BackTrack Volume 19 (2005)
Published by Pendragon, Easingwold, YO61 3YS
| Index page | January | February | March | April | May | June | |
| Previous volume | July | August | September | October | November | December | Next Volume |
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time —
and a chance to board the gravy train. Michael Blakemore. 3.
Competition (quiz) for Steam Dreams tickets: mainline steam wine &
dine train hauled by West Country Pacific Bodmin: winners of such
tickets who use steamindex.com to accomplish this wonderful prize are expected
to purchase a dog ticket for KPJ who will supply [un]suitable pooch to enhance
their trip. [Actually a sort of Editorial]
Around Tebay and Oxenholme, Brian Magilton (phot.)
4-5.
Colour photo-feature: 44674 stopping? at Tebay for a banker with
Manchester to Glasgow express in July 1967; former Crosti-boiler 9F 92029
in unkempt condition on up freight in August 1967; class 47 D1806 on up express
freight at Oxenholme in May 1967; class 4 4-6-0 75026 banking freight from
Oxenholmme to Grayrigg in June 1967; Britannia 70016 on Dillicar troughs
with up freight in August 1966; 70045 passing Oxenholme on down parcels train
in May 1967.
The Harwich Branch before electrification. Alistair
Nisbet, 6-7.
One has to say that this is a somewhat odd feature which includes
both the Eastern Union Railway and the quaint "One" coupled with some colour
photographs taken on typical summer's days: class 37 on down Harwich boat
train passing EMU at Colchester on 30 August 1979 (when sun was shining);
class 100 DMU calling at misty Mistley in August 1977; wagons boarding
Sealink Vanguard on 27 December 1986 and 37 060 pasiing Wrabness on 5 August
1982.
Somerset in the 1960s. John Crosse. 8-16.
Lineside observations during the transition from steam to diesel.
Observations were made from a bridge where Summer Lane crossed the Bristol
to Taunton mainline just north of the Weston-super-Mare loop,. Observations
were made at all times of year, not only in summer. A great variety
of motive power was seen: both steam and diesel. The black & white
illustrations are not directly related to the observations reported but merely
show what might have passed by at other points on their jouneys. Feeling
idle these can await the attention of Bob Farmer at the end of 2005.
See also letter from J.F. Ward (page 188) whose journey
on 21 July 1962 was influenced by a Hymek failure not far from the observation
point, a subsequent rescue by 6841 and a fine run from Bristol to Pontypool
Road behind 4937..
Southern Railway electric locomotives. D.W. Winkworth.
17-22.
Mainly concerns the three Raworth/Bulleid booster electric locomotives
Nos. CC1, CC2 and 20003. Include durties performed, failures in traffic.
There is also some information on proposals which failed to reach fruition,
including an 0-8-0 electric shunting locomotive: one's thoughts turn towards
Webb's blackly humouroud comments on such locomotives, although one must
presume that such machines would have been restriced to yards with overhead
wiring, and for a slightly smaller 1-C-1 booster-type locomotive, and for
a 2-C-2 type due to the Civil Engineer's distrust of pony trucks. Even more
interesting was a proposal to convert the LBSCR motor luggage vans into
electro-diesel locomotives and Raworth made contact with several potential
suppliers of diesel engine, including Beardmore, Armstrong Whitworth and
Metropolitan-Vickers, but without success and the machines were demoted to
being rather grand freight brake vans. The LSWR shunters at Waterloo (for
the Drain) and Durnsford Road power station are briefly considered.. See
also letters from T.H.J. Dethridge on page 188 which
mentions the gas detector on CC1 visible in illus. on pages 18 and 19; the
boards fitted on the cab ends to show SOUTHERN twice with an electric flash
in between; workings from Brighton to Fratton with the through train to Plymouth
from 6 January 1964 and Royal Train workings. Peter J.
Townsend notes that the 'Hornbys' were not withdrawn until 1973/4.
"Dreadful disaster on the Buckinghamshire Railway at
Bicester. Alistair F. Nisbet. 23-7.
Derailment on 6 September 1851 of excursion train hauled by "six-wheeler"
No. 149 (which may have been a Jones & Potts 4-2-0 if interpretation
of Jack has been correct). Jury at the inquest did not find driver guilty
of any misdemenour and true cause of derailment at ponts enetering crossing
loop was not established. Author does not spare reader all sorts of gore.
Illus are of far more recent scenes at Bicester.
At York again. 28-30.
Colour photo-feature: A3 60081 Shotover (double chimney, no
smoke deflectors) having arrived from North at south end of Platform 8 in
June 1961 (Malcolm Thompson); A1 60152 Holyrood on York mpd on 3 April
1965 (Gavin Morrison); A3 60112 St Simon (double chimney, small smoke
deflectors) departing on up express on 16 June 1962; A4 60020
Guillemot (single chimney) on up express in March 1957 (caught in
setting sun thus atmospheric)(W. Oliver); A3 60078 Night Hawk (double
chimney no smoke deflectors and filthy) on up parcels in June 1961 (Malcolm
Thompson); A1 60126 Sir Vincent Raven crossing Waterworks Crossing
in August 1957 with sanders on and hauling train first vehicle of which is
in carmine & cream (also note old teak liveried vehicle behind); B16/2
61435 on freight on avoiding line on 16 June 1962 (Gavin Morrison).
Gloucester sunshine. Bruce Oliver (phot.). 31.
Colour photo-feature: all date from 22 June 1964 and were taken at
Gloucester Central Station: 51XX No. 4100 and Hymek diesel-hydraulic No.
D7000; 43XX No. 6349 on up freight and 1472 on Chalford auto train.
Impeccable 'Manors'. 32-5.
Colour photo-feature: Lydham Manor at Ruabon waiting to work
special towards Barmouth Junction in September 1963 (David Penney); 7810
Draycott Manor at Aberystwyth having arrived on Cambrian Coast
Express in August 1963 (DP); 7820 Dinmore Manor passing Great
Hanwood on up stopping train in September 1964 (DP); 7819 Hinton Manor
and 7822 Foxcote Manor on empty carriages of Royal Train at Towyn
on 10 August 1963 (DP); 7823 Hook Norton Manor (plain black - remainder
all lined green) at Plymouth Laira on 15 July 1956 (R.C. Riley); 7813
Freshford Manor near Betchworth on Redhill to Reading train on 18
March 1964 (David Idle); 7809 Childrey Manor at Aller Junction on
18 July 1958 (RCR); 7822 Lydham Manor outside Swindon Works on 16
April 1959 (RCR).
Horwich and the Labour Dispute of 1911. Jeffrey Wells.
36-41.
A national strike of railwaymen lasted for three days in August 1911,
but the dispute at Horwich lasted for nine weeks and led to great hardship
for the workforce and great bitterness, especially towards the foremen -
the management, people like George Hughes and O'Brien appear to have adopted
profile and avoided confrontation with the strikers. Wells gives indications
of the financial consequences; the cost to the trades unions, the size of
the local Distress Funds, and the savings which the LYR made in wages.
Life on the length 1948-1952: Part Three". Reg Robertson.
42-5.
Part 1 See Vol. 18 page 399;
Part 2 page 588: First published in the Great
Eastern Railway Society Journal: this final part included lineside
maintenance, such as keeping the grass cut using scythes and sickles. Sunday
work usually involved track relaying using the traditional methods with crowbars
and muscle power.
The Drummond age - Part Three. Michael Rutherford (Railway
reflections No.108). 46-53.
Some of this part is given over to the development of Glasgow as an
industrial centre (the Author claims that he was not able to trace a major
study on this topic). This precedes an account of Drummond's contribution
to locomotive development on the Caledonian Railway and his very considerable
financial rewards for this. Rutherford rightly considers this period to have
been the zenith of Drummond's career. Drummond's failed Australian venture
and his unrewarding experience as an independent locomotive manufacturer
in Glasgow are but lightly sketched.. This last was the
subject of an informative letter (p. 317) from Darryl Grant in Australia
who gives details of Drummond's abhortive Austrial adventure, his
contribution to Australian locomotive design via William Thow's P class 4-6-0s
and the involvement of Sir Saul Samuel, the Agent-General for the New South
Wales Government in London
Focus on Banbury. Jack Hodgkinson (phot.).
54-5.
Black & white photo-feature: Modified Hall 7912 Little Linford
Hall on Newcastle to Bornemouth through train on 29 August 1964; 6855
Saighton Grange on Wolverhampton to Eastbourne through train on 24
August 1964; 92312 on coal train passses Sotham Raod & Harbury on 31
October 1964; 4151 on southbouind freight nerar Southham Road & Harbury
on 15 August 1964; 7012 Barry Castle on Ramsgate train in Harbury
cutting on 15 August; and 45641 Sandwich on express freight on 29
August 1964.
The LBSCR armoured train. Niall Ferguson. 56.
In 1894 Captain F.G. Stone of the Royal Artillery suggetsed that the
London Brighton & South Coast Railway should build an armoured train
to patrol the Sussex coast using a 40lb breech-loading Armstrong gun (one
had been used in this way at the sige of Alexandria in 1882
(see Backtrack 16 page 342). The
idea came to fruition through the financial contribution made by the unit's
Voluntary Colonel General Goldsmid and Colonel Gervaise Boxall. The unit
was hauled to a location east of Newhaven by D3 class 0-4-4T No. 363
Goldsmid where shots were fired out to sea. It later appeared at miliatry
manoeuvres at Sheffield Park and in October 1898 patrolled the coast when
relationships with the French had reached a nadir point. The illustration
shows the train hauled by Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Bradford owned by
the Newhaven Harbour Company.
Wet wet wet. [trains coping with flooded tracks prior to
Notwork Rail]. 57.
Black & white photo-feature: LNER D7 4-4-0 No. 5707 arrives at
flooded Barby Dun station and D20 No. 2016 on express wades through junction
at Stainforth & Hatfield producing quite a wake.
Weymouth Harbour. 58.
Colour photo-feature:diesel locomotives D2397 passing Ship Inn on
Custom House Quay on 22 September 1962 (J.S. Gilks) and D2398 running along
Westham Road with boat train on 12 May 1966 (Derek Young)
Signalling Spotlight. Richard D. Foster and Stephen Dent
(phot.). 59.
Colour photo-feature: North Eastern Railway signal boxes at Cox Green
wth North Eastern Region lfting barriers and slender, tubular signal posts
and at Hylton with gated level crossing and bracket signal
Readers' Forum. 60.
The 'Devon Belle'. Bryan Gibson.
See feature by Keith Hill (page 646 Vol. 18):
writer had travelled to Tavistock on the luxury train in those bleak post
WW2 days.
The 'Devon Belle'. Charles Long.
See feature by Keith Hill (page 646 Vol. 18):
wuite a blistering critiicism for failing to comprehend what conditions were
like in the immediate Post World War II were like, suggesting that "up to
fourteen well-filled Pullman cars suggests to me that someone must have been
doing something right at the time." Also give further information
on the ancestry of the observation cars and on the Torquay
Pullman.
The Caledonian mail train crash. John Macnab.
See Vol. 18 page 666: A diversion: Colliston
branch was used for rolling stock storage in 1961/2.
East of Eastbourne, west of Waterloo. Mick
Nicholson.
See Volume 18 page 630 for
means of resetting points & signals when train has been incorrectly routed
through a junction.
'Dean Goods'. John Daniels.
See Vol. 18 page 670: No.
2579 was tested against LMS class 2 2-6-0 and completely out-steamed the
modern locomotive.
Backtrack Index. Bob Farmer.
Bob Farmer's index on Excel: see also letter from
Mick Field on page 380.
Book Reviews. 61.
The East Kent Railway. M. Larsen Finch and S.R. Garrett. Oakwood
Press. TJE *****
"excellently produced" but what does the reviewer mean by "How does
Jane do it" or is Tarzan in the Oakwood?
The Furness Railway in and around Barrow. Michael Andrews.
Cumbrian Railway Association. TJE *****
Highly recommended. Began as a dissertation for a London University
course and a copy was stored in Barrow Reference Library for forty five years
before publication.
The Wrington Vale Light Railway. Colin G. Maggs. Oakwood
Press. TJE *****
Notes two errors: alternative used instead of alternate, and the probable
incorrect seating capacities for the rolling stock. One might question the
celestial rating.
Robert Stephenson - the eminent engineer. Ashgate. RH *****
Notes that mechanical engineering is limited to some fifty pages:
for further information about this
book see the Stephenson web-page: sadly the bibliographical |Brecklands
(Norfolk County Library) does not have a copy of this seminal work and the
price is well beyond KPJ. No wonder the local football team is heading for
the fourth division. By the way, surely deserves six stars even though it
has not been seen by verb sap himself.
The Clogher Valley Railway. E.M. Patterson with additional
material by Norman Johnston. Colourpoint. DWM *****
"splendid book, written with authority, style and humour and updated
with symapthy and feeling": what a wonderful piece of writing by the reviewer
who deserves a special star for himself.
Seasonal shivering in Surrey. David Idle. rear
cover.
7829 Ramsbury Manor near Wanborough on Redhill to Reading train on
28 December 1964.
If a picture paints a thousand words. Michael Blakemore.
67.
Editorial the value of high quality illustrations, especially when
accompanied by extended captions [but see no further than page 96 to see
the unmentioned LNER and GWR corridor stock painted carmine cream both of
which had doors to every compartment (where the early bird Dick Riley certainly
caught some interesting worms before they vanished: some captions could still
be improved).
In and out of Leeds. Joe Richardson (phot.). 68-9.
