Weekly Photo Challenge: Down

One of the joys of childhood is to look down on trains passing under a bridge. Often those first glimpses are from the shoulders of a patient parent. We soon grow tall enough to see over the bridge parapet ourselves…. Oh! the pleasure of being enveloped by the clouds of steam and smoke as an engine passed beneath and then the rush to the other side to watch it disappearing into the distance leaving a smell of warm oil and coal. Such were the memories of my childhood when trips to Hadley Wood were a popular picnic treat for the family and journeys to Scotland were by night train. Back then all the mainline expresses were commonly in the hands of Steam locomotives.

Of course, sooner or later, we grow up and many of the joys of childhood are forgotten or become faraway memories of a time when the sun always shone. For some of us though, that early encounter with the view from the bridge stays with us into adult life. I still can’t resist standing on a bridge watching the trains go by and I’ve been doing it off and on for the last 40 years.

Willesden Junction has always been a popular mecca for trainspotters / railway enthusiasts, featuring a confluence of lines from all points of the compass and all regions of British Railways (with the exception of the Scottish Region). Around 1920, as the new lines were built for a local electric service to Watford Junction from Euston, a footbridge was built across the main London to Crewe lines for a new footpath connection. Ever since it has been a popular location for enthusiasts to look down on the passing express, outer suburban and freight trains whilst also affording a view of the trains operating around the North London Line. Here are a couple of then and now views looking down from that footbridge…

44 responses to “Weekly Photo Challenge: Down”

MilkAndMe

February 23, 2012 at 1:09 pm

Great pictures. 🙂

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 2:13 pm
  
  Thank you 🙂
  
  Reply
orples

February 23, 2012 at 3:01 pm

It’s amazing that you have comparative photos to post side by side. Even more Amazing is how much things change in 25 +/- years. In the lower photos, it appears some of the original buildings in the background have been demoed for new construction.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 5:17 pm
  
  Sure sign of a mis-spent youth 😉 Yes, several buildings on the horizon have been replaced, notably the factory with its chimney. There’s another that has gone in the top left of the upper pair.
  
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  1. orples
    
    February 23, 2012 at 7:36 pm
    
    Isn’t that the story everywhere? I take lots of photos of old tobacco barns and such, knowing one day they will be bull dozed over in the name of ‘progress’.
  2. 2e0mca
    
    February 23, 2012 at 10:51 pm
    
    Too true Marcy – I take photos for a website called Geograph and it’s amazing how quickly things disappear to be replaced by something else.
nellibell49

February 23, 2012 at 3:30 pm

Of course – trains. I grew up on the tracks near a bridge and didn’t even think of it. Top post.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 5:22 pm
  
  Thank you!
  
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LivE

February 23, 2012 at 3:37 pm

there truly is something magical about trains, isn’t there? i envy you your chance to spend childhood days watching trains (that’s something i didn’t grow up with 🙂 ). it is lovely to see your past-and-present photos—i especially enjoyed seeing the trains’ metamorphosis. (ps. thanks for visiting my blog).

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 10:23 pm
  
  Hi Liv – yes trains change a great deal with time in much the same way as the environment through which they run.
  
  I think railways are in my blood – my Grandfather was an engine driver on the old LNER. Where I live, the Northern Line passes just behind the houses on the other side of the street. The Kings Cross to Edinburgh line is just over 2km to the east and the St.Pancras to Leicester line is 2km to the west. On a still night I can hear the trains on those lines. Thanks for popping by 🙂
  
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Huffygirl

February 23, 2012 at 3:46 pm

Creative entry as usual Martin. I like the stairs in particular.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 10:27 pm
  
  Hi Donna – thanks for that… Even the stairs have changed in the time span between the photos haven’t they 😉
  
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spilledinkguy

February 23, 2012 at 4:09 pm

So cool, Martin!
Reminds me of a similar place from my childhood… an overpass that crossed many, many sets of tracks where cars sat. I usually didn’t see too much ‘action’, but still, every time my parents would drive over that bridge I’d fight the seat-belt for a better glimpse of all that awesome railroad ‘stuff’ below…
🙂

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 10:31 pm
  
  Sounds like a railfans paradise to me Bob 😉 Some of those big US diesels have so much character – I always enjoy looking at photos of them (and I get to drive them on Railworks too!).
  
