Railway World
key file
Volume 39 (1978)
Number 453 (January)
Marcus Binney. All change? BR's policy on architecture.
6-9.
Beginning of change in attitude towartds historical railway buidings
with Peter Parker and
Bernard Kaukas. Illustrations
show some buildings under threat of demolition.
Hadyn E. Edwards. The Afon Wen - Bangor Line (British branch lines).
10-13.
Eager to note Welsh spellings of place names, but no mention of Acts
of Parliament and rather vague about the line's closure which was protractd
due to the Britannia Bridge fire. Royal Investitures in Carnarvon Castle
are mntioned, Illustrations include one of a Cauliflower 0-6-0 on a train
for Afon Wen at Dinas Junction and a Fairburn 2-6-4T No. 42077 on a corridor
train from Liverpool to Pwllheli. Map shows branch lines off
B.K. Cooper. Railway journalism in the thirties.
17-19.
Working for John Aiton Kay, editor
of the Railway Gazette and the Railway Magazine; also some
of the other involved: Charles E. Lee,
W.A. Willox (Assistant Editor),
F.S. Bond (another Assistant Editor),
Charles S. Lake and
C.J. Allen. The work then was very different:
female staff were secretaries not technical journalists (Cooper using his
folding Kodak camera includes a photograph of the formidable bunch on an
outing to Cambridge (Miss Lucy Myers was responsible for the editorial make
up of the Railway Magazine: Charles E. Lee with his wife is in same
picture). Other photographs: No. 3279 — the former four-cylinder Ivatt
Atlantic rebuiilt with two K2 cylinders at Kink's Cross ib 1938; William
Whitelaw opening exhibition at Barnet in aid of Victoria Cottage Hospital
on 5 June 1937 and A4 4469 Sir Ralph Wedgwood being driven by him
in platform at Marylebone Station on 3 March 1939.
Richard Clarke. Manx revival: fresh hope for the Isle of Man Railway, 20-3.
Michael Harris. National Railway Museum — the first two years.
24-33.
Photographs by Jonathan Bingham
A. Irwin. The Post Office Railway. 34-6.
Work began in 1913, but WW1 delayed progress and the automated underground
railway did not open until 1927. The article shows the celebrartions of 4
October 1977. Loop lines to serve King's Cross and Euston and South of the
Thames were considered as late as the 1960s.
New books. 37
Locomotives of the
LN E R Part 9B. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. 118pp
plus 138 illus. Reviewed by Michael Harris
This is an appropriate occasion to praise the efforts of the RCTS
in producing a quite unique study of the locomotives of the Big Four railways
(LMS to come ?). These studies cannot be recommended too highly, particularly
at a time when there is so much reworked material on steam locomotives, their
design and operation. This Part is something of a 'dustpan' in that a variety
of eight-coupled, 2-6-2T, 2-2-4T, 0-4-0T and 0-4-2T classes are described
in its pages. As always, the illustrations are of value and well-chosen.
The study is by no means a recital of dimensions and what have often been
described as 'logarithm tables' of locomotive numbers and building dates.
The point is that the careful recording of facts inevitably fills out a more
vivid picture of the locomotives than 'purple prose'. This reviewer was intrigued
by a number of points in the book, not least the reproduction of a 1946 diagram
of a V3, altered to carry an L1 boiler, cylinders and with new tanks.
Ivatt & Riddles locomotives. Brian Haresnape.
lan Allan Ltd. 112pp. Reviewed by JB
Hither to the work of the two designers covered by this pictorial
history has been dealt with separately, under LMS and BR histories. But Mr
Haresnape's book shows that there was more similarity between the Ministry
of Supply, late LMS and BR standard locomotives than with anything else.·
What is especially striking is in the matter of aesthetics: all the locomotives
in this volume must evoke a definite response. Certainly, their practical
and matter of fact lines show that an essentially nineteenth century machine
could be made relevant to the late 1940s and 1950s. To this reviewer, the
locomotives in this book were mostly handsome, some particularly so, and
a good selection of photographs makes the most of them. As a slight quibble,
there are a few errors of fact including one or two slips relating to preserved
locomotives. But, all in all, a fine book.
'Western' Diesels in Camera J.A.M. Vaughan.
