An Unusual Collection

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Within the collection there follows some underground photos stamped "Alan A Jackson". Is that a known name?

His archives were passed to the NRM The Alan Jackson Archive and he was a prolific railway book author especially of railways around London.

This one is in my collection.

15194217.jpg
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Brian,

I think so, they are certainly the tubular jibs, rather than the traditional lattice type.

Lovely photo!

Atb
Simon
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thanks again, Dave. I'm starting to wonder how you know so much about locations on the LOR. I reckon it's a fascinating railway and very sad that it no longer exists.

I've completed my own work on the Alan Jackson photos so now move on to this truly appalling photo of an Oerlikon set. It is probably from a known collection, as a number is visible which is probably a registration number of some sort. If this is a previously known photo please advise as I have no wish to compromise known copyright.

I've taken some time to try making improvements to this photo but it is so badly scratched that it's proving difficult to locate reference tones with which to fill in these scratches. I've therefore decided to give this photo best and leave it as it is. Location and date are unknown.

img431b  Top stamped Alan A Jackson - Copy.jpg

Brian
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Thanks again, Dave. I'm starting to wonder how you know so much about locations on the LOR. I reckon it's a fascinating railway and very sad that it no longer exists.

Some of it's research and some is from an interest in electric traction. Coupled with the fact we have an office in Liverpool and have to go there occasionally. As alluded to earlier some of the meeting rooms overlook the River Mersey and the Merseyrail Southport line - which are ideal distraction when the meeting gets dull.


I've completed my own work on the Alan Jackson photos so now move on to this truly appalling photo of an Oerlikon set. It is probably from a known collection, as a number is visible which is probably a registration number of some sort. If this is a previously known photo please advise as I have no wish to compromise known copyright.

I've taken some time to try making improvements to this photo but it is so badly scratched that it's proving difficult to locate reference tones with which to fill in these scratches. I've therefore decided to give this photo best and leave it as it is. Location and date are unknown.

Addison Road (Kensington Olympia) probably shortly after the commencement of the services in 1914. Disused Stations: Kensington Olympia Station
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
What a great film! Thanks, Engineer.

Dave - once again you've come up trumps. I have to say that I thought of Kensington Olympia but was not aware of LNWR EMUs ever going there.

Here's another - similar condition so the time it will take to improve cannot be justified. This time I have no idea of location.

img432a - Copy - Copy.jpg

In other news one of my good friends, Tim Mills, has given me access to his huge and superb collection of mainly black and white images from the decade starting in the late '50s. I'm creating a set of prints for an exhibition Tim is putting on and will be digitising his whole collection. There are still quite a few images remaining from the original collection and I'll be dealing with these alongside Tim's. Once I have Tim's pictures processed and printed I'll publish a selection at least.

Brian
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Here's another - similar condition so the time it will take to improve cannot be justified. This time I have no idea of location.

It's Kensington Olympia (Addison Road) again. The balustrades on the building behind are a giveaway, as were the terraced houses in the earlier photo.

The LNW ran an electric service to and from Earl's Court on the District Line via Willesden Junction and Kensington Olympia in the early days. At that time Kensington was relatively genteel.

If both of the photos are of commensurate age then I would hazard a guess at the date being post 1923 as one unit is in LNWR livery and the other in LMS livery.

I've also attempted further cleaning using Affinity.
ibpx9w4p.jpg
jmnlxlq2.jpg
 
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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thank you, Dave. That additional clean up has certainly helped. I tried Affinity when I changed PCs recently but couldn't get on with it. I doubt that it's the software, more likely the driving nut.

Now you mention it I should not be surprised to see an LNWR electric train at Olympia. (Residents of Chelsington will probably be marching towards you, pitchforks in hand, in view of your "At this time Kensington was relatively genteel"). After all, there's a regular service from Milton Keynes to East Croydon, although it's not fourth rail. There are also many other services via Willesden Junction High Level using the line. I wasn't aware of the LNWR service to Earls Court, though.

Here's another. In this case it's clearly Olympia - the platform at which the train is standing and the pedestrian footbridge seem to have changed very little. For some reason, although I'm assuming that the source of the original negatives was the same, this one was by no means as badly damaged as the previous two so, although it took two full evenings, was eminently restorable. I suspect that this is the same train as the previous two photos but it's even possible to identify the nearest vehicle as 29724.

img432b - Copy.jpg
Brian
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
...I tried Affinity when I changed PCs recently but couldn't get on with it. I doubt that it's the software, more likely the driving nut.

'Driving nut' Haha :)) And yes, it may well be PICNIC*

Surprisingly, that's not the main reason for my post. That photo made me realise how far lenses have come on in the intervening decades. That's a lovely photo, but you can see where it's properly sharp, and everywhere else where it isn't. Bizarrely, it's not centrally sharp, nor related to depth of field, but an area on the right of the photo. I therefore cautiously wonder if it's a crop of a larger image, with the full image centred a little further over to the right. Either that or they're dropped the lens/camera and knocked an element out of plane forming a primitive tilt/shift lens. In either case one wonders what feature(s) they were interested in?

Actually, I suppose it could be a printing problem if the paper wasn't flat under the enlarger, or, or, or....

