Railway World
Volume 28 (1967)
Key file

Editor: G.M. Kichenside

Number 324 (May 1967)

Cecil J. Allen. Half-a-century of train travel—No. 63. The Birkenhead specials. 184-90.
Ian Allan special trains hauled by preserved No. 4079 Pendennis Castle on 4 March and by No. 7029 Clun Castle were run from Paddington to Chester to celebrate the end of through trains to Birkenhead: the latter used the route via Bicester; the former ran from Didcot with diesel haulage to and from Didcot. Performance logs of Didcot to Chester and return behind No. 4079 Pendennis Castle

A new look at the BR network. 191+
Reading this in 2013 KPJ was forced to access Harold Wilson's ODNB biography online: could what was going on to shrink the notional network have happened under a Labour Prime Minister. According to Roy Jenkins who ends his biography by stating that "He kept the train of government on the rails over difficult stretches of country" Wilson was enjoying his second term with a substantial majority. Yet in mid-March the Ministry of Transport published maps to show the basic railway network. At this time singling of main lines was perceived to be a way to reduce costs and this included several lines which have more recently been doubled at great cost. Sir Stanley Raymond intimated that the mileage to be singled would be "substantial". Ominously the Waverley route was indicated in grey; but even then it could have been saved as was the Hull-Bridlington-Scarborough line which similarly rated a similar fate at that time. In 1967 Skipton, now served by electric trains from Leeds was expcted to be reached via Burnley! It is obvious that transport planning was not a government strength.

Henry Stanton. Change at Birmingham. 192-3.
Rationalisation Snow Hill (unstaffed halt status) and opening of New Street by John Morris, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport.

I.F. Finlay. Stamps. 193
Parcels service operated by Belgian Railways: Flemish and French text

J.T. Howard Turner. SECR headcodes. 194-7.
Both the SER and LCDR used complex combinations of discs and other shapes, but in 1917 a modified system of two types of disc (one plain white and one with a black cross with a green lamp to corrspond) was introduced which lasted into early Southern Railway days.

Take four. Paul Hocquard. 198-201
Photo-feature with portrait of photographer: includes two bankers on Beattock Bank near Greskin; view from Crumlin viaduct; two Bulleid Pacifics chimney to chimney at Bournemouth; A4 at Carmont, and O2 Merstone in Ryde Works yard and lady with duffle bag

M. Jeffries. Automatic junction setting at Watford. 202
For trains terminating on New Line via High Street

John Court. The Clayfreighter.203.
China clay slurry transported in tank wagons from Cornwall to Bowater at Sittingbourne.

Steam at Bowater Lloyds, Sittingbourne. 204-5.
Photo-feature of narrow gauge system

G.M. Kichenside. By Underground to Shanklin. 207-13.
Former London Transport stock ddatinf from 1923 to 1934 was overhauled at Acton Works and Stewarts Lane and formed into VEC and TIS units. The units were conveyed to the Isle of Wight on  the Portsmouth to Fishbourne car ferry: the motor coaches required two Pickfords tractors (illustrated).

Glasgow Museum of Transport. 214-15.
Extension to accommodate railway exhibits to tram works in Albert Drive.

Number 325 (June 1967)

G.M. Kitchenside. The North London line. Part 2. 230-6.
Very much the state of the line in 1967. The Broad Street to Richmond service suffered from light traffic in the middle of the day. The Greater London Council was going to attempt to promote the line. Dirty stations did not help. Electricity was supplied to the line from London Transport and the London Midland Region. The heavy freight traffic was regulated to maintain passenger train time keeping. Motive power was very varied on the freight trains: Hymek diesel hydraulics, Southern Region Type 3 Cromptons, English Electric Type 3, BTH Type 1, and Brush Type 4 hauling typical steam-age loose-coupled trains.

Cecil J. Allen. Half-a-century of train travel—No. 64. London — Birmingham. 237-41.
Performance logs of an eight-car diesel Pullman from Paddington to Birmingham which attained 98 mile/h at Blackthorn; Brush Type 4 D1595 on up Cambrian Coast Express which lost time with 14 coaches, AL6 on Euston to Birmingham whih ran at 100 mile/h most of the way and Brush D1610 with 8 coaches which attained 96 at Brill and 98 at Fosse Road on Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill run.

Allan P. McLean. Scottish Region tours. 242-5.
On Easter Saturday 1967 one of the largest passenger trains ever to run in Scotland was organized: it ran 600 miles, cost £2.50 and consisted of 18 coaches. It ran to Carlisle non-stop over the Waverley route hauled by English Electric Type 4 No. 368 and Brush D1973; from there the same pair hauled the train to Perth via Beattock where A4 Union of South Africa and Class 5 No. 44997 ran to Aberdeen; from there to Aviemore via Craigellachie two Type 2 diesels D5070 an D5127 sufficed, but at Aviemore D5122 was added to continue to Perth where the two steam locomotives took over for the run to Ediburgh via Stirling. Most of these trains were photographed.

