Railway World
Key file

Volume 15 (1954)

Editor K.G. Mansell

[Number 168] 1954 April

R.S. McNaught. Maids of all work. 74-7.
A survey in very general terms of the 0-6-0 with special reference being given to the Gresley J39 class, although its proneness to derailment is not ignored, the large LMS 4F class, the Bulleid Q1 known as "Charlies", the comfort of North Eastern cabs.

Australian diesel trials on British Railways. 77.
Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. 955 h.p. for Commonwealth railways tested between Banbury and Handsworth during 21-26 February 1954. Although intended for use on 3ft 6in gauge track in Australia locomotives also supplied with standrad gauge bogies.

O.S. Nock. The Standards in service: Locomotive Causerie No. 165. 78-82.
Comment on E.S. Cox's Experiences with British Railways Standard locomotives Paper 532. Whilst acknowledging Cox's clear acknowledgement of the initial faults which had been encountered with the Britannia class Nock is critical of Cox's failure to quantify the claimed "improvements in shed maintenance and availability for train running". Noted the good overall performance of the Britannia class on the South Wales expresses and on the Great Eastern where tthe lack of speedometers was leading to speeds well in excess of the overall limit. The Clan Pacifics "seem to be a general disappointment". There was poor steaming and the requirement for pilots. One particularly good run by 70027 Rising Star took it from Hereford to Shrewsbury in less than 61 minutes with a load of 440 tons.

J.I.C. Boyd. Glimpses of the narrow gauge. 82-3.
Guinness Brewery locomotives, Dublin, designed by Samuel Geoghagan.

P.W. Gentry. A Welsh journey. Part II. 84-6.
Visited the Corris Railway shortly before its final closure. Noted its association with the Imperial Tramways Co. and how its four wheel tramcar type vehicles may have been converted into bogie vehicles, Saw No. 9054 Cornubia at Machynlleth and dolgoch in bright apple green livery at Towyn. The Fairbourne Railway was using its Lister petrol locomotives as the Atlantic Count Louis was under repair. Further the terminal run round loop was sanded up and trains hads to be propelled. McDougall (of Self-Raising Flour) was responsible for introducing the passenger service. Boston Lodge was visited, but to reach it vegetation had to be hacked away to reach it. The remains of the locomotives and rolling stock weere described.Brief mention is made of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, the 4ft gauge Padarn line from Llanberis to Port Dinorwic, the Penrhyn slate quarries, ending on the soon to be closed Bethesda branch where a LNWR 0-6-2T formed the motive power.

R.E.G. Read. The N.S.R. and its neighbours. Par II. Other companies' workings. 87.

[Number 169] May 1954

O.S. Nock. Coal and firing methods: Locomotive Causerie No. 166. 98-102.
Brief summary of Test Bulletin which compared the WD 2-8-0 and 2-10-0 types. The account of firing Immingham B4 class 4-6-0 No. 6101 on steeply graded Bradford Exchange to Doncaster train with its climb at 1 in 45 off the platform end for which an N1 acted as pilot as far as Wakefield.

W. Jones. The Brecon and Merthyr Railway. Part 3. (with locomotive notes contributed by A.E. Durrant). 103-4.
Train services and motive power in British Railways period; includes miners' trains on Pant Dowlais branch.

W.S. Garth. Initials on station seats. 105.
See also letter from George Dow on page 141

Reginald H. Coe. Around the London termini forty years ago. 106-10.
Euston, St Pancras, King's Cross and Liverpool Street. Illustrated with photographs by W.J. Reynolds (many not at the termini named)

Metropolitan Special. 112-13.
Future event: steam behind ex-Metropolitan Railway 0-4-4T

J.I.C. Boyd. Glimpses of the narrow gauge. 114-15.
Harrogate Gas Works 2 foot gauge railway with tight tunnel: illustrations of Green WN 441/1908 0-6-2ST Barber and Peckett 0-6-0ST WN 2050/1944

W.A. Camwell. Around the branch lines. 115.
Cauliflower 0-6-0 leaving Penruddock on 16.55 Penrith to Workington on 2 July 1951; Class 2 2-6-0 No. 46455 alongside Bassenthwaite Lake on 11.00 Workington to Penrith on 3 August 1953. See letter from P. Bardsley on p. 168

B.D.J. Walsh. Diesel trip to Swindon. 116-17.
Westminster Bank Railway Society excursion from Paddington on 21 March 1954 using three car unit powered by W33 and W38.

