Prototype Tim Mills' Photos

[oldravendale]

I really like this one. Tim's title is simply "Colchester Station 1954. View in Up direction." The overall sharpness is an indication of the limitations of the equipment Tim was using at the time but there's lots to take from it.



Clearly the detail in this is somewhat limited so I remasked just the top part of the neg to give this:



There's a row of wooden bodied wagons on the right. Despite the fact that this is not in colour the texture of the wood and differences in the planks can be seen. In the middle of the picture is, I believe, a B17. There's a train in the next platform too - is that a B1 tender first? and then yet another on the extreme left of the photo. We're well in to edge definition issues here but it looks like a GER tank loco of some sort, maybe another of the "F" tanks. Then there's that lovely pair of signals - I wonder why they weren't all put on one gantry and the telegraph pole with at least 14 arms. There are certainly other details to take from this and they become apparent by manipulating the contrast and density up and down but I set this for the average look of the scene..

Brian

 

[Eastsidepilot]

.....and another from a neg in far better condition than most but sadly with considerable camera shake. This is J15 65424 and entitled "Colchester 1954". The loco was at Colchester from 1948 to 1959 when it moved to Stratford for withdrawal in December 1959.

View attachment 132527

Brian

Brian,
The LNER converted the cab side sheets and added tender cab backs for working the Colne Valley line where tender first running was carried out as there were no turning facilities at either end of the line.
I believe the tender cabs were made from the back half of cabs from scrapped F6 & F3 tank loco's. 5424 had her cab altered in '34. Note also only vac brake, no Westinghouse air. She's standing on the carriage sidings head shunt immediately north of the up platform, and has either bought a train in from the Colne Valley ( Cambridge or Halstead ) via Witham or is about to collect stock for a return trip.
Col.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

There's a row of wooden bodied wagons on the right. Despite the fact that this is not in colour the texture of the wood and differences in the planks can be seen.

Brian

The wagons are for loco coal , they are stood on the southern end sidings of the shed, I would say, awaiting collection as they look empty.
Col.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Brian, that certainly looks better, the loco in the centre shows up more and could be a B1 as you mentioned but I'm inclined to think it's either a K3 or B17 as you just see the running plate drop down above the cylinders where as the B1's were level across the top.

I think the large water tower in the back ground is for the railway laundry which was to the north east of the station, this was opened by the GER, even the hotels they owned, including that at Liverpool St.( The Great Eastern ) sent their laundry there.

Col.

 

[Boyblunder]

Colin, I may be talking rubbish here so apologies if you think I came from the notorious institution on the bottom right of the map. I think the platform on the left was and still is used for the shuttle to Colchester Town and Hythe stations, also sometimes to Wivenhoe, Clacton etc. if trains start at Colchester. Presumably the photo is taken from near the signal box. The Colne Valley line normally terminates at the up end of Colchester North. Map 'Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland'

 

[oldravendale]

Here's your photo for today. Not such a great photo - in fact there's been a similar one previously - but the general gloominess is not helped by the appalling external condition of the loco. There's absolutely no hope of proposing a number for this one. The description is "Braintree 1954. Loco about to run on to train". Could just as easily be "Loco in the mist". As far as I can tell it's an F4 or maybe an F5 but that's about all.



Brian

 

[SimonT]

As another local lad, I'm with Tim. Colne Valley from the London end, St Botolphs, Hythe and Clacton from the northeast end. I think all the buildings in the photo on the North side of the railway have now all gone. Didn't the Steam Laundry go when Mysons built their factory?

Simon

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Colin, I may be talking rubbish here so apologies if you think I came from the notorious institution on the bottom right of the map. I think the platform on the left was and still is used for the shuttle to Colchester Town and Hythe stations, also sometimes to Wivenhoe, Clacton etc. if trains start at Colchester. Presumably the photo is taken from near the signal box. The Colne Valley line normally terminates at the up end of Colchester North. Map 'Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland'
View attachment 132557

Robin,
I bow to your superior knowledge mate , your are right of coarse and the arrow marking the spot is where I thought the loco was standing.
Would make an interesting layout would Colchester ?

And yes I did wonder if all people from Colchester area were born in that building

Col.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Here's your photo for today. Not such a great photo - in fact there's been a similar one previously - but the general gloominess is not helped by the appalling external condition of the loco. There's absolutely no hope of proposing a number for this one. The description is "Braintree 1954. Loco about to run on to train". Could just as easily be "Loco in the mist". As far as I can tell it's an F4 or maybe an F5 but that's about all.

View attachment 132558

Brian

Brian,
There is a clue to which loco's this could be and that is the chimney, it has been cut down during 1940 for use over the Met. & Dist. lines in emergencies
18 F4's & 18 F5's received this treatment but not all survived to B.R.