D. Ferreira. Steam over Stainmore. 250-3.
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway No. 9 River Mite was taken by road behind a steam traction engine Providence from York over Stainmore and across the Lake District. Blizzards caused problems at the summit and extreme caution was required for the descent to Brough.

A Barrister. Endangering passenger safety. 253
Case at Bedford Quarter Sessions of two men who stole signal wire being imprisoned.

J.M. Tolson. End of steam on the Belgian National Railways. 258-63.

Letters. 264-6.

Kylchap exhaust. P. Ransome-Wallis. 265
See Durrant remarks re Kylchap exhaust. Kylälä designed single blastpipe version: Chapelon arrangement was for double blastpipe. Gresley fitted two Shire class locomotives in about 1928 with Kylälä single blastpipe. The Locomotive referred to arrangement as K-C blastpipe

Windscreen problems at 100 mph plus. J. Armstrong. 266
Tyneside original electric stock of 1904 had full width glazing in three panels, but that in front of driver was soon protected by heavy gauge wire netting. Later this was boarded in leaving a porthole about the same size as those on steam locomotive cabs. The bird-proofing idea was well to the fore when the NER's autocars (push & pull) coaches were built: these had two portholes.

Number 326 (July 1967)

G.M. Kitchenside.  Britain's last steam main line. 278-82.
Survey on state of motive power, predominantly Bulleid rebuilt Pacifics (Merchant Navy and West Country classes) on Waterloo to Bournemouth services during final period of steam operation: failure rates (mainly injectors) and the assistance of TIA water softening and thermic siphons to prolong period between boiler washouts.

New stock for Bournemouth. 288-9.
Push & pull operation nin conjunction with a wide  range of motive power: electro-diesel locomotives, diesel electric locomotives and multiple units acting as tractor units: 4TC, 3TC, 4REP and 4VEP. Plans and elevations.

Charles F. Klapper. 30 years of the Portsmouth electrics. 292-5.
Includes a general history of the Portsmouth Direct Line and its electrification with low interest rate loans provided by the Railway Finance Corporation and the ready supply of electricity through tje National Grid. The rolling stock is also described. Klapper's contacts with Grasemann and Raworth are interesting and positive: the latter looked forward to 120 mile/h running on the Southern..

Take four. G.F. Heiron. 296-9.
Black & white photographic feature based on work in the Coalpit Heath area of Bristol. Cameras used are described.

Cecil J. Allen. East Coast expresses. Locomotive running past & present — No. 178. 301-4.
High speed runs either King's Cross to York (pass) or stop: A4 No. 2511 Silver King on Silver Jubilee; No. 4496 Golden Shuttle on the Coronation and Deltic D9014 The Duke of Wellington's Regiment when 100 mile/h was attained all over the place.including on ascent to Stoke Summit

C.P. Cook. Railways in Vietnam. 305.
Devastation inflicted by the United States bombing and great reduction in passenger numbers.

M.C. Reed. Operating the London & Birmingham Railway. 306-9.
Regarded itself as a passenger railway with premium quality freight, handled via carriers such as Pickford's, was a secondary activity. The canal was for heavy freight and only a shortage of water in September 1838 prompted the railway to convey heavy freight to Wolverton for onwards transport by canal. Initial services were slow, but were gradually speeded up. There were few initial services, but increases came with traffic off the Midland at Rugby and from north of Birmingham  Illustrations: Camden locomotive depot and Curzon Street Birmingham at time of opening. See corriegendum p. 458

New books. 312

Southern steam. O.S. Nock. David & Charles. 200pp. Reviewed by HS
The excellent bag of motive power assets taken over by the Southern Railway in 1923 included some highly efficient locomotives from each of the three major constituents. As these were tailored to widely differing demands including axleloads and water supplies, it was not practicable to select standard, all-line types from among them. Other valuable assets were R. E. L. Maunsell and the team of steam locomotive engineers and the motive power organisa- tion which he had built up on the SECR. Under Maunsell's leadership SR steam locomotive policy followed what Mr. Nock calls a "straightforward and efficient, if not a very exciting course "-remarkable nevertheless in view of the SR management's concentration of resources and effort on electrification, while to many people the" Schools" were exciting in their performance. Startling indeed were the designs of O.V.S. Bulleid, who succeeded Maunsell in 1937 and continued in office until 1949. From the stand- point of locomotive design the author writes enthrallingly. He has declined, however, to discuss the Leader, one of the least orthodox steam locomotive types ever conceived. His reason is that "it is still too early". Surely it is fast becoming late as records perish and memories fade? Nobody is better qualified than Mr. Nock to describe the Leader clearly and informatively and, duly citing its designer's views, to comment on the design-elucidating what has already appeared in technical journals and more popular writings. As regards the performance of the engines inherited by the Southern and of the Maunsell post- Grouping and Bulleid designs, Mr. Nock's failure to deal in greater detail with running in the earlier years after Grouping, and the limited data afforded by the logs which he reproduces, result in an incomplete picture of Southern steam achievements. Connoisseurs will resent omissions and less than justice for their favourites or undue praise for their aversions. The author in fact has lost an opportunity of creating a really valuable work. He is never tedious, however, and whatever its defects this book will be read from cover to cover by all amateurs of the Southern Railway and its constituents and by many of their former servants..