Steph


*Problem In Chair Not In Computer
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
For some reason, although I'm assuming that the source of the original negatives was the same, this one was by no means as badly damaged as the previous two so, although it took two full evenings, was eminently restorable. I suspect that this is the same train as the previous two photos but it's even possible to identify the nearest vehicle as 29724.

If a stock book was available you could work out the numbers (if they didn't re-marshal the units) of the driving trailer in front and the motor driving trailer (out if shot behind the photographer).

Does the program you're using to restore the photos have a 'denoise' filter. If so it's sometimes useful to apply this filter as it removes the graininess a 'sharpening' filter induces.

For example I have applied a 'denoise' filter to the photo above and is it has removed the grainy texture.
e9s2lifk.jpg
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
You are right, Steph, a good photo ( I believe it to be the complete image) with the sharpest point of the lens being to the right of the frame. At this distance in time we'll not know why.

And thank you Dave for your observations. My image processing software is stone age but I'm familiar with it so will continue to use it. There is a "Noise" filter but not a "Denoise". However I believe the "Despeckle" instruction does the same thing. I've applied it to the two images (both sharpened) below, so see what you think. Both have been cleaned up to a reasonable extent but I've not spent the many hours which would be required to do a perfect job.

I've not tried to build up the individual vehicle numbers within the set which is the subject of the last photo but I agree that it may be possible from the single vehicle number which is readable. The vehicle next to it may be readable, but there's an element of guesswork involved.

The first is, I believe, an Oerlikon unit, once again at Kensington Olympia. In fact that is, if I'm not mistaken, the Olympia exhibition venue in the background. There also appears to be a train in what I would recognise as the London Transport/TfL bay, although I can't determine the likely stock type. Unfortunately lots of camera movement.

img434a - Copy - Copy.jpg

The one below, also Kensington Olympia, is a bit of an oddity, though. The vehicle on the right appears to have similarities to an Oerlikon trailer, but it's coupled to a vehicle which is clearly not of the same type and there appears to be a corridor connection. My knowledge of things LNWR is insufficient to even make a guess.

img434b - Copy.jpg
Brian
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
These two photos must have been taken around 1923 or either side of. The second one being taken in winter.

The second one is worth punting to the LNWR society for comment despite it's quality as it could have been an unusual and/or a rare occurrence.

It is definitely an Oerlikon car on the right as it has short buffers. It could be one of three suppositions: A normal coach being temporarily substituted an Oerlikon set pending delivery of the correct cars - a test run given it's winter? or strengthening an Oerlikon set; or a loose Oerlikon car in a normal train. I would suspect it's more likely the first theory.

It's also interesting to observe when looking at the Kensington Olympia/Addison Road photos the LNWR were frugal with their class indicators on the Oerlikon windows whereas the LMS emblazoned every window.
 

76043

Western Thunderer
Nice to see pictures of electric stock in LNWR colours, just shows us how advanced the railways became in a relatively short space of time. I saw a picture in a British Railway Journal recently of Midland Railway electric delivery vans at St Pancras. The early petrol electric buses are "basically" the same as TfL new routemasters, being diesel electric.

If the technology hadn't been usurped by oil, who knows where we'd be now? (Ok, so it could have gone either way!!! )

Tony
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Once again I appreciate your comments, Dave. Yes, I noted the class tags on the windows. As for the LNWR Society - does anyone have a contact? Apart from anything else they'll probably be able to advise whether these images are previously known.

An interesting thought, Tony. I reckon we should give up on all these "renewables" and electric cars and invest the very significant sums in fuel cell research, at least for road transport, but I recognise that I'm close to being political here which is not my intention.:)

Sorry chaps. I gave up on this next one. Life's too short and I've already spent all this evening on it. I'm tempted to believe that this is also at Kensington, along with the others, but I can see nothing to confirm the hypothesis. Additionally it's a bit strange in that these are two motor cars driving compartment to driving compartment. Is this another for the LNWR Society?

img435 - Copy - Copy.jpg
Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thanks Dave. All things considered I reckon you must be correct.

I've cleaned up this pair of photos but the lighter scratches remain. Here's another at Kensington Olympia, Oerlikon stock again.

img435 - Copy.jpg

And perhaps of greater rarity - is this the interior of Oerlikon stock?

img436a - Copy - Copy.jpg

Brian
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
It must be. The open seating bays and the panelled corridor connecting door are a giveaway.

The seats look positively sumptuous compared with today's offerings on suburban stock.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the confirmation, Dave.

Yet another Oerlikon train. I suspect that this might be Willesden low level. The vehicle nearest the camera is easily identified as M28265. I've cleaned this up for the larger dirt and spots but the fine scratches remain.

img436b - M28265 Copy.jpg

And another. Once again I reckon this is Kensington Olympia. I started cleaning this up for a full evening (see the top right corner), then gave up.

img437a - Copy - Copy.jpg

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Here's another. The original was in much better shape than most recent ones. It's what we'd call nowadays a "detail shot" I suppose, but I wonder why it was taken and what was the centre of interest. Identification is easy - M29738M - which I take to be an Oerlikon trailer and the "M" prefix and suffix puts the date firmly after nationalisation. I suspect it's one of the set which constitutes the early part of this collection.

img437b - Copy.jpg

Brian
 
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