Help please - where is this picture taken?

[ABB125]

My dad has been going through some of my granddad's paperwork (although I'm not sure why he's doing it now when he died 5 years ago...) and has come across this picture. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where it might be?
It's Flying Scotsman, possibly on a railtour, probably in the 1960s. Likely locations are either near Cheltenham, where my family has lived for a long time, or the Welsh valleys (where my granddad grew up), but that seems less likely.
Likely clues are the headboard, clothing of the boys on the line, the signalling and the bridge in the background.
Thanks very much for any suggestions.

 

[randyrippley]

Prince of Wales feathers at the top of the headboard.......did it run a special to Charles' investiture in 1969???

 

[richardsun]

Headboard is the Ffestiniog Railway logo, in fact I think I can even read the wording. That must be a big clue!

 

[randyrippley]

then it appears likely to be 18th March 1964, though there's said to be a second trip in 1965

Flying Scotsman on a Ffestiniog Special 18th March 1964 at Radyr MPD South Wales by John Wiltshire

No notes with this shot so if anybody knows anything about this special please comment. See link : www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/640318fr.html

www.flickr.com

details of the first trip

The Railtour Files

 

[PeterC]

then it appears likely to be 18th March 1964, though there was a second trip in 1965

Flying Scotsman on a Ffestiniog Special 18th March 1964 at Radyr MPD South Wales by John Wiltshire

No notes with this shot so if anybody knows anything about this special please comment. See link : www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/640318fr.html

www.flickr.com

details of the first trip

The Railtour Files

Without any other information then from the way the schoolboys are dressed I would have put 64 as about the latest possible date.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Landsdown Jcn, Cheltenham (just south of station) - Honeybourne line to the left. Pre May 1968 when Gloucester PSB was commissioned.

 

[30907]

Google came up with this, 11 months earlier
https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/630420fr.html
However, it doesn't fit well:
1. Paddington-Ruabon is a fair way from Cheltenham
2. Sir Felix Pole has anyway identified the location positively as Lansdown Jn.
3. the picture was taken on a schoolday, and the 1963 trip was on a Saturday.
QED.

 

[pdeaves]

My dad has been going through some of my granddad's paperwork (although I'm not sure why he's doing it now when he died 5 years ago...) and has come across this picture. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where it might be?
It's Flying Scotsman, possibly on a railtour, probably in the 1960s. Likely locations are either near Cheltenham, where my family has lived for a long time, or the Welsh valleys (where my granddad grew up), but that seems less likely.
Likely clues are the headboard, clothing of the boys on the line, the signalling and the bridge in the background.
Thanks very much for any suggestions.

That's an interesting picture. I think it would have lost a lot of merit if the photographer had rotated clockwise a little and not included the spectators. Modern day photographers take note - people in pictures are not necessarily bad!

 

[randyrippley]

Landsdown Jcn, Cheltenham (just south of station) - Honeybourne line to the left. Pre May 1968 when Gloucester PSB was commissioned.

that fits the stated route of
Retford - Sheffield Midland - Landor Street Jn - (via Camp Hill) - Bordesley Jn - King's Norton - Gloucester Central - Cardiff

 

[ABB125]

Thanks very much everyone, very interesting and helpful.

Landsdown Jcn, Cheltenham (just south of station) - Honeybourne line to the left. Pre May 1968 when Gloucester PSB was commissioned.

I did wonder about that, but I'm only familiar with the current view to the south of the station, which is completely different. I'm slightly surprised by there being a siding though.

 

[John Webb]

…..3. the picture was taken on a schoolday, and the 1963 trip was on a Saturday....

Some schools did have Saturday morning lessons!

 

[pdeaves]

Some schools did have Saturday morning lessons!

Very true. My father had Saturday morning school (Saturday seemed to be 'half day closing' for schools!).

 

[Bevan Price]

Very true. My father had Saturday morning school (Saturday seemed to be 'half day closing' for schools!).

Not necessarily a schoolday. It was not uncommon for boys to wear school caps at weekends, especially in bad weather. And school satchels also served as "butty bags", etc.

 

[30907]

Some schools did have Saturday morning lessons!

I know from experience - but even in SE21 we were in the minority!

 

[randyrippley]

Not necessarily a schoolday. It was not uncommon for boys to wear school caps at weekends, especially in bad weather. And school satchels also served as "butty bags", etc.

its a schoolday, they all have their socks pulled up

 

[DelW]

Thanks very much everyone, very interesting and helpful.

I did wonder about that, but I'm only familiar with the current view to the south of the station, which is completely different. I'm slightly surprised by there being a siding though.

Probably the photo was of the return trip, taken looking south-west, in which case the siding where the boys are standing looks like a head shunt for cattle docks (?) south of the station, as extract from 25" map from the NLS website:

 

[ABB125]

Probably the photo was of the return trip, taken looking south-west, in which case the siding where the boys are standing looks like a head shunt for cattle docks (?) south of the station, as extract from 25" map from the NLS website:
View attachment 77700

Thanks, that's interesting to know.

 

[trebor79]

What are those little posts sticking up in the middle of the track?

 

[MotCO]

then it appears likely to be 18th March 1964, though there's said to be a second trip in 1965

details of the first trip

The Railtour Files

Unless the reproduction of the photo in the OP is poor, there appears to be some snow around. There is also snow in the photos of the http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/640318fr.html webpage, which would therefore lend support to the date of 18 March 1964. A photo on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffytank/6033397392 also shows the Flying Scotsman, at 'Radyr MPD Suth Wales' (not sure where this is, on whether it is on the line of route set out in #9 above, but the weather appears better, and there is some debate as to whether the Flickr photo is 1965 or 1964.) There is also a suggestion that the train failed at Radyr, which would therefore suggest the Flickr photo was 1965 since I assume the 1964 trip went by uneventfully.