MY LIFE IN TRAINS
Engine Portraits - Part Two
Stratford , Hither Green, Norwood Junction, Bricklayers Arms, Feltham
and Cricklewood – 17 April 1960
On our Twin Rover trips around London we regularly visited Stratford, as it was closest to home. Then we could go to Devons Road and Plaistow, or King’s Cross, Kentish Town, Campden, Neasden, Cricklewood, Willesden, Old Oak Common and Southall north of the river. On Southern territory were Hither Green, Norwood Junction, Bricklayers Arms, Nine Elms, Stewarts Lane and Feltham. Most of these bunking trips were ‘before camera’ and as my notebooks of this period have gone, they only remain in my fading memory.
Luckily I have some photographs, starting here with Stratford, that sprawling complex with three ways in that we knew about – down the steps from Temple Mills Lane, which was within walking distance of my friend’s house, walk off the end of the Cambridge line platform at Stratford and cross the live lines, or walk through the Low Level tunnel. For some reason, we never attempted getting into the Works, but the shed was ‘easy’, and we were never stopped.
After Stratford, my next photos on 17 April 1960 were in South London at Hither Green, ex-South Eastern, and Norwood Junction, ex-London and Brighton, and then Bricklayers Arms, which had both South Eastern and London and Brighton heritage, Feltham, a Southern Railway shed, and Cricklewood, Midland Railway.
All Photographs by Alan Lewis Chambers ©
LMSR built version of an LT&SR 4-4-2T, No 41969 waits in line at Stratford for the scrapman's torch on 17 April 1960.
On 17 April 1960, LMSR built version of an LT&SR 4-4-2T, No 41949 waits in line at Stratford for the scrap man's torch.
LNER N7/4 0-6-2T No 69614 survived for another eight months as Liverpool Street pilot.
Pride of Stratford, Great Eastern J69/1 0-6-0T No 68619, the Liverpool Street station pilot, gets spruced up at its home shed on 17 April 1960.
A line up of GER 0-6-0Ts - an unidentified J68, J69/1 No 68500, with original low roof cab,
and another unidentified loco at Stratford shed on 17 April 1960.
GNR J50 0-6-0T No 68905 waits at Stratford shed on 17 April 1960 with an N7 and J69.
In the middle of the action - Stratford shed on 17 April 1960 with the unique LNER K5 2-6-0 No 61863 lined up with other locomotives.
I’ve been told the J69/2 on the right is probably 68513 – stove chimney with thick lip and straight top tanks.
LNER B17/6 4-6-0 No 61670 'City of London', at one time streamlined like an A4, in the scrap line at Stratford on 17 April 1960.
Close up of the nameplate of LNER B17/6 4-6-0 No 61670 'City of London' in the scrap line at Stratford on 17 April 1960.
GER J17 0-6-0 No 65565 at Stratford on 17 April 1960.
Hither Green shed on 17 April 1960 with SECR C Class 0-6-0 No 31590, sister engine No 31573 and an SR diesel shunter.
Hither Green shed on 17 April 1960 with SR W Class 2-6-4T No 31912, an SECR C Class 0-6-0 and a diesel shunter.
SR Q1 No 33035 rests on Hither Green shed on 17 April 1960.
LBSCR C2X Class 0-6-0 No 32541 behind a sister engine at Norwood Junction shed on 17 April 1960.
LBSCR C2X Class 0-6-0 No 32549 at Norwood Junction shed on 17 April 1960.
SR W Class 2-6-4T No 31920 poses at Norwood Junction shed on 17 April 1960 with an LBSCR C2X 0-6-0
and two Drewry 0-6-0 diesel mechanical shunters, D2278 and D2280.
Clean SECR D1 4-4-0 No 31489 simmers in one of the backwaters of Bricklayers Arms shed on 17 April 1960.
SECR N Class 2-6-0 No 31827 poses in the sunshine at Bricklayers Arms shed on 17 April 1960.
And here is Stephen Arrandale's colourised version of SECR N Class 2-6-0 No 31827 posing in the sunshine at Bricklayers Arms shed on 17 April 1960.
LBSCR E4 0-6-2T No 32474 simmers in a quiet corner of Bricklayers Arms shed on 17 April 1960.
LSWR 700 Class 'Black Motor' 0-6-0 No 30696 outside Feltham shed on 17 April 1960.
SR U Class 2-6-0 No 31630 outside Feltham shed on 17 April 1960.
A line up of 4-4-0s at Feltham shed on 17 April 1960 included SECR D1 Class No 31545.
BR Crosti boiler 9F 2-10-0 No 92027 on Cricklewood shed on the evening of 17 April 1960.
I live in Queensland now but I was born in Northolt Park in Middlesex in 1942 I was introduced to trains at an early age as my brothers and sisters were older than me and together with my Dad worked on the London Underground my Dad did 48 1/2 years Anyway when I was 14 my Dad got me privilage fares on Bitish Railways and I recored over 200 trips behind steam all over England Wales and Scotland mainly on my own I had a cheap camera and took a few photos but of course wish I could have taken many more I also worked on the Undergound and started as a box boy then porter signalman ending up as signalman at Marble Arch As steam ended I lost interst with the diesels but still love railways I still have my old combined editions and have looked up a lot of your locomotives and surprised how many I have seen It will take me awhile to look at them all and I will have a lot of enjoyment Thank you for sharing
What fantastic photographs. Atmospheric - you almost feel that you are looking at the locos for real!