Bricklayers Arms - memories

[Big Jumby 74]

Reading nw1's 2-car services thread, reminded me of a short period involved in diagramming 2 car 456's on the SLL many years ago, which in turn brought back memories of 'B-Arms' (or Bricklayers Arms in full). Co-incidentally my last visit down there after finishing early turn one day, was on 3rd March (1978). By then the yard was some what overgrown, but was full of vans, most numerous being the BR 94xxx CCT's, ex SR vans of type B, BY, CCT and PMV also being prominent. Two '350's were present in the forms of 08653 and 09010, but possibly of more interest in the historical sense were two steam cranes, DS 416 and DS 1723.

Anyone else remember the place?

 

[Jim Jehosofat]

We used to call it the penal colony. If you had done something bad BR wouldn't sack you, but instead send you the Brick to sort parcels.

 

[Dr Hoo]

The Brick had an important function in allowing freight trains from the South Eastern Division to reach Norwood Yard on the Central Division before the Pouparts Junction area was re-modelled around 1980. You had to run round/reverse there, of course. There were separate historical SE&CR and LB&SCR goods depots at Bricklayers Arms and Willow Walk respectively. I never went there myself but trains did run to/from Hoo Junction that way.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

In the early 1980s I lived south of the Thames for a while and regularly used to explore on my bicycle. I knew nothing about the Brick until I came across it by accident. It looked absolutely grim! But having found it I started looking out for it any time I was on trains passing by but given the mainlines were well above the Brick it was always difficult to see much. What amazed me was how long the remains lasted after final closure. It's been a long while since I was last down that way: I presume the final vestiges were swept away by the Bermondsey dive-under built as part of the final Thameslink upgrade?

 

[Tony73E]

Part of the viaduct from North Kent West Junction down to B Arms is still intact complete with some track left in situ. My dad was a Fireman at Faversham and he often got sent on loan to both B Arms and Stew Lane - never Bricklayers Arms or Stewarts Lane!

 

[Big Jumby 74]

B Arms and Stew Lane - never Bricklayers Arms or Stewarts Lane!

Yes, quite so. As with much on the railway localised abbreviations were often used, both verbal and written. Being quite close to Stewarts Lane for a time, we would sometimes get out of course light engines or trains destined for same, and after receiving a description (mag' describers) a follow up phone call would be received from the previous box with an explanation, such as simply...."light loco for the Lane chaps"...enough said, that was all that we needed to know.

Thank you all for your comments.