Railway World
Volume 21 (1960)
Key file
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Became an Ian Allan publication
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: eperiences with the English Electric
Type "4" diesels. 5-7+
No. D208 on the Tees-Tyne Pullman non-stop from Darlington
to King's Cross with Driver Bill Hoole (just prior to his retirement). Another
footplate run on D211 from Crewe to Rugby with Driver A. Young (also close
to retirement) was so slow by contemporary standards that it could be mistaken
for a freight. At least Hoole achieved 92 mile/h descending from Stoke
Summit.
P.J. Norris. The Ryde - Cowes line—1. 8-13
Part 2 page 59. See also letter
from Author on page 192
Alan J.S. Paterson. Exhibition engines of 1886.
15-18.
See also lettter from Montague Smith
H.M. Le Fleming. Famous locomotive families. 1—the de Glehn Atlantics. 28-31.
Whitelegg inside-cylinder 4-6-4T of Furness Railway leaving Carnforth
with a train for Barrow. front cover
From a painting by V. Welch
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: encounters with pre-grouping
locomotives. 35-8
E4 0-6-2T No. 32512 on through coaches from Birkenhead to Eastbourne
on the stage from Brighton. Although fitted with 5 ft coupled wheels 58 mile/h
was achieved twice and iitial acceleration was rapid albeit with only four
coaches. The T9 class 4-4-0s were still capable of fast running in the autumn
of 1958 when No. 30313 reached 72 mile/h near dean when recorded working
between Salisbury and Cosham via Southamtopn and Netley with its steepish
banks and sharp curves. In May 1956 he travelled behind H2 class Atlantic
No. 32425 Trevose Head between Southampton and Worthing with a load
of four coaches when speeds in the sixties were obtained. Finally an L class
4-4-0 No. 1764 was timed hauling nearly 300 tons on the difficult road beteen
Crowhurst and Tonbridge on 18 June 1950.
P.J. Lynch. Three Midlands industrials: ironstone railways at Ketttering,
Eastwell and Eaton. 39-42.
Cites E.S. Tonks The ironstone
railways and tramways of the Midlands and reproduces
a map from it. Photographs are by Lynch
A.M. Lawrence. Vans via Harwich. 43-5.
Train ferry berth att Harwich opened by Prince G eorge on 24
April 1924. Three original vessels built to serve Richborough. Two sunk during
WW2. Repacement Norfolk Ferry not illustrated. Continental wagons including
Interfrigo refrigerated vans and Italian vans with brakesman's cab. Map,
link span
Colin G. Maggs. The railways between Bristol and Bath—1. 46-51;
55
Work began in September 1835; the Royal Assent having been granted
on 31 August 1835 for what was to become the Great Western Railway with Brunel
as its engineer and the unfortunate William Ranger being the contractor who
was discharged for his tardy work by Brunel and was forced into litigation
which was not resolved until 1855. The railway from Bristol to Bath opened
on 31 August 1840, but the directors inspected the line on 21 August. Engines
used on the inspection trip were Arrow built bt Stothert & Co. of Bristol
and by Meridian supplied by Hawthorn & Co. On 31 August the first train
was hauled by Fireball and that from Bath by Arrow. Illustrations; exterior
of Bristol Temple Meads Station in 1841 (engraving); interior of Bristol
Temple Meads Station in 1841 (engraving); frontage of Bristol Temple Meads
Station in 1959 (G.F. Heiron); Bristol Bath Road motive power depot (G.F.
Heiron); main train shed at Temple Meads viewed from south (J.D. Mills);
preserved No. 3440 City of Truro emerging from St. Anne's Tunnel with RCTS
special from Waterloo (W. Vaughan-Jenkins);; western pportal Fox's Wood Tunnel
in 1842 (engraving); Keynsham station with broad gauge locomotive & train,
and in 1959; No. 6023 King Edward II on Fox's Wood water troughs with
10.05 Bristol to Paddington and No. 7032 Denbigh Castle on 13,50 Bristol
to Paddington leaving Fox's Wood Tunnel (G.F. Heiron).
Edward Treby. The Greenwich Park Branch today. 52-5
Fully opened on 1 September 1888 the London, Chatham & Dover Railway
required heavy earthworks including a tunnel. The line close in 1917 and
part of it were used to construct the Nunhead Spur into Lewisham. Map.
Illustrations: LCDR 0-4-2WT No. 99 Mona at Greenwich Park station; P class
0-6-0T with sandwich push & pull at Greenwich Park station; remains of
Brockley Lane station; arch remnant of bridge across River Ravensbourne;
Schools class 4-4-0 No. 3908 Westminster with up train from Hastings passing
St. John station with remnant of branch just visible. AT time of publication
station buildings at Blackheath Hill and Greenwich Park were still extant.
Refers to articles by himself entitled from Lewisham via the Elephant in
Volumes 16 and 17.
H.G. Forsythe. Twilight of the "Big Boys". 56-8
Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 weighed 540 tons and were used mainly between
Ogden in Utah and Green River in Wyoming in the Wasatch Mountains. They had
23¾ x 32-in cylinders (4) and 5-ft 8-in coupled wheels, The Challenger
class were 4-6-6-4 and were intended for faster trains. Illustrations: Big
Boy No. 4022 side-on view; No. 4019 with 3000 ton freight at 8000 feet
in the Wasatch Mountains; No. 4014 rounding a curve with a freight; Challenger
No. 3939 with a passenger train; No. 4006 waiting its next turn.
P.J. Norris. The Ryde - Cowes line—2.
59-61.
Part 1. Rolling sttock and trrain
services. Illustrations: Isle of Wight Central Railway 2-4-0T No. 7 (H. Gordon
Tidey); Terrier 0-6-0T No. 11 (ex-LBSCR No. 40 Brighton) at Newport.
(H. Gordon Tidey); 2-4-0T No. 7 at Newport station; O2 No. W32
Bonchurch at Cowes in 1938 (C.C.B. Herbert); ex-SECR 54 ft coach NO.S6380
and ex-LBSCR brake third No. S4153.
The Liverpool Overhead Railway, Charles E. Box. London:
Railway World Ltd. 8t in. x 5t in. 189 pp. 84 illustrations, 28 maps or diagrams.
Reviewed by RKK.
Merseyside had, until very recent years, more variety to attract the
student of electric rail traction than any other part of Britain outside
the London area. The scene has, alas, changed rapidly and little now remains
of the former character, for the old South- port stock of the L. & Y.,
the time- lessly preserved American rapid transit trains of the Mersey and
the long lines of green trams have all vanished. Vanished also, and leaving
a large gap in many railway hearts, is that "one-off" example of a British
"El," the Liverpool Overhead Railway. To the end this was the most substantial
of Britain's indepen- dent railways and it presents a subject which needs
comparably substantial treatment.
Mr. Charles Box has a personal part in the story which most of us will envy,
for at an age when we had to be content with tinplate track on the drawing
room floor, he had daily con- tact with the Overhead, then man- aged by his
father. As one might expect, his account of the line has the authentic ring
of a personal story, supplemented by painstaking re- searches in the Company's
records. Sometimes indeed the detail reminds one or those dutiful German
denn- schriiten that record the birthdavs of all the top brass present at
the opening ceremony, for the style is more often that of the engineer than
that of the artist. Just occasionally, the punctuation provides nothing more
than commas where a longer pause, or a new sentence, would have been happier.
These are pedantic quibbles in the face of solid worth, for the
cradle-to-the-grave record of Overhead doings has never been published before
in convenient form. For good measure, there is a chapter on the Overhead's
street tramway enterprise, from the pen of Norman Forbes, who also has intimate
personal knowledge of his subject (embracing the minor but all too often
forgotten details of the design of pole bases).
The il\ustrations, mostlv unpublished until now, are well chosen and on the
whole well reproduced, knowing as we do the troubles of the photorapher in
the customary murk of Merseyside. One or two (like the quadricycle overhead
or the Forney tanks on the New York "El," or for that matter, the German
and American trams in Liverpool) are incidental to the main theme but
nevertheless welcome, while the L. &Y. "orange boxes" in full flight
near Pier Head, the vintage power station equipment or the decorated trams
are well worth the money. It is a pity that the standard of the maps and
diagrams, except the signal diagrams, falls short of the professional efforts
usually found in books from this publisher. The 1896 map reproduction is
interesting but no substitute for a well- drawn modern map of the line in
its last form.
Reviewers are by nature a niggling tribe, and this one is no exception. One
would have bartered cheerfully all those controller circuit diagrams (already
known to the technical reader and unlikely to attract the rest) for a chapter
in more romantic vein delineating the sights, sounds and smells of the Overhead,
for there were fpw more characterful lines anywhere. The crowded cars full
of shag-smoke in the early misty morning, the Chinese who got in at Alexandra
carrying what looked like the handles of old-fashioned mangles, the unearthly
calm of stations in the late evening when the train had just gone and only
the policeman walking the cobbles of the dock beneath could be heard—these
things and more do not get into tables of seating capacity or motor horsepower,
yet they were the very blood and bones of the Overhead as most of us knew
it. On a more pedestrian plane, one would have liked to know a little more
about the signalling at Rimrose Road (where they put the signals up once
a year for the "National ") or that skirt-rending Reno escalator with its
ascending Gibson Girls on page 42. The account of the Blitz could have been
more heroically recorded (those dates given in the 6/5/41 form annoy the
eye), for the Overhead's war record was second to none, and deserves more
than just a conventional incident diary.
All reviewers get annoyed when they come to the index and find that it doesn't
do its job; this book has a summary of contents in chapter order, which would
have been much more use in conventional index form. A table of station opening
and closing dates would have been helpful, though they are all recorded if
you know where.
