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Permalink Reply by Renato B on April 17, 2016 at 17:55

Many thanks for the links. Brought back many memories. Really enjoyed the sections of the films of Wood Green (Alexandra Park) and Palace Gates (and Noel Park) with the streets and homes by the lines.  Got out one of my old (1964) combined volumes and did a bit of train spotting.  Absolutely loved watching the North Woolwich to Palace Gates line ride.

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Permalink Reply by Renato B on August 21, 2016 at 23:55

Absolutely fantastic. Very much enjoyed viewing both.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on April 24, 2016 at 1:45

I’ve never seen this picture before. The date is 1937 at Palace Gates station. The plush Edwardian piles of Braemar Aveniue are visible in the background as a (Great Eastern Railway Class Y65 later London North Eastern Railway Class F7) 2-4-2 tank locomotive pulls out with the auto-coach shuttle to Seven Sisters. The train could be operated from a driver’s cab in the rear coach for the return trip without the need for a time-consuming run-round by the engine.

Built in 1909, capacious and well-glazed, the F7’s were nicknamed ‘Crystal Palace Tanks’ (or ‘Tomato Houses’ when some were later moved to Scotland). They were deeply unpopular with the crews, fitters and cleaners who had to work on them with complaints that they were under-powered and awkward to maintain. Ironically, the G5 0-4-4T Tank Engines that started to be introduced on the shuttle by the LNER from 1938 were 10-15 years older than the F7 locos that they replaced.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on June 13, 2016 at 15:38

The runaway engine shown in previous LNER livery and numbering outside the old engine shed at Palace Gates (close to where the 1923 collision occurred). The shed would have been located just north of the bottom of Imperial Road pointing north-east and the allotments just visible at the bottom of the picture ran right down to the edge of the loco yard. The Muswell Stream ran just behind the shed.

Collisions and runaway trains at Palace Gates Station

The following is an extract from the autobiography of legendary engine driver, Jim Hill, who joined the Great Eastern Railway in 1913 and eventually retired from British Rail in the early 1960’s having served on the railways through both World Wars, and worked on “The Jazz” service for much of his career. “Buckjumpers, Gobblers and Clauds – a lifetime on the Great Eastern and LNER footplates” (1981). The title refers to the nicknames given to various types of engines by the men who worked on them.

“The opposite, of course, to the train that is always late is the one that gets away without a driver. Such was an incident at Palace Gates in 1951, involving two of my mates, driver Percy Playle and fireman Hills.

The latter always followed Percy everywhere he went, and this particular day, Percy went into the porter’s room to make a can of tea. The train – a two-coach auto – stood in all its glory at the station ready for a trip to Seven Sisters. The engine (an ancient G5 0-4-4T Tank engine, No. 67269, built in 1896) was left in fore gear, cocks closed and handbrake off.  Like many engines, she was blowing through a bit at the regulator valve and, as a result, built up enough steam in the cylinders to start in motion. Of course, the fireman, as usual, had followed his driver into the porter’s room and the train was standing unattended. Hills came out of the room in time to see it slowly passing the starting signal at the end of the platform. He ran after it like he had never run before but as it got onto the steep gradient down to Noel Park, it gathered momentum very quickly.

Hills was quite a good runner, however, and kept up the chase. He came close to pulling the train pipe tap on the rear coach when he tripped and fell. The fugitive sped on its way to Noel Park, West Green and Seven Sisters. At West Green, a passenger is said to have stepped forward to get on, but to his dismay it didn’t stop! The auto then rounded the bend and started the steep upward journey to its destination. The station foreman (acting Station Foreman, George Buckland) was waiting for its arrival, having been warned by phone of the crewless train on the way. After climbing the bank to Seven Sisters, the train slowed to about 10 mph, allowing him to jump onto the footplate and pull on the handbrake – bringing the runaway to a halt before it reached the main Enfield to Liverpool Street line (where a derailment could have been catastrophic).

A cartoon appeared in one newspaper the following day of a train standing in the station at Palace Gates with a large chain around its chimney attached to the platform. The caption beneath read “No more of these free enterprise runs.” As a postscript to this, driver Playle and his mate were suspended for a few days for their misdemeanour. Fortunately, there were no passengers on the train on this occasion.” (The Station Foreman, George Buckland, was acclaimed a hero for his act and subsequently presented with a clock from the management). My italics.