Colour photo-feature: Jubilee 45647 Sturdee climbing Farnley Bank
on Stephenson Locomotive Society special on 12 July 1964; 45424 passing Farnley
Junction on a relief train in 1965; 73158 on return football special to
Manchester in 1965; 70049 passing Holbeck Low Level on freight "from" Carlisle
in July 1967 (see letter from Paul Chadwick on p. 188:
to Carlisle, not from); Farnley Junction shed with just three class 5s
but showing enginemen's barracks very clearly; 44853 passing Kirkstall Forge
on freight in 1965.
Brighton's Belle Époque. Keith Hill. 70-9.
Pullman train services to Brighton started by the LBSCR in a small
way in 1875 with a brief trial of car Jupiter, followed in 1881 with
the Pullman Limited Express.: The name Southern Belle was adopted
appears to have been adopted in November 1908 when the all-Pullman service
was run daily (previously the Pullman only service had been limited to Sundays).
The name changed to Brighton Belle after the EMU service was introduced.
There are several gushing quotations from contemporary literature and a note
is made of one or two especially fast journeys, notably one in July 1903
when a Billinton B2 (BA class according to Evetts see
below) class 4-4-0 No. 70 Holyrood completed the journey in just under
49 minutes. The service (EMU) ran for the last time on 30 April 1972. Illus.:
colour: 5-BEL set No. 3052 leaving Victoria in March 1967 with BOAC building
behind (G.S. Cocks); same unit passing Clapham Junction in September 1963
(J.C. Dewing) (both units in proper umber & cream); Unit 3051 in corporate
livery at Victoria and at Brighton in August 1970 (T.J. Edgington). B&w:
J1 4-6-2T No. B325 passing Merstham on down Southern Belle c1925 (Bernard
Whicher); LBSCR H1 No. 39 on the Quarry Line near Hooley c1922; H2 B426 St
Alban's Head near Merstham in April 1926 (F.R. Hebron); E796 Sir Dodinas
le Savage near Merstham in summer of 1929; L class 4-6-4T B328 under
the wires near Coulsdon c1926 (Bernard Whicher); King Arthur No. 793 Sir
Ontzlake at Victoria on 1 November 1929 with special to mark 21st anniversary
of Southern Belle; 5-BEL 3051 in pristine glory on 1 January 1933
with L12 No. 424 alongside (C.R. Gordon Stuart); 3052 passing Wandsworth
Common on 15 November 1964 (Brian Stephenson); and in corporate livery
approaching Clapham Junction (BS). See very long letter by
Charles Long (No. 4 page 252) which corrects many errors,
notably Mars, not Jupiter, was the car used on trial, the exact
nature of the service operated on Sundays, the use of non-Pullman vehicles
within formations, the provision of second class Pullman cars, electric lighting
(and the provision of back-up oil/gas lighting), the base for the electric
train sets at Brighton; liveries, and the financial involvement of Davison
Dalziel; letter from Philip Evetts which
notes that Gladstone type was an 0-4-2 type not a 2-4-0, the use of
the I3 class 4-4-2Ts on the service, questions the use of the River class
on this service, and the six-wheel tenders on the King Arthurs was due to
restricted turnatble length, not weight: this last is reinforced in letter
from Roger Merry-Price who adds that tank engines were
also turned for this service and did not work bunker-first.
Wartime in the West. Part Two. Colin G. Maggs. 80-4.
The Norton Fitzwarren accident on 4 November 1940 was caused indirectly
by Driver Stacy's home being bombed shortly before (he failed to stop at
the end of the four-track section and collided with a newspaper train); bombing
of Castle Cary station which led to six fatalities and the total destruction
of 0-6-0PT No. 1729 (illustrated); bomb damage to train at eastern portal
of Bristol No. 2 Tunnel; damage to the Portland branch; ammunition storage
near Box Tunnel (illustrated including narrow gauge tramway which ran into
the mines; requisition of Dean goods for military service and their replacement
by ex-NER class J25 and ex-MR 0-6-0sof comparable antiquity; introduction
of Merchant Navy class; S160 2-8-0s from USA and LMS 8F class built at Swindon;
use of S11 and T9 class on S&DJR; B12 on ambulance trains; F4 class No.
7077 on armoured train to patrol between Bideford and Braunton (and fatal
accident due to restricted visibility); raids on Bath and Newton Abbot (where
0-6-0PT No. 2785 was destroyed); simplified liveries and use of black at
Swindon;
Sturrock's steam tenders. Tony Vernon. 85-9.
Notes his patent [113 published 6 May 1863 not submitted] and also
Fairlie's [1210 13 May 1864 which Dewhurst described as the master patent]
which also sought to increase the adhsion available. Sturrock's innovation
is described in detail (drawings from The Engineer 9 May 1919 and
Railway Gazette 27 August 1920) and also quotes estimates of the financial
savings which Sturrock hoped to achieve. Charles Sacré, at that time
Locomotive Superintendent of the MSLR, was also involved in the assessment
of the steam tenders where initial tests indicated that 50% increased loads
could be hauled up Clarborough and Kirton banks. Eventually the MSLR ordered
six steam tenders as part of an order for twelve locomotives from Neilson's.
Some fifty steam tenders were ordered by the GNR and Vernon estimates that
the value of the orders (placed with more than one builder) was equal to
about two years of his salary in terms of Royalties. The article attempts
to rationalize the reasons for Sturrock's premature retirement. Certainly,
the failure to find a system to reward the enginemen for the increase in
their productivity was a major factor in the failure of the system. Patrick
Stirling's eventual attack (quoted at length) on the system is understandable:
he was an engineer who demanded simplicity [and this may have influenced
the GNR's Board when it selected him]. Sturrock had got on well with the
GNR Chairman Dension, but his replacement Col. Packe was a different sort
of executive. The article notes that the needs of Sturrock's three motherless
children, his substantial income from his second wife's estate and his
rural life style meant that the problems of locomotive engineering were no
longer worth pursuing. The article also notes that Sturrock was retained
as a consultant to the GNR for three months, thus implying an immicable
separation. Some of the steam tenders remained in use until 1868. The article
notes that it was Gresley who supplied the information on the steam tenders
to The Engineer (Gresley at that time was considering the booster
as a similar means of increasing locomotive productivity.
See letter in Issue 4 on page 253 from
Brian Orrell on correspondence between W. Gooch of Vulcan Foundry and
Sturrock and to Patrick Stirling at a date prior to his official appointment
(that is in June 1866). A return to this material will be made once the GNR
page on the website is developed.
Historical aspects of the Mersey Railway.- Part One. Jeffrey
Wells. 90-4.
The Mersey Tunnel is in danger of attracting a vast literature: T.B.
Maund covered the history in Rly Archive
No.2 page 2 et seq and Neil Parkhouse included a photographic review
of the steam locomotives in Rly Archive
No. 5 page 27 et seq., In Backtrack John
C. Hughes (Vol. 11 page 586) covered the dismal financial aspects of
the Company in considerable detail and R.L. Vickers in a two part feature
covered the electrification and rolling stock (Vol.
11 page 179 and Vol. 12 page 84 These last
articles by Vickery generated a considerable literature which is indicative
that they were not entirely accurate. This part of Wells contribution covers
alternative schemes which included a pneumatic tube, construction and the
initial opening. The lifts, which were very large for the time (makes it
sound like a trip up the Sears Tower in Chicago) are described in detail
and illustrated. The Royal opening by the Prince and Princess of Wales on
20 January 1886 is described in sufficient detail and illustrated with a
brochure cover is in colour. See letter (page 316)
concerning presentation citation to her grandfather. Further
letter from Joe Lloyd notes several errors in names listed onn pp. 91/2..
Part 2 page 203.
The NER B16 4-6-0s. 95.
Colour photo-feature: B16/1 No. 61411 outside York shed on 25 June
1960 (Gavin Morrison); B16/2, at Ferrybridge power station in 1962 and B16/3
61454 inside York shed in early BR days (H.M. Lane).
'King Arthurs' caught on camera. 96-7.
Colour photo-feature: 30742 Camelot still in malechite green
and lettered BRITISH RAILWAYS at Eastleighh in May 1950 (T.B. Owen); 30791
Sir Uwaine at Eastleigh shed in April 1957; 30782 Sir Brian at Oxford
on cross country express with Gresley coach at front on 29 September 1956
(R.C. Riley); 30798 Sir Hectimere near Weybrige on Basingstoke to
Waterloo train in June 1962 (Geoff Rixon); 30768 Sir Balin at St Mary
Cray Junction with up relief on 14 June 1958 (R.C. Riley); 747 Elaine
(in Maunsell dark green) at Exeter Central in Agust 1936 on up express; 30747
Elaine at Eastleigh; 30451 Sir Lamorak on down Basingstoke
train in April 1962 (Geoff Rixon); 30773 Sir Lavaine at Eastleigh
in April 1961 (GR).
Western Moguls. 100-1.
Colour photo-feature: 6378 at Cowley Bridge Junction, Exeter on freight
on 5 March 1961 (R.C. Riley); 6337 (green livery) at Exeter Central (Geoff
Rixon); 7304 (lined black) at Filleigh station on stopping train (Paul Strong);
9303 (GWR green livery) on freight taking water at Reading in April 1947
(H.N. James); 7306 leaving Brnstaple for Taunton on stopping train on 20
July 1964 (RCR).
The Drummond age. Part Four. Michael Rutherford (Railway
reflections No.109). 102-10.
Dugald Drummond on the LSWR and Peter Drummond's work for the HR and
GSWR. Includes an extensive section on Dugald's extremely light weight steam
railcars, and the influence of these on the motive power on other railways,
notably the GWR (which developed far more powerful vehicles) and the TVR,
and the subsequent development of the C14 2-2-0T and later 0-4-0T (S14) for
push & pull working. The delay in the opening of the Locomotive Works
at Eastleigh is noted and there were problems in that old machine tools were
transferred from Nine Elms. There was a shortage of accommodation at Eastleigh
and many of the staff employed there were Scots (Rutherford wonders if a
Scottish community developed thereat: are haggis available in local butchers
for Burns' Night is one possible test). Rutherford indicates that Dugald
Drummond's stay of seventeen years with the LSWR was the longest of any of
his periods of employment and that his salary of £1500 per annum was
considerably less than that of the £2400 paid to him by the CR. Rutherford
states that John Reid was responsible for the design of the T9, 700 and M7
classes, but eventaully appears to have left under a cloud. Subsequent Drummond
designs are more controversial: the 4-2-2-0 design is linked to James
Tolman. Whilst the D15 class 4-4-0 once superheated was one of the very
best of that type the 4-6-0s (which are but lightly sketched) are considered
to have been very poor and are compared with Robinson's similar lack of success
with multi-cylinder 4-6-0 designs. The author does note that Drummond's designs
were greatly admired by the enginemen and that some of the LSWR types lasted
almost to the end of steam.
Peter Drummond's designs for the HR are given some attention: the
Castle class was developed from the Jones goods but did introduce the passenger
type 4-6-0 to Scotland. Furthermore, fifty of this type were supplied by
NBL to the Chemin de fer de l'Ouest. Several of his designs, notably an 0-8-0
failed to materialize because of HR frugality. His period on the GSWR was
marked by a large 4-4-0 and a 2-6-0, but Rutherford fails to enthuse to any
extent on these designs. Rutherford claims that William Paton Reid's and
John McIntosh's designs were essentially part of the Drummond philosophy
and as a very large order for McIntosh types was supplied by Neilson's to
the Belgian Railways this extends the Drummond concept still further.
On page 106 ponders on the LMS order for further Class 60 4-6-0s which on
test were far worse than the Prince of Wales class in terms of fuel consumption.
Rutherford questions why further River or Clan class 4-6-0s
were not built instead, but Barr would have wished to know nothing of these
English designs?
Illus: colour: D15 No.
466 on down West of England express in Clapham cutting in LSWR livery (Locomotive
Publishing Co); T14 No. 443 on Bournemouth express with Farman biplane above
and signed F. Moore (LPC); 0-4-0T 30586 on Southampton Town Quay on 26 June
1957 (R.C. Riley); preserved LSWR T9 No. 120 at Waterloo on 24 June 1962
ready for Sussex Coast Limited (David Idle); preserved CR 4-2-2 No.
123 and NBR No. 256 Glen Douglas at Oban in May 1962 (Eric Oldham);
preserved Glen Douglas at Glasgow St Enoch on RCTS Fife Coast
Railtour on 28 August 1965 (DI); 0-6-0 57276 on Ballachulish branch with
balast train in May 1957 (Norman Spinks).
Late Victoriana on the Sou'West. Fergus Gibson.
111-17.
GSWR press cuttings file for 1888-1889. These both relate to the railway
itself and what was going on elsewhere; notably the CR competitive line to
Ardrossan. The illustrations in part reflect actvity on the Glasgow &
South Western and on other Scottish railways (all those of locomotives and
trains are GSWR, however): 6 class 4-4-0 No. 110 at Glasgow St Enoch; Gourock
station (engraving); 153 class 4-4-0 No. 70 at Dumfries; Wm Arrol advertisement
showing Tay Bridge (engraving); 75 class 2-4-0 No. 60 at Carlisle Citadel;
187 class 0-4-2 No. 194; rebuilt 187 class as 0-4-2T No. 206 at Springburn;
208 class 0-4-2 No. 2122 at Stranraer and 13 class 0-6-0 No. 12.
Locomotives of the Stratford-Upon Avon and Midland Junction
Railway. Peter Treloar. 118-20.