Despite these pinpricks, and some lack of colour, the book is a worthy addition
to railway histories. The preface by Mr. H. Maxwell Rostron, the line's last
general manager, is frank about the bumbling inability of the civic authorities
to make transport policy decisions on the grand scale. The successive
vacillations of city and dock officials and politicians lost Liverpool a
transport asset of unique value. As the chapter on traffic reminds us, the
annual figure for passengers carried during each of the last five years of
the line's life was as good as any in the period 1901 to 1910 and only suurpassed
by that duringthe two world wars. Only Britain could loose such a valuable
transport asset. Illustraion: Standard three-car train of the Livrerpool
Overhead Railway, one of the illustrations in above
Letters. 64
L. & N.W. locomotive memories . J. P. Bardsley
Alfred the Greats and Jubilees were old friends on his home "Lancaster
and Carlisle District" and it was good to have old memories revived. Most
famous of their performances must have been the Euston-Carlisle non-stop
run of 19 June, 1903, and return non-stop run on the 22 when No. 1965
Charles H. Mason, and 1966 Commonwealth, covered the distance
in six hours (at an average speed of 50 m.p.h.) with an extremely heavy train
of approximately 450 tons tare. Another famous member of the class at the
time was Black Prince and great was his excitement when he first saw
her on an express, but apart from being, I believe, the first L. & N.W.
locomotive to have a steel framed tender, he had never been able to
discover how she achieved fame or popularity—though the class was a
favourite of his. In connection with Norman Harvey's remarks (page 648 December
issue) it is, perhaps, of interest to recall that it was the performances
of a L.B. & S.C. 4-4-2 tank between Brighton and Rugby in 1909 which
led to the introduction of the George the Fifth class at Crewe in 1910.
Wandsworth Road Station. S. Gingell
Looking through the December issue of Railway World, of which
I am a regular reader. I spotted a mistake in a photograph taken by H. Gordon
Tidey. It shows an E1 on a boat train. which it says was passing Wandsworth
Common. This should read Wandsworth Road, which I passed through some thousands
of times as a top link driver. It may mislead some readers.
Radstock, a town of two railways. R.E. Toop
Thank you very much for the excellent presentation of my article (November
issue) and photographs regarding the above. Two items that may be of interest
to you are that the Sentinel locomotive illustrated, No 47190, is now the
only one remaining at Radstock following the withdrawal of No. 47191. and
passenger services between Bristol and Frome were suspended by the Western
Region as and from 2 November. As there were no Sunday services, the
last trains therefore ran on Saturday, 31 October.
Atmospheric relic. J.R. Cook
Re H.C. Towers' article on atmospheric railways in the November
Railway Wor/d. Your readers may not be aware of the continued existence
of one of the pumping stations of the Croydon line. It appears that soon
after the reversion to steam traction by the London & Croydon Railway
it was decided to provide piped water in Croydon and the thrifty inhabitants
bought one of the disused pump houses which they dismantled and re-erected
in Croydon at the place now known as Waterworks Yard. A mid-Victorian water
engineer with a taste for false Gothic later added battlements (one still
has the impression that Croydonians would defend their waterworks to the
last) but the building is still the original.
Exhibition engines of 1886. Alan J.S. Paterson
Addenda: acknowledgments which were omitted from his article in the
January issue: he was principally indebted to the Custodian of Historical
Records British Railways (Scottish Region) for his courtesy in extending
to me, over a period of several months, his assistance and co-operation and
for permitting him to examine the original Minute Books of the Caledonian
Railway, and to quote therefrom. He was also glad to acknowledge information
supplied by the North British Locomotive Co. Ltd., concerning the two Caledonian
engines in their early days. The information on the unusual journey of No.
123 through the streets of Edinburgh was taken from The Railway Gazelle
and The Railway Magazine to the Editors of which I am grateful
for their permission to quote the relevant passages. The opportunities of
studying original sources have never been so favourable as now and felt that
the indebtedness of railway historians ro the British Transoort Commission
and the officers of the Historical Records section cannot be over-emphasised.
It is to be hoped that much greater use of the facilities offered will be
made by enthusiasts in the course of time in order that official information
can be made generally known.
Restoring "Ben Alder". B. Wilkinson
Little is heard at present of the ex-Highland Railway "Ben" which
is to be restored. I assume that the difficulty being experienced is the
construction of a Highland-type boiler, wing-plates, and other H.R. adornments
which it has lost over the years. Might it not be a good idea to restore
it to early L.M.S. livery (with crest and tender numerals), which need involve
very little alteration of components? As we already have a representative
of the "Jones' Goods" in Highland livery, I am sure most Highland enthusiasts
would agree with this suggestion. in order to see Ben Alder returned
to acnve service as soon as possible.
L.M.S. Compounds. G.H. Butland
Re error in the caption to the illustration on page 678 of the December,
1959, issue which states, "No. 1937 Superb piloting 1082 (ex-Midland)."
No. 1082 was, of course, one of the L.M. S. compounds, the 45 Midland ones
(with, incidentally, driving wheels of 3 in. larger diameter) finishing with
1044.
Rover resurgent. W.A. Tuplin. 64
The letter from B.R. Miller (January issue) emphasises the difficulties
of an Editor's position. To my mind intelligent comments on things as they
are, as distinct from what convention and officialdom pretend them to be,
are by far the most interesting and valuable contributions to Railway
World and similar journals. Such comments always arouse resentment in
those who hold tradition and convention in holy awe and who are presumably
well satisfied by the lifeless assemblies of desiccated facts and figures
that are too frequently published as articles. By and large the popular railway
press is characterised by timid, humorless senility. I, for one, do not find
this attractive, but on the other hand, whole-heartedly applaud articles
(such as that by Mr. Kirkland) that have clearly been written by a live person
and have not merely dribbled from some digital computer. One cannot expect
every issue of any journal to be composed entirely of live articles and indeed
extensive padding by repetition of masses of old figures must now be accepted
as normal, but one welcomes the occasional product of enthusiasm and any
comment on it should be commendatory on that account, however much one would
prefer its facts to be suppressed.
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: encounters with
pre-grouping locomotives. – 2. 67-9; 92.
Log of 16..45 Nottingham to Marylebone behind B7 class four-cylinder
4-6-0 No. 5472: log covers the Rugby to Marylebone via High Wycombe
part on 6 June 1943 (see letter from J. Allison on page
160). Another outlines a run behind North Eastern Railway R class
4-4-0 between Selby and York on 9 May 1952. A sparkling run from Ely
to King's Lynn behind D16/3 No. 62618 produced speeds in excess of 70
mile/h.
Anthony A. Vickers. The Ludlow & Clee Hill Railway.
70-3; 92.
Rope-worked incline originally a separate undertaking to develop mineral
wealth on Clee Hill. First engineer was David Wylie. Connected with the joint
GWR/LNWR Railway which took over the line in 1993. Photographs show water
being applied to the winding drum to prevent it catching fire. Only motive
power shown is 57XX employeed beteen Ludlow and Bitterley at the foot of
the incline. Motive power in the quarries is not shown.
Letter from J.R. Hollick on p. 160 mentions motive
power in 1950.
G.M. Kitchenside. The L. & N.W. Oerlikon electric sets. 74-7.
Includes diagrams (elevations and plans) of motor and trailing cars
and photographs of interiors and exteriors.
Colin G. Maggs. The railways between Bristol and Bath—2. 74-82.
R.S. McNaught. Masqueraders on wheels. 83-7.
Begins with B2 class No. 61671 Royal Sovereign which had been
named Manchester City before being rebuilt. When No. 61671 was withdrawn
in October 1958 No. 61632 Belvoir Castle was renamed Royal
Sovereign, but it was broken up in March 1959. On the LMS No. 6151 The
Royal Horse Guardsman switched its identity with No. 6100 Royal Scot
for the visit to Chicago and subsequent tour. It is noted that this was
a permanent change, but other changes were made on an ad hoc basis,
but the one recorded was to a rebuilt locomotive No. 46123 which became
H.L.I. for the daay when required to convey the Highland Light Infantry
from Holyhead to Glasgow in 1955. See also letters on page 160 from
Norman Groves; Arthur G. Wells;
D.P. Rowland and J.
Armstrong
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: encounters with
pre-grouping locomotives. – 3. 99-102
George V No. 5575 Partridge recorded on 17.50 Euston to Coventry
and compared with a slower journey behind a compound No. 1053 in the late
1920s. Also up journeys and a fast run to Bedford from St. Pancras behind
a 2P 4-4-0. P.G. Johnson sent details of fast run on
a 2P 4-4-0 as pilot to Britannia Pacific between Holyhead and Chester,
L.T.C. Rolt. The Talyllyn Railway 1950-60. 103-6
Noted that No. 4 had been fitted with a Giesl oblong ejector in 1958
and this had led to a 40% fuel saving. See also letter
from P.L. Smith
Colin G. Maggs. The railways between Bristol and
Bath—3. 107-11
Midland Railway route to Bath via Mangotsfield. See
also letters from Ronald Hurst and from G.
Pothecary
H.M. Madgwick. Brighton ghosts. 112
W.H. Bett. Joint lines. 113-17.
See also letter from J.R. Batts
M. Windeatt. Lineside relics in South Wales. 118-19.
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: Driver Hoole and
the "A1" Pacifics. 131-4
Claims that A! class was more expensive to run than the A4 class and
were less fast: 100½ mile/h was highest speed attained. On 27 April
1957 No. 60133 Ponnern in rundown condition, including a boiler prone
to prime, Hoole showed what could be achieved by skilled driving could achieve
an early arrival at Doncaster with the down Saturday Yorkshire Pullman.
No. 60157 Great Eastern achieved a very fast ascent of the climb from
Peterborogh to Stoke Summit with the 13.05 King's Cross to Leeds on 28 October
1956. The same locomotive and driver hauled the up Flying Scotsman
on 16 February 1957 from a start at Grantham with a load of nearly 500 tons
to achieve 53 mile/h at Stoke and 90 mile/h at Little Bytham. The same locomotive
and driver and another with 60156 Great Central show what could be
achieved between Darlington and York
John R. Day. Alweg (and others) in Disneyland: the railways
of Walt Disney's pleasure park. 135-7
3ft gauge Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad ran through a Grand Ganyon
diorama: there were both passenger cars and freight cars (also carrying
passengers and this had been joined by an Alweg beam-type monorail
J.C. Gillham. The Woking and Bagshot Light Railway. 198-9; 156
A Light Railway Order was obtained, but the line was nevrer
built.
