Steamindex: mission statement

This website was being created on the assumption that some information, correctly and fully cited ("Railway Magazine" is not enough: we need volume number, issue date, and at least the initial page) and the item is thus redeemable at one of the national libraries, is better than no information. Some authors, whose works receive a five-star rating, are still capable of making citings of the "Railway Magazine" type: this evil practice should be discouraged. Some references are so poor that half-a-dozen volumes may need to brought across London to confirm one paper by somebody like Webb: this is idleness on the part of the author and the publisher, although may be indicative that the writer never examined the original (there is plenty of evidence of this questionable practice in far more erudite areas of research).

Unfortunately, many reviewers are equally lax in their demands for accurate citations and good quality indexes. The Oxford Companion to British Railway History is both badly structured and zero-indexed. Over the years the compiler has developed a "feel" for the standards of authorship and web pages are being developed to encapsulate these views. Thus Hamilton Ellis is a wonderful writer, but could be highly misleading whilst Ossie Nock was the "light fiction" writer of railway literature, and was certainly not authorative as some miserable scribes proclaim in lesser works, including much available in bookstall magazines. Dow is an excellent paradigm for combining accuracy (but not total accuracy) with literary merit.

Thus, its creator updates the files at regular intervals, but is very aware that the files are far from complete, especially in respect of "polish". In terms of steam locomotives many are still in workshop grey rather than in full livery with lining out. In many cases the creation of a specific web page may in itself lead to changes in strategy. Thus it now appears to KPJ that the Journal of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers should be covered in very great depth. Almost all items of discussion should be included as these throw further light on those who contributed (such as Stanier on the need for lightweight rolling stock), as well as the topic concerned (such as Le Clair's notes on the high speed trials with Mallard). As usual in the electronic age history has overtaken this observation as the Journal, together with the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, are now available on the Internet (an action in which KPJ was mildly involved) and this like the immediate availability of the ODNB and the Transactions of the Newcomen Society implies that Steamindex may have to change direction, especially as KPJ is now in terms of age heading tor the buffer stops..

The files relating to BackTrack will be maintained as up to date as possible, but KPJ is well aware that some of the correspondence and reviews may be still incomplete for a few earlier volumes. It is still hoped to complete indexing the excellent Archive as KPJ considers it to be a worthy candidate (and it represents a break from railways): this will cause confusion for those seeking a locomotive named Goole, only to find the railway (and canal) created docks situated there. Railway Archive is also worthy of the Steamindex treatment, although KPJ questions some of its editorial policy: it would be far better if it became a mixed traditional format publication with an associated electronic library to create a sharper, more lively journal. There are far too many repetitive images. The Wild Swan publications, notably British Railway Journal, Great Western Railway Journal and the LMS Journal are worthy of the effort, but complete sets of the first two were not available to the compiler, but are now 99% complete. The Midland Railway Record would also be worthy, but some financial lines must be drawn. Moreover, the Midland built no Pacifics, although travel over the the Settle & Carlisle line was magnificent when the A3 Pacifics were showing the type 45 diesels how it should be done and why LMS locomotive policy was at the very best doubtful in terms of boiler power. There is also a burgeoning periodical literature relating to individual railways: KPJ is willing to incorporate this either by including material supplied by the organizations in machine-readable form (with some hardcopy supplied for verification) or by the direct supply of hardcopy in return for guarantee of incorporation within a stated time by KPJ.

The search engine appears to be being used, but are people finding what they hoped? Searchers are perhaps unaware that numbers cannot be sought, although this causes difficulties for those seeking Stirling No. 1, and such searches cannot be fulfilled until a page on single drive steam locomotives is created. KPJ knows that the need is there, but the site really needs collaborators to get there quickly. It would be very helpful if authors with personal machine-readable records of their own output (citations not full texts) would submit them to KPJ for incorporation into the database..

KPJ regards the listing of books as a secondary operation: Ottley and its supplements, and the large number of OPACs, serve this function far more completely, although there are some strange gaps in OPAC coverage. Most notably, no national attempt has ever been made to provide access to patents. A substantial part of the literature in books suffers from inadequate indexing (the Oxford Companion to British Railway History being a glaring example), although some books are more like periodicals and demand similar treament.

The compiler's primary interests are the steam locomotive, notably during the period covered by a major index (Steam locomotive development), and in particular the locomotives of Gresley, Stanier, Fowler and Bulleid, and the men who designed them. The index has now largely been incorporated within the website: the section relating to Ireland had to be restructured partly due to the conflict that afflicted that Island, and partly to ensure that revision and amplification will be simplified.

This earlier information is being updated and the concept is being extended back to Pen-y-Darren. Secondly, KPJ is well aware that the earlier hard copy work should have been tackled in a different way: key journals should have been covered in much greater depth and some material should have been ignored. It would have been far more useful to researchers if the subject area surveyed had not been restricted by period, and had extended back to the beginning of steam. It is still far too difficult to peruse most of the periodical literature, which really requires access to runs of journals on shelves. This used to be possible at the old Patent Office Library in the mid 1960s and the staff at Leeds Central Library tolerated my working on The Engineer and Engineering in the stack. Leather-bound journals degrade unless handled: even then (early 1960s) these volumes suffered from red rot and one returned covered in industrial-looking red dust..

The earlier work was the product of a librarian (it was originally compiled to become a Fellow of the Library Association). Later the compiler became an Information Scientist with considerable expertise in the literature of natural rubber, and would now identify two distinct approaches to any literature: one total coverage (as typified by Ottley to one form of literature) and a more selective coverage that attempts to identify what is useful (which the compiler would call an "information science approach". In part this website combines both approaches: total coverage of some key sources (Backtrack because it was there) and hopefully the Journal of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers. Certain "literature" will be ignored because it does not tell us anything new, or only concerns trivia, such as numbers, or what went on at Barry. Certain literature will probably remain unaffordable or too remote (unless help can be taken on board).

The biographical section reflects the other approach, as hopefully will future sections on key locomotive designs ("biographies" of the A4, Duchess and Merchant Navy Pacifics for instance: the 90xx are far less likely candidates, although KPJ was not content until he had seen one with its outside-in frames and its "introduction-date" after the P2s, K4s and Stanier class 5s. Late design at Swindon is certainly worth exploring as is the peculiar character of Collett and his successor. Great progress has been made on the locomotives of the LNWR thanks to a magnificent study on the locomotives of the Southern Division by Harry Jack and to the works by Talbot..

To keep the operation on its tracks it will be essential to receive some form of direct, or indirect recompense. If you make book purchasers: please use the Amazon links used on the website as this provides a modest indirect income. The site could include advertising to relevant commercial organizations, such as publshers, booksellers, suppliers of model trains, railway companies (GNER or SVR), or ticketing agencies. KPJ is not prepared to act as a source of cheap photocopies (as some grey beards still think of them) and directs enquirers to the publishers of the original materials most of whom have back-copies occupying shelves at a cost which KPJ is certain that their accountants can compute, but it may be noted that the Newcomen Society charges £10 per item to download pdf files from its electronic archive. The Mechanical Engineers appears to operate a bibliographical lottery at $30 per throw. If one lives in a bibliographical desert, like North Norfolk, one becomes very aware that all information comes at a cost: 65 pence to get Barclay-Harvey from some location to Sheringham Library (where the staff are wonderfully helpful) and at least that amount in petrol, etc, if idle, or nearly as much in footwear renewal if the journey is made on foot. A trip to the British Library costs at least £15 (book in advance from West Runton to Liverpool Street). The electronic ODNB is available in Norfolk, but may not be available to all public library users..

Updated: 2007-08-29