10th May 2022 “North London Lines in the 80s” by Alan Jones

Early-bodied Class 31 No. 31108 has propelled its short consist of scrap and a single SPA wagon from Ward's Siding along the Silvertown Tramway, reversed in the headshunt and is seen accelerating past the single-platform station as it heads towards Temple Mills with 6C97 on 22nd October 1987. Photo: Alan Jones
Early-bodied Class 31 No. 31108 has propelled its short consist of scrap and a single SPA wagon from Ward's Siding along the Silvertown Tramway, reversed in the headshunt and is seen accelerating past the single-platform station as it heads towards Temple Mills with 6C97 on 22nd October 1987. Photo: Alan Jones

Our final meeting of the 2021-22 season was a presentation by branch member Alan Jones of four areas of interest in North London in the mid 80s. These were (i) Marylebone, Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross stations (ii) Broad Street and the North London line to Camden Town (iii) the Tottenham and Hampstead line and (iv) the Willesden Junction area.

At Marylebone we saw something of the antiquity of the station with original Great Central platform lights and oil lamps on platform starting signals being trimmed. The dramatic lighting effects of the midday sun penetrating the smoke-filled gloom under the station canopy gave an impression of just how neglected Marylebone was at that time, when the Serpell Report threatened to convert what remained of the Great Central into a busway. By way of contrast, Euston was as busy as ever and offered some interesting final views of Classes 82 and 83 on empty stock workings. At St Pancras we saw 47483 on the North-Eastern TPO during the short period from 85 to 88 when it operated out of this station and at Kings Cross several Deltics were seen in their final days on York and Hull workings.

Broad Street (whose decrepitude surpassed Marylebone) featured next, and we were treated to Class 501s and semaphore signals contrasting with the City landscape. After Dalston Junction a short detour was made to Silvertown to see 31108 on 6C97, the trip from Temple Mills to Ward’s scrapyard. Returning to the main North London line we saw newly-built 59002 at Caledonian Road on a Merehead to Purfleet working whilst at Camden Road we noted Class 86s on the Harwich to Glasgow and Edinburgh Boat Train and 37898 on the evening Southend to Reading mail.

After a break, a quick run from Barking to Gospel Oak followed, focusing on the BRCW Class 104s that operated the line at that time. Interspersed with these units were views of the many freight trains on the line including 47374 Petrolea at Leytonstone High Road and 37001 at South Tottenham, both heading oil empties to Ripple Lane. Some attractive glint views were seen in low Winter sunlight at Crouch Hill and Upper Holloway, whilst at Junction Road Junction we saw 47238 on a lengthy Dagenham to Speke train of Ford cars. A couple of wildcard views were included to stimulate the audience further, including the oldest operational Routemaster at that time, RM5, and the final run of red 1938 Tube Stock at Edgeware.

To conclude the evening, we focused on the Willesden Junction area and the tremendous diversity of traffic within a small radius of the station. Views covered the High Level platforms, 2EPBs on the seldom used connection from the North London lines down to the DC lines, the South West Sidings, Diesel Parcels Units at Action Main Line, the circuitous Willesden to Old Oak Common Speedlink Trip at Park Royal, Class 50s hauling the one train per day over the Great Western route to High Wycombe, various views of Old Oak Common depot and concluding with the new Inter-City cross country service via Kensington Olympia in 1986.

The evening brought back fond memories for many Branch members and closed at 9.50pm with a vote of thanks from the Chairman.