John Betjeman. Heritage of the Rail Age. 140-2
Reproduced from Daily Telegraph article. Includes illustrations
of construction of Hardwick's Doric Arch at Euston and how it would have
appeared if brought forward to the Euston Road rrather than dumped as directed
by the "Conservative government"
B.G. Wilson. Newbury to Winchester, 143-8
W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 149
Letters. 160
Locomotive masqueraders. Norman Groves.
160
Re errors in the article on locomotives which have exchanged names?
The subject in question centres round the Prince of Wales class engine
illustrated on page 85 of the March issue. To those who take interest in
such things, it is well known that an engine of this type fitted with the
standard Joy's valve-gear came to grief while travelling at high speed with
a heavy load. This was through the central pin on the connecting rod breaking
under strain—a weakness of the Joy gear—resulting in the rod piercing
the boiler with fatal results. To alleviate this weakness an arrangement
was made for the inside valves to be worked by an outside valve-gear. Four
engines were thus rebuilt with the outside gear. No. 964 Bret Harte,
No. 867 Condor, No. 2340 Tara and No. 56 (unnamed). (They were
nicknamed "Tishies" after a racehorse of that name, which was alleged to
have crossed its legs whilst running, the outside valve-gear suggesting something
similar.) A brand-new set of nameplates engraved with the title Prince
of Wales was made, and fitted to No. 2340 (originally Tara). This
engine was photographed in this guise for publicity purposes, with its original
L. & N. W. number, 2340, unchanged. For exhibition at the 1924 Wembley
Exhibition a new engine (built in May, 1924, by William Beardmore & Co.)
with the outside valve-gear, and the additional feature of a Belpaire firebox,
was fitted with these same nameplates—i.e. Prince of Wales; the
L.M. & S. numbering was No. 5845. The nameplates were removed when No.
5845 went into service. While on show at Wembley the engine was painted L.M.
& S. red. Tara soon reverted to its original name, became L.M.
& S. No. 5688, and was withdrawn in October, 1933. The Wembley Exhibition
engine—L.M. & S. No. 5845— ran nameless, but became No. 25845
in 1938, and was withdrawn from service in December, 1941.
Locomotive masqueraders. Arthur G.
Wells. 160
A locomotive "masquerade" not mentioned by Mr. McNaught occurred on
the Southern Railway in 1939, in connection with the State Visit to London
of the President of France. The engine chosen to haul the Presidential Special
from Dover to London on 21 March, and back to Dover on the 24, was Schools
No 934, but apparently the name was considered unsuitable, and for those
few days 934 ran as Westminster, while the original holder of that
name (908) became St Lawrence. Later the two engines resumed their
proper names. This exchange of names seems to have been rather pointless.
It was certainly not done because of any mechanical failure of No. 908, since
this engine (named St. Lawrence) was used to work the Special back
to London on 24 March, after the President had sailed from Dover. In any
case. it is very doubtful if the President, or any member of his party, even
saw the engine, let alone what name it carried
Locomotive masqueraders. D.P. Rowland
160
I believe that R.S. McNaught is incorrect when he states in "Masqueraders
on Wheels" that the train which accompanied No. 6220 to the U.S.A. never
came home at all. Shortly after the end of the war, early in 1946 I believe,
some of the coaches, still in their blue and silver, were in the down carriage
sidings at Crewe. I was told that they were on their way to Wolverron having
just been landed from the U.S.A.
About the same time I talked with the late Capt. Black [KPJ W.F. Black?]
who had held several positions in the locomotive department of the L. &
N.W. and later the L.M.S. From him I heard of a most secretive piece of
"Masquerading on Wheels." Very early in his career Capt. Black was employed
at Longsight M.P.D. at the same time that the celebrated Jumbo Charles
Dickens was putting up such consistent performances between Manchester
and London. Apparently the "consistency" was assisted from time to time by
a judicious change of name and number plates. I can only assume that this
way Crewe was very pleased with its engines and with Longsight too. and that
the running foreman got a chance to get Charles Dickens back into
trim and ready to receive his own name and number plates once more.
Locomotive masqueraders. J. Armstrong.
160
Re three further instances of 'ghosting' in addition to those mentioned
by R.S. McNaught in the March issue. When L B. Billinton rebuilt L.B. &
S.C. No. 72. the last of the 'B4' to 'B4X' 'rebuilds,' it was painted grey,
numbered 52 and named Sussex for the official photograph. The number
72 was afterwards restored. Another B4 had a slightly different fate. No.
59 had been fitted in 1912 with a Phoenix superheater and had had the footplate
shape altered from the Billinton variety to what might be called a G.W. curve.
In 1935, this engine, by then No. 2059, was amalgamated with No. 2068 at
Eastleigh to give one serviceable B4 and a pile of scrap. The engine was
outshopped as No. 2068 even though it contained the unique cab and footplate
from No. 2059.
My last example is from the L. & N.E. In some correspondence in the April,
1957, Trains Illustrated K. Hoole mentioned that No. 201 was outshopped
as The York & Ainsty but was quickly renamed. No. 211, on the
other hand, was turned out painted grey, numbered 201 and named The Bramham
Moor. It was later renumbered 211 and became The York & Ainsty.
This particular lot of hocus-pocus—or should it be
shenanigan?—sounds as though it ought to have happened at Inchicore
instead of Darlingtonl An official photograph of L.N. & E. , V2 No.
4806 The Green Howard .... shows the engine to be fitted with what
looks like the Melesco smokebox regulator similar to that on some of the
Peppercorn A2' locomotives. Was this so?
G.C. four-cylinder engines. J.
Allison
Detected partisanship in Harvey's remarks on Great Central four-cylinder
engines. These engines were never regarded as being much good on their own
road, so how could they shine on the G.N.? His remarks about Robinsorr's
engines affording their crews wonderful training is contradictory, to say
the least. G.C. men never worked their engines expansively but on the regulator.
That is why Hailstone and party performed such feats—not by enginemanship
but through sheer ignorance! Ask any G.N. section fireman for whom he would
rather fire. I had 20 years on the G.N. section but I do not think I can
be classed as being biased, for my father was driving on the G.C. for 44
years.
Ludlow & Clee Hill Railway . J. R.
Hollick
Re article on the Ludlow & Clee Hill Railway: writer visited this
line in. September, 1950, and at that time the incline from Titterstone Clee
quarries to the upper yard at Bitterley was still working; the gauge of this
line appeared to be 4 ft and the wagons on it were of the chaldron type,
working in balanced rakes of five. There was a tarmac plant at the upper
yard.
At Bitterley there was a single post for both the home and starting arms,
which were G.W. type. At the junction at Ludlow the branch home was a ringed
G.W arm, while the distant was a ringed' G.W. yellow arm, with no black vee,
fixed to a L. & N. W. post. On the Clee Hill incline there were two
brakesman's trucks, one L.M.S. (L. & Y. origin) and the other G.W. At
the top, Sentinel 47183 was doing the shunting; its predecessor was an older
Sentinel. four-wheel locomotive, of which I was given a photograph; the number
is not visible. I was also shown a photograph of L. & N.W. 0-4-0T 3243
which worked there before the Grouping. See also letter
from P.E. Tennent.
A plea for virility . R.M. Tyrrell
For the first time in my life I find myself in agreement with Dr.
Tuplin. Usually I feel his dogmatic and sometimes facetious style goes ill
with his high academic qualifications, but he is dead right about the average
railway article. All specialists become bores and railway writers who lift
the subject out of its natural environment like degutted herrings are depriving
their writings of the integral background to a fascinating subject. I would
go further even than Dr. Tuplin and say that many railway enthusiasts are
far from being a credit to the hobby. I refer to the motley band of scruffy.
dessicated, serious-looking characters of all ages whose main interest seems
to be taking numbers and quoting the dates and sections of Acts of Parliament
Let us have more of the vigorous pipe-smoking, beer-drinking enthusiasts
who can interestingly discuss all aspects of railways and who know a little
about the other fascinating things of life as well!
Distant signals as starters. D.S.M. Barrie
Re. N.E. Danger's query. "is there any other terminus on British Railways
whose starter is a distant?" this situation existed at the Port Talbot (Central)
terminus of the former Port Talbot Railway, where the distant signal for
Tonygroes Junction occupied the position where the starting signal would
have been, had these two places not been within one block section.
L & S.W. "D15s". F.J. Lane
Re. Norman Harvey article on the Southern Railway, particularly in
his reference to the L. & S.W. D15. In the 1920s Nos. 463 and 465 were
regular engines hauling the 08.48 ex Winchester, non-stop Waterloo. I used
this train frequently and clocked many interesting runs. It was almost always
early and held at Vauxhall by signals. Long stretches between Basingstoke
and Clapham were covered at an average of 65 m.p.h., with top speeds of up
to 75; the load was about 350 tons.
Reid NBR Atlantic No. 878 Hazeldean leaving Edinburgh Waverley for
St. Pancras via Waverley route. front cover.
From a painting by V. Welch
Editorial. 161.
Hull & Barnsley
Introduction to articles by D.R.
Smith
A matter of inclination
Leaving Wibledon on down journeys gradient post noting change
from 1 in 11000 down to 1 in 13230 up.
Two D50 class New South Wales Government Railways climbing towards Lithgow
in the Blue Moutains with a freight prior tp electrification. A.E. Reynell.
162
Photograph
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: steam working on the Mid-Sussex
Line. 163-6; 189.
An examination of the former LBSCR line from Horsham to the South
Coast prior to electrification and where the main expresses were hauled by
Atlantics which had to cop with steep gradients and sharp curves. The 08.15
from Bognor to London Bridge which included Pullman cars and was the main
business train: it returned from Victoria at 18.15. The other Atlantic workings
were the 07.48 up to Victoria and the 15.20 return. The 14.24 from Bognor
to Victoria was a slow train entrusted to 0-6-2T engines, but was timed sharply
between Horsham and Dorking North and "must have been an impressive" sight
rushing down from Holmwood.
N.W. Newcombe. The end of the Donegal Railway.166-70
A "Lanky" locomotive symposium. 171-6.