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Arindam

February 23, 2012 at 5:25 pm

Great post. I specially likes these photographs, of different times. There is no better approach to compare things, other than seeing them through photographs.
The line that made me smile was, ” I still can’t resist standing on a bridge watching the trains go by and I’ve been doing it off and on for the last 40 years”. Because i am doing the same thing from last 20 years. 🙂 It looks beautiful to see a train pass under the bridge. Wonderful job with this post. 🙂

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 10:37 pm
  
  Thank you Arindam – You must take some photos next time you’re standing on that bridge! 🙂
  
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Cee Neuner

February 23, 2012 at 8:07 pm

I so love to take photos of tracks. Great photos!

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 23, 2012 at 10:37 pm
  
  Thank you Cee 🙂
  
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sandraconner

February 24, 2012 at 7:21 am

Hi. Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to view my “down” photo and clicking “like.” But I have to say more because I am so blessed by your train photos. I have loved trains all my life, and have been so saddened by the fact that train travel in the U. S. has almost died out. One of my earliest memories is of the time I was two years old, and I rode a train with my mother to spend time with my grandmother. One of my favorite “toys” as a child was a train that had an old-fashioned steam engine that literally spewed out sparks as it tooted and ran around the tracks. (Of course, everyone would consider that unsafe for kids now, but it was a real prize back then.) I have to admit to feeling just a little fearful when the sparks flew, but I still wanted Daddy to run the train again and again.

I guess I come by my feeling for trains naturally, because my dad has always had a love and fascination for them as well. In fact, he set up an entire train yard that took up one whole corner of our basement, and his favorite pastime was “playing” for hours with those trains. Of course, his love affair with trains dates from the earliest rides he had during his Marine Corps days, when trains were the main transport of our troops. And for two decades after the war, trains were one of the most common modes of transportation here. They are still used somewhat regularly for some freight use, but passenger trains are very sparse.

One of my good friends also loves trains so much that he opened a hobby store -specializing in trains and a restaurant in which he set up a huge track that ran around the entire restaurant, at a
level of about 7 feet from the floor. The trains run around those tracks all the time the restaurant is open, to the joy and delight of the customers. People come from out of state to that restaurant just so they can see the trains run. He has also devoted one whole room in his home to a train yard, which covers the entire floor of that room.

Recently I had to meet my sister at our local train station, as she returned home from a long trip, none of which was made by train except the last little bit. The depot was completely closed, and when the train stopped, passengers simply disembarked and trudged with their bags to their cars or waiting relatives’ cars. The experience just drove home more completely how much we’ve lost of the days when trains and depots were full of life, with passengers excitedly bustling through the depot, eager to board, or eager to greet relatives and loved ones in the busy crowd of people coming and going — when passengers enjoyed eating, sleeping, and interacting with the conductors, waiters, etc as they made their journeys on trains that were virtually hotels on wheels.

Ah well, those trains and those times are gone now, but the romance has not diminished one iota. Your pictures are great.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 24, 2012 at 11:48 am
  
  Hi Sandra – Wow, Fascinating comment! I think you’ve got more than enough there to do your own post on the subject and thanks for the kind comment about the photos 🙂
  
  I had noticed that apart from the Northeast corridor, passenger services are very rare in the US. In Europe the railways have successfully fought back aginst the car and the plane with high speed frequent services. It’s all helped by the shorter distances involved of course. But capacity on some of our routes in the UK is an issue as freight trains have to fit in between the passenger services. A second high speed route is planned in the UK to alleviate congestion on the Euston-Birmingham Route (depicted in the photos), thus allowing increased passenger services and also greater freight capacity as well.
  
