60 Years ago - the 62-63 Winter

[70014IronDuke]

It's suddenly struck me that 60 years ago yesterday, Boxing Day 1962, my brother and I caught a 2-car EMU (60XX series) from Headcorn to Charing Cross.

It was under leaden skies, and at Tonbridge, which still had a handful of steam locos on shed visible in the fast-fading light, the snow began to fall.

It had, of course, begun falling in Scotland and the north of England a few days earlier, but this for me, was the beginning of the Long, harsh winter of freezing pipes and, seemingly, endless snow.

And tough weeks ahead for the railways in many areas.

 

[D6130]

I have referred to this in other threads, but the excellent 1963 British Transport Film "Snow" is very evocative of that long, harsh winter....as well as showcasing some of the latest 'techno' music of that era. Sorry, I can't do a link, but it's available on YouTube. I missed it all because my father was in the forces at that time and we flew out to Malta in early December 1962 for a two-and-a-half year stint.

 

[Magdalia]

It's suddenly struck me that 60 years ago yesterday, Boxing Day 1962, my brother and I caught a 2-car EMU (60XX series) from Headcorn to Charing Cross.

It was under leaden skies, and at Tonbridge, which still had a handful of steam locos on shed visible in the fast-fading light, the snow began to fall.

It had, of course, begun falling in Scotland and the north of England a few days earlier, but this for me, was the beginning of the Long, harsh winter of freezing pipes and, seemingly, endless snow.

And tough weeks ahead for the railways in many areas.

Thanks for starting this off. I was very young then, and my main memory is not railway related, but I'm hoping that there are more people here who will be able to share their railway experiences and memories.

I have referred to this in other threads, but the excellent 1963 British Transport Film "Snow" is very evocative of that long, harsh winter....as well as showcasing some of the latest 'techno' music of that era. Sorry, I can't do a link, but it's available on YouTube. I missed it all because my father was in the forces at that time and we flew out to Malta in early December 1962 for a two-and-a-half year stint.

The thread is here:

Freezing weather on the way

Today just a bog standard winter's day. We used to have weeks of this in the past without the need for the press to comment.

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The BFI film is at #55 and the BBC documentary, recently repeated on BBC4, is at #51.

 

[R Martin]

I recall as an electrician at Willesden MPD being called out with a fitter to Brent north end near to Wembley Central to a failed type 1(Type 20). The fitter found out that the fuel Line had "Waxed out" ( Low temperature of Gas Oil fuel. I Never been so cold in my life!

 

[341o2]

The Launceston branch closed on 31 December 1962, but the trains were not recovered until some days later
Meanwhile, several locomotives battled snowdrifts on the Exeter - Plymouth via Okehampton line near Prewley Moor summit

 

[coppercapped]

I started at Uni in London in the autumn of 1962 and went home to Reading for Christmas. It started snowing, as @70014IronDuke wrote, on Boxing Day and there was quite a lot on the ground when my father drove me back to the station on either the 4th or 5th January as the Spring Term started on the 7th, the Monday.

The college hall of residence was on Clapham Common; to get there I took the Circle to Sloane Square and caught, IIRC, the 137 bus. My memories of the journey was that it was COLD, there was ice hanging off the coaches as the train arrived in Reading and with snow packed between their ends, there was almost no road traffic in London and the city was CLEAN and white. To realise what a surprise this was it's necessary to appreciate that London at the time was filthy, all the buildings were covered in soot from innumerable coal fires over a period of a century and more and the cleaning and repainting that became possible after the Clean Air Acts had not yet started.

It was much too cold for me to hang my head out of a drop light between Reading and Paddington as I usually did but the loco was either a Hall or a Castle and started with the typical Great Western bark. The bus had no heating, it not being a Routemaster...I'm still glad it was only a fifteen minute journey.

There was an almost continual display of blue flashes across the sky for the next weeks as the Southern Electrics struggled with iced conductor rails - the long dark evenings made them easy to see as Clapham Junction was only a mile or so away. Wrath of the Gods!

The snow was still lying on Clapham Common when I went home for the Easter holidays - except by now it was black icy slabs.

They don't make winters like they used to.

 

[Harvester]

One recollection I have is the number of occasions the school heating packed in. This resulted in cancelled lessons in the freezing conditions, and being sent home for the day, sometimes as early as mid-morning.

Home was near the Durham Coast line so an added bonus was to observe the steam hauled substitutes on the recently dieselised passenger, parcels and freight traffic. Pacifics, V2s and B1s became an abundant sight again for a few months, but then diesel availability improved with the March thaw and normality returned.

 

[John Webb]

I was in the 'Lower Sixth form' having done my 'O' levels in mid-1962. Buses were reasonably normal to get to school by the end of the Christmas holiday, the main roads (in SE London) having been cleared relatively quickly. But when not at school I tended to use my cycle to get around, and that was very unpleasent off the main roads; sometimes it was quicker and less hazardous to walk!
Curiously the then LCC had experimented that year with allowing sixth-formers from several schools to try out ice-skating as an alternative sport to the more usual games, travelling to Streatham Ice Rink once a week for a couple of hours. Unfortunately SE London doesn't have much in the way of outdoor ponds/lakes where we could skate out of doors despite the low temperatures that persisted for so long.
I can recall rubbish stacking up as the bin-men were delayed doing their rounds. Likewise delays to other home deliveries, particularly the local coalman. (I think we used the old 4-wheeled 'go-cart' to bring back coal bags from the local shops.)

 

[Taunton]

The snow started on Boxing Day afternoon in the north as well - we were visiting in The Wirral, and it came down considerably for the rest of the day, and on.

Just across Cheshire, there was a serious accident on the WCML into that evening, where various points and telephones had failed. We have discussed this before, here :

Coppenhall Junction accident 26th December 1962

It was of course at the start of the severe winter of 1962/3, and happened on Boxing Day 1962. This has just jogged my memory, because I can recall that Boxing Day 1962, when we were visiting from Somerset to The Wirral, not too far across Cheshire from Coppenhall, and after a very deep frozen...

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[Ploughman]

I posted this back in 2018. Worth another look.

The General Managers Report

With regard to the current weather conditions, thought this may be of interest. Not to far away date wise either. THE GENERAL MANAGERS REPORT This was an event that took place during wartime conditions in the North East of the UK. It is a verbatim copy of the report by Jenkin Jones. Mr...

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