Thanks all for the kind words.
As I discover more of such TOC-StA photos I shall post them. I already have some of a few other notable courses, eg ANGC, Dornoch, N Berwick, Pebble Beach etc and will put them on separate threads when time permits. Some have already been posted on other threads, eg those raised by Duncan about Cavendish and Bury.
The business about the level of summer-winter etc play has long puzzled me too although when I started looking at old photos like some of these I noticed that in many of the photos folks are wearing more summery weather clothes, their certainly not bundled-up in multiple layers with woolly hats and thick gloves etc. I'm sure there's someone posting herein who has a good answer though.
The StA train yards and sheds seem to have covered quite a significant area, more so for only being a relatively small branch line. Guess this shows how important the railways were in times now well past. Although I can't recall at the moment where I saw it I have recently seen a map/diagram of old-TOC where the lines of play are indicated and the diagram shows players playing parallel to the wall from the 17th tee not over the corner/sheds. It would be a guttie era diagram I saw though.
Below is another photo that I omitted from my original post.
atb
