Station Name: BOW ROADLooking north from Bow Road bridge c1948. The awnings have been reduced in length with a short section protecting the top of the stairs and a longer section in front of the platform buildings. The brick wall at the rear of the platform, which formerly supported the awning, has also been reduced in height. The station has also been fitted with new concrete lamp standards and the glazing above the stairs has been replaced.
Photo from Alan Young collection On 10 July 1948 LNER liveried Class N7 0-6-2T No.9674 pauses at Bow Road with the 12:28 (SO) Fenchurch Street - Ilford service. Pre-nationalisation liveries and numbers remained a common sight for a few years into the British Railways era although sometimes a locomotive could be seen bearing a regional prefix to its existing number as a stopgap. The train is formed of the once familiar articulated suburban stock. New from Gorton Works in November 1927 as No.2634, she became No.9674 under the LNER's 1946 renumbering scheme. She was to wait until February 1951 when, as BR No.69674, she finally plucked up the courage to show that she worked for British Railways. Fitted new with condensing apparatus, this was removed in July 1936. She was destined to be one of the class shunted off to sheds out in 'the sticks', going to Lincoln in July 1949 and then Boston in May 1950. Her visit to Boston was brief as she returned home to Stratford the same month where she gave a further 11 years’ service, being withdrawn in June 1961. The reason that some of these locomotives were built at shops other than Stratford is interesting. High London wages had made the LNER cease building new locomotives at Stratford and the government, which was trying to relieve unemployment problems in the North, put pressure on the LNER to shift production to the North and Scotland.
Photo from JE Connor collection A view of Bow Road station from the west side of Bow Road bridge in May 1961. The stairways are clearly visible. Note the gap in the high wall at the rear of the platform. When the awnings were rationalised part of the wall was lowered as it was no longer required to support the awning.
Photo
by Ben Brooksbank
Looking south towards Fenchurch Street from the north end of the station in 1965. The platform buildings are still intact at this time although the timber from the awnings have been removed leaving only the iron framework. The stairways down to the exchange booking office are now looking very dilapidated with many of the glass panels in the roof broken.
Photo by JE Connor Looking north from the south end of Bow Road station in 1965. Compared to the stairways in the picture above at this end of the station the glazing still remains in good condition having been replaced after WW2. Note the wooden signs on the side of each stairway; they read 'PASSENGERS MUST NOT CROSS THE LINE HERE'. Note the concrete lamp standards that still look as new; however, the electric light fittings have been removed.
Photo by JE Connor The down platform at Bow Road in 1965. The timber-fronted waiting rooms are still intact. The brick building is the gents' toilet; it still retains an enamel sign above the door. The signal box, which was abolished in 1935, adjoined the gents' toilet block.
Photo by JE Connor The timber-fronted waiting rooms and offices on the up platform at Bow Road are seen in 1965.
Photo
by JE Connor
The stairway at the south end of the down platform at Bow Road station in 1966. At the bottom of the stairs a subway led to the rear of the booking office. A 'Way Out' sign is seen suspended below the canopy. Although the short section of canopy has now gone the structure remains intact today.
Photo by JE Connor Demolition of the up side buildings at Bow Road station is underway in on 28 October 1967. Demolition of the down platform building began the previous week and has almost been completed.
Photo by JE Connor Bow Road station looking north towards Stratford from the south end of the down platform in 1970. The recess in the wall on the left indicates the site of the platform building. A new brick building has appeared on the up platform. Its purpose is unknown; a recent photo shows the door open to it is presumably now out of use.
Photo by Nick Catford Looking south from the down platform at Bow Road station in 1970. Apart of the removal of edge stones the platforms remain largely intact. The photographer is standing at the site of the platform building. The building on the up platform was offset by a few yards.
Photo by Nick Catford Bow Road station looking north towards Stratford from the south end of the down platform in 1970. Photo by Nick Catford Click here for Bow Road Station Gallery 3: [Source: Nick Catford]
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