Michael Rutherford
Michael Rutherford is now best known for his remarkable series in Backtrack known as Railway Reflections (and formerly as Provocations) which now run to over a hundred articles and must bring him into the same realm as C.J. Allen and O.S. Nock, but Rutherford is without question in a class of his own in noting his sources in sufficient detail for them to be recalled and thus puts on a par with authors like Charles E. Lee. He does, of course, have a major advantage over lesser mortals in working at the National Railway Museum with its excellent access to published information, the extensive grey literature and to private records. The pamphlet appears to suit this author's style. He is a noteworthy author about railways and their locomotives in that unlike many others he is prepared to read as well as to write.
City of Truro: main line centenarian. York:
Friends of the National Railway Museum, 2003. 40pp.
Page 33 shows author and several other NRM luminaries draped around
the locomotive. Author is also visible on page 2.
Great Western 4-6-0s at work. London:
Promotional Reprint Co., 1995.
Originally published as two separate books: Castles & Kings
at work. Ian Allan, 1982 and Granges and Manors at work. Ian Allan,
1985. The reprint is in effect two separate books (with indexes, etc) under
one cover (but with a single numbering sequence). Many of the excellent features
evident in the Backtrack articles were evident in this earlier
publication. It may be added that Rutherford did include information about
the Hawksworth Pacific..
with Blakemore, Michael
Green Arrow and the LNER V2 class. Penryn:
Atlantic/Friends of the National Railway Musem. 1997. 20pp.
Partially written in respect of the locomotive preserved within the
NRM collection.
Mallard: the record breaker. York?: Newburn
House, 1988. 48pp.
Although only an A4 pamphlet this brings together much that is difficult
to trace otherwise. Many of the pictures are unusual.
Michael Rutherford's Railway Reflections
Railway Reflections began life as Provocations (an apt title). In some respects they followed in the footsteps of Tuplin, although Rutherford's knowledge of locomotives may be greater than that of Tuplin, who in spite of his Professorship in Engineering remained an amateur in terms of assessing steam locomotives (few of which rely upon gears - Tuplin's area of expertise). They are enjoyable journalism and frequently provoked quite intellectually challenging responses. Perhaps, Rutherford's main trains of thought were that: Webb had been excessively criticised (his great skills being ignored in this process); Bulleid's considerable defects as an engineer had tended to be overlooked by some; to an extent the same remarks were made about Gresley; most things Midland were pretty awful, that everything from Swindon, and the derivatives thereof, was wonderful, and that Riddles and his acolytes were more in the Bulleid mould than they would have recognized (the "Standards" merely added to the exisiting massive diversity and failed to propell design forward). Too little regard was paid to what was going on elsewhere, although much of it emerged from British workshops. The following abstracts exclude (1) notes on the illustartions and (2) the links to correspondence generated.
The following appeared as an Editorial in January 1997:
January 1997 heralds the beginning of the third year of a monthly
BACKTRACK and the third year of my regular articles. I wouli like to take
this opportunity to thank all those who have written with corrections and
comments and I would affirm that no stone remaim unturned in the search for
the cyberspace gremlin that occasionally eats adds or modifies words to suit
his own nefarious plan.
Some of you have written in with regard to topics that have been covered
briefly (but provocatively) such as Bulleid's Pacifics and Webb's locomotives.
I can promise that these topics will be dealt with in more depth later this
year. A number of friends have been wont to remark that although they liked
a particular article, it wasn't at all provocative With this criticism
in mind and also the knowledge that researching for these contributions
invariably gives me more and more ideas for further essays and that there
are many, narrower, straightfoward topics I wish to address, it has
been decided to rename the series. Consequently Provocations will
become Reflections from this issue but there will be no fundamental
change in my approach which is to try and look at old themes from new
perspectives, bring apparently disparate themes together or put some specialized
railway subject into a more general historical contact and this may mean
reference to events and railways beyond these shores. Therefore only the
name has been changed and I will certainly not shirk from being as provocative
as is necessary if I wish to drive a point home!
Railway reflections: Provocations
Number 1. Fuel, energy and traction. Backtrack, 1995, 9,
33-8.
Spark arrestors were needed for coke, coal, and especially wood burning.
Early locomotives tended to be highly complex to burn coal until D.K. Clark
of the GNoS developed fireboxes with side air inlet tubes and Charles Markham
developed the brick arch. The clean-burning sperm oil was used as lamp oil,
but mineral oil exploitation was developed in Pennsylvania and in the Caucasus.
Thomas Urquhart developed oil burnining locomotives on the Grazi and Tsaritsin
Railway in 1874. Holden used waste from an oil-gas plant to fuel stationary
boilers at Stratford works and mainline locomotives. Robinson experimented
with pulverized and colloidal fuel on the GCR. The Agadir Crisis caused the
British Navy to develop oil-burning for its greater speed, and Churchill
persuaded the British Government to acquire a stake in the Anglo-Persian
Oil Co. on 17 June 1914. The SR permitted U 2-6-0 629 to be fitted with the
AEG system for burning pulverized fuel: this system had been developed for
brown coal and problems were encountered with hard coals. Author considered
that it was a failure by BR not to develop the oil-burning system which had
been developed by the GWR before nationalization. Author (see
Rutherford 50 regarded this as his Opus 1)
Illus.: GWR 2021 class 2144 with a spark arrestor chimney at Ditton Priors
in 1953; Stockton and Darlington no 25 Derwent given to the NER in
1898; diagram of Charles Markham's classic firebox design (Instn Mech Engrs);
diagram of pioneer GCR No 966 as converted to use pulverised coal; the fuelling
source at Gorton for J.G.Robinson's fuel experiments on the GCR; modernised
shed yard at Colwick; refuelling a West German DB three cylinder Pacific
with oil; Merchant Navy 21C19 French Line laying down a smoke blanket
at Fleet (Eric Youldon asserts this must have been 21C9 see
9-163;
[Railway Reflections
(Provocations) No. 2]; Thoughts about turntables. Backtrack, 1995,
9 . 67-73.
The first turnatbles were used for wagon shunting. King Louis XIV
had turntables on a pleasure railway driven by servants. Roundhouse engine
sheds were totally reliant upon turntables and this was a disdvantage. Centre
balance turntables required a strong foundation and it was difficult to balance
the locomotive, especially if the tender was empty. A better system shared
the balance with the end wheels as used on small GWR turntables. Two more
sophisticated designs became available latterly: the articulated turntable
from Vögele of Mannheim, the patent rights for which were used by Cowan
Sheldon: the 70 ft turntables at Polmadie and Camden were of this type, and
the Mundt from the Netherlands which enabled flexing at the centre. These
were supplied by Ransomes & Rapier. A 70 ft one was installed at Clifton,
York, in 1932, and shorter versions were supplied to the LMS and GWR. The
power could be electricity, hydraulic, air or vacuum (last two from locomotive).
There were powered turntables in Britain (less than 10%). In the early twentieth
century it was quite normal to split the locomotive from its tender and turn
each in turn. This was done with Cardean and there were similar problems
with the NBR Atlantics. Large tank engines, such as those used on the LBSCR
got round the problem. On the MR the roundhouses with their turntables limited
locomotive development Lack of a suitable turntable at Bath SDJR led to tender
cabs being fitted to the 2-8-0s. Problems with Gresley Pacifics at Gateshead
as the locomotives had to be turned on avery busy triangle. At first Pacifics
had to go out to Hornsey to turn. Shortened designs, such as the Schools,
were a success. See letter from Richard Q. Colley (222)
concerning effort required to tun even small locomitives and comment
on Gorton double-track layout shown on page 8. illus.: A
carriage turntable unearthed when Euston station was rebuilt; A turntable
at ex-LNWR depot at Wolverhampton; The original turntable design at Derby.
It needed two sets of wheels due; A brand new 4-6-4T for the Furness Railway
at Kitson's in Leeds; Four men struggling to turn Rob Roy no 895 at
Perth; The unhappy wanderer is GE no 927, unfortunately it is someone else's;
Getting a Johnson 4-4-0 out of the pit by jacking and packing sometimes it;
The brand new 70 foot table put in at Wakefield in 1933; Diagram of 70 foot
LNER table;
Railway Reflections (Provocations)
Number 3: A question of gauge. Backtrack, 1995, 9.
152-6.
The NCB operated underground locomotives on 30 different gauges from
1'6" to 3' plus 3' 6". Railways were built to local measurements: in Spain
the gauge was 6 Castillian feet. In Sweden railways were built to 4 and 3
Swedish feet gauges. The origin of the metric system is described and Rutherford
wonders if the railways at Crich and Penrhyn were metric. The broad gauge
enabled higher speeds and higher loads, but there were problems of transhipment,
although the MR staged a pantomine for the Railway Commissioners at Gloucester.
On 18 August 1846 an Act was passed which reinforced the dominance of the
standard gauge, but with provision for 5' 3" in Ireland. Broad gauge was
to be limited to its existing area. Sir John Rennie claimed that he would
have selected 5' 6" for the L&MR, and this gauge was chosen for India
and Argentina. There were many gauges in the USA and this created problems
during the Civil War. The Niagra Bridge opened in 1853 accommodated three
gauges. France used two gauges: 1.44 and 1.435 and only rationalized this
recently. The Leek & Manifold Light Railway, whose Engineer was E.R.
Calthrop owed much to the Barsi Light Railway in India.The Leek & Manifold
could carry standard gauge wagons on special trucks. Hitler planned a
Breitspurbahn with a 3m gauge. Australia has regauged many lines and Spain
is pursuing a similar policy. The former Soviet Union provides huge potential
for narrowing the gauge of railways therin. Tables show some early British
gauges and maximum gauges in Europe. illus.: A broad and a standard gauge
loco . Note the way the track is symmetrical; Mixed gauge at Swindon Junction;
2' gauge slate wagons 'piggyback' on standard gauge wagons; A Fairlie double
engine; A locomotive built for the Barsi Light Railway; LMVLR Locomotive
no 2 B Earle at Hulme End; Rye and Camber tramway A 3' petrol engined loco;
Transhipment sidings on the Harrogate Gas Works Railway; Outline Diagrams
of Pacifics in India;
Railway Reflections No. 4:
Was there a future for steam? - Part 1. Backtrack, 1995,
9. 183-90.
This part is mainly concerned with the development of high performance
steam engines for road vehicles, and the adaption of this technology to railway
traction. Amongst the pioneers considered are Jacob Perkins who developed
a flash boiler which was considered by F.W. Webb for application in a locomotive,
but the extent of this development is not known. Pioneers of steam road vehicles
included Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, Francis Macerone and Walter Hancock whom
Rutherford considered to be arguably the best. Later Amédée
Bollée and Leon Serpollet developed engines with flash boilers in
France and the latter produced steam cars with V4 single acting engines and
this technology was applied to some light locomotives sold under the
Hydroleum name: some were used by the London Brick Company. Stephen
Alley was the founder of the Sentinel operation associated with steam road
and railway vehicles. and development might have gone much further had the
financial state not been so severe during the 1920s and 30s, specially once
Doble became involved in the firm. Doble's best known contribution was to
high performance steam automobiles, but similar technology was applied to
a railbus for the Southern Railway and a locomotive for the LMS. The author
also mentions Kyrle Williams advanced water tube boilers, but the work ended
with the failure of Kerr Stuart, and the Swiss Locomotive Company's high
pressure locomotive with double acting Uniflow cylinders with jackshaft
drive and the application of the Woolnough marine water tube boiler to Sentinel
railcars. .Part 2 page 265. illus.: A triple expansion
4-4-0T using a high pressure flash boiler as schemed at; Hancock's boiler
as used in 1830; A 2-6-2T built in 1927; A railcar as used on the Hungarian
State Railway; Sentinel-Cammell railbus successfully used on the Brighton-Dyke
service; Diagram of 1600 BHP express locomotive prepared by Sentinel; A Doble
inspired Co-Co- sentinel on test in Belgium; LMS shunter no 7192; Designs
of foreign railcars; Section through Woolnough boiler; Section view of a
Doble 2 cyl compound steam motor; Section view of Sentinel Mk II 6 cyl single
acting engine for railcars;
Railway Reflections: Provocations No.
5: Was there a future for steam? Part 2. ). Michael Rutherford.
Backtrack, 1995, 9, 265-70.
Part 1 on page 183. Seminal influences, according
to Rutherford, included John Player of the Brooks Locomotive Works introduction
of the Belpaire tapered boiler aand its adoption by Churchward. The formation
of the American Locomotive Company in 1901 was key to the development of
large locomotives in the USA. The extensive use of cast steel was common
in the USA. One of the main shortcomings in Britain was the lack of component
standardisation, not only amongst the companies but also between the companies
and the private railway industry; it was essential in the locomotive export
field. There does seem a case for the Government to have instigated some
progress, particularly the Government of 1945 which planned to nationalise
the railways but could see little beyond the political gesture. It could
be argued that steam may well have had a longer life and a more dignified
end had the railways not been nationalised and the companies allowed to modernise
in their own way in their own time. Following the formation of the Railway
Executive, the very size of the new authority precluded any outside
collaboration; American manufacturing methods or Chapelon-inspired rebuilds
were unthinkable. Steam locomotive design was stuck in a timewarp set in
the early 1920s. Outside industry could have done better; the steam locomotive
deserved better.
illus.: Bavarian Pacific no 18.472; No 102 La France; Pennsylvania K4 class;
Principle of Super Power as advocated by George Basford in 1923; A Lima built
2-8-4 of the Richmond, Fredricksburg and Potomac Railway; Nord Pacific no
231E 16; A cast steel locomotive bed; LNER A3 no 2751 at Kings Cross; LNER
articulated con rod; A Baltic no 232.U1; No 1500 of the Delaware and Hudson
railway; US built Mikado of the 141.R class; A class 10 Pacific; A South
African class 25 4-8-4;
Provocations/Railway
Reflections No. 6: Eighty years of service: the express passenger 2-2-2.
Backtrack, 1995, 9, 296-301
The 2-2-2 began as extended L&MR 2-2-0 Planet in 1833.
Patentee built by Robert Stephenson for the L&MR: it had outside
sandwich frames. A couple of small locomotive builders in Dundee developed
locomotives with inside plate frames and outside inclined cylinders and
this design was developed by Patrick Stirling on the GSWR and GNR. The mis-named
Crewe-type was developed on the GJR by William Buddicom and Sinclair took
the idea to the GER. The LNWR Bloomers and LBSCR Grosvenor type introduced
by Stroudley were other significant stages in development. Almost as an after
thought Rutherford mentions the influence of John Gray, as encapsulated in
his patent 7745 of 26 July 1838 in which valve events are defined and whose
work led to David Joy's Jenny Lind.
Rutherford concludes by stating that "Size for size and pound for pound
(sterling), the 2-2-2 was developed further and better within the existing
production technology and operating conditions, than possibly any other express
type in Britain." illus.: Diagram of an early R&W Hawthorn 2-2-2; LBSCR
No 292 Seaford 2-2-2 a very rebuilt machine; HR Crewe-type single
no 32 Cluny; Crewe type single no 1848 Sefton; Furness no 37
a standard design of Sharp, Stewart and Co; No 151 Grosvenor; GW Queen
class no 1117; North British no 214; Ramsbottom Problem class no 1434
Eunomia; Stirling single no 876; A Stirling single rebuilt by Ivatt;
Railway Reflections No. 7:
Sages are not fixers - Science, invention and Dr. Diesel. Michael
Rutherford. Backtrack, 9, 377-85.
The concept of the internal combustion engine is extremely old. There
are 18th century patents for devices including what may have been a gas turbine
and engines had been demonstrated in time for the Rainhill trials, but engines
suitable for rail traction had to wait until the end of the 19th century.
This is a brief history of those, such as Otto, Deutz, Daimler and Diesel,
who contributed to the development of the ic engine, plus the names of many
others who also contributed. There is some mention of the application of
such "early" engines to rail traction.
Railway Reflections No. 8.
Measurements not mystification - the British dynamometer car. .
Backtrack, 9, 436-44.
Scientific measurement of locomotive performance probably began with
Charles Sylvester's measurement made on behalf of the Liverpool & Manchester
Railroad Committee in 1824 when he made measdurements on the performance
of locomotives at Hetton Colliery. Charles Babbage, one of the precursors
of mechanized computation assisted in the development of a dynamometer carriage
for the Great Western Railway at Brunel's behest. This vehicle was improved
by Gooch and helped in the refutation of Dr Lardner's nonsense presented
against the Railway. This early car was capable of measuring power at the
drawbar and is described in Clark's Railway
machinery. Aspinall made considerable advances in the design of
dynamometer cars. The work of H.I. Andrews and "his" Mobile Testing Plant
and Sam Ell's Controlled Road Testing is mentioned. A table summarizes details
of all British cars.
Railway Reflections (Provocations)
No. 9: Matchless matchboxes . Backtrack, 1995, 9,.
471-7.
Development of the pannier tank locomotive from side and saddle tank
precursors under Armstrong, Churchward and Collett. Author divided GWR 0-6-0
tank locomotives into five categories:
1. Large Wolverhampton tanks with inside or sandwich frames.
2. Small Wolverhampton tanks with inside frames only
3. Large Swindon tanks with inside and double frames [57xx was main manifestation
of these]
4. Miscellaneous
5. Absorbed locomotives.
Argues that Classes: 1813, 1854, 2721, 57XX and 94XX formed a single procession
in design, and produced a total of 1313 related locomotives. The Dean Goods
(2301 class) stemmed from the 1813 series, whilst the 94xx employed the Number
10 boiler developed for the 2251 mixed traffic 0-6-0. Argues that two divergent
processes were at work: standardization and diversity wrought through
improvements, or the need to meet specific conditions. Two tables illuminate
both trends within the classes. Some of the diversity is demonstrated by
the series numbers: 67xx were fitted only with steam brakes and were intended
for shunting. The 97xx series were fitted with condensing apparatus, a special
form of ATC to clear electrified tracks, and trip cocks for working over
the Metropolitan line to Smithfield. The 8750 series incorporated several
improvements. Suggests that the design should have been adopted as a standard
by British Railways. The class combined cheapness, simplicity, reliability
and versatility.
