A 'period' classics pictures thread (Mk II)

[Yertis]

It would be interesting to see that viewpoint now. Pretty much unrecognisable I should think.

[P5BNij]

Yertis said:

It would be interesting to see that viewpoint now. Pretty much unrecognisable I should think.

Can't find one taken from the same spot but the whole station looks like an airport lounge since the remodelling took place, it's a total contrast to what it was before - I took this shot back in 2007 when I was doing some road learning on the Western Region, a rare moment when there wasn't a train in sight, it's strange to think that something as recent as this is now ancient history....

[aeropilot]

P5BNij said:

Yertis said:

It would be interesting to see that viewpoint now. Pretty much unrecognisable I should think.

Can't find one taken from the same spot but the whole station looks like an airport lounge since the remodelling took place, it's a total contrast to what it was before - I took this shot back in 2007 when I was doing some road learning on the Western Region, a rare moment when there wasn't a train in sight, it's strange to think that something as recent as this is now ancient history....

Plus the whole area around the station has been redeveloped massively since 2007, so all that background in that first shot will be massively changed with a whole new skyline (and no gas holders etc)

[Lily the Pink]

P5BNij said:

Reading in 1975, photo c/o a chap on the RMWeb forum....

Can anyone identify which platform that was taken from - and were the platforms extended/shortened in the rebuild ?

[P5BNij]

Lily the Pink said:

P5BNij said:

Reading in 1975, photo c/o a chap on the RMWeb forum....

Can anyone identify which platform that was taken from - and were the platforms extended/shortened in the rebuild ?

It was taken from the London end of the old platform 8, and below is a plan of the new layout - the platform numbering is now very different....




(In the old layout there were only four 'through' platforms, now there are nine).

[aeropilot]

Actually, the gas holder on the right maybe still there, or the steel framework is, but the inner holding tank that used to move up and down within it has been removed.

All to the right down to that gas holder is now office blocks and apartment blocks.

[P5BNij]

Reading again, c.1970....

[RichB]

P5BNij said:

Reading again, c.1970....

Just to the right of this would have been 'the other' Reading station; the terminus of the Southern Railway line to Waterloo. In fact I think at the time Reading GWR station was called Reading General to differentiate it from the other Reading?

[CharlesdeGaulle]

P5BNij said:

Reading again, c.1970....

Does this indicate that your train escaped?

[P5BNij]

RichB said:

P5BNij said:

Reading again, c.1970....

Just to the right of this would have been 'the other' Reading station; the terminus of the Southern Railway line to Waterloo. In fact I think at the time Reading GWR station was called Reading General to differentiate it from the other Reading?

Yes the Southern station was to the east and just below the GWR General station, it was closed c.1965 and became a car park for a while, then a new spur was laid from the Southern line up to the GW station into a new bay platform

[RichB]

P5BNij said:

RichB said:

P5BNij said:

Reading again, c.1970....

Just to the right of this would have been 'the other' Reading station; the terminus of the Southern Railway line to Waterloo. In fact I think at the time Reading GWR station was called Reading General to differentiate it from the other Reading?

Yes the Southern station was to the east and just below the GWR General station, it was closed c.1965 and became a car park for a while, then a new spur was laid from the Southern line up to the GW station into a new bay platform

Demolished in 1970 apparently so may still have been there in your photo

[rickygolf83]

Halmyre said:

According to DVLA it was taxed and MOT'd as recently as 2019 or so.

That is amazing to see! I hope the current owner knows of the picture

[Loose_Cannon]

A Slim Aarons picture titled "Cannes, Hotel Carlton, 1958"

Kind of surprised at this one, I thought that applying grey paint on everything was relatively modern fad?



At least we have so many more shades of grey to choose from today;

Dingy Grey
Gloomy Grey
Sombre Grey
Drab Grey
Dull Grey
Desolate Grey
Bleak Grey
Cheerless Grey
Grim Grey
Funereal Grey
Inhospitable Grey

to name but a few.

[Dapster]

Loose_Cannon said:

A Slim Aarons picture titled "Cannes, Hotel Carlton, 1958"

Kind of surprised at this one, I thought that applying grey paint on everything was relatively modern fad?



At least we have so many more shades of grey to choose from today;

Dingy Grey
Gloomy Grey
Sombre Grey
Drab Grey
Dull Grey
Desolate Grey
Bleak Grey
Cheerless Grey
Grim Grey
Funereal Grey
Inhospitable Grey

to name but a few.

Wowzer - Mercedes 300SL wearing German export ovals looks thoroughly at home. Mint ones would go for £1m + these days. Peugeot 403 left of shot - my uncle had one of those back in the early 70's in Sri Lanka - felt totally bomb proof!

Beetle I think, to the right behind the convertible - all the other land yachts are American, right?

Edited by Dapster on Wednesday 11th August 17:21

[Mikebentley]

Would they be Swiss plates on the Mercedes? I seem to recall they favoured an oval plate from my childhood sightings of Swiss cars with the flag on the plate too years before everyone did it.

[forsure]

Dapster said:

Wowzer - Mercedes 300SL wearing German export ovals looks thoroughly at home. Mint ones would go for £1m + these days. Peugeot 403 left of shot - my uncle had one of those back in the early 70's in Sri Lanka - felt totally bomb proof!

Beetle I think, to the right behind the convertible - all the other land yachts are American, right?

Edited by Dapster on Wednesday 11th August 17:21

Don't think that's a Beetle. Rear window is too big, and windscreen doesn't look flat.

Possibly a Peugeot ?

Edited by forsure on Wednesday 11th August 17:32

[Dapster]

Mikebentley said:

Would they be Swiss plates on the Mercedes? I seem to recall they favoured an oval plate from my childhood sightings of Swiss cars with the flag on the plate too years before everyone did it.

I can't recall the oval Swiss plates. I think the Merc is wearing the vintage German Zoll export ovals though, like this

[kimducati]

Dapster said:

Wowzer - Mercedes 300SL wearing German export ovals looks thoroughly at home. Mint ones would go for £1m + these days. Peugeot 403 left of shot - my uncle had one of those back in the early 70's in Sri Lanka - felt totally bomb proof!

Beetle I think, to the right behind the convertible - all the other land yachts are American, right?

Edited by Dapster on Wednesday 11th August 17:21

Is that an Adenauer (sp?) Merc 300 under the entrance portico on the left?
Kim

[ggdrew]

Loose_Cannon said:

A Slim Aarons picture titled "Cannes, Hotel Carlton, 1958"

Kind of surprised at this one, I thought that applying grey paint on everything was relatively modern fad?



At least we have so many more shades of grey to choose from today;

Dingy Grey
Gloomy Grey
Sombre Grey
Drab Grey
Dull Grey
Desolate Grey
Bleak Grey
Cheerless Grey
Grim Grey
Funereal Grey
Inhospitable Grey

to name but a few.

That's the hotel in "To Catch a Thief" I'm fairly sure. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly walked out front to jump in her Sunbeam Alpine which was next to a black early-50s Cadillac

Edited by ggdrew on Wednesday 11th August 18:02

[Hugo a Gogo]

Mikebentley said:

Would they be Swiss plates on the Mercedes? I seem to recall they favoured an oval plate from my childhood sightings of Swiss cars with the flag on the plate too years before everyone did it.

yes, I imagine that was a big plus