J.B. White. Crescit Eundo: or on observations on forming a railway society. 117
Westminster Bank Railway Society

Some shed scenes to remember. W.A. Camwell. 119
Barnard Castle on 6 August 1935 with 0-6-0 No. 1075

W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 120
Easingwold to Alne on 30 July 1930

[Number 170] June 1954

No. 90019 passing Montrose on mineral train, August 1952. K. Jackman. 121
Interesting in that number painted in large numerals on smokebox door: based at Thornton Junction

O.S. Nock. Locomotive diagramming. 122-6.
Includes Britannia mainly miserable performance on Western Region and 93 mile/h behind an A4 near Essendine.

W. McGowan Gradon. The Highland at war. 127-8.
Service ion RAF was spent at Forres where he observed what was going on from the signal box, had a footplate ride on an 8F and observed trains of tanks on Warwells weighing 750 tons being bhauled up to Dava by two 8F class assisted by a Ben or a Loch.

Treasure chest. C.R. Clinker and C. Morland Braithwaite. 128-9.
Chest decorated with scenes of the London Grand Junction Railway.

Henry M. Berney. Return journey. 130-2.
Footplate trip on Merchant Navy class Pacific No. 35020 Bibby Line on 11.00 Waterloo to Exeter

P.W. Gentry. A Welsh funicular. 132-4.
Constitution Hill Cable Railway at Aberystwyth. Engineer was G. Croydon Marks who was also responsible for several other cliff railways working on the hydraulic counter-balance system. The line opened on 1 August 1896.

Reginald H. Coe. Around the London termini forty years ago. Part 2. 134-7.
Broad Street, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Victoria

W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 137-8
Langley Green & Rood End to Longbridge and back. Great Western Railway 3rd class workmen's ticket issued 8 May 1930 (return ticket without separate return portion)

New B.R. Class '3' standard tender engine. 138-9. illus., diagr. (s. & f. els.)

Lightweight diesel traiuns for B.R. 139-40. illus.

South Shields Corporation. 140
Discussions with Corporation of Tynemouth concerning construction of Kearney tube under Tyne between South Shields and North Shields.

Castle class. 140
No. 5017 named The Gloucestershire Regiment at Gloucester Central station by the Colonel of the Regiment, Major General C.E.A. Firth

Letters to the Editor. 141.

Initials on station seats. George Dow.
Doubted very much whether his assumption that the initials "S. & M." stand for Sheffield & Manchester Railway is correct. There never actually existed a railway of this title, the proper name being Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne & Manchester, which became part of the M.S.& L. as early as 1849. It is much more likely that the initials" S. & M." are a variation in the abbreviation of Sheffield & Midland Joint Lines. The M.S. & L. was frequently referred to in the early days as the Sheffield.

W.A. Camwell. Some shed scenes to remember. 141. illus.
Newport (Isle-of-Wight) on 30 May, 1937 showing Nos 26 Whitwell, 27 Merstone, 13 Carisbrook, and 4 Wroxall.

Frank Mills. A relic of the past. 143. illus.
Steam tram locomotive from Bury, Oldham and Rochdate Tramways which operated in 1880s and 1890s. Vertical boiler, uncertain who built it. Owned Samuel Melling, Wigan Ironworks and William Park & Co., Forgemasters, Ince Forge, Wigan

Early days at Brighton Works. H.M. Madgwick. 143.
Photograph c1900 with 0-6-2T Cliftonville clearly visible and other locomotives identified.

W.A. Camwell. Around the branch lines. 144. 2 illus.
Uppingham on on 10 April 1954 with LNWR 2-4-2T No. 46601? Stamford on 28 August 1947 with C12 No. 7368

[Number 171] July 1954

O.S. Nock. Some big engine comparisons. 146-51.
Comments received from A,N.L. Maclachlan on King trails with inferior coal; and the good steam production which could be achieved from a long narrow grate, as had also been observed on the Collin Pacifics which shared this feature. Also comment on the riding properties of the Britannia Pacifics and introductory comment on the Duke of Gloucester and its Caprotti valve gear. Initial experiences of Britannia class in service on London Midland Region.

