There's a one-eyed tabby called Archie who has been regularly visiting Teddington station for several years. I've seen him several times. Every so often a concerned person asks on a local website if he's lost, and gets the response that he lives locally and likes to visit the station.
Vending machines dispemsing Paynes Poppets?
There are still quite a few destination posters around on GWR in Devon and Cornwall last week many featuring "the five".
Perhaps you have not seen them because they don't stand out as much?
I remember those, they were the only place that I ever saw half pint cartons of milk.
And Virol, I loved Virol!
Who, or what was 'Virol'?
Virol was a malt extract, regarded as very nutricious for children and came in a brown, barrel shaped glass jar. When I was a kid there were orange and blue enamel advertisements, seemingly on every station, often dozens of them. I seem to remember the the side wall opposite platform 1 at Waterloo was covered in them. As I said, it was delicious.Who, or what was 'Virol'?
You can still obtain a similar generic product from chemists and some grocery superstores, described as "Malt extract with Cod liver oil".
Sounds delicious
It has a pleasant sweet taste. My two children used to lick their spoons clean. Often I would have a spoonful for old times sake.Sounds delicious
Datchet had a large free standing timber WH Smith's kiosk on the up platform. Not long after the war it was converted for use an estate agents office. The rebuild of Okehampton station in 1932 included a WH Smith's paper shop off the main building entrance hall on platform 3. The splendid refurbishment by GWR of the station 2 years ago, left the classic sales counter roller shutter in situ.
And posters bearing Bible texts, which were presumably put there by some evangelical Christian organisation. You used to see them at a lot of stations in the 1980s but it seems ages since I last saw one.
As I recall John Menzies were all over the country, not only in Scotland.
Yes....the main bookstall on the concourse at Leeds station was operated by John Menzies until the takeover of most of their retail units by W H Smith in the early 2000s.
The John Menzies at Paddington and Bristol TM used to offer an extensive range of railway books, some at remainder prices. I cherish some much loved volumes obtained from these outlets!
One features doing this on the BTF film Terminus. Perhaps major stations but certainty not most.
In earlier times there was such an apparent division, that Smith's did England and Menzies did Scotland for station bookstalls, and also for the associated national distribution of newspapers. I seem to recall it broke down when a third provider at English stations, Wymans, was taken over by Menzies.
Great photo.
What does LCR mean?
London & Continental Railways, the company that owns most of the stations and depot sites that were part of the original Eurostar plans (including regional eurostar), and used to own 40% of Eurostar itself until the sale of that stake by Cameron's government.
I doubt one can ring up the KWVR and ask them if they can transport your horse and carriage this weekend. Not that I know, without looking up the details in my stations' handbook, if any of the stations on the line offered facilities for horse and carriage transportation.
Still get these posters at Aberdeen. Don't recall seeing them anywhere else though.
I remember on the 1960s Dover to Ostend ferry that porters would come on board at arrival once the gangplank was lowered. Arrival at Ostend was impressive, with their bold and immaculate royal blue uniforms with huge gold 'Bagage' epaulets. Return to Dover and even from being a small child then I recall the scruffiest porter, crumpled grey shirt, loose tie, waistcoat open, shambolic demeanour, etc.