As an introduction Rutherford introduced one of his "hot under the collar"
topics, namely the quest for authenticity in museum exhibits.
Railway reflections (Provocations)
No. 10: Heroes, villains and ordinary men. . Backtrack, 1995,
9, 528-34.
Approaches to history, one of which that is very popular (biography)
concentrates upon individuals. Inevitably some important contributors fail
to receive adequate atention -, others ensure that they get too much. Considers
sources: Dendy Marshall (which is neither
congratulated nor condemned by Rutherford: only its age is noted - which
in such a topic may be an asset), E.A. Forward (Trans. Newcomen Soc),
Samuel Smiles, Patents (those of Chapman, Trevithick and Hedley); the contenders
(William Hedley, Trevithick, Blenkinsop, Chapman, Brunton, Timothy Hackworth
and Jonathan Foster, most of whom pre-date George Stephenson. Notes call
by George Stephenson on son to assist in locomotive-building enterprise.
Considers locomotive remains: Puffing Billy and Wylam Billy.
Emphasizes that Hetton Colliery locomotive is an early replica built by Sir
Lindsay Wood, son of Nicholas Wood (collaborator with Stephenson) in 1851/2.
There is no adequate biography of Charles Beyer, nor of Stanier, but Gresley
and Bulleid are better served. There is a tendency to over-play the significance
of the CME (much development took place on the LMS whilst Stanier was in
India) Illus. (b&w): A pastiche of early locomotives; Puffing Billy
from nearside and offside; early view of Hetton Colliery with Stephenson
locomotives at work; Hetton Colliery shunter; Beyer 0-6-0 made for the Shrewsbury
and Hereford railway but sold to the GWR before delivery; The Hetton Colliery
shunter; Bert Spencer, Gresley's technical assistant; No 10000 the 'Hush-hush'
with Nigel Gresley (with daughters on footplate); Teddy Windle, chief draughtsman
at Doncaster; O.V.S.Bulleid and Lord Brabazon on 21C1; prototype V2 no 4771
Green Arrow at Carnforth;
Railway Reflections (Provocations)
No. 11: Failure? - Part 1 - Francis William Webb. . Backtrack,
1995, 9, 582-8.
...the Webb compound era, far from wasting money for the company,
did the opposite: thus, Rutherford follows Essery's assessment. In addition,
Rutherford questions Cox's evaluation of Webb in Speaking of steam,
considering that the paper by Webb selected for the compilation failed to
demonstrate some of Webb's greatest engineering achievements: notably the
Teutonics ("very good indeed"); the Alfred the Greats ("as
good as anything operating on any other British railway"). Webb had to withstand
pressure from Sir Richard Moon who would only spend money on safety if forced
to. Rutherford considered that the Teutonic class was very good indeed and
that the Alfred the Great class performed as well as any of their contemoraries
on other railways. Webb's real battles came with the newer managers: Robert
Turnbull and Frederick Harrison. See also Webb
page. See also Volume 10 (1) page for letters by
P.W.J. Bishop and
L.A. Summers and response to them
by Rutherford. Illus.: Francis William
Webb; Sir Richard Moon chairman of the LNWR; John Nicholson Jackson Chief
draughtsman; Dreadnought No 1353 City of Edinburgh; Dreadnought No
2064 Autocrat; Teutonic No 1303 Pacific; Alfred the Great No
1952 Benbow; Webb 'Coal Engine' as LMS No 8208; Webb 'Jumbo' no 1522
Pitt as LMS no 5005; Webb 'Cauliflower' no 451 at Carnforth [this
is possibly incorrect and the correct location was Greenfield
(see Volume 10, page 109).
Railway Reflections (Provocations)
No. 12: Failure? - Part 2 - the Kitson-still locomotive.
Backtrack, 1995, 9, 657-65.
Kitson-Still locomotive and its origins: Rutherford considered that with
hindsight the Kitson-Still must be regarded as one of the most successful
unconventional locomotives: Rutherford is aware that the adventure was a
major contributary factor in the collapse of the Kitson Company. Interesting
precursors include the Dunlop hot air/steam system. Author notes that the
development of the Kitson-Still locomotive was hidered by the Luddites who
run trade unions. Readers who might consider that this was an impossible
concept should remember that a substantial amount of electricity is produced
via combined cycle systems burning natural gas. Illus.: Drawing of the New
Century Engine Cos combined air and steam superheater; Diagram of Dunlop's
Aero-steam engine; Diagram of Dunlop's Aero-steam engine as proposed to be
fitted to a; Schematic arrangement of Cristiani compressed steam system;
Diagram of compressed steam loco built in Austria; Schematic diagram of the
Still principle; The main features of the Kitson-Still locomotive; The Still
system as applied to Locomotives; The general arrangement of the K-S 1;
Revolutions and Manias - a forgotten
anniversary. (Provocations )[Railway Reflections No. 13]. Michael Rutherford.
Backtrack, 1995, 10, 33-9.
Economic background to railway mania: poverty, the Corn Laws, the
Anti-Corn Law League, Chartism, accumulation of capital, poor return on
industrial investments, railway dividends were relatively high, the Parliamentary
beneficiaries (capitalists and landowners); the boom of 1836 had led to the
creation of stock exchanges in Liverpool and Manchester, and others followed.
The Corn Laws were repealed in 1846. By 1847 257,000 were employed in
constructing railways. The end of laissez faire was marked by the
formation of the Railway Clearing House, the establishment of Bradshaw's
timetables and growing involvement in Parliament with Committees and Commissions.
The growth in third class travel is clearly shown. Long letter by E.R. Foulkes
(page 165) on Richard Lovell Edgeworth and his "invention"
of trains for conveying loads across soft ground. Portrait of George Hudson
the 'Railway King' (see letter page 221/2 by Sinclair
concerning this portrait). other illus.: Cartoons of railway promoters;
the railway Juggernaught; and 'Off the rails'; Portrait of George Stephenson;
Railway maps of 1840 and 1852; GWR broad gauge 4-2-2 Lord of the
Isles; Table 1 Mileage growth 1830-1849; Table 2 Amalgamations; Table
3 Journeys 1843 and 48; Table 4 People employed on the railways 1847-84;
Drawing of Sharp Bros. 0-6-0 Sphynx;
Bulleid versus Raworth. Provocations
[Railway Reflections No. 14]. Michael Rutherford. 10,
94-100.
Much of the material on Raworth has been incorporated into the
biographical section (and allusion to this feature is also made in
the section on Bulleid). The Reflections notes the great contribution which
Raworth made to the progress of Southern electrification in spite of his
subsidiary position to Jones, the Chief Electrical Engineer, and questions
once again how Bulleid was able to get away with designing his complex Pacifics
which were a mixture of brilliance and perversity, and the Leader class
which seemed only to incorporate the latter characteristic. illus.: Picture
of Alfred Raworth; A much rebuilt two car EMU (see letter
by R.C. Riley on page 165); Simultaneous departures from Guildford of
three EMU trains; Electric loco CC2 on test; Bulleid Merchant Navy 21C7
Aberdeen Commonwealth nearing Weybridge; Rebuilding of a Bulleid Pacific;
A projected Diesel - mechanical??;
The Great Western, boilers
and The Great Bear. (Provocations) [Railway Reflections No. 15].
Michael Rutherford. 10, 146-54.
illus.: No 3306 Shelburne in front of a 2201 class; No 36 built at
Swindon; No 3297 Earl Cawdor at Weymouth; An Atbara no 3391; No 150
of the Great Northern; Two early schemes for GW pacifics; No 111 The Great
Bear nearly as built but with front doorsteps removed as; No 111 The
Great Bear in 1923; No 111 The Great Bear in post war condition at
Twyford; A final scheme for the Bear; Capital expenditure of the major companies
1876-1907;
More about measurements. (Provocations
[Railway Reflections No. 16]. Michael Rutherford. 10,
209-16.
Locomotive testing and the use of the measurements obtained, sometimes
for less than straight forward reasons. Author argues that the 1948 locomotive
exchanges were solely to support the luxury of the BR Standard designs.
Rutherford strongly asserts from the data stored at the NRM that the
Claughtons were far more powerful than is frequently considered, and
certainly comparable with the Castle class, the tests of which on
the LMS were used to reinforce exisiting predilictions. illus.: A comparison
chart from the use of a dynamometer car; Graphs of superheater experiments;
An indicator shelter on Atlantic no 39; No 2663 George V
with Tommy Sackfield after completion and ready for testing; Claughton
no 192; Pioneer pacific no 2400; Locomotive testing plant of the Pennsylvania
Railroad; No 6001 King Edward VII on test at Swindon; Southern pacific
No 34005 Barnstaple on locomotive exchange duty at St Pancras in June
1948; Southern Merchant Navy No 35020 Bibby Line with Sam Ell and
Ernie Nutty; Test results (diagram) for No 71000 Duke of
Gloucester;
Sir Nigel Gresley, the LNER and the
'Big Four'. (Railway Reflections No. 17). Michael Rutherford.
10, 242-8.
The number one problem facing the LNER was an acute shortage of finance,
and this was so serious that policies implemented by the LMS and GWR could
not be undertaken on the LNER. Most of the works, even the relatively modern
one at Darlington, lacked the comprehensive facilities available at Swindon,
Derby and Crewe. Investment in motive power depots was also stated to be
poor (but probably better than GWR - mechanical coaling, ash plants and powered
turnatbles - KPJ). Records how Thompson came to rebuild the
B12 along Swindon lines. Feature led L.A. Summers (page
390) to assert that Gresley failed to standardize. illus.: No 1470 Great
Northern at Doncaster; No 2394 one of only two Mikados; Gresley's locomotive
booster on a P1; The corridor tender under construction; No 2845 The Suffolk
Regiment; The boiler for the experimental no 10000; No 10000 the 'Hush-hush'
outside the erecting shop; No 2001 Cock o' the North when new; No
2001 Cock o' the North at Kings Cross station; No 2509 Silver Link
with the bonnet up; No 3279 an rebuilt Ivatt locomotive; The 'Maid of the
Loch'; No 61700 Bantam Cock a Gresley V4; Table 1 Steam locomotive
stock of the Big Four; Table 2 Locomotives of the LNER built to pre-grouping
designs [except GN]; Table 3 Locomotives of the GN/LNER built to Gresley
designs; Table 4 Dimensions of Gresley locomotives;
Railways, coal and wagons.
(Provocations/Railway Reflections [No. 18]). Michael Rutherford.
10, 322-9.
Mainly the transport of coal and its transhipment to sea-going steam
vessels. Statistics presented include P&O bunker stocks on a global basis
totalling 90,000 tons in 1853. Includes observations on private owner wagons
which Sir John Aspinall called "the bane of the railways." illus.: A double
headed Midland coal train; Cambridge Street coal depot; ten ton private owners
wagon (Locke & Co (Newland) Ltd; Grangemouth coal drops on the Firth
of Forth; seven ton CR coal wagon with dumb buffers; eight ton CR coal wagon
with end & side doors; Coal stocks at Stratford; Lunchtime at Wilford
Road Nottingham; Pampisford in Cambridgeshire; Coaling trawlers at Fleetwood;
Goole docks; Leeds Forge-built CR bogie coal wagon; twenty ton L&YR
high-sided coal wagon with end doors and vacuum brakes for Goole export traffic;
A train partly of 40 ton side hopper wagons (for Stonebridge Park power station)
hauled by 4F no 4150;
Three of a kind: the genesis
of the Express locomotive. Provocations/Railway Reflections [No. 19].
10, Michael Rutherford. 355-60.
The development of the express passenger locomotive by Gooch, Crampton
and Sturrock. The article also contains a considerable amount of biographical
material about Daniel Gooch and other members of his family. illus.: Drawings
of Gooch's Firefly; Robert Stephenson's 2-2-2 North Star stored
at Swindon from 1871 to 1906; Swindon engine house with several Fireflys;
Great Western' locomotive after rebuilding; A painting (b&w repro.) of
Liverpool at Coventry (C. Hamilton Ellis); The Dundee, Perth and Aberdeen
Jn. Rly. No 14 Kinnaird; Paris-Strasbourg Rly. No 80 Le
Continent; Sturrock's massive no 215 which was too big for the GN, unfriendly
to track; Iron Duke'; Sturrock's 264 class no 268 in original condition;
Drawing of 1925 North Star; A Rover at Flax Bo
Hydraulics and Diesel-hydraulics.
(Provocations). [Railway Reflections No. 20]. Michael Rutherford.
10, 432
Brief history of hydraulics as applied to lifts, cranes and in means
for bridge construction. notes the replacement of towers by accumulators.
Also the development of hydraulic transmission, both on miniature locomotives
and on full-size locomotives, notably on the Western Region which enabled
high power-to-weight ratios to be obtained, using technology which had been
developed in Germany. illus.: A diagram of a 0-4-0 with a Lentz hydroctatic
transmission; Diagram of the Derby designed Diesel-hydraulic no 1831; Hunslet
Clarke 4-6-2 diesel hydraulic on the North Bay Railway Scarborough; Simplified
diagrams of a Torque converter and a hydraulic coupling; Diagram of the very
first main-line diesel hydraulic loco; Diesel-hydraulic V200 class no V200.015
at Koblenz; A brand new D800 passing Sonning sidings; Hymek D7074; A 218
class no 218.188.1; A diesel-hydraulic Western; A DB no V60.421 at Frankfurt
on station pilot duty; Diagram of a Class 69000 a 4,400 hp diesel-hydraulic;
The Jewel in the Crown. (Provocations)
[Railway Reflections No. 21]. Michael Rutherford. 10, 500-7.
Author attempted to deal with a vast subject (railway development
in India) in one article. Nevertheless, he was able to bring out some of
the salient points, such as the massive nature of some of the bridges, supplied
by British firms, the impact of the railways upon society in India (such
as the relief of famine), that it was sometimes cheaper to use imported British
coal than locally produced coal, and the relatuionship between British consulting
engineers and the railways in India concerning locomotive design, and the
evolution of the Indian Standard classes in the early twentieth century.
The late J Graeme Bruce contributed a long letter on the reasons behind the
gauges adopted in India (page 634) and this in turn
provoked an informative response from
Horne (11 51). In text there
is a reference to "John" Barton Wright (page 507) - should have been William
(see Corriegenda page 635). illus.: Bengal,
(should have been Bombay see page 634) Baroda and Central
India Railway (BB&CIR) 0-6-2T no 44; East India 2-2-2WT no 26
Fawn; Great Indian Peninsular F4 no 1208; Great Indian Peninsular
Railway (GIPR) H1 no 770; BB&CIR class H no 534; GIPR 2-10-0 No. 603
(Vulcan Foundry 1928); GIPR 0-8-4T Y3 no 41 shunting in Bombay (P.
Ransome-Wallis); BB&CIR class XC no 603; GIPR Electric Locomotive for
service over Ghauts (Ghats); BB&CIR class H no 347 being prepared for,
and working the Flying Ranee in 1941 leaving Bombay (P. Ransome-Wallis).
The LMS, locomotives and T.F. Coleman.
[Provocations/Railway Reflections No. 22]. Michael Rutherford.
10, 560-7.
See the engineering biography of Tommy
Coleman which is based on this article which extends to other areas of
locomotive design on the LMS. This feature produced a considerable response.
Keith Horne (page 698) was critical of Rutherford's
comments about the LMS Chief Engineer, E.F.C. Trench, and his education,
and the fact that the Bridge Stree Committee did not report until 1928 (the
Coleman 2-6-2 is used as an exemplar by Horne) ... and Rutherford replied
to this in a long letter on page 284 of
volume 11. On the locomotive side van Riemsdijk contributed
a lengthy letter on page 106 of Volume 11 and this led to
correspondence from Doug Landau (517)
and from Rutherford (163) and
a not quite a last-word from van Riemsdijk
(340). illus.: LMS no 14760 was CR no 942 and before that Highland No.
74 River Garry; Port Vale FC team 1909; LMS 2F dock tank no 11272;
Drawing of the Stanier 2-6-0 with Swindon safety valve cover; Princess Royal
class No 6200 un-named; Class 5 No 5020; No 6170 British Legion;
T.F.Coleman in his office at Derby; No 6234 Duchess of Abercorn; Drawing
of proposed 2-6-2 mixed traffic engine;
'Premier Line' - 150 years.
(Provocations)[Railway Reflections No. 23]. Michael Rutherford.
10, 622-30.
Begins by noting the lack of serious histories of the LNWR (although
this was about to be remedied through the work by
Reed), and for the Caledonian Railway (this
gap still exists end of 2002). Quotes Rixon
Bucknall (reproduced as following: ". . it did things in the traditional
grand manner. Everything on the North Western was solid and grand; the offices
and waiting rooms had that cheerful aroma of highly varnished woodwork, the
carpets portrayed 'Britannia' emblazoned as the Company's arms, the very
station notices were cast in a massive though practical type, the spotless
locomotives gleamed in shiny black lined out with scarlet (sic) while the
chocolate (sic) and milk white coaches were a sheer joy to behold"). This
Provocations provides an extremely skeletal history of the LNWR mentioning
the amalgamations which formed the core of the system, some of the later
extensions, the effects of Moon, Webb and George Coker, and the very high
standard of rolling stock drawn up under him. Includes notes on the fifteen
patents iled by Webb with Arthur Moore Thompson on electric signalling. Also
observations on the Birmingham Canal Navigation.
Horne (letter Volume 11 page 50)
argues that Dickens' Dombey and Son may not have been London &
Birmingham, but any one of railways to north of Euston Road. illus.:
Spoilt for choice. (Provocations).
[Railway Reflections No. 24]. Michael Rutherford. 681-8.
Development of four-coupled tank engines from Gooch onwards. Note
quotation from Tunstall: "The India rubber springs did not answer well and
were rough for the enginemen". Reference to South Devon 4-4-0T. Locomotives
discussed included Met Rly 4-4-0T; GER 2-4-2T; Kirtley 0-4-4T (also Stirling
and Fletcher (BTP) of same wheel arrangement); Single Fairlies; Adams 4-4-2T;
Churchward 4-4-2T; LTSR 4-4-2T; Stroudley 0-4-2T; Drummond 0-4-4Ts and NER
and Met Rly 4-4-4Ts. Notes problems with derailments of
0-4-4Ts.
