NXEA!

That would be 47746 David! Freshly outshopped from Carnforth and it's first passenger working since 2003! 

There also talk of Colas hiring few other 37s,might even use 37401 after its new coat of fresh paint  

Four from preservation being quoted but no numbers confirmed is what's doing the rounds - 37025/175/401/403 hired? 025/403 are being mainlined by SRPS, I'm sure 401 could be mainlined fairly easily too. Just throwing it out there...

It's not Essex, but I have some photo's of the 15.55 Yarmouth drag today which I did from Norwich to Yarmouth, 47802 giving a good account of itself too! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are the photo's, and I'd just like to apologise to those of you who are offended by the quality, they were only iPhone shots, the weather was poor and they look worse blown up on the Mac! They actually look respectable on the iPhone... I also have a few from a brief visit to Gidea Park and Woodgrange Park if anyone's interested.  

Links to the sets: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/sets/

If you can't be bothered to flick through, here's a few links to the best ones of today to save you the hassle:  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9859928385/in/set-72157635732610765

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9859933385/in/set-72157635732610765/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9859924504/in/set-72157635732610765/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9860040353/in/set-72157635732610765/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9860045603/in/set-72157635732610765/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9859973376/in/set-72157635732610765/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9860072463/in/set-72157635732610765/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65427552@N03/9859989805/in/set-72157635732610765/

Enjoy!

Wow! excellent mate thankyou, that helps alot indeed, to me living right next to the GEML they just seemed to dissappear over night! but then i seem to spend most of my time at work very much once in a blue moon i see a single 153 heading toward Colchester but i guess this is just a transfer or similar as its empty and has no interior lighting. Thanks for clearing that up for me it makes sense now when i think about because whenever i stepped on one at Witham it was always standing room only!! Cheers for that, All the best Glenn

Not a problem mate, glad I could help! 

Lovely jubbly!!! why did they change the connecting doors on these units??? anyone?? and what happened to the 170's round witham way??????????

The 170's stopped appearing at Witham for several reasons - For a start, capacity was desperately needed on the Rural routes, especially on Norwich-Cambridge. The Lowestoft/Peterborough-Liverpool Street services were cut back to Ipswich, which freed up three units. These three 170/2 3-car's then transferred to take over the Norwich-Cambridge route giving a carriage extra of capacity on every service. The three 170/2 2-cars diagrammed for Norwich-Cambridge transferred to the Ipswich-Cambridge route to give a better passenger experience. The three Sprinters on this route then transferred to Norwich to give extra capacity on Norwich-Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft/Sheringham services, single 153's doubling up to pairs, 156's replacing single 153's etc etc.  

Second of all was passenger capacity, as well as line capacity on the GEML south of Ipswich. The three-car 170's were very often rammed on shoulder-peak services, and with their slower acceleration, their stopping-pattern was generally limited to fast to Shenfield, Chelmsford, Witham, Marks Tey, Colchester and Ipswich to avoid getting in the way of EMU's and the Norwich's. The decision was taken to divert the London-Harwich service to Ipswich, with connections made to/from Harwich at Manningtree on Norwich services, and the Lowestoft/Peterborough services were withdrawn, and using unit's available off-peak, a through service in the same path was made available for an xx.38 Liverpool Street-Colchester Town, the reasoning being an 8/12-car EMU is far more effective at moving passengers than a 3-car 170. Also, the better acceleration of the EMU's and the more robust timetable allowed Kelvedon and Ingatestone to gain half-hourly services. The Hatfield Peverel stop was transferred from the Braintree's to the Ipswich's to speed up the Braintree's by a couple of minutes, with the additional Ingatestone stop inserted into the Clacton's, with the Romford stop previously in the Clacton's inserted into the new xx.38 Colchester Town service, as well as an extra Kelvedon stop.  