B&w photo-feature with long captions (as most of the locomotives
illustrated had long histories): 0-4-0ST (Beyer Peacock 1830/1879) formerly
SMJR No. 1 (acquired new but sold in 1890 to Rother Vale Collieries Co) at
Treeton Colliery as NCB No. 0; BP 2626/1885 0-6-0 as SMJR No. 4 at Stratford
on passenger train c1892; BP 2466/1884 as 2-4-0T No. 5; Yorkshire Engine
Co. 185/1872 as 0-6-0T (had worked as 2-4-0T No. 1 on SMJR) owned Cannock
& Rugeley Collieries No. 8 Harrison on miners' train; Stratford shed
with SMJR Nos. 15 and 1: BP (4633/1904) 0-6-0 No. 15 and Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST
178/1866 No. 1 which was sold to the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway
in 1911 to become their Morous and ending up on the Hundred of Manhood &
Selsey Tramway in 1924; and ex-LBSCR C class 0-6-0 No. 428 as LMS No.
2303.
British ambassadors to America. 121
B&w photo-feature based on Keith R. Chester Collection: 1927:
No. 6000 King George V with bell with Canadian National Railway No.
6100 Confederation (locomotive sent to Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's
Centenary celebrations); No. 6100 Royal Scot with front nameplate,
bell and headlamp probably at World's Fair in Chicago and at Providence,
Rhode Island on 11 May 1933; No. 6220 Coronation sent to New York
World's Fair in 1939 and shown leaving Philadelphia on 23 March on exhibition
tour. David Patrick (page 252) castigates editor for
failing to mention the visit by Webb 2-2-2-2 Queen Empress to Chicago Exhibition
in 1893 and its subsequent journey from Chicago to New York
'To the Station': being road signs to closed stations.
Tim Edmonds. 122-3.
Colour photo-feature: (the dates are when pthotographed): milepost
to Scorrier Station on 17 October 1960; Drummuir station (ex-GNSR) on 29
June 1989; Harome Siding on 29 April 1999; Balnaguard LMS Halt (damaged)
on 24 June 1991; Thorington Station on 10 June 2003; "L.N.E.Ry station &
goods yard" at Dunmow on 23 November 1980 and to Eassie stn on 5 July
1991.
Readers' Forum. 124
Call of the South. Editor.
See Volume 18 page 732:
34001 Exeter not Exmouth.
From Bloomers to TOPS. Tony Mortlock.
LCDR M3 No. 188 page 722 (Vol.
18) was passing Faversham not Bromley South.
The LNER V1 and V3 tanks. John Macnab.
See Volume 18 page 762:
caption suggested train of LNER rolling stock: this was only partially so
as set included LMS vehicle.
Trawsfynydd Camp Station. Bill Crosbie-Hill.
See Vol. 18 page 730: writer
suggests that may have been the arrival of a cavalry regiment during WW1:
writer had twin uncles, John and Richard Woolhouse, who served in the Rough
Riders and spent time at Trawsfynedd Camp in 1915 having reached there from
Kingsbridge in South Devon: thet called the camp "trousers".
Climbing out of Manchester. Kevin P. Jones.
See Volume 18 feature on p 695 et
seq: bankers used to assist trains from Manchester Exchange
up to Miles Platting (notably 635/40635 and its deputies, not the L&YR
0-6-0 illustrated used to bank freights). Mention of the 4.47 Manchester
to Hull service which was not banked if 7P hauled; the fast exit from Exchange;
the sometimes rapid transit of Miles Platting station (the tempting smell
of baked beans from the Gresley buffet car) and late for tea if an unrebuilt
Patriot, especially Gigglewick.
Climbing out of Manchester. Peter Mabbott.
See Volume 18 feature on pp 695, especially
page 696 (upper): train was not routed via Leeds but via
Wakefield and Normanton to York where engines were changed
'Dean goods' and railway damage and disruption. John
Bushby.
See colour photo-feature on page 670 of Volume
18: notes that ex-GWR No. 438 and No. 2552 reached Russia
during WW2 (see Lokomotiven Ziehen in den Kreig, Vol. 3 (1980). Vol
1 of same series (1977) shows ex-2435 doing a Third Man with Soviet ownership
markings in Vienna in 1948. No. 2552 is considered again by
Robert Barker in Issue 4 page 253. Some Dean goods
were taken into SNFC stock (Allied locomotives of the Second World War,
1995). See also letter from John Emerson (Volume
18 page 764) concerning Pilley Road Bridge across Kingham line in Cheltenham
(original feature Volume 18 page 537).
Dublin in the rare ould times. Andrew
Kleissner.
See Volume 18 page 708:
VS class not V class as stated.
Gunboats and pagodas. R.A.S. Hennessey.
The hermeutics or semantics of the 0-6-4T type:
see letter from Daryl Grant (Volume 18 page 764):
and original feature by writer of letter on page 454
et seq of Volume 18. See alsoletter from Arthur R.
Nicholls (p. 188) on superheated M7 class locomotive. The 0-6-4T originated
via the "Engerth" type designed for ascents of the Semmering Pass: the
articulated design defied classification (an 0-6+4-0T perhaps); the first
genuine ones were probably constructed by the Yorkshire Engine Co. for the
Poti Tiflis Railway (see Hennessey's The Trancaucasian Railway and the
Royal Engineers, 2004).
Book Reviews. 125.
The Metropolitan Railway. David Bownes. Tempus. MJS
*****
The Colour-Rail Catalogue. MB
Acknowledges the wealth of Ron White's effort.
The Banbury & Cheltenham Railway. William Hemmings. Wild Swan.
RH ****
The index and bibliography are promised in Volume 3.
The design construction and working of locomotive boilers: an engineering
appraisal. Alan J. Haigh. Author. RG **
Very badly produced book full of highly useful information.
East Coast passing. Richard Jackson. rear cover.
Stonehaven, 27 August 1966: A2 60532 Blue Peter heading towards
Aberdeen and A4 60024 Kingfisher arriving from Aberdeen on express
for Glasgow.
GNR 02 2-8-0 No.63924 (as rebuilt as Class 02/4 in 1943 by the
LNER) stands at Retford on a coal train. (Derek Penney). front cover.
See also page 134.
Supremacy of the Word. Kevin P. Jones. 131.
Guest editorial: There seems to be an ever increasing decline in the
standard of the written word about railways. Backtrack stands increasingly
isolated within a morass of magazines which consist solely of illustrations
held together loosely by text consisting either of bits and pieces gathered
from elsewhere or of tedious lists of numbers. Ideas are conspicuous by their
absence; readers will find it difficult to come across much that is comparable
with Roger Hennessey's thought-provoking contribution
on virtual railways (Vo1.l6 No.12) or Robin Barnes' wonderful account
of what the King of Saxony actually saw and might
have seen during his tour of this country in 1844 (Vo1.l6 Nos.6
and 7). The latter author's creation of the
twin-chimneyed locomotive on the Sirhowy Tramway was infinitely more stimulating
than yet another view of No. 5656 on its final journey trom Merthyr.
Well thought-through memories, as exemplified by those of Master Callender on his initial encounter with a compartment third on the LMS (Vo1.16 No.11), are far more evocative than a dreary catalogue of shed bashes in a Ford Transit. The adventures of Molly Hughes travelling across Britain by rail in late Victorian times, featured in a couple of editorials (Vols.14 No.9 and 15 No.7), have shown what is out there, As an example of this, P.D. James' excellent autobiographical study is crammed full of her own experiences of railways as they formed part of her childhood in the Welsh Marches. As a non-driver, there are many accounts of her train journeys, both long ago and more recently. She even confesses to having despatched one of her characters from King's Cross rather than St. Pancras.
When starting to read railway literature, mainly Hamilton Ellis, Dow and Nock, I was struck that they had known, or claimed to have known, railways as they were before World War 1. My late father started work on the old North British Railway in Dundee during that war and some of his colleagues had been on duty on the night of the Tay Bridge disaster. He could remember the first new cars and aircraft seen in that city, but his interest in railways was slight. However, his generation has now departed and fewer and fewer can remember pre-World War II travel.
My father's diaries mention travel on the 9.30 trom Paddington to Newquay in June 1939. I can remember crossing the Gannel by planks and by ferry and the beach at Crantock, but the railway journey remains a blank. My own earliest railway memories are of walks along the railway line between Potters Bar and Brookmans Park around 1941 and watching long freight trains pass slowly by. The Colourpoint book published a couple of years ago has a wonderfully evocative picture of a Gresley 2-8-0 taken at that time. Illustrations are not wholly bad but they should, in the main, be subservient to text.
One of the joys of railway enthusiasm is that trains can form a happy background to life. The Class 150 DMU s are a useful means of transport to Norwich and the rest of the network. They also complement the landscape, both visually and aurally. On surmner days it is possible to hear the whistle of steam trains as they depart trom Sheringham and savour that wonderful mixture of coal smoke, steam and hot oil, at no cost whatsoever. In the late lamented Railways South East there was correspondence on the peculiar odour of Southern electrics (see letters by F.B. Smith p. 115 and Alan A. Jackson on p. 174 of Volume 2). Surely there must be further vibrant memories and deep thoughts to keep your pages filled.
All change on the Bury Electrics. Tom Heavyside (phot.)
132-3.
Colour photo-feature: class 504 1200V DC: Bury Bolton Streeet with
two trains on 30 December 1979; overall blue unit departing Bury for Manchester
on 4 July 1979; rail blue unit at Heaton Park Tunnel on 12 January
1979; tow blue and grey units leaving Radcliffe and crossing viaduct on 3
January 1987; orange & brown unit at Besses o' th' Barn on 3 January
1987.
Great Northern eight-coupled. Derek Penney (phot.).
134.
Colour photo-feature: O2/1 No. 63927 with side-window cab at Retford
South signalbox; O2/2 No. 63934 light engine at Retford. See
also front cover.
Southern gone west: the Torrington Branch. Part One. David
Thrower. 135-42.
The stations at both Barnstaple (Junction) and Bideford were on the
wrong side of the rivers (Taw and Torridge, respectively) of the towns they
were intended to serve. In 1838 the Taw Valley Railway & Dock Company
had been formed to link Barnstaple with Fremington, but horse-drawn freight
services did not begin on this until 1848. Meanwhile, a highly convoluted
series of developments involing the broad gauge Bristol & Exeter Railway
and standard gauge L&SWR enabled broad gauge trains to reach Crediton
from Exeter in May 1851. An excessively ambitious Taw Vale Extension &
Dock Co. had envisaged a network of lines in North Devon which included a
link with Exeter. This failed and in 1851 the North Devon Railway & Dock
Co. took over the powers to link Barnstaple to Crediton. With push from Thomas
Brassey broad gauge services ran from Barnstaple to Exeter from July (freight)
and August (passenger) 1854. The waggonway to Fremington was also converted
to broad gauge. With further assistance from Brassey the Bideford Extension
Railway opened for passenger traffic in November 1855. From February 1862
the Exeter & Crediton Railway switched its lease from the BER to the
LSWR and the LSWR took over the lines to Barnstable from Crediton in January
1863 and the line to Bideford in August 1862. Passenger services rapidly
became standard gauge but broad gauge freight continued to Bideford until
April 1877 and the GWR operated a freight service to Crediton until the end
of the broad gauge in 1892. Torrington remained isolated until the owner
of the Torrington Canal, Mark Rolle, offered the Canal to the LSWR as a base
for a railway: this opened on 18 July 1872. The Torrington & Marland
Railway (3ft gauge) connected the ball-clay deposits in the Petrockstow and
Meeth areas with Torrington: this opened in 1881. The route from Barnstable
to Torrington is described in detail, including the unusual at Bideford which
was dictated by the extension to Torrington. Part 2 page
294. See also letter from Andrew Surry (page 444) on
broad gauge motive power used on the line and its eventual fate..
The Barking job. Michael R. Binks. 143-9.
Author was the site resident engineer for the complicated operation
of segregating the London Transport Executive services from those operated
by the Eastern Region (ex-London Tilbury & Southend Railway) lines with
trains joining from the St Pancras and Fenchurch Street directions and diverging
towards Tilbury and the direct line to Southend. There were many conflicting
movements involving the intensive District line services and cross-passenger
inter-change was not possible. The new system required a fly-over and a
dive-under and very complex changes to the tracks. Complicating factors included
heavy freight from the Tilbury line towards the "St Pancras" direction,
terminating LTE and BR trains from the St Pancras direction and eventual
overhead electrification of the services based on Fenchurch Street. External
problems included the proximity of the River Roding (Barking Creek), a tidal
tribuatry of the Thames and overhead powerlines. The bridge girders arrived
by barge. The task took from 1956 to 1959. The illustrations show the work
in progress and on page 149 (lower) the Author is clearly visible with a
roll of drawings on 8 November 1959.
Comparisons and revision: the Grouping and early LMS locomotive
policy - Part One. Michael Rutherford. (Railway reflections No. 110).
150-6.
As usual the Author challenges the "accepted view" of locomotive
development during the first few years of the LMS and compares this with
what happened on the other mainline railways at that time, notably on the
Southern Railway where the motive power was managed as on the LMS outwith
the direct control of the CME. A concise description of the Grouping is included
with mention of the extent of Government involvement and the stamp of
Sir Eric Geddes.The findings
of the Bridge Stree Committee enabled the four-cylinder Claughtons to
be used on the Midland lines and accentuated their failings.
J.H. Follows (portrait), the
General Superintendent of the LMS had a considerable influence on motive
power policy. The Divisional Motive Power Superintendents were: F.W. Dingley
(Western Division at Crewe); F.W. Attock at Hunt's Bank in Manchester, L.C.
Geach at Derby and the redoutable J.G. Barr in Glasgow. The Divisional Mechanical
Engineers were Beames at Crewe, G.N. Shawcross at Horwich, D.C. Urie at Glasgow
and E. Sharples was at Barrow. Mentions involvement of
Jimmie Anderson
(see Presidential Address to Instn Loco.