  Our last Holiday was to Rome and we travelled by train via Paris and Zurich – a real adventure which you can read about in my All Roads Lead To Rome posts from last summer. Part 1 here and part 2 follows as the next post – hope you find time to read and enjoy 🙂
  
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  1. sandraconner
    
    February 24, 2012 at 2:23 pm
    
    Thank you. I’ll definitely hop back over and read both of them.
Sony Fugaban

February 24, 2012 at 7:29 am

I understand why looking down on the trains bring you joy …

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 24, 2012 at 11:49 am
  
  Hi Sony – Thanks 🙂
  
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Team Oyeniyi

February 24, 2012 at 12:24 pm

Years ago on the farm my father employed a train spotter. Not AS a tain spotter, of course, but that was this guy’s hoppy. He had SO MANY photos of trains!

Yours are more colourful – all his were black and white.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 25, 2012 at 5:08 am
  
  Hi Robyn – Well, I have got some B&W ones somewhere that I took back in the early 1970’s and I sometimes decide to process my photos of preserved trains in B&W for a vintage effect like at Didcot.
  
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sandraconner

February 24, 2012 at 6:16 pm

You know what? I never even thought about writing an article on the subject of my love affair with trains, but now that you’ve mentioned it, I think I’d really enjoy doing so. Thanks for the suggestion!

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 25, 2012 at 5:10 am
  
  I look forward to reading about it Sandra 🙂
  
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Lorely Forrester

February 24, 2012 at 7:46 pm

I love the story with your pictures. Anything that takes us back to (a happy) childhood is magical.

Thanks for looking in on my pictures!
Writing from the Edge
http://lorely-writingfromtheedge.blogspot.com/2012/02/picture-it-in-your-own-words-down-2.html

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 25, 2012 at 5:13 am
  
  Thank you Lorely 🙂
  
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The Guat

February 24, 2012 at 9:09 pm

My three-year old son loved your post. He’s totally into trains 🙂

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 25, 2012 at 5:23 am
  
  Thank you – don’t worry, he’ll either grow out of it, or it will be a lifetime interest 🙂
  
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Androgoth

February 24, 2012 at 11:11 pm

Thank you for adding these 2 e 0 m c a
as they are certainly a fine addition to your
Space, well I like them my friend 🙂

Keep up the great work now 🙂

Androgoth

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 25, 2012 at 5:23 am
  
  Thanks Androgoth – have a wicked weekend Mate 🙂
  
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Down | atreegrowsinbklyn

February 25, 2012 at 2:28 am

[…] Weekly Photo Challenge: Down (2e0mca.wordpress.com) […]

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jakesprinter

February 25, 2012 at 5:34 am

Those photos are amazing Martin ,totally great shot 🙂

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 25, 2012 at 6:17 am
  
  Thanks Jake 🙂
  
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Gilly Gee

February 26, 2012 at 11:30 am

They haven’t changed that much have they? the second photo maybe with the office type block in the background I wonder how it will be in another thirty years. Well recorded for posterity 🙂

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 26, 2012 at 8:05 pm
  
  Hi Gilly – Thanks for popping by. Recording for posterity is what we try to do 🙂
  
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morristownmemos by Ronnie Hammer

February 26, 2012 at 11:52 am

Thanks to JakesPrinter I found your blog. I was captivated by the colorful trains and could almost sit at the computer to watch them as under the bridge!

Ronnie

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 26, 2012 at 8:16 pm
  
  Thanks Ronnie – always good to get away from the pc and watch the real ones under the bridge 😉
  
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Gracie Sam

February 28, 2012 at 8:19 pm

Great photos there, Martin. I love the comparison from different times!
Have a great week ahead!

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1. 2e0mca
  
  February 29, 2012 at 1:44 pm
  
  Hi Gracie – Thanks. You have a great week too 🙂
  
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Tony McGurk

March 3, 2012 at 5:33 am

The 1st part of your post paints such a wonderful picture in my imagination. I like how you’ve put the old & new photos together showing the changes over the years. I always enjoy you train or bus photos & info.

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1. 2e0mca
  
  March 3, 2012 at 6:57 am
  
  Thanks Tony – Ironically, I visited another bridge that I took photos from a long time ago on Thursday so I have another ‘then and now’ to put together.
  
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