The GWR and Collett (Railway Reflections
[No. 25]). Michael Rutherford. Backtrack, 1997,11,
36-44.
An overall assessment of Collett's contribution which notes the
significance of the AEC railcars introduced during the 1930s and the possible
use of Beardsmore electro-diesel power units for suburban trains in
London. A report from Kitsons proposed light high speed steam
engines (some using a V6 engine) for light work. Smith questions the ownership
of Hammersmith & City rolling stock (page 163)
and Summers mildly questions the assertion that Collett lacked any real interest
in locomotive design (and also adds biographical information) on
page 163.
Bricks and railways. Railway reflections
[No. 26]. Michael Rutherford, Backtrack. 11, 89-95.
The use of bricks in railway structures such as the superb stations
at St Pancras and Longbenton, and in viaducts, the manufacture of bricks
at Crewe, and the carriage of bricks.
Railway Reflections No.
27: The rise of the streamliner. Backtrack. 11, 128-36.
Mainly development in the USA with both early i/c engines and steam.
illus.: A Bugatti high speed railcar (see Erratum concerning
horsepower error in caption and letter by Edmonds on
page 340 for note on engines); Two GWR locos emerged from Swindon works
a sort of streamlining. No5005; A4 no 2509 Silver Link; GWR railcar no 6;
Diagram of the Burlington 'Flying Zephyr'; Diagram of the McKeen railcars;
Diagram of General Electric petrol-electric railcar; No 6229 Duchess of
Hamilton renamed and numbered as no 6220 Coronation; Diagram of
Class A Atlantics of the Milwaukee; The 'Crusader' of the Reading railroad;
Class J3 of the New York Central streamlined for the 'Twentieth Century;
Coronation [alias Duchess of Hamilton] on the Thomas viaduct outside;
Coronation [alias Duchess of Hamilton] at Chicago alongside
Loco no 55; Graphs showing passenger traffic trends in the USA and general
increase;
The Bury influence.
(Railway Reflections No. 28). Michael Rutherford. Backtrack.
205-12.
Brief biography of Bury: Rutherford
provides strong justification for Bury's use of small locomotives (in particular
trains were light). The Bury haystack fireboxes saved having a dome which
involved cutting a hole in the boiler plates. Notes the development of the
long boiler type with the firebox behind the rear axles. Standardization
at the Clarence Foundry was one of his achievements. Led to lengthy letters
by Harry Jack concerning the improbable existence of "records" relating to
the firm. on page 460 and 689.
The former follows from a letters by Hughes (on the lost
records) and Martin ( the Bury locomotive under the
ocean) on page 340. Rather different view (possibly from the more
"imaginative Robin Barnes) on page 576. Yet,
another letter on this topic by Rowley
(Vol. 12 page 116) on re-assembly of records from published sources.
I
Safety, detonators and ATC. Railway
Reflections [No. 29]. Michael Rutherford. Backtrack. 11,
265-72.
Skeletal history of railway safety in Britain: signalling; negative
response of management; the significance of the Board of Trade's Railway
Inspectorate; fog signalling (including dentonator placement machines); Vincent
Raven's cab signalling systems; the GWR ATC system; the Reliostop system
on the GCR; the Hudd system on the LMSR; LNER and British Railways. Fatal
accident statistics for the four main lines are compared. illus.: Automatic
signalling installed between Basingstoke and Woking; Diagram of an
electro-mechanical fog signal; Great Central class 9N no 128; Raven's mechanical
train stop equipment; Diagram of the treadle operated bell
in the GWR Snow Hill tunnel (diagram printed upside down
see page 341) [N.B.; The Reliostop system diagram;
Castle class no 4037 South Wales Borderers with an experimental ATC;
Hall class no 4986 nearing a GWR ATC ramp; The contact shoe for the GW ATC
shown on no 4700; No 2510 fitted with Hudd equipment for testing on the LTS
line; No 2510 fitted with Hudd equipment; the cab installation; An A4 with
a prototype of the BR AWS system;
A brief survey of railways and locomotives
in South Wales. Part 1. (Railway Reflections [No. 30] ). Michael Rutherford.
Backtrack. 11, 321-7.
Development of waggonways, plateways and railways within the overall
industrial development in South Wales. Includes the involvement of canals
and ironmasters. The development of locomotives is also considered. illus.:
Drawing of an early locomotive built by the Neath Abbey Iron Company in;
Drawing of Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive of 1804; Drawing of Britannia
of 1829; Drawing of St David's; A later view of Neyland c 1905; The South
Wales railway's terminus at New Milford in early GW days; The Marquis of
Bute's West Dock in Cardiff in 1884; The view from the same spot in 1924;
Loco 53 of the Rhymney railway in east dock; No 15 of the Monmouthshire railway
in GW days as no 1306; Taff Vale Treherbert a general view of the railway
lay out; Alexandra Docks and railways no 7 Pontypridd; Burry Port and Gwendraeth
Valley Fairlie no 8;
A brief survey of railways
and locomotives in South Wales - Part 2. Railway Reflections [No. 31].
Michael Rutherford. Backtrack, 1996, 11, 385
This part deals with competitors to the TVR, notably by the LNWR which
tapped trafic via its Heads of the Valleys route, the Rhondda & Swansea
Bay, the Barry Railway (which was engineered on a grand scale), the Cardiff
Railway (which failed on an equally grand scale) and the MS&LR through
Watkins' Chaiirmanship of the Neath & Breton which eventually fell into
allegiance with the MR. The Barry Railway was the protegy of
David Davies. During WW1 the
railways had to adapt to a northward movement of coal to replace coastal
shipping and serve the Royal Navy (on "Jellicoe Specials" to Grangemeouth).
When the diverse stock was inherited by the GWR there was an immeedioate
attempt at standardization which "Collett managed the job very well" according
to Rutherford. Ultimately this policy was replaced by one of substitution
by the 56xx, 57xx and 42xx classes. There is a brief note on the development
of the 0-6-2T type in South Wales via the conversion of the long-boiler 0-6-0
by the addition of a Webb radial axlebox. The LYR may have been involved:
Kitsons certainly were as they supplied the Class M to the TVR in 1885, and
similar locomotives to the R&SWBR and Cardiff Railway in 1886. Other
builders also became involved. Two unusual types are also discussed: GWR
No. 795 an 0-4-0PT based on a Powlesland & Mason 0-4-0ST (this was sold
for industrial use in 1929) and the designs developed by
George Robson at Guest, Keen &
Nettlefolds from 1901, namely a heavy (57.5 tons) 0-6-0T and a 40 ton 0-4-0T,
Railway Reflections No. 32:
O.V.S. Bulleid and his work - a bibliographic survey. Backtrack,
1997, 11, 445-51.
This is an extremely useful guide to Bulleid's own publications (patents
excepted of course), which includes some of Bulleid's contributions to
discussions on other's work and an evaluative listing of the very considerable
bibliographty relating to Bulleid and his
work. See also Bulleid. Geoffrey
Hughes adds an interesting point concerning Swift (page
688). The distinguished librarian
of the British Library was sharply critical of Rutherford's failure to cite
patents and many other key sources of information (12 page 60). illus.:
Channel Packet no 21C1 when new; Cock o' the North' no 2001; The
'Hush-hush' being built at Darlington; No 35017 Belgian Marine with
LMS tender at King's Cross; Maunsell class N no A816 fitted with Anderson's
patent condensing system; No 35018 British India line; No 34059 Sir
Archibald Sinclair; No 35022 Holland America line on test at Rugby;
No 35008 Orient Line; No 35010 at Eastleigh; No 35026 Lamport and
Holt line; Drawings of an electric loco, a diesel-electric and a 'Leader'.;
The era of Sir Henry Fowler.
(Railway Refections [No. 33]). Michael Rutherford. Backtrack,
1997, 11, 501-9.
Fowler is examined in the usual Rutherford style. Several sources
are listed which fall outside the period covered by Jones, notably an
appreciation by Baldwin, and an important paper by James Clayton. On the
other hand it was written prior to Chacksfield's biography. "Direction in
new design, if it came, was more by accident and lack of interference than
by purpose. It certainly didn't come from Fowler. The Garrats (Anderson's
variant) were an example of where the CME should have put his foot down..."
illus.: A pair of Fowler class 4 goods engines at Elstree; Sir Henry Fowler
with Dr H.H.Bemrose Scout commissioner for Derbyshire at; Fowler 483 class
/ class 2 rebuild no 557; Proposal for a 2-6-0 goods engine; Big Bertha,
the Lickey banker; The Somerset and Dorset class 7F no 13802; Fowler 483
class / class 2 no 353; LMS standard 4-4-0; Royal Scot no 6102 Black Watch;
Preliminary design for no 6399 Fury; Design for a 2-4-0 auto train locomotive;
Class 3 no 40033 at Farringdon; 7F no 9531 at Toton;
Railway Reflections No. 34:
In the beginning. Backtrack, 1997, 11, 539-45.
Concludes by stating that was "something of a first attempt" at describing
the earliest rail ways and their gradual evolution into the S&DR. Includes
an examination of definitions of what constituted a rail way or railway.
Rutherford favoured the Dendy Marshall definition. Notes that the
Murray/Blenkinsop rack engines were far more successful and influential than
is usually stated. At least nine worked regulalry in England; an example
was tried in Belgium and two were constructed in the Royal Iron Foundry in
Berlin. Trials were made of a rack locomotive on the Kenton & Coxlodge
Railway and three were in use at Orrell Colliery near Wigan. Argues that
a Trevithick locomotive was assessed at Wylam Colliery in either 1811 or
1813. Cites contributions from E.A. Forward in The Engineer and from
Richard Daglish in J. Rly Canal Hist Soc.
(see Blenkinsop page)..
Railway Reflections No. 35:
The 'Prairie' - a survey of the 2-6-2 type - Part 1. .
Backtrack, 1997, 11, 622-8.
Survey of developments across the world, including in New Zealand,
the United States and by Gölsldorf for Austria and other countries in
the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Includes notes on the development of the Wootten
firebox and the Krauss-Helmholtz bogie. British development is confined to
an Ivatt proposal and to a possible
Churchward design (he participated
in a discussion on a paper by Cowan on American locomotive design).
See also letter by Chester in Volume
12 page 116. ill
Railway Reflections No. 36:
The 'Prairie' - a survey of the 2-6-2 type - Part 2. .
Backtrack, 1997, 11, 677-84.
Includes the Paget locomotive, the Gresley V2 and V4 classes and several
designs from Eastern Europe, including Jugoslavia, Serbia and Poland.
Gölsdorf 329 mixed traffic class, built as compounds, but rebuilt as
simples.After WW1 these 2-6-2s were distributed over many countries. Czech
designs were developed from it. Bagnall developed a 2-6-2 for 2' 6" gauge
Larkana Jacobabad Railway in NW India under its Chief Draughtsman W.S. Edwards
and the consulting engineers Molesworth & Molesworth. This formed the
basis for the standard ZB class of Rendel Palmer & Tritton in 1928. Mentions
early Gresley 2-6-2 design subsequently replaced by A1 Pacific, and Maunsell
and Coleman's abortive designs. In Japan 427 of the C58 class were built
by Kawasaki between 1938 and 1947. The DB built 105 of class 23 using modern
construction techniques. Half-scale versions of these work on the Bure Valley
Railway. See also letter by Chester
in next volume.
Railway reflections [No.
37]. Churchward's classification scheme. Backtrack, 1998,
12 50-6.
In Rutherford's usual wayward way, the feature discusses both things
in general (such as locomotive numbering systems) and the more specific:
notably the topic of the title. Some railways were systematic in their numbering
(the GWR attempted such in 1912), but others (notably the LNWR and NER, and
Southern Railway were midly chaotic). The Whyte notation was invented by
Frederick Methuen Whyte and was quickly adopted by
Churchward to organize the drawings
of the locomotive stock. Table gives summary of GWR classifications for
locomotives, boilers (both initial and as modified by mid-1950s), wagons
(1905) and carriages (1910).
Railway reflections No. 38:
What's in a name? Kitson's of Leeds. Backtrack, 1998, 12,
97-103.
The firm produced 5,400 locomotives over 101 years, and could
trace its origins back to James
Kitson and Charles Todd to supply locomotive components in 1836.
Railway reflections [No.
39]: GWR double-framed 4-4-0s. Backtrack, 1998,
12 153-61.
Problems with former Brunel baulk road as had very little resilience.
Gooch-style ssandwich frames helped as tended to flex. Dean had to face the
problem of gauge change. Had relied upon 2-4-0 for express work, but not
easy to convert to 4-4-0 or 4-2-2 as slide valves were under cylinder block.
The 0-4-4Ts used for express work were criticised in the wake of the Doublebois
derailment on 16 April 1895 were converted to 4-4-0s (3521 class). Boiler
evolution is described, as is the contribution of F. G. Wright, Chief Draughtsman
from 1892 to 1896.
Railway Reflections 40: the
Signalling Revolution. Part One. Backtrack, 1998, 12
222-8.
Development of power signalling from 1882, althouggh much had been
anticipated in Rapier's paper to the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1873.
From 1882 George Westinghouse introduced combined hydraulic compreesed air
systems, whilst Bianchi & Servettaz introduced fully hydraulic systems
which were widely adopted in Italy and France. This syetm was licensed to
Saxby and Farmer who developed an electro-pneumatic system. In 1894 Siemens
& Halske developed an all-electric system in Germany. In 1899 a Webb
and Thompson all electric power frame was installed at Crewe, and in the
same year an electro-pneumatic frame was installed at Granary Junction
Whitechapel on the GER using Union Switch & Signal Co. equipment. Track
circuits were developed by W.R. Sykes and introduced at Brixton in 1864,
but this was premature. Development took place in the USA under Robinson
& Pope. On the LSWR, after a successful experiment at Graveley, 24 miles
of four track mainline were controlled by electro-pneumatic signalling which
lasted for sixty years. The NER used automatic signals powered by carbonic
acid gas. The GWR used all-electric signalling following the reconstruction
of Snow Hill, Birmingham whilst the CR introduced the huse electro-pneumatic
system at Glasgow Central. Bernard Peter, the innovative and young signal
engineer to the District Railway introduced illuminated panels at Mill Hill
Park (Acton Town).. Article is informative
about Nock.
Railway reflections [No.
41]: The signalling revolution - Part 2. Backtrack, 12
, 278-84.
The article covers a number of topics including the development of
the engineering institutions (including the formation of the Institution
of Railway Signal Engineers in 1910. It also describes the position of the
railway signal engineer to other senior engineers. Several senior signal
engineers are discussed. Arthur F. Bound started with the British Power Railway
Signal Co. where he was associated with the low pressure pneumatic system
used on the LSWR. He went with Sam Fay to the GCR where he became Signal
Superintendent in 1906 at the age of 28. In a paper to the IRSE he castigated
lock and block and advocated speed signalling, cab signalling, track circuits
and upper quadrants, He was responsible for installing three-position signals
at Keadby (the other three-position signals were at Victoria, SECR, using
General Railway Signalling Co equipment from Rochester (NY).The LOR was the
first to use colour light signals, but the GCR was the first mainline company
to exploit them (between Marylebone and Neasden). W.J. Thorrowgood,
the Signal Engineer to the SR, would have opted for single colour lights
with route indicators, but his contemporaries were against this. R.G.
Berry of the L&YR introduced the idea of a single lever performing more
than one function at Southport and Blackpool Central. Route setting was
introduced at Winchester Chesil by R.J. Insell, Sinal Engineer of the GWR
and L.M.G. Ferreira of Seimens. A fuller implementation of this type was
installed at Newport (Mon) but the GWR took no further interest in modern
signalling. Arthur Ewart Tattersall came to be the Signal & Telegraph
Engineer of the North Eastern Area of the LNER under John Miller, having
worked under Bound in the Southern Area/GNR since 1921, prior to that he
had worked for the Metropolitan Railway. Bound left the LNER in 1919 to become
the firts Signal & Telegraph Engineer on the LMS where he introduced
speed signalling at Mirfield, developed the Hudd system of ATC/AWS, and the
tubular signal post with upper quadrant signalling. Elsewhere Tattersall
developed electric interlocking at Goole (to control the swing bridge) and
then at Thirsk, Hull Paragon and Northallerton using searchlight signals
and route indicators. The most advanced installation of this type, the one
at York, cost nearly £500,.000 and was delayed by WW2. The modern signal
concept was born and fifty years later Bound's upper quadrants still remain
in far too many places.
Bogie steam locomotives - Part 1.
[Railway Reflections No. 42]. Michael Rutherford. 12,
333-40.
