Backtrack volume 37 (2023)
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LNER V2 No. 60982 heads north |
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Home thoughts from this platform end. Michael Blakemore. 3
Thames crossings. 4-5
Colour photo feature: viiew from London Eye of Charing Cross station
encased in Embankment Place with new footbridge being built upstream alongside
Hungerford Bridge on 1 November 2001 (Rodney Lissenden) (KPJ on same day
we were escaping Thames Basin for mountains of North Norfolk); Cannon Street
station under reconstruction on 31 May 1958 with Hastings diesel electric
multiple unit and rebuilt West Country Pacific No. 34025 Whimple on
train for Ramsgate; BR Class 4 2-6-4T No. 80145 crossing Thames at
Kingston wiith a special on 5 February 1959 passing Kingston power station;
class 319 about to leave Blackfriars for Sevenoaks on 17 February 2003 with
dome of St. Pauls partially obscured by green roofed office block (Rodney
Lissenden) ; rebuilt West Country Pacific No. 34037 Clovelly on
14.30 Washwood Heath to Eastleigh freight on 22 August 1964 (David
Idle)
Stephen Roberts. Devon's raillways. 6-13
This is essentially a photo-feature with extended captions, but some
topics are not illustrated, notably the Royal Albert Bridge which links Cornwall
to railways in Great Britain and it would seem strategically weak to link
a major destination to a single track over an ancient structure based on
wrought iron. The even more strategic City of Plymouth is dependent upon
a line along the sea shore and is vulnerable to storms and Global Warming
(HS2 is a folly when perceived in this light). The broad gauge is briefly
mentioned, but íts remnants fail to be included. At the other extreme
many narrow gauge lines fail to be included and none, not even the Lynton
& Barnstaple, are illustrated. No mention is made of David St. John Thomas
and his initial contribution to the
Regional History of Railways
Series. Illustrations: No. 5031 Totnes Castle on down
Torbay Express at Exeter St. David's and No. 7813 Freshford Manor
on a local passenger train; map from Martin Smith The railways of Devon;
Battle of Britain class No. 34079 141 Squadron crossing Taw estuary
leaving Barnstaple for Ilfracombe on 2 June 1963 (Alan Chandler: colour);
No. 1010 Coutnty of Caernarvon double-heading with Castle class heading
west from Newton Abbot in 1958 (colour); Castle class Nos. 5066 Wardour
Castle and 4089 Donnnington Castle double-head 05.30 Paddington
to Penzance stopped at Brent with 4575 No. 5505 on 12.24 to Kingsbridge with
WD 2-8-0 approachimg on up freight on 18 August 1953 (John Spencer Gilks);
BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T No. 82010 and Class N 2-6-0 No. 31848 passing
Exeter St. David's with an up ballast train from Meldon Quarry on 4 July
1955 (T.J. Edgington); No. 4948 Northwick Hall arrriving Kingswear
on an ordinary passemger train during 1958 (colour); Crediton station with
mixed gauge track; Ashburton station in August 1953 with 14XX No. 1427 in
train shed (T.J. Edgington); No. 5924 Dinton Hall on down parcels,
Nos. 4955 Plaspower Hall and 6815 Frilford Grange on up local
train and 14XX in bay platform at Tiverton Junction on 1 July 1960 (John
Spencer Gilks); 44XX No. 4410 with single coach on 10.30 to Yelverton on
6 July 1955 (John Spencer Gilks); Seaton Junction station with British Railways
multiple unit with whiskers and Southern Railway concrete footbridge in August
1964 (Geoffrey Skelsey: colour); Plymouth to Exeter Central five or six car
diesel multiple unit departing Lydford on 2 July 1966 (John Spencer
Gilks); 45XX with number on tank at Lustleigh with a very mixed stock passenger
train for Moretonhampstead; M7 0-4-4T No. 30253 arriving Torrington
with 08.00 from Barnstaple Junction (John Spencer Gilks); Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T
No. 41314 at Hatherleigh on 08.32 Torrington to Halwill on 21 May 1957 (John
Spencer Gilks).
John Roake. Over the sea to Skye via the Highland Railway.
14-19
The Highland Railway was formed from three separate companies: the
Inverness & Nairn opened 5 November 1855; the Inverness & Aberdeen
Junction which made end on junctions with the first-named and with the Great
North of Scotland Railway at Keith on 21 July 1856. The Inverness and Ross-shire
Railway reached Dingwall on 11 June 1862 and was authorized to extend to
Invergordon. The Dingwall & Skye Railway received approval to extend
63 miles to Loch Carron and eventually settled for a terminus at Strome
Ferry, but was forced to operate its own ferry service to Skye. Illustrations:
Kyle of Lochalsh station c1900 with coaches in green & white livery which
was replaced by cheaper and simpler green from 1902; Strome Ferry pier; Clan
Goods No. 17954 (HR No. 79 entering Kyle of Lochalsh station on a freight
train; Strome Ferry station with overall roof viewed from train for
Kyle on 18 June 1937 (H.C. Casserley): overall roof demolished in April
1941; Clan Goods No. 57596 and a Class 5 4-6-0 at the coaling stage
at Kyle of Lochalsh (shelter was an LMS addition) on 22 April 1952 (H.C.