Possible loco's are, F4 67219 Stratford until '52 -withdrawn '56
F5 67193 Stratford " '55
" 67189 Colchester " '56
" 67188 " " '55

All the other Br F4 & F5 loco's with cut down chimneys are at different districts in '54 so I've only listed these four.
There were two F6's with cut down chimneys but these were out of the area in '54

Col.

 

[Martin Shaw]

Vaguely in connection with this thread, my current bedtime reading is a small volume of wartime reminiscences of a Stratford fireman, apparently N7's were by no means universal on GE suburban services at that time and there is a very descriptive passage about a journey with an F5 pulling two quad art sets on a Liv St to Woodford via Fairlop, stirring stuff. It's worth a read, as much for the social comment about life and society in east london during the war, as the railways aspects.

Re todays pic the RCTS state that the last F4s in East Anglia were 67162 and 67187 which were withdrawn in Aug 55 from Yarmouth and Lowestoft respectively. I think the loco in the pic is more likely an F5. There is nothing externally to distinguish between them really.
Regards
Martin

 

[Eastsidepilot]

.................... apparently N7's were by no means universal on GE suburban services

Re todays pic the RCTS state that the last F4s in East Anglia were 67162 and 67187 which were withdrawn in Aug 55 from Yarmouth and Lowestoft respectively. I think the loco in the pic is more likely an F5. There is nothing externally to distinguish between them really.
Regards
Martin

A book I'll have to buy shortly , I've got photo's some where of J69's on 10 car quin-arts as well, they were very capable of keeping up with timings and I've read that the station pilots at Liverpool St. did stand in occasionally for failed N7's.

I agree, Martin, that it is more than likely one of the F5's

Col.

 

[robertm]

In Paye’s book there are pics of 67195 and 67198 with similar cut down chimneys on the branch in 1952. They were withdrawn in 1958 and 1955 respectively according to BRDatabase.
Likely candidates I would have thought.
Great pics by the way, so good to see stuff as yet unpublished.
Bob

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

I have a photo of 67189 at Witham on 9th April 1956. my 1955 ABC has it shedded at Colchester in 1955.

tim

 

[oldravendale]

A book I'll have to buy shortly , I've got photo's some where of J69's on 10 car quin-arts as well, they were very capable of keeping up with timings and I've read that the station pilots at Liverpool St. did stand in occasionally for failed N7's.

I agree, Martin, that it is more than likely one of the F5's

Col.

Were the J69s not rostered to work on the "Jazz" in the dim and distant past, Col?

Brian

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Were the J69s not rostered to work on the "Jazz" in the dim and distant past, Col?

Brian

Yes they were, developed from the J66 & 67, initially built for shunting then some were modified for passenger work and found to be ideal for the suburban services, so more were built over the years. There were a lot of variants, you'd certainly fill the display cabinet with each one being unlike the next !

Gotta be my favourite GER loco, but then I would say that wouldn't I .

Col.

 

[Martin Shaw]

I suppose I'm old enough to have seen the steam era at Liverpool Street, and although I have no recollection of it my brother and I were frequently taken to be shown to Granny in Cambridge. I was deposited with her in May 1957 whilst my brother was being born and the afternoon walk seemed to involve Hills Road bridge where I was permitted a few moments to peer through the slats at the railway below. Odd how these childhood memories linger in the recesses of the mind. I've no paticular fondness for the GE, I like them all, but Brian's efforts with Tim's photos are mentally stirring all sorts, well done both of you.
Martin

 

[Eastsidepilot]

..........Odd how these childhood memories linger in the recesses of the mind.....

Unfortunately being born in '56 I'm not old enough to really remember steam on the ex GER, I grew up in Rayleigh, Essex, so my early memories are of 'Shenfield Stock' electrics, the highlights being the class 15 on the up parcels with a motley collection of stock, the yard being shunted by the same class of loco and 31's & 37's on excursions and coal trains to and from Southend Vic.
Having said that I do have a vague memory of steam at Liverpool St. explained here February 2011 – Eastsidepilot

I did however get to experience what is, to me, the ultimate in eastern region steam on the old GER and that was 70000 'Britannia' on a special storming through the up at Rochford a few years ago, I'll try and sort the photo's.

Col.

 

[robertm]

I’m a bit older and used to travel to Witham from Braintree in a variety of DMUs and the W&M rail bus on Saturdays in the very early 60s to watch the trains. The sight and sound of a Britannia passing through at speed is an indelible memory. The way the Loco and tender lurched from side to side was quite alarming. How a fireman could keep his feet and fire the Loco simply amazing.
Glad I saw them but wish I’d been around when the B12s and B17s were an everyday sight.
Bob

 

[Eastsidepilot]

The sight and sound of a Britannia passing through at speed is an indelible memory. The way the Loco and tender lurched from side to side was quite alarming. How a fireman could keep his feet and fire the Loco simply amazing.

Bob

Look for the 100mph run by Tornado on Youtube

Col.

 

[Martin Shaw]

Col's suggestion is good, however for 36 seconds that tell me everything about why I like the steam locomotive, go here, volume to 11.