Kings Lynn Stabling Point, 1980's

[Colin M]

I'm searching for photos of Kings Lynn stabling point. I've been researching Kings Lynn in the Eighties, with a view to building an exhibition layout of the depot.

I'm really keen to chat with anyone who might have photos of the stabling point. (any timeframe, as the kit didn't change much during it's lifespan).

I'm going to scratchbuild everything. The bits I'm really struggling with is finding shots that show detail of the equipment and fueling pumps, and the plant buildings behind the shed. There's a footpath that ran behind it, parallel to the shed. I'm sure people must have taken shots from there but so far I've not been lucky enough to find anyone who did.

I worked on the railway in that area in the nineties, but unfortunatley after the shed had gone. All the engineering drawings for the site were lost during rail privatisation. They were thrown out when a main office in Cambridge was closed.

Any help would be really apprieciated!

Thanks,

Colin

 

[Colin M]

Thanks Mick.

Great shot of the original concrete yard lamps. Not that long before the site closed, the lamps were replaced with folding metal Abacus type, painted red. It's one of the few choices that that will date my layout. (But that decision is a long way off yet! Got to get the boards designed and built first!)

Colin

 

[BrushType4]

Only images I have to hand are these two off the internet from several years ago, author and site long forgotten so copyright exists with original owners and shown here for information purposes only.

Ditto

 

[Christian]

Amazing photographs, how I wish the railways were still like this today.

 

[mth]

Intresting first photo. Did you notice the 59/1 lerking on the right.

 

[Colin M]

First time I've seen evidence of a 59 at Lynn! (And I didn't know that electric point heaters were installed before the shed was demolished - stainless steel control cubicle in the same photo).
Thanks Guys.

 

[BrushType4]

I'm searching for photos of Kings Lynn stabling point. I've been researching Kings Lynn in the Eighties, with a view to building an exhibition layout of the depot.

I'm really keen to chat with anyone who might have photos of the stabling point. (any timeframe, as the kit didn't change much during it's lifespan).

I'm going to scratchbuild everything. The bits I'm really struggling with is finding shots that show detail of the equipment and fueling pumps, and the plant buildings behind the shed. There's a footpath that ran behind it, parallel to the shed. I'm sure people must have taken shots from there but so far I've not been lucky enough to find anyone who did.

I worked on the railway in that area in the nineties, but unfortunatley after the shed had gone. All the engineering drawings for the site were lost during rail privatisation. They were thrown out when a main office in Cambridge was closed.

Any help would be really apprieciated!

Thanks,

Colin

Colin, would be good to see your research and photos too. Have you sorted a track plan yet?

There was a footbridge to the left of the level crossing which would make a good scenic break to the fiddle yard, but how are you planning to do the right hand side or are you going to include the station terminus?

Lots of scope for some interesting running. I'll be watching with interest.

 

[mickoo]

Intresting first photo. Did you notice the 59/1 lerking on the right.

That'll be for the Middleton Towers sand train I suspect, evidence of which can be seen in several images in the sidings, the loco runs round here.

Kindest

 

[Colin M]

All my research is from books and internet so far, but I am building up a fair sized file. I'm just struggling to paste photos into the messages at the moment. Hopefully, I'll have it sussed soon.

Layout design: I'm weighing up two options at the moment. Either a simple "shed area only" approach or a much bigger affair including the station and level crossing.

If I do shed only, I will likely use a little modellers licence with the end of platform 3/4 to create a stage exit.

The more ambitious scheme includes all the platforms, running out across the level crossing and either using Tennyson Avenue footbridge as the scenic break or carry on and include the junction and signal box. Then I can run a scenic sanded line along the front (towards Middleton Towers) and take a curved line towards Extons Road crossing and behind tall trees into a fiddle yard area. Available space is going to determine what is possible! I'm just starting to map out some scale plans on the back of left over wallpaper rolls.

Right now, I'm erring towards the smaller option, as I'm worried if I go for the grand scheme it may never get off the ground, let alone finished. If I go for the bigger option, the other downside is I can only put max 23 feet up in my house at one time, (unless I build a huge shed?). Money and time constraints all point to that making things overly slow.

One other option I'm toying with the possibility of a modular approach that may allow me to extend gradually. (I've given it quite a bit of thought; it's not as far fetched as it first sounds).

 

[BrushType4]

One approach that I thought of was to model the Tennyson Avenue footbridge to the left, then model all the lines and shed in the middle section, but reduce the curved arrangement so it is as flat as possible. For the senic break to the right, model the corner of the Maltings Building far enough so that the rails behind naturally fall out of view.

This would enable you to run quite a lot of varied traffic, including the odd Polybulker to supply the Maltings.

Just a thought.

 

[Colin M]

Yes, that's a really interesting idea. I hadn't been considering going out as wide as the Maltings.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Amazing photographs, how I wish the railways were still like this today.

How I wish I had taken more photos at the time!

 

[Colin M]

Heres some NSE livery shots I from my internet research...

May 1997 (this photo is probably the most influencial in swinging my decision to build a NSE period Lynn layout.)


A year later, weathering has taken hold...


1988

And something more recent, post electrification... London bound trains now mostly heading to Kings X. rather than Liv.St.

 

[Colin M]

I've been puzzling over the glimpse of the 59 on shed early in this thread. I've never seen a photo of a 59 on a normal service train in Lynn.

I think, it might be 59104 that was exhibited at the Network Gala day in Sept 1991. That time frame would fit with the new red lamp posts at the stabling point (and possibly even explain the cones and plastic fencing?).

Does anyone have a reference book that gives the actual date the fueling point closed?

 

[mickoo]

I've been puzzling over the glimpse of the 59 on shed early in this thread. I've never seen a photo of a 59 on a normal service train in Lynn.

I think, it might be 59104 that was exhibited at the Network Gala day in Sept 1991. That time frame would fit with the new red lamp posts at the stabling point (and possibly even explain the cones and plastic fencing?).

Does anyone have a reference book that gives the actual date the fueling point closed?

View attachment 12442

Might not be that date, the original picture shows no evidence of OHLE though ground works seem to indicate it may be in the offing in the near future. I think the original photo is earlier as it looks to be taken from the footbridge which almost certainly was removed when OHLE was installed.

Kindest

 

[BrushType4]

http://www.eastanglianrailwayarchiv...-Lynn/19410767_bbssXG#!i=1617889576&k=hwCg86x

Some great pictures at the eastanglianrailwayarchive.co.uk

 

[Colin M]

Great point! I never thought about dating by the OHLE. I'm more convinced of my first theory now. I think the top photo is taken from the road level. And there is OHLE in the picture. You can just see a tensioned structure anchor on the far bottom right. (The shed roads weren't wired).

 

[Colin M]

Some good memories on East Anglia archive site. All those signal boxes gone forever!

 

[mickoo]

Great point! I never thought about dating by the OHLE. I'm more convinced of my first theory now. I think the top photo is taken from the road level. And there is OHLE in the picture. You can just see a tensioned structure anchor on the far bottom right. (The shed roads weren't wired).

Now why didn't I see that guide wire!, appreciate shed was not wired so looked everywhere else and missed the bleedin obvious LOL.

Well spotted.

Kindest

 

[Colin M]

I'm not normally so eagle eyed myself. I've been spending a lot of time studying pics of Kings Lynn in the last couple of weeks! I feel like I know the place, even though I never worked there whilst the shed was in situ.

I've set myself the target to make a decision on the basic size and shape for my layout by close of this weekend. (...Or I'll be talking about it forever, and never get started!)