This article covered a lot of ground: Chapman obtained a patent for
a bogie locomotive on 30 December 1912, and in 1814 a double bogie locomotive
was built by Phineas Crowther at the Ouseburn Foundry on Tyneside to work
on the Lambton Colliery Waggonway. The construction of a railway over the
Semmering Pass was undertaken under Matthias von Schönerer. It had 1
in 40 gradients and severe curvature. The Chief Engineer was Karl Ritter
von Ghega. John Haswell was Works Manager and constructed Norris engines
for the line, initially 2-4-0 and subsequently 4-4-0. The Semmering locomotive
trials of 1851 included bogie locomotives being entered: Wiener
Neustadt by Günther (an 0-4-4-0) and Seraing a double bogie
with double boiler by John Cockerill of Belgium. Baron Wilhelm Engerth developed
bogie locomotives for the Semmering route. Back-to-back locomotives were
one alternative, but the Fairlie was
another. John Cross & Co. built Fairlie locomotives for the Neath &
Brecon Railway (Progress December 1865) and Mountaineer for
the Anglesey Central Railway, and a highly unsuccessful locomotive for a
railway in Queensland. The Hatcham Ironworks became the Fairlie Engine &
Steam Carriage Co. and the Festiniog Railway obtained an 0-4-4-0 Little
Wonder from there in 1868.The French Péchot-Bourdon locomotives
were very similar to the Fairlies and were intended for 60cm gauge military
lines. Oil-fired Fairlies were highly successful in Russia (constructed by
Sharp Stewart and later at Kolomna) and in Mexico (Vulcan). The latter weighed
138 tons. J.J. & A. Meyer of Mulhouse developed the 0-4-4-0T type and
L'Avenir (a demonstartor) was built at the Compaigne de Fives in Lille. Further
Meyers were built in France and Belgium, but steam leakage was a problem
and campound Mallets tended to capture this market. Nevertheless, 98 of the
Meyer had been built by Richard Hartmann of Chemnitz for the Royal Saxon
State. Meyers were built by Bagnall, including Monarch (WN 3024) for
Bowaters. Gaston du Bousquet was responsible for 0-6-2+2-6-0T freight locomotives
for the Nord and Est lines. Jean Jacques Heilmann produced a Do-Do steam
electric locomotive Fusée which was originally intended as a source
of power for multiple unit trains and was equipped with a Lentz boiler. Two
further steam electric locomotives (8000 and 8001) were acquired by the CF
de l'Ouest. They had conventional boilers coupled to Willans & Robinson
steeple compound engines. .illus.: Detail from a Chapman's patent of
1812; Engraving of bogie locomotive from Wood's Treatise on Railroads;
Neath Abbey Ironworks design for a bogie design locomotive; Design for an
articulated engine; Festiniog Little Wonder with C.E. Spooner on
footplate; Seraing built for the Semmering contest; A broad gauge
double Fairlie locomotive leaving Baku with an oil train; A Fairlie woodburner;
Meyer-type 99.535 in Saxony in 1967 (P. Ransome-Wallis*); Design for the
Weiner Neustadt; Kitson Meyer for Nitrate Railways of Chile constructed
by Yorkshire Engine Co; French du Bousquet 0-6-2+2-6-0 articulated engine
seen at Bobigny in 1951 (*); Monarch in 1954 (G. Alliez); Heilmann
Do-Do steam electric locomotive.
Railway Reflections [No.
43]: Bogie Steam Locomotives - Part 2. Backtrack, 1998, 12,
387-93.
Covers much ground: including the statement
about Churchward: "Churchward's purchasing of the French compound 'Atlantics'
and the almost complete copying of Brooks Locomotive Works (USA) in his 4-6-0
No. 98 that makes him so unique". Bogie designs considered include: the
Reid-Ramsay Elctro-Turbo locomotive (NBL 19266/1910) and as rebuilt with
direct drive to design of James
MacLeod and exhibited at Wembley Exhibition in 1924, and the enorrmous
Norfolk & Western Railway No. 2300 Jawn Henry Co-Co+Co-Co built
by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton in 1954 with a Babcock & Wilcox water tube boiler
and a Westinghouse turbine and electrical equipment: a mobile coal-fired
electricity generating station. The Shay type was invented by
Ephraim Shay in 1873, and its
competitors were developed by George
Gilbert known as the Climax type, and by
Charles Heisler with a Vee-type
engine and built by Stearns Manufacturing: similar locomotives were constructed
by A.&G. Price of Thames in New Zealand: all of these were intended for
logging.Avonside developed a twin-bogie design for the plantation market:
seven were built plus a further three by Hunslet following the collapse of
Avon. Others were developed by L. Schwartzkopff of Berlin.. The
Garratt type and its devlopment by Beyer
Peacock, including the involvement of
Samuel Jackson and
W. Cyril Williams is described
at some length, most is presumably based upon the studies by
R.L. Hills.the feature notes that Garratt
had written to F.G. Wright at Swindon on 21 March 1910. , the
Sentinel bogie locomotive developed
by Stephen Alley for use in Colombia and
subjected to trials in Belgium in 1934 (see illus. for illustrious British
party) and letter from Geoff Hughes. There is slso consideration of Bulleid's
Leader design and its peat-burning Irish successor and a very brief mention
of the Velox boiler developed
by Brown Boveri, but Rutherford cites
a key paper, but not the
Trans. Newcomen Soc. paper
by Duffy. See letter (page 520) by Geoffrey Hughes
concerning Sentinel locomotive and LNER
Railway Reflections No. 44:
Fifty years on: the 'glorious years' or heads-in-the-sand; the railways and
steam after nationalisation. Backtrack, 1998, 12,
445-53.
The man "responsible" for the railway nationaization may have been
Wilf Cannon who worked at Scours Lane Yard near Reading - his proposal to
his local NUR branch put to the Labour Party Conference in December 1944
was the one which led to Nationalization [Peter Hennessy: Never again:
Britain 1945-51. London, 1992]. Rutherford is highly critical of the
Bond, Cox, Riddles (and Rudgard) team, both for its LMS cant, and the attitudes
of Cox and Riddles. "There is nothing in the Riddles, Bond, Cox triumvirate
to confirm the general thesis of Alfred Chandler of the modern rational
decision-making manager. He is critical of the failure to build Beyer Garratt
locomotives to ease the problem of poor fuel and to obviate double-heading
[some of which was routinely scheduled on the paradigm LMR - even at a time
of shortages of both labour and materials, including fuel KPJ]. The
neglect of modern traction is also castigated: the DMU was not developed
until after the demise of the Railway Executive; GWR and NCC experience was
ignored; no extensions to the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification weer
sought in spite of calls for this from the operating side. Rutherford considers
the EM2 class to be "one of the best designs to come out of the nationalised
railways' drawing offices": the bogie design was based on Ivatt's 10000/10001
DE locomotives. Rutherford's Utopia would have been modern traction on the
Great Central mainline due to its link with the electrified railway at Sheffield,
and proxmity to AEC/BTH at Rugby. Notes success of Britannia class
on Great Eastern, but considers that this could not have been sustained.
Nevertheless, three locomotives exceeded 100,000 miles per annum.
Very interesting communication by Tayler
page 688. . Letter by Oxley
(13-53) states political impossiblity of burning fuel oil in any way
at the time of a serious financial crisis created by the USA.
Letter by Tufnell refers to frustrations
of electrification work on LMS (page 637).
Illus.: Britannia no 70002 Geoffrey Chaucer; R A Riddles about to
ride on the footplate of the unique class 8 no 71000; The triumvirate of
Robert Riddles, Stewart Cox and Roland Bond; A railcar of the Northern Counties
Committee; A South African class GF Garratt locomotive; SR no 34004
Yeovil pilots LMS no 6159 The Royal Air Force out of Euston;
A prototype streamlined railcar; GWR railcar units 35, 36 and a trailer car
between; LMS no 10000 diesel electric prototype; LMS nos. 10000 and 10001
on the up Royal Scot; Diesel locomotive no 10800 on test near Kilburn;
A pair of EM1 class Bo-Bos; EM 2 no 27000; An EM 2 bogie frame; The bogies
for 10000 and 10001 under construction; Table 1; locomotive stock 1937 and
1950; Table 2; Locomotive utilisation LMR 1937 and 1950.
See letter from Orrell concerning English
Electric (13-164). .
Prologue to 'Pugs'. Railway Reflections
[No. 45.] Michael Rutherford. 12, 501-9.
The 0-4-0 type, predominanty saddle tanks, used by the mainline companies,
but usually purchased from outside builders (even by the GWR and LMS), and
used much more widely on industrial railways. Cites
Bennett's Chronicles of Boulton's
Sidings.
Northern Counties Committee - the
LMS in Ireland. Railway Reflections [No. 46]. Michael Rutherford.
564-72.
Surveys development of railways in Ireland, and the eventual involvement
of the Midland Railway. Also notes the involvement of the LNWR in the Dublin
& South Eastern Railway and how the LMS came to be represented on the
Great Southern Railways of Ireland, and how the LNWR had nearly obtained
a stake in the MGWR. The LNWR had its own facilities at North Wall in Dublin.
Locomotive development on the NCC tended to be an improvement upon Derby
practice: notably the magnificent 2-6-0s. GNR(I) between Strabane &
Londonderry is stated as being on incorrect side of Foyle
(see Readers' Forum page 688). illus.: Map; Northern
Counties Committee lines; NCC headquarters at York Road Belfast; NCC engine
shed at York Road Belfast; NCC engines nos. 51 and 56; Ballymena station;
NCC engine no 101; A narrow gauge 8 ton hopper wagon; NCC engine no 70 in
dismantled condition for transport purposes; NCC loco no 74 Dunluce Castle;
The Greenisland loop viaducts; NCC loco no 90; NCC petrol driven railcar
no 1 and trailer; NCC headquarters at York Road Belfast following clean up
after a WW2 bombing; The wooden roof of York Road caught fire and fell on
top of rolling stock in 1942,; As a result, the NCC was very short of rolling
stock so the old goods; NCC no 7;
Charles Fredrick Beyer and his influence.
[Railway Reflections No. 47]. Michael Rutherford. 12, 623-31.
Rutherford considers that Beyer
made a seminal contribution to British steam locomotive design. and to the
appearance of the British steam locomotive.illus.: East Lancs railway No
36 Milo; Locomotive No 19 for the Great Southern and Western railway;
Photograph; Charles Fredrick Beyer; Dublin and Drogheda railway 2-2-2; Edinburgh
and Glasgow railway as North British No 227; Shrewsbury and Chester No 14;
GWR No 105 ex Birkenhead railway; GWR No 211 ex West Midland railway; Cambrian
railways No 59 Seaham; MSL class 15; A standard Gorton Foundry design;
a 0-4-2ST; Ballemena and Larne railway No 4; Ballemena and Larne railway
No 5; Cambrian Small bogie [class 16] No 21; Isle of Wight Central railway
No 8; Isle of Wight railway Ventnor; State railway no 993 of the P/2
class; State railway no 1383 of the P32 class;
Electric Light Railways - A lost
opportunity? (Railway reflections [No. 48]). Michael Rutherford.
12, 680-9.
Interesting analysis of the problems of classification which leads
to some things being left out. For instance, when the Museum of Transport
at Clapham was closed most of the exhibits were sent to York and those relating
to London eventually formed the Covent Garden collection, but some exhibits
fell into a sort of limbo. Furthermore, the NRM excluses certain forms of
related transport, such as urban tramways. Rutherford notes that "demarkation
is somewaht arbitrary". The history of lighter railways in Britain began
with The Railway Construction Fascilities Act of 1864, The Regulation of
Railways Act of 1868 which recognized the light railway concept, the 1870
Tramways Act (for street tramways), and the Light Railways Act of 1896 which
was used for many urban tramways. Refers to a study by Peter Bosley (details
not given but see books).
Electrification was manifested on the Volks Electric Railway, Portrush and
Bushmills, Bessbrook & Newry, Manx Electric Railway, Blackpool &
Fleetwood Tramroad, Liverpool Overhead Railway, Llandudno & Colwyn Bay
and Kinver Light railways, and on the Tyneside electrics. The Electroliners
on the North Shore line took the concept to its limits. illus.: Bessbrook
and Newry with motor car no 7 and trailer no 6; The Manx electric railway;
Wantage tramway c 1892; Car 171 of the Blackpool and Fleetwood tramway; Liverpool
overhead railway; Pier Head station; Llandudno and Colwyn bay toast rack
car no 20; Mail transfer at Derby Castle; Mail van on the Manx Electric railway;
A trolley pole locomotive at Terenure; Burton and Ashby light railway car
no 4; Burton and Ashby light railway car no 6; Swansea and Mumbles railway's
cars nos. 11 and 42; PCC street car design in use in Holland; Diagram;
Electroliner 4 car set
Railway Reflections No. 49 A brief introduction to the
East Coast express locomotive design on the North Eastern Railway.
Backtrack, 13,38-47.
Development of East Coast route: Influence of Edward Fletcher; McDonnell;
Henry Tennant; the Worsdells; W.M. Smith; Raven, and their locomotives.
Railway Reflections No. 50:
Snow Hill Station, Birmingham. Backtrack, 13, 89-97.
The first article to be actually numbered. Describes the
development of railways in the West Midlands, and in particular those based
on Snow Hill station. Also notes his own personal affection for the station.
Railway Reflections No. 51: In praise of the ordinary 0-6-2
tank engine. Backtrack,
13,118-25.
Includes the development of the spring-loaded radial axlebox by Edmond
Joy, a Frenchman, William Bridges Adams, and F.W. Webb. Ahrons noted that
over 1300 0-6-2Ts had been fitted with radial axles by 1914. The design was
built for many railways and after the Grouping Gresley continued to construct
both his own N2 class and the Great Eastern design (with smaller driving
wheels but without the Belpaire fireboxes), and the GWR introduced the 56xx
class mainly for working in South Wales. Coleman sketched a desin during
WW2.
Railway Reflections: No.
52. Drawings, designs and who did what. Part 1. Backtrack, 1999,
13, 200-7.
Historical development of railway drawings and the career of draughtsmen.
Boulton & Watt and the Soho Manufactury were key elements. Considers
the status of engineers in class-ridden English society. Quotes from an
extraordinary correspondence in Engineering in 1890 between Edward Snowball
of Neilson and the highly unreliable Charles E. Stretton.
Railway Reflections 53:
Drawings Designs and who did what. Part 2. Backtrack, 1999,
13, 236-43.
Standardization: Ramsbottom and Webb at Crewe, Churchward at Swindon.
Notes development of 43XX from standard components with involvement of Harold
Holcroft. Evolution of British Standards Institution from the Engineering
Standards Committee. Influence of F. Wolley Dod on Indian standard locomotives.
See also Bulleid.
Railway Reflections 54,:
Masterpiece of mediocrity. Backtrack, 1999, 13,
320-9.
4F 0-6-0: "it was not a shining example of innovation when it first
appeared, yet 772 built by MR and LMS". Two 2-6-0 replecements of 1920 and
1937, and two 0-6-0 are shown. The former 1941 is an LMS 2251 whilst the
latter is an LMS Q1. "perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 4F saga
is the almost total lack of attempts to improve the design." Horne attempts
to show that the state of bridges on the MR lines may have precluded any
locomotives which could run (page 453
Backtrack, 13,).
Railway Reflections 55:
The eternal question: blastpipes and chimneys. Backtrack, 1999.
13, 369-77.
Includes notes on development of the US Master Mechanics layout by
Churchward, the Lemaitre, Kylala/Kylchap and Giesl arrangements. Draughting
was the weakest link in LMS design procedure. This Reflections is
highly critical of Tuplin's obervations. See letters by
Hugh Phillips on page 569,
by Ian Macdonald on page 625 and
by D.H. Landau on page 626 .
Railway reflections No. 56:
100 years on: some locomotives and events of 1899. Backtrack,
1999, 13, 441-8.
A ramble to celebrate the hundredth issue of the jounal measured by
both the great (the rise of the USA and its railroads) and in minutae, such
as the high rating of Bury as a football team [far simpler to support Arsenal].
Far more lasting in value is Rutherford's listing of key references to locomotive
development relating to this time [although Ahrons is not included tut tut].
See letter by Low in Backtrack 13 page
569 . illus.: Lake Shore and Michigan railroad no 602; The prototype
S class no 2001; Illinois Central railroad no 640; Locomotives; Table 1;
World railways in 1899; A Highflyer no 1397; Philadelphia & Reading Atlantic;
A later Highflyer no 1419; Diagram; Aspinal's low degree smokebox superheater;
; R class no 2011; Greyhound no 702; Jubilee class no 1903 Iron Duke;
Dean single no 3078 Shooting Star; No 2601 Princess of Wales;
Table 2; Dimensions of selected locomotive types;
Railway Reflections No.
57: Société Alsacienne, Alfred De Glehn and his compounds.
Backtrack, 1999, 13, 495-501.
Considers the influenec of Alfred George de Glehn, an Englishman,
who spent most of his life in Mulhouse working for Société
Alsacienne des Constructions Mécaniques (SACM) in Belfort. The article
places SACM within its historical context, that is the loss of Alsace to
Prussia following the Franco-Prussian War, and of compounding during this
period.
Railway Reflections No.
58: More thoughts on Compounding. Backtrack, 1999,
13, 553-61.
Previous thoughts extended to the French compound Atlantics and their
influence upon the GWR under Churchward (Number 57). Sixteen
British designs (including proposals) are considered. The proposals include
a McIntosh compound Atlantic, the Deeley 4-6-0, the Fowler 4-6-0 and 4-6-2
designs, a compound version of the Lord Nelson class, a compound version
of the D49 class 4-4-0 of 1926, a compound version of the Castle class, and
a large Chapelon-inspired Pacific on the LMS in the late 1930s. The designs
from the mid to late 1920s probably all foundered on the acute shortage of
finance available at that time. There is a list of papers relating to
compounding, although the citations vary in the amount of information presented.
Railway Reflections No. 59: The World of the Timetable.
Backtrack, 1999, 13,
611-19.
The historical evolaution of timetables, including Bradshaw's and
those produced by the railway companies for their own use (Working Timetables)
and for the public.
Railway Reflections No. 60: Timetables
and Traction. Part 1. Backtrack,
1999, 13, 668-76.
The power required, and to some extent the fuel/water inputs, to operate
both trains in general, and some specific services, notably the LNER streamlined
services.
Timetables and traction. Part 2. Railway
Reflections No. 61. Michael Rutherford. Backtrack, 2000, 14,
50-8.
The German high speed test vehicles which reached speeds in excess
of 200km/h in 1904, the development of high speed, articulated diesel-elecric
railcars of the Flying Hamburger type during the 1930s, the Gresley
steam high speed trains of the 1930s, and the possible involvement of R.P.
Wagner in their introduction rather than diesel railcars, the intensive Great
Eastern suburban service operated by steam and the introduction of the
Britannia class on the Norwich expresses. Part 3 on
page 113 et seq. illus.: A three cyl compound 'Furniture Van'
no 561, Germany; Diagrams; German railcars that beat the 200 kph barrier,
Germany; Cartoon; What steam men thought of railcars!, Germany; Class O5
200 kph streamliner, Germany; The Flying Hamburger prototype, Germany;
No 2512 Silver Fox at Northallerton on Silver Jubilee in 1939;
The Jazz at Bethnal Green, London; J69 no 7267 at Chingford, London; Train
running chart morning up service to Liverpool Street; The Brighton Belle
on 30 June 1935; The Brighton lines departure board at Victoria, London;
Diagram; The Direct admission valve used by the GWR; No 6000 King George
V on the Bristolian at Bathford in late 1930s; Coronation Scot
no 6223 Princess Alice at Thrimby Grange on the Coronation Scot
in 1937 (Eric Treacy), Shap; Table 1; Typical braking distances; Britannia
no 70040 Clive of India at Bethnal Green on 16 February 1957 (R.C.
