recollections of a magical childhood
3:31 pm
Off to find Clive................
Your train from Berrylands also came into platform 1 or 2, I think
I can’t remember if you would have been already waiting at the platform gate or whether we would meet under the clock where the rest of the world met.
I think we did both over the years and I think there were also times when we agreed to meet in front of the huge "Arrivals and Departures" board made of polished wood and blue (or was it green? - yes it was green, see photo below) and white enamel destination nameplates.
Whilst at the National Railway Museum in York recently I noticed a glass case with a stuffed dog in it and the information plaque said it was Laddie, a dog who used to be paraded around Waterloo Station with a collection box on his back to encourage travellers to make donations for Orphans. This sparked a memory I had of him. I either saw him when he was alive or later when stuffed. Can you recall him? There's a link here.
I do vaguely remember the dog, but I think only in his static format i.e. in a glass case! I'm sure I'd recall him huffing around Waterloo if I'd seen him alive.
Seems he retired in 1956 so I think that would have made us too young to have seen him in action - too young even for us!
I remember those boards, halfway up the photo to the right. Were they timetables? And those benches, although we used the ones "under the clock"!
I do recall the timetable boards or cabinet stands at Waterloo in a dark varnished wood, although that photo would appear to be from about 1920 and they look chunkier than I remember. I presume they contained timetable sheets but I imagine most passengers would have used the Departure Boards or asked a porter for times as I don't recall many people studying them. Nanna had a nice thick Train Timetable book in the door to the side of the kitchen sideboard for preplanning journeys.
3:30 pm
Up the steps from the Waterloo & City Line train (right) that I'd travelled on from Liverpool Street via The Bank to Waterloo to meet up with you under the famous clock!
3:32 pm
We'd meet… …
Then our first task would be to head for the departure board to see when and from which platform the most direct Bournemouth train would leave. The most desirable were the trains which only stopped at Southampton although sometimes we would have settled for Basingstoke and Winchester City as well. Any more stops and we would have been disappointed.
Sometimes, I would walk along to platform 1 & 2 which is where your train from Berrylands would usually arrive (left and above)
Trains to Bournemouth were usually from platforms 10 to 13
The departure board was like a manual version of the flip-over indicators found in airports in the 70s but made from wood and operated by a big lever at the bottom of each column. The bloke who operated it probably would have had the train times written on the back of a fag packet. I’ve no idea how they made it display different destinations, but it was an impressive mechanism.
I suspect it was designed and built during the Victorian era so would have been a latticework of levers and cogs and so would have worked like a well-oiled dream.
Since writing the above I have found a drawing of the board made in about 1935 and signed off for construction in 1938 at an estimated cost of £1,780! N.B. the plan view shows the famous hydraulic buffers!
I thought they were some kind of angled projection of the Indicator board supports. (Remembering my Technical Drawing terms there!) But you're right. they're those elusive hydraulic buffers!
(Left) Merchant Navy Class 35003 (named Royal Mail) at Waterloo, 6th July 1963.
Holder of class speed record (105.88 mph). Last authenticated 100 mph plus on British Railways by a steam locomotive.
Note hydraulic buffers!
(Left) Another clear shot of the hydraulic buffers. West Country Class 34101 "HARTLAND" stands quietly awaiting light engine departure for Nine Elms MPD. A long-time Stewarts Lane loco she still has the "Golden Arrow" bolts in her deflectors.
Some interesting minor detail in this, the fireman is also busy on the tender, and it looks like it's just taken water as well - soaked platform!! Is that possible there? Look at the grime on the platform! Also, that's a diesel loco alongside the Pacific.
I'm sure it wasn't possible to fill tenders at the buffer end of Waterloo station, however, I know engines used to have a hose available (called a slack hose) for washing down the footplate. Maybe the fireman was washing coal dust off from around the tender area. I would be surprised if that wasn't frowned upon when standing at a platform.
Judging by the cab window of the diesel alongside the engine, if I recall correctly, some services were hauled by Western Region Warships during the late 60s especially if they were heading for Salisbury or even Weymouth when the third rail hadn't been extended that far.
I think you're spot-on with your identification of the diesel. Almost certainly a Warship (Class 42 Hydraulic Diesel) - HERE
Doh! Just noticed on the photo above (and below!) that there were Water Cranes at the platform ends between the tracks......perhaps the fireman had just topped up 34101's tender after the journey from Bournemouth. (He also appears to have placed the tail lamp ready for the run back to Nine Elms).
Wow! I didn't notice those water cranes either. They're on that photo and on another below. Mind you, from their placing, I'm not sure the tender filler cap would be within reach, would it? (see photos at 4:22 pm below)
Perhaps the Water Cranes were more for the pilot tank engines.
This shot of West Country 4-6-2 34036 "Lynton" at the (hydraulic) buffer stops inside Waterloo Station. I can't say I remember the building behind which, I presume, was located next to platform 13 or so?
I believe the building behind platform (13?) was railway offices and there were more platforms (up to 22?) for the Windsor line beyond...it is present in our version of Suburban Waterloo in TS2019. From the concourse side, I think it was obscured by the escalator entrance to the Underground trains which may be why we didn't notice it.