Engrs) and visit by Fowler and Edward Gass to France (with Bulleid as
translator) to France to study French compounds leading to
paper by Gass (not yet cited by Rutherford)
and projected 4-6-2 and 2-8-2 compounds thrown out by Follows.
Midland via Evesham. Michael Mensing (phot.).
157-9.
Colour photo-feature: 42466 at Redditch on train to Ashchurch on 18
June 1960; 42416 at Evesham on Ashchurch to Redditch train on 14 April 1962;
43046 at Evesham on same day as previous; 42422 (Fowler type 2-6-4T with
side-window cab) departing Ashchurch for Redditch on 29 July 1961; Park Royal
Class 103 DMU at Alvechurch on Redditch to Birmingham working on 7 June 1965
and Class 103 at Barnt Green on 19 September 1964.
Recalling the Great Central. 160-3.
Colour photo-feature: 45299 on arrival at Marylebone on train from
Nottinham Victoria on 26 June 1965 (Michael Mensing); D11 62633 Prince
Albert at Sheffield Victoria in September 1958 (P.J. Hughes); V2 60899
near Charwelton on Marylebone to Nottingham train on 2 March 1963 (snow still
on ground) (MM); 44920 departing Nottingham Victoria for Marylebone in September
1966; 45335 passing Sudbury Hill en route tom Wembley Hill on 25 May 1963
with Cup Final special from Manchester (David Idle); 73159 departing Rugby
Central for Leicester with train of non-corridor stock in May 1963
(Paul Riley); B1 61028 Umseke pilotting class 5 on Nottingham to
Marylebone express passing under North Circular Road bridge in February 1962
(A.C. Sterndale); 62660 Butler-Henderson at Killamarsh on Sheffield
Victoria to Nottingham Victoria stopping service in September 1960, and 73066
at Rugby Central on up express in 1963 (PR).
On the dock of the bay. Andrew Smith (phot.) and Pat Avery
(captions). 164-5.
Colour photo-feature by deceased photographer: Sothampton Docks on
20 March 1966: 75070 approaching lavender coloured hull of Union Castle vessel
Rotherwick Castle; BR class 5 in Eastern Docks with RMS Queen Elizabeth behind;
HMS Wakeful in Ocean Dock with tugs; D2990 (Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 diesel
electric shunting locomotive) painted a lighter than standard green and two
USA Dock Tanks Nos. 30064 and 30073 at the Ocean Terminal on a special
train.
Llancaiach and after. Edward A. Evans. 166-73.
This is a rich trailer for Railways in Retrospect No. 3: South
Wales Valleys by the same author. It includes a note on the origin of
the name "Nelson" as the station operated under both Llancaiach (opened
originally on 5 January 1858) and Nelson & Llancaiach names. The original
Llancaiach station was abandoned and replaced by a new Nelson & Llancaiach
station in 1912 in the style typical of the GWR at that period. There are
anecdotes about a Royal Visit to Dowlais on 1 July 1912 and on football
excursions to Dowlais (Cae Harris) when Merthyr Tydfil FA played in the Third
Division and was capable of drawing crowds of 20,000 spectators. There were
Sunday excursions to Barry in the summer. Illus. both original and new stations
(latter when being completed); station staff in 1913 (includinmg Walter Gilkes,
Station Masster), Sgt Kelland (Police) and Ernie Jenkins (lampman); 4169
on two passenger coaches in 1962; and alleged photograph of 56XX in 1947
when lettered BRITISH RAILWAYS!: first vehicle in train was 4-wheel collier's
coach.
Caledonian Railway Pullman Carriages and their LMS
successors. Niall Ferguson. 174-80.
Two Pullman sleeping cars (Dunrobin and Balmoral) ran
on the Highland Railway between 1885 and 1907. From 1905 the CR operated
former WCJS dining cars on two of its internal services: Perth to Carlisle
and Glasgow to Aberdeen. The Caledonian Railway, through its General Manager,
Donald Matheson made an agreement with the Pullman Car Co. via Davison Dalziel
(Chairman) on 27 November 1913 to operate Pullman cars. A full-list of the
cars, their builders, their bogie type (four or six wheel); their romantic
names and their function (buffet/dining/obervation) is included. The Maid
of Morven observation car was used on the Oban line: the car had to be
turned on the locomotive turntable at Oban with a high risk of breaking the
observation windows and the risk was sufficient to carry spare panes and
a glazier on the trains! The interior decor is described in detail. WW1
interrupted several planned services: it had been intended to use cars on
the Tinto Express to Moffat and on the Strathearn Express to
Crief, but Mary Seaton operated between Glasgow and Gourock from 6
July 1914 (the first class season-ticket holder was being courted on a grand
scale). All cars were withdrawn at the end of 1916. At the end of WW1 when
services were restored there was a dispute between the companies and the
Government over compensation for the loss of earnings. Services to Aviemore
started in 1922 and further cars were delivered including No. 80 (a third
class buffet with Duratex rubber-backed carpeting supplied by Dunlop).
The LMS continued the services but dit not renew the agreement and the cars
came into LMS ownership from 1934. The change in livery was only made slowly.
Many of the cars lasted into ownership by British Railways. Several letters
in May Issue (page 316): Peter Butterfield noted that
table on page 176 contained several errors concerning departures of trains
conveying Pullman cars from Glasgow and Edinburgh; Tim
Shuttelworth noted that dates shown on pp 178 and 180 should have been
1956 not 1966; Arnold Tortorella notes that Pullman
cars first arrived in Scotland via Midland Railway sevices via the Settle
& Carlisle route both onto the NBR and onto the GSWR: there were both
Drawing Room Cars and Sleeping Cars from May 1876. Some of those via the
NBR eventually traversed Caledonian Railway tracks on through carriages to
Perth (an action which involved arbitration by the Railway Commissioners
sitting on 11 and 17 May 1877). Further information is also presented on
the transfer settlement for the Pullman cars from the Pullman Co. to the
LMS. John Macnab noted that cars No. 200 to 203 were
named: Mary Fleming, Mary Beaton, Mary Seton (spelling should be noted)
and Mary Livingston.
Beyond the Underground Map - Part One. Michael J. Smith.
181-5.
Extensions of Underground services onto mainline railways. The main
part deals with services over the LNWR New Lines to Watford Junction. These
lines were constructed to encourage suburban traffic and were envisaged as
being worked by electricity with a terminal loop under Euston Station. These
were authorised in 1906 but the terminal loop was abandoned in 1911 and was
replaced with a connection with the London Electric Railway's Baker St &
Waterloo Railway (Bakerloo line) at Queens Park: this reached Marylebone
and Edgware Road in 1907, Paddington in 1913 and Queens Park in 1915. Bakerloo
trains ran between Willesden Junction and Queens Park from 10 February 1913
and these were the first Tube trains to run on a mainline railway.
Joint stock was ordered for the new services and this was painted in LNWR
livery but this was found to be too slow and unsuitable for conversion to
power doors. Electric services to Watford Junction began on 16 April 1917.
From June 1965 the Bakerloo line service to Watford Junction was limited
to the rush-hours and services to Watford ended on 24 September 1982, but
some Bakerloo services were resumed to Harrow & Wealdstone from 4 June
1984, and all-day services were resumed to this point from 16 May 1988. This
Part also covers steam services by the Metropolitan District Railway to Windsor
via Ealing Broadway between 1 March 1883 and 30 September 1885: these included
a fast business service in each direction. Prior to WW2 an electric service
was envisaged between Ealing Broadway and West Ruislip over the Castlebar
Loop. District steam trains ran to Upminster between 1902 and 1905 (and were
subsequently resumed by electric trains once the new tracks were opened by
the LMS). Part 2: page 306. See also
letter (page 316) from Donald Massey who saw the LER/LNWR
stock in service on the Rickmansworth branch prior to 1941: the livery employed
was crimson lake.
Northern station train sheds. Steve Burdett (phot.).
186-7.
Colour photo-feature: Stockton on 18 May 1979 with diverted HST passing
through; Newcastle on 14 May 1977 with 31 406 leaving on train for Alnmouth;
Darlington on 13 May 1977 with Class 101 DMU (see letter
on page 253 from John McCrickard: Class 108); Hull Paragon on 15 April
1978 and Beverley on same day with Class 106 DMU.
Readers' Forum. 188.
Southern Railway electric locomotives. T.H.J.
Dethridge.
See feature beginning page 17: notes
that the arc shaped yellow device on the cab windows of CC1 was a gas detector.
CC1 and CC2 were fitted with boards on the cab ends which stated SOUTHERN
on either side with an electric flash in between. From 6 January 1964 the
Brighton to Plymouth train was worked as far as Fratton by one of the elctric
locomotives. The locomotives were used to work several Royal
Trains.
Southern Railway electric locomotives. Peter J.
Townsend
See feature beginning page 17: notes that the 'Hornbys'
were not withdrawn until 1973/4.
Somerset in the 1960s. J.F. Ward.
See feature on page page 8. On 21
July 1962 travelled from Weston-super-Mare to Liverpool on a Manchester train.
The Hymek failed shortly after leaving, was replaced by a Grange as far as
Bristol, thence by 4937 Lanelay Hall as far as Pontypool Road. This
climbed Stapleton Bank in fine style.
Philadelphia — a notable coal
railway and a stylish folly. T.J. Edgington.
See page 746: Leckenby (feature begins page
740) was near Middlesbrough not Sunderland as stated;
note on the Derby-built 350hp diesel electric shunters at Lambton, and
see letter by John Hunter on page 764:
the Maid of Morven was preceded by three LNWR observation
cars.
Gunboats and pagodas. Arthur R. Nicholls.
See feature on page 454 (Vol.
18) Note on the superheated M7 class 0-4-4T No. 126: this
locomotive was heavier and this restricted its activities.
Crimean War. Ted Gibbins.
Note on the publication of Beatty's Railway (published Leisure
Products) which linked Balaclava with the front at Sebastopol and provided
supplies more efficiently than that provided by horses and human effort,
and the provision of ambulance trains.
In and out of Leeds. Paul Chadwick.
See illus. on page 69: 70049 was
heading north not south.
Book Reviews. 189.
Lost railways of Lancashire.
Lost railways of Merseyside & Greater Manchester. Gordon Suggit.
Countryside. MB **
Argues that the new counties form an inappropriate basis for historical
examination of railways and highly critical of the poor reproduction of the
illustrations.
Steam railways of Devon and Cornwall. Nick
Luff. Bossiney Books. JR. **
This 40 page book includes 37 reproductions of water-colour paintings
by the author. This extensive review raises many basic issues about railway
art. The reviewer is trenchant in his criticism of the artist's ability to
represent the human figure or animals. He is stated to have been more successful
in his representation of locomotives and rolling stock, but queries how they
relate to photographic images. The reviewer cites Stanhope Forbes' painting
of Penzance Station used on the cover of Along
Artistic Lines (advertisement inside rear cover of No. 8 of Volume
18) and Monet's Train in the snow.
The willing servant — a history of the steam
locomotive. David Ross. Tempus. CPA ****
"excellent treatment of a vast subject".
Fair morn at Perth. Bruce Oliver. rear cover.
Perth mpd on 3 August 1965 with Class 5 44704 and 80126.
LMS Class 2 2-6-0 No.46440 leaves Uttoxeter station and passes
Pinfold Crossing with a short westbound parcels train on 19th August 1963.
Michael Mensing. Front cover.
See also photo-feature on page 220.
Here yesterday, gone today. Michael Blakemore. 195.
Came across a copy of David Jenkinson's The Times (always thought
that young Michael must be a Grauniad type) for 12 May 1986 wherein
young Michael amazed at improved Manchester to Brighton service via Kensington
Olympia and improvements to railway catering. Away from the railway feature
he was surprised at how cheaply a Professor of Philosophy could be hired
then and an advertisement from the Wallop School which brings out the very
worst of Master Blakemore.
Railway and Landscape: West Somerset. Alan Bennett.
196-8.
Colour feature based upon publicity material produced by the Great
Western Railway which combines elegant text with wonderful reproductions
of contemporary colour material mainly from the 1930s: Somerset (GWR
poster); The Quantocks, Maurice Fraser, 1932 (front cover of brochure);
Rambles and Walking Tours in Somerset, Hugh E. Page, GWR, 1938 (front
cover of brochure); Somerset Ways, GWR, 1928 (front cover);
Somerset, GWR, 1928 (brochure); Somerset, Maxwell Fraser, GWR,
1934. The linking text notes that the publicity material is built around
the Taunton to Minehead branch and is divided into three sections: the Vale
of Taunton Deane, the section from Bishop's Lydeard to Watchet (the Quantocks),
and the final section into Minehead (the latter two are the territory of
the West Somerset Railway..
East Anglian Class 47s. John D. Mann. 199-202.
The text balances the omissions from the author's photographic
contributions reproduced herein (thus the special livery applied to two Stratford
locomotives with large Union Flags to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Silver
Jubilee is more than just mentioned as the workings on which they performed
are listed, but there is no illustration, but see
Backtrack, 1998, 12, 36 to see same photographer's wonderful
picture of 47 164 at Ipswich on 29 June 1977; also 47169 Great Eastern
on 7 March 1979 (the day on which it was named). 47 180 County of Suffolk
is illustrated at Ipswich on 14 May 1979 (it had been named on 11 May 1979.