The Aspinall era. H.A.V. Bulleid Ian Allan. 270pp Reviewed by GMK
Sir John Aspinall was one of the great railway general managers; he ably piloted the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway for almost 20 years from the turn of the century until 1919 when he became a director of the L& Y and in the uncertain conditions after the first world war became more of an adviser than an active participant in day-to-day railway management. Indeed, it was probably as general manager of the L&Y that Aspinall was best known. But equally he was one of the foremost mechanical engineers of his time, for he had charge of the L&Y locomotive and carriage department from 1886 until 1899.
From his youngest days John Aspinall had made up his mind that he was going to be a railway engineer and in 1868 became a pupil at Crewe Works where he worked under Ramsbottom. After serving his time Aspinall gained experience in the locomotive running department and later became assistant to F. W. Webb. When he was no more than 23 years of age Webb recommended him for the position of Chief Assistant to MacDonnell, Locomotive Superin- tendent of the Great Southern & Western Railway of Ireland, and in 1882 he was appointed as Locomotive Engineer to succeed McDonnel1. Thus with first-hand experience of railways from the late 1860s until the 1920s John Aspinall saw the emergence of railways from their primitive days to the refinements that go to make a modern railway. Indeed he saw through his life span most of the developments that brought the steam locomotive to its height of perfection and lived to see the exploits of the Gresley and Stanier Pacifies in the early 1930s. H.A.V. Bulleid ably describes the events of the Aspinall era, not merely those with which Sir John was directly connected but also the many developments of the time on other railways. lt is no mere account in chronological order but an entertaining and highly readable semi- biography of the man, his life and events of the day. The photographic illustrations cover locomotives, rolling stock and trains from his days at Crewe to the locomotives of the early grouping period, while the diagrams illustrate many detail fittings developed by Aspinall from such things as the early chain brakes, the Aspinall foghorn to an early L&Y dynamometer. Although inevitably angled towards Aspinall's career on the L&Y the book is of considerable general interest in portraying many of the other characters who became famous as locomotive superintendents and chief mechanical engineers of other railways in later years.

LMS Album; compiled by C.C. Dorman. Ian Allan. 144pp.
The LMS was the largest of the four groups established in the 1923 amalgamation and its locomotive stock included more than 10,000 engines of several hundred classes. In LMS Album Mr. Dorman has assembled about 250 photographs portraying scenes on the LMS system from points as widespread as Euston and Lybster, and Henstridge (on the Somerset & Dorset) to Tilbury. While it has been impossible to illustrate every class the compiler has assembled a variety of subjects ranging through the better known LNW and Midland classes to Highland 4-4-0s and 4-6-0s, via L&Y 2-4-2Ts, North Stafford 0-6-2Ts and Maryport & Carlisle 0-4-2s. There are the standard LMS classes including the Garratts, a variety of Fowler and Stanier tank engines and examples from the GSW and Caledonian. We have the expected views of trains climbing Camden Bank, of a Midland double-headed express leaving Carlisle and the inevitable LNW 4-6-0 passing Kenton; among the unusual we have a North Stafford 0-4-4T at Leek, a scene on the Leek & Manifold Valley light railway, a North London line train at High- gate and an LNW 2-4-2T on a Bletchley-Banbury local, with a most extraordinary coach in tow about which Mr. Dorman says nothing. Indeed in too many instances the captions are a little vague and this reviewer would have preferred a little more explanation. In some cases, too, the photograph consists of nothing more than a very close view of the locomotive without train or location, possibly as a result of the print being trimmed too closely. In general, reproduction quality is good, although one or two have suffered in block- making. Nevertheless, LMS Album succeeds in portraying the various facets of the largest of Britain's railways.

LMS Pacifics - a pictorial tribute. Roundhouse Books. 128pp.
From the 1930s almost until electrification the Stanier Pacifies were a familiar part of the LMS scene, more particularly on the West Coast route from Euston to Liverpool, Crewe, Carlisle and north to Glasgow and Perth. There were two basic classes, the "Princesses" and the "Coronations", plus that ill-fated locomotive No. 6202, originally turbine-driven but later rebuilt in more conventional form to have but a short life until it was wrecked at Harrow & Wealdstone. As a tribute to the LMS Pacifies Roundhouse Books have produced an Album devoted entirely to photographs of these engines in service, on shed, in works or just standing idly posing for the photographer. Full use is made of the large page size with, in general, one photograph per page. However, even this reviewer, who regards the Stanier "Coronation" Pacifies as the finest locomotives in the country, finds that the mass of similar views, nearly all three-quarter front view shots, tends to become a little indigestible and would have preferred to see fewer but larger reproductions, with more thought of making the best use of layout by varying the block size and including a few photographs across two pages This apart the book succeeds well in portraying the two classes in action and should be on the bookshelves of all interested in these fine engines. The blocks are well reproduced on heavy art paper.