It did occur to me when I was writing the email that you must have constructed it when building the station for your route. However, a quick search for building plans from that era doesn't seem to show any buildings around platform 13 (nor do any of the images used on this website). Possibly they are even further over nearer platform 22? Over to you!
On the left, platforms 1 & 2 where "your train" would arrive. It also shows the hydraulic buffers well as does the photo above, both of which were taken in 1962.
Did we already have tickets or were we brave (or astute) enough to buy our own half-fares to Bournemouth from that sombre looking semi-circular, dark ticket office? (right)
Again, I can remember doing both on occasions. In the journey I was remembering earlier I distinctly remember buying a ticket to Bournemouth Central at Chingford Station because I was impressed that they held the pre-printed ticket stock there.
I don't know why but a fare of 37/6 or 27/6 seems to come to mind perhaps you can recall better. We probably wouldn't have had more than £5 in our pockets between us anyway!
I believe there was a departure at 17.23 so it would be the early Friday rush-hour so there were plenty of bowler-hatted commuters to dodge on their regular fixed trajectories and we moved like hockey players through the crowds in a sort of hyperactive swerving motion.
N.B. we now think we were there earlier than this
Me pointing out where we met and caught our train to go on holiday to Bournemouth!
I just found this site which lets you view old timetables for Waterloo to Weymouth. To find Waterloo to Weymouth you need to scroll down the bottom left list to table 45. I was wondering if these might have been the trains we caught after school and at the end of our holidays. At least I'll be able to do some realistic Scenarios for our line.....if it ever reappears!
N.B. That website now includes bus timetables (Including Hants & Dorset!).
So we may have got the 4:35 pm from Waterloo getting in to Bournemouth Central for 7:03 pm? If I'm reading it right the next one would be the 6:30 pm which didn't get in until 8:51! By the time we'd got the bus to Parley Cross, we would be famished and ready for our fish and chips!! I would have thought there would have been more options for us?
Comparing the image of the book further up the page with these two images, they don't fully correspond with each other.
You may be right.... I Googled it for 1960 but on looking at the site I think it may be the timetable for 1950 which probably was leaner.
It does say 1950 on the left under the image so it's possible the service was lighter but I wouldn't have thought so to be honest. But, thanks for looking for and finding the site. I didn't mean to "rain on your parade"!
I would have thought the 4.30 pm with only a few stops would have been about right....
I haven't mulled through it for The Bournemouth Belle yet. That left Waterloo around 12.30 pm-ish on the downward run and Bournemouth Central around 4.30 pm (?) going up. Now I'm not so sure! That (page 22) timetable for the Bournemouth Belle says it left Waterloo at 10.30 am which would make more sense for the turnaround at Bournemouth West. So, obviously, my memory is inaccurate...it just that I always thought it passed through Berrylands at around 1.00 pm.........but, well I am very nearly 65!!
There is a link to a page about the Bournemouth Belle here which contains the timetabled departure and arrival times and how it changed over the years. The link is also on Page 7.
3:35 pm
We would also have to dodge those long “snakes” of luggage trolleys being pulled, either by a chunky red diesel tractor unit or a stand-up electric truck with the driver standing up. On the roadway beyond platform 13, there would be taxis and those blood and custard coloured three-wheel Scammell Scarabs.
3:37 pm
As there's time, we’d have a ‘hamburger’ and coke which could be bought from the café near the centre of the main crescent building. What was it called?
According to my research, it was one of the country’s first Wimpy Bars but see Page 6 for my recollection! We probably weren't even hungry but it was just another way to exploit our freedom from adult supervision.
4:12 pm
Maybe a quick visit to the WH Smith’s bookstall to flick through the latest copy of Railway Modeller or Model Railway Constructor (has that disappeared? –
Yes, long gone! - 1987 apparently - see here)
(Right) May have needed to use this!
...............could be included before heading to the platform gates. There was often a small queue if they were closed which served to increase the anxiety involved about getting a decent place on the train (we would actually have liked a carriage to ourselves I think). The gates were slid back with a clatter and we’d solemnly flash our tickets and be through the ticket barrier half running up the platform in no time.
4:22 pm
Other travellers would be a blur as we purposefully hurried past the simmering M7 tank at the hydraulic buffers, maybe glimpsed the yellow coach set numbers on the rear coach, in Gil Sans font I think, heaven knows why.
Sometimes we would have to wait until the train had been prepared and readied for boarding. But by this time we would have been OK - a bit late in fact!!
4:24 pm
Now we were headed for the front where the wafts of white steam were drifting freely with the breeze and the sound of escaping steam gradually got louder.
There would be plenty of activity with Porters pushing sack trolleys and touting for business.
The dilemma was whether we spent time admiring the engine at the front taking in that oily buttery aroma; the immensely powerful rumbling of the furnace in the firebox, or scrambled into the first coach to reserve a seat in one of the compartments.
On the right is Bulleid air-smoothed Class BB Light Pacific 34064 Fighter Command and on the far left BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T 80145 just sneaks into the frame.
The photo was taken on 5th May 1966.
4:26 pm
Choosing as empty a compartment as close as possible to the engine and definitely one where we were both in a window seat! What an experience and so much to see!
Throwing our suitcases onto the knotted string luggage rack we’d immediately wish we could go back outside to take in the splendour of the locomotive. But might we lose our seats? As it was, it didn't really matter because we usually spent most of the journey in the corridor!