This is the title of a lovely 26 page A4 size biographical gazeteer issued 
by the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery.  It contains details of eighty 
persons connected with railways who are buried in the cemetery, with many 
fascinating illustrations of their works or of their memorials. They range 
from such famous engineers as the Brunels,  to Walter Peart and Henry Dean, 
a driver and fireman who, after a boiler explosion, brought their train to a 
safe stop despite being so badly scalded that they died the next day.
Altogether a fascinating bit of railway history.
The cemetery is just across the canal from Old Oak Common and is a lovely 
peaceful place - well worth a visit.

Jim Hawkins

Jim Hawkins wrote:


> The cemetery is just across the canal from Old Oak Common and is a lovely
> peaceful place - well worth a visit.
>
> Jim Hawkins


"For there is good news yet to hear and
fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal
Green."

Sorry, I can't remember where the quote comes from.

I haven't been to Kensal Green, but all the old, large, London
cemeteries, Norwood, Abney park, Highgate, Nunhead are worth a visit,
and of course, a bit further out there's Brookwood.  Julian Litton has
written some interesting stuff about old cemeteries.

Jim Hawkins wrote:


> The cemetery is just across the canal from Old Oak Common and is a lovely
> peaceful place - well worth a visit.
>
> Jim Hawkins


"For there is good news yet to hear and
fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal
Green."

Sorry, I can't remember where the quote comes from.

I haven't been to Kensal Green, but all the old, large, London
cemeteries, Norwood, Abney park, Highgate, Nunhead are worth a visit,
and of course, a bit further out there's Brookwood.  Julian Litton has
written some interesting stuff about old cemeteries.

Stephen Furley wrote of the quotation:

> "For there is good news yet to hear and
> fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal
> Green."
>
> Sorry, I can't remember where the quote comes from.



It's G.K. Chesterton - "The Rolling English Road".
<quote>
Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire;
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread
The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head.

I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire,
And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire;
But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed
To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands.

His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
The night we went to Bannockburn by way of Brighton Pier.

My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage,
Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age,
But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth,
And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death;
For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen,
Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.
</quote>

Chesterton is not buried at Kensal Green, but in the RC cemetary at 
Beaconsfield,

-- 
DB.

I (DB.) wrote:

> Chesterton is not buried at Kensal Green, but in the RC cemetary at
> Beaconsfield.



    Oops! it's "cemetery", of course.
    When was it last possible to send coffined remains by rail?  I seem 
to remember seeing special trolleys for coffins at some larger railway 
stations.
    It seems that special trains to Brookwood Cemetery were discontinued 
in April 1941 after its private station (near Waterloo, opened 13 Nov. 
1854) was bombed.

-- 
DB.

Churchill went by rail (30th January 1965), but of course that was a
special case.  I would think that it probably stopped in the early
'60s, when staffing at stations was being reduced, so staff were simply
not available to handle things like coffins.  I seem to remember this
subject coming up before in the not too distant past, though I can't
remember what the conclusion was.  I do remember seeing large piles of
boxes of racing pidgeons on station platforms as late as the late '60s;
I'm surprised that traffic lasted as long as it did.

I'm aware of three coffin trolleys still in existance:  one was kept on
one of the platforms at Paddington station until not so long ago,
ten-fifteen years maybe, but was long disused of course.  This one went
to Didcot Railway Centre, it was in the museum at one time, but the
last time I saw it was in one of the stores along the side of the
engine shed.  The Bluebell Railway has a glass-sided one at Horsted
Keynes, complete with coffin!  The last time I saw this it was in one
of he newly-reconstructed buildings on the island platform on the West
side of the station.  It was previously on the other platform, near the
Gents.  The third one is at the NRM, in the building across the road
from the main hall.  Of course, there was also one seen in use at
Waterloo in the BTF production 'Terminus', in 1961.  I don't know if
this was a real funeral, or if it was staged for the cameras.

"Stephen Furley"  wrote in message
news:1121884935.033926.81160@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> Churchill went by rail (30th January 1965), but of course that was a
> special case.  I would think that it probably stopped in the early
> '60s, when staffing at stations was being reduced, so staff were simply
> not available to handle things like coffins.


A slightly later example was the funeral of the Earl of Cork and Orrery in
1967, when the coffin, and some of the mourners, travelled by train from
Paddington to Bristol. IIRC an extra van (BG?) was added to the train to
carry the coffin.

Rather earlier, C J Gaammell, in 'Southern Branch Lines 1955-1965' reported
that once, at Cranbrook on the Hawkhurst branch, he as the sole passenger
had to help the porter unload a coffin, as the branch line was worked
without guards.

Peter

"Stephen Furley"  wrote in message 
news:1121884935.033926.81160@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> Churchill went by rail (30th January 1965), but of course that was a
> special case.  I would think that it probably stopped in the early
> '60s, when staffing at stations was being reduced, so staff were simply
> not available to handle things like coffins.  I seem to remember this
> subject coming up before in the not too distant past, though I can't
> remember what the conclusion was.  I do remember seeing large piles of
> boxes of racing pidgeons on station platforms as late as the late '60s;
> I'm surprised that traffic lasted as long as it did.
>
> I'm aware of three coffin trolleys still in existance:  one was kept on
> one of the platforms at Paddington station until not so long ago,
> ten-fifteen years maybe, but was long disused of course.  This one went
> to Didcot Railway Centre, it was in the museum at one time, but the
> last time I saw it was in one of the stores along the side of the
> engine shed.  The Bluebell Railway has a glass-sided one at Horsted
> Keynes, complete with coffin!  The last time I saw this it was in one
> of he newly-reconstructed buildings on the island platform on the West
> side of the station.  It was previously on the other platform, near the
> Gents.  The third one is at the NRM, in the building across the road
> from the main hall.  Of course, there was also one seen in use at
> Waterloo in the BTF production 'Terminus', in 1961.  I don't know if
> this was a real funeral, or if it was staged for the cameras.
>

I believe a recent railway union leader made his final journey from Euston 
to Scotland by train within the last couple of years.
Brian