Riley), London; Table 2; Britannia diagramming on the GE section 1952;
Provocations / Reflections index
Timetables and Traction. Part 3.
Railway Reflections No. 62. Michael Rutherford. 113-19.
Part 2 was on page 50 et seq. See
letter from Adrian Tester on page 254 comparing effort of stoker on a
ship with that of a fireman on a locomotive (including observations made
by one who had filled both roles). illus.: AEI 3,300 HP no 3004 at Liverpool,
Merseyside; Graph; Hand firing steam locomotives according to BR; Graph;
Minimum coal consumption per drawbar horsepower; Deltic no D9002 at Doncaster;
Intercity railcars at Birmingham; Intercity railcars at Birmingham; Western
Pullman at Leamington Spa, Warwick; E3162 piloting another of the same class
at Rugby; Page 117: pair of EE type 3s with XP64 set:
see letter page 254 by Alan de Burton noting that train
was heading east not west; Prototype Hawker-Siddeley 4000hp prototype Kestrel;
A pair of EE type 4s at Carnforth; Timetable compilers guide from
Swindon
The Eye of the beholder: the beauty
of steam. Railway Reflections No.63. Michael Rutherford. 170-7.
Other than a concluding note on Eric Gill's fascination with railways
and the adoption of Gill Sans typefaces by the LNER, most of this article
discusses the exterior proportions of locomotives produced by the major private
firms, such as R.&W. Hawthorn and by the railway companies, and the
architects (draughtsmen) of such designs. These people were well aware of
the need to produce objects of distinctive beauty. See
letter by Rod Garner on insurance against boiler explosions on page 491.
illus.: Reconstruction of Novelty; Reproduction of Locomotion;
Diagram of external styling features peculiar to particular firms; LNWR
'sternwheeler' Liverpool; GNoS class 19 No. 29; Midland railway no
42; GER No. 43; North Staffordshire 0-6-0; CR 66 class no 91; Stroudley 2-2-2
no 151 Grosvenor; CR no 50 Sir James Thompson; Midland Railway
No 1757 Beatrice; Midland railway no 1852; Bulleid's Q1 class C18
(caption suggests as candidate for Turner Prize); GW Achilles class no 3031
Achilles
Pavo Christatus Vectis:- The Peacocks
of another island. (Railway Reflections No. 64) Michael Rutherford.
14, 208-15.
Map; The railways of the Isle of Wight and their motive power, especially
those 2-4-0T engines supplied by Beyer Peacock to the Isle of Wight Railway
and Isle of Wight Central Railway. Ryde should have been preseved
but was cut-up during WW2. Table gives dimensions, mileages and withdrawal
dates of all Isle of Wight Beyer Peacock locomotives.
Letter concerning similar locomotives supplied to
Australian railways (Darryl Grant page 430). Sketch; Prototype for the
Isle of Wight Peacocks, 486 class Isle of Wight Railway Sandown on
29 March 1910, Ventnor being serviced at Ventnor on 29 March 1892,
486 class (WN 2408) for Seacombe Hoylake & Deeside Railway [Wirral Railway]
no 3, 2017 class Ryde & Newport Railway Osborne at Freshwater
in August 1891, 486 class (WN 1239) LYR no 518 , M & SWJ no 7 of the
3450 class (supplied originally to IWR) at Andover Junction , No 43 of the
Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford railway , Osborne now unnamed and in the
Isle of Wight Central railway livery on Ventnor Town train, IWR
Bonchurch (engine was recovered from the bed of the Solent) at Ventnor
on 11 June 1894 , No 5003 of the Dutch National railway, in June 1935, IWCR
2017 class as Southern Railway No 8 at Ryde , Ryde as W13 in Southern
days , Wroxall as W16 before its rebuild.
The Ghost in the Machine. George Armstrong
and the Wolverhampton heritage. (Railway Reflections No. 65). Michael
Rutherford. 14, 294-302.
The Great Western way of using old designs for new manufacture (as
in the case of the 54XX and 48XX classes for auto-train work). illus.:850
class No 987, the first 0-4-2T No 517, 2021 class no 2104 at Stourbridge,
Birmingham, Diagram; Steam railcars, Rebuilt 517 class No 1425 at Wood End,
Birmingham, No 1426, No 2062 was rebuilt to make a prototype no 5400 for
a new class, No 1925, No 5415 at Kensall Green, London, 58xx no 5813 at Bearley,
Stratford on Avon, No 6422 on an autotrain at Windmill End, Birmingham, 74xx
class no 7409 at Blaenau Ffestiniog, Railcar no 21 at Monmouth (see letter
by York (page 430) and illustration of Winchcombe station
(page 283), 16xx class no 1646. Extra information of 4-wheel
passnger with electric lighting and (page 298) of auto-trailer No. 1 which
was never a steam railmotor. (John Lewis page 430),
When Britain was a contender. Some
pioneer Diesel-Electrics before La Grange. Part 1.. (Railway Reflections
No. 66) Michael Rutherford. 351-8.
Illus.:Diagram; An early if not the first main line oil-engined proposal,
The first main line diesel locomotive, The first oil engined locomotive,
GC petrol-electric railcar, GWR petrol-electric railcar, A proposal for the
trans Australian railway, The first diesel railcar, A CNR railcar, Diagram;
A metre gauge railcar, A 375hp Bo-Bo locomotive, The first multiple unit
diesel electric train, A 350hp Bo-Bo delivered to the NW railway of India,
CNR 2-Do-1+Do-2 twin unit, Advertisement; Beardmore high speed diesel engines,
Advertisement; Armstrong -Whitworth main line diesel electric locomotives.
See correspondence by Allsopp (on nature of multiple
units) and Michael J. Smith on GC petrol-electric railcar
and on Metropolitan Railway electric locomotives. Part 2 page
416.
When Britain was a contender.
Some pioneer Diesel-Electrics before La Grange . Part 2. Railway Reflections
No. 67. Michael Rutherford.14, 416-21.
Part 1 page 351 et seq. Part 3 page
479. Rutherford is highly critical of C.J. Allen's misunderstandings
concerning the burning of oil fuel, citing a feature in Railway World.
Also considers British developments at Beardmore and at Armstrong Whiworth
and especially that in Argentina. illus.: A 2,660 hp twin-unit locomotive,
Canada (page 416); A 400hp twin railcar, Canada (page 416); A Beardmore engined
300hp railcar (page 416); A proposal for a 150 hp railcar (page 417);
Advertisement; Beardmore 1330 / 1500 BHP engine (page 417); A proposal for
an eight wheeled goods engine (page 418); Diagram of the ex Bury to Holcombe
Brook four car set as converted to diesel / electric operation (page 418);
A Danish 2-Do-2 locomotive, Denmark (page 419); A freight locomotive of 1924,
Russia (page 419); A proposed lightweight three car articulated unit of 1933
(page 419); A Sulzer 420 hp engine of the LV series (page 420); BAGSR Weight
diagram, Argentina (page 420); Diagram; A BAGSR built locomotive, Argentina
(page 421); Railcar Tyneside Venturer at Middlesborough (page 421)
When Britain was a contender:
some pioneer diesel-electrics before La Grange. Part 3. Railway Reflections
No.68. Michael Rutherford. 479-86.
Part 2 page 416, part 1 page 351.
Hugh Macdonald MacIntyre had been apprenticed at the North British Locomotive
Company, but moved to the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway in Argentina
in 1922, then under the command of P.C. Saccaggio, its CME: became
involved in diesel traction in 1929, initially with an unsuccessful diesel
hydraulic locomotive, and subsequently with the mobile power houses (like
the Eurostar sets, the adjacent passenger vehicles had power bogies to assist
traction) manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle with Sulzer engines
built under license. The power houses (CM 210) ran on bogies and were far
more successful than the rigid frame type of locomotives tested on the LNER
and exported to Egypt and Ceylon. Article is constructed around papers written
for Institution of Locomotive Engineers which had a thriving Argentine branch.
The diesel electric and diesel railcars evaluated and bought by the LNER
are also mentioned. Unfortunately, development by Armstrong Whitworth was
brought to a close in 1935 when the Scotswood works were switched back to
armament manufacture. Development at General Motors is sketched in, as is
development in Denmark and the USSR. Eventually MacIntyre returned to the
UK and joined English Electric. H.S. Smythe had also encountered the powerb
houses and was responsible for the Southern Region's Hastings units (DMUs)
which led to the similar 70 and 80 classes on Northern Ireland Railways.
Illus.:Diagram; A larger capacity power station, Diesel-electric twin sets
as delivered, Main line diesel-electric locomotive, BASGR official weight
diagram for CM210, Tractive effort graph for CM210, Graph; Investment in
the railways in Argentina, Sulzer advertising, Diagram; Lightweight
Diesel-electric train, Lightweight Diesel-electric train, Diagram; Universal
1'Co1' of Armstrong Whitworth & Co, Northumbrian railcar, Diesel-electric
railcar at Lahore, Diagram; (1A)'Co2' machine, A 1800hp box cab Bo-Bo
unit.
Railway Reflections No. 69:
The Railway: Britain's gift to the world. Backtrack, 2000,
14, 541-8.
Re-examination of 1975 Shildon S&DR 150 Anniversary celebrations,
notably the type of railway which grew out of the introduction of the HST
(prototype was exhibited at Shildon). The HST led to a reinvigouration of
train services, yet this was only 7 years after the end of steam. Also considers
the position of George Stephenson, George Hudson, and Samuel Smiles' biography
of Stephenson and his son Robert. Edward Pearse was far more important to
the success of the S&DR than George Stephenson as Pearse organized the
capital and land acquisition. Nevertheless, the S&DR and L&MR did
influence railway building overseas, much of it involving British capital
and skill. Notes the significance of
Robertson's The Origins of the
Scottish Railway system. . See letter on page 675
by Pearce critical of Rutherford's stance on Hackworth, and on current
research. Illus.:Barentin viaduct, Ebbw vale viaduct, Foord viaduct, William
Jessop, A horse drawn Stockton and Darlington from the share certificate,
A restored 'Locomotion' at Darlington [The name is a later addition], Diagram
of main railway lines suggested by Thomas Gray in 1820, Edward Pease, Brassey's
French railways, George Carr Glyn, George Hudson, Joseph Locke, Thomas Brassey,
Locomotion at the S&D centenary celebrations, moved by a petrol engine
in the tender!, Restoration of Hackworth 0-6-0 Derwent, GWR no 4700, LNER
P1 no 2393, LNER prototype electric locomotive no 13, Prototype HST in August
1975 (John Edgington), Table; Development of the World's railways 1840-1910,
The reproduction Locomotion in two views at its home of Beamish Museum,
God's wonderful branch lines.
(Railway Reflections No. 70) Backtrack, 2000, 14, 560-9.
Mainly an examination of a GWR Report into the economics of 59 of
their branch lines: data tabulated includes total and passenger receipts,
expenditure, length of line and ruling gradient. Text examines some of the
potential savings identified in the Report. Col. illus.: An unidentified
pannier at Fairford in September 1961 on local passenger (Paul Strong), No
7404 in August 1959 on local passenger (T.B. Owen), No 1450 on an auto trailer
in March 1963 on auto-train on Exe Valley line (T.B. Owen), No 7404 in July
1959 on local passenger train at Whitney (J.J. Davies). B&w: 517 class
no 202 in July 1901 on Abbotsbury branch freight, Small prarie no 5571 in
July 1956 on passenger train at Blue Anchor with author sitt6ing of the fence
(a characteristic pose?), 517 class on auto-train at St Agnes station soon
after opening, Hannington station in c1908 on local passenger. More col.:
No 2538 in April 1954 on freight at Kerry (P.B. Whitehouse), Nos. 1421 and
1450 in February 1963 on auto-trains at Tiverton (Peter W. Gray), 14xx no
1471 in February 1961 near Brampton Speke on Exe Valley auto-train (L.F.
Folkard), No 1421 in November 1962 on single LNER coach at Culmstock on Culm
Valley line (Peter W. Gray), Small prarie no 4574 in October 1962 on local
passenger crossing Bickleigh Viaduct (Peter W. Gray). B&w: Goonhavern
Halt, Mitchell & Newlyn Halt, Star runs into Savernake [Low level] with
a Small Prarie on the Marlborough branch train, Sentinel locomotive on the
Derwent Valley Light Railway on freight at York Layerthorpe, Blue Anchor
station in July 1957 with author climbing slope onto platform.
Crisis? What Crisis? Coal, Oil and
Austerity. Part 1.. (Railway Reflections No. 71) Michael Rutherford.
665-74.
Following a very brief analysis of the development of coal burning
(from coke burning) and the problems of coal supply, especially during strikes
and in the immediate Post WW2 period the author introduces oil-consuming
traction on the GWR (i.e. the pre-WW2 railcars and post-WW2 steam locomotives)
and the influence of Sir James Milne (a thumbnail biography is given).
Letter by John Pearse (Vol. 15 page
242) states that only two sets of troughs between Liverpool Street and
North Walsham (not three) also amplifies information on relationship between
Fisher and Churchill. Illus.:Drawing; Robert Stephenson Planet, Timothy
Hackworth's Derwent, Diagram; Early coal burning fireboxes, Diagram; An early
coal burning firebox, The Holden oil burning system, An oil fired 2-10-0
built for the Great India Peninsular railway, An oil fired 4-8-2 / 2-8-4
Garratt, No 3813 renumbered 4855 when converted to oil firing, Diagram of
the GWR installed equipment in the engine, Diagram of the GWR installed equipment
in the tender, Diagram of the firebox showing the extra brickwork and air
inlets, The cab of 3904 aka 4972 showing the fireman's padded seat ? It also
had electric light!, Col.: GWR no 3711
at one time oil fired in May 1963 (W. Potter), Oil-burning Castle no 100A1
Lloyds in April 1947 on express at Reading (H.N. James), 9F no 92167
also fitted with a mechanical stoker in July 1961 on freight train leaving
Appleby (D. Cross), BR blue livery Merchant Navy no 35005 Canadian
Pacific fitted with a mechanical stoker in May 1950 on LMS Mobile Test
Plant (SC Townroe),
Crisis? What Crisis? Coal,
Oil and Austerity part 2.. (Railway Reflections No. 72) Michael
Rutherford. 14, 724-31.
Further consideration of replacement of coal by oil: including the
Great Western/National Programme instigated in 1947. Illus.:GWR proposal
for a wide firebox 2-8-0, GWR no 2839 as oil burner no 4808 in May 1948,
Fig 1 Increased use of mechanisation in the coal industry, Hall class no
3904 [previously 4972] Saint Bride's Hall, Hall class no 3952 [ previously
6957] Norcliffe Hall at Birmingham on 16 April 1948 (John Edgington),
Table 1 Steam locomotive Maintenance and running costs, 1938 (John Edgington),
Fig 2. Increasing coal consumption and cost per mile, L11 no 437 at Southampton
on 16 April 1947, T9 no 722 at Eastleigh on 26 June 1948, Table 2 Renewals
of locomotive stock 1922-47, ex-WD no 3152, Oil burning pacific of the Argentine
railways, Diagram; A firebox designed for oil burning, Diagram; The Swirlflo
oil burner, The future as seen in 1947, Diagram; A mechanical stoker, Diagram
of an underfeed stoker developed for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
See letter from L.A . Summers (15,
183) on "Hawksworth Pacific".
Locomotive standardisation
and standard locomotives - Part one. Railway reflections No.73. 15,
46-52.
Part 2 on page 102. Tables: builders of Bury-type
locomotives and builders of Gooch standard designs. Development of machine
tools. Notes influence of Marc Isambard Brunel and Maudsley developed mass
production methods for the production of pulley blocks in 1809. Describes
influence of Railway Fondry and of American production methods. Illus.: Bury
engines of the London and Birmingham railway from contempary drawings;
Lithograph: one of Daniel Gooch's diagrams supplied to several builders;
Crewe type No. 18 Cerberus and No. 17 Caliban; large Jenny
Lind supplied to the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway; selection
of E.B.Wilson's standard designs; special DX No. 1571, a rebuild of a DX;
Ramsbottom's DX of 1858 No 111; central material stores; Ramsbotton 2-4-0
No. 1480; Great Southern and Western Railway 101 class No. 152; GS&WR
38 class No. 1500; John Aspinal Horwich standard No 733; Baldwin Works in
Philadelphia; Brook's 4-6-0 for the Great Northern; Webb Precedent built
as No 2190 Beatrice and became LMS No 5000 Princess Beatrice;
Churchward's No 98 based on Brook's practice
Locomotive standardisation and standard
locomotives. Part 2. (Railway Reflections No. 74). Michael Rutherford.
102-9.
Part 1 on page 46. The activities, and effects of,
the Salt Lake City Conference of 1902, and the Edward H. Harriman conglomerate:
the Associated Lines. The effect of USRA, ARLE, the Indian standards, and
the great vision of Churchward. Workshop standards could be low, especially
on the LNER. Rutherford is critical of the lack of boiler standardization
on the LMS: the class 5, Jubilee and 8F boilers were not interchangeable
[KPJ unlike comparable LNER classes!]. Furthermore, each LMS class had two
non-interchangeable versions. See letter on tolerances and attainable mileages
on page 243 by M. Johnson. Illus.:A 2-8-0, Specification;
Passenger standard engine and tender for 5'6" gauge, The biggest steam engine
ever; An 0-10-0 E class of Lopushinskii, Diagram; Alignement equipment,
Specification; A pair of ARLE schemes, Diagram; A US built Mikado built for
military use in India and the Far East, LMS 8F 2-8-0 no 8600. The type became
WD standard engine, A 141R of the SNCF, A 4-6-0 built by the Vulcan Foundry,
Britannia no 70004 William Shakespeare at Leicester on 18 July 1958
(John Edgington), No 62070, a Peppercorn K1, A 9F no 92132 at Halesowen on
20 June 1957 (John Edgington), Standard class 5 no 73022 at Bournemouth on
5 September 1965 (John Edgington), No 72001 Clan Cameron at Glasgow
on 25 August 1952 (John Edgington),
An Extended family: the Cornwall
Minerals Railway tank engines and their relatives. Railway Reflections No.
