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Former Midland line to St Pancras just short of the revamped Lady Bay Bridge...

Named Green 'Peak' loco, so I'd guess early/mid 60's...

This was the 'round the back' route to London which was taken by trains which did not originate in Nottingham, and some that did!

Cheers

Robt P.

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As a kid I have been on trains to London using that route but at the time I wasn't old enough to know where we were in Nottingham; I probably didn't notice that we went out of the station at the other end and went along the line through West Bridgford, Edwalton, Plumtree etc .

And this was the route where it would've been possible to watch cricket at Trent Bridge and football at City Ground from the comfort of the train for a few seconds - if you timed it right

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As a kid I have been on trains to London using that route...

So did I...

Always regarded that line as far more enjoyable,and picturesque, than the route via Leicester...the passage through Rutland and Harringworth Viaduct being especially memorable.

Can't recall the route's closure date, do you know it?

Cheers

Robt P.

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The first question I cant answer.

If you were able to turn left on the second picture in 1968.

This was all Nottingham Coop premises.

The building that can be seen with the copper spires was the Old Coop Removals.

There was still the smell of horses from when it was the coop stable presumibly from the drays?

Also in that block of buildings was a rickirty wooden building which was Greengrocery Wholesale.

The Coop mobile shops would park here. Next to that would be the Coop pork Factory.

There was also a Blacksmiths shop, and a Fiberglass shop, (for vehicles and milk floats)

Further away was the coop vehicle workshopd with the filling station and car showroom on the front.

This formed part of the above mentioned building which still stands today.

Just before you got to the trent on that line, if you looked down to the right, you would see the

workshop where I served much of my electrical apprenticeship with The Nottingham Coop

(When it had red vans)

The most important part of the complex is in the front of that building with spires, immediately below

the coop transport offices. It was the staff canteen well frequented by 'The Feccy Gels' from the bakery,

and Dustmen from Eastcroft depot.

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In the first pic, beyond the bridge is the Cattle market. At the side of the railway line used to be Meadow lane scrap metals. There used to be a large engineering company Railway and general?

The Cafe was owned by an ex Calverton miner who's name was Marshall.

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In my trainspotting days of the 1950's I think all trains from Nottingham to London went via the Melton route, those from the north arriving via Trowell and Radford, at the Midland station they used platform 3 and were pulled by Jubilee 4-6-0's. There was always a crowd of people gathered on the platform before the train arrived and a wheel tapper went along on the non platform side. There was also a local service i think to Kettering by this route and also a lot of freight mainly 8F's but I did see the occasional Garratt go that way.

I used to catch the 9:15pm St Pancras to Edinburgh train on a Sunday evening in 1965/6 having been to see my girlfriend, (now my wife). This train also had sleeping cars and was halled by a class 45 diesel.

I think that route was a mile or two shorter than via Leicester.

Brian

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Something else I've remembered which I hope one of the railway experts can confirm...........

The Melton line to London was the one where you went through Corby (when it had a line and a station) and you went right alongside the Stewarts and Lloyds steelworks. I was impressed because it seemed like you were going through the middle of the works, not just going past it

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Unsure about Corby station, but the steel works was certainly passed...not far from Glendon Jct, where the Leicester-St Pancras line was joined.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Thats right it was called Corby & Weldon in those days, after that the line joined the Leicester line just north of Kettering, then it was 4 tracks all the way to London. You could see the steel works on the left going to London and iron ore mines both sides of the line.

There was also Iron works at Holwell north of Melton Mowbray, the site later of Asfordby coal mine, at Kettering and at Wellingborough.

It always seemed silly to me that the line was closed as the only bit that has closed is the bit near Nottingham.

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