Casserley); Clan Goods shunting pier at Kyle of Lochalsh in July 1931; Plockton
station in 1953 with hurley being used to load brake van on train for Inverness;
one of three hydraulic cranes at Kyle of Lochalsh in 1913 (replaced by 5-ton
crane during WW1); Clan Goods shunting at Kyle of Lochalsh in LMS period;
flock of sheep trot along platform at Kyle of Lochalsh passing Highland Railway
birdcage brake van lettered LMS and with lamps on side
Miles MacNair. More frustrations of fuel efficiency. Part Three. The
last-chance saloon. 20-4.
Illustrations: Ing, Porta design proposal for super-efficient steam locomotive
in developing countries with valve gear for inside cylinders exposed at the
front & twin Crosti preheaters under boiler with exhaust either side
(Robin Barnes painting); Hunslet underfeed version of GPCS with screw feeder,
steam jets and extra air inlets, gas producer combustion firebox and Kylpor
exhaust arrangement (Industrial Railway Record 2009, March)
Mike Fenton. Sojourns on the Southern: being coach camping on the
Southern Railway 1935-40. 25-30
Twelve converted six-wheel coaches distributed on eight sites in Devon and
Cornwall plus one in Hampshire at Hurn
Peter Mortimer. A timely visit to Mortimer Street signal
box. 31
Refers to this box in an earlier Backtrack article
(2017, 31, 378) on Engine Shed Junction
box . The signalman at Mortimer Street specialised in clock repairs and was
known as Tick-Tock. A fox had raised a family underneath the box.
Illusstrations: steps up to Mortimer Street box (caption notes nearer to
Mortimer Terrace); rodding for points and signal wires at base of box;
Winners all the way [Gresley V2 class]. 32-
Colour photo-feature: No. 4808 with green cylinders built at Darlington at
York engine shed in 1938 ((H.M. Lane); No. 60891 assisting Class 5 No. 45037
on a parcels/Newspaper express at York on 9 June 1957; lined green No. 60867
at Grantham on 1 March 1959;
Croes Newydd and Brymbo. Keith Gays. 36-7.
Colour photo feature: BR Class 4 2-6-0 No. 76040 in front of the water tank
and amidst piles of ash and clinker on 21 January 1967; Stanier Class 4 2-6-4Ts
Nos. 42616 and 42647 on shed for servicing whilst working a railtour on 29
April 1967; BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 No. 75046 assembling a freight train
in the yard on 21 January 1967; 9F 2-10-0 No. 92074 on steep climb to Brymbo
with coke wagons on 19 November 1966; BR Class 4 2-6-0 No. 76040 with front
part of motion cleaned.
On the Central Wales Line. John Spencer Gilks.38-9.
Black & white photo feature: Class 5 No. 45298 on 10.25 from Swansea
Victoria to Shrewsbury passing Knucklas Halt on 19 August 1959; Fowler 2-6-4T
No, 42307 at Llanbister Road on 14.41 Shrewsbury to Swansea on 19 August
1959; BR Standard Class 5 No. 73036 on climb to Sugar Loaf Summit with
07.45 from Swansea approaching Sugar Loaf Tunnel on 24 March 1961;
8F 2-8-0 No. 48761 working tender-first on a freight exchanging single line
token at Llangunllo on 19 August 1959; English Electric Type 37 arrriving
at Llandrinod Wells on service from Shrewsbury on 17 July 1965.
Jeffrey Wells. Horwich in the news 1884-1904. 40-7.
Cites M.D. Smith's Horwich Locomotive Works. Wyre Publishing, 1896.
Illustrations: Aspinall 2-4-2T with radial axles No. 1008 (Works photograph);
well-appointed houses in Victoria Street rented to middle management in 1900,
such as foremen, draughtsmen, supervisors, etc; Erecting Shop with two electric
gantry cranes; Mechanics Institute designed by Henry Skelmandine, company
architec and built byThomas Riley & Co. Officially opened on 225 October
1895.
David P. Williams. The LNER heavy shunting engines.
48-9
Nonochrome coloured images of GCR 8H (LNER S1) 0-8-4T
No. 69901 at Doncaster c1955 and NER Class X and LNER T1 4-8-0T No. 69916
at Newport engine shed. The text gives detainls of where and when built,
allocations, withdrawals and in the case of the S1 fitting witth boosters
(on two built in 1932 and one existing one) for use in the new Whitemoor
mechanised marshalling yard near March.