Ian Allan Ltd. 96pp. Reviewed by Michael Harris
The Westerns were impressive. Even a disappointed steam man had to
admire two very early examples in the summer of 1962 as they backed on to
'SO' holiday trains which he had confidently expected to be steam hauled.
This splendid album shows what presence these locomotives had, even in their
last days of peeling paintwork, oil slicks and tell-tale signs of deteriorating
engines. It also, hopefully, will not be lost on senior BR motive power engineers
conditioned for so long to the idea of a standard cab front. This policy
stopped the Class 50s from being real 'stunners' into becoming 'camels' —
locomotives designed by a committee. The retrospective view by Mike Sawyer
of BR (WR) says all that needs to be said about the Westerns, happily pointing
out that the Class 52s have 'paved the way ahead' as a result of hard won
experience with quick running engines. This is what engineering is all
about.
The British 4-6-0 John F Clay. New English
Library. 96pp. Reviewed by JTG
The most characteristic of British locomotive types is presented mainly
pictorially but with accompanying text commenting on the various phases of
development. Mr Clay carefully selects the significant landmarks of his complex
subject and gives a balanced presentation from which there is much to be
learned, particularly by the legion of railway chauvinists who tend to be
obsessed by one company or one chief mechanical engineer. The black and white
illustrations are well reproduced and chosen, with some unusual subjects
among them, such as Pendennis Castle leaving Kings Cross with a slow
train headcode and Royal Scot No 6109 with conical smokebox door.
A 16-page colour section is spoiled by some rather erratic reproduction.
A 'Black Five' looks less black than we remember them and casts a strong
blue shadow, and the same colour intrudes elsewhere to produce some curious
effects. In an appendix the 4-6-0 classes are listed with their designers,
dates of introduction, number of cylinders and type of service. Classes of
which examples have been preserved are indicated. The author acknowledges
the assistance of Group Captain J. N. C. Law in the derivation of horsepower
figures quoted in the text. He concludes after a careful examination of evidence
that No 6015 King Richard III did attain a maximum speed of
107mph near Lavington, the highest speed recorded by any British 4-6-0 hauling
a train.
A history of the great trains. Chris Cook.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 144pp. Reviewed by Basil K. Cooper
Mr Cook's account of famous trains at home and abroad rattles along
at a good pace but shakes the reader about a bit here and there. In his haste
he seems to have confused the sloping firebox of Royal Scot before rebuilding
with the boiler barrel, which he declares to be tapered. To say that the
driver of the Royal Scot express derailed at Leighton Buzzard on 22 March
1931 'chose to ignore' speed restriction boards may simply be slipshod writing
but creates an unfortunate impression. The '11.50 Torquay Diner' is an unfamiliar
name for the Exeter slip portion of the 'Cornish Riviera Limited' one vehicle
of which proceeded to Kingsbridge, not Kingswear. Despite a picture showing
the Southern Belle receiving its new Brighton Belle nameboards
in 1934, the text refers to the train as having been called the Brighton
Belle before 1931. The penchant of King Boris of Bulgaria for driving
trains may have been odd, but it is a little startling to see him referred
to first as 'deranged' and then as the 'besotted king'. However, the jacket
informs us that Mr Cook has taught modern history at Oxford and London
universities and may be better informed in this area than on roughly contemporary
events on the railways of this and other countries. 'Rationing by price'
on the Cheltenham Flyer to restrict the numbers travelling is not
among this reviewer's recollections although he does remember buying a cheap
day return to Swindon from Paddington which enabled him to travel on this
famous express. The illustrations are attractive and include some interesting
'period' subjects. It is a pity that the text shows evidence of haste and
lack of revision.
In brief. 37
The Withered Arm.
T.W.E. Roche Forge Books.
A welcome re-issue of an excellently nostalgic look at the Southern
beyond Exeter.
The Corris Railway.
Lewis Cozens Corris Railway Society.
A worthwhile reprint of a good piece of railway history research,
published originally by the compiler in 1949.
Robert Tyrrell. Narrow gauge preservation in Europe. 1 — Vivarais. 39-40
D. Farquharson Shorter. Narrow gauge preservation in Europe. 2 — Blonay- Cahamby. 40-1
Number 454 (February)
J.N. Faulkner. British railways and civil aviation 1929-48. 70-4.
