Another Mystery Picture

simond

Western Thunderer
Interesting idea, but then Resseldar’s suggestion of the number referring to a road doesn’t fit, as Wikipedia explains, they don’t have “A” roads in the RoI.

Roads in the Republic are classified as motorways (shown by the letter M followed by a route number, e.g. M7), national roads (shown by the letter N followed by a route number, e.g. N25), regional roads (shown by the letter R followed by a route number, e.g. R611) and local roads (shown by the letter L followed by a route number, e.g. L4202). There are two types of national roads: national primary routes and national secondary routes.

Atb
Simon
 

Rob R

Western Thunderer
The UK road numbering system was introduced in 1922/23 and as that photo looks to be a good 10 years earlier than that it seems fair to deduce that the caption is not contemporary with the photo and may be a bit of a red herring (other fish are available).

Rob
 

Martin Shaw

Western Thunderer
Last night for some bed time reading I picked up The St Andrews Railway which has one or two interesting bits relating to the photo. Leuchars Old was originally a wayside station on the Edinburgh, Perth & Dundee Rly, opened in 1848, it gained a bay for the St Andrews service in the late 1850s. The book records the rebuilding of the footbridge in 1859, could that date the photo, personally I don't think so but later photos show a pretty standard cast iron footbridge and there appears some evidence of that beneath the timber.

Secondly the late Ed Nicoll provided a diagram of the signalling in 1927, the signal in the photo, No 4 the up home has gained a lower fixed distant arm, the up distant for Leuchars North which opened in 1878, coincident with the Tay Bridge and the new route via St Fort. This is also confirmed by later photos where it is identifiable. From a signalling perspective the diagram doesn't show a fixed distant under the starting signal, which in more modern terms I would expect, however the important point is that in the original photo there is no distant arm which could place the picture pre 1878. I have no idea how punctilious the NBR were with these matters, I suspect like most railway companies, spending money was to be avoided at all costs, and it may be that it wasn't until the Regulation of the Railways Act of 1889 that the NB were pushed into action.

In summary the picture is Leuchars Old looking north, possibly in 1859, probably before 1878, likely pre 1890. Fascinating stuff these railways.

Regards
Martin
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
n summary the picture is Leuchars Old looking north, possibly in 1859, probably before 1878, likely pre 1890. Fascinating stuff these railways.

I would say the photograph is around 1880-90 based on the ladies fashions alone. Up to the 1870/80s ladies were wearing wide dresses and around the 1880s dresses became slimmer.

Is it possible the footbridge is cast iron but clad in wood for aesthetics.
 

SLNCR57

Active Member
Agreed. Having spent a summer holiday as a student analysing old photographs in a public archive, it has a distinct 1890s vibe....
 

Martin Shaw

Western Thunderer
Gentlemen
I have to bow before your knowledge of late Victorian female apparel, and I wouldn't wish to contradict you but it does raise another question. I'll make some further enquiries, as an Agatha Christie character might have said.
Martin
 
Top