Trainspotting

London Stations: 1950's & 1960's
 
Over the years I must have travelled from the West Midlands to London many hundreds of times. But, with very few exceptions,  I have never spent any time trainspotting on any of the main line stations. In the 1950's and early 1960's, I would arrive at either Euston or Paddington, tube across London, and be away again either south from Waterloo or Charing Cross, or back north from Kings Cross, St Pancras or Marylebone. 

One exception was on Saturday 30th October 1954, when I went with a friend on a day excursion from Birmingham Snow Hill, and managed to spend a couple of hours at Clapham Junction, then London Bridge, and Liverpool Street, before returning to Paddington well in advance of our homeward departure time. A couple of months earlier, in the heat of late August 1954, I had accompanied my mother on a long weekend break to London, and amazingly, after the shopping, the sightseeing, and the shows, she took me to several of the London stations. 
 SUNDAY 29th AUGUST 1954: VICTORIA 
34078 222 Squadron arrived 6.15pm on Boat train
30919 Harrow arrived 6.25pm on Boat train
41290 & 41294 (Ivatt 2-6-2T) were on Victoria station pilot duties
Also seen were 35028 Clan Line, 34074 46 Squadron, 34072 257 Squadron, 31812 (N 2-6-0) 31902 (U1 2-6-0), 31411 (N 2-6-0) and 30792 Sir Hervis de Revel.
 
 SUNDAY 29th AUGUST 1954: CHARING CROSS 
A very short visit included 30900 Eton, 30938 St Olaves, & 30936 Sevenoaks
 
 MONDAY 30th AUGUST 1954: KINGS CROSS 
A4's 60013 Dominion of New Zealand, 60030 Golden Fleece, 60033 Seagull, were in the loco yard adjoining Kings Cross station 
60814 (V2 2-6-2) departed on 7.20pm to Aberdeen & Fort William
60876 (V2 2-6-2) departed 7.36pm on the down White Rose
61139 (B1 4-6-0) arrived 7.45pm on up Cambridge Buffet Express
60122 Curlew arrived 7.54pm on up Queen of Scots
61674 Royal Sovereign departed 8.00pm on down Cambridge Buffet Express
Also seen were B1's nos 61090 and 61093
67718 and 67799 (L1 2-6-4T) were on outer suburban workings.
69495, 69512, 69524, 69526, 69532, 69534, 69575, 69584, 69587, 69591, 69592 (N2 class 0-6-2T) were on inner suburban workings and shunting duties.
68808, 68918, 68921, 68945, & 68971 (J52 0-6-0T)were on Moorgate line freight workings
 
 TUESDAY 31st AUGUST 1954: WATERLOO 
35016 Elders Fyffes arrived 10.30am on Cunader Boat train from Southampton
30865 Sir John Hawkins arrived 10.44am on Cunader Boat train from Southampton
35022 Holland-America Line arrived 10.48am on the Up Royal Wessex
30852 Sir Walter Raleigh departed on the 10.54am Waterloo to Salisbury
10202 (Diesel Electric) was seen on the 1.00pm Waterloo to West of England
30851 Sir Francis Drake worked the 11.30am Waterloo to Bournemouth, seen Basingstoke
34051 Sir Winston Churchill worked the 11.54am Waterloo to Salisbury, seen Basingstoke
35004 Cunard White Star worked the 10.30am Exeter Central to Waterloo, seen Winchfield
34095 Brentnor worked the 11.05am Bournemouth West to Waterloo, seen Basingstoke
30130, 20241, 30124 (M7 0-4-4T) were on Empty stock workings at Waterloo
 