Rails in the Isle of Wight. P.C. Allen and A.B. Macleod. George Allen & Unwin. 68pp and 60pp illustrations. Reviewed by G.M. Kichenside
Although the Isle of Wight Railway system was small its history was complex with, at grouping, no fewer than five companies involved in Island railway operation. At its maximum from 1900 until 1952 the system boasted 58 route miles, a considerable contrast to today's 8½ mile line from Ryde to Shanklin, now modernised with electric trains. The physical isolation of the Island railways has always meant that locomotive and rolling stock tended to last longer on the Island than on the mainland simply because the cost of replacement was inevitably high. As a result enthusiasts could always find locomotives and stock on the Island of a pattern that had long since disappeared from the mainland. Size for size the Island railways have always had more than their fair share of enthusiast interest, a fact brought home during the last weeks of steam working in 1966 when thousands of enthusiasts could be found along the lineside between Ryde and Shanklin. Rails in the Isle of Wight does not purport to be a detailed history of Island railways, for that aspect has already been covered elsewhere, but is an attempt by the authors to give a broad picture, amply illustrated, of how the Isle of Wight railways looked and were during the 104 years or so of steam operation; in this the authors have succeeded very well. A. B. MacLeod was General Manager of the Isle of Wight lines in Southern days from 1928 to 1934 and his highly entertaining anecdotes, many amusing rather than serious, show that Island railway operation was by no means the hit-and-miss affair that it has often been made out to be. Particularly entertaining is the account of the occasion when the Southern's Chief Operating Officer and his wife, returning from Bournemouth to Waterloo, gave notice that they wished to travel via Yarmouth, Newport, Ryde and Portsmouth and would take tea in the train between Ningwood and Ryde Esplanade.
Appendices describe rolling stock and liveries used on the Island and tables show all the locomotives that have run on the Isle of Wight. Signalling, too, receives its fair share of attention and diagrams, which could have been clearer, show the gradients, curvature and track plans of all the Island lines. The many illustrations depict Island trains from the middle of the last century until the end of steam; among the more interesting are an aerial view of Ryde Pier, a rare shot of E4 No. 2510 at Medina Wharf and some shots of coaches and locomotives being swung ashore by the floating crane at Medina Wharf. There are two paintings by C. Hamilton Ellis, one of Newport Station in 1923 with trains of the three Island companies and another in Southern days at Ryde PierHead. However, the price seems high for the content.

Letters. 314

Midland Pullmans. R.C. Ormiston-Chant and R.R. Cody
In his brief but delightful essay on Highland Pullmans Hamilton Ellis mentioned the Midland short one at Cheadle Heath Goods Yard, and wondered if it was still around. This car was by legend St. Louis, though we should like to know how come, and it along with the other structures at the yard was turned over and fired late in 1965 when the yard was abandoned. We presume the MR type Pullman thus has vanished forever. One of us was present, or rather nearby, at the cremation, and we note that some etched glass paniels and sundry odd metal ware survived.

More on ROD 2-8-0s. J.W.P. Rowledge
SIR,- The notes by your correspondents T. J. Leedham and B. D. Whebell about the continued use of the ROD 2-8-0s in Australia are most interesting. They do unfortunately introduce some measure of discrepancy compared with previously published data about the disposals between 1919 and 1929. It is my understanding that the following were sold to Messrs. J. & A. Brown in 1923:-

According to previously published data, maker's numbers 21857, 21885 and 22208 (given in the letters mentioned) became LNER 6589 (3783), 6598 (3801) and GWR 3095. Perhaps there had been exchanges of maker's plates before sale. Can any reader state the order in which the three GCR built engines were renumbered in Australia? Mr. Whebell states that No. 21 was built by Kitsons in 1918. The only engine that it could have been was ROD No. 1615, Kitson's No. 5201, which has previously been shown as sold to a Chinese railway. In all probability ROD No. 2137 actually went to China with 46 others (through the hands of Messrs. Armstrong Whitworth). I have no Browns' number for ROD 1980. Could it have been No. 18? One of the engines sold to Browns is understood to have hauled the Allied representatives to the signing of the Armistice in November 1918. Can anyone give the number of this engine? Two other engines are understood to have been shipped to Australia to a purchaser by the name of Arnold, possibly in New South Wales. These were ROD Nos. 171I (Nasmyth Wilson 1254 of 1918) and 1908 (NBL 21775 of 1917). Does anyone know of their history in Australia?

