Most of these photographs were taken by Colin Major. I don’t know if he had relatives working on the railways in the area, or if he just loved spending time on the station. I believe Colin was born in 1933, and therefore the earliest photographs would have been taken when he was 16 years old.
A selection of his black & white photos from (mainly) the 1950s will appear below. They are not particularly high definition, but we have to remember the quality of cameras and film 70+ years ago.
There are no dates to these photos, but this must be during the first half of the 1950s when 61895 was a March engine (as per shed plate), before moving to Doncaster in 1956. The K3 2-6-0 is passing through Cambridge with a mixed goods typical of the period.
Here we see Cambridge’s G5 0-4-4T 67322 and J20 0-6-0 64688 in the sidings adjacent to the station circa 1953.
N7 0-6-2T 9672 was still in LNER livery when this photo was taken on May 10th 1949. According to the RCTS books, BR livery was gained in September 1950. The loco may be on its way from Lincoln to Enfield Town, a shed transfer move which took place (officially) in April 1950. J67 0-6-0T 68583 would have been a clever ‘cop’ for enthusiasts in the area at the time, because the loco was transferred to Lancashire late in 1949 and spent the rest of its days allocated to Trafford Park shed until withdrawal in 1958. These 0-4-0T tram engines tended to work the Wisbech & Upwell tramway. This is Y6 no. 8083, still in pre-nationalisation colours, at Cambridge circa 1950. Only a couple more years to go, as withdrawal came late in 1952.
C12 4-4-2T 67354 is in temporary store at Cambridge circa 1949. The loco was returned to traffic at Melton Constable a short while later, and then spent a final 3 years at Hull Botanic Gardens shed.
B17 4-6-0 61663 ‘Everton’ was a Cambridge (31A) locomotive until mid-1953 when a transfer to Stratford was arranged.
In 1951 a few Bulleid Pacifics were loaned to the GE because the new Britannias had suffered from driving wheels moving on their axles and were withdrawn for modifications. Here is 34055 ‘Fighter Pilot’ leaving Cambridge during that time with a train for London. In steam days, Kings Cross shed used to use the Cambridge Buffet Expresses (as they were known) to test recently repaired top link locomotives. Therefore almost anything could turn up at Cambridge, and here is A4 60024 ‘Kingfisher’ on August 2nd 1949. This was a Haymarket loco at the time, and therefore a rare sight for local enthusiasts. D15 4-4-0 62501 is seen in Cambridge shed yard on September 28th 1950. The loco was allocated to Kings Lynn at the time but was only 9 months away from withdrawal. It was not just the ER which sent rare cops to Cambridge. The LMR could do it too, on services from Bedford and Bletchley. Here is Black 5 4-6-0 45110 with a 7C Holyhead shed plate on June 27th 1950. The loco was a Holyhead resident for over 15 years, until moved to Stafford and then Bolton; and withdrawn finally from Lostock Hall in August 1968 after heading the first leg of the ’15 Guinea Special’ from Liverpool Lime Street. Preservation followed, and 45110 can now be found on the Severn Valley Railway. This is a rather low quality shot of B12 4-6-0 61542 making a spirited departure from Cambridge station in 1951. Because the train was moving, a faster shutter speed had to be chosen which tended not to produce sharply defined images on budget film in those days. Here is a rarity for Cambridge enthusiasts. L3 2-6-4T 69060 is seen in the loco yard on May 29th 1954. The engine is listed as being withdrawn from Frodingham in June 1954, but may be already on its way to Stratford. Here is Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0 43001 only a few years old and still with original double chimney, on 21st April 1949; topping up with water after working a service from Bletchley to Cambridge.
WD 0-6-0ST 71487 at Cambridge on August 14th 1949 Many of these locos were taken into BR stock as class J94, but I don’t have a list of the numbers.
Standard 5MT 4-6-0 73000 is at Cambridge in June 1951. The loco was only 2 months old at the time and allocated to Derby 17A. Unfortunately, the local train operators do not seem to have paired the engine with anything like brand new coaching stock.
N1 0-6-2T 69473 in the sidings at Cambridge, with a 37B Copley Hill shed plate. The rods are missing and there is no sign of coal in the bunker. The loco is listed as withdrawn in 1952; and I suspect the photo shows the final journey to the scrap line.
Another lower quality shot, but worth sharing because it shows the “Streak with no name”, otherwise known as W1 4-6-4 60700 and the result of the rebuilding of the Hush-Hush water-tube boiler experiment as a more conventional design. Seen on May 13th 1949, the loco has the transitional “BRITISH RAILWAYS” on the tender.
C12 4-4-2T 67367 appears to be in storage at Cambridge, along with classmate 67375, in this 1951 view.
60508 ‘Duke Of Rothesay’ is seen in Cambridge shed yard on April 26th 1949. I am unsure of the livery but it could be apple green. There appears to be no BR logo on the tender.
J66 67374 is, I suspect, already withdrawn and seen in the sidings at Cambridge during 1954 while on its way to Stratford. This loco was withdrawn from Staveley (GC) shed in June 1954.
61657 ‘Doncaster Rovers’ makes a spirited start out of Cambridge in the mid-1950s.
The ACV/BUT railcar paid a visit to the Cambridge area on September 14th 1953. Despite a couple more sets being ordered, they were not particularly successful and all were in storage by the early 1960s. They were cut up at Derby during 1963.
