you like. Cheers Peter. Yes please, anything gratefully received. Can't promise I'll be modelling it foot for foot (I don't have the room), but interested in capturing the essence... ...of which Paul has provided some interesting info for. Thanks for that! Tell me, what's a newspaper trolley? I had assumed newspapers were also moved via BRUTEs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 When they demolished the wooden platforms, they apparently found, amongst a century of dead rats, a century's worth of lost parcels! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.C.M Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Here you go, the only pictures I ever took at this location. I think I popped my head in another time and there were no loco's about so I didn't take any pics. Cheers Peter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Excellent, many thanks! Rather embarrassingly, I've found two other threads on RMWeb that cover similar topics: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8436&start=0 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/13416-kings-cross-trackplan/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Probably in the same geographic area, there's a piece and photo in the current (December) Railway Magazine about the site of the original Great Northern roundhouse, uncovered during recent building work. Although the roundhouse was pulled down by the GNR itself (by attaching cables to a couple of locomotives) long ago, the flooring around the engine stalls and the site of the turntable are visible. It's probably a no-go hard-hat area, but I'd love to know how much can be seen by the public before this piece of our heritage is buried under concrete, steel and glass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 In reply to Dave777's question, below is an admittedly slightly out of focus photo taken at The Cross The newspaper trolley is the one nearest the camera in blue with the ramp on it. Although a lot smaller than a BRUTE, one of these stacked with newspapers level to the ends was just about moveable by one person. Although it was not unknown for BRUTE's to be loaded with newspapers/magazines, the trolleys, (of which there where a lot at KX), where preferred. Paul J. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 this area looks very modellable - big,tall tenements as a back drop, some parcels traffic in the foreground, stabling point at the back. Wonder if i can fit it in 5' ( and convert it to WR of course !) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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