Other namings recorded were 47 184 County of Cambridgeshire at Cambridge
on 9 May 1979; 47 172 County of Hertfordshire on 26 July 1979; 47 167 County
of Essex at Witham on 2 August 1979 and 47 170 Vounty of Norfolk at norwich
on 24 August 1979 (also b&w illus of locomotive being prepared for naming
at Norwich, but the rear cab was not functional at time!). The class 47 had
originally arrived in East Snglia on freight workings in 1964 but were soon
allocated to the Norwich to London expresses. Other illus: colour: D1530
(two tone green and very clean) at Manningtree on train for Norwich on 17
August 1967; 47 087 Cyclops (blue) on Parkeston to Morris Cowley car train
on 19 May 1977; 47 185 (dirty rail blue) on Whitemoor to Parkeston freight
on 14 May 1979. B&w: 1757 at Ipswich on wet 15 October 1973 on Norwich
express; 47 leaving Manningtree northbound on 20 April 1975
Historical aspects of the Mersey Railway. Part Two. Jeffrey
Wells. 203-7.
Part 1 began on page 90: Parliamentary powers to
electrify the Railway were obtained on 30 July 1900 and a contract was placed
with British Westinghouse for a four-rail 650V DC system. Care was taken
to ensure minimal dxisruption to steam services and the last steam train
ran at 12.15 a.m. and electric services started at 06.00 on the szme morning
(3 May 1903). Rolling stock was obtained from G.F. Milnes of Hadley in
Shropshire: this had tattan seats in the first-class and plywood in the second
(vermin had been a problem on the steam rolling stock). A special effort
was made to clean the tunnel walls of soot. The financial performance (graph)
vastly improved. The LMS electrified the Wirral Railway in the late 1930s
and to establish through running the Mersey Railway had to adjust the height
of its third rail without interuption to its services and this was achieved
by fitting the rolling stock with two sets of collector shoes first on one
side and then on the other and the conductor rail was moved whilst the system
was closed at night. New high speed lifts were installed and cushioned seating
was fitted to the cars. On 14 March 1938 Sir Josiah Stamp attended the opening
celebrations. H.C. Casserley photographs of the Mersey Railways rolling stock
taken in 1946: both the original and car No. 111 which had been built in
1936 by the Gloucester Carriage & Wagon Company but had acquired a new
body at Wolverton Works in 1942 following War damage. The first class cars
are especially interesting being fitted with large enamel plates to indicate
the superior class. See also letter on page 380 from J.C.
Grayson concerning first class travel.
An engine by any other name. R.A.S. Hennessey.
208-15.
The naming and names of locomotives onsidered on a world basis but
with some emphasis on British (including Irish) traditions. Some railways
rarely named locomotives (notably the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway),
some only used names (the Great Western broad gauge). Hennessey cites several
useful books on the subject (which may eventually the form of a basis for
a web-page) and considers naming policies and their politics. He also introduces
classifications for some of the names (see eventually link to Jones to the
problems therein). Illus. p. 212 Europa (Gooch standard
0-6-0, which Hennessey implies was the last locomotive to leave Plymouth
for Swindon: see letter from Geof Sheppard on page
380).
New Holland Pier and Ferry. Andy Sparks (phot.).
216-17.
Black & white photo-feature (although the ferry is mentioned in
the notes it is only seen distantly as it departs for Hull). Views include
that of most of the pier, various DMUs, the booking office at New Holland
Town station; LNER and adjacent Sealink notices; interior and exterior of
New Holland Town signal box.
A pioneer railway historian. [Clement E. Stretton]. J.D.
Bennett. 218.
A useful brief biography, but it is a pity that the author was unaware
of Jack's very grave reservations about Stretton's observations on locomotive
history recorded both in his book on LNWR locomotives and in Backtrack.
Such reservations were also noted by Rutherford (again in Backtrack).
See Stretton page. Portrait of Stretton.
Withering attack on the unreliability of Stretton in letter
from Stephen Duffell on page 444. See also letter from
Brian Orrell (page 574) which notes Sekon's hostility with Stretton and
evidence that Vulcan Foundry supplied information to Stretton,
'Intermediate' days. 219.
Colour photo-feature: GER class T26/LNER class E4 2-4-0s. Three illus
of 62785 (still extant in National Collection): at Mildenhall in May
1958 (J.G. Dewing) and at Cambridge on 27 April 1958 on Cambridge University
Railway Society special (R.C. Riley): both of these are clearly hauling the
identical two coach set: a GER corridor brake second and Gresley composite
corridor coach (former in brown livery and latter in BR maroon (and because
of lighting conditions look very different) ; and on Cambridge shed on 20
May 1957 (RCR).
In with the new [Ivatt class 2 2-6-0s]. 220-3.
Colour photo-feature: 46423 at Stechford on freight on 2 May 1961
(Michael Mensing); 46479 at Berwick-upon-Tweed on local freight on 25 May
1962 (MM); 46441 at Ulverston on Windermere Lakeside train on 2 September
1965 (David Idle); 46512 at Oswestry on stopping train (Derek Penney); 46465
at Sheffield Midland on Hope Valley train in June 1966 (James Arthur); 46519
at Coventry with two vans on 5 March 1966 (MM); 46504 (caption states was
green) at Tysley on ballast train on 19 April 1963 (MM); 46513 at Oswestry
on local freight (DP); 46527 at Beechwood Tunnel on Coventry line with parcels
train on 12 May 1964 (MM). See also front cover..
Great Western eight-coupled tanks. 224-7.
Colour photo-feature: 5205 on Worcester shed on 19 August 1962 (R.C.
Riley); 5206 shunting at Carnparc on 3 April 1965 (Roy Hobbs); 4237 at Aberbeeg
hauling coal wagons in April 1961 (A.C. Sterndale); 5235 at Park Junction,
Newport on freight on 13 August 1965 (RH); 5213 near Aberbeeg with train
of empty flat wagons in April 1961 (ACS); 5206 departing Stormtown Junction,
Abercynon with train for Bassaleg Junction on 3 April 1965 (RH); 7234 climbing
towards Patchway Tunnel with coal train on 2 September 1963 (David Idle);
7224 on Exeter shed in very clean condition in August 1961 (Douglas Tritton)
and 7228 at Wednesbury Central with up freight on 28 May 1960 (RCR).:
Whistling through Wessex. Keith Hill. 228 -38.
The Salisbury to Exeter section of the former LSWR mainline. Castleman,
on the LSWR Board, had hoped that the LSWR would extend westward from Dorchester
to Exeter and the GWR toyed with extending from Maiden Newton via Bridport
and Axminster to Exeter, but the westward shift began as the Salisbury &
Yeovil Railway for which powers were obtained in 1854. Yeovil had been reached
by the Westbury, Somerset and Weymouth Railway in 1856. From Salisbury Gillingham
was reached on 2 May 1859, Sherborne on 7 May 1860 and Yeovil on 1 June 1860
by which time progress of the remainder of the line to Exeter was well advance
(opened 19 July 1860). At Yeovil the Hendford station was dual gauge. A joint
Yeovil Town station opened on 1 June 1861. Shaftesbury, Wincanton and Chard
were missed, but Chard eventually had its own brnach which is described.
Furhtter west there were branches to Lyme Regis, Seaton and Sidmouth. Templecombe
functioned as a junction with the Somerset & Dorset Railway. Describes
a fooplate journey on 35008 Orient Line and the eventual death with the use
of the Class 33 which lacked power, the class 50 which added glamour and
the eventual use of DMUs and improved services. Colour illus.: (all Southern
Pacifics rebuilt unless noted otherwise) 35007 Aberdeen Commonwealth
at Salisbury backing onto train for Exeter in 1958 (P.M. Alexander); U class
31626 at Chard Junction in October 1962 (Colour-Rail); unrebuilt 34020
Seaton climbing Honiton bank with Brighton to Plymouth train on 27
June 1964 (Hugh Ballantyne); 24060 25 Squadron at Templecombe with
Plymouth to Waterloo train on 27 July 1963 (HB); S15 30824 on down freight
approaching Templecombe in September 1962 (A.A. Jarvis); unrebuilt light
Pacific 34049 Anti-Aircraft Command at Yeovil Junction with local
for Exeter in July 1963 (P.J. Hughes); D824 Highflyer (green) at Salisbury
with Brighton to Plymouth train in July 1964 (A.M. Logan). B&w: King
Arthur 783 Sir Gillemere at Waterloo on Atlantic Coast Express
on 16 July 1937 (John P. Wilson); 35001 Channel Packet approaching
Seaton Junction on down ACE on 23 September 1959 (K.L. Cook); 35013 Blue
Funnel on Plymouth to Waterloo train passing Semley station on 21 August
1958 (HB); 34013 Okehampton departing Salisbury on slow train for
Exeter on 18 April 1964 (HB); S15 30825 leaving Exmouth Junction for Salisbury
on pick-up freight (HB); p. 234: 35030 Elder Dempster
Lines on Atlantic Coast Express with headboard near Templecombe
on 6 September 1961 (see letter from Allen Davis
on page 380)(D.M.C. Hepburn-Scott); unrebuilt 34086 219 Squadron
passing Seaton Junction with Plymouth to Brighton train on 18 August 1964
(HB); 34039 Boscastle and unrebuilt 34084 253 Squadron at Exeter
Central on 24 August 1964 (HB); 50 021 Rodney passing St James Park
Exeter on train for Waterloo on 22 August 1988 (Gavin Morrison); 33 049 with
the empty stock of the Brighton to Exeter (which only got to Yeovil Junction
and awaiting its return working), 50 044 Exeter on diverted Penzance
to Paddington train and 50 033 Glorious on train for Waterloo at Yeovil
Junction on 5 April 1986 (GM) 50 005 Collingwood approaching Crewkerne
Tunnel on Paddington to Penzance train on 5 April 1986 and 50 018
Resolution departing Exeter Central for Waterloo on 16 September 1990,
(GM)...
Weird and wonderful creatures—and some other
reflections. L.A. Summers. 239.
Refers to his own contribution in
Backtrack, 2004, 18, 242- and the response to it by
Mick Hutson and KPJ.
In addition William Morgan wrote directly to the Author and included
a further picture of 2-2-2 No. 9 (ex-Dean 4-2-4T). Furthermore, Morgan provided
information concerning the cost of constructing 0-6-0T No. 1833 which was
possibly partly constructed from parts built for a second 4-2-4T. Summers
also refers to Number 6 of 2004 page 366 for feature
which refers to Port Talbot Railway 0-8-2T No. 21 and its possible influence
on Churchward design of cylinder smokebox saddle at Swindon. Summers now
accepts that it would have been possible to fit external valve gear to Swindon
outside cyclinder locomotives (KPJ: one may question why the arch-standardizers:
Cox, Riddles et al did not issue an edict) and the strengths and
weaknesses of the 47XX class, and how Collett nearly ordered more: cites
K.J. Cook's Swindon steam for additional information on 47XX. See
extensive letter from Nigel Probert (p. 444) which
challenges Summers' philosophy and suggests that great care needs to be taken
in interpretation of history.
A tale of two City termini. Alistair F. Nisbet.
240-5.
Holborn Viaduct and Broad Street in the City of London. Article begins
under a cloud for not mentioning Alan
A. Jackson's seminal London termini, but partially makes up for
this by including some minor points, not in Jackson and one or two illustrations
of Broad Street. Holborn Viaduct, the road bridge, was opened by Queen Victoria
in 1869 and the station abutting it opened at a High Level in March 1874
and at a low level as Snow Hill on 1 August of the same year. Services originally
included boat trains to Sheerness. The main suburban services were electrified
from 1924 and colour light signals followed in 1925. Some improvements had
to be made in the late 1930s to accomodate electric trains from Sevenoaks
via Otford and from Gillingham. The station was difficult to operate and
eight car trains caused considerable difficulties. Some platforms remained
without third rail for steam parcels trains and overnight services for newspaper
and market workers. Damage during WW2 was considerable and the eventual arrival
of a new frontage was largely to accommodate offices. From 1964 the station
was closed on Saturdays and Sundays, later the service was restricted to
rush-hours: Blackfriars fulfilled the terminus roles. Traffic via the Snow
Hill incline ceased between 1969 and 1971. Total closure of Holborn Viaduct
took place in 1990, but now Thameslink normally provides a cross-City service
through Blackfriars and Kings Cross. Broad Street was a joint LNWR/North
London Railway operation which reached its zenith in the 1890s. For a time
(from 1910) business services operated to and from Wolverhampton. Electric
trains ran to Richmond from 1916 and to Watford Junction following WW1. The
NLR provided services over the congested GNR suburban lines and these were
continued by the LMS until they ceased during WW2: subsequently similar services
were operated by the LNER/Eastern Region and the latter included services
operated by DMUs and by diesel locomotive hauled trains. The author makes
much of services from Broad Street to Alexandra Palace and the
Graham Road curve which enabled a Watford Junction
to Liverpool Street service to be worked for a time: he claims that one platform
at Liverpool Street had third rail installed for this service:
Stephen G. Abbott (letter p. 380) disputes this odd piece
of third rail. Illus (b&w): B1 61251 Oliver Bury at Broad
Street (Norman Simmons); N2 69490 with two quad-arts also at Broad Street
and class 501 at Broad Street on 11 May 1974 (F. Hornby)..
The day the communication cord pulled Queen Victoria.
Michael J. Smith. 246-7.
Account of Queen Victoria's funeral train to Windsor (from Paddington).
At Windsor the horses to haul the cortège became restless and the
gun carriage had to be hauled by naval ratings (one of whom as author's paternal
grandfather) using the train's communication cord and various other lengths
of cord. Illus. show cortège at Paddington and at Windsor (without
horses) and Atbara 4-4-0 No. 3373 hauling "up special train" consisting of
LSWR stock with locomotive carrying shields. See letter
from Colin Chivers (pp 380/1) concerning illus. of No. 3373 which was
associated with event on 29 October 1900 involving the haulage of the City
Imperial Volunteers returning from the Boer War via Southampton, Basingstoke
and Paddington..
The railways of Royal Ordnance Bishopton. R.N.