More on ROD 2-8-0s. D.P. Love
With reference to the recent correspondence in your magazine concerning the Richmond Vale Railway in New South Wales, I have to hand a letter which I have just received from the Railway Engineer for Joe A. Brown and Abermain Seaham Collieries Limited who states that he is unaware of any intention by the Company to replace the ex-ROD 2-8-0, by diesel locomotives or by road transport. Despite the fact that Mr. Thorne saw several of these locomotives in a semi-scrapped condition I am informed that all 13 of the locomotives are being maintained in serviceable condition. The ex-Mersey Railway Locomo- tives Nos. 5 and 8 have, apparently, been retained for a Museum Society.

More on ROD 2-8-0s. R.T. Horne
May I make a couple of corrections to my letter on ROD 2-8-0s in Australia (January 1967 issue). J. & A. Brown locos Nos. 15 and 16 were obviously built in 1918 and not 1919 as stated. The line was opened for horse traction in 1854, the first locomotives being built in 1856. The locomotives stored in the Hay Shed have now, except for the Mersey tanks, been cut up. The Avonside 0-6-OST No. 2 has been repaired and is back in service. The railway has decided, in view of the great cost, neither to dieselize nor turn it into a road for the present and so steam will continue for some time yet.

GSW "snow plough" . M.F. Brewster
With regard to the piece of iron-mongery, illustrated on page 170 of your April issue, it would appear that M r. Radway has been misled about its use. I have shown this photograph to several people, whose memory extends to 1900 or so. Apparently, this is a road-scraper used for levelling, scraping, or clearing dirt roads before the use of tar-macadam for surfacing. It was a common sight in Stirlingshire and Perthshire (and presumably elsewhere), on the road, of the time. When in use, it was pulled by the lower handle, the scraper then touching the road, but was pushed, using the upper handle, when being moved from one place to another. The scraper part consists of a number of flat plates, free to slide upwards. 1 think this can be just made out from the photograph. This was designed to clear any fixed projecting stones or rocks, or other irregularities, which would have caught a full-width one-piece scraping plate. In those days, they were not too fussy if rocks stuck out an inch or two! No-one recalled seeing it used as a snow-plough. It was suggested that it would have been used originally on the station road or in the station yard, to keep the dirt surface in good trim.

Beam engine preservation .Andrew Emmerson. University Transport Society
Some readers will already know of the beam engine which is being preserved at the University of Kent at Canterbury This historic engine was used at Clowes Wood on the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway when it was opened in 1829, and has now been delivered at the University. It will be restored and should be on view for all to see within the next 18 months. The only problem remaining is the usual matter of finance; however we are pleased to report that funds raised by students and staff are now within £25 of the target figure. If any readers would like to contribute towards this unique enterprise we should be very grateful.

Number 327 (August 1967)

I.S. Carr. End of the Tyneside electrics. 326-30.
Includes logs of performance. Howellification took place on South Tyneside on 6 January 1963; the Quayside line on 29 February 1964 and North Tyneside in June 1967.

'River Mite' — the R&ER's new 2-8-2. 335
Commissioning ceremony

G.M. Kitchenside. Forty years of the RHDR. 336-41.

Cecil J. Allen. 4498 rejuvenated. Locomotive running past & present   — No. 179. 348-51
Preserved A4 No. 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley after overhaul at Crewe Works: logs of performance from Crewe to Carlisle and from Carlisle to Hellifield

Paul Towers. The Isle of Man Railway reopens. 354-6.
On 3 June 1967.

New books. 357; 359

The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. R.W. Kidner. Oakwood Locomotion Papers No. 35. 34pp.
Reviewed by MJ

Light railways of the First World War. W.J.K. Davies. David & Charles. 196pp.
Reviewed by HS: highly critical of poor maps and lack of appreciation of military structures

Day trip to Ashington. 358
Stephenson Locomotive Society and Manchester Locomotive Society rail tour to Ashington hauled by Jubilee No. 45562 and travel over National Coal Board railway behind 0-6-0T No. 39 (three photographs)

Letters 361

The First Three-Figure Speed. C.R. Weaver
While argument rages over the events or non-events of 9 May 1904, may I raise the point that even had City of Truro achieved 100 m.p.h. this might not have been the first occasion on which such a speed has been reached? I refer to the test run of L&Y No. 1392 between Liverpool and Southport on July 15, 1899. It is said that the 17 miles out of Liverpool were covered in 12¾min start-to-pass, an average of 80 m.p.h. Now unless even time were attained within 6¼ miles the average speed over the remaining distance would be 100 m.p.h., which, if true, is a vastly different story from a transitory maximum of 102 or even a drawn-out 112 down-hill! Are any further facts available on the circumstancesof this trial?
While I admit to being very sceptical on this matter, it has always seemed odd to me that writers ever since 1900 have been at pains to stress that Aspinall's 4-4-2 was a freak design and was always coni pared unfavourably with the GNR counterparts. I am now of the opinion that the comparison would have been to the detriment of the GNR locomotive, which in its original form was rather disappointing. On the other hand, Aspinall's engine was fast, stable and posessed considerable boiler power, and the test run in question would not be impossible from a motive power angle. Did Aspinall stage a counter blast to the GNR without realising the full potential of his locomotive with the result quoted and then have to keep it quiet because of public opinion? Such a happening would account for the ostracism of the L&Y Atlantics by pro-GN writers.