1—"Lany" survivors. R. Keeley
2—The "Radials"—an epilogue. A. Smith
3—The "Pugs". John Gahan
Centenary in North Aberdeenshire. J. Spencer Gilks. 177.
Branch line from Inveramsey to Gellymill opended om 4 June 1850.
K. Westcott Jones. By rail to the Mountains of the Moon. 178-82.
D.R. Smith. The Hull & Barnsley Railway. 183-8.
The last steam locomotive for British Railways.
190. illustration
9F 2-10-0 No. 92220 Evening Star built at Swindon
Letters. 192
L. & N.W. memories. W. A. Parker
Like J.P. Bardsley, he had been intrigued as to the reason for the
great populariry enjoyed by Black Prince. He had a "standard"
Bassett-Lowke steam locomotive (gauge 0), bearing that name which for the
period is not. I suppose, a bad model of the original. Could the model have
led to the popularity of the prototype amongst enthusiasts of the day, or
was the boot. in fact. on the other foot?
The railways between Bristol and Bath. Ronald
Hurst
In the third part of his article, Maggs suggests that the first G.W.
2-8-0 to make an appearance on the former L.M.S. line was No. 3804 in August.
1959. His assumption is inaccurate, as on 4 May 1957, G.W. No. 3865 arrived
with a pigeon special at Green Park. Photographic record of this occurrence
may be found on page 390 of the July1957, issue of Trains Illustrated.
The railways between Bristol and Bath, G.
Pothecary
Re signals at Kelston Station (April issue). Although he had no doubt
that perhaps the signals were originally installed for the purpose that Maggs
states, to stop trains for the local squire, they were part of the block
post known as Kelston, the instruments for which were located in a small
hut on the down platform. The levers. of the turnover type, were situated
outside the hut. The arm repeaters for the distant signals were so located
that they could be seen by the signalman through the window whilst he was
working the levers. This block post was opened during busy periods to shorten
the block section between Bitton and Weston. It was in use before the 1939-1945
war but was not used after. With reference to the squire having trains stopped
in later years, the request for this would have had to been made to the control
at Bath who would have then authorised the necessary stop order to be
issued.
Built at Crewe. G.W. Shott
In the August, 1959, issue, F. Spencer Yeates's article on the "
Precursor" class, shows that No. 412 Marquis received L.M.S. number
5188. and No. 561 Antaeus, L.M.S. number 5245. In my collection of
photos of the Precursor class, I have Marquis as L.M.S. 25188 and
Antaeus as L.M.S. 25245; also, I have Antaeus as L.M.S. 25188
(the same number as Marquis). The numbers are, of course, on the cab
sides. Has Spencer Yeates any information that would explain the seeming
duplication of the L.M.S. number 25188. Please, can we have "Built at Crewe"
Part 7. in an early issue? [We hope to resume the series shortly.
Ed.]
Exhibition engines of 1886. Montague
Smith
Re article by Alan J. S. Paterson: No. 123 was designed by Neilson
& Co. (see Edward Snowball's letter to Engineering, 14 March.
1890), obviously she was derived from Drummond's North British and Caledonian
practice, and was a mixture of the two N.B. singles of 1876, and the 4-4-0
engines of the N.B. and Caledonian. Such items as boiler mountings were of
Drurnmond's standard type, even his double organ whistles being fitted. On
the other hand, No. 124 was definitely a Caledonian Railway design, the drawings
and specification (the latter with Drummond's initials carrying the date
31/12/85) being sent from St. Rollox. Not all Drummond's engines had the
slide bars supported only by the motion plate-the large 4-4-0T of the North
British had the slide bars fixed in the usual manner. Vertical screw reversing
gear was not by any means so unusual as Paterson assumes, for not only had
Drummond used it on some of his N.B. engines, but vertical screw gear was
fitted on some of Conner's engines on the Caledonian and on Matthew Kirtley's
890 Class 2-4-0 of the Midland. It was also standard on the Glasgow &
South Western before James Stirling designed his splendid steam gear. In
addition, Alexander Allan used a vertical rack-and- pinion reversing gear
on the Scottish Central. As Paterscn remarks, No. 124 was much better suited
to main line duties than No. 123, and it is indeed regrettable that, as yet,
no real Caledonian engine has been preserved, the more so now that all McIntosh's
fine 4-4-0s have gone. Paterson states that "there is not much accurate
contemporary information available concerning their early history;" this
is hardly the case. Engineering gave drawings of o. 124, while
Engineering, The Engineer, and The Railway Engineer all published
drawings of No. 123. I, for one, wish that every Scottish design was as fully
documented!
The Talyllyn Railway. P.L. Smith
I found Mr. Rolt's article in the April issue very interesting, and
no doubt so will many hundreds more readers, especially at the present moment
when so many voluntary organisations are taking up steam railway preservation
with gusto. It is quite true that many enthusiasts who put forward proposals
really do not appear to realise that manpower and finance are very limited,
and great care must be taken by all such enthusiasts, although their courage
and enthusiasm must be applauded. The efforts of all concerned with the Talyllyn
Railway and its counterparts are really appreciated by narrow gauge and steam
railway enthusiasts and to know that these lines will live on as a memorial
is a great satisfaction.
Joint lines. J.R. Batts
I was surprised to see in Mr. W. H. Bett's otherwise excellent article
on joint lines the statement that "M 12345 Sc" would indicate a coach jointly
allocated to the London Midland Region and Scottish Region. In fact it would
indicate a painter's error. The region of allocation is indicated by the
prefix letter thus:
W-Western
S-Southern
M-London Midland
E-Eastern & North Eastern. (The only true joint allocation)
Sc-Scottish
The suffix letter indicates the origin of the vehicle thus:
W-ex-G.W. or non-standard B.R. numbered in G.W. series
S-ex-Southern Railway, etc.
M-ex-L.M. & S., etc.
E-ex-L. & N.E., etc.
No suffix-B.R. Standard
There was therefore no Sc suffix. The accidental transposition of prefix
and suffix is not unknown. One example I have seen is the ex-L. & N.
W. saloon used by the Western Region Signal Engineer which for some time
was lettered M 45011 W. The illustration of the Severn & Wye notice board
in the same article is of special interest in that the design and wording
are of pure G.W. origin, and I should imagine It was cast at Swindon.
The Ryde-Cowes Line. P. Norris
Certain errors in my article on the Ryde-Cowes line have been pointed
out by correspondents and I should like to comment on them The Freshwater
branch and the stations at Wootton and Whippingham were in fact closed on
the 21 September 1953. The Ryde-Newport line was opened in 1875 and worked
in conjunction with the Newport-Cowes line by a joint committee (as I stated).
The 1877 Act authorised construc- tion of the Medina Wharf and ra tified
the joint committee. The line was opened to Ryde Esplanade on 5 April, and
to the Pier Head on 12 July, 1880, and, as far as I know, both the Isle of
Wight and Isle of Wight Central companies used it from the outset. The tramway
to St. Johns Road was authorised in 1870 but not opened until 1874. The Ashey
racecourse siding has been removed for at least 30 years and it would now
be impossible to locate its course. Horse racing at Ashey went out of fashion
many years ago but in recent years pony racing has become established there.
As I stated, the Newport bridge is manually operated but it is not two separate
structures. I have seen it opened on numerous occasions. At present the former
Sandown line is blocked off and only the Ryde line crosses the bridge. A
length of the Freshwater line remains at the Newport end and is used as a
siding. Cement Mills Halt is in situ but is not in regular use as the mills
have been closed for years. Once or twice a day trains call to drop or pick
up platelayers and others. The halt is in an advanced state of decay.
The down Torbay Express, hauled by Castle Class 4-6-0 locomotive No.7020
Gloucester Castle leaving Greenway Tunnel on the descent from Churston
to Kingswear. front cover.
From a painting by V. Welch
Editorial
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: single drivers of the Midland and the Great Northern. 194-8.
Robert Keys. The Jubilee of the Trentham Park Line. 199-201.
Charles W. Reed. Memories of Newcastle 50 years ago. 202-5.
Like his father writer was a marine engineer, but was also a lifelong railway
enthusiast with memories back to well before WW1 (father with his two sons
travelled on the newly electrifiied Tyneside electrics on the opening day
in July 1904). The family lived in Jarrow and he went to seconary school
in South Shields. On Wednesday afternoons he walked to the tram terminus
at Heworth and rode up to Gateshead to reach Newcastle Central station and
observed railway activity including the mighty North Eastern Atlantics.
W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 206.
Gillingham-Exeter 1860-1960. 207-9.
Photo-feature
D.R. Smith. The Hull & Barnsley Railway — 2. 210-15.
W.J.K. Davies. The Chiemseebahn: a Bavarian tram-train. 216-18.
Alan A. Jackson. and B.G. Wilson. Rails
on Wimbledon Common. 219-23.
William Prosser patented a railway system in which the wheels were
flangeless but the vehicles were guided by wheels set at 45° to a wooden
rail. The system was demonstrated on Wimbledon Common in 1845. The
National Rifle Association held its annuaL meetings on Wimbledon Common from
1859 and built a tramway initially worked by horses, but in 1877 acquired
a Merryweather tramway locomotive named Wharncliffe. In 1883 the tramway
was experimentally electrified. The annual rifle meetings moved to Bisley
in 1890 and a photograph shows the Merryweather locomotive in transit on
a LSWR wagon.
Book reviews
Letters. 224
Renown class 4-4-0 No. 1919 Revolution piloting Prince of Wales class
4-6-0 No. 1704 Conqueror picking up water off Tebay troughs. front
cover
From a painting by V. Welch
Norman Harvey. Locomotive causerie: recollections of
Driver Frank Brooker. 227-30; 253
Runs tabulated: rebuilt Scot No. 46168 The Girl Guide on 16.05
Euston to Rugby on 24 April 1949; and same locomotive with17.05 Euston to
Rugby with 15 coach train on 18 October 1952. No. 46252 on 18.30 Stranraer
Boat Express (as far as Crewe) on 24 August 1950; No. 46248 on 10.50 Euston
to Blackpool (between Watford Junction and Rugby) on 17 December 1949 and
on same stretch on 20 May 1950 with No. 46118; and between Nuneaton and Stafford
with No. 45736 on 26 March 1951 and No. 46147 on 14 April 1952.
