The Way We Were
Marylebone, London, 1985
Areas around railway stations aren’t often the most salubrious of locations, and that was especially true of the major London termini. It’s only recently that the surroundings of King’s Cross and St Pancras have been tidied up and gentrified, so while they’re more pleasant in general nowadays, there was always something quite fascinating in the faded splendour and mouldering decay of the places beyond the platforms.
These northern reaches of Marylebone Station are a case in point. We’re overlooking Paveley Street, from one of the blocks of flats bordering it, and the overall atmosphere is of functional decrepitude – the grimy-looking railway buildings, the road in a state of disrepair, and the vehicles that are mostly well-past their best before date. It’s a far cry from the more glamorous parts of the capital, personified by the Telecom Tower (as it was then) looming over everything in the hazy distance.
Just peeking in on the left is a Ford Escort MkI or MkII van, but our attention is rather more taken by the first generation Toyota HiAce next door. The H10 series ran from 1967 to 1977, and in camper van form – as here, judging by the curtain in the side window – they were known as HiAce Commercials. The engine configuration, under the cab but also projecting up between the front passengers, helped to maximise space, but they didn’t fare that well in north European climates and rust claimed most after relatively short lives.
Moving on and… well, we’re really not sure what the tiny van next door is. The diminutive proportions suggest a Japanese Kei truck of some description or, even more likely, an Italian threewheeler such as a Piaggio Ape. If you recognise it, let us know – whether we’re right or wrong.
There’s no mistaking the Triumph next door, one of the smaller ‘Project Ajax’ cars in front-wheel drive 1500 form. That it has black numberplates suggests an early car from the 19701973 production run.
There are diesels lurking in the railway sheds and another on the road, in the shape of a yellow Ford Transit MkI. Its prominent proboscis was necessary to accommodate the bulky 1.7-litre Perkins engine that packed a lethargic 43bhp. It’s attracted a similar-coloured Škoda Estelle for company.
The sludge-brown Ford Escort MkI being used for learner driver duties looks very tired and seems to have a crumpled nearside front wing. That practice day didn’t go well, then… Alongside is a Ford Cortina MkIV and then one of the best load-luggers this side of a Volvo – a Peugeot 504 estate, which could accommodate seven people in three rows in Familiale spec.
Speaking of Volvos, that’s a 140 saloon beyond the VW Type 2 ‘Bay Window’ bus. The horizontal rear lights and chunky bumpers signify one of the last examples, debuting some of the features that appeared on its 240 replacement.
Next door is a maroon Rover P6 Series 2 in four-cylinder form, which, to judge by its replacement white rear passenger door, is either an ongoing restoration project, or not too long for this world. What was effectively its Italian equivalent, a Fiat 132, is next; the big plastic bumpers signifying the final 1977-1981 incarnation.
From Europe, it’s then off to Japan, with Toyota’s Ford Mustang-wannabe – a first-generation Celica, cosying up to a considerably less exciting Datsun Sunny B310 two-door saloon. A Ford Consul or Granada MkI occupies the last parking spot.
Visit this scene today and new apartments occupy some of the railway land and the sheds and signal box have gone. But the pre-fab concrete wall remains. Probably unlike any of the vehicles nudging up against it in 1985…