C.P. Atkins.. More light on the Highland 'Rivers'
- the mystery solved? 75-7.
See HR River class
J.M. Cooper. The East Suffolk line. 78-80.
Alan Whitehead. Steam behind the Propylaeum [Euston Arch]. 81-2.
H.L. Holland. Two months under steam. 83-5.
University holiday job at Bolton mpd with the fitting staff working
on Class 5 and 8F
M.D. Beckett. The North Norfolk Railway. 88-91.
New books. 98
Britain's Railways under steam. J.B. Snell.
Ian Allan. 224pp illus. throughout. Reviewed by JB.
This nicely ordered book is a revised edition of the title which was
first published in 1965. Divided, principally, into two parts, a clear summary
of the development of the main line network, and, a concise description of
railway equipment and operation (locomotive design and practice, train services,
administration and a look at steam in 1977) it offers an informative and
readable study of Britain's railways in the steam age. There are s~veral
interesting features, not least of which is a summary of service schedules
between a number of cities over the one hundred years to 1958; the comparisons
reveal disappointing progress between 1900 and fifty years later. Perhaps
it was rather unfair, though, to have included the 14.45 departure from
Paddington via Devizes in the Bristol service calculations! Some clear maps,
intended to give a general impression only, provide good supporting material
while the black and white illustrations show a determined effort to choose
carefully, and incidentally, give a particularly good impression of the last
days of steam. The colour reproduction could be better.
The British railway station (Railway History
in Pictures series) Gordon Biddle and Jeffrey Spence. David &
Charles. 96pp illus. throughtou. Reviewed by MLH (Michael Harris)
Fortunately, interest in the worth of railway architecture has grown
in the last few years and the silly period of decrying Victorian railway
stations has passed. This album is an excellent survey of British railway
stations including the well-known and the lesser favoured and features some
interesting material, notably, station interiors and goods stations, as well
as some nice shots of stations in the 1950s and 1960s. In all, the work shows
great care and skilful choice of material. Messrs Biddle and Spence certainly
offer us the variety of styles which has been inherited. Pictures such as
Southwell in 1895 which depict a station covered in enamelled signs and more
generally defaced provide an interesting comment on the deterioration in
architectural 'good manners' from the 1860s onwards.
The Scarborough & Whitby Railway J. Robin
Lidster. Hendon Publishing Co Ltd, Hendon Mill, Nelson, Lancs. 88pp
illus. throughout. Reviewed by Basil K. Cooper.
Travellers from Scarborough to Whitby by the original North Eastern
Railway route had to make a journey of 56 miles. There were various schemes
to build a direct line along the coast but none came to fruition until 1885
when the Scar borough & Whitby Railway was opened. The 21-mile line was
worked by the NER and in 1898 was bought by that company. The author's
interesting and copiously annotated collection of 57 photographs includes
one of the Scarborough & Whitby Railway's official guide of 1894 with
Robin Hood's Bay prominent on the cover, foreshadowing its rise under the
influence of the railway from fishing village to holiday spot and 'site for
residences of gentlemen engaged in business'. Included among the illustrations
are a map and gradient profile, track layout of Robin Hood's Bay station,
and drawings of Scalby station, which was representative of buildings on
the line. Pictorially and in the text, the book fulfils the author's aim
of presenting a photographic and historical survey of a line which has received
comparatively little attention in the literature.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Peter Williams and
David Joy. Dalesman Publishing. 80pp. Reviewed by Basil K. Cooper.
Opening with glimpses of links between the NYMR today and the original
Whitby & Pickering Railway, this publication recalls the years of NER
and LNER operation up to 1965, followed by the revival of the line between
Pickering and Grosmont by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It is a much
photographed route, but the compilers of this collection have resisted the
temptation to over-emphasise well-known scenic features. The result is a
well-balanced pictorial survey which reflects the many-sided interest of
the NYMR and its preserved motive power, rolling stock and other railwayana.
