It looks as though there's something happening on the Up in the early evening as there's a nasty delay to the 20.33, repeated to a lesser extent on the 21.40. You wouldn't want to be waiting for too long on the Up platform as there was no Waiting Room.

Finding this made me look for the following photos which are from the Public relations and Publicity Department of BR LMR and, although undated, are clearly the early 1960s.

Knutsford East box (1886-1996), located at the north end of the Down platform. This is where the above report was completed.

Knutsford East again.

And again. This time with 42760 passing.

Knowledge is cheap in the small world that is Google, but it does allow us to quickly find out 42760 has been immortalised in this model by Lima.

The Down platform (trains to Chester Northgate). This is where the main station building was (and most of it still is) located.

A fine view from just past the barrow crossing. I'm not sure when the water tower went. There's a 'modern' waiting room there now.

A short walk down the line brings our intrepid photographer to Knutsford West box (1899-1966).

Hoppers! A highlight of living in this part of the world was the regular limestone trains from Tunstead to the ICI works around Northwich. The loco (to be later classified as class 25) made light work of the usual 18 wagon load. At some stage I'll have a dig around for some hopper photos from later years.

This example is preserved at the Midland Railway Centre. In 2013 it was in danger of being cut up until a small consultancy read about its impending doom and got the cheque book out to have it painted. Most satisfying.

A Manchester Central bound DMU in the Up platform. There are two things worthy of note in this view. On the Up platform it is just about possible to make out the very small Booking Office. I can remember this having gas lighting. This was also where, in the 1970s, I began my ticket selling career. When my dad was on early turn, I'd catch the train an hour early from Plumley, sell the tickets for the next train (in my school uniform) and then continue on to Manchester, by then Oxford Road and the 50 bus to school. My dad was in the habit of riding on the running board to the end of the platform and then hopping off. I suspect that would be frowned upon now.

The second noteworthy feature is the Gents toilet on the Down platform. This was very handy for Drivers and amusing to watch them make the dash. The observant will have noted that punctuality was recorded on arrival and not departure. Even today these odd minutes of delay would be hard to pick up. Many years later I observed a similar (and much bigger) issue at Domain Interchange on the Melbourne tram network.

View from Adams Hill. Look at the beautiful canopy designed to keep the well-heeled folk of Cheshire dry when transferring from their carriages onto the train.

Another view from Adams Hill, this time showing us the other side of the water tower.

My dad on the Down platform, year unknown but I'd guess the late 1960s.

And, for my final tangent, behind my dad in the last photo is a glimpse of the station garden. By then it was not quite what it had been. My Great Uncle Tom started as a Porter at Knutsford in 1929 (later moving on to Hale, then Plumley, into the box at Plumley as Signalman and finally to Plumley West from where he retired). This is his 1932 plan for the flower beds at Knutsford.

The plan realised. I am guessing this is the mid to late 1930s. I think that's Uncle Tom pretending to weed the beds (weeds would never dare grow in his flower beds). Note the location of the lamp post and telegraph pole which correspond to where my dad is sitting in the earlier photo.