Railway photographs around Leicester obtained from auctions.

These images are from negatives or original slides bought, together with the copyright, from auctions.

Leicester Midland 40542 & 42184, 1956

Ex-Midland Railway 2P 4-4-0 no. 40542 simmers in the centre road at Leicester Midland on 14th September 1956 with a rake of coaches while awaiting its next duty.  Photograph by H.C. Casserley.

I have memories of these 2P 4-4-0s clattering into Leicester Midland on local trains from Nottingham when I first started trainspotting in 1958.  However, very soon diesel multiple units took over these duties and the redundant 4-4-0s were sadly dumped in the Leicester locomotive yard before disappearing for scrapping.
Over the years I have bought a number of books written by H.C. Casserley or featuring his photographs, and later the book ‘Famous Railway Photographers: H.C.Casserley’, so I was delighted to win this and other negatives taken in Leicester by this celebrated railway photographer.

Leicester Midland 40542, 1956

In this photograph, from a negative numbered two later from the one above, no. 40542 is still waiting in the centre road while 2-6-4T no. 42184 has arrived with a northbound train at platform 2 where it has caused a lot of activity.  Photograph by H.C. Casserley.

Midland 2P 4-4-0 40452, Leicester scrap line

The sad sight of ex-Midland Railway 2P 4-4-0 no. 40452 in the scrap line by the shed at Leicester Midland together with two other members of the class.  For months we train spotters could peer down on this forlorn site through the gaps in the fence at the side of the footpath above, and then one day we looked and they had gone.  Unknown photographer.
This locomotive is reported by RailUK as entering service on 31/05/1894, being withdrawn from service at Leicester Midland on 31/01/1961, and disposed of on 31/08/1961, being cut up at Albert Looms, Spondon.

Leicester Midland 2P 4-4-0 40452 1957

No. 40452, another member of the ex-Midland Railway 2P 4-4-0 class, stands in the carriage sidings off platform 4 at Leicester Midland station on 29th June 1957.  Unknown photographer.

Leicester Midland 2P 4-4-0 40452 1957

A close-up of 2P 4-4-0 no. 40452 on another occasion standing in the carriage sidings off platform 4 at Leicester Midland station on 17th August 1957.  The locomotive carries the code of its home shed ‘15C’, Leicester Midland, on the smokebox door.  Unknown photographer.

Leicester Midland parcels 78027 1965

BR 2MT 2-6-0 no. 78027 shunts the parcels depot sidings at Leicester Midland on 8/5/1965.  The parcels depot and the sidings are long gone and have been replaced by the car park for the station.  Unknown photographer.

70013 OliverCromwell Leicester Midland Shed

‘Britannia’ 4-6-2 no. 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ is being turned in the Leicester Midland round house, in 1963.  This was an unusual locomotive to have on-shed at Leicester, though by this date such locomotives were being used on duties other than the express passenger trains for which they were designed, and it is not recorded as being on a rail tour at that time.  Unknown photographer.
Fortunately this locomotive has been preserved, becoming part of the National Railway Museum's National Collection and subsequently has had an illustrious career both hauling rail tours on the main line and working on preserved railways.  Currently (Autumn 2020) it is undergoing overhaul on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough.

Around Leicester Midland station

Around Leicester Belgrave Road (GNR) station

J39 Leicester Belgrave Road station

A freight train about to depart from Leicester Belgrave Road (ex-GNR) goods station in the afternoon, judging by the shadows.  Unknown photographer.  Things to note:

J39 Leicester Belgrave Road station

The photographer has moved to the station side of ‘Leicester Passenger’ signal box to photograph the departing freight train in the previous photograph as it is about to go under Catherine Street Viaduct, authorised by the somersault signal.  Unknown photographer.

For later photographs here in 1967 see the ‘Around Leicester 1960s’ page.

Britain - Railway Photographs From Auctions