Kylala exhaust. H. Holcroft 
Referring to the correspondence in the April issue regardng the Kylala exhaust this was tried on the SE&CR and is illustrated and described in my Locomotive Adventure Vol 2. A drawing appears on page 144 and a photograph on page 33 and on page 262 a run is described with a "Lord Nelson" fitted with a K.c. blast pipe.

City of Truro. John F. Clay. 
There is not a mass of supporting evidence for the 100 m.p.h. claim for City of Truro; there is a mass of contradictory evidence. The more one delves the more evident it becomes that we do not know what really happened. Using 1/5 of a second as the unit of time and ¼ mile as the unit of distance there is no way of distinguishing with certainty between 98 and 102 m.p.h. however experienced the recorder. Accepting this limitation we still have to face the fact that Rous Marten's sequence of mile post readings and his passing time for Wellington station cannot both be right. In Fifty Years of Great Western Express Running O.S. Nock gives a convincing reconstruction of the figures based on the assumption that the mile post readings were correct, within the normal limits of timing error, but that the Wellington passing time was incorrect.
The Post Office official who also timed the run has been identified as a man with some experience of train timing. His estimate of 99-100 m.p.h. suggests a better acceptance of the practical realities of train timing than Rous Marten's precise 102.3 but a rigorous acceptance of the Plymouth newspaper's account would, however, increase confusion because it put the record "between Wellington and Taunton" while Rous Marten's milepost readings puts the maximum before Wellington. In 1904 Rous Marten put the check at Wellington in one account and "afterwards" in another. The late Chief Locomotive Inspector Flewellen, writing in 1931, put the check 2¾ miles below Wellington but a correspondent in another magazine in August 1954 recalled having seen the platelayers stepping back off the track near Wellington West Box. It should not be assumed without proof that the run was without trouble in spite of the good running between Taunton and Bristol. In The Engineer Rous Marten revealed that the original intention was for City of Truro to work through to Paddington but for some unstated reason the Bristol standby engine Duke of Connaught was taken with happy results.
It will be seen that there is no way to reconcile all the published "facts" and some have to be abandoned. It is submitted that the most attractive explanation is that a speed in the 98-100 range was reached before Wellington station. The very high rate of acceleration suggested by Rous Marten's mile post readings is not impossible on the steeper gradients but it would require a horse-power unreasonably high, for a saturated 4-4-0 of moderate dimensions, on the flatter grades below Wellington. Rous Marten published a similar speed curve, while on 7 May, two days before the record, he timed 95½ rn.p.h. with City of Exeter It must be emphasised that all this is pure supposition, no proof exists nor is any likely to appear now.
In view of its massive contribution to locomotive science in the first quarter of the 20th century, the GWR is unfortunate in that full confirmation eludes the very high speeds attained by 3440, 2903 and 6015. This is not a partisan viewpoint but a plain statement of fact. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Cecil J. Allen for his insistence on full verification for speed claims, otherwise "records" based on the platform and rumour and the pot house boast would gain wide currency. For example a very experienced train timer, now a high ranking BR officer, has confessed to recording 170 m.p.h. on the LMS in Scotland while returning from a wedding. It may also be revealed that "according to a normally reliable source", in the autumn of 1940, somewhere in the Eastern counties a "Claud" outran a marauding Junkers 88. If Mr. Alien will not accept these "records" may others join our Western counterparts in the well worn sport of detecting "bias"?

Number 328 (September 1967)

A.M. Lawrence. The first railway to Edgware. 374-8,
Edgware, Highgate & London Railway approved by Parliament on 3 June 1862. Due to difficulties in construction and finance the Great Northern Railway took over on 15 July 1967 and opened on 22 August 1867. Branch lines were opened to Alexandra Palace on 2 May 1873 and to High Barnet on 1 April 1872. Further extensions towards Watford were considered but not advanced, and the several connections with the City are considered including the.projection of North London Railway services over these lines, the use of the Metropolitan Railway to Moorgate and the Great Northern & City tube capable of accepting main line stock. The London Passenger Transport Boards projects of 1936 were only partly implemented and this left both the original terminus at Edgware and Alexandra Palace without trains, and the link to Finsbury Park from Highgate uncompleted. Electrification was considered by both the GNR and the LNER and the former built some 0-8-2Ts in an endeavour to cope with the heavy gradients. The 0-8-2Ts did well on the trials (data from tests conducted in 1903 tabulated) but they were not acceptable to the Metropolitan Railway. Illustrations: Highgate station in 1868 with Sturrock 0-4-2WT; Sentinel railcar Rising Star leaving Church End for Edgware in 1929; K2 No. 4648 at Edgware on 5 June 1937; N2 No. 4738 at Mill Hill The Hale on 5 June 1937; N2 No.2663 at Stroud Green on 11 August 1945 (all H.C. Casserley); Finchley Central station during April 1940 with N2 about to leave for Finsbury Park and Underground train on test.