W.A. Camwell. Around the branch lines. 152.
Blackmill showing 15.00 Nantymoel to Bridgend hauled by No. 7770; and Llynfi valley with 0-6-0PT No. 9660 on 13,25 Tondu to Cymmer: both on 28 September 1951

Reginal H. Coe. Around the London termini 40 years ago. Part 3. 152-4.
Paddington and Marylebone ("the quietest and most secluded of all the London stations"). The County tanks: 4-4-2T were very fast and some ran non-stop to Reading; also mentions No. 2225 painted in brown livery and No. 4600 with 5ft 8in coupled wheels. Photographs (by W.J. Reynolds): No. 111 The Great Bear, 2-4-2T No. 3601; County class No. 3809 County Wexford and GCR 4-4-2 No. 192.:

Fair Rosamund, (pseud) The Woodstock Railway. 154-6.
3½ mile branch from Kidlington, north of Oxford, to its terminus at Blenheim and Woodstock (the former reflecting its proximity to Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Duke of Marlborough. The line opened on 19 May 1890 and the last passenger train ran on 27 February 1954. For many years until its withdrawal the branch was worked by 0-4-2T No. 1473 subsequently named Fair Rosamund. Two photographs by Mary Silverman of No. 5413 with auto-car at Shipton on Cherwell and at Blenheim and Woodstock.

Norman Harvey. Retirement of Driver W.G. Pile. 156. illus. (portrait)
George Pile started work for LNWR on 12 October 1906 as an engine cleaner at Camden: eldest of three brothers, all of whom were enginemen at Camden. Log of Crewe to Euston run with Jubilee class No. 45582 Unted Provinces when lost time was regained

Prototype Class '8' Pacific for British Railways. 157. illus., diagr. (s. & f. elevation)
No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester

J.I.C. Boyd. Glimpses of the narrow gauge. 158. illus.
4-4-2Ts built by Kitson for the Ballycastle Railway: WN 4665-6/1908 to the design of G.T.M. Bradshaw, Locomotive Superintendent. Taken over by the NCC in August 1924 and cut-down at York Road works to come within loading gauge of Ballymena & Larne section.

C.R. Clinker. The Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway. 159-62.
Information used to make entry under Midland Railway.

W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 163.
ECJS stock or Pullman sleeping car ticket issued at Aberdeen for travel to Newark issued in 1900s

The Railway World special. 164-6. illus.
Moorgate to Quainton Road and back to Baker Street behind 0-4-4T No. L48 on 23 May 1954. Four photographs and log of running.

Line-up at Willesden. W.J. Reynolds.166.
Duke of Gloucester, Class 4 2-6-4T, Britannia. Class 5 4-6-0 and class 3 2-6-0 in roundhouse at Willesden mpd on exhibition during International Railway Congress.:

Letters to the Editor. 167

[Langley Green Station].  M.D. Greville.
The position with regard to Langley Green Station is not quite as given by Bett in June Railway World. The original Oldbury and Langley Green Station was closed 1 May, 1885. on the opening of the Oldbury branch, and replaced by a new Langley Green Station at the Junction—about 10 chains further east. It was this latter station which later became Langley Green and Rood End and eventually Oldburv Green and Langley Green. The first station was actually renamed Langley Green on 7 November, 1884. when the Oldbury branch was opened for goods traffic.
There have been a considerable number of cases of stations which have changed their names, and afterward, reverted to their original ones. For example, Monument Lane was opened under this name, later changed to Edgbaston, and then back again. Streatham Common (L.B.S.C.R.). for a short period became Greyhound Lane, and then assumed its old name.

A relic of the past. Charles W. Reed 
I note the short article by Mr. F. Mills entitled "A relic of the past," in your June issue, giving a photograph and some details of the old steam tram engine at Wigan. Perhaps any of your readers who are interested may care to refer to an article by myself in the Railway Magazine (April, 1939), when I published photographs of this engme as it is and' in its original state as No. 84 of t he Manchester, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham Steam Tramway in 1886, also giving full particulars and its history. I have seen this engine again to-day, at the works, but now for sale, having performed 68 years of useful service.

Premier Line. John F. Clay.
R.B. Parr concludes his attack on the L.N.W.R. with the words" self praise is no recommendation." This ancient truth could well be applied to his own alleged delvings into railway history which have not included the recorded facts of locomotive performance. One of the "hopelessly under-powered" 'Claughtons' on test in 1913 averaged 1,385 I.H.P. for 2! hours with a maximum of 1600. No LMS locomotive built before 1927 exceeded this. O.S. Nock has published runs to prove that Claughtons could still closely approach these figures in 1926 and 1930. The corresponding sustained horse-power figure for a George was 1,200, no British 4-4-0 other than a S.R. School has ever beaten this. Dynamometer car tests with Princes and Claughtons in LMS days gave the high figure of 51bs per D.B.H.P. per hour. This is 60 % higher than the corresponding figures for Churchward engines but it is no higher than the average contemporary British express engines on lines other than the GWR. Locomotive criticism without the relevant facts and figures is meaningless. Other readers are not impressed by opinions we require the figures from which to form our own.

Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith section. P. Bardsley. 168
See page 115 for photos of tCockermouth, Keswick and Penrith section of the former L.M.S.R. The C. K. & P. Railway was, however, not as stated, ex L.N.W.R. but an entirely independent company having its headquarters at Keswick which housed the General Manager, Secretary, Traffic Superintendent and Chief Engineer. Of its 12 directors two were nominated by the London and North-Western Railway and two by the North Eastern, who supplied the rolling stock for working the railway.
Incidentally also on page 108-in reference to visits by L.N.W.R. 2-2-2 Single Cornwall to London, it is of interest, I think to remember that as late as 1920 this locomotive paid an official visit to Euston, returning to Crewe as pilot to the Claughton 4-6-0 Patriot on the down "Corridor."

Some shed scenes to remember Bournville (Birmingham). W.A. Camwell. 168
1 September 1935, showing ex-M.R. 0-6-4T's Nos. 2033, 2039 and 2015 stored out of traffic after various mishaps with this class. Also stored were 0-6-0T No. 1700 and 0-6-4T's Nos. 2027 and 2014.

[Number 175] November 1954

O.S. Nock. All out, with steam. Locomotive Causerie No. 172. 242-6.
Disappointing performance by gas turbine No. 18000 on Bath to Paddington train and exciting running on Great Central line behind A3 No. 60049 Galtee More from Aylesbury to Leicester and onward to Sheffield behind B1 No. 61315. Run recorded by Sir James Colyer-Ferguson on Elizabethan behind No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower diverted via Waverley route to Carlisle and thence via Newcastle: crews managed to achieve this with coal to spare, but stops had to be made for water.

J.S. White. Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification. 246-52.

Alan Rimmer. The Cromford and High Peak Railway. 253-6.
Written by author of Oakwood Press history of the line. Illustrations include North London 0-6-0T No. 58856 lettered BRITISH RAILWAYS and Chopper 2-4-0T No. 58902 approaching Sheep Pasture Top.

W.A. Camwell. Around the branch lines and shed scenes to remember... 256-7.
Longville on 21 April 1951 with No. 4401 on 15.10 Wellington to Craven Arms; Raaglan on 24 March 1951 with GWR railcar No. 30 on 07.46 Pontypool Road to Monmouth; Athenry on 26 June 1951 with Aspinall D17 class 4-4-0 No. 59 on 11`.55 Galway to Tuam; Drimoleague Junction on 28 June 1951 with 4-6-0T No. 464 leaving with 08.00 Bantry to Cork (Albert Quay); Tralee engine shed on 27 June 1951 with J15 class Nos. 113, 223 and 170.