An earlier and much more serious incident occurred with the auto-coach shuttle on the 22^nd November 1923. The 3.46pm train from Seven Sisters pulled by an F7 2-4-2 tank locomotive failed to stop at the Palace Gates platform, running through at 20mph to collide with two stationary locomotives in the coaling staves by the loco shed beyond. The driver, guard and fireman were all severely bruised in the collision along with five passengers on the train who  suffered slight cuts, bruising and shock. The leading driving carriage was damaged beyond repair and later replaced. A Ministry of Transport enquiry found that the fireman had illicitly overridden the driver’s control of the train at a previous stop and had inadvertently damaged the regulator in the process. I have archived the MoT report here for future reference.

Attachments:

• Palace Gates Collision 22 11 23.pdf, 431 KB

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Permalink Reply by Renato B on August 21, 2016 at 23:49

One of the best pictures I have ever seen of a locomotive at Palace Gates Wood Green Station. Just 15 years before I was born. Thank you so much for posting this picture.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on August 20, 2016 at 15:18

The Exploring Haringey group has just published pamphlet describing a three-mile contemporary walk along the course of the former railway from Palace Gates to Seven Sisters. The focus is on what the topography and surroundings look like now. It's fronted by the same photo at the head of this article, and is a snip at 50p from The Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green!

One N7 tank locomotive has survived into preservation. No. 69621 is unusual in that the driver is positioned on the right of the footplate (meaning the fireman would be mainly responsible for monitoring the signals whizzing by on the left). Preserved alongside this tank engine in Norfolk is an example of an 0-6-0 goods locomotive with tender - the J15 'Little Black Goods'' No. 65462 - a type of loco that would have handled most of the goods traffic on the Palace Gates branch.

There's footage of both of these engines running here and, at 4:45, Richard Hardy, former Assistant District Motive Power Superintendent at Stratford from 1955, reminisces about working 'The Jazz' service from Liverpool Street.

A closer look at The GER J15 and N7 locomotives 

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Middleton on September 6, 2016 at 16:38

Short Londonist video about the line: http://londonist.com/2016/09/where-to-find-the-lost-palace-gates-ra...

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Middleton on September 6, 2016 at 16:41

Haringey Friends of Parks walk on Sunday, 11th September along the route starting at 11am. All info here: http://haringeyfriendsofparks.org.uk/railway_walk.php

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on October 16, 2016 at 14:04

The date is 12^th September 1958 and, to celebrate and commemorate the 750th anniversary of Wood Green becoming a Chartered Borough, a railway exhibition of locomotives and rolling stock was held at Noel Park Goods Yard. Steam engines on display included the record-breaking ‘A4’ 4-6-2, No. 60022 ‘Mallard’ express locomotive, ex-GNR ‘C12’ 4-4-2T, No. 67352, ex-GNR ‘J52’ 0-6-O Saddle Tank, No. 68846, and BR Standard 9F 2-10-0, No. 92196. There were also three diesels, English Electric Type 4 Co-Co, D208, Sulzer Type 2 Bo-Bo, D5300, and 0-6-0 shunter D3490 and a brand new Cravens diesel multiple unit.

 

For 2d old pence, the public could ride in an open wagon body hoisted aloft by a 1939 Cowan Sheldon steam crane (“Elf & Safety? Wossat then?”) to get an aerial view of the whole show. Old school 'Edmondson' railway tickets were produced for the event and all proceeds went to charity. The exhibition was very successful, and during its three days, was visited by around 14,000 people. The goods yard is now covered by the Sandlings housing estate. There are more views of the exhibition on Nick Catford’s excellent ‘Disused Stations’ website here:

Noel Park Railway Exhibition 1958

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on March 25, 2017 at 18:18

Sooo… Feeding my inner five-year old, I took a trip to the Ally Pally model railway show today and after 10 minutes on the print stall, your ‘umble obsessive 'ere finds this image of Thompson L1 2-6-4 Tank Engine No. 67734 pulling into Palace Gates station (formerly sited just 100 yards from where I now live). This particular engine was only allocated to Stratford for exactly one year between 16th September 1961-2 before being scrapped. Magic and a snip at £1.50!

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Permalink Reply by Richard Matz on May 29, 2017 at 6:17

Another L1 (No. 67729) in colour this time at Palace Gates station in 1961 facing North with the backs of the housing in Northcott Avenue to the right. Photographer unknown.

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Permalink Reply by Renato B on May 30, 2017 at 0:31

Thank you for all these extra photos and the descriptions. Really appreciate seeing them.

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