75. Michael Rutherford. 172-81.
The Cornwall Minerals Railway tank engines were intended to work
back-to-back and were supplied by Sharp Stewart. Some of the 0-6-0Ts were
eventually sold to the Lynn & Fakenham Railways where they were converted
into tender locomotives, and some were rebuilt still further as 2-4-0s. Those
that remained in Cornwall were to form the basis of a Churchward 0-6-0ST
(1361 class) and a Collett 0-6-0PT (1366 class), probably Collett's ultimate
achievement. Letter from Treloar (page 363)
concerning the involvement of Francis Trevithick in design, and further
information on Cornwall Minerals Railway. Highly informative letter from
New Zealand (Grant page 482) augments information about
back-to-back and Fairlie locomotives in Peru/Chile (location changed following
war) and Fairlie locomotives in New Zealand. Illus.:Diagram; a proposal for
a Lickey banker c 1910, Mechanical connections of a Baldwin pair of 1901,
One of a pair of engines delivered by Sharp, Stewart & Co, The first
back to back locomotive proposal, CMR no 4 became GWR no 1395 at Swindon,
The Cornwall Minerals railway engines were directly derived from the Swedish
engines, Outline sketch; Three 0-6-0 proposals, Churchward's prototype 1361
class at Swindon, CMR no 10 as Haverhill, no2 loco of the South Hetton Coal
Co., Collett's 1366 class; 1367 brand new at Swindon, CMR no 13 on the Eastern
and Midland railway, CMR no 15 as 3A of the Lynn and Fakenham railway, CMR
no 10 as Haverhill, here being cut up at South Hetton, CMR no 16 on the Midland
and Great Northern, No 1361 stored at Swindon it was cut up in Oct '61, Table
1; Some examples of back to back designs, Table 2; Dimensions of CMR tanks
and related classes, Table 3; Summary of CMR's 0-6-0T's, 1361 class no 1363
now preserved at Didcot at Plymouth, 1361 class no 1364 at Plymouth, 1361
class no 1365 at Faringdon, 1366 class no 1369 at Boscarne,
All the chief's men - the forgotten
army. Railway Reflections No. 76. Michael Rutherford . 228-36.
Railway civil engineering, especially the low key mainteance of the
permanent way. Includes biographical notes on
Thomas Elliot Harrison (who
engineered the formation of the North Eastern Railway),
George Grove (better known for his
Dictionary of Music), and John
Miller. Rutherford notes the significance of the Ruston Steam Navvy in
the construction of later railways such as the Melton Mowbray to Nottingham
line. See letter by Rob Hines on greater flexibity of older
track (page 422). Illus.:Engraving; Swindon junction, Lambley Viaduct,
Plan of Euston station of 1937, Track relaying at Wickwar, A permenant way
gang at work at King's Heath, A steam navvy at work, A permenant way gang
at work at Fenchurch Street, Machinery to power drill chairs to sleepers,
Pre-assembled track panel being laid at Church Fenton, Theating sleepers
with preservative. Probable site Beeston in Notts, A wider view of the work
at Church Fenton, An early petrol engined permanent way gangers trolley at
Hawes, An later petrol engined permanent way gangers trolley, A single line
Morris track relaying machine, The first mechanical tamping machine, A
diesel-electric twin boom tracklayer designed and built at Swindon in 1950,
Some notes on the 4-4-0 type and its
final fling. Railway Reflections No. 77. 15, 292-9.
Henry R. Campbell was granted a US Patent for the type on 5 February
1836. Robert Stephenson had suggested the type to engineers from the B&O
in the USA in 1828. The 4-4-0 was to become the standard type in the USA.
In Britain D. Gooch used the 4-4-0T from 1849, and Robert Stephenson &
Co. supplied 4-4-0Ts to the V of NR in 1851 and to the NLR in 1855. In 1858
a 4-4-0 design was supplied by the same firm to the Smyrna and Aiden Railway
in 1858, and similar o/c locomotives were supplied to the LCDR, S&DR
and GNoSR. Following disaastrous designs by Beattie for the LSWR Adams perfected
the o/c 4-4-0 on that railway. The i/c 4-4-0 was developed by Thomas Wheatley
at Cowlairs, by James Stirling at Kilmarnock and by Dugald Drummond. The
superheated i/c 4-4-0 gave excellent service. Includes a Smith (HR) design
for an enlarged Loch class and a Stanier design for an LMS
County class 4-4-0 (Stanier was very rude about Churchward's County
class and this is a most intriguing might have been).
Pocket pugs from Jack Lane: Quarry
engines and their cousins, Part 1. (Railway Reflections No. 78).
15, 349-55.
Narrow gauge locomotives for quarries and similar industrial uses,
especially those produced in Leeds by such firms as Manning Wardle,
Part 2 on page 412. illus.: Diagram; Isaac Watt Boulton's
Little Grimsby (page 349); Diagram; John Ramsbottom's Tiny (page 349);
Diagram; Manning Wardle & Co's loco for the Festiniog railway (page 349);
Hunslet's Dinorwic No 51 loco for the Festiniog railway (page 350); Manning
Wardle & Co's loco for the Festiniog railway on Gelly viaduct (page 350);
Diagram; Manning Wardle & Co's loco Lord Raglan for the Royal Arsenal
(page 351); Diagram; Manning Wardle & Co's locodeveloped from Lord Raglan
(page 351); Hunslet's Blanche at Port Penrhyn, Bethesda (page 351); Hunslet
Penrhyn Port class Lilian at Port Penrhyn, Bethesda (page 352); The
prototype quarry engine built in 1882 (page 352); Hunslet small quarry engine
Velinhedi at Dinorwic, Bethesda (page 353); Clarke's Culverin class (page
354); The last Manning Wardle for Woolwich was Arquebus (page 354); Hunslet
no 754 Oldbury at Nuneaton, Coventry (page 355); Mills or Tram class
Cackler at Llanberis (page 355)
Railway Reflections No.
79: Pocket pugs from Jack Lane: Quarry engines and their cousins, part 2.
Backtrack, 2000, 15, 412-21.
Hunslet locomotives for the North Wales slate quarries. First locomotive
supplied in 1882. Author also takes a sharp look at what he describes as
the commisar of English Heritage, Sir Neil Cossons, who is in overall
charge of NRM and his distaste for railway enthusiasm. Rutherford also supplies
details of Nock type driving on Bala Lake Railway! Part 1
on page 349.
The twentieth century steam locomotive.
Was there any progress? Part 1. (Railway Reflections No. 80)
15, 468-75.
Part 2 page 494: Part 3 page 554.
The feature begins with a brief look at the contrast in the running of Royal
trains for Queen Victoria with those of her successors in the 1900s, who
commanded fast non-stop journeys odf considerable length. These were provided
by the GWR to Kingswear and to/and from Plymouth. Clearly, Royalty expected
more, but was there any real progress in locomotive development Considers
Brooks Locomotive Works 4-6-0s with 6ft 10in driving wheels used on Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad for Chicago to Buffalo trains. These
34 ft2 grate locomotives averaged 100,000 miles in first year
in service. The question was often expressed by
Tuplin: whose somewhat eccentric (Rutherford
uses the term iconoclastic) style coloured many enthusiasts view of steam
locomotive development. Rutherford stresses that the style masked a man who
was charming and devout (and did not add "green" in the environmental sense
long before such ideas were cast more widely). Tuplin's views tended towards
rugged simplicity: the Saints were just about right, especially if
the boiler pressure had been lowered (Hughes must have been a key hidden
influence on Tuplin). Rutherford attempts to refute Tuplin's assertions and
that there was some development in the basic Stephenson type of locomotive,
especially in the United States. See also letter from John
Knowles (page 667) which asserts that Sam Ell did not rearrange Lomonossof
formula for the cost of the net ton mile. Illus.:Caledonian Cardean
no 903, GWR no 4108 Gardenia and 3402 Halifax on a boat train
at Fishguard on 30 August 1909, GWR no 103 later named President at
Old Oak Common on 30 August 1906, Prototype Fat Annie in 1907, GWR
no 4003 Lode Star at Hayes, Superheated T14 no 443 at Raynes Park
in May 1931, LNW no 2221 Sir Francis Dent at Stalybridge, LYR no 1508
in July 1908, GC 9Q no 5458 at Nottingham, LNER No 3279, Fig 1; The Lomonossof
Formula for the cost of the net ton-mile, Fig 2; Allocating the costs, Darlington
works foundry, Fig 3; Pie chart of steam heat content, Slab milling machine,
A cast steel engine bed, New York Central Hudson no 5200, Table 1; Pre-grouping,
multi-cylinder, 10 wheel designs, Table 2; Express passenger boiler trends
1900-1930, Table 3; Power outputs of a selection of passenger locomotives
of the New York Central railroad,
The twentieth century steam locomotive.
Was there any progress? Part 2. (Railway Reflections No. 81). Michael
Rutherford. 15, 494-501.
Failure in Britain to work locomotives as hard as they were worked
in France and USA. This was partially due to risk of slipping (due to poor
design) and to the Anderson Midland philosophy. Autocratic behaviour by
management was far too common. Table 1; Saving by higher superheat, Table
2; New York Central Railroad engine performance, Table 3; Modes of working
of de Glehn 4-4-2 compound, Fig 1; Improvement in cylinder performance in
US two cyl locos, Fig 2; The importance of reducing back pressure,
The twentieth century steam locomotive.
Was there any progress? Part 3. Railway Reflections No. 82.
15, 554-62.
Part 1 was on page 468; Part 2 page
494: Further evidence for progress: André Chapelon's contributions:
Kylchap double chimney reduced back pressue in exhaust, higher superheat
could be achieved with Houlet elements given better lubricants and poppet
valves. Enlarged steam pipes reduced throttling. Thermic syphons increased
circulation and evaporation. These features were applied to a Paris Orleans
Pacific 3566 and vastly improved performance. Many of the ideas were incoroprated
in Cock o' the North which Rutherford regarded as a near miss. In
1910 SLM manufactured Pacifics for the 3ft 6in line in Java bewtween what
was then Batavia and Surabaya and these four-cylinder compounds and
29ft2 grates enabled journey times to be halved. Very high speeds
for the gauge were attained. Rutherford correctly queries why such designs
could not have been constructed in the 1920s for railways in Britain. Super
power in the USA originated under William E. Woodward. A 2-8-2 No. 8000 was
built for the Michigan Central in 1922: it featured a booster, a very large
superheater, feed-water heater, mechanical stoker, free steaming and light
reciprocating parts. Alco's eventual response was the 2-8-4 Berkshire type
with 100 ft2 grate and vanadium steel cyclinders to save weight.
The development of the trailing truck enables the 4-6-4 and 4-8-4 types to
be constructed. Gresley derived motion was used on some of Alco's output.
Timken had to fight hard to get roller bearings installed and this was achieved
via Alco demonstrator No. 1111. This led the way for the high speed Mallets
developed on the Union Pacific by
Otto Jabelmann. Rutherford
argues that the Duplex 4-4-4-4 on the Pennsylvania Railroad were the "fastest
steam locomotives of all time". In Britain the Castles were "little more
than Churchward's Stars slighly enlarged", but they influenced the output
from all the other companies. The great success of the Duchess Pacific class
is noted, and especially its lack of major components in common with the
Princess Royals. Illus.:A locally designed Pacific by the british CME
P.C.Dewhurst for use on gradients as steep as 1 in 23, Prototype 2-10-0 no
100-01, Diagram; A proposal for a 2-14-4, Graph; Drawbar
pulls, Colour: No 4062 Malmesbury Abbey
at Twyford in October 1953 (T.B. Owen), No 46251 City of Nottingham at
Shrewsbury on 21 June 1964 (Rodney Lissenden), Czechoslovakia 498 class,
Gresley's no 2001 Cock o' the North (Locomotive Publishing Co type
coloured plate), B&w: Missouri Pacific Lines 25 Berkshire, Gresley's
conjugated valve gear used by Alco under licence, LNER P1 no 2393, 9000 class
of the Union Pacific, A 4-8-8-4 Big Boy of the Union Pacific, A crankshaft
roller bearing, New York Central Niagra, Pennsylvania T1 4-4-4-4,
Emerald Isle innovation: Dieselisation
in Ireland - Part 1. Railway Reflections No. 83. 15, 652-9.
Includes early diesel railcars on the County Donegal Railways, on
the GNR(I) and NCC. Illus.:Diagrams of some pre-war railcars, GNR railcar
C3, GNR railcar G, NCC railcar no 2, Diagram; Harland and Wolfe 1930s Co-Co
design, NCC railcar no 4, Shunter diesel no 1001, GN[I]R railcars posed at
Belfast station, UTA built railcars posed at Queen's Quay, Sulzer powered
Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives nos 1100 and 1101, A class A. AIA-AIA no
13, A Crossley C class Bo-Bo and an AEC railcar,
Emerald Isle innovation: Dieselisation
in Ireland - part 2. (Railway Reflections No. 84). 15.
676-85.
Strong emphasis on the Crossley two-stroke diesel engine debacle,
The two-stroke engine was invented by Joseph Day of Bath (first patent granted
to him in 1892). Was taken up in USA and was highly successful. Crossley
developed a heavy duty diesel engine and exploited his in locomotives with
Metropolitan Vickers for the Western Australian Government Railways (48 2-Do-2)
and with Metropolitan-Cammell for the CIE, with the involvement of Bulleid.
British Railways also ordered some. Like many British products of this period
there were problems, but the Crossley engines were especially unready for
railway traction. The Hunslet locomotives built for NIR are also mentioned.
Illus.:CIE Crossley A17 in silver livery at Youghal on 26 April 1956 (John
Edgington*), Ex GNR AEC-Park Royal railcar no 111 at Belfast Great Victoria
Street in June 1964 (*), SL&NC railcar B at Sligo on 29 May 1957 (F.W.
Shuttelworth), Diesel loco no C209 in black & tan livery on street in
Cork (*), General Motors Bo-Bo no 122 in grey & yellow livery on 8 June
1961 (*), Diagram: two-stroke engine Crossley diesel engine, Advertisement
for British United Traction the Leyland AEC joint combine, Advertisement
for Crossley diesel engines, A rebuilt A3 no 003 in May 1990 (author), NIR
class 80 diesel-electric multiple unit at Cork (author), An 071 class no
082 in May 1990 (author), Hunslet Bo-Bo Merlin and rebuilt CIE C class in
May 1990 at York Road, Belfast in May 1990 (author), Heavy shunter E413 at
Dublin Amiens Street in April 1964 (*), UTA railcar no 5 at Belfast Queen's
Quay on 23 April 1951 (*), Diminutive no G601 in May 1958 (*), Statue of
William Dargan (author), Railcars 616 and 617 at Clones on 25 April 1956
(*),
A Century of Pacific Locomotives. Part
One. Railway Reflections No. 85. Michael Rutherford. 16, 10-17.
Suggests that first true Pacific design (that is rather than extended
4-6-0 designs) was the Q class supplied by Baldwins to New Zealand. Similar
locomotives were supplied to Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and
the Cape Government Railways in South Africa. Earlier the Lehigh Valley Railroad
had constructed an experimental Pacific in 1886 which had aimed at eliminating
firebox stays through the use or corrugated construction. The first US Pacifics
were built by Alco for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which is possibly how
the type received its name. This was in 1902, and this was closely followed
by the Salt Lake City Convention where the railroads under the control of
Edward H. Harriman developed standard designs, including Pacifics introduced
in 18903/04. By 1907 the "modern" Pacific emerged in the USA, the same year
in which the type emerged in Europe. See letter on
page 174 concerning origin of 3' 6" gauge. Illus.:LMS no 46225 charging
up Beattock Bank in the late 50's, A 4-6-2 exhibited at the Colombian Exposition
in Chicago in 1893, An experimental Pacific design for the Lehigh Valley
Railroad, New Zealand Q class pacific, New Zealand Q class pacific diagram
supplied with the initial specification, Diagrams of locos used in South
Africa round the turn of the century, A 1903 pacific of the Chicago and Alton
line in the USA, Diagrams of various trailing trucks, Line diagrams of two
US Pacifics, The Erie 'Big Liz' no 2509, Bassett-Lowe class 60 now on the
Ravenglass & Eskdale Rly. and called 'Colossus', Pacific no 111 The
Great Bear leaving Paddington in almost as built condition.
Parts 2 begin on page 64; part 3 on page
166 and part 4 on page 275.
Railway Reflections No. 86: A
Century of Pacific Locomotives. Part 2. Backtrack. 16,
64-73.
Part 1: page 10. Part 3 page 166.
The development of the true Pacific, rather than 4-6-0 with extra trailing
axle, on WAGR, and the eventual adoption of the wide firebox for it. In Argentina
narrow firebox continued in use for oil-burning Pacifics. Evolution of large
boilers on GWR by Dean/Churchward. Speculates on possible intended uses for
Great Bear: comment and additional information by
Johnson page 295. The installation of water troughs at Restormel in Cornwall
was considered and might have enabled non-stop running to Truro from Paddington.
The full development of Fishguard and its approach lines was never completed,
but if it had been commercially successful then non-stop running would have
been needed. Ocean liner traffic from Plymouth might have become heavier.
The proposed 4-cylinder McIntosh Pacific, Ivatt's 2-6-2 design of 1907, Gresley's
4-cylinder application to an Ivatt Atlantic, and the proposed Hughes Pacific,
as well as the actual GNR and NER designs are all considered somehat concisely.
Useful tabulated data for early narrow gauge Pacifics, with and without wide
fireboxes, and early European Pacific designs (up to GNR/NER designs).