Return to Cumbria. Gavin Morrison. 50-2
Bruce Laws. The Waveney Valley Railway. 53-60
Readers' forum. 61-2
Gremlin ccrner. Editor. 61
The Irish goods. David Houston. 61
Focus on Inverness. Gerald
Goodall. 61
The Highland Railway possessed two travelling post offices which latterly
in the British Railways period individually operated between Glasgow
and Dingwall and had rotas which took them to Helmsdale and Kyle of Lochalsh.
Both vehicles could be seen briefly at Dingwall.
British locomotive builders to the world.
John Bushby. 61
Takes a long time to state that we are the greatest and yet failed
to keep up with modern traction, not helped by Riddles who thought he had
acquired a full-size model railway and let the grass grow under its tracks.
Harrow and Wealdstone. Laurence
Akehurst. 61
In the 1970s Akehurst used to talk to a commuter from Tring who just
missed the 07.31 departure and that the next t rain terminated at Watford
Junction and had to walk across Cassiobury Park to the Metropolitan Line
station to reach London. In an age when railways were considered an essential
service the up and down slow lines were available on the following morning.
Sir John Elliot was Chairman of the Railway Executive at the time of the
disaster, was knighted in 1954 and became Chairman of the London Transport
Executive in the same year when he failed to resolve a bus strike lasting
for six weeks
Harrow and Wealdstone. Allan C.
Baker. 61-2
Critices Roberts for the use of the driver of the up express applying
"his emergency brake": such brakes were not fitted to most steam locomotives.
He also states that the application of AWS would have prevented the accident.
This is not necessarily so as it could be ignored or switched off
Harrow and Wealdstone. Robin
Leleux. 62
Queries the extent of damage to No. 46202 and wonders if its boiler
was reused and ponders whether the name Princess Anne led to pressure
from Buckingham Palace for the locomotive to be eliminated [KPJ at that time
the Royal Family was a msajor railway user]. Also notes how rapidly the railway
reopened and notes his own experience of the Clapham Junction accident was
observed on a journey to Brighton when on the return journey an empty train
had been positioned to block the view of the accident and how on the following
day he was able to view the clearance work from Battersea Rise Bridge which
included the poignant sight of stacked briefcases.
Harrow and Wealdstone. Nick
Booker. 62
Extremely critical of Roberts for failing to cite either of
Peter Tatlow's serious and thorough
books on the disaster and the failure to note
Coomb's study published by David &
Charles in 1977. He also wonders if shift working had led to Driver Jones
becoming drowsy and his fireman being similarly afflicted
Harrow and Wealdstone. A.J.
Mullay. 62
Prime Minister Churchill visited the accident and wanted to know who
was responsible: John Eliott offered
himself: see On and off the rails. Allen & Unwin, 1982. Not
mentioned in Churchill Diaries.
Book reviews. 62
A detailed history of the LMS ''Royal Scots' 4-6-0s.
John Jennison. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, 258pp.
Reviewed by MB [Michael Blakemoor] *****
Well received by Michael Blakemore
Swanscombe Cement Works and its railways. Chris
Down. Industrial Locomotive Society. 424pp. Reviewed by JRS. ****
"Commendable for the diligent research, Quality photographs, maps
and diagrams, the book is a must for any library". Warns of short
print-run.
The railways of London Docklands: their history and
development. Jonathan Willis. Pen & Sword Transport. 160pp.
Reviewed by PR ****
Central theme is rejuvenation of London Docklands with Docklands Light
Railway, Jubilee Line and Elizabeth Line
In the Peak of the winter. Stewart Jolly. rear
cover
Class 123 on 10.45 Manchester Piccadilly to Cleethorpes passing Edale
in snow on 18 December 1982
Fowler 3F 0-6-0T No. 47345 |
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John Scholes. Does history have a future?
67
Guest Editorial. "Our railway past hardly stood up to scrutiny with
whole townships flattened, graveyards destroyed, and churces denolished,
all to build a new line. All that is before you get to the long hours, poor
pay, unfair treatment and unnecessary deaths through neglect and
unsuitable equipment.. It was a hard existence and life was cheap,
so we should be thankful that things have moved on". ..."Most of our railway
heroes came from poor and uneducated backgrounds, but by sheer hard work
and dogged determinationsucceeded in establishing a notable place in 'history'".
"There are few plans for our br illiantly engineered canal system James Brindley
calculated it all in his head. Stephenson gets far more personable credit
than he deserves. His assistant Locke hardly gets a mention for saving the
day when Parliament threw out the first London to Birmingham Railway
application..."