Forsythe. 248-50.
There were over 45 miles of 2ft 6in gauge track and 17 miles of standard
gauge at a 2000 acre site opened in 1940. During WW2 an internal standard
gauge passenger service was operated from Fullwood, adjacent to Georgetown
between Paisley and Greenock to Netherfield, South Crook, Rock Bank and
Netherfield. These service are not listed in Private and untimetabled
railway stations by Godfrey Croughton et al (1982: Ottley
16279). Author mentions more than one Industrial Railway Society citation,
but with inadequate details. Author visited the site in year 2000 shortly
before it closed. Motive power included woman-power (illustrated).Illus.
LNER G5 No. 1169 on freight during WW2. See letters from Jim
MacIntosh and from Andrerw Wilson on page
380.
Rolling Stock Focus: East Coast contrasts. Nick Campling
(captions). 251.
Colour photo-feature: view of rear of Gresley Society Special from
King's Cross to Darlington at York on 2 May 1964. Train set of Gresley corridor
stock painted maroon: rear vehicle brake second open E16629E built Cravens
as 43554 in 1938 (David Percival); restaurant buffet in blue/grey livery
No. E9122E at Stratford carriage sidings in summer of 1969, built as No.
24277 in 1937; Mark 2 first corridor No. E13373 in maroon livery passing
Knebworth as part of 09.30 Glasgow Queen Street to King's Cross on 17 July
1964 (David Percival): see letter on page 316 from John
Macnab which states that this was regarded as a prestige service.
Readers' Forum. 252-3.
The 'Southern Belle'. Philip S. Evetts.
See feature by Keith Hill beginning page 70 (February
issue): notes that Gladstone type was an 0-4-2 type not a 2-4-0,
the use of the I3 class 4-4-2Ts on the service, questions the use of the
River class on this service, and the six-wheel tenders on the King
Arthurs was due to restricted turnatble length, not weight:
The 'Southern Belle'. Roger Merry-Price.
See feature by Keith Hill beginning page 70 (February
issue): the six-wheel tenders on the King Arthurs was due to
restricted turnatble length, not weight: tank engines of all types were tuned
to work the Southern Belle.:
The 'Southern Belle'. Charles Long.
See feature by Keith Hill beginning page 70 (February
issue): corrects many errors, notably Mars, not Jupiter,
was the car used on trial, the exact nature of the service operated on Sundays,
the use of non-Pullman vehicles within formations, the provision of second
class Pullman cars, electric lighting (and the provision of back-up oil/gas
lighting), the base for the electric train sets at Brighton; liveries, and
the financial involvement of Davison Dalziel.
British ambassadors to America. David Patrick.
See feature page 121 credited to Keith Chester:
castigates Chester or should it be editor for failing to mention the visit
by Webb 2-2-2-2 Queen Empress to Chicago Exhibition in 1893 and its subsequent
journey from Chicago to New York
Northern station train sheds. John McCrickard.
253.
See feature on page 186: Class 108
in Darlington station, not class 101 as stated.
Sturrock's steam tenders, locomotive shortages on the GNR,
1865. Brian Orrell.
See page 85: correspondence between
William Gooch at Vulcan Foundary and Archibald Sturrock and Patrick Stirling
(latter on 18 June 1866, prior to his official start at Doncaster) concerning
delays in delivery.
'Dean Goods'. Robert Barker.
See letter by Bushby on page 124
concerning GWR No. 2552/WD No. 200 which appears to have
become DR 53.7607 and is the subject of illus N10 of
RCTS Locomotives of the Great Western
Railway. Part 13. But same locomotive was also claimed to
be Ramsgate in 1947.
Book Reviews. 254-5.
The New Romney branch line. Peter A. Harding. Author.
TJE ****
Excellent value at £3.50 and recommended.
Work identity at the end of the line? Privatisation and culture change
in the UK rail industry. Tim Strangleman. Palgrave Macmillan.
RH ****
The deliberate destruction of former social structures which endangered
the users of the railways: a thorough social engineering study but which
the reviewer calls "wildly expensive".
The Elan Valley Railway: the railway of the Birmingham Corporation
Waterworks. C.W. Judge. Oakwood. RH *****
Constructed durng "the golden age of local government" when cities
like Birmingham were "virtually self-sufficient city-states". The works included
six reservoirs and 38 miles of railway linkng to the Cambrian Railways near
Rhayader. There were eight saddle tanks. "excellent value". Excellent
review.
Into Rise Hill Tunnel. David Sutcliffe. rear cover
Class 40 in blue livery on ballast train in July 1981.
Living in the past. Michael Blakemore. 259.
Editorial: partly on "heritage railways": includes his observations
on proposal to streamline Duchess of Hamilton
Saddle tank shunters. captions: John Scholes (Industrial
Railway Society). 260-1.
Colour photo-feature: Andrew Barclay (1969/1925) 0-4-0ST J.N.
Derbyshire at the Carlisle Plaster & Cement (now British Gypsum)
Cocklakes Works, near Cumwhinton on 18 April 1969 (Alan Tyson); Andrew Barclay
(?/1949) 0-4-0ST as NCB West Ayr Area No. 21 at Waterside Colliery with coal
wagon/tender on 9 June 1966 (AT); Manning Wardle inside-cylinder 0-6-0ST
(2047/1926) at Rugby Cement Company's works on 16 May 1966 (R.C. Riley);
Yorkshire Engine Co 0-4-0ST 784/1905 as New Parkgate Iron Co.'s No. 8 at
Hellingdon in Northamptonshire on 13 April 1957 (RCR).
The tribulations of the 'Baby Deities'. 262
Colour photo-feature: D5906 in northern part of Welwyn Garden City
on up Cambridge Buffet Car Express passing under new bridge in April 1962
(T.B. Owen); D5906 on 10.30 King's Cross to Cambridge formed partly of Gresley
stock on 18 March 1961 (R.C. Riley); D5909 and D5904 in store at Stratford
Works in 1962 (KPJ note: these were in service, including on the Cambridge
Buffet Car service, when KPJ arrived in Welwyn Garden City: other than one
trip when the fire alarm interupted progress at Potters Bar they appeared
to be at least as good as any of the other assorted motive power at that
time)
From Coast to Coast. Keith Hill. 263-9.
The North Country Continental connected Liverpool Central with
Harwich Parkeston Quay. This is really one of those boyhood reminiscences
(the highlight of which was standing on the footplate of a Britannia class
locomotive on the front-end of the train at Lincoln Central, and of running
to see the train after school in rural Lincolnshire). Seekers of information
about the train per se would be better seeking out
C.J. Allen's Titled trains of Great
Britain, 3rd ed., 1953 where Chapter 54 (pp. 148-55) where its origins
in Great Eastern Railway enterprise receive enthusiastic attention. Master
Hill can be trusted for the period when the service declined in importance.
He digresses to consider some of the names applied to the locomotives used
on the service: the Britannia class and the earlier B17 and B1 classes. Illus.:
B17/6 61645 The Suffolk Regiment at Lincoln Central on eastbound service
in May 1957 (colour: M. Longdon); unrebuilt B12 8557
descending from Woodhead (not as caption) with three Gresley
vehicles, two former GER vehicles including dining car and ex-GCR vehicle
(pre-1930?); B17/2 2834 Hinchingbrooke at Lincoln with wetward service
on 17 May 1932 (T.H. Hepburn); B17/6 61645 The Suffolk Regiment
with train for Harwich at Lincoln on 1 June 1957 (John P. Wilson); 61627
Aske Hall at Sheffield Victoria coming off train; 70000 Britannia
at Sheffield heading east on 20 September 1958 (David Tyreman); B1 61192
arriving Penistone with eastbound train; 45 021 at Manchester Piccadilly
with train for Harwich on 20 August 1980 (Gavin Morrison); 47 011 at Chinley
with train for Manchester on 28 October 1982 (GM); 47 583 County of
Hertfordshire leaving Chesterfield for Harwich on 8 May 1982 (GM).
Further information on page 507 from Richard
Allsop..
The Facit branch of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.
Tom Wray. 270-5.
In 1862 the L&YR obtained powers for a railway from Rochdale up
the Whitworth Valley to Shawforth, but the railway only reached Facit when
it opened on 1 November 1870. Subsequently the line was extended to Bacup
on 1 December 1881. The line had severe gradients: 1 in 35 on the descent
into Bacup. The stretch from Wardleworth to Facit was single track, the remainder
was double track including the severe incline from Britannia down into Bacup.
There was a huge viaduct in Rochdale across the Roch Valley which collapsed
during demolition. Illus. (mainly after closure to passenger traffic: Broadley
station; Facit station; Facit incline: Shawforth signal cabin; Britannia
station; Bacup engine shed and station.
Comparisons and revision: the Grouping and early LMS locomotive
poliey. Part Two. (Railway reflections No. 111). Michael Rutherford.
276-84.
Places the "period of ineptitude on the LMS" within the context of
what was really going on elsewhere: such as the real lack of need for the
Castle class (which was not as successful on introduction as sometimes portrayed)
and the failure to fit the Star class with a Number 7 boiler, the construction
of further Directors under Gresley, and Maunsell's incomparable D1 and E1
classes. Much of this is squeezed into a most interesting chronology. Anderson
is once again placed in the stocks. See letter from Dennis
Lorriman (p. 572): comments on the 4P compounds: queries how a locomotive
with one high-pressure cylinder could work at short cut-offs, Also suggests
that Rutherford had quoted E.S. Cox for describing a footplate journey (on
a stopping train from Liverpool to Crewe) in which he advised the driver
to increase the cut-off of a compound to 45% to achieve good running as the
low pressure cylinders provided the steam expansion (this rather improbable
episode has not been traced: sounds more like Powell). Also cites Poultney's
contribution to the discussion of Cox's
A modern locomotive history wherein he argued that many of the firemen
liked the Webb compounds as they were economical, although the drivers feared
their complexity..
On the slate [railways of North Wales]. 285-7.
Colour photo-feature: all anonymous via Colour-Rail: Hunslet 1ft 10¾
gauage 0-4-0ST Holy War at Dinorwic; Hunslet 4ft gauge outside-cylinder
0-6-0T Dinorwic on the Padarn Railway; Hunslet 671/1898 0-4-0ST
Cackler which worked between foot of quarry inclines at Hafod Owen
and upper terminus of Padarn Railway at Gilfach Ddu; Hunslet 409/1886 0-4-0ST
Velinheli; Andrew Barclay (?/1931) 0-4-0WT built for Durham County
Water Board for construction of Burnhope Reservoir and sold to Penrhyn Slate
Quarries at Bethesda in 1936 and became Cegin; Avonside 0-4-0T (also
ex-Durham County Water Board) and as Marchlyn (both this and previous
sold to USA): Dinorwic Bagnall 0-4-0ST of 1906 Sybil (named after
wife of Charles Assheton Smith). The Penrhyn locomotives were lined black;
those at Dinorwic were a great many shades of red from chocolate brown to
Indian red.
'Britannias' on the Western. 288-9.
Colour photo-feature: 70022 Tornado leaving Severn Tunnel with
up express with ex-GWR rolling stock painted in carmine & cream (P.M.
Alexander): see letters from John Smart and
from Piet Biesheuvel (page 444): train was leaving
Green Lane Tunnel, not Severn Tunnel and date was after July 1957; 70023
Venus on up Capitals United Express near Twyford in May 1958
(Mk I rolling stock in chocolate & cream) (T.B. Owen); 70027 Rising
Star approaching Paddington with express from South Wales on 10 September
1960 (R.C. Riley); 70027 on 15.45 ex-Paddington passing West Ealing on 2
June 1957 (RCR); 70018 Flying Dutchman on up Red Dragon passing
Pilning in August 1959 (PMA).
The Stanier and Fairburn 2-6-4 Tanks of the LMS. 290-3.
Colour photo-feature: 42611 with 46111 Royal Fusilier on empty
stock at Euston on 14 March 1962 (Geoff Rixon); 42082 near Thorpe Madeville
between Banbury and Woodford Halse with two coaches on 12 October 1963 (Michael
Mensing); 42668 at Kidsgrove Liverpool Road with Radway Green ROF workers'
train on 26 September 1960 (MM); 42590 at Crewe probably with train for Stoke
area on 26 May 1960 (MM): see letter from D.J. Wood (page
507) for train being worked (probably 16.26 via Radway Green for ROF
factorey); 42074 at Bangor shed in June 1963 (GR); 42267 at Birmingham New
Street with train for Rugby on 7 September 1961; 42616 entering Watford Junction
bunker-first with Tring to Euston local on 23 Novemeber 1963 (David Idle);
42080 on empty stock at Kensal Green on 13 April 1964 (DI); 42247 leaving
Newport (Shropshire) for Wellington on passenger train from Stafford on 29
August 1964 (MM).
Southern gone west: the Torrington branch. Part Two. David
Thrower. 294-9.
Mainly freight traffic: coal from Fremington Quay (decline of household
coal and coastal shipping); ball clay from Meeth to Fowey; enthusiast specials,
motive power (notably E1/R class for former freight), the ultra-basic remnant,
the surprisingly large population without a proper train service and attempts
at railway preservation on a cycleway. Reference to 'Bubblecar' blew away
and was replaced by coach from 4-VEP (letter from author
page 444). Also letter from Andrew Surry (but this
really relates to Part 1 beginning page 135)..
1913 — a halcyon year. Philip Atkins. 300-5.
