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Railways around Peterborough & The National Rail Network & Heritage railways in the UK
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'Peterborough'
'BR 1970-1999'
Platform 2
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Platform 2 In BR days
Class 47 on a up train in platform 2 at Peterborough railway station.
This Photo was taken from the Crescent road Bridge be for the GNR station building were pulled down and the new station buildings built.
The class 47 in BR blue still has its head codes but these were out of use at this time and are showing 0000.
The Great Northern Hotel is top right of the photo. The Great Northern Hotel's future was uncertain with plans in 2009 for a bigger better new station with a bus station on the site of the Hotel, but the Hotel was saved.
Note platform 1, the bay from which the track was removed in 2013/4
Platform 2 at Peterborough was used and still often is for the main up trains to London. Up BR trains nearly always used this platform as it the best platform for passengers with just a small walk from the booking office to the platform.
There was a 20 mile an hour speed restriction though platform 2 in steam days because platform 2 had a dogleg at the London end that could have been taken out after the Crescent Bridge was built. The Second World War put paid to that.
It was to be 1972/3s be for platform 2 was straighten out when the station was altered and the two though lines put in though the middle of the station.
Before the station was altered nearly all up trains including passenger and freight used this platform. The trip around the rear of the station involved stopping all trains and needed much planing between a number of signal boxes.
All platforms at Peterborough after the station was altered in the 1970s were signalled both ways so up though trains not stopping at Peterborough did not have to always use platform 2.
Class 55018 Ballymoss on a up train at Peterborough station in platform two
The class 55 or as its better known the Deltic was the main locomotive used for the fastest trains on the ECML until it was replaced by the HST.
Be for the now all to common anti vandal fencing was put alongside the car park at Peterborough station, you could get a very good photo from this car park of trains in platform two and one
Another view of the Deltic showing the now (2014) removed platform 1 and its track and signal. The platform after 2014 has been made is longer and comes under Crecent Bridge and over were the bay platforms track wwere. Both signals were removed and the one for the new platform is at the end of the now longer platform.
A Class 55 Deltic in platform 2 at Peterborough
This photo was taken from the Cresent road Bridge. The class 33 in platform 3 was on a special train (football?). Class 33s were not every day visitors to Peterborough. Note the mail being loaded.
Class 31142 and class 31417 leave platform 2 at Peterborough station
A class 47 comes into platform 2 at Peterborough station.
A class 31 on a freight using platform two as the up slow
Today very little coal comes though Peterborough. At one time in often between the passengers trains a coal train would come though platform 2 with something like a 9F or ex LNER 02 in British Railways steam days heading for London with about 40 to 60 16T wagons behind them full of coal.
Every house in the UK had at least one open fire right up to the late 1960's and that is a lot of coal that was needed and most of it was moved by rail.
Most large towns also had coal fired power stations like peterborough's coaled fired power station, and gas works, were gas was made from coal including one at Peterborough.
When North Sea Gas was found in the North Sea., gas was then not made from coal. Of course diesel trains do not use any coal. Central heating by gas is now used in most houses or with oil. The railways them selfs in steam days were a very big user of coal.
A class 47 comes into platform 2 under what was still the Post Office Bridge and past signal P437.
Platform 2 was like the rest of the platforms at Peterborough,was signaled both ways.
Page updated 13/5/2020