On behalf of Ian Allan Ltd we should like to take the opportunity to correct a statement made in Ivatt and Riddles Locomotives by Brian Haresnape. Reference to locomotive No 71000 Duke oJ Gloucester in that publication suggests that the cylinders and valve gear are being reinstated by The Main Line Steam Trust. This is incorrect. The 71000 (Duke of Gloucester) Steam Locomotive Trust Ltd own the locomotive and are entirely responsible for the restoration of it, including the re-manufacture of the missing cylinders and valve gear. Letters. 98
To the defence of the 'Duchesses' John F. Clay and J. Cliffe
Mr C. R. Berridge (December) has destroyed his own case by overstatement.
The 1948 Exchanges never suggested high coal consumption by the Duchess.
The overall average was 3.12lb/dbhp/hr which was only marginally higher than
3.06lb for the A4 and was significantly lower than 3.60 for the original
Merchant Navy. Assumptions based on photographs are a somewhat hazardous
form of comparison unless all the relevant facts are known. More significantly
the test report on No 46225 at Rugby does not support any idea that its overall
thermal efficiency was at all inferior to other British Pacifies. Disappointingly
low superheat at moderate power outputs was also a feature of the rebuilt
Merchant Navy and Peppercorn A1. A high clearance volume had only a marginal
effect on steam consumption. In the case of the Duchess there were compensatory
advantages which restored the overall position. There was an inevitable gap
between test maxima and everyday running of all large hand-fired Pacifies;
nevertheless, a time of 73 minutes from Euston to Rugby with 460 tons would
be within Duchess capacity as No 46224 made the run in a net time of
76½,min with 560 tons. This performance required sustained dbhps of
much the same order. Slipping was a characteristic of all British Pacifies
and some were worse than the Duchesses. It can still be a problem in misty
weather over the northern banks even with todays sophisticated electrics.
The notion that design faults contributed to the Polesworth and Harrow accidents
is a very dubious proposition but it is an established fact that on two
occasions, the approach to Crewe on the Coronation Scot trial run
in 1937 and the Peterborough incident during the 1948 Exchanges, the stability
of the engine prevented operational risks from becoming disasters. The Duchesses
may legitimately be criticised for their repair costs which were higher than
those of the Peppercorn A1s and the rebuilt Merchant Navies but lower than
those of the original Bulleid Pacifies. On the basis of authentic sustained
and maximum hps, on test and in service, the Duchesses were Britain's most
powerful steam express locomotives and as such they deserve active rather
than passive preservation.
To the defence of the 'Duchesses'. Derek Cross
I really cannot allow Mr Berridge's letter (December) on the subject
of the 'Duchess' Pacifies to go unchallenged, especially his inference drawn
from the Claughtons that they were a mediocre design whose only claim
to fame is the high outputs from Duchess of Abercorn recorded in 1939.
He might as well say that the A4s only claim to fame was Mallard's
126 mile/h the previous year. The original concept for the A4s was that of
essentially a high speed locomotive for relatively light trains - their weight-
pulling attributes during the war and after were a bonus. The Duchesses on
the other hand, although first put on to high speed lightweight service on
the Coronation Scot in 1937, were designed for long and heavy trains
to work great mileages over a heavy road, a task which in my experience they
performed with outstanding success. There was also a considerable difference
in the routes each design had to work over. The old LNW had very dense traffic
which inevitably led to signal checks and all too frequent checks for subsidence
and other PW troubles, all of which increased coal and water consumpton.
The LMS Pacifies were not perfect but there is no such thing as a perfect
locomotive. With their excellent boilers and considerable reserve of power
the LMS Pacifies were well suited for the tasks they were intended for. Added
to which their reliability in 'running was consider- ably better than that
of the A4s with their temperamental valve gear and troublesome middle big-ends.
To suggest that the Duchesses were accident prone on account of design faults
is a fallacy, especially as Mr Berridge does not mention the two accidents
at Craigenhill and Lamington where a design fault did contribute to boiler
explosions. This same fault of too little space between the crown of the
firebox and the base of the 'pop' safety valves also caused uncontrolled
blowing-off, which was wasteful of steam and so costly in coal, unless the
engines were handled very carefully. The drifting steam that was a factor
in the Harrow accident was common to all big boilered engines with the honourable
exception of the A4s, but it was a fault that drivers were aware of in both
the Duchesses and Bulleids.
