MY LIFE IN TRAINS
Lineside and Station Sequences
Part Two
Elstree for Fifteen Minutes – 12 July 1959 and
New Barnet, Potters Bar and back to New Barnet – 19 July 1959
I can remember that my dad took me to Elstree station in the sidecar of his BSA Gold Star, but I’ve no recollection of why we only stayed there for a short while and what else we did. Memory!
My dad spent most of his life while I was at home working as an engineer for a company, HTB Limited, on Blackhorse Lane in Walthamstow that made feeders for big printing machines – then it was taken over by a US company, asset stripped and closed. When I was little one of the highlights of Christmas was the annual childrens’ party run by the company. For a short while when I was little he worked at Elstree Studios before going back to HTB.
And then the last photos I took before the trip to Switzerland were at New Barnet and Potters Bar – this was the first of many trips by train with my camera between these two stations.
I assume there must have been engineering works taking place on the fast lines north of New Barnet, because all the expresses I photographed were on the slow lines. The only train using the fast lines was a WD 2-8-0 headed freight – probably carrying ballast.
Once again you can see the limitations of my camera and my composition. I’ve done my best with image adjustments, straightening and cropping.
A couple of these photos were previously included in the My Story series.
All Photographs by Alan Lewis Chambers ©
12:20 BR Britannia 4-6-2 No 70042 'Lord Roberts' heads a down express through Elstree on 12 July 1959.
12:34 LMS Stanier 2-6-2T No 40142 pulls into Elstree with a down train on 12 July 1959 - the headcode suggests parcels or empty stock.
12:35 LMS Stanier Black Five 4-6-0 No 44846 runs through Elstree on an express towards St Pancras on 12 July 1959.
10:50 LNER A4 4-6-2 No 60008 'Dwight D Eisenhower' heads an express north on the down slow line at New Barnet on 19 July 1959.
10:55 LNER A3 4-6-2 No 60062 'Minoru' heads and express towards Kings Cross on the up slow line at New Barnet on 19 July 1959.
10:56 Baby Deltic No D5903 pulls into New Barnet with a stopping suburban train on 19 July 1959.
11:05 WD 2-8-0 No 90349 heads north through New Barnet on the down fast line with a class F freight on 19 July 1959.
11:45 LNER A4 4-6-2 No 60034 'Lord Farringdon' heads an express north on the down slow line at Potters Bar on 19 July 1959.
11:52 BRCW Class 2 No D5318 (more familiar in Scotland as Class 26) pauses with a stopping northbound semi-fast at Potters Bar on 19 July 1959.
12:05 WD 2-8-0 No 90454 shunts the up side yard at New Barnet on 19 July 1959.