See letter by Gottfried Wild on page 535 concerning
proposed Austrian design for Kaiser Ferdinand Nordbahn. Illus.:LNER A3 no
2528 Sir Hugo at Grantham, A commercial version of The Great Bear
on the Cornish Riviera Express, An F.Moore painting of The Great
Bear, Midland Railway of Western Australia C class, Western Australia
Government Ec class, 4501 Pacific of the Paris - Orleans Railway, Pacific
built for the Western Railway of France in 1908, A cardboard cut-out model
of 'Princess Royal', Publicity material featuring the Stanier pacific no
6201 Princess Elizabeth, A cigarette card of the 'Princess Elizabeth',
A 'Princess Royal' on the cover of a magazine, Layout of a proposed pacific,
drawing 17168, Layout of cylinders etc. of the Atlantic no 279 rebuilt as
a test bed by Gresley for a 4-cyl pacific, Narrow fire bed version of a new
Gresley pacific proposal, No 6200 Princess Royal very brand new and
not yet named, Pioneer NER pacific later named City of Newcastle and
seen here at King's Cross at Kings Cross,
A Century of Pacific Locomotives.
Part 3. Railway Reflections No. 87. Michael Rutherford.16,
166-73.
Part 1 page 10. Part 2 page 64.
Part 4 : page 275. The primary themes are the Gresley
Pacifics on the LNER and early Pacific locomotive development on the LMS
(Fowler's activities were fruitless), including the improved Great Bear
design from Stanier, but this is concluded in mid-stream see Part 4.
Illus.:Gresley Pacific no 1471N on the turntable at King's Cross, No 4079
Pendennis Castle at King's Cross at Kings Cross, Gresley's right hand
man at King's Cross drawing office. Mr Bert Spencer at Kings Cross, No 4475
Flying Fox at King's Cross at Kings Cross, Originally an A1, no 2580
was rebuilt as an A3 and used on the first 'Scotsman' non-stop run, The first
A3 no 4480 which was rebuilt with a higher boiler pressure in July 1927,
A 387 class Pacific of the Czech Railways, An S class Pacific of the Victoria
State Railways of Australia, The last order for an A3 built as an A4 no 2509
Silver Link, Drawing of the Belgian State Railways 10 class of 1910,
LMS no 6200 The Princess Royal in original condition on Bushey troughs,
LMS no 6200 The Princess Royal having a bigger superheater fitted
in 1936 at Crewe, The CF du Nord no 231E.7 Pacific in 1963, The German Reichsbahn
no 03.094 Pacific at Cologne, King's Cross looking toward Gasworks Tunnel
with A1 no 2550 ready to leave for Leeds at Kings Cross, LMS no 6201
Princess Elizabeth at Crewe, État 231.501 Pacific at Le Harve
in 1966, Merchant Navy no 21C12 United States Lines at Nine
Elms.
A Century of Pacific Locomotives.
Part 4. Railway Reflections No. 88. Michael Rutherford. 16,
275-82.
Part 3 page 166. Part 1 page 10.
Pacific locomotive development is sketched for North America and India,
the development of the later LMS Pacifics, the Bulleid Pacifics and the Duke
of Gloucester is also lightly covered, and the whole is intended as a
trailer for a book by the same author on the same subject which was still
"fortcoming" at the end of 2002. See letter by Brian Orrell
(page 415) on Vulcan/NBL contribution to output for Indian State Railways.
The Experimental spirit.
Part 1. Railway Reflections No. 89. Michael Rutherford. 16,
395-403.
Considers advances made by Norfolk & Western Railway in steam
traction between 1925 and 1940. Considers N&WR steam turbine electric
John Henry, Willans and Robinson central valved high speed steeple
compound engines, turbines (with and without electric drive), water tube
and flash boilers, the innovations of Kyrle Williams at Kerr Stuart, and
the Paget locomotive. Considers how steam traction could be improved in terms
of: siz/weight/power, boilers (especially Woolnough), condensing, turbines,
and fuel and firing. Part 2 page 455. Illus.:A experimental
steam electric on the CF de l'Oest in 1897, Table; How gadgets improved
efficiency, Diagram; Willans and Robinson central valved high speed compound
engine, Diagram; Old Crewe type 2-2-2, Diagram; Proposed triple-expansion
of a Metropolitan type 4-4-0T, A post office van cum railbus of the CF du
Nord in 1897, A stem driven light railcar of Ganz (Hungary) design at
Loughborough, An unusual high speed gear driven 2-6-2 locomotive, Diagram;
Schematic of the workings of the Perkins closed circuit hot water tubes,
Diagram of the 2-6-2 on page 399, Diagram of the boiler of the 2-6-2 on page
399, A proposed water tube firebox for an LMS pacific designed for 350 psi
working pressure, The boiler for the 'Hush-hush' LNER no 10000, An early
sentinel railcar no 4149 at Blackrod, Sentinel 100hp shunter no 47183 at
Clee Hill, Graph: progress with steam turbines.
The Experimental Spirit.
Part 2. Railway Reflections No. 90. Michael Rutherford. 16, 455-62.
Part 1 page 395. Part 3 see page
515. See latter from Harry Liddell (page 535)
concerning reason for rapid displacement of steam from Norfolk & Western
Railroad. See letter from David Jenkinson (page 594)
requesting more information about sounds made by LMS turbine locomotive.
Roland Bond did not like Turbomotive name: My Lifetime page 108: "The
turbine locomotive, often known as the 'Turbomotive', an abbreviation almost
as offensive as 'British Rail', was, I think, the most successful unconventional
steam locomotive ever to run in this country." Illus.:The Ramsey-Armstrong
Whitworth condensing turbine-electric locomotive at Southport, The
Ramsey-Armstrong Whitworth condensing turbine-electric locomotive at Lostock,
The Ljungström-Beyer, Peacock turbine, Drawing of three British turbine
designs, Fury's cab layout, Schmidt-Henschel no 6399 Fury at Derby, Crewe
erecting shop with no 6202 under construction, Fury's smokebox, Schmidt-Henschel
built by Alco for the New York Central, The Turbomotive no 6202 at Euston,
The Turbomotive no 6202 at Nuneaton, The Turbomotive No 6202 as built at
Camden, Table 1; Summary of Schmidt-Henschel high pressure locomotives, Table
2; Selected steam turbine locomotives, The Turbomotive no 46202 in its final
form, Pennsylvania Railroad no 6200,
The experimental spirit.
Railway Relections No. 91. Michael Rutherford. 16, 515-23.
This specific series began on page 395; previous
part was on page 455 and final part is on
page 575. This very complex account digs up many treasures
which are liable to remain undetected. Rutherford notes that
D.C. Urie, son of the well known
CME of the LSWR was "a thorn in Stanier's side" during the Jubilee steaming
crisis when they were incapable of keeping time on the two hour expresses
to Birmingham. Urie and Byrom put pressure on Stanier via Lemon. The class
5 was successful due to the involvement of Coleman and the Vulcan Foundry.
Rutherford suggests that Chambers died prematurely due to the stress caused
by the design failings in the Royal Scot, Jubilee and Princess
Royal classes. The recruitment of
Fairburn, the brilliant electrical
engineer, is considered as "something of a catch for the LMSR", but it introduced
friction with Hornbuckle. Notes an intension to streamline the turbine
locomotive, and considers Stamp's excessive fraternization with Nazi Germany.
German ideas were to influence experimentation on the LMS: a the Germans
were developing a turbine condensing locomotive with a La Mont boiler and
it is probable that the LMS would have rebuilt the turbine locomotive in
this form. Rutherford also considers the Bugatti high speed train project
both in its eight-cylinder petrol engine version and with an 8-cylinder steam
version fueled via a Velox boiler. At this steam time control systems were
becoming available which enabled steam engines to operate with far less
attention: the Norfolk & Western introduced switchers in 1947/8 which
could operate continuously for 24 hours. Stephen Alley, in association with
Doble, of the Sentinel Waggon Co. used such engines for road trucks, and
in railcars for the SR and LNER, and in an advanced shunter for the LMS.
Sentinel railbus no 6 at The Dyke at Brighton, The Experimental Spirit part
3, Diagram of La Mont boiler, Diagram of proposed locomotive with a La Mont
boiler, Diagram of proposed rebuilding of Turbomotive, An LMS proposal, Diagram
of the Bugatti high-speed train, Section view of PLM 4-cyl compound rebuild,
Section view of the Sentinel engine, Sentinel railcar no 29 Rockingham, Cheshire
lines committee railcar no 600 at Cheadle, Sentinel shunter no 7164, Sentinel
shunter no 7192, Stephen Alley's radicl idea formain line steam, A nose mounted
Doble steam engine, A selection of locomotive engineers inspecting a metre
gauge Sentinel in Belgium, A proposed standardised one man shunter,
The Experimental Spirit
- Part four. (Railway Reflections No. 92). Michael Rutherford. 16,
575-82.
Part 3 was on page 515 and Part
1 on page 395. This part discusses developments at Sentinel including
the development of a Bo-Bo steam locomotive with a Woolnough boiler which
attracted both the LNER and the GWR. It was intended for light branch lines
and the ordrs appear to have been cancelled fue to financial problems at
Sentinel. At this time Doble was involved at the Sentinel Waggon Works in
developing advanced steam lorries with mechanical stokers and SMUs (steam
multiple units) were manufactured for Egypt. Describes No. 10000, the water-tube
boiler for which was patented by Harold Yarrow and Gresley, and was linked
to a four-cylinder compound engine. Originally it had been intended to build
two of the D49 class as compounds and S.J. Symes brought drawings from Derby
to King's Cross to assist with this project. No. 10000 was a very poor steamer,
but some (too late) improvement was achieved by fitting it with a Kylchap
chimney in 1935. It had been intended to name this locomotive British Enterprise.
The two Southern Railway experimental locomotives are described: A629 which
burned pulverized fuel and A816 which involved innovation by H.P.A. Anderson
in association with the Steam Heat Conservation Co. (both are discussed in
Holcroft's Locomotive Adventure). Finally, the extraordinary swan song of
steam in the USA was realised in turbine electrics built for the Chesapeake
& Ohio to haul streamlined passenger trains, and the less unsuccessful
Jawn Henry built for the Norfolk & Western which produced steam in a
semi-flash boiler with a chain grate to feed a turbine to produce electricity.
Handing on the Baton. Part
One. Railway Relections No. 93. Michael Rutherford. 16,
635-43.
Excellent biography of Webb preceded
by a very concise account of the merging of the functions of locomotive design
and construction at Crewe under Ramsbottom, formerly of Longsight; the cessation
of locomotive manufacture at Wolverton, formerly under McConnell, and the
translation of Francis Trevithick (who had been responsible for Frank Webb's
training at Crewe) to Wolverton. Rutherford emphasises the significance of
Moon upon all LNWR activities. Rutherford is also highly critical
of Hamilton Ellis's appraisal of
Webb, and castigates Vaughan's assessment..
Part 2 page 695.
Congratulatory letter Vol. 17 page
114 by Liddell.
Handing on the Baton: from
Frank to George. Part Two. Railway Reflections No. 94. Michael
Rutherford. 16, 695-703.
Part 1 page 635: More on Moon's
policy which sought to reduce costs and wasteful competition. Small engine
policy was dictated by Moon's criteria. The latter led to co-operation with
the GWR. Wherever possible the Company manufactured its own materials: thus
rails were rolled at Crewe. Rutherford emphasises that the chain brake policy
had emerged under Ramsbottom, and that Webb
might have been less antagonistic to the air brake had Westinghouse not attempted
to offer incentives to Webb. Whereas Moon was parsimonious on the question
of brakes, he could perceive the value of signalling in its reduction of
accidents and its aid to increasing capacity.
Handing on the Baton: from Frank to George
- Part three. Railway Reflections No.95. Michael Rutherford. 17,
6-15.
Sadly this was the last of this series. An extensive re-evaluation
of F.W. Webb: his far from rapacious earnings from his many patents, his
recognition of Joy, the many great engineers who had "graduated" via Crewe
under Webb, his frequently kindly nature, the many beneficiaries from his
will, and his final defeat under the hands of Frederick Harrison. Churchward
was in effect defeated by the Management very shortly afterwards. Also considers
position of Maunsell whose output combined much which stemmed from Crewe
and Swindon, and who had the ability to be able to adapt to Management's
needs.
The LMS in later days. Part 1. Double
chimneys. Michael Rutherfod. (Railway Reflections
No.97). 18, 38-47.
Attempts to show that in the late 1930s the LMS was acquiring a new
corporate identity and cites the Coronation Scot, articulated rolling
stock including the streamlined DMU, the electric multiple units for the
Wirral and Southport lines and Leeds City station concourse. Rutherford then
considers as the cutting edge of late 1930s steam technology and the LMS
approach to their use then and following WW2. Inevitably Frank Webb had been
there somewhat earlier with Patent 29240 which was accepted on 6 November
1897. This arrangement was applied to Princess Royal 6201 in 1934, but was
soon replaced by a single chimney. The turbine locomotive 6202 was fitted
with a double chimney with a complex system of cowls to minimize back pressure.
The Kylchap type of double chimney was introduced to Britain by Maunsell
on Lord Nelson 862 Lord Collingwood and by Gresley with the P2 class
(and eventualy on some A4 class), and on the LMS on Jubilee 5684 Jutland
where high power outputs were obtained during dynamometer car tests during
November 1937, but the results appear to have been somewhat like the battle
which the locomotive commemorated, that is far from decisive. 6245 City of
London was built with the Kylchap arrangement, but it was alleged to interfere
with servicing and was removed. The SR adopted the Lemaitre multiple blastpipe
and sold the Kylchap arrangements to the LNER. The LMS had meanwhile demonstrated
that high outputs could only be achieved with double chimneys during tests
with 6234 Duchess of Abercorn on 26 February 1939. Subsequently, all
the Duchess class, and the rebuilt Royal Scot, Patriot and Jubilees were
fitted with double chimneys as were an assortment of the experimental
non-standard standard class 5s following WW2. Rutherford is surprised that
all the Jubilee class were not so equipped. See letter
by D.H. Landau on double chimneys (page 188).
The LMS in later days. Part Two. Modern
traction and rolling stock developments. (Railway reflections No.98).
Michael Rutherford. 18, 84-91.
Includes a table of electric traction systems instaled by LMS and
its constituents. Note on Tommy
Hornbuckle who had a considerable influence on electric motors employed
within Derby Works to replace belting systems, and on diesel traction.
The LMS in later days. Part
Three: modern traction and motive power developments. (Railway Reflections
No. 99). Michael Rutherford. 172-9
Stamp wished to stamp-out the wastage associated with steam shunting
and replace this either by an internal combustion engine or by an advanced
steam locomotive with a Doble boiler. Gravity marshalling had begun at Tyne
Dock in 1859, and was adopted by the LNWR at Edge Hill in 1875. The GCR
introduced power-signalling at Wath in 1907, and the LMS eventually introduced
power at Toton marshalling yard in 1939, using Frölich rail brakes.
A prototype disel shunter is described in LMS Journal Number 2, but Rutherford
castigates the lack of detail about the engine. The LMS ordered protypes
with both hydraulic and electric transmission, but following the appointment
of Fairburn there was a loss of
interest in anything other than electric transmissions, and the
work of Tommy Hornbuckle failed
to be acknowledged.
Foleshill – the land
of lost content: Railway Reflections No. 100. Michael Rutherford.
212-19.
Like all great Authors Rutherford seeks to place himself within the
context of his birth place which happened to be Foleshill, an industrial
settlement near Coventry on the Coventry to Nuneaton line where his father
was a permanent way ganger. For other great authors within the area he does
not turn to the Bard, but to George Eliot, alias Mary Ann Evans. Rutherford
considers that the London & Birmingham Railway treated the City with
contempt in placing its station to the south of the City, thus forcing Foleshill
to be on a branch line.A lot of this article is devoted to the development
of the bicycle and the automotive industry and might more aptly have been
published in Archive, but he does observe that the LMS had considered quadrupling
the Rugby to Birmingham line with Government money, but were too slow off
the mark. Includes some notes on industrial railways in the area.
Nuneaton and railways in the Warwickshire
Coalfield. Railway Reflections No. 101. Michael
Rutherford. 295-303
Considers the development of the Warwickshire Coalfield and its associated
road, canal and rail transport links. Includes a clear coloured map which
shows such back tracks as Watling Street and Foss Way, the Coventry and Oxford
Canals, and specific colliery railways, as well as the focus of the Author's
attention the railway which links Nuneaton with Coventry and associated lines,
such as the WCML. See further references to the railways
of this area in letter by Author on page 380.
Into the melting pot – Great Western
absorbed engines (Railway Reflections No.102). Michael
Rutherford. 420-8.
For once Rutherford returns to well-trodden ground as the absorbed
into Great Western stock are covered in the
RCTS Locomotive History (Volume 3 and
Part 10), and in Jim Russell's Pictorial
record of Great Western absorbed engines. Nevertheless, this writer did not
disappoint and both clearly covers the Great Western's policy of standardizing
boilers for this relatively motley collection and considers how these locomotives
could form an interesting collection for a model railway layout. He also
has some cogent remarks about Tracy Emin's so-called art, and implies that
some model railways are more worthy of preservation than that (KPJ: it could
be argued that the best model railways are comparable with the Boyle Family's
exploits).
The historian and the footplate. Part
One. (Railway reflections No. 103). Michael Rutherford. 486-93.
In part the article is used as a vehicle to attack the Jack Simmons'
"school" of railway history which tended to ignore the skill required to
drive the steam locomotive, and the poor working conditions imposed upon
such "railway servants". Rutherford especially objects to a statement
made in the Foreword (not Forward) to Frank McKenna's The railway
workers, 1840-1970. (Ottley 11050) wherein the late Professor
was guilty of writing "That nobody should have tried to do this before is
not to be attributed solely to blindness or indifference. Real difficulties
lie in the way of anyone who attempts the task. Very few ordinary railwaymen
have ever been articulate, able to record their experience and to pass any
useful judgement upon it. The great majority of them have lived and died
unknown, and it is no easy matter to recover their histories, as individuals,
now." The italics were applied by Rutherford. Incidentally
Simmons (The railways of
Britain) did cite
McKillop's The lighted
flame (history of Aslef). Rutherford also introduces some of the
richness contained in the Transactions
of the Newcomen Society. Part 2 page 550.
