IT turns out readers of Timeout might be secret train detectives judging by the responses to recent pictures of locomotives.

One picture published in our launch edition of Timeout on July 14 showed a group of men standing in front of a steam engine in Brighton.

A woman called Pam emailed us to say the man standing at the front, sixth from the left, is her uncle Jack Spenser. She said: "He was an engineer at Brighton Railway Works, building, repairing and servicing steam engines. He died in 1996, aged 90."

Mick Parker of Hove said the train itself was "Standard Class 5 Tank Engine No 80154" - the very last steam locomotive built at Brighton Works in 1957.

He said: "The absence of any overalls or caps suggests these are managers/drawing office staff."

Stuart Avis wrote to agree that it was the last engine built at Brighton Works. Due to the image quality he is not sure if his grandfather is in the picture.

There have been mixed correspondences over whether the engine resides at The Bluebell Railway to this day.

Another image published in Timeout on July 21 drew a response from Mr Hole of Newhaven, who wrote in to say that the people pictured at Brighton Station were were possibly "dwarves" as the archive caption suggested.

Mr Hole said: "I feel sure the photo is of Willy Pantzer's troop of performing midgets, perhaps on their original arrival at Brighton Station to take residence at their Withdean home, later to be renamed Pantzer Mansions.

"The tall gentleman I think would have been part of the act, with Pantzer himself to his immediate right."

We have dug out a few more train images the eagle-eyed amongst you might be able to help out with.

The portrait shot might be hard to pin down; we're guessing if anyone recognises the seven bright-eyed scouts in this picture they might be able to tell us where this was and when it was taken.

Get in touch by emailing timeout@theargus.co.uk