S. Rickard. The "5600" class tank locomotives. 231-3.
Paul Myatt. The Batchworth Quarries railways. 234-7
M.R. Bailey. The oil-burning locomotives of the Great Eastern. 238-41;
253
Development of the James Holden oil-burning apparatus initially on
works locomotives used in Stratford Works. In 1888 Bromley 2-2-2 No. 251
was fitted with the apparatus. In 1890 ten T19 2-4-0s were modified amd No.
760 was named Petrolea. Non-stop running was introduced on 1 July
1897 from Liverpool Street to North Walsham to provide Cromer with a fast
service and this led to the D27 class 2-2-2 beiung fitted to investigate
non-stop journeys to Cromer. The P43 type 4-2-2 and Claud Hamilton 4-4-0s
followed: the latter hauling the heavy restaurant car expresses demanded
by the summer visitors to the elite resort. Diagram of Holden
apparatus.
B.G. Wilson. By rail to victory. 242-6
The railway from Genoa to Turin then in the Kingdom of Sardinia assisted
in restraing Austrian aggression.
D.R. Smith. The Hull & Barnsley Railway — 3 247-252
Book reviews. 255
Monorails. Hermann S.D. Botzow, Jr. New York.
Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, Reviewed by JRD
This book is a most useful addition to the still somewhat sparse
literature of monorails. Written while the author was studying at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it bears the mark of the technological
mind in that its object is to present facts. In this he has succeeded beyond
doubt, and the book should find a place on the reference shelves of all
interested in transport, especially transport in large cities, for which
the monorail is now being widely advocated. In the first part of the book
Mr. Botzow discourses on monorails gener- ally and their characteristics
and adds his comments. On the whole, the information given is in step with
the latest trends and the comments are sensible and to the point. This section
does not make the mistake of over-praising monorails or implying that they
can do more than they really can. The essential nature of the book is shown
by the fact that nearly half of it consists of appendices. The first lists
many of the more important monorails which have reached the operational stage
at various times. The second lists proposed monorails and the next three
give some particu- lars of monorail dimensions and types of track. Probably
the most useful section of the book to students is a 28-page bibliography,
part of which was supplied by the Research Information Division of the British
Transport Commission. The book is illustrated by drawings and good photographs
of modern monorail equipment.
The Hay Railway. C.R. Clinker. Dawlish. David Charles. 62 pp.
14 half - tone illustrations and three line drawings. Reviewed by BGW
The Hay Railway was the twelfth railway to be incorporated by Act
of Parliament. Authorised on 25 May 1811, primarily to carry "coals, corn
and other heavy commodities," .it was opened in 1816 -18 from Brecon to Talgarth,
Hay and Eardisley. The enterprise was strongly supported, 107 persons, including
bankers, landowners and ironmasters, subscribing to it. The line, worked
by horses, was laid to the 3ft. 6in. gauge and the first rails were of L
- section, of cast iron in 3ft. lengths, resting on stone sleepers. It served
a useful purpose well into the steam railway era until, after some
unpleasantness, it was acquired in 1860 by the newly-formed Hereford, Hay
& Brecon Railway. Its levels and curvature made it unsuitable for wholesale
conversion to standard gauge and only one-third of its 24! miles of roadbed
was so used by the new owners. The most spectacular survival is the 674-yard
Talyllyn Tunnel, which was enlarged by the Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction
Railway and reopened in 1863\; a plaque at the junction station briefly records
the tunnel's history. Mr. Clinker has been able to borrow important records
of the first 2.2 years of the Hay Railway's life. From them and the results
of other research he presents a clear and fascinating picture of a most
interesting early line. The book is well printed, with a good map and varied
illustrations, including Rastrick's design for a railway suspension bridge
over the Wye at Whitney. For the first time the by-laws and regulations for
"Government and Good Order" of an early line are reproduced in full and,
on the lighter side, there are some quotations of messages sent by James
James, the weighman at Brecon. One of them reads: "Battles the old fool loaded
the spare Trams on this Wharf in consequence the order could not be attended
t~". Latter-day wagon despatchers will sympathise with James!-
The Salisbury & Yeovil Railway (A Centenary reprint of The History
of a Railway, Louis H. Ruegg). Dawlish. David & Charles. 66 pp. Reviewed
by RGW
David & Charles have done transport bibilographers a service by
re-publishing in this centenary year of the completion of the narrow gauge
to Exeter a rare classic whose simple original title and limited first edition
have kept it undeservedly obscure. It first appeared in 1878, the work of
Louis H. Ruegg, a Londoner who settled in the delectable town of Sherborne
as a journalist-newspaper proprietor and became a respected townsman and
Chairman of the Council. (An interesting fellow evidently—one is somehow
reminded of Farfrae in the Mayor of Casterbridge). Ruegg was an active
shareholder of the Salisbury & Yeovil and, although the South Western
made a fair offer for the line, he stuck out for and wrested still better
terms. It is good to know that his fellow shareholders suitably acknowledged
their gratitude.
The ceremony of the turning of the first sod of the railway at Gillingham
—the silver spade, the decorated wheelbarrow and the elegant
gauntlets—is one of the best-told things in the book. One can almost
feel the relentless rain that even found its way into a marquee and" crowning
insult of all ! mingled! our wine with water". The promoters bore the deluge
with resignation - "we have had so much cold water thrown upon us before
that a bucket or two extra can make no difference now". Indeed, the way of
the narrow gauge to the west had been beset with difficulty, largely arising
from the schism in the South Western directorate between those who were for
extending "Castleman's Snake" from Dorchester to Exeter and those who favoured
the inland route through Yeovil. It was further bedevilled by the machinations
of the broad gauge interest, and so serious were matters at one stage that
the Salisbury & Yeovil directors even considered abandoning the line
they had just begun, but in the nick of time the South Western agreed to
work it on favourable terms and in July, 1856, gained an Act to make a line
of its own in continuation to Exeter.
All this is the very stuff of mid-Victorian railway politics and how well
Ruegg 'handles ,it! He naturally enthuses over 'the arrival of the railway
at Sherborne, when bands played, bells pealed, cannons were fired,
school-children sang, flags flew, the motto "Where there's a will there's
a way" was flaunted and the preacher took as his text "Many shall run to
and fro, and knowledge shall be increased". A writer in the Sherborne 'Journal,
no doubt Ruegg himself, observed that "country contended for so strongly
must have within it the germ of unusual prosperity". Prophetic remark, for,
the four per cent divided of 1861, the first year of working, rose to no
less than 14 by 1877. What a triumph for Ruegg that after striving to improve
the South Western's terms for the S. & Y. take-over he can state " ...
as I write I find South Western shares negotiated at 133¾ so that the
equivalents of £100 of Salisbury & Yeovil shares are A PERPETUAL
PREFERENCE PAYMElNT OF—THIRTEEN PER GENT ... "
The text has been reproduced by photo-lithography from the original, complete
with vignettes and decorated drop capitals, and Mr. David St John Thomas
contributes a pleasant introduction. The book will be seized on by railway
and Wessex historian alike.
Letters. 256
Flat gradients. .F.D.Y. Faulkner
Referring to the editorial "A Matter of Inclination" in your June
issue. I would add that the gradient of 1 in 13230 (falling towards Exeter)
shown in the L. & S.W. gradient profiles extended from 7m. 63c. to 8m.
41c. and was preceded by a gradient of 1 in 11000 rising and followed by
1 in 2329 falling. These flat gradients were doubtless average gradients
computed from the relative rail levels which are, of course, subject to variation
due to local lifting of the track which is a normal practice when relaying
or re-ballasting, and it is possible in this case that the construction of
the junction to the Wimbledon and Sutton line also resulted in some local
regrading. It is quite impracticable to carry out a continuous re-checking
of gradients and re- positioning of gradient posts throughout the Region,
but it happens that fresh levels have recently been taken on part of the
main line, including the portion between Wimbledon and Raynes Park; this
shows the present gradients to be as follows—
7m. 27c. to 7m. 76c. 1 in 2660 rising
7m. 76c. to Srn. 21c. 1 in 1680 falling
8m. 21c. to 8m. 43c. 1 in 704 falling
An experienced surveyor using established levelling practice would have no
difficulty in determining a difference in rail level at two points
three-quarters-of-a-mile apart, since this does not, of course, imply a direct
"sight" over the whole of this length. There is no reason to think that the
levels which were used when the line was constructed were less capable of
such accuracy than the instrumen ts used today, the main difference in the
modern instruments being that they are less cumbersome than the old ones.
Writer was Public Relations and Publicity Officer, British Railways, Southern
Region
(B.S. Cooper, of Chesham Bois, points out that our arithmetic was faulty and that a gradient of 1 in 11000 is 0.48ft. (5¾ in.) per mile and one of 1 in 13230 is 0.4 ft. (approx 4¾ in.) per mile.-Ed.)
The Ravenglass & Eskdale. William J. Morrison
Must this be the last season of " T' Laal Ratty"? Miracles have been
worked before by enthusiastic railway lovers. I know the arguments against
too many preservation societies. As a member of both the Talyllyn and Festiniog
Societies I could not agree more about the dangers of spreading the pool
of enthusiastic amateur effort over too many enterprises. Here, however,
we surely have something well worth an effort. I think I am right in saying
that it was in Eskdale that the ultra-narrow gauge was first put to commercial
use (as opposed to exhibition and fairground lines). The R. & E. is
well-known and had an exceptionally good season in 1959. It lies in an area
increasing in popularity with tourists and within easy reach of the Morecambe
Bay and Cumberland coast resorts. I feel that it needs some covered or
semi-covered coaches to combat the rain frequently met with in this part
of the world and the ageing 0-4-4 tractor will need replacement before too
long, but otherwise locomotives, coaches, track and buildings seemed in good
condition on my last visit last Summer. The main obstacle would seem to be
the £22,000 but even this difficulty may be overcome.