R.S. McNaught. The Great Central as I saw it. 258-62.
Those of us who can clearly recall the separate and independent railways of the pre-grouping days before 1923 will find it a fascinating mind-test to try to recall the precise place and circumstances of seeing, for the first time, an engine or tram of what to us was a strange line, It may turn out that this thrilling experience (to a railway devotee) took place a long way from the owners' territory, upon some special working. Or, possibly, the venue was a remote branch line, in which case the "first ever" was in all probability a quite humble or old-fashioned sample. Thus, in my own case, the first glimpse. of a Doncaster engine was m the singularly dingy bay platform used by Great Northern trains at Stafford, the Euston express I was travelling in having been halted conveniently by signals right opposite. Likewise, my first acquaintance with the domeless green engines of the old South Eastern was when my Great Western train went slowly past their shed at Reading, while the first time I heard steam roaring from a polished brass Salter valve set upon a lovely crimson dome was at Hereford where a lonesome old Midland tank engine, from Brecon, was wont to do a spot of shunting.
For my first glimpse (and it was literally only a glimpse) of a Great Central locomotive, I had to wait until a family move to Birkenhead involved a first run over the old G.W.R. main line north of Shrewsbury. It was just beyond Wrexham that my father told me to keep a sharp look-out on the platform side of the train, and there, in a corner of Denbighshire, I beheld for a fleeting moment, several antiquated-looking black tank engines, which were perhaps hardly true Great Central representatives, being, I discovered later, takeovers from the quaint Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway. It was also at a later date that I discovered that this North Wales section of the Great Central even boasted, for some years a daily express during the summer months between Manchester and Aberystwyth, comprising Cheshire Lines carriages and a Pollitt 4-4-0 express engine. The service was even extended to Leicester before its lack of patronage caused a withdrawal before the 1914 War, and C.L.C. coaching stock had by then been replaced by G.C. vehicles.
It was very soon after my family's arrival at Birkenhead that I made a proper acquaintance with the engines from Gorton. There is much to be said for first impressions, and in this case I have never seen any reason to amend my immediate feeling that for elegance of outline and high standard of maintenance there was none, south of the Scottish Border at least, to equal the Great Central's, but to my mind the colour scheme was, if anything, slightly overdone. There was a touch of the over-lavish in the lining out, and too large an application of the secondary colour. The express engines, in particular, were slightly over-ornate, and I considered that the graceful , Atlantics (now extinct) could never be fully appreciated until they were, in their old age, relegated to L.N.E.R. glossy black with thin red lining. It was possibly an artistic error, in their heyday, to paint the coupled wheel splashers the rich dark red which should, I think, have been confined to the running-plate and lower surfaces. In the scheme adopted, Gorton engines looked like mobile paintboxes or new toys, and they were kept so trim that it seemed difficult to associate them with gruelling work on one of the least level systems in the country.
I took an immediate liking to the well-balanced 4-4-2 tank engines, which, being the only type hauling passenger trains on the section of line nearest my new home, I had ample opportunity to study. They must have been as good at work as they were fine in appearance, because both classes which were very similar are still practically intact at the time of writing and the only major alteration has been the unfortunate loss of their designer's neat style of chimney for the much uglier "flower- pot" variety. The line upon which they functioned skirted the town of Birkenhead as far as Bidston Junction, whence it used running powers over the Wirral Railway (the oldest line in the world, we schoolboys said. because it is recorded in the Book of Genesis that all "crawling things" , were created in the beginning!). The G.C. trains from North Wales then finished up in the singularly drab and unattractive Wirral terminus at Seacombe, adjoining the ferry pier to Liverpool.

[Number 176] December 1954

Derailed No. 43085 at Spalding on 6 August 1954 being dragged back on track by J11 and J6. R.S. McNaught. 241.

O.S. Nock. A Western speed survey. Locomotive Causerie No. 173
Mainly Castle class performance, plus a few runs behind King class, mainly on 09.00 Bristol to Paddington via Bath..

J.I.C. Boyd. Last days of steam. 271-5.
In Ireland: visit planned in association with Irish Railway Record Society events. Includes Waterford to Tramore race day special; journeys over the Cork, Bndon & South Coast Railway, Courtmacsherry, Baltimore and Kenmare lines.

W.A. Camwell. Shed scenes to remember. 275
Barnstaple (GWR) with No. 6343 outside (No. 3453 Seagull was inside) on 10 June 1935.

R.K. Kirkland. London's abandoned tube stations. 276-9.
King William Street, City Road, British Museum. Wood Lane, York Way, Down Street, Brompton Road, and South Kentish Town. The uncompleted North End alias Bull and Bush is described at length (in depth might be more suitable).

G. Machell. The Clapham-Ingleton-Low Gill Line. 279-84.
Line opened on 16 September 1861 aand closed to passenger traffic on 1 February 1954, but was retained for emergency diversions. See also Backtrack, 2013, 26, 331.

W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 286.
Brightion Corporation Transport (Volk's Railway): Ultimate tcket as per bus conductor and Rottingden to Brighton Kemp Town by Seashore Electric Tramroad

W.A. Camwell. Around the branch lines. 287.
Boat of Garten and Glenfarg

"The Palace Centenarian".  287.
19 September 1954: Crystal Palace High Level excursion

Frank Mills. Another relic of the past., 288
Illustration of 0-4-0WT Hawthorn of Leith WN 244/1861 built to S.D. Davidson's patent which combined the frames with the walls of the tank to provide additional strength. The locomotive lacked a cab as it was intended to work through a tight bore tunnel near Leigh. It was supplied to Howe Bridge Colliery at Atherton, owned by Fletcher Burrows & Co., later Manchester Collieries.