I am not going to get drawn into a controversy on LMS and LNER Pacific practice
as such exercises are sterile since the conditions each type had to work
under were very different and, in my opinion, on that premise, both were
highly successful designs. Far from bemoanng the fact that 'another' 'Duchess'
may be put into working order we should be very glad that we have any preserved
working locomotives at all — especially such outstanding designs as
the Duchesses and A4s. Heaven help us if the great designers of the 1930s
had gone for an all-purpose, all-line concept such as was followed at the
Nationalisation and flooded the country with 'woolly mammoths' such as the
Britannias, The Duchesses were withdrawn in 1964, not by any shortcomings
in their design or work, but by some muddle-headed accounting practice; leaving
the field wide open for the A4 to take up work of the sort for which they
were originally designed: short, light but fast trains between Glasgow and
Aberdeen.
To the defence of the 'Duchesses'. A.C. Baker
Although I only had personal experience with these engines —
and the men who ran and maintained them — in their twilight years they
were universally regarded with an almost heaven-like reverence. Mention by
Mr Berridge of seeing apparently coal-less tenders on locomotives climbing
Shap reminds me of the Crewe North practice with locomotives working in the
Perth link: surely one of the most arduous passenger locomotive jobs ever
assigned in this country. No eight coach trains for these lads! Crewe North
shed was always fortunate, due to its geographical position, in getting some
supplies of South Wales coal and it was normal procedure to ensure engines
in the Perth link were supplied with it: tenders would be topped up to capacity
(and often more) before leaving the shed despite something in the region
of two tons already being on the fire. Yes, I have seen two tons shovelled
into those enormous fireboxes and they would be well past Wigan before any
more was needed. But there was reason in this apparent madness and it was
the awful state of the coal habitually supplied at Perth. Consequently, by
the time Shap was approached on the return journey Welsh coal was again visible
in the tender. Of course, the result was that locomotives might have almost
empty tenders on arrival at Crewe and occasions are known of men cutting
things a little too fine and, with adverse weather or unexpected delays,
taking pilots at Preston, Wigan or Warrington! To understand this interesting
practice one must remember that these "double-home" jobs by Crewe North engines
and men were their sole preserve. Perth men never came to Crewe and this,
I think, speaks volumes.
(These letters are a selection of the many received in answer to Mr Berridge.
Like most other enthusiasts we were saddened by their premature withdrawal.
At this distance in time, does anyone have the 'inside' story (documentary
evidence required, please) on this episode? Ed).
The Great Northern Route to Cambridge
With regard to the early train services operated by the Eastern Counties
Rly, I am grateful to Mr H. V. Borley for pointing out that the initial service
in 1852, was three trains daily on weekdays, and two on Sundays. The weekday
service was increased to four in 1859 and the final (GER) service in 1866
(March) was five down and four up, with two each way Sundays. It should also
~e made clear that, in 1932, the improved Sunday service began on 1 May,
when there were five trains each way to and from Cambridge, plus others to
and from Royston. The caption to the photograph of 4-4-2 No 3252 on p447
of the November issue is rather misleading. Although one daily diagram in
1934 did provide for a Cambridge engine to work from Hitchin on a freight
after taking a stopping passenger train in the opposite direction, the
'Klondykes' were still used on the 'Beer Trains' occasionally. Both 3252
and 3257 were in use until the autumn of 1935. ERIC NEVE
We apologise for points which marred the presentation of the article 'A decade of Vale of Rheidol progress' in our December 1977 issue. The upper photograph on page 514 shows No 7 near Aberfrwdd and should have been credited to P. Foster. It was taken on 1 September 1970. The lower photograph on the same page was located at Erwtomau. Finally (and with a very red face) we must admit to a production error which resulted in the picture of Devils Bridge being reversed on page 516.
100 A1 Lloyd's. 110-111.
Castle class: formation of Lloyd's Ralway Society.
Number 458 (June)
Class 5 4-6-0 No. 45282 climbs to Grayrigg with 08.33 Walton Old to Carlisle freight. J. Davenport. front cover (colour)
Eric Neve. Pullman cars on East Coa st lines 1976-1978. Part 1. 302-7.
David N. Clough, An appreciation of the Class 40s.. 308-11
Lawrence Popplewell. Purbeck narrow gauge. 312-16
Robert Foster. Away from the Inter-City image. 317-21.
Off vto a good start. 322-3.