(Our correspondent encloses an extract from the Cumber/and News of
22 April, which refers to the efforts made by the Keswick Granite Company,
owners of the R. & E., to find a buyer for it, so far, without
success.-Ed.)
Ludlow & Clee Hill Railway. P.E.
Tennent
Re Hollick letter in the May issue, the gauge of the Titterstone Quarry
line was 3ft. This can still be measured (approximately) from grooves left
in the tarmac on Bitterley Wharf and old sleepers on the incline, although
having lost its rails the old incline still retains its haulage cable. This
line used steam power as well as cable, there being two small locomotives
at the top of the incline, one of which was a Sentinel.
On the subject of motive power I was surprised that Vickers
did not mention the steam crane, used as a shunting locomotive by the
quarry company, on the section of the present line beyond Clee Hill village,
where the B.R. locomotive does not work. Although it was an unusual prime
mover its predecessor was no less so, being an American saddle rank. Before
the war there were also two narrow-gauge tanks employed in these quarries
(Dhu Stone Quarries).
I saw recently the ex-S.H.T. Hudswell Clark 0-4-0ST No. 1142 (not 939 as
stated by Vickers) which worked at the top of the incline. It was heading
south from Stourbridge Junction as part of a freight train, presumably on
its last journey, to Swindon. Perhaps one of your readers know what has replaced
it in the lonely windswept shed high up on the Clees.
High speed with 4-4-0s. P.G. Johnson,
256
Re Locomotive Causerie appertaining to high-speed runs by 4-4-0
locomotives. I too had such a run, in the summer of 1955. The locomotive
concerned was Class 2P, No. 40660. We were rostered coupled engine from Crewe
to Holyhead and were to return as assistant engine to the up night Irish
Mail. We had a Stanier 5 marked to us but it failed and 40660 was substituted
at short notice. The run to Holyhead was not spectacular but the return trip
was. The driver of the train engine (No. 70047) looked rather dubiously at
660 as she backed on to him and a few uncomplimentary remarks were passed
appertaining thereto! Unfortunately I have not the passing times as, being
the driver (passed fireman at 5B), I was 'otherwise occupied,' but I know
we left Holyhead 22 minutes late. We stopped two minutes at Llysfaen owing
to single line working and arrived in Chester one minute down, which just
goes to prove that given her head a 4-4-0 will still move when required.
The load, by the way, was 17 for 585 tons.
Lancashire & Yorkshire 2-4-2s—and otlhers.
We are grateful to Messrs. Richard S. Greenwood, of Rochdale, and
Michael J. Horrobin, of Bolton, for the information on which the following
notes, bringing up to date that in the article "A 'Lanky' Locomotive Symposium"
(June issue), are based.
By May last the ranks of the 2-4-25 were down to three: No. 50721 was at
Bank Hall, graced with the new design of British Railways totem. The other
two, Nos. 5074.6 and 50850, were at Southport. The transfer of No. 50850
to Southport in February, leaving Bolton without a "Radial" for perhaps the
first time in nearly seventy years, was brought about by the withdrawal of
Southport's No. 50781 after a collision. No. 50850 was the last "Radial"
to be returned to service after repair (believed to be a 'casual ') at Horwich
Works, in February, 1959. The external condition of No. 50746 augured ill
for its fate, as it was stored alongside the withdrawn and cannibalised Stanier
Class 3MT 2-6-2s. The last working from Bolton of No. 50850 was on 2 January,
when it was turned out in immaculate condition to work the last passenger
train between Chorley and Blackburn. On that occasion its vacuum-operated
water pick-up scoop was used on Lostock Junction troughs.
The last Barton-Wright class 2F 0-6-0 (No. 52044,) not converted into a
saddletank was observed on 30 April inside the erecting shop at Horwioh (after
ten months' sojourn in the yard) receiving quite extensive attention to put
it into a condition fit " to make one journey, dead, from works ". George
H. Barnes, of Chorley, reports that No. 52044, was last seen at Ashton Moss
Sidings painted plain black en route to its new owner and asks for information
about its destination.
With only one saddle tank, No. 51371, remaining on the allocation of Newton
Heath the shunting duties at Royton Junction are handled by Jinties, ex-Midland
condensing 0-6-0T tanks and ex-L. & Y. A Class 0-6-0s. The
yards at Oldham are shunted still by the ex-L. & Y. 0-6-0s from what
was in the past a North Western shed, Lees. No. 51371 received a general
repair at Horwich in August, 1958, and No. 51445, at present at Edge Hill,
received an intermediate in. May, 1959. Wren, the last of the 18in.-gauge
shunters at Horwich Works, is also stilI in existence, although rarely in
use since the diesel No. ZM32 is the normal motive power.
A final point of interest mentioned by Mr. Horrobin is that five of the Class
2F saddle tanks which shunt at Horwich Works still retain their L.M. &
S. numbers; although at least one has recently been repainted and given the
latest B.R. emblem the L.M. & S. number remains. [No. 11394 of this batch
has been reported scrapped.-Ed.]
Up Leeds express near Welwyn Garden City hauled by No. 60029 Woodcock.
front cover
From a painting by V. Welch
Editorial. B.G. Wilson, 257
Overhead and aesthetes
Norman Harvey. A Brighton locomotive masterpiece: the
Marsh "I3" class tanks. Locomotive Causerie. 259-63.
The application of superheating is credited to Basil Field and Harvey
claims that water consumption rose after the removal of the Westinghouse
equipment. Claims that the design was a "masterpiece" and still capable of
fine performance even into the post-WW2 period.
Jakob Würth. William Wilson and the first German
steam railway. 264-7.
Outlines William Wilson
from Wallbottle in Northumberland who was sent with Robert Stephenson
locomotive Der Adler to Nuremburg to establish the first real railway
in Germany. He did this in response to
Paul Camille Denis, the civil
engineer of the Ludwigsbahn and
Friedrick List and Johannes
Scharrer.
A Scottish island funicular. 267.
On Eilean Mor, the largest of the Flannan Isles, a rope worked railway
served the lighthouse operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board by linking
it to the east and west landings. The 3ft gauge lines joined for the final
ascnt: gradients were very steep and intended to convey supplies..
P. Winding. Darlington North Road scrap yard. 268
D.R. Smith. The Hull & Barnsley Railway. Part 4. 269-71.
Running powers over the Dearne Valley Railway and to Waakefield over
the L&YR. The decline in coal exports, especially during the 1931-2
slump began a decline which ended in closure on 4 April 1959. Ends with an
imaginery journey on the line's premier passenger train in 1914: the 17.00
from the incoveniently situated Hull Cannon Street, picked up passengers
at Beverley Road and ran semi-fast to Sheffield in 115 minutes.
South African Railways 1860-1960. 272-3.
Black & white photo-feature
R.C. Riley. Stroudley tank engines in the West Country. 274-8.
R.S. McNaught. Caledonian reflections. 279-82.
R. Keys. A North Staffordshire relic. 282-3.
Two Southern museum pieces. 283+
Frances Collingwood. Joseph Locke, 1805-60. 284-5
Norman Harvey. Some G.E. runs in the 1890s. Locomotive Causerie.
291-5.
Locomotive performance recorded by
A.C.W. Lowe. On 3 November 1895 a
D27 (GER) 2-2-2 No. 1006 was tested running non-stop to Cromer from Liverpool
Street (138 miles) hauling 148 tons. Driver Herwin was in charge. The return
journey failed to keep time due to priming near Ipswich. On 6 March 1899
P43 4-2-2 No. 11 hauling 190 tons was recorded on an up journey from Ipswich;
and on 8 March 1899 T19 2-4-0 No. 745 was recorded on a Yarmouth South Town
working where 250 tons were hauled as far as Ipswich and on an up working
with No. 1025 on the 17.45 ex-Yarmouth.
P. Winding. Longhedge Works. 296-300.
Long Hedge Farm was acquired in 1860 and a works by designed by Joseph
Cubitt nominally similar to those at Wolverton and built by Peto and Betts.
They were Italiaanate in style. The works were reconstructed during 1880-1
as Kirtley experienced problems with the half moon roundhouse and a quadrangular
straight road shed replaced it. Only 54 locomotives were there: the first
being 6ft 2-4-0 Enigma. Nine C class 0-6-0s were built there after the Joint
Company came into being. The Works closed in 1911 and men and machinery were
moved to Ashford. Includes a drawing by Winding of the traverser. Plan of
works as rrcorded by Ordnance Survey in 1869.
K. Hoole. Interesting relics in Yorkshire & Durham. 301-4.
Not illustrated: Tadcaster Viaduct. Described and illustrated: South
Milford station; Grosmont – old tunnel (limited to horse-drawn traffic
and signal box; timber viaduct at Ushaw Moor; Hesleden Bank; Burdale Tunnel
and remains of cottage and Newholm viaduct.
W.J. Thorne. A railway goes to war. 305-8.
Writer had joined LSWR in 1913 and worked at Waterloo prior to WW2.
He swas a Sergeant Instructor at the LMS Staff College at Derby when sent
to the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway to experience a severe culture
shock with the decrepid locomotives and rolling stock which included LNWR
Coal Engines which only the civilian footplate crews could master;
Hesperus, a Beattie Ilfracombe Goods which one of the Sapper fitters
treated as a challenge to restore to working order; the King's Lynn built
2-2-2 Gazelle which was used to patrol lines from Kinnerley subjected to
sabotage by non-combatant troops stationed in the area. The pleasure of working
the Dean Goods and accommodation in former LMS camping coaches. Train services
appear to have been linked to access to beer consumption and pubs. The last
train from Shrewsbury Abbey was liable to stall on the steep gradient.
J.R. Day. "Impulsoria" at Nine Elms: locomotive-and-pair on the South
Western. 309+
Account based on Illustrated London News of June 1850.
Horse-powered motive power devised by Clemente Masserano of Pignerol in Piedmont,
Italy, demonstrated at Nine Elms.
W.J.K. Davies. Little-known railways in North-East France. 310-16.
