A Love of Old Trains and Stations

Newcastle Central Station in 1963 Malcolm Dunnett

No. 61136 with a train for Woodford Halse at Aylesbury, March 1962 This loco entered service on 18 March 1947 at Gorton shed and lasted until withdrawal from 2F, Woodford Halse shed on 22 October 1962 to be scrapped a month later.

Locomotives representing three of the Big Four are seen in this view of Woodford Halse shed, on the erstwhile Great Central, in this view dating from March 1963. Among those identified are Nos 6345, 44688, 60941, 60961 and Jubilee No 45567 South Australia.

No. 4593 with a train from Taunton arriving at Hendford Halt, December 1963 Hendford Halt, a small passenger stop in Yeovil, Somerset, opened in 1932 on the Great Western Railway's line from Taunton to Yeovil Town/Joint station. It closed on 15 June 1964 along with the line to Taunton.

Backworth railway station in North Tyneside, c.1910 The original station opened on 27th June 1864 and was called Hotspur before the name changed to Backworth in the summer of 1865. The station had a single storey building with waiting rooms that survived until the station was closed in 1977 to enable the construction of the Tyne & Wear Metro system and was later demolished. Photographer unknown

A view at Hemyock where No 1451 has just arrived on 26 June 1959. Passenger services ended in September 1963 but goods trains continued to serve a diary there until 1975. The ex Barry Railway coach was gaslit, the trains ran too slowly to recharge conventional coach batteries.

"Railway Mishap" In May 1965, a 60-year-old steel gantry carrying the "Clapham Junction A" signal box, partially collapsed due to severe, undetected corrosion. The failure of a main, rusted girder caused the structure to jack-knife over multiple tracks, causing major disruption to London commuter services. The gantry was jacked up and restricted operations were, remarkably, resumed the following morning. No fatalities were reported. Reg Speller

The Midland Railway's goods and grain warehouses at Nottingham Station, 27 March 1922. SSPL

A loco, later destined to become rather famous, is seen working on the Hemyock branch near Tiverton Junction on 31 August 1961. No 1466 was the first loco acquired by the Great Western Society, costing it £750 in 1964. She was returned to working order last year. @DidcotRailwayC

Rugby's Signal Gantry prior to the construction of the Great Central bridge carrying the new railway over the LNWR mainline to London c.1895. The signal gantry was built with two sets of signals, the top set repeating the commands given to the lower set. This was because from a drivers point of view the lower set of signals were difficult to see against the background of the GC bridge. However the set at the top could be difficult to see at night, especially in bad and foggy weather and therefore both sets of signals required. LNWR Society

Castle Bromwich Station, Birmingham, June 1925 Ex-Midland Railway 1P 2-4-0 No 1 stands at the up platform on a Birmingham to Derby local train. W L Good

An A4 class 4-6-2 locomotive number 2509 "Silver Link" at King's Cross station, 16 June 1938. F E Box

BR Class 6 No 72007 Clan Mackintosh on a Stourton to Carlisle goods at Kirkstall Junction in April 1965. The loco was withdrawn that year, the nameplates are gone already. The Clans had mixed reviews, maybe new build No 72010 Hengist may allow a new assessment of their capability

Clayton Type 1 D8586 (Haymarket) is arriving at Stirling Station due for Edinburgh, 25 August 1965. David Christie flic.kr/p/aBwmA8

Birmingham New Street Station, c.1939 Ex-LNWR 4P 4-6-0 Prince of Wales class No. 25673 'Lusitania', is seen standing at the West end of Platform 2 at the head of a down express service to Manchester London Road via Stoke-on-Trent. P B Whitehouse

D6332 with a train for Cardiff leaving Wiveliscombe, Somerset, June 1965 Roger Joanes

57xx Class 0-6-0PT 9653 waits at Lechlade with a two coach train for Fairford in early 1961. The guard in his Hawksworth bow ended coach gives the 'right away' to the driver, who is not taking any notice as he is watching the photographer! Martin Loader Collection

'A new face at Euston' Stanier Pacific 46237 'City of Bristol' sits alongside prototype Deltic at Euston in 1956. Kevin Lane, Flickr

Standard 4MT Class No. 76061 seen at the Nine Elms locomotive shed which had the shed code 70A. c.1960s Lamberhurst

Ex-GWR 4-6-0 68xx class No 6842 'Nunhold Grange', stands at Snow Hill on a down service on 22nd August 1963.