170's occasionally make their way to Witham, one stood in for a 90 and Mark 3's a few months back at the last minute all the way through to Liverpool Street, and some work through to Ilford to visit the wheel lathe. A couple visit Colchester if you're interested, the last two Peterborough-Ipswich's run through in passenger service to Colchester for stabling. 

Hope this helps! 

Thank you all for the help!

The West Croydon Wimbledon line had freight workings to Croydon B Power Station usually coal from the Kent Coalfield and empties back as well as very irregular workings for the test Olympus engine powered back up system. There were workings to the Gas Works but they closed in the mid 1960s.

There were Engineers Sidings between Beddington Lane and Mitcham Junction but the APCM Cement workings had gone by your chosen era but then it is your layout.

Various sidings close to Waddon Marsh served engineering works etc.

I've found an absolutely fabulous photo of Waddon Marsh in dilapidated condition, the platform loop has been severed with just a single 2EPB in the station, very inspirational because of the almost forgotten air about it. 

The S&T stores depot at Dundonald Road was where all out-of-date detonators on SR were required to be sent. Presumably they had a deal with a local bonfire celebration on November 5th!

Interesting you mention Dundonald Road, as that's the exact road where Mum's side of the family lived for 8 years!

In this month's 'Modern Railways', there is a pull-out section (about A2 sized) which has a current map of the Greater London network ( from the latest 'Baker' on one side), and a historical map, from the London Railway Atlas (3rd edition) on the other. This latter, which extends as far as Herne Hill and the north end of Hither Green in the south, has dates of operation for the various small yards, such as Clapham Common/ New Wandsworth Goods (open until 1968), Brockley Lane Coal (1970). It might well be of interest to the OP.

As regards hydraulics; in 1969 or thereabouts, I saw a Warship picking up empty coal hoppers at Wimbledon- this was a regular working, which also picked up at Salisbury, before heading back on to the Western, I believe.

Looks I'll be popping to the shop tomorrow then! Thanks.

I think the structure in Pic 5 is modern - relative to the station, that is. I can't tell you that there was a goods shed. After all, Tooting Junction station, which had more facilities, was only 77 chains away. Check it out on the same website. But that doesn't matter to you. Disused Stations has a number of closed LBSCR stations, some of which have pictures of goods sheds, which varied in style according to date of construction, so as long as your shed doesn't look too like that of a specific other company, not a problem.

Thanks for that. Ratio it is then.

Cheers for the help guys. Oldddudders - 5th photo down on the link you showed me, is that the goods shed on the left? Looks like I might be able to get away with buying the Ratio one and painting it suitably... And thanks for the information on the West Croydon-Wimbledon line too. 

Andyman7 - that sounds perfect as my scenic section is only going to be around 6 feet long with the running lines diving into tunnels either end! Well, that's the current plan at least.  

Thank you also Phil, and Rivercider - I might start adhering to Rule 1 more in which case I can run a hydraulic if I fancy. 

You may find something of LSWR interest in this collection, although Staines was a bit further out than you suggest - and larger. http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/stainescentral

 

Acton did replace Feltham, Backtrack  has just had a 2 part article about Acton Yard - April (4) and May (5) which discusses how traffic for the Southern Region was organised in the mid to later 1970s.

 

Paul

Interesting, might look into the Backtrack article. Thank you!

Hello all, I am after information regarding goods facilities around London, particularly on the ex-LSWR lines. I'm modelling a fictional urban branch off the West Croydon-Wimbledon line, so the facilities in questions aren't going to be massive as its just a modest 2 siding + headshunt yard. If anyone could link me to photos of goods shed in the region and in this area of London or point me in a certain direction, I'd be grateful! Don't know whether I could get away with the Bachmann Goods Shed based on Shillingstone (I suspect not), or whether I have to kit-build or scratch-build (Oh dear lord!). Or, did small branches on the Southern Region around London not even have a goods yard, and was it just some small sidings with a yard crane etc etc? Thanks in advance you lot!