European Railroad Discussion > A Foggy Day in London Town...

...had me low, had me down; so sang Ann Lenner in 1938. We don't have the same sort of coal smoke based fog anymore (thank goodness) but yesterday was almost a throwback to those days, a day when cloud cover seemed to be at head height and when you could taste the atmosphere. High pressure, no wind and traffic, not a great combination.

1: Approaching Denmark Hill in South London 66207 on a train of empty stone hoppers from Tolworth (in SW London) to Cliffe (in Kent) ready for reloading Monday morning

2: Approaching Cromwell Road, near Earls Court in West London celebrity 66779 Evening Star on another rake of empty JGA hoppers, this time from Colnbrook, west of Heathrow Airport, back to GBRf's base at Tonbridge. The JGAs will be back in action on Monday morning, loading at Grain (like Cliffe in Kent and off the same stub end branch) for one of the stone terminals served by GBRf in and around London - Bow, Colnbrook or Neasden. On the left, on the London Underground line into Lillie Bridge depot is an engineering train, being prepared for Saturday night.

Looking the other way from Cromwell Road towards where the Earls Court exhibition centre used to be the fog was getting thicker when, just after 2 p.m. the 4Y19 Mountfield to Southampton empty gypsum containers appeared behind 66763 Severn Valley Railway



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/16 23:45 by 86235.

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The fog is not helped of course by a few large diesel engines!
But hey, I am being churlish - I drive a Skoda diesel, and the pics are just great, especially that which shows Lillie Bridge depot.
Is it still busy or are the six shed roads all out of action?.

Thanks, I'm now off to St Pancras to take a Javelin to Canterbury.

Like you I drive a diesel so am also culpable. Yesterday you could taste the exhaust on Cromwell Road, not very pleasant.

Lillie Bridge is still used to stable trains as well as its role as an engineering base.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/16 03:01 by 86235.

Are all the 3rd rail tracks also utilized by the subway (The Tube)? I find these interesting photos for the environment as well as the feature train. I like the engineering train on the left in your 2nd photo.

King_Coal Wrote:
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> Are all the 3rd rail tracks also utilized by the
> subway (The Tube)? I find these interesting photos
> for the environment as well as the feature train.
> I like the engineering train on the left in your
> 2nd photo.

Of the four main tracks in photo 2, only the two left ones are for the Tube trains (note the central electrified rail on those tracks). The engineering train to the left has a battery loco on it, dedicated to the Underground network (one of just a few such locos).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/16 08:34 by exhaustED.

Nice set of photos, Nik. That car park in photo 2 shows some potential. chris uk

55002 Wrote:
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> Nice set of photos, Nik. That car park in photo 2
> shows some potential. chris uk

Tesco, Cromwell Road. Used it on many occasions. Lots of different levels, but mainly looking towards Kensington Olympia.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/16 14:12 by 86235.

A great set of photos, like No. 2 very much.    A realy cramped area.

Malcolm
New Zealand.

Thanks Malcolm, this is the same shot from 1998 when the land had yet to be built on. Construction of Tesco supermarket and car park had just started.

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Is that a bell on the front of that GBRf class 66? I've never seen that before,
Matt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/16 20:21 by Chestnut.

Build a Tesco and the developement will follow, I guess...

So is the train with the two Class 37s basically the same train as the modern day one picture 2? That is a good before and after.

Jim

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> Build a Tesco and the developement will follow, I
> guess...
>
> So is the train with the two Class 37s basically
> the same train as the modern day one picture 2?
> That is a good before and after.
>
> Jim

Certainly the same basic design of hoppers, the 37 hauled train was from Park Royal and is bound for Angerstein, as opposed to 66779 which was from Colnbrook and is headed to Tonbridge (and from there to Grain on Monday morning). Grain and Angerstein are separate stone loading locations on the Thames (Angerstein) or Thames Estuary (Grain) for seaborne aggregates



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/16 07:25 by 86235.

Chestnut Wrote:
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> Is that a bell on the front of that GBRf class 66?
> I've never seen that before,
> Matt

​I believe it is a North American locomotive bell, as "Evening Star" is the last GMD locomotive delivered to the UK.

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> Chestnut Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is that a bell on the front of that GBRf class
> 66?
> > I've never seen that before,
> > Matt
>
> ​I believe it is a North American locomotive
> bell, as "Evening Star" is the last GMD locomotive
> delivered to the UK.

GM class 59 no. 59001 also has a similar bell. The class 59 was the predecessor to the class 66 - it had a 645 engine rather than a 710 and was the first US-built diesel mainline loco type in the UK...needless to say it was very successful and paved the way for the 66's.

59201 is also fitted with a bell. No idea whether the bells actually work.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/16 11:56 by 86235.

86235 Wrote:
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> 59201 is also fitted with a bell. No idea whether
> the bells actually work.

Ding-dong old bean!

Interesting photographs. Good look at non-tourist London.
Looking at these photos I'm imagining some kind of British TV drama from 70-s. :-)

Happy New 2017 trainspotting!

Stas

 

Stas Wrote:
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> Interesting photographs. Good look at non-tourist
> London.
> Looking at these photos I'm imagining some kind of
> British TV drama from 70-s. :-)
>
> Happy New 2017 trainspotting!
>
> Stas
>
>  

I see what you mean.  Try this.

Roy Budd - "Get Carter" Theme.  Caine on a train.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kMhcf8eyiA