Stations in prospect. 324-5
C.N.M. Van den Arend. The West Somerset Railway. 326-30.
Number 460 (August)
Derek Cross. Couple the Bargany. 422-7.
Horwich 2-6-0s and other types in eruption when working coal trains
against the grade in the Ayrshire coalfield: the best pyrotecnics happened
when the caol trains neede to be double-headed.
Alan Whitehead. The North London in the 1930s. 428-30.
Very brief notes on period when North London steam trains tended to
be worked by 3F 0-6-0Ts, whilst still hauling close-coupled four-wheeled
stock. The electric trains were mainly worked by the smooth riding Oerlikon
stock, some of which retained LNWR livery and were well upholstered in both
classes and had inter-coach gangways.
H.C.B Rogers. The riding of steam locomotives.
431-7.
Mainly opinion of others received in correspondence or in
conversation: correspondents included B.C. Symes,
K.H. Keech,
C. Read, R.A. Riddles, R.C. Bond,
J.T. Van Riemsdijk, T.C.B. Miller, J.F. Harrison, K.J. Cook, H. Holcroft
and R.F. Hanks. A wide range of locomotives is discussed including the LTSR
4-4-2Ts (by Leech), the Gresley Pacifics (Leech, Miller and Harrison), LNWR
locomotives (Riddles), most 4-6-0s (notably Royal Scots in terms of bad riding,
but the GWR types were better), the 47XX 2-8-0s (very bad), most 2-6-0s (but
43XX seemed exempt from bad riding). See also letter from
A.Ll. Lambert on p. 570 who critices Holcroft's alleged comments and
cosiders difference beteen D1 and E1 classes
Michael Harris. Little Wonder or much enterprise.
438-43.
Growth of the Festiuog Railway
D.G. Genzel. Permanent way practice, 446-7.
Reviews. 451
The Grantham rail crash of 1906. Harold Bonnett. Bygone Grantham.
40pp. Reviewed by DEW
Baed mainly on contemporary newspaper accounts.
Number 461 (September 1978)
J.N.C. Law and P.A. Rutter. West Coast main line traction survey.
Part 1: the diesel period. 478-83.
LMS Nos. 10000 and 10001, Southern Region No. 10203, type 40, type
47, and type 50; mainly in multiple.
David Jackson and Owen Russell. 'North Country
Continental' 1927-39. 483-7.
Through working with lodging turns was instigated between Ipswich
and Manchester using B12 class and then B17 class locomotives. Includes
photographs on No. 2806 Audley End at Deepcar, B12 No. 8577 at Worksop,
No. 2806 at Worksop, Driver Pinkney in cab of No. 8535 and No. 2807
Blickling at Sheffield.
Andre Chapelon. H.C.B. Rogers. 488
Born in St Paul en Cornillon on 26 October 1892. Died 29 June 1978.
As well as outlining his enginneering achievements notes that André
Chapelon was modest, kindly, humourous and very religious.
Charles Long. Mitropa's Pullman. 489-93.
Pullman cars used on the Rheingold service from 1928 until
1939 and a celebratory run in 1978.
Chris Leigh. All cahnge at Market Harborough.
494-5.
Renovation of Queen Anne style station building attributed to
Bernard Kaukas. Illustrations:
staton frontage; Sir Hugh Casson plants tree; No. 45 007 non-stopping with
Nottingham express; Class 45 stops at new up platform
C.P. Boocock. Banking with Barclays. 496-9.
Includes a table of all steam locomotives at work for the National
Coal Board (NCB) in Scotland in September 1977. Illustrations: No. 24 (WN
AB 2335/1953) near Dalmellington; No. 1 (WN AB 2368/1955) at Waterside (colour);
No. 21 (WN AB 2284/1949) at Dunaskin (colour); Nos. 17 and 24 at Minnivey;
banking a load of coal above Dunaskin and Hudswell Clarke WN 895/1909 at
Bedlay.
Andy Carey. One railway, but three continents. 502-5.
Mixed origins of locomotives and rolling stock in use on preserved
Welshpool & Llanfair Railway including locomotives from Sierra Leone
and Yugoslavia.