K2 2-6-0 61761 brews up at Cambridge shed on May 5th 1949. In the background is J39 0-6-0 64769.
70000 ‘Britannia’ is receiving some minor attention in Cambridge shed yard during 1951. The locomotive is almost brand new at this time and was the first of the class to be allocated to the GE in order to speed up the Liverpool Street to Norwich services.
61671 ‘Royal Sovereign’ was the GE section’s main royal train locomotive, and was kept in ‘ex-works’ condition for much of the time. Here, one set of the driving wheels has been removed for repairs in 1951.
D14 4-4-0 2506 is in Cambridge shed yard on June 1st 1949 still with LNER lettering. By this time, the locomotive had been in service just short of 50 years, and was allocated to Kings Lynn. Withdrawal would come in April 1952.
Named B1s were distributed widely across the ex-LNER network, although many of the ones with names of more obscure LNER directors remained in Scotland or NE England. This is 61009 ‘Hartebeeste’ at Cambridge on July 9th 1950, and was a Stratford engine at the time.
Another B1. This time 61210 is leaving Cambridge with ‘The Fenman’ in 1951. The fact that 61210 was a New England locomotive at the time, might suggest the failure of the booked B17 on this day. A self weighing tender has been attached, and behind that there are some interesting carriages.
It may not appear that way, but 9F 2-10-0 92014 was just a few months old in this photo from autumn 1954. Allocated new to March, but after a couple of months became a Stratford engine for a year or so. It seems the driver has the sanders on, to get a coal train moving away from Cambridge.
Back to 1949 again, and it becomes pretty clear that Colin Major invested in a better quality camera during the early 1950s. Here, WD 2-8-0 90526 was either a Dairycoates or Neville Hill locomotive at the time, having recently been renumbered from 77055.
Another Britannia 70006 ‘Robert Burns’ is seen outside Cambridge shed in 1951, when the loco was less than a year old. An ER locomotive for most of its short lifespan but, as with most of the class, was transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor at the end of 1963.
A fair number of the Riddles’ standard classes appeared at Cambridge during the 1950s. 4MT 4-6-0 75036 would have worked across country from the Bletchley area, being as it was a 1E allocated locomotive at that time. September 14th 1953.
An interesting photo of A5 4-6-2T 69833 in Cambridge shed yard during spring 1951. This was one of a number of Darlington allocated locomotives moved to Stratford in April 1951. None stayed very long; only a month or two and were then sent back to 51A. I suspect the loco in front is classmate 69839, which was another of the April 51A to 30A transferees.
Here are N7 0-6-2Ts 69711, 69712, 69716, and 69642 stabled at Cambridge while on their way from Stratford to Kings Lynn on October 27th 1950. Another transfer which didn’t last long, as they were all back at Stratford by Christmas.
Another rare cop for Cambridge enthusiasts; in 1951, N1 0-6-2T 69485 is from Bradford Hammerton Street and is heading to/from a works visit.
N2 0-6-2T 69557 spent all of its BR life based at Hitchin shed; and is seen at Cambridge on April 26th 1949.
Stratford’s J50 0-6-0T 68950 is a visitor to Cambridge shed in 1951. This locomotive moved north in the mid-fifties, first (briefly) to Immingham and then to Colwick. However, a return to London came in 1960 and was withdrawn from Kings Cross shed in 1961.
The rather diminuitive E4 2-4-0 dates from the 1890s, but in the post war period was ideal for working branch line traffic. Only about twenty survived into BR ownership and were based mainly at Cambridge, Norwich and Bury St Edmunds. 62788 was a Cambridge based engine when this photo was taken on June 29th 1950.
Another Bulleid pacific at Cambridge, this time it is 34065 ‘Hurricane’ which had been transferred temporarily from Nine Elms in April 1951. This locomotive did not manage to survive until the end of SR steam in 1967, but was withdrawn from Exmouth Junction shed in April 1964.
A4 pacific 60017 ‘Silver Fox’ is at Cambridge shed after minor repairs at Top Shed. A Kings Cross locomotive for almost all of its BR career, except for a few months after the shed closed in 1963. Not one of the locos chosen to move to Scotland, a brief move to New England was the result, although there was little work for them to do in the Peterborough area; and that shed condemned its remaining A4 allocation en-masse in October 1963.
Johnson MR 2F 0-6-0 58305 was a Bedford based locomotive at the time of this photograph, July 29th 1949; and was likely to have been a regular sight at Cambridge shed in those days, after working local goods trains.
J15 0-6-0 65457 has charge of a local service at Cambridge in 1952. Sadly I have no information on where the train was running to/from. 65457 was a 31A locomotive throughout its BR life.
Another photo of B12 4-6-0 61542, this time leaving Cambridge with a passenger service in 1951. Unfortunately, the shed plate is not clearly defined, meaning narrowing down the date is impossible. 61542 was allocated to three sheds in 1951; Stratford, Norwich Thorpe and Yarmouth South Town.
Another locomotive given a run out to Cambridge by Kings Cross shed. In this instance it is V2 2-6-2 60800 ‘Green Arrow’. According to Longworth, this engine spent its entire BR career as a 34A loco; except for four weeks around June/July 1953 at Woodford Halse.
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Trainspotting data from 1947 until 1980 