An analysis of the locomotives which went into traffic on the railways
of Great Britain which cites the Locomotive [Railway Carriage &
Wagon Review] for that year as its source (including some 1914 references
back to the previous year): the illustrations listed only tell part of the
story. The most interesting material is tabulated: output from the major
British railway workshops: nil from Derby, Eastleigh and Kilmarnock in that
year; Table 3 lists operating and repair costs (the penultimate row should
surely be HBR not NBR: not picked up in corriegenda p. 380) and
Table 4 (corriegenda p. 380) lists
overall locomotive stocks ranked by wheel arrangement: 0-6-0, 0-6-0T, 4-4-0....
Illus.LNWR Claughton No. 2222 Sir Gilbert Claughton with Sir Gilbert
and C.J. Bowen Cooke on footplate on 7 March 1913 (excellently reproduced);
NER T2 No. 1247 at Darlington (official photograph) in February 1913; GSWR
0-6-0 (P. Drummond) No. 84 at Ulverston on 7 August 1924; NSR 0-6-2T No.
96; Furness Railway 4-4-0 No. 132 (constructed NBL: official photograph);
LBSCR K class 2-6-0 No. 337 (Brighton official); J class 0-6-4T as SR No.
1595; and GNR 2-8-0 (O1 class) No. 456 (Doncaster official)
Beyond the Underground Map. Part Two. Michael J. Smith.
306-10.
To Aylesbury — and beyond by Metropolitan Railway which reached
Aylesbury on 1 September 1892. Ahead of this the Metropolitan had taken over
the Aylebury & Buckingham Railway which ended at Verney Junction on the
LNWR Bletchley to Oxford line. Thisa route also provided access to Brill
(over the Wootton Tramway): the strangest outpost of an empire ruled from
55 Broadway in the heart of political London. The author notes the problems
of mapping and how the Metropolitan Railway tended to produce two maps: one
for its urban activities and overleaf another for its rural destinations
in deepest Buckinghamshire. London Transport tended to ignore destinations
beyond Aylesbury and as early as 1935 a decision was made to limit services
to Amersham and Chesham, but WW2 caused steam/electric services to continue
to Aylesbury until just into the swinging sixties. Pullman services and the
effect of the arrival of the Great Central Railway are both mentioned. In
the far East London Transport trains, or trains operated on behalf of the
London Transport by the LNER/Eastern Region reached [Chipping] Ongar in Essex.
London Transport had contemplated curtailing the Central Line at Loughton,
but LCC housing estates at Debden caused services to be extended to Epping.
Eventually the service to Ongar was electrified on 18 November 1957, but
the service (latterly extremely limited) ended on 1 September 1994. Now it
is a heritage line. All these lines had been built by the Great Eastern Railway.
Illus.: Metropolitan Railway steam/electric stock at Aylesbury on 2 May 1936;
L1 67794 arriving Chalfont & Latimer on up train on 23 July 1955;
former MR K class as LNER 6160 arriving Rickmansworth on 27 April 1946 (with
E class No. 81 in the bay platform) (all H.C. Casserley); LT electric locomotive
No. 14 Benjamin Disraeli on up train approaching North Harrow on7 June 1960;
F5 67193 on Ongar push & pull train at Epping alongside 1920s Central
Line train; 67218 calling at North Weald on Ongar shuttle on 16 November
1957; two tube trains pass at Noth Weald on 19 July 1958 (Alan A.
Jackson).
But can you prove it...? L.A. Summers. 311-13.
Sources, accuracy and bias (as perceived by Summers).
J.T. van Riemsdijk (p. 507) produced a scalding response
to this feature for its inappropriate polemical style characterized by the
contemporary word "admits". He is especially critical of the way in which
Summers implies that Chapelon might have been involved in some way in
collaborating with the occupation forces in Vichy France during WW2. The
Writer who served in the SOE during WW2 indicates that Chapelon, like many
others in Vichy France, was investigated but cleared from any hint of duplicity.
Van Riemsdijk also attacks Summers for his completely unjustified attack
on the editorial standards of Backtrack. Furthermore, on re-reading
Summers (as a result of the letter from this great authority) it should be
noted that Summer's observations on Ian Allan's editorial policy are absurd:
Tuplin was a highly controversial writer and yet published frequently in
Trains Illustrated, etc. Finally, van Riemsdijk's comments on Rogers'
authorship should be observed. The writer of this piece has
almost the last word on p. 636 [correspondence closed]..
Building bridges. Stephen Dent (phot.). 314-15.
Colour photo-feature: Tomatin viaduct across River Finhorn; Teviot
viaduct, Roxburgh; Dukes Drive viaduct, Higher Buxton : Dinsmore viaducts
(also publshed Vol. 12 page 636).
Readers' Forum. 316-17.
Caledonian Railway Pullmans and their LMS successors.
Peter Butterfield
See feature on page 174 et seq.: noted that table
on page 176 contained several errors concerning departures of trains conveying
Pullman cars from Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Caledonian Railway Pullmans and their LMS successors.
Tim Shuttelworth .
See feature on page 174 et seq.:noted that dates
shown on pp 178 and 180 should have been 1956 not 1966;
Caledonian Railway Pullmans and their LMS successors.
Arnold Tortorella.
See feature on page 174 et seq.: notes that Pullman
cars first arrived in Scotland via Midland Railway sevices via the Settle
& Carlisle route both onto the NBR and onto the GSWR: there were both
Drawing Room Cars and Sleeping Cars from May 1876. Some of those via the
NBR eventually traversed Caledonian Railway tracks on through carriages to
Perth (an action which involved arbitration by the Railway Commissioners
sitting on 11 and 17 May 1877). Further information is also presented on
the transfer settlement for the Pullman cars from the Pullman Co. to the
LMS.
Caledonian Railway Pullmans and their LMS successors.
John Macnab.
See feature on page 174 et seq.: notes on names
of cars.
Beyond the Underground map. Donald Massey.
See page 181: Remembers seeing the LER/LNWR stock
in service on the Rickmansworth branch prior to 1941: the livery employed
was crimson lake.
The Grouping and early LMS locomotive policy. Keith Fenwick.
East Coast contrasts. John Macnab.
The 09.30 Glasgow Queen Street to King's Cross service was considered
to be a train worthy of particular attention [and was the subject of KPJ's
sole venture into party travel when he was a student of librianship in Glasgow
in 1958 - when he mistakenly thought that day returns to Edinburgh were permitted
within its hallowed corridors]. See page 251 for illus
of train passing Knebworth in 1964.
Historical aspects of the Mersey Railway. M.D.
Walsh.
See page 90 et seq Mrs Walsh
possesses a leather-bound citation to her grandfather, John Baker (Chief
Tunnel Foreman) presented to him by John Fox.
Historical aspects of the Mersey Railway. Joe
Lloyd.
See page 90 et seq (list pp. 91/2)
contains several errors in names carried by steam locomotives
which worked the railway.
The Drummond age. Darryl Grant. 317.
See page 46: Drummond's failed attempt
to bring locomotive building to New South Wales via Sir Saul Samuel, the
New South Wales Agent-General in London. The Locomotive Superintendent of
the NSWGR, William Thow, participated in discussions in a consortium which
included Drummond, but this failed. Nevertheless, Thow was influnced by Drummond
for a design of a 4-6-0, the P class. Another consortium, led by Henry Hudson,
did start locomotive manufacture as thed Clyde Engineering Co.
Book Reviews. 317-18.
The railways of Ryedale. Patrick Howat. Martin Bairstow
(publisher). ***** MB
The Thirsk & Malton and Gilling & Pickering lines served
Kirkbymoorside and Helmsley and the public school at Ampleforth Abbey. Many
of the intermediate stations closed to passengers as early as 1930 yet freight
continued to flourish and there were special trains for pupils at the school
and for through traisn betwen Scotland the North East to Scarborough until
they were Beechinged.
From Forest to Ferry — the story of the Brockenhurst-Lymington
branch.line. Keith Hill. St. Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington.
**** DT
Well received: includes a history of the line and the ferries which
were served by it and the Solent Tunnel scheme.
Lost railways of Shropshire. Leslie Oppitz. Countryside.
RH ****
"very good value for its modest price"
The LSWR at Nine Elms — the Curl Collection. Vol. 1. The Works
and its products, 1830-1909. Barry Curl. KRB Publications. *****
DT
"thoroughly excellent volume"
Conway Valley local. Cliff Woodhead. Rear cover.
Derby lightweight DMU at Bettws-y-Coed station with Pullman camping
coach behind.
GWR 'King' 4-6-0 No. 6003 King George IV sweeps regally through Sonning Cutting with a London-bound express.. (Derek Penney). front cover.
More from the department of administrative affairs. Michael
Blakemore. 323.
Editorial: reasons for name Pendragon Publishing and for Rothesay
House ublications
Lost on the Elgin road. Tom Heavyside (phot.).
324-5.
Colour photo-feature:47 814 (rasberry ripple InterCity livery) clearly
at Nairn whatever the caption may claim: See editorial
corriegendum page 444. 47 643 (similar livery) departing Inverness on
12.25 to Aberdeen on 11 July 1986; 37 113 Radio Highland (Railfreight
livery) on Inverness to Burghead freight for United Distillers; 47 673
Galloway Princess at Nairn with train for Inverness and 37 156
Britist Steel Hunterston (grey) on Royal Scotsman touring train
near Allanfearn on 16 May 1992.
Mid-1960s on the London Midland Region. David
Stewart-David. 326-32.
Happy days? as a railway general trainee working in the Stoke Division.
Several reminiscences: studying single-line working between Whitchurch, Oswestry
and Welshpool by riding on the footplate and by visiting the signal box at
the last-named. Returning on the footplate to Birmingham Snow Hill in the
cab of a type 47. Holiday to France, travel by train hauled to Euston from
Stoke by class 2 diesel which still managed to arrive before time, Comments
on laxness of railway opertion: pursuing freight that had departed, the
construction of unnescssary pannier tanks at Bagnalls. See
letter from Rabbi Walter Rothschild (page 574) on the failure to retain
infrastructure necessary to restore freight working in Britain, and how the
Belgian and Dutch railways only carry freight from the great seaports of
Antwerp and Rotterdam through to destinations outwith their borders. In Germany
freight lines have been transferred to private operators to maintain a freight
network. Illus.: (colour): p. 327 lower 75026 on return excursion
near Abergele in June 1963 (Geoff Rixon) (see letter from
David F. Williams (p. 574): location near Mochdre and Pabo
signal box.. B&w: p. 329 (lower): interior of Denbigh
signal box (see also letter from David F. Williams
(p. 574) which shows modern signal box structure built in 1957 shortly
before lines were closed.
Racehorse names for LNER Pacifics. Steve Banks and Max
Garratt. 333-9.
Notes that neither Gresley nor William Whitelaw, nor Sir Ralph Wedgwood
were afficionados of horse racing, although copies of Ruff's Guide to
the turf were kept in Gresley's office. The article notes the naming
policy of the constituent companies (mainly not to, with the exception of
the two Scottish constituents, although the Chairman came from one of these).
The direct involvement of Gresley in the A4 bird names is noted, however.
The origin of the racehorse names, both on the A1/A3 Pacifics, and on the
later Thompson and Peppercorn locomotives, is pursued in depth. The names
were selected from the 'classics', notably the Derby and the St Leger meetings,
the latter being run at Doncaster. The majority were winners, and many of
the selected names were winners of more than one race. Names rejected included:
April the Fifth and Caligula. The failure to select
Mahmoud, a multiple winner, and the somewhat strange selection of
Aboyeur, a 100 to 1 outsider which displaced Bower
Ismay's rightful winner of the 1913 Derby, through his ownership of the
Titanic. Happier times for the Ismay connection (p.
378). Reg Davies (letter page 572) argues that
Caligula would have been quite unsuitable at time when naming took
place. Geoffrey Hughes in long letter on p. 572 suggests
that Percy Maclure, Locomotive Running Superintendent of the Southern Division
of the LNER may have been responsible for introducing the racehorse
names. Also suggests that Flying Fox neatly follows Flying
Scotsman and that the plates were cast at King's Cross shed. There is
also a suggeestion that there may be a link with the Interchange Trials (KPJ:
but 4474 ran un-named on GWR). Further letters on page 636 (October issue)
from Christopher Tyas (on significance of Doncaster
& York as racing centres) and Dennis Postlethwaite
on No. 2744 Grand Parade. And still further from
Geoffrey Hughes and from Geoff Skelsey on page
695..In Volume 20 page 62 letter from John C.
Baker on names for Lemberg and St Simon..
A Glasgow suburban journey. Gerald J. Guy. 340-4.
Commuter journeys made between Hillfoot station (on the Milngavie
branch) and Glasgow Queen Street during the 1950s when an intensive suburban
service was operated using six-coach sets hauled by Gresley V1 and V3 3-cylinder
2-6-2Ts which the author notes were capable of rapid acceleration. Sometimes
the author made three round trips within the day, and presumably travelled
home for his dinner (lunch in English English) which was commonplace at that
time. Later the line was electrified as part of the Blue trian operation,
but the bulk of the article is about the steam service which included through
trains to and from Edinburgh via Bathgate. Other destinations included Bridgeton
and Hamilton which disappeared with electrication (or earlier in the case
of the latter). The route is described in detail, both as it was, and as
it has since become. See also letter from John Macnab (p.
507) mainly on name changes at Partick station/s; footbridges at Bearsden,
and a long march to Yorkhill Quay when Macnab was getting some Service
in..
Ferry across the Humber. John Spencer Gilks (phot.).
345.
Colour photo-feature: PS Wingfield Castle on 21 April 1963
in Associated Humber Lines colours (funnel: buff with red band and black
top) and Lincoln Castle on 8 April 1977 in BR corporate colours (was
coal-burniong at time of photograph). Former from W. Gray & Co.,
West Hartlepool in 1934 and latter from A. & J. Inglis in 1940.
