In the meantime, a question to our readers:
What can you say about this picture, courtesy of Bob Stark:
Date? Destination? Second engine? What was it doing at Winchcombe? Was this very common?
The train seems to be running in to the station, with a chap in a moustache and cap hanging out with a huge smile on his face, and a smaller figure underneath. Who was driving at the time? (Didn't they drive from the other side?). It must have been some event for a cameraman to be there, not likely to be a lucky snapshot.
Any ideas?
5 comments:
Fascinating picture. I think the headboard reads "5.35pm third class return excursion for Oxford, Reading and Paddington." I wonder where it was routed from Cheltenham, given the train is heading south.
If it had come from Stratford then a better route would be onto the OWW at Honeybourne.
The loco is a straight framed Bulldog 4-4-0, built around 1908 I think. I believe like many of its class it was renumbered around 1912, having originally been 3456? Bulldogs were named after a huge variety of things, and Albany was one of a batch named after places in the Empire, in this case he city ans port in Western Australia.
Date? I'd guess just before or just after WW1.
I have nothing to add except that the lamp-post tops are at an angle.
Impressed with the knowledge of the previous poster, as well.
Pete Henry
I think the train would proceed south and bear left at Lansdown Jcn to travel via Kingham hence the need for double heading over the Kingham branch.
Hi Jo,
A fascinating photo and it has set me off doing some 'detective work'!
After a great deal of thought, I think this is the return train of an excursion from Paddington to Cheltenham Race Course - probably for the Gold Cup race which was first run in March 1924. Clearly the time of 5.25 pm would be just right for the train to depart CRC.
These excursion trains were stabled at Bishops Cleeve, Winchcombe and Toddington with some of the locos being turned at Honeybourne. I am not sure how these 2 locos were to be turned, but maybe they ran through to Gloucester for turning on the triangle there. They would then be facing the right way on arrival at CRC to get back to Oxford, Reading and Paddington.
Clive has correctly identified the leading loco, but it was built in Jan 1904, and was allocated to Paddington shed in the 1920s. The train engine is almost impossible to identify, but appears to be an 'Atbara' 4-4-0 (as the footplate at the rear is at a higher level to that of the 'Bulldog'. It could also be a 'Flower' or even a 'City' class, but none of these were allocated to Paddington at that time.
Other observations are the cattle wagon by the Signal Box appears to have been lime washed (disinfectant) and this practice was banned in the late 1920s, also there does not appear to be any white line painted along the platform edge. Finally, could your man with the moustache be a local pilot man?? I would therefore put the date of this scene somewhere between 1924 - 1929.
Thanks to you and to Bob for posting such an interesting photo.
Frederick Lea
According to the Great Western org website the leading loco was scrapped in 1934 and its last allocation was Worcester. So its definitely before that date. The Headboard is also reminiscent of the Cheltenham Flyer Headboard
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