Colin Major (an enthusiast from Cambridge) took a number of photos at North station during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and while not being Eric Tracey quality, they do show the trainspotters’ view of activities in and around the station. I will add some of my collected images (much more modern) in between the steam era ones.
B17 4-6-0 1636 ‘Harlaxton Manor’ arrives at Peterborough North on January 7th 1950, probably with a stopping train from Grantham. The locomotive is still in LNER colours.
This is J4 0-6-0 4162 on April 14th 1949. An ex-M&GN (and resident New England) locomotive at the time. Built around the turn of the 19th/20th century, and was withdrawn just over 18 months later at the end of 1950.
An updated version of the J4s were the J6s, fitted with superheaters and piston valves. 4265 is here at Peterborough on August 6th 1949. Despite the rapid increase in diesel shunters delivered in the 1950s, this locomotive survived another 12 years at New England after the photo date, and was eventually withdrawn in 1961.
Likely to have been ‘cop of the day’ A4 pacific 60031 ‘Golden Plover’ whistles its way through the station while working The Capitals Limited on August 6th 1949. Haymarket locomotives were not common this far south in the days of regular locomotive changes.
Moving forward almost 25 years, and class 46 diesel D172 is passing the station with an up train of what appear to be bogie cement tanks on August 2nd 1972.
In the 1960s, steam was replaced by diesel traction on the ECML passenger trains. Initially the process was slow, but the arrival of the Brush Type 4, later class 47, soon changed all that. D1508 arrives at Peterborough from the south in summer 1964.
In the early years of this century, regional Eurostar sets could be seen on the ECML. Here 373302 arrives at Peterborough on an up working to Kings Cross in 2000.
Colin Major was allowed around New England shed on occasions. I’m not sure if this was a society visit, or just himself on April 14th 1949, but he managed to capture C1 Atlantic 2839 in what looks to be one of the scrap roads, although this locomotive was not officially withdrawn until January 1950.
On another visit, in October 1949, Colin managed to get a shot of L3 4-6-2T 9064. Another 34E (although it was NWE at the time) loco, 9064 was moved to Neasden just over a year later, and eventually ended up at Frodingham before withdrawal early in 1955.
On May 21st 1949, N2 9589 and K3 61972 are seen at Peterborough – possibly on their way to Doncaster works, as 9589 was a Kings Cross loco at the time.
Also present on that May day in 1949 was A5 2-6-4T 9817. This was a Boston loco, and had probably worked a stopping train via Spalding.
By the early 1950s, many locomotives had been given new BR liveries with the new ‘cycling lion’ crest. A3 60040 ‘Cameronian’ from Gateshead is at New England on January 28th 1951.
This image is beginning to deteriorate, but is preserved digitally by my scanner. A1 60141 ‘Abbotsford’ on May 27th 1950. This locomotive had just been transferred from Kings Cross to Copley Hill, which explains the 37B shed plate, but ‘KING’S +’ remaining on the buffer beam.
Presumably, a difference between viewfinder and actual image is responsible for the cut off chimney of B16 4-6-0 61418 at New England in 1953? The B16 is from York, and is sharing the track with 34E resident J52 68821, although in the following year the J52 would be moved to Colwick for 18 months prior to withdrawal. The B16 survived until 1964.
According to the image notes, B12 4-6-0 61565 is inside New England shed on January 28th 1951; and undergoing some minor repairs to a driving wheel set. A Grantham engine for many years, but did move up the line to Spital Bridge before withdrawal in January 1957.
Deltic 55016 ‘Gordon Highlander’ passes Peterborough in 1977. (Apologies. The annoying horizontal line is a fault on my slide scanner, but tends to act as a watermark).
55011 ‘The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers’ pauses at Peterborough in 1977, on its journey along the ECML.
47078 ‘Sir Daniel Gooch’ approaches Peterborough with a train of what appear to be British Industrial Sand hoppers. This train will most likely be on its way to Middleton Towers, near Kings Lynn.
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Trainspotting data from 1947 until 1980 