Philimiooriay — working on the railway. Keith
Gregson. 346-7.
Writer heard this song when appearing owith the folksong group known
as the Liverpool Spinners on BBC Television in the 1960s. Quotes from this,
and other folksongs dating from the 1840s to show how it is possible to interpret
ballads as part of railway history.
'King' country. Derek Penney and Michael Mensing
(phots.). 348-351.
Colour photo-feature all MM unless noted otherwise: 6000 King George
V climbing Hatton Bank (with bell swinging)(DP); 6029 King Edward
VIII arriving Solihull with 15.10 from Paddington on 9 May 1961; 6001
King Edward VII descending Hatton Bank (DP); 6011 King James I
passing Lapworth on up express (DP); 6019 King Henry V just north
of Widney Manor station on 16.30 Birkenhead to Paddington on 14 June 1962;
6015 King Richard III restarting 17.10 ex-Paddington at Knowle &
Dorridge on 11 July 1962; 6021 King Richard II on 11.40 ex-Birkenhead
leaving Leamington Spa on 7 October 1961 (Brunswick green shown at its best
in autumnal light); 6016 King Edward V near Olton on 07.25 ex-Wolverhamton
on 25 June 1962; 6011 King James I departing Solihull with 06.45
ex-Wolverhampton on 17 May 1962.
On Caledonian lines. 352-5.
Colour photo-feature: A4 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley at Stirling
on 9 June 1965 with down St Mungo (Alan Tyson) "stange" containers
being loaded probably contained Dricold (dry ice or solid
CO2) see response from David Stewart-David page
507); Fairburn 2-6-4T 42241 at Inverkip with train for Wemyss Bay on
10 June 1965; CR 4-2-2 No. 123 with GNSR No. 49 Gordon Highlander at
Carstairs on 19 April 1965 on railtour (David Idle); Class 5 No. 44820 at
Castlecary on 12.35 Perth to Broad Street express freight on 21 April 1965;
70036 at Stirling with fish vans on 10 June 1965 (AT); Caprotti 73146 in
Cumbernauld Glen on 21 April 1965 with 10.00 ex-Dundee West express for Buchanan
Street (DI); ex-CR 294 class 0-6-0 with freight crossing Larbert Viaduct
on 11 April 1963 (DI); 45011 arriving Lanark with 18.00 ex-Edinburgh Prnces
Street on 29 June 1962 (Cliff Woodhead); 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley backing
onto train at Glasgow Buchanan Street on 9 June 1965 (shows Buckeye coupling
with jaws open and Pullman-type gangway on corridor tender and the dreary
Brunswick green)(AT).
The 'Scots' and their weans. Part One. (Railway Reflections
No. 112). Michael Rutherford. 356-65.
Considers locomotive policy in general on the LMS, including the purchase
of ex-ROD 2-8-0s, the Claughtons and the Bridge Stress Committee before turning
to the influences which were worked into the Royal Scot and Patriot classes
(and the differences between them). External influences included that
of the GWR Castle class and to a minor extent the Maunsell Lord Nelson class.
Internal influences were drawn mainly from the three-cylinder compounds and
the 2-6-4T then under development at Derby. The role of Herbert Chambers
and Eric Langridge is noted (the former in liaising with NBL on the design
of the Royal Scot). Sir Henry Fowler's involvement is also noted. Rutherford
notes some of the disadvantages associated with the introduction of Pacifics
which included the provision of larger turntables and the greater "grip"
provided by a 4-6-0 when hauling trains on steep gradients (tests with A1
2573 Harvester on restarting on Cockburnspath incline in June 1925
are cited against Pacifics as 2573 failed to restart with a load of 520 tons).
KPJ: worst slipping ever seen by him was rebuilt Royal Scot which erupted
like Mount Etna whilst attempting to restart from Greenfield station on 16.47
ex-Manchester Exchange. Part 2 page 424.
References in Part 3 on page 487.Illus.: 6152 Royal
Scot at Crewe North shed in 1936 (W. Potter); 356 lower
46148 The Manchester Regiment climbing Shap northbound with heavy
train of carmine and cream stock plus two vehicles coupled inside front of
train (cattle wagon and a horse box (see letter from Terry
Tracey on page 574); 6149 The Manchester Regiment outside Crewe
Works in 1937 (J.P. Mullett); 5531 Sir Frederick Harrison at Edge
Hill shed in 1939 (W. Potter); 45511 Isle of Man crossing Castlethorpe
wwater troughs in August 1958 (T.B. Owen): black & white:
Merlin's railroads. Kirsten Elliott and Andrew Swift.
366-7.
Monmouthshire had been dependent upon Bristol for its newspapers until
Reginald Blewitt established and edited the Monmouthshire Merlin in
1829. This newspaper carried several accounts of early locomotives supplied
to tramroads. On Boxing Day 1829 a report was carried on the delivery of
a locomotive from Robert Stephenson & Co.to Samuel Homfray of Tredegar.
In March 1830 (precise date not given) the paper noted that Gurney's steam
carriage was on its way to Crawshay's Cyfartha Iron Works. On 16 July 1830
there is a report on the arrival of a locomotive from Thomas Prothero at
Pillgwenlly Wharf for the haulage of empty trams from Newport to Blancyffin
Isha Colliery over the Sirhowy Tramroad. In July 1832 Blewitt inherited the
Llantarnam Abbey Estate and this led to him leasing the Cwmbran Colliery,
building the Porth Mawr Tramroad and leasing the Caerleon Tramroad which
provided access to a wharf at Caerleon and obviated carriage by canal..
Joseph Locke and the Stephensons. David Gilks.
368-73.
Studies the interactions between Joseph Locke and both George Stephenson
(where the relationship was frequently difficult) and the much more agreeable
and fruitful relationship with Robert Stephenson. Locke "srted out and put
right" the 13 foot misalignment in the tunnel at Edge Hill on the Liverpool
& Manchester Railway. Later Locke's involvement in the Grand Junction
Railway showed that he was a master of organization . Feature contains many
memorable comments and reminds the reader that Locke was on the footplate
of the locomotive which ran down Huskisson on the opening day of the Liverpool
& Manchester Railway. Notes that George had "great vision and drive,
but he could not claim to have good organizational skills or attention to
deatil." and "George was quintissentially the man of vision, a rough and
rude battler, blessed with great foresight.". Later Locke was involved on
the LSWR and the Woodhead route. Extensive bibliography. Part
2 begins page 496..
Waking the dead: the E4 radial tanks. Jeffery Grayer.
374-7.
Mainly the last few years of the ex-LBSCR Billinton 0-6-2T locomotives
in service as late as 1063 and the preservation of No. 473 Birch Grove
on the Bluebell Railway. Illus.: E4 No 32479 and E4 No 32503 in the foreground
and Terrier No 32670 beyond it
This way for America. 378-9.
Superb rolling stock constructed for the non-stop Euston to Liverpool
Riverside luxury trains run in association with Trans-Atlantic liner sailings:
the LNWR American Special. Five coloured postcard views showing interiors
of first class dining car with moveable armchairs; afternoon tea being taken
in salon-de-luxe by three ladies straight out of Henry James novel whilst
the gentlemen partaked of coffee with their cigars. The butler's pantry is
also shown (see letter p. 507 from A.R. Nicholls noting
that machine was a knife cleaner, not a knife grinder as stated in caption).
as well as an empty compartment with sofa chairs. See also
Aboyeur.
Readers' forum. 380.
Backtrack Index. Mick Field.
See Bob Farmer's letter in January issue (p. 60)
offering his index to readers as an Excel spread sheet:
now available at:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bobbacktrack
An engine by any other name. Geof
Sheppard.
See caption on page 212 of the April
issue implying that Europa was last broad gauge
locomotive to leave Plymouth. This statement has puzzled writerand appears
in the RCTS Locomotives of the Great
Western Railway Part 2 where it is claimed that "Europa was
actually the last broad gauge engine to leave Plymouth for Swindon –
about 4 am on Saturday, 21st May 1892" but there was no train scheduled to
leave after 01.10. Having consulted contemporary newspapers and reports in
The National Archives, writer cannot find where this claim originated. The
last train left Penzance at 21.57 on Friday 20th May behind two convertible
tanks (Nos. 3557 and 1256). Inspector Scantlebury was to travel on this train
to certify that the line was clear of broad gauge vehicles before the gangers
could start the conversion, so no other train was allowed to run behind this
one. Scantlebury's late running train was still in Cornwall when the last
down train (the 17.00pm from Paddington) arrived in Plymouth at 01.15 and
this was climbing the bank out of Totnes, where the local paper reported
that it was still hauled by No.3557, at the time that Europa is claimed
to have left Plymouth. Further information would be useful.
1913 - A halcyon year. C.P. Atkins
See May issue page 300 et seq Table
4: the following corrections should be noted:to my article
in the May issue:
Table 4 Wheel arrangements exceeding 150 examples: 0-4-2T 297, 0-4-2 284,
2-4-0T 194
Further wheel arrangements in use:
0-4-0, 0-4-0T, 0-4-2, 0-4-2T, 2-4-0T, 4-4-0T, 0-6-4 T.
A tale of two city termini. Stephen G. Abbott.
See April issue p. 240: incorrect
in stating that one of the platforms at Liverpool Street was electrified
on third rail system to accommodate the short-lived Watford service diverted
from Broad Street. The Graham Road curve was
electrified at 25 k V ac overhead like the rest of the lines out of Liverpool
Street and the dual-voltage Class 313 units changed to third rail in Dalston
Kingsland station. Subsequently, parts of the North London line itself have
been converted to either dual voltage or ac only. A novel installation of
resistances prevented dc traction current from interfering with signalling
track circuits on the ac lines, the Graham Road curve being too steep to
permit a neutral section in the overhead. He travelled on the 16.12 from
Liverpool Street in September 1986 in the company of a handful of fellow
passengers.
Historical aspects of the Mersey Railway. J C.
Grayson.
See feature Part 2 on page 203:
the Mersey Railway maintained a very high percentage of first class travel:in
calendar year 1920 it was in second place for the level of first class traffic
originating on the line, first and third places being taken by two other
lines in the Liverpool area. Figures from the Railway Year Book for
1921 show this. The Liverpool Overhead Railway exceeded this level and it
is probable that first class travel was also high on the LYR electric lines
in Merseyside.
Whistling through Wessex. Allen Davis
See page 234 of the April issue:
train not nearing, but travelling away (west) from, Templecombe. As a schoolboy
writer travelled daily between Milborne Port and Templecombe, with plenty
of footplate rides, one on a 'Britannia' which was filling in during the
rebuild of the Bulleid Pacifics.
The railways of Royal Ordnance Bishopton. Jim
MacIntosh.
See feature on page 248: queries
how the site described related to WW1 Georgetown National Filling Factory
described by E.A. Pratt's British Railways
and the Great War, from which following is taken: This factory was
named after Lloyd George and, situated three miles from Paisley, was served
exclusively by the Caledonian Railway. The first sod was cut on 25th September
1915 and the first consignment despatched on 13th March 1916. By the end
of December 1918 459,000 tons had been despatched by rail. All raw materials
and supplies were also carried by rail as were the 10,000 workers who required
34 trains daily. The Caledonian undertook the maintenance of about 18 miles
of sidings laid in or adjoining the factory by contractors and the CR itself
put down and worked another four and a half miles of sidings. It built at
Georgetown a passenger station with signal box, goods office and
carriage-cleaning platfonns, and altered and extended the existing station
and platforms at Houston as a further means of meeting the demands of the
passenger traffic. Does anyone know if this WWI system survived to be
incorporated in the later system or was it all dismantled after
1918?
The railways of Royal Ordnance Bishopton. Andrew
Wilson
See feature on page 248: RCTS
Locomotives of the LNER Part 7 refers
to two G5 Class locomotives at Bishopton factory during World War II. No.
1713, was fitted with a special spark arrester in January 1941 and sent to
Bishopton, returning in November 1943.
Part 11 Supplementary information,
lists No.1169 as at Bishopton from January 1941 until September 1944. There
is no mention of any spark arrester on this engine and the photograph of
it at work does not appear to show anything special. These locomotives may
have been required to haul the workers' passenger trains within the works
area. The main line coaches would probably be air-braked ex-Caledonian vehicles,
with which the G5 locomotives were compatible.
The day the commnication chord pulled Queen Victoria.
Colin Chivers.
See feature on page 246: The photograph
of page 247 shows one of four special trains provided for the return of the
City Imperial Volunteers (CIV) from the Boer War on Monday 29 October 1900.
According to the Railway Magazine, December 1900, the LSWR provided
four trains "comprised of the newest types of vehicles, fitted with lavatory
accommodation", which left Southampton Docks at 9.15, 9.40, 10.05 and 10.20am
and were hauled respectively by T9 Class No.708, T7 Class double single No.720,
T9 Class No.702 and T9 Class No.706. A photograph of No. 720 as decorated
by Nine Elms shed for its train appears as Fig. 336 in Barry Curl's The
LSWR at Nine Elms (KRB Publications). Progress on the LSWR to Basingstoke,
where the trains were handed over to the GWR, was decidedly leisurely. Four
Atbara Class locomotives were provided by the GWR for the run from Basingstoke
to Paddington where the second train made the quickest journey, at 47.5 mile/h.
The Atbaras were specially named Pretoria, Roberts, Powerful and
Maine. The CIV were a separate Regiment raised from London volunteers
in December 1899 by the then Lord Mayor of London, Sir Alfred James Newton,
and consisted of about 1,700 officers and men, each of whom was made a Freeman
of London, in a blaze of publicity on enlistment. Another photograph, of
'No.3 train' taken near Reading, appears in the December 1900 issue
of Railway Magazine.</