G. Freeman Allen. The "Capitole": SNFC's first regular 125 mph express. 379-81+
Paris to Toulouse and Toulouse to Paris evening first class only high speed trains with air conditioned restaurant cars.

Alan Williams. 30 years of the Portsmouth electrics. Part 2. 382-5.

W.J.K. Davies. Adieu, Réseau Breton. 386-9.

Robert E. Jowitt. A day to remember. 389-
The final Réseau Breton. metre gauge freight services

Cecil J. Allen. Half-a-century of train travel—No. 180. Steam and electric to Bournemouth. 396-400.
Somewhat confusingly includes rebuilt Merchant Navy performance between Sidmouth Junction an Salisbury as well as same locomotive type and EMU journeys between Southampton and Waterloo and one down EMU journey.

New books. 106-7

From Inverness to Crewe: the British 4-6-0 locomotive. Martin Evans. Model Aeronautical Press 164pp. Reviewed by HS.
In view of the importance—if not always the success—of LSW and Southern Eastleigh-built and of GE Stratford-built, let alone GW Swindon-built, 4-6-0s, the choice of title for this competent study is misleading, notwithstanding the statement in the preface. Mr. Evans deals with 4-6-0 tender engines of British railways in a workmanlike manner, with performance data, a chapter on the locomotive exchanges of 1948, and photographs (general views). General-arrangement drawings would have been welcome, not to mention an index.

The GWR Stars, Castles and Kings Part 1 1906-1930. O.S. Nock. David & Charles 160pp. Reviewed by MJ.
The fourth book in this publisher's series of locomotive monographs is devoted to the history and development of the classic Great Western express locomotives which had their origin soon after the turn of the century and culminated in the introduction of the Kings, the most powerful 4-6-0 ever to run on a British railway. Mr. Nock goes into considerable technical detail in tracing the background to the various developments and includes much operating and performance data in his text. In a prelude he surveys Great Western locomotive practice in the closing years of the last century while Dean was still in office and the gradual introduction of Churchward's features in the last of the Dean designs. The author outlines the introduction of Churchward's taper boiler, which, in its various developments, was used on many later Great Western, LMS and BR standard locomotives. The comparative performance between the French Atlantics and Great Western 4-4-2s and 4-6-0s and between two and four-cylinder engines which led to the ultimate adoption of a four-cylinder 4-6-0 design is ably chronicled. Although not strictly within the scope of the present work the author describes the origin and development of Churchward's Pacific The Great Bear, for its history is inevitably bound up with the development of the Star and Castle class locomotives. Of particular interest in the chapters on the Castles are the descriptions of the runs made by the Castle class locomotives on the West and East Coast main lines. The background to the King class design is of interest, particularly in Sir Felix Pole's insistence on a tractive effort of 40,000 lb, largely to claim the title of Britain's most powerful locomotive for publicity purposes but at the expense of increased construction costs. The text is liberally illustrated with photographs and diagrams, although the publishers have clearly borne in mind one of the criticisms of an earlier volume by including fewer and larger photographs. This book is an undoubted must for any Great Western student and enthusiast and indeed for those of other railways, for Great Western locomotive practice lay behind many of the designs of the other group companies when Swindon-trained engineers took up posts elsewhere. Volume II which will bring the story up to date from 1930 is awaited with interest.

The Dalmelllngton Iron Company—its engines and men. David L. Smith. David & Charles. 226pp. Reviewed by C.H.
One day last summer the author of this book took me up into the Ayrshire hills to renew my association with Dalmellington and Loch Doon. The last time I had visited the area was during the first world war when the countryside from Patna to Dalmellington seemed to be dotted with puffs of steam and smoke from the DICo engines moving about on their lawful occasions. These purposeful activities have given way to today's lesser doings concerned only with the winning and transportation of coal. In this book David Smith tells first the history of the company and then of the locomotives and men employed by it. The whole story unfolds in his inimitable style and is punctuated with anecdote and incident in a way that brings the people concerned to life. No matter whether he is writing a book, reading a paper or just telling one something of interest the author has the very precious gift of mingling dry fact with the typical pawky humour of the Lowland Scot, so that his words live in one's memory. When the story is one in which members of his own family have played such active and important parts as in this DICo history, the result is a book which is at once a tribute to the redoubtable men from the Houldsworth's to the Bairds & Dalmellington people, who made the DICo what it was, and a valuable contribution to the history of industrial Scotland, not to mention the purely railway interest. The publishers have done a splendid job with this book and have dressed it in a jacket which sets it off delightfully. Once again, the illustrations are well done. If I have one criticism it is the lack of a map a little larger than those in the book for I found a difficulty in always finding the right one at the right time. Apart from that one point the book is one any enthusiast should be happy to have on his shelves.