 TUESDAY 31st AUGUST 1954: PADDINGTON 
DEPARTURES:
4997 Elton Hall departed on the 4.40pm to Stourbridge Junction(11)
7007 Great Western departed on the 4.45pm to Worcester & Hereford (10)
6131 (2-6-2T) departed on the 4.48pm to Maidenhead (5)
6127 (2-6-2T) departed on the 4.52pm to Slough (7)
7006 Lydford Castle departed on the 4.55pm to Gloucester & Cheltenham Spa (10)
6117 (2-6-2T) departed on the 5.03pm to Reading (5)
5077 Fairey Battle departed on the 5.05pm to Bristol & Weston (11)
7019 Fowey Castle departed on the 5.10pm to Wolverhampton (11 & 1 slip)
4073 Caerphilly Castle departed on the 5.14pm to Bristol & Weston (12)
6851 Hurst Grange departed on the 5.17pm to Twyford & Henley (10)
6123 (2-6-2T) departed on the 5.18pm to Uxbridge
4917 Crosswood Hall & 6920 Barningham Hall departed on the 5.20pm to Reading (9)
5056 Earl of Powis departed on the 5.30pm to Plymouth & Paignton (11)
6143 (2-6-2T) departed on the 5.33pm to Maidenhead (6)
5957 Hutton Hall departed on the 5.35pm to Didcot (8)..1 late
6133 (2-6-2T) departed on the 5.40pm to Windsor
6149 (2-6-2T) departed on the 5.45pm to Maidenhead & High Wycombe (8)
70025 Western Star departed on the 5.55pm Red Dragon (13)
 
ARRIVALS:
6026 King John arrived 4.45pm on the Cornish Riviera Express (12)..R time
6123 (2-6-2T) arrived 4.54pm on the 3.40pm from Windsor (5)..2 early
4079 Pendennis Castle arrived 5.03pm on the 12.40pm from Hereford (11)..2 early
5060 Earl of Berkeley arrived 5.12pm on the 11.45am from Birkenhead (12)..3 early
6146 (2-6-2T) arrived 5.25pm on the 3.45pm from Reading (5)..2 late
4972 Saint Brides Hall arrived 5.36pm on the 2.56pm from Oxford (5+2v)..3 late
6148 (2-6-2T) arrived 5.43pm on the 5.08pm from West Drayton (7)
5044 Earl of Dunraven arrived 5.39pm on the 2.22pm Weston-Paddington (9)..11 early
4037 The South Wales Borderers arrived 6.00pm on the Cambrian Coast Express (7)..RT
 
 
 SATURDAY 30th OCTOBER 1954: CLAPHAM JUNCTION 
DOWN TRAINS:
34008 Padstow passed 12.05pm on Royal Naval Special (N London-Reading lines) 10
34050 Royal Observer Corps passed 12.07pm on 11.54am Waterloo to Salisbury (6)
80033 (2-6-4T) passed 12.08pm on 12.03pm Victoria to East Grinstead & Brighton (6)
35015 Rotterdam Lloyd passed 12.37pm on 12.30pm Bournemouth Belle (9P)
34012 Launceston  passed 12.43pm on 12.35pm Waterloo to Weymouth (10)
30750 Morgan le Fay passed 12.48pm on 12.42pm Waterloo to Basingstoke (8+v)
35004 Cunard White Star passed 1.08pm on 1.00pm Waterloo to West of England (11)
 
UP TRAINS:
30861 Lord Anson passed 11.40am on 8.35am Bournemouth West to Waterloo (11)
34004 Yeovil passed 12.19pm on 9.03am Templecombe to Waterloo (8)..12 late
31902 (2-6-0) passed 12.32pm on 10.21am Brighton & Eridge to Victoria (4)
34006 passed 12.46pm on 10.12am Bournemouth West to Waterloo (12)..16 late
34011 Tavistock passed 12.49pm on 9.20am Weymouth to Waterloo (12)..7 late
34009 Lyme Regis passed on  Southampton Docks to Waterloo Boat train (9+2v)
Empty stock trains between Clapham Junction and Waterloo were worked by M7 0-4-4T nos 30124, 30242, 30243, 30248, 30249, 30319, 30320, 30322, N15X 4-6-0 no 32330 Cudworth, and T9 4-4-0 no 30718.
 SATURDAY 30th OCTOBER 1954: LONDON BRIDGE 
DOWN TRAINS:
80019 (2-6-4T) departed 3.17pm on a Mail train
34077 603 Squadron passed 3.22pm on 3.15pm Charing Cross to Ramsgate (11)
30933 Kings Canterbury passed 3.31pm on 3.25pm Charing Cross to Hastings (6)
 
