Whittlesford

View taken from the up platform looking north towards Cambridge showing most, if not all, of the Station staff, the truck horse and its driver and a couple of permanent way men standing in the four foot way. The Station was probably at its zenith at this time with its 1890s buildings connected by a covered footbridge and separated from the goods yard to the north by a level crossing. The Station signal box is seen beyond the crossing and the substantial goods shed in the background.

Whittlesford had been provided with a substantial water tank on the down side, out of sight north of the crossing and refuge loops for coal trains either side of the main line completed in 1902. Water columns were sited at the far end of the yard, another to serve the up trains near to the signal box and a inspection pit provided. This column may be glimpsed to the right of the straw-hatted man in the centre of the picture.

The use of two shades of paint on the canopy valencing will be noted; the strange object projecting from the roof of the up side building is a rotating vent to the gentlemens' lavatory. The position of the down signal provides a disconcerting note in an otherwise placid view of a busy intermediate station. Doubtless it proved to be insignificant, otherwise I am sure we would have read a full account by now of what happened next in one of Francis Voisey's excellent series of Journal articles on accidents.

Photograph: GERS Collection
Caption by John Watling