photos © Ted Cogger
Stuart Moir… At the time when our council appreciated the value of using the space as a coach park for visitors particularly from the London area, so much trade was lost when the policy was changed to accommodate a rarely used art gallery and cafe’, I never see queues forming at the entrance, and the restaurant is the same .
Joe Knight… Maybe One day it will return and what’s left can be Restored
Marcus de Mowbray… That red loco is stunning
Peter Ellingworth… The clean external condition could well be the work of a friend, Derek Walsgrove and myself, who used to help out at the HMR during the school holidays cleaning snd servicing the locos. I would put the top colour photo of ‘Royal Scot’ as around 1962, the Bedford van seen in the background next to the sea blue Morris 1000 belonged to Jim Hughes, “JBH” who used to manage and run the line in conjunction with Ian Allan Ltd. The smart Beetle to the left belonged to a friend of JBH, a Mr. Critchley whose first name -Julian-? I can’t remember now, and who came over from Brighton to do a day’s driving. ‘Royal Scot’ was built in 1938 by the former model engineering company Bassett Lowke, I believe it is still in operation somewhere, the other two steamers were ‘Firefly’ a Great Western Railway type rebuilt by JBH , as was my favourite ‘Hampton Court’ rebuilt in 1958 by JBH as a GWR Saint class. This is still in operation at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Northants. ‘Firefly’ until recently operated at Keer’s Miniature Railway in Scotland which I believe is closing down. The lower photo I would say was taken early fifties. Anybody remember how there used to be red London RT buses parked up in the Stade having bought sarf Londoners down for day trips?
The clean external condition could well be the work of a friend, Derek Walsgrove and myself, who used to help out at the HMR during the school holidays cleaning snd servicing the locos.
I would put the top colour photo of ‘Royal Scot’ as around 1962, the Bedford van seen in the background next to the sea blue Morris 1000 belonged to Jim Hughes, “JBH” who used to manage and run the line in conjunction with Ian Allan Ltd. The smart Beetle to the left belonged to a friend of JBH, a Mr. Critchley whose first name -Julian-? I can’t remember now, and who came over from Brighton to do a day’s driving.
‘Royal Scot’ was built in 1938 by the former model engineering company Bassett Lowke, I believe it is still in operation somewhere, the other two steamers were ‘Firefly’ a Great Western Railway type rebuilt by JBH , as was my favourite ‘Hampton Court’ rebuilt in 1958 by JBH as a GWR Saint class. This is still in operation at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Northants.
‘Firefly’ until recently operated at Keer’s Miniature Railway in Scotland which I believe is closing down.
Meant to add before posting :
The lower photo I would say wss taken early fifties.
Anybody remember how there used to be red London RT buses parked up in the Stade having bought sarf Londoners down for day trips?