Kings Cross

[John C]

Do they still have such things as Arrival and Departure sides in these days of multiple units and fixed, push-pull formations?

I know that on a recent occasion (July) when I passed through the Cross on my way to St P., my train from Cambridge arrived in the old 'suburban side', which now forms part of the fantastically rebuilt station. At that time, all the hoardings were still in place and one had to pick ones way through the crowds to get to Panco. Who would have believed what was waiting to be unveiled on the other side?

Going back to the seventies (70-73), I recall when I was a secondman at KX that the Indian Village had been swept away, and the space was used as a staff car park (still, if I remember correctly, behind hoardings - or maybe chain-link fencing). That facility was then withdrawn and staff parking was instead provided under cover, somewhere near or behind the BRSA club. Was it an old stables or Road Motor depot, possibly?

There's no doubt in my mind though that the architects, planners and builders have done the old station proud.

[StevieG]

" Do they still have such things as Arrival and Departure sides in these days of multiple units and fixed, push-pull formations? .... "

While in 'the Box' from '78 -'89, these terms could still be heard, but perhaps mainly by the older hands and those who liked to converse with them in the same way.
With 24 years having passed since then, there is only one (non-'GN'-brought-up) signalman still on the books from that period, and I think the same in respect of station 'platform' staff, I doubt that those terms are heard these days.

[Mickey]

I was a secondman at Kings Cross between 1974-75.

[jwealleans]

Do they still have such things as Arrival and Departure sides

In terms of where they park the trains, no: for the travelling public, it's determined by where they display the information. You can still walk onto the old concourse and as Micky has pointed out some of those gates may still be set to allow entry, but unless you already know where you're going you won't find any departure information without going round into the new part.

We seldom travelled to London when I was a kid, but I do remember the enormous queues in that concourse and standing next to Sir Alastair Burnett one night (without really knowing who he was, but realising everyone was staring at him). A much more vivid memory is the other end of the journey, standing on Platform 1 at Darlington as the noise of the Deltic grew louder and louder then this immense blue wall thundered past making the ground shake.

[Andy W]

Yes, I too remember the older staff still referring to the station in the 1970s in terms of the arrivals side and departure side but it wasn't in common use even then.

The building that became the staff car park came down in a bit of a hurry in the mid 1970s when large cracks appeared in it. The ground floor was used to house vehicles and all the surplus office furniture used to be stored there - my GER stationmasters chair came from there!

When it was demolished, all that was left was the small truck house at the corner of Cheney Road and the Wellers Court block. The open space was used as a car park and Jimmy Saville used to regularly park his motor home in there, right behind the area (next to the BRSA) where the taxis used to rest up.

Nowadays I walk across from the Cross to Pancras exactly where Wellers Court used to be. That was one grim part of the Cross when I worked there.

[Mickey]

I use to like the old suburban station with it's buffet & bar.

[StevieG]

" .... as Micky has pointed out some of those gates may still be set to allow entry, .... "

You're welcome.

" .... unless you already know where you're going you won't find any departure information without going round into the new part. .... "

Indeed. Although you can scan along the platform-end displays of 0-8 to look for details of trains in those particular individual platforms which are already advertised for boarding, but for anything else, including those boarding in 9-11, there are no 'summary' listing screens to consult.

[StevieG]

( Duplicate post; deleted.)

[jwealleans]

...as Micky has pointed out...

Whoops. Pardon duly begged.

[StevieG]

...as Micky has pointed out...

Whoops. Pardon duly begged.

Not necessary really.

[Mickey]

What was that building with the big large windows that overlooked Passenger Loco?. It usually looked like people were playing snooker or pool?.

[Andy W]

Micky, that'll probably be Stanley Buildings you were entertained in. They were tenements on the other side of the German Gym to Wellers Court, down two roads called Clarence Passage and Stanley Passage. If you came out of the milk dock, you turned right and then first or second left.

Wellers Court itself was railway workshops/offices on the ground floor (the ODM) and offices on the other floors. The GPO had the top floor as offices and a messroom before they went over to platform 1 (where they already kept their red tow tractors) in the early to mid 1980s.

It was an interesting area at night!

[Mickey]

I better not say anything about those old tenement buildings that overlooked the Milk Dock because I once met a woman who lived in that block back in 1976/77 and we had a nice evening together lol ha ha ha...

[John C]

Purely anecdotal, so I don't know how much truth there is in it, but I recall being told once of an occasion when J Saville esq was travelling by train from KX to Leeds, that as he passed by the diesel that was at the bufferstops, one of the crew made a very uncomplimentary remark about said DJ, which he overheard. Quick as a flash (so I was told) he responded immediately by confirming that yes he was a (see you next Tuesday) and he'd got two Rolls Royces and, holding up his hand, 'all these gold rings to prove it'.

[Mickey]

Fancy Savile being around the back of the cross?.