UP TRAINS:
30922 Marlborough passed 3.39pm on 12.36pm Margate to Charing Cross (10)
Other locos seen 80032 (2-6-4T), 41307 (2-6-2T), 31871 (2-6-0) and 31739 (4-4-0)
 
 SATURDAY 30th OCTOBER 1954: LIVERPOOL STREET 
61252 (B1 4-6-0) arrived 4.08pm on a service from Lowestoft
61888 (K3 2-6-0) departed 4.27pm on the down Fenman (9)
70010 Owen Glendower departed 4.30pm on a service to Norwich
61371 (B1 4-6-0) arrived 4.50pm on a service from Melton Constable
70000 Britannia and 70036 Boadicea were also seen
67725 and 67732 (L1 2-6-4T) were on incoming empty stock workings.
Also seen were 61640 Somerleyton Hall and 61672 West Ham United (B17 4-6-0's), 61573 and 61579 (B12 4-6-0's), 61370 and 61379 (B1 4-6-0's)
Class N7 0-6-2T nos 69607, 69609, 69611, 69612, 69619, 69627, 69652, 69668, 69673, 69674, 69679, 69680, 69703, 69730 were on Suburban services.
 
 

Over the Whitsun Holiday weekend in 1960, my father took myself and my brother for a weekend "Rail Break" based at Eastleigh. Father had to return home by car early on Tuesday morning, but my brother and myself decided on a trip down to Bournemouth, then up to Waterloo, where we arrived at 2.40pm. We made our way to Paddington station, and had a couple of hours trainspotting before returning to Birmingham on the 5.10pm service. Below is what we saw at Paddington.

Subsequently, in June 1964, I had a Western Region Weekly Rover ticket, and travelled into and out of Paddington numerous times. But my objective was to maximise my Western and Hymek haulage, and I made no record of the Paddington workings. 
 
 TUESDAY 7th JUNE 1960: PADDINGTON 
DEPARTURES:
7928 Wolf Hall departed on the 3.40pm to Wolverhampton via Oxford (10)
5013 Abergavenny Castle departed on the 3.45pm to Carmarthen (11)
6146 (2-6-2T) departed on the 3.50pm to Windsor (5)
5099 Compton Castle departed on the 3.55pm Capitals United Express (12)
5054 Earl of Ducie departed on the 4.10pm to Birkenhead (12)
D806 Cambrian departed on the 4.15pm to Bristol and Plymouth (13)
6967 Willesley Hall departed on the 4.34pm to Banbury (TC Wolverhampton) (5)
5011 Tintagel Castle departed on the 4.38pm to Worcester (10)
4088 Dartmouth Castle departed on the 4.45pm to Worcester & Hereford (12)
7035 Ogmore Castle departed on the Cheltenham Spa Express (12)
6019 King Henry V departed on the 5.05pm to Bristol & Weston (11) 
6006 King George I departed on the 5.10pm to Wolverhampton (13 & 1 slip)
 
ARRIVALS:
7035 Ogmore Castle arrived 3.00pm on the 1.45pm Cheltenham to Paddington
4088 Dartmouth Castle arrived 3.20pm on the 10.55am Hereford to Paddington
70022 Tornado arrived 3.25pm on the 10.30am Swansea to Paddington (13)
D811 Daring arrived 3.35pm on the Torbay Express (9)
6009 King Charles II arrived 4.08pm on the Cambrian Coast Express (12)
5087 Tresco Abbey arrived 4.08pm on the 1.50pm Bristol to Paddington
4964 Rodwell Hall arrived 4.14pm on Mail
7022 Hereford Castle arrived 4.31pm on the 9.30am Falmouth to Paddington (9)
D816 Eclipse arrived 4.37pm on the Cornish Riviera Express (12)