Around Lilles and Vallenciennes
Stroudley 2-2-2 No. 333 Ventnor on Victoria to Portsmouth train
near Mitcham Junction. front cover
From a painting by V. Welch
Norman Harvey. Bricklayers Arms and the Southern Region
light Pacifics. Locomotive Causerie. 323-5; 346
Drivers Todd, Nebbs and Kennett of Bricklayers Arms and their work
on the rebuilt light Pacifics on trains on the South Eastern route to
Ashford
Reginald B. Fellows. Rival routes to Bristol. Part 1
326-31.
John L. Macadam surveyed a route for a turnpike and railway from Bristol
to Wallingford and thence to Brentford. The turnpike would have gone through
the towns encountered; the railway would have remained on the edge.
The route went through Wallingford and Brentford. The Macadam route formed
the basis for further proposals in 1832 notably the Basing and Bath Railway
(see Ottley 5620/1). Surveys were conducted by William Brunton and Henry
H. Price on a route through Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Hungerford, Newbury,
Reading, near Dat\chet, Colnbrook and Southall to a terminus near the site
of Marble Arch. Francis Fortune was the banker involved. The London &
Southampton Railway prompted suggestions for a branch off on the Basing route.
In 1865 the Bristol & South Western Railway was proposed which branched
off the LSWR west of Gillingham and followed the route of the Somerset &
Dorset Railway. In 1883 the Bristol & London & South Western Junction
Railway was proposed to run from Grateley via Amesbury, Shrewton and Westbury
to near Radstock and then reach Bristol via the North Somerset and Somerset
& Dorset routes. Initially the Midland Railway opposed the scheme, but
became in favour once a central terminus in Bristol was abandoned.
The Bill was defeated, but it did lead to the Great Western admitting third
class passengers to more trains, extra and faster trains
N.W. Newcombe. Two Irish idylls. 332-5.
1. Evening train from Enniskillen: 19.20 to Sligo hauled by 0-6-4T
Enniskillen on 13 April 1957. In the darkness there were signs of
exertion by the lumbering steam locomotive such as sparks from the exhaust.
Those were the days of Customs Officers. Eventually Sligo wass reached nearly
an hour behind schedule. 2. Diesel over Dingle Bay: 14.30 from Cahirciveen
to Farranfore notable for the fantastic views across Dingle Bay.
The last slip coach. 335
Paragraph states that took place on 9 September 1959 from 17.10 Paddington
to Wiolverhampton, but does not state at Banbury!
Alan A. Jackson. The "Left Bank" electrics of Paris. Part 1. 336-42
Operated out of Gare d'Orsay to Versailles. Third rail system 550v
DC. Initially with a locomotive at each end of the train, but later multiple
units. Compressed air locomotives used for shunting. Severe floods
from Seine in 1900 and 1924.
A.G. Williamson. Orphans of a Brighton storm. 343-5
M.R. Bailey. An early railway photograph. 347
Taken in 1849 either by Llewellyn (a Swansea man) or by Nevil Maskelyn
who were both asociated with Fox Talbot. The locomotives visible were Pyracmon
class 0-6-0, Star class 2-2-2 either Rising Star or Bright Star
and Sun class 2-2-2
.
Down Royal Scot passing Bushey in winter of 1927 with Royal Scot
No. 6109 Royal Enginneer in original livery. front cover
From a painting by V. Welch
About ourselves. 353.
Editorial comment on one year of Ian Allan ownership under B.G Wilson's
editorship
Norman Harvey. The old and the new in North Wales. Locomotive Causerie.
354-8
Includes Driver Hoole with Prince on the Festiniog Railway
(includes illustration)
Reginald B. Fellows. Rivel routes to Bristol. Part 2—
conclusion. 359-61.
The Bristol, London & Southern Counties Railway. Charles Wills
was a persistent advocate for a new line. The 1903 proposal started from
a junction with the LSWR at Overton, had a junction with the M&SWJR at
Collingbourne to provide for Briston the Southampton traffic, with a branch
from the Bristol direction onto the Somerset & Dorset at Midford to obviate
reversal in Bath and the steep climb, a connection to the Midland near Keynsham
and a new Central staion in Bristol and a direct line to Avonmouth.
Illustrations: map (Bristol area); George Wills (portrait); projected line:
Avonmouth to Overton; cartoon; No. 4077 Chepstow Castle arriving Bath
Spa station with a Paddington to Plymouth express; Christmas Steps, Bristol;
No. 5942 Doldowlod Hall at Limpley Stoke with a Bristol to Westbury
local train
Alan A. Jackson. The "Left Bank" electrics of Paris. Part 2. The Orsay line since 1910. 362-5.
B.G. Wilson. The Invalides-Versailles line described. 365-7.
Includes some extraordinary photographs of Paris floods, early electric
trains and compressed air loocomotive.
H.C. Towers. The City & South London Railway: its origins and
early years. 368-73.
An Act was obtained on 28 July 1884 for a twin tunnel cable-worked
railway between King William Street in the City of London and Elephant &
Castle. Greathead was the Engineer
with Benjamin Baker and
Sir John Fowler as consultants.
Charles Grey Mott was the Chairman.
The first contrctor Edmund Gabbutt of Liverpool died, and was then awarded
to Walter Scott & Co. In 1887
approval fo an extension to Stockwell was obtained. The tunnels were arranged
to be above each other in places to ensure that the line did not run under
buildings. arrangements were made with Mather & Platt to supply electric
locomotives and these were designed by
Edward Hopkinson. The rolling
stok was obtained from Ashbury Railway Carriage & Wagon and lacked windows.
An electricity generating station was built at Stockwell and used Edison
Hopkinson dynamos. The stations were gas lit. The line opened with
improved locomotives. Five million passengers were carried in the first year.
The King William Street terminus was abandoned in favour of an extension
to Bank and Moorgate, reached in 1900. Later the line was extendded in stages
to Euston. When absorbed into the Underground Group the route was modernised
by enlarging the tunnels: this work was performed in the early 1920s. Interesting
illustrations include the locomotives, carriages, stations and plans and
diagrams of stations.,
Alan Williams. Day trip on the Derwent Valley Light [Railway].
374-5
From York Layerthorpe to Cliff Common with J25 0-6-0 No. 65714.
Hugh B. Oliver. A wartime Midlands branch: the heyday of the Cold
Meece line and its services. 376-81.
Built during WW2 to serve the Royal Ordnance Factory ay Swynnnerton
in Staffordshire and capable of handling an intensive passenger service to
and from several stations in the Stoke area incliuding Cobridge and
Newchapel.
W.H. Bett. Ticket spotlight. 381-2
Great Northern issued ticket for child (aged under 12 years) between
Acworth and Pontefract for travel by Great Northern train. Neither station,
nor the route between, was on the GNR, but on the Swinton & Knottingley
Joint owned by the North Eastern and Midland Railways.
Book reviews. 382-3
Diesel locomotives. London. Ian Allan Ltd. 38 pp. 82 illustrations.
The popularity of this work has justified a fifth edition, in which
the text has been brought into line with the latest developments at home
and abroad and a number of new illustrations has been included.
More uunusual railways. John R. Day. London.
Frederick Muller. 214 pp. Reviewed by B.G.W.
When Unusual Railways appeared in 1957, it might have been
thought that the two authors, of whom Mr. Day was one, had covered the subject
so thoroughly that little more remained to be said. This was at first the
view of Mr. Day when asked to write a second work, but further research proved
so fruitful that he has had no difficulty in packing 200 pages with new and
fascinating material. So intensive is the search for new means of alleviating
the alarming growth of urban congestion that even in the three years since
the original book was published, whole crops of new monorail or similar schemes
have appeared. To them the author naturally pays much attention. Much of
the revived interest in monorails springs from America and the similarities
and contrasts between new ventures and the usually short-lived monorail schemes
in the States half a century or more ago make an absorbing study for the
student of urban transit. His quest has led the author into many transport
byways of the past, such as the use of horses and sails on ordinary
railways—the classic use of sail on rail by Phileas Fogg might have
been worth a line or two here.
The guide-rail systems described include that proposed for the Victoria-
London Airport link and those for road vehicles experimented with in Germany
and Italy. As moving platforms may be considered a railway variant, the new
Trav-o-Iator at the Bank is legitimately included. The remarkable system
serving the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, the little Post Office Railway in
Brussels, and lines which were laid over ice in North America and Russia
also find adequate description. If proof were needed that not a few of today's
concepts owe much to the work of forgotten inventors whose brilliant ideas
outran the technology of their time, one may cite the invention of the ingenious
Mr. William H. Reinholz, who aims to run jet-propelled trains at up to 500
m.p.h. on ice contained in troughs; readers of Unusual Railways will
at once recall Girard and his chemin de fer glissant. The world's rail speed
record is generally held to be the 206 rn.p.h. reached by a French electric
locomotive in 1955, but speeds of over 2,000 m.p.h. are achieved on what
are certainly "railways," the rocket sled tracks used to test aircraft and
missile components. It may be news to many that these sled tracks have already
taught much about building high-speed railway track formations. While in
Britain unorthodox forms of transport seem still to be regarded with suspicion
in some quarters, in Germany, France and Japan, for instance, new forms of
monorail are already in operation, making use of the new lightweight materials
that were not available to the pioneers of the past. More Unusual Railways
is a notable contribution to transport bibliography and though the author
wisely does not take sides, the book may cause some of our transport blimps
to think that there may be something in this unorthodox railway business
after all.
The Handbook of the Bluebell Line. Bluebell Railway Preservation
Society. 20 pp. 10 illustrations.
Although Lewes and East Grinstead were not connected directly by rail
until 1882 there had been plans for railways traversing the district as early
as 1835, and in the mid-Victorian era the L.B. & S.C. was hard put to
it to fight off intrusions from the South Eastern and the Chatharn companies,
which promoted rival routes to Brighton through the area. Eventually, in
the 1870s the Lewes, East Grinstead & London Railway was locally promoted
and was soon snapped up by the Brighton as a means of conserving its hard-won
monopoly in East Sussex. In this pleasant booklet, the B.lue- bell Railway
Preservation Society, which has taken over the Horsted Keynes-Sheffield Park
section of the line, describes the history of the whole route under Brighton
and Southern ownershIp, concluding with a short account of its own takeover.