Letters. 410-11

Record runs. G. A. Philpot
I'notice that Mr. J. F. Parke has taken me to task in his recent letter, apparently branding me as an extremist! Nevertheless, I had made no statement that was in any way misleading. Of course everyone must have his own preferences. With regard to the City of Truro episode, my particular preference lies with the various versions of its record-breaking run which conclude that the maximum speed attained was at least 100 m.p.h. Perhaps the best reasoned argument in favour of this was written by Mr. O. S. Nock, and published some years ago in his book Fifty Years of Western Express Running. I agree that the case quoted by Cecil J. Allen in his article was also well reasoned—I did not suggest otherwise. But 1 feel that he could have quoted the other version, and allowed the reader to make his own choice. This would have been an " objective" approach to the problem; after all, the evidence quoted by Mr. Allen is by no means new. The most important point is that at this distance in time no amount of wrangling is likely to resolve the question; whichever view one takes the performance of City of Truro was, for that period, quite exceptional.
In conclusion, perhaps I should make it clear that I enjoy reading Cecil J. Allen's most authoritative articles, which are normally written in a vein of strict impartiality. But on occasion the Great Western seems to have been treated rather unfairly, not to say illogically, in his writings. As an example, the "93 m.p.h." version was published by Mr. Alien elsewhere in July 1934. It was then repeated in the Railway World article last March, when Mr. Allen concluded that it was " .... unlikely that the speed attained was more than 93-95 m.p.h ..... " Yet in 1962 was published a booklet entitled Great Western, written by Cecil J. Alien. Describing City of Truro's exploit, he wrote" .... City of Truro .... finally touched 102½ m.p.h ..... , a feat which has earned the preservation of City of Truro in perpetuity as Britain's first locomotive to attain 100 m.p.h." As Mr. Parke so rightly says: "Surely we have reached a stage at which objective study of railway operation must be the first essential "—I agree with him entirely!

Record runs. H.F. Maybank
I'do not agree with Mr. John F. Clay's assertion that "Rous Marten's sequence of mile post readings and his passing time for Wellington station cannot both be right ". The two can certainly be reconciled, if we accept Mr. Cecil J. Allen's reasonable correction of the minimum figure at Whiteball from 62 to 52 m.p.h.
The quarter-mile timed by Rous Marten just after Whiteball tunnel took 11.0sec—that is, 82 m.p.h. The speed of the train at the first quarter-mile post must therefore have been 80 or nearly, so that the ¾ mile from Whiteball summit to this quarter-mile post, assuming 52 at the summit, would have taken 41sec approximately (average about 66 m.p.h.). The next two miles, according to Rous Marten's readings, took 1 min 19sec. The final mile to Wellington station started with the sudden reduction to about 50 m.p.h., so that this mile could have taken about 1 min 05sec. Adding these three times together we have a total of 3min 05sec from Whiteball summit to Wellington station. Rous Marten's passing times give us 3min 07sec. No very serious discrepancy here, I suggest. Rous Marten left no record, as far as 1 know, of maximum speed between Wellington and Norton Fitzwarren; but his passing times still do not appreciably conflict with probability. The first l.4 miles after Wellington—as far as Poole Siding, that is—could have taken about 1 min 09sec (average 73 m.p.h.), assuming speeds of about 60 at Wellington and 85 at Poole Siding. From there to Norton Fitzwarren, at an average of 87 m.p.h., would have taken 2min 35sec. This produces a total of 3min 44sec from Wellington to Norton Fitzwarren, and 6min 49sec all the way from Whiteball to Norton Fitzwarren. Rous Marten's passing times make it 6min 48sec, and so we have good grounds for concluding that they are substantilly correct.

RODs in Australia. F.G. Butcher. 411
J.W.P. Rowledge is substantially correct, with the following amendments. ROD 1980 is No. 18; Gorton engines 2002 became J. A. Brown No. 22, 2003 became No. 24 and 2004 became No. 23. J. A. Brown's No. 21 was ROD 1615 Kitson 5201; according to my notes, ROD 2137 NBL 22227 was cut up at Gretna in 1927. One other point needs correction, Messrs. Arnold purchased two engines, ROD No. 1711 as shown in Rowledge's letter, but the other was ROD 1808 NBL 21775, not 1908: 1908 became LNER 6598. These locomotives have interested me for many years, and there are still some gaps to be filled, the answers to which [ am afraid we shall never know; my own list has no information on the following ROD Nos. 1702, 1703,1710, 1745, 1846, 1994, 2077, 2080, 2083, 2086, 2125, 2128, 2129, 2161, 2163, 2164, 2166, 2167.

Number 329 (October 1967)

David Jenkinson. The "Royal Scots". Part 1. 422-7.
