Mystery Photograph - BW
This unusual two foot gauge wagon was photographed at Smithfield during
a walk from Holborn Viaduct to Farringdon along what at that time was the
abandoned former route of the Metropolitan Widened Lines. The tunnel was
later re-instated and is used today by Thameslink services.
It is a bogie wagon with a welded flat bed supported by two bogies of nut
and bolt construction. The bogie therefore seem to be of much older design
than the flat bed body. The axles are very close together and so are the
bogies.
Does anyone know the origins of this wagon, who owned it or why it was at
this location? Image courtesy of Glenn Allen.
Mystery Photograph - BV
This 0-4-0 diesel was number 15 in the fleet of Queenborough Rolling
Mills in Kent, seen on 29th June 1991. It is very similar to the standard
Second World War military design that was manufactured by Andrew Barclay
and Drewery Car Co, but the cab sides and roof are of an unusual profile.
Do you perhaps know what type of locomotive this was, who built it and why
the cab was shaped in this way?
Feedback Regarding Photograph - BV
The mystery loco BV was WD 825, previously 70039 and later ARMY 221. It was a standard AB loco (AB354 of 1941) as rebuilt at Bicester some time in the 1950's. It was thus a one-off.
Mystery Photograph - BU
This two axle passenger coach was photographed at the Deutsche
Dampflokmuseum in what was then West Germany in 1987. Does anyone please
know anything of its origins, or anything about the design of the water
crane?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BU
Photo BU is of a standard DRG Donnerbuchse 4-wheel second class coach, type Bi-29. The name means "Thunderbox" and comes from the noise made by the all-steel (Ganzstahl) body. They were the most common of the standard 4-wheel coaches and 1630 were built.
This particular one appears to be no. 27093 Nur Aie, which is owned by MEC
Munchberg and used to store their model railway. It was built in 1929 by
LHB, Linke-Hofmann-Busch.
The water crane is standard German double-jointed water crane of the type introduced in 1924.
Mystery Photograph - BT
At first this photograph taken from an aeroplane looks as though it is
an unfinished curved embankment for a branch line off the route across the top
of the picture. However, it is thought to be complete and was a gun spur
for rail mounted guns. The gun was aimed by moving it around the curve
until it lined up with the intended target. Can anyone confirm this or say
where such earthworks still exist today?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BT
This is a spur off the Elham Valley at Kingston in Kent. What is
visible is the camouflage cover over the spur.
Mystery Photograph - BS
Abandoned industrial tippler wagon number K.42 at the Ketton Cement
Works on 30th April 1986. Very unusually it has the brake lever at the
left-hand end of the wagon. Can anyone identify the design or year of
manufacture?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BS
The maker's plate appears to be of the type used by Butterley.
Mystery Photograph - BR
This low quality photograph is said to show an Ottoman Railways 2-8-0
that was built in Germany and was sabotaged by the Turks at Baghdad by
pushing it into the turntable pit. This was to prevent its use by the
advancing British forces during the First World War. After the defeat of
the Turks the line was re-opened as the Mesopotamian Military Railway. Is it
possible to identify the locomotive or its manufacturer?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BR
This is a Bagdadbahn
(Baghdad Railway) 800 class locomotive built by Henschel und Sohn of
Cassel. They carried fleet numbers 807 to 813. Number 807 was built in
1912, and numbers 808 to 813 in 1914.
Mystery Photograph - BQ
This Second World War British War Department 2-8-0 is seen in the
process of either being loaded onto or off of a landing craft. The
locomotive's WD number is unclear, but may be 7_250. Part of a railway
wagon is visible on the left and it is thought to be in use as a
"Reach Wagon". This allowed the locomotive doing the shunting to
be on solid ground, so as not to overload the ramp. The wagon's bogie
appears to be of US design. Can anyone please identify the location, the
locomotive or the wagon type?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BQ
The location is on
the Marchwood Military Railway and the locomotive is WD 79250, built by Vulcan Foundry as works number 5193 in
January 1945 (it later became number 401 on the Longmoor Military Railway). The photo was taken towards the end of the Second World War during LCT loading tests.
Mystery Photograph - BP
This is one end of a small narrow gauge wagon that was at the Museum of
London in 1983. The plaque said it was from the Euston & Eversholt
Street Railway and was built circa 1865. This is thought to have been a
short railway upon which vehicles were sucked pneumatically through a
tunnel. The line carried post between Euston Station in London and the
nearby Eversholt Street postal sorting office. Can anyone please confirm
these details and perhaps add more?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BP
Opened 1863 from the District Post Office in Eversholt Street to Euston Station, 500 yards, 2' 6" gauge, 7' diameter tunnel. Extended to the General Post Office at St. Martin's-le-Grand in 1865. On this section the tunnel was about 4' high and 4' 6" wide.
At some point converted to electric traction due to problems with the pneumatic system and abandoned in 1880. The preserved car was recovered in 1928 after a gas explosion revealed the long forgotten tunnels with cars still inside. The tunnels now carry cables.
This is a totally different system to the later Post Office Electric Railway of 1927.
Mystery Photograph - BO
Industrial "Lowmac" wagon number 2 in yellow livery carrying
the damaged remains of open wagon number 10 at United Engineering Steels,
Aldwarke, Rotherham, on 18th September 1994. The "Lowmac" wagon
showed traces of formerly carrying a BR maker's plate. Can anyone please
identify which variant of the "Lowmac" designs this is, or even
perhaps give the wagon's previous BR number?
Mystery Photograph - BN
This is thought to be a Belgian steam locomotive that has been fitted
with armour and was defending the port of Antwerp during the First World
War. Can anyone please confirm this and state what type of locomotive was
hidden behind the armour plating?
Feedback Mystery Photograph - BN
The armoured train was indeed used in WW1 around Antwerp and at the Yzer.
Etat Belge used type 30 and 32 locos armoured. They pulled flat cars for munitions and a 120cm navy artillery howitzer. The
armour was 10-15mm thick.
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