This picture from John Dyer’s archive shows the shunting of
a short freight train in the sidings at Grove Road station, in connection with
work being undertaken to replace the rail overbridge at Sandcliffe Road,
formerly known as Jockey Lane. The date was the 10th December 1961.
We cycled [and later motored] under that bridge many times
on our way to the “dips” for a game of footy. Sometimes we took the parallel
Sea Road access point to take the bikes onto the Red Noses, where an impromptu “mountain
bike trail” over the grass-covered sandhills had developed, linking a few
footpaths between the gorse bushes. This was long before such things became planned
attractions with appropriate bikes to match. It was close to the site of Warren
station, between Grove Road and New Brighton, which had been abandoned as long
ago as 1915.
The locomotive in the photograph is a Stanier Class 5 2-6-0 No.
42946. There were 40 in the class, of which I had seen all but two by the time
they were withdrawn. One example, No. 42968, has been preserved and is based on
the Severn Valley Railway.
Great photo Mike. John has taken some great photos that are now part of local history. Windsor's garage is still there and I think the ramp to upper level can be seen. The 2 houses still look the same. One car looks like a Morris Minor, the other possibly a Humber.
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