New Books. 506
Last steam locomotives of Spain & Portugal. M.J. Fox. Ian Allan Ltd 144pp Reviewed by HLBM
The English narrow gauge railway J.D.C.A. Prideaux
David & Charles, 96pp, Reviewed by JB
Some interesting photographs in this album chronicling the rise, heyday
and, usually, the demise of the narrow and minimum gauge railways in England.
Indeed, the coverage of the minimum gauge lines — Duffield Bank, Eaton
Hall, Sand Hutton, Ravenglass and Romney — is particularly good. The
author also has planned the book around comparisons between the different
systems — way and works, opening, transhipment etc. That said, the biggest
weakness is with the design of the album in which double page spreads are
wasted on photographs not suited to the space and the purchaser also may
well feel that he is paying for a lot of white space which could easily have
been avoided. Despite references to the revival of the narrow gauge for pleasure,
the coverage of recent developments is thin, and there are relatively few
shots of latter-day R&ER and RHDR developments.
The Post Office Railway London Derek A. Bayliss Turntable Publications.
96pp. Reviewed by MLH
Unjustly neglected railway and its significance as a deep-level automatic
(well, remote controlled) railway tends to be overlooked. Mr Bayliss's study
rights this neglect and within the 96pp gives an excellent account of the
system, its civil engineering and equipment. The lengthy gestation of the
Post Office Railway is one of its interesting aspects, as too is its Achilles'
heel — the failure to connect with the northern railway termini. Readers
will no doubt be interested to learn of the post-war extensions proposed,
although by the time these were being seriously discussed moves were afoot
which would cut back traffic levels. Indeed, the fall in parcels and letter
traffic, together with the advanced age of much of the equipment, would suggest
that awkward decisions as to the railway's future must soon tax the Post
Office administrators. A splendid history which, one hopes, will meet with
some success.
LNER Footplate Memories. Charles Meacher. D. Bradford
Barton Ltd. 150pp. Reviewed by MLH
A very high percentage of the material published on railways is the
work of non-railwaymen, and, indeed, the railwayman-enthusiast is probably
in the minority. Many for whom the railway is their career attempt to conceal
their private interest, perhaps not surprisingly when the attitude on the
railway is often that enthusiasts are too busy being such to do their job
... Mr Meacher is certainly not in that category and he tells an interesting
story. Joining the LNER at Haymarket shed as a storeboy in 1935, he then
moved to St Margarets, was made redundant, rejoined the railway to progress
through motive power jobs over his 27 years at the one shed, and finally
(but not the subject of this book) became running foreman at Thornton Junction
in the 1960s. Many of his experiences are similar to those recounted in other
railway autobiographies but Mr Meacher has a good eye for detail and for
the idiosyncrasies of his workmates. Often the picture painted by other writers
is rose- coloured but this author draws attention to much of the drudgery,
and also to the arrogance, or meanness, of many of the old breed of drivers,
and the carelessness of others. An increase in the number of illustrations
and some more judicious editing would, one feels, have produced a more punchy
book.
New light on the gauge conversion. C.R. Clinker. Avon-Anglia Publications
and Services, 28pp. Reviewed by CJ L
One of the most remarkable feats of organisation in the history of
railway operation was the final alteration, from broad to standard gauge,
of GWR track in Devon and Cornwall carried out in May 1892. This small book
gives an insight into the planning and execution of the change over which
involved 4,700 men working on 400 miles of line. Illustrations include some
fascinating copies of original paperwork as well as the timetables of the
last 'up' and 'down' broad gauge trains, and a number of black and white
photographs showing broad gauge trains and conversion work.
Number 462 (October 1978)
Chris Leigh. Western country stations. Part 1. 534-40.
Brunel wayside stations illustrated: Wootton Bassett in mixed gauge
days; Brimscombe; Ashton Keynes post-closure; Charlbury; Bradford on Avon;
Mortimer;; Moretonhampstead; Chard Central; Aynho; Stonehouse (Burdett Road),
and engine house at Starcross.
D. Jenkinson. Passenger vehicle preservation. 1. Carriage preservation at the National Railway Museum. 543-50
Bluebell Railway.Passenger vehicle preservation. 2. Project 820. 551-4.
Restoration of a Bulleid train in malachite green livery by Bluebell
Railway.
J.M. Hodgetts. Passenger vehicle preservation. 3. Restoring GWR coaches. 535-7.
