This painting by John Harrison is one of his earlier works, completed in the 1980s. John has a less conventional approach than many other well-known railway artists. He includes convincing figures of passengers and railwaymen in many of his pictures and he chooses very varied compositions, relying much less on the typical three-quarter front view of the steam locomotive.
Set in about 1958, when Jubilee Class No. 45587 Baroda was briefly an Edge Hill engine, John’s night-time image is set near to the platform end at Liverpool Lime Street station, looking back under the overall arched roof towards the concourse. A Stanier Black Five is about to depart and Baroda has backed down, prior to reversing light engine to 8A, the stock from her incoming express having already been removed by one of the ubiquitous 3F tanks. The lighting glows softly in the carriages at the next platform.
This typical scene is a moving reminder for me of an evening return to Lime Street after a day’s train spotting - maybe to Crewe, Manchester, Leeds or York. Tired, hungry and very sweaty, I would still probably have stirred myself sufficiently to go and find out what the Jub’ was near the platform end, before wandering down to Central to catch the New Brighton train for home.
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