There is an interesting selection of half-tone illustrations of the line
at various stages of its career.
Telegraphs in Victorian London. John Durham. Cambridge. The
Golden Head Press. 32 pp. Reviewed by B.G.W.
The electric telegraph and the railway grew up together. By 1857 the
major towns of the country had been linked by the telegraph, whose wires
were strung on poles alongside the trunk railways, leaving them at the outskirts
of towns to run beneath the streets to centrally-placed telegraph offices.
But underground work was costly, particularly for private telegraphs for
business houses, and for a venture of their own the City firm of Sydney and
Alfred Waterlow sought to carry the wires over the roof tops instead of below
ground. They succeeded, the Chief Commissioner of Police was at length won
over, and the up-shot was the formation in 1859 of the London District Telegraph
Company, to provide a public telegraph service by means of a hundred offices
within four miles of Charing Cross, and, a year later, of the Universal Private
Telegraph Company, to provide direct private telegraph facilities between
business establishments or private premises. Names well known in railway
circles were connected with these ventures, Samuel Gurney, Edward Tyer, William
Fairburn and Professor Charles Wheatstone himself among them. When the
Metropolitan Railway opened, the L.D.T. Company opened telegraph offices
on it and was able to make use of its "convenient corri- dor," as Mr. Durham
puts it, to run surface cables into expanding West London. In 1870, like
all other telegraph undertakings, those of London were transferred to the
Post Office and the pioneering period was over. This pleasantly written monograph
on a little-known enterprise is a valuable contribution to the history of
communications. One would have welcomed more illustrations than the single
cartoon from Punch which forms the frontispiece. A map would have been useful,
too.
The Boys' Book of World Railways.. Ernest F.
Carter. London. Burke Publishing Co. Ltd. 144 pp. Illustrated. Reviewed
by B.G.W.
An attractive jacket, with a reproduction of a striking colour photograph
by Yves Broncard, the well-known French railway photographer, gives promise
of good things within. The promise Iis alas, not sustained. What is one to
say of a book in which one reads that at Quintinhill [sic] two 100-ton
locomotives met head-on on a single line, that the standard gauge is used,
inter alia, in "most of our colonies" and that "a train must not be
considered to have entered a ' block' until it is at least a quarter of a
mile within the limit of that 'block.''' These are three examples picked
at random and there are numerous other errors of fact in text and caption.
Then, Portugal has an admirable railway system but it hardly justifies the
inordinate photographic coverage given it, and British cliff railways have
no place in a book of this sort, when many interesting aspects of orthodox
railways are not touched on. Such haphazard work where there are many rehable
and accessible sources of reference is indefensible.
Birmingham Museum of Science & Industry. 383
Opened in May, 1951, and has proved remarkably popular. Because of
shortage of accommodation for displaying exhibits and for storage, it has
been decided to rebuild the museum on the existing site, at a total cost
of £588,000. The new Locomotive Hall, which, incidentally, will house
Coronation Class 4-6-2 locomotive No. 46235 City of Birmingham, will extend
from Fleet Street to Charlotte Street and will be on three levels, and the
new Engineering Hall will be sited on the Fleet Street frontage. Work is
expected to begin on the first part of the rebuilding, that of the Locomotive
Hall, at the end of 1962.
Letters. 383-4
Nulli Secundus. A.G. Aspell
A short while ago you published correspondence in which some writers
deplored the ,preservation of locomotives by amateurs. Since then I visited,
on successive days, three preserved engines in two locations. What I saw
left me in no doubt as to who made the best job of preserving locomotives.
At Towyn, George Henry and Guinness No. 13,. both beautifully restored,
are d isptaved In such a manner that one can mspect them closely from every
aspect and photograph them with ease. Clearly a display for enthusiasts by
enthusiasts.
At Birmingham Science Museum, however, the picture is different. Although
a new hall has just been opened, the only locomotive exhibit, the unique
Secundus, is relegated to a coffin-like cub by hole which is too small
to enter even if it were not roped off. I was overjoyed when I first heard
that this delightful old engine had been saved from the scrap heap, but it
was a great disappointment to see that it was easily the worst displayed
exhibit in the place. Even the opening through which one views
Secundus' sepulchre is about four feet less in width than the locomotive
is long. As the rails are a foot below the level of the feet of the would-be
viewer all that can be closely inspected is the side of the boiler and the
dome. The three features to which a notice draws attention, i.e. the cowcatcher,
the launch-type firebox and the outside Stephenson motion, are all out of
sight. One almost feels that the museum authorities must have been embarrassed
by the initiative of the Birmingham Locomotive Club and the generosity of
Abelson Ltd. in ensuring the preservation of Secundus. Perhaps worst
of all, while the museum sells postcards of the various stationary engines,
e tc., on view, which are excellently exhibited, none is available of
Secundus. In her restored condition, minus that atrocious "cab" and
without skirting boards, she would make a lovely picture, but no lens yet
devised could photograph her now. Perhaps the same could be said of Fire
Queen, the unphotographable treasure of Llanberis, but at least she can
be seen! I sincerely hope that time will prove that Secundus has not
yet made her last journey and will soon achieve the position she deserves.
The Birmingham Museum of Science & Industry is handicapped by shortage
of accommodation and much machinery and equipment cannot be shown because
of lack of space. A rebuilding plan has been authorised (see page
383).-Ed.]
The Hull & Barnsley Railway. J.B. Stork. 384
The Hull & Barnsley Railway was now a shadow of its former self.
What the gallant little H. & B. did for industry in general and for the
city of Hull in particular cannot be fully realised by those who have not
been in close contact with it. One is indebted to Mr. Smith and his co-operators
for the amount of research they have put in to portray some of the history
of the line, which in those peak exporting years was studded from end to
end with black diamonds in transit.
Though essentially a mineral line, it carried very much merchandise of one
sort and another. including rhubarb, which reminds me that the rhubarb traffic
conveyed from Eastrington to London via the H. & B. was from a market
garden at Portington Hall, hence the item in the 1898 Working Book which
says: "The 1.30 p.m. Fast Goods from Alex. Dock to Stairfoot Sidings stops
at Eastrington when required to attach rhubarb traffic for London." In those
days of keen competition, the H. & B. and N.E. vied to get the local
traffic, and Christmas trees from the same market garden were loaded at the
N.E. side at Caville Bridge Siding, at that time a very busy place handling
coal, grain, hay, potatoes and other produce in those years before road haulage.
At Portington Hall in the early 1920s, a coal-boring plant was started and
hopes rose between the two competing railway companies of still more traffic,
but for various reasons given this never materialised. Had it done so, another
chapter might have been added to Mr. Smith's account.
While the passenger traffic on the H. & B. may have been a little
disappointing west of Howden, it was good in the early 1920s between Hull
and Howden, and sometimes it was difficult to get a seat, especially on the
Sunday trains when joining at intermediate stations.
In 1910, the 17.30 up ran the 16 miles between North Cave and Carlton in
20 rnin., and averaged 48 m.p.h.; it figured among the fastest runs columns
of the year book. In 1911, the 21.07 down between Hemsworth and Howden ran
the 25 miles in 30 min., average 50 m.p.h. By the way, R. Pawley and not
Matthew was the H. & B. Engineer.
The Hull & Barnsley Railway. Thomas E. Rounthwaite.
Having lived with the H. & B. for many years, I would like to
make a couple of non-derogatory remarks. I regret that the decade of magnificent
work carried out by the ex-G.C. R.O.D.s received a bare two lines of recognition
and no photographs. Almost since its inception the line was continually being
threatened with closure, and the fact that most of the Hull-bound minerals
in L. & N.E. days were powered by a pair of H. & B. 0-6-0s did nothing
to allay fears of the economy axe; it was only the introduction of the R.O.D.s
that saved the line in the early 1930s. These engines revitalised the line
and were held in the highest esteem by all H. & B. staff until displaced
by N.E. and W.D. types in the war. Little has been said about the dispersal
of the H. & B. locomotives away from their parent line during the 1930s.
All the existing H. & B. classes except N11 saw service over a wide area,
although their capabilities were not often recognised. In one week in 1935
no fewer than 20 different 0-6-0s were noted at Doncaster, whilst others,
including Q10s, J75s, N12s and N13s ventured as far away as Melton Constable,
Peterborough, Cambridge, Frodingham. Boston, Newcastle, Whitby and Walton
(Liverpool), giving rail enthusiasts of those days a touch of the bizarre.
Overhead and Aesthetes. P. Johnson. 384
Following your recent Editorial comments on overhead electrification
structures, I am enclosing two photographs which provide ample comparison
between the type used in Switzerland and in this country. Structures throughout
Switzerland are generally of light construction and somehow manage to "belong"
to the countryside. The accompanying photograph of Lucerne shows the simple
supports which span several tracks and although the layout here cannot be
compared with Crewe, it is, nevertheless, extremely complex; the two main
line approach tracks fan out into 14 platform lines (including bays) and
an extensive goods depot, with additional tracks to carriage sidings and
locomotive depot converging at the station throat.
With thoughts of Switzerland fresh in mind, I was appalled when I visited
Manchester Piccadilly Station on the first day of public electric services
and saw the " tunnel" of heavy, complicated, trussed girder supports. A similar
state of affairs exists on open line of no more than double track. Here on
the L.T. & S. system, although single masts are used on parts of the
line, they vary from section to section between heavy pol.es and H-section
girders, while over some lengths, trussed girders spanning both tracks are
used, although there are no track junctions or contact wire overlaps in the
vicinity.
We were assured by the B.T.C. that the adoption of 25 kV. a.c. would permit
the USe of light catenary and supporting structure with considerable saving
in cost compared with a relatively low voltage d.c. system.
Presumably safety regulations are more rigorous in this country and demand
the use of stronger supports than are found elsewhere, for which We should
be grateful, but I cannot help thinking that the ugly monstrosities with
which we have been afflicted are not entirely necessary. particularly as
the Swiss structures carrying a lower voltage, 15 kV. and therefore higher
currents, should in theory demand a larger section contact wire and consequently
heavier supports.