[Jeff Lewis]

Hi folks

Attached to this posting are two items -

• a photo of a train stuck in snow along the old branch line - between Smallford Station and Nast Hyde Halt - taken in 1927 and sent to us by Chris Blow son of Percy Blow (who I think may have been an early film maker - probably someone might have some comments on this?
• two newspaper articles from Roger Taylor's Archive reporting this incident - from The Times (28th December 1927) and Herts Advertiser (30th December 1927)

I look forward to your comments - and to reading more memorable articles!

Jeff

[GNR1247]

Hi folks

Attached to this posting are two items -

• a photo of a train stuck in snow along the old branch line - between Smallford Station and Nast Hyde Halt - taken in 1927 and sent to us by Chris Blow son of Percy Blow (who I think may have been an early film maker - probably someone might have some comments on this?
• two newspaper articles from Roger Taylor's Archive reporting this incident - from The Times (28th December 1927) and Herts Advertiser (30th December 1927)

I look forward to your comments - and to reading more memorable articles!

Jeff

Jeff/All,

Judging by the apparent down-tilted 'shooting angle' used by the photographer and the irregular dark area at the bottom of the picture (possibly a very close, and thus out-of-focus, 'top edge of a structure'), plus things mentioned in the newspaper articles, I reckon the photo must have been taken from the parapet of the bridge beside 'our' station, facing towards Nast Hyde Halt+Hatfield.

Attached is a photo I took from essentially that position in 2001 - without any snow or telegraph poles, but with much more lineside vegetation having grown over the 70-odd intervening years!

It looks as though the train got stuck close to the point where the old Sleapshyde to Wilkins Green Footpath crossed the railway, so its seems likely that the kind folk who took food and hot drinks, etc., did so from the hamlets of Sleapshyde and Wilkins Green, and possibly 'Wilkins Green Terrace' at the 'Smallford' end of Wilkins Green Lane also. There were few other dwellings in the area in 1927, going by the 1925 map (see http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html, plus some 'navigation'). If anyone can correct me on my speculations, or add further solid information, please do so!

Alastair

[colin51]

Hi,

My mother(born in 1923) remembers walking through the snow from Wilkins Green Terrace to see the train.

In "The Hatfield and St Albans Branch" book, the Brian Anderson photo opposite page 49 was taken from a similar viewpoint on the bridge in April 1988. As far as I can make out, the man walking the dog away from the camera was my late father with Bosun.

Colin

[GNR1247]

Hi Colin,

Thanks very much for your informative comments! :-)  I'm now wondering whether your mother/you might remember any of the other Wilkins Green Cottages residents as maybe having been railway employees and, if so, any names and what sort/s of jobs they did. (Not to worry if not, but I feel I can't pass up the chance to ask.  ;-) )

Thanks again,

Alastair