Express Matchbox?
Submitted by Philip M. Hicks on 30th May 2011
Taken on 1 January 1958
Hello guys - A Monday morning special for you! An express pannier tank? Captured on the East end of Swindon's down platform in the late 1950's is a 'matchbox' tank - #9740. She seems to have express headlamps on! She is in reality the station pilot putting a van on the rear of a westbound train. Most likely the crew are being a bit lazy by having one white lamp on one side and a red one on the other. Note the locospotters stiding down the far platform, there were always brothers of the fraternity in a plenty at Swindon. The photo was probably taken on a Wednesday - the day one could go around 'The Works' for sixpence [6d!] - Happy Days! My Regards as always, Phil H. Leura. Oz.
Location
Javascript is required to view this map.
- Login to post comments
« Express Matchbox?
User login
Who's online
There are currently 0 users and 1 guest online.
Comments
Delightful Phil!
Someone's sense of humour!
As a young trainspotter back in the 50's, even my local station (Canley Halt), the first station out from Coventry on the way to Birmingham (New Street), there would nearly always be half a dozen lads spotting numbers from on, or under the footbridge on a Saturday, or during the school holidays. (Is there anyone out there who was a regular at Canley?).
I recall that if one was there in the evening at dusk, the signalman would let you light the gas lamps on the footbridge. Sometimes we could visit the 'box', and even allowed to close the crossing gates (remember the big black wheel!), and pull the signals (if you had the strength!).
If you arrived for a days spotting and there was other spotters there, you always asked "Anything 'bin through?" you got the same answer every time "Black Watch" and "Green Howards", these were a couple of Scottish locos that were never seen down our way.
As you say, Phil, Happy Days!
Keep well,
Vaughan.
Hello Phil thanks for this picture it does just typify? that era that we thought was unhurried, when we perhaps thought that all was right with our world?
But round the works for 6d well I can't remember that but I went round Stafford Road works but can't ever doing Swindon.
By the way I see the lamps are of British rail design as I have seen pictures of the old Great Western ones which were more slightly more rounded casings
Regards Ant