J.A. Cassells. A farewell tribute to the Pacifics of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. 558-64.
Letters. 570
The riding of steam locomotives. A.Ll.
Lambert
Original article implied that LSWR main line was electrified out to
Woking in 1926 when riding tests performed on River and King Arthur classes
and reason for E1 riding better than D1 was a longer wheelbase
Sulzer diesel locomotives of British Rail. Brian
Webb. David & Charles. 96pp. Reviewed by PNRL
Book partners Brian Webb's previous publication English Electric
Locomotives oJ British Rail (also David & Charles). His latest presentation
is very similar with two chapters tracing the evolution of Sulzer engines
and their application to BR locomotives. In the confines of four chapters
the author then surveys the technical aspects of nine individual classes
discussing their development, progress, problems and solutions, and the premature
fate of individual locomotives. Also included is an additional chapter on
the prototypes Lion and Kestrel. These aspects have been well
researched but the cold sobriety of text construction and flow project
an impression of being extracted from manufacturers' handbooks. The author
clearly had access to official documents but it is unfortunate that salient
details of both static and running test results have not been included. Impartial
analysis of each class would command great respect for this publication but
clear favouritism for the Class 45 emerges. The eighth, and final chapter
effectively debars this book from being a serious analysis of the design
and performance of Sulzer-engined motive power. Nine logs are reproduced
in an unusual form and among other runs not actually reproduced are discussed
in a muddled and highly prejudiced text. Claims for locomotive power outputs
up to 25% in excess of rated power are totally unfounded in the experience
of the reviewer, and no evidence is presented in this book to substantiate
such claims. What emerges is a clear misunderstanding of the mechanics of
train resistance which in its presented form will convince only the gullible.
A very disappointing conclusion to such a promising work.
London's local railways. Alan A. Jackson.
David & Charles. 384pp. Reviewed by MLH [Michael Harris]
Reviewer was lucky (or unlucky) enough to have to travel from Barnet
to Shepperton each day (over two 'local railways'). The writer's approach
to the relationship between London and its railways has truly added a new
dimension to transport history.The pictures painted of the Northern Line
beyond East Finchley and the Shepperton branch, for example, are exact and
appropriate and the detail recorded of their histories no more, and no less,
than what is required. In his Preface the author describes his work obliquely
as dealing with 'an often disparate collection of local lines on a regional
basis' noting that to date those lines built primarily for London's own traffics
have received little attention. Some full, and excellent, treatment is provided
of interesting stretches of railway: in the docklands (a particularly good
section, this), those lines that tapped the traffic to Alexandra Palace and
Crystal Palace (and were disappointments), to Uxbridge (Met and GWR) and
railways that never were, such as the Southern Heights line. The photographs
are a worthwhile collection and for once a study of this kind includes thoroughly
satisfactory maps. All of which adds up to a book to be highly recommended
- except that a price of £ 12.50 will put it well beyond the interested
commuter, beset by rising fares. What a pity.
Number 463 (November 1978)
GW. Recollections of Bow Works and the North London
Railway. 598-605.
Author was a premium apprentice at Plaistiow Works and was moved to
Bow Works when the LMS rationalized repair facilities in East London: he
later moved to Stratford Works. Stanley
Herbert Whitelegg was in charge of Plaistow Works after trhe Midland
Railway takenover and moved to Bow Works. Fanny Cox, who had been in charge
of Bow Works (a very amiable gentleman) was moved to Crewe. The LMS tried
other motive power in a bid to retire the NLR 4-4-0Ts: the LTSR 4-4-2Ts were
too wide; and the NSR 2-4-0Ts were lacking in power. Piece work was a feature
of Bow Works. The NLR classes lacked depth in the upper portiion of the main
frames above the cylinders and experienced cracking both in the frames and
in the cylinders. Knocking in the big ends was also common. The 0-4-2CT is
alo mentuioned.
V.R. Webster. The Midland Railway and the Lake District. 606-9.
Including services whih were diverted over the LNWR to serve
Penrith.
A.B. MacLeod. Some memories of a fireman on the LB&SCR. 610-13.
Brighton pupil's experiences in 1922 on shunting; local freight trains; local
passenger servicces and semi-fast passenger trains.