The historian and the footplate —
Part Two (Railway Reflections No. 104). Michael Rutherford. 550-8.
Part 1 began on page 486. Mentions a wee bit more
on Driver Norman McKillop, something about J.M. Dunn, and a considerable
amount about some Camden drivers: Driver Button who began as a cleaner in
1864 and had become a driver by 1872 at the age of 26. He was especially
associated with Webb Teutonic three cylinder compound No. 1304 Jeannie
Deans. Two later stars were Fred Bishop (with Fireman Carswell) who travelled
to the USA with a Duchess Pacific No. 6220 Coronation, and Driver
Laurie Earl.
The historian and the footplate. Part
three. (Railway Reflections No.105). Michael
Rutherford. 594-601.
Failure to train British footplate staff; lack of official watches
and speedometers; poor motive power depots; badly designed grates; correct
firing methods for specific designs (such as Lord Nelson class); failure
to fit electric lighting on British Railways standard classes; variable
blastpipes; back pressure gauges; Ashcroft Cut-Off Control Gauge (indicated
steam chest pressure and blastpipe back-pressure) fitted by GWR to 6015 King
Richard III in May 1929; more sophisticated version linked to mechanical
stoker by Polish engineer, Juljan Madeyski (Rly Gaz., 1939, 28 July,
pp. 316-18); a Loco Valve Pilot was fitted to Jubilee 5654 Hood in
January 1939, but this had been preceded by work on the blast nozzle as an
indicator of footplate work by the LMS Research Department on Patriot 5533
(between Crewe and Carlisle) and Royal Scot 6158 The Loyal Regiment.
Difficulties caused by variation in firing techniques led to the development
of 'Controlled Firing' using a back-pressure gauge: the LMS coal-weighing
tenders were developed in association with this work.
The Drummond Age.
Part One. (Railway Reflections No. 106). Michael Rutherford. 18,
688-94.
This part begins by setting the scene having dismissed some of the
myths associated with the Scots and especially those which may attach themselves
to Drummond and his associates including the possibly over-rated William
Stroudley. In his broad stroke manner Rutherford argues that locomotive
construction was influenced by Hawthorns and Stephenson on Tyneside, Beyer
Peacock in Manchester and by the development of a locomotive works at Cowlairs
on the magnificently engineered Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway. Rutherford
detects clusters of engineers and names the Drummonds (father and brother
plus Dugald), Stroudley, the Stirlings, Sturrock as well as Walter Montgomerie
Neilson and their draughtsmen.
The Drummond Age. Part Two. (Railway
Reflections No. 107). Michael Rutherford. 18, 754-60.
This part contains an extensive bibliography and notes, includes an
assessment not only of Dugald Drummond's early work, but assessments of those
with whom he can be associated, notably
Stroudley. It begins with noting the influence
of Robert Hawthorn, who Rutherford considers has received too little attention.
He also notes the significance of William Symington with his steam powered
Charlotte Dundas on the Forth & Clyde Canal in March 1803, and
of Henry Bell with his Comet on routine sailings on the Clyde. Illus.:
Drummond NBR 2-2-2 No, 475 Berwick as built in 1876; 2-2-2 No. 474
as modified by Holmes; Drummond NBR 0-6-0 No. 513; CR 294 class 0-6-0 No.
686 (Neilson 1884), subsequently 57265;
The Drummond age - Part Three. Michael
Rutherford (Railway reflections No.108). 19, 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
Railway reflections No.109:
The Drummond age. Part Four. Backtrack, 19, 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 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
presumably due to the major contribution made by Swift below) 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. Rutherford records that Drummond's death was
due from a scald, but not from locomotive, but from putting his feet into
excessively hot water to warm his tootsies.
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 thus extending the Drummond influence still
further.
Railway reflections No.
110: Comparisons and revision: the Grouping and early LMS locomotive policy
- Part One. Bactrack, 2005, 19, 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.
Comparisons and revision: the Grouping and early LMS locomotive poliey.
Part Two. (Railway reflections No. 111). Michael Rutherford.
Bactrack, 2005, 19, 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..
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:
Rutherford, Michael. The
'Scots' and their weans. Part 2. (Railway Reflections No. 113).
424-32.
Part 1 began on page 356. Concluding
part begins page 487. This is a somewhat wayward contribution and includes
a fair amount which is only indirectly related to the Royal Scot class. This
includes the relatively slow evolution of LMS publicity activity, but it
does note that this led to an exhibition of Royal Scots at Liverpool, Manchester,
Crewe, Glasgow, Dundee and other venues, and 6161 The King's Own was
exhibited at Wavertree for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Centenary
in 1930 alongside 6029 King Stephen and 850 Lord Nelson. Booklets
and colllectables were also produced. Sales of posters are quoted but these
not relate to locomotives. A table lists named expresses running in the summer
of 1927, although not all of these would be suitable for haulage by Royal
Scots. Notes that C.J. Allen in his Locomotive Practice & Performance
series in Rly Mag. was critical of the early performance of the class. But
Sir Henry Fowler gave details of coal and water consumption from dynamometer
car tests made between Euston and Crewe with the class in response to a
paper by Lawford Fry presented to the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers in1928. Rutherford notes that it
was these tests which prompted Gresley to verify the LMS dynamometer car
against the LNER vehicle. The final batch (Derby, 1930) were fitted with
modified piston valve heads. Many Derby practices and details were incorporated
into the NBL design as co-ordinated by Herbert Chambers and (probably) James
Anderson. The resulting amalgam of practices led to a number of inherent
faults. Some could be rectified by modifications during shoppings (it is
considered that the locomotive sent to the USA included them all), and the
locomotives became highly reliable and more work was given to them, both
in trailing loads and mileages in the working diagrams, until the inherent
design faults began to make themselves known with a vengeance. Modifications
became more drastic, time-consuming and costly (eg new frames) and eventually
all the engines were converted to taper boiler engines which Stanier had
perceived this as an early task. Of the problems with the 'Scots' when built,
the two that were potentially dangerous were drifting exhaust obscuring the
driver's view of the road and signals and the tendency to rough riding -
either on poor track or after a high mileage since shopping. Both were cited
as the reason for accidents (Leighton Buzzard and Weaver Junction respectively).
The former was aleviated with large deflector plates; completely flat at
first, later curved inwards at the top. The ride was an inherent problem
with 4-6-0s: a King had derailed at Midgham and a Lord Nelson at Kent House
and the bogies required modifications to the springing. In Table 3 it is
shown that the distance from the bogie to the first coupled axle was only
8ft 11 in as compared with 10ft 9in for the Lord Nelson. but would have been
11ft 6in for the Derby proposed compound 4-6-0. Illus.: colour: 6100 as painted
by F. Moore and M. Secretan; last unconverted Royal Scot No. 46137 The
Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire) near Brinklow with an
up Liverpool express in June 1953 Train in carmine & cream, locomotive
in green, low evening light) (J.B. McCann); Patriot No. 45519 Lady
Godiva passing Longsight station with up express in June 1957 (W. Oliver);
45542 climing to Shap with down express in July 1958 (J.G. Wallace), B&w:
Patriot No. 6000 under construction at Crewe in July 1933; No. 5547 climbing
Grayrigg bank (H. Gordon Tidey); 5551 departing Crewe on long Manchester
to London express; 5500 Croxteth with smoke deflectors sometime beetween
May 1934 and February 1937.
Rutherford, Michael.
The 'Scots' and their weans. Part Three. (Railway Reflections No. 114).
487-95.
Part 1 began on page 356; Part 2
on page 424. In spite of silly title for feature (the weans were not
manufactured in Glasgow!) the references are listed within a highly sensible
classification: drawings and official photographs; contemporary accounts;
retropsective accounts; performance (mainly from Nock); train services and
names. Notes that Jack Francis,
a leading draughtsman at Crewe, designed the enlarged boiler for the Claughton
and Patriot classes: this became the G9½S: Francis was moved to Derby,
but continued to live in Crewe. (see also letter page 636
from C. Taylor) The illus. on page 492 of Royal Iniskinning Fusilier
is important for showing the vacuum pump drive; the coil springs fitted
to the crank axle and second driving axle (the latter were replaced by laminated
springs during rebuilding. The Patriot class was characterized by variations
in bogie and chassis types, and only the last series were selected for rebuilding
with larger boilers. The frames used for the Patriots were stronger than
those for the Royal Scot class as they lacked the cut-outs for lightening.
Furthermore, the cylinders were smaller and frame cracking was not experienced.
The weight quoted for the Patriots was 83 tons 8 cwt as aginst 84 tons 18
cwt for the Royal Scots, but the CME had claimed 80 tons 15 cwt in the case
of the former. Annual milegaes are quoted for both classes. Col. illus.:
45543 Home Guard at Bay Horse on Manchester to Windermere express
in July 1962 (A.R.E. Cope); 45519 Lady Godiva at Bromsgrove on express
heading towards Bristol on 20 June 1959 (T.J. Edgington); 45511 Isle of
Man at Crewe in June 1956 (T.B. Owen); 45519 on express at Dore &
Totley (P.J. Hughes); 45509 The Derbyshire Yeomanry on Marple Viaduct
with carmine & cream stopping train (severe colour degradation) (E. Oldham).
B&w: 46158 The Loyal Regiment fitted with indicator shelter in
1930; 46146 The Rifle Brigade at Camden mpd (unrebuilt)
(see letter p. 636 from George W.F. Green concerning
caption error); 45542 and 45500 (minus name) at Carnforth; 45537 Private
E. Sykes V.C. climbing Madley Bank with up express from Barrow on 20
June 1948; 6142 undergoing piston valve examination in Edge Hill shed; 45504
Royal Signals puffing up Lickey incline with sanders working hard
in August 1960 (T.J. Edgington); 45506 The Royal Pioneer Corps passing
Preston on fitted freight in September 1955; 45538 Giggleswick stored
outside Rugby works on 3 June 1962 (G.L. Wilson).
Rutherford, Michael. 1905
and Churchward's revolution on the GWR. (Railway Reflections No.115).
616-26.
Begins with an anecdote concerning the writer's failure to see the
0-10-0 Big Bertha working on the Lickey Incline and his introduction
about fifty years ago to the writings of O.S. Nock and to the RCTS series
Locomotives of the Great Western Railway seen in reference libraries
(what hope now of that). Also roundly condemns British steam railways
and how they shaped our history, No. 5, 6100 Royal Scot for its inaccurate
statements. This is given as a pretext for the writer returning to Churchward's
remarkable revolution before the rug was pulled from under his feet probably
by the resignation of Earl Cawdor from the Chairmanship and his eventual
replacement by Viscount Churchill who demanded tighter financial control.
Rutherford argues that Churchward's great advances were carried on the back
of a huge capital investment programme which followed the end of the broad
gauge and the emergence of strong external competitive pressures: this programme
included the South Wales direct line; the new mainlines from the Midlands
to London and the South West and the development of Fishguard. These new
lines needed new motive power to haul the improved rolling stock (corridors,
dining cars, and fitted freight) to ensure that traffic growth matched the
capital invested. As usual with Rutherford theree are many illuminating small
comments (on Churchward's intimates for instance) and in useful tabulations:
Table 2 Experimental and prototype boilers; Table 3 Protype locomotives and
Table 4 Production of Churchward standard locomotives and total GWR stock
on an annual basis 1902 to 1926. Rutherford sadly comments that within sixty
years the products of the revolution had gone to scrap (and some of the vast
new works had either gone or were under-used).Illus: (colour): F. Moore:
No. 175 Viscount Churchill and 2949 Stanford Court on up express
from Birmingham near Ruislip with crimson lake train. B&w: 2907 Lady
Disdain at Bristol Temple Meads, 2-6-2T No. 3112 in post-1911 condition
on Severn & Wye Excursion. Drawings of 5ft 8in 4-6-0 and 6ft 8½in
4-4-4T (unfulfilled) and 4ft 1½in 2-6-2T (not quite as fulfilled) and
5ft 8in 4-4-2T (to become No. 4600)
Railways around Whitby (Railway
Reflections No.117). 46-57.
An historical survey of railways which serve/d Whitby including the
Whitby & Pickering Railway with which George Stephenson was associated
and which in its genesis Rutherford calls an anchronism. The ferocious gradients
on the lines aproaching the port led to two specific locomotive designs:
the Whitby bogies (No. 1809 is illustrated in the Whitby shed yard c1890
and the W class 4-6-0Ts known as the Whitby Willies (No. 695 is
illustrated in workshop official and as a 4-6-2T on a freight at Sleights
c1920).
Railways and iron and steel
developments around Teesside (Railway Reflections No.118). 110-16.
The primary thrust of these Reflections is the development
of coal movement from the Durham coalfield to the North Sea for carriage
by collier or for use in the iron and steel industry which was able to exploit
iron ore deposits in the Cleveland Hills. Railways associated in this activity
included the Stockton & Darlington Railway (although Rutherford directs
the reader to more extensive sources of information, notably
Tomlinson and also Maurice Kirby), the
Clarence Railway, the Stockton & Hartlepool Railway (not authorised by
Parliament until after its opening); the Hartlepool Dock & Railway Co.
where the docks suffered from failure of the gates and infilling by sand.
This failure led to the creation of the Hartlepool West Harbour & Dock
Co. and the creation of West Hartlepool. As George Hudson feared that a
competitor to his mainline interests might take over some of these local
lines became part of the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway from 9 July
1847. This part also describes the beginnings of Port Clarence and of
Middlesbrough
Railways and iron & steel
developments around Teesside. Part Two (Railway Reflections No.119).
236-47.
Extraction of ironstone (iron ore) from the Cleveland Hills; the Leeds
Northern Railway opened between Thirsk and Leeds on 3 July 1851; developments
at Leeds Central station; attempts to lure the LNWR into Teesside; the Cleveland
Railway; railway to Rosedale; incline at Ingleby; Ingleby Junction changed
name to Battersby Junction; severity of winters on North Yorkshire Moors;
locomotive repairs at West Rosedale to limit taking locomotives up and down
incline; tables of ironstone and pig iron production statistics by district
from 1855 to 1885; blast furnaces at work in Cleveland in 1860 including
at Middlesbrough and at Normanby. Involvement of Henry Bessemer in steel
manufacture. See also letter from Bill Gathercole on page
446 describing extant remains of Ingleby Incline and observations made
by local farmer who claimed that his mother had travelled as passenger on
incline..
Express eight coupled —
some notes on the Gresley 2-8-2 and Chapelon 4-8-0. (Railway Reflections
No.126). 724-32.
"The most remarkable British express locomotive introduced in the
period was undoubtedly the London & North Eastern Railway 2-8-2 No. 2001
Cock o' the North and in France (and perhaps the world) André
Chapelon's 4-8- No. 4521 for the Paris-Orléans system..." In the case
of the British design, the author also considers Gresley's two P1 freight
2-8-2s which were based upon the A1 Pacific boiler and front end and No.
10000 (mainly from the point of view of styling, and of Chapelon's Kylchap
exhaust system which reduced back pressure in the cylinders. Sometime between
1941 and 1943 Kevin watched in awe as the streamlined Cock o' the North
pulled into Dundee Tay Bridge: it remains his most memorable experience of
any steam locomotive. Thus this abstract is bound to be biased, although
he is well aware that Norman McKillop, who drove the mighty beasts, had
reservations about them, but they matched the mighty Forth Bridge in a way
that most of the buses on steel wheels fail to do. Sequel
in Volume 21 page 44 et seq.See also letters in Volume
21 page 125 from Paul Ross who suggests that
the coloured picture of Cock o' the North was based upon a painting
by Murray Secretan; L.A. Summers who suggests that the Gresley streamilining
originated through the shape of the Yarrow water-tube boiler; was extended
in the Cock o' the North and in this form not only influenced the
"shape" of Belgian locomotives, but also the Spanish MZA 1801 series on RENFE
in Spain; and Peter J. Rodgers on how the costs of development of the W1
Hush Hush locomotive were covered at Darlington Works..
Rutherford, Michael. More eight-coupled:
a miscellany. (Railway Reflections No.127). 44-51.
Previous part (No. 126) appeared
in last Volume Issue 12 pp. 724-32: this part concerns further eight-coupled
designs which were mainly intended for hauling express passenger trains and
includes 4-8-0; 4-8-2 and 4-8-4 types constructed for use in South Africa,
New Zealand, India, both North and South America, and for several European
countries. The USRA (United States Railroad Administration) introduced 858
Mikados in 1918/1919 as well as a major political storm: the man in charge,
William Gibbs MacAdoo was married to President Woodrow Wilson's youngest
daughter! The Hudswell Clarke 3ft guage 4-8-0s built for the Burtonport Extension
Railway (Londoderry & Lough Swilly Railway) are stated to have been designed
by James Connor (cites Carling's 4-8-0
tender locomotives). Porta's metre gauge compound 4-8-0 is briefly
mentioned. Two unfulfilled designs for the British mainland are briefly
considered: the Beames 4-8-0 (mentioned by Cox) and the Maunsell 4-8-0 intended
for hauling Kent coal. F. Wolley-Dod was introduced to
Backtrack by Keith Horne (16 p. 215) and Rutherford
considers his contribution to locomotive standardization in India: he presided
over a conference of Indian locomotive superintendents held in Calcutta in
December 1901 and this led to the Engineering Standrads Committee with standard
0-6-0s and 4-4-0s emerging in 1903, and later a line of standard 2-8-2s.
During WW2 Baldwin and Canadian 2-8-2s were supplied to India and these formed
the inspiration for the WG class 2-8-2 designed at NBL (one was exhibited
on the South Bank in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain: this is
illustrated) and was a key design to be turned ot from the new Indian locomotive
manufacturing works at Chitteranjan. Eventually 2450 WGs entered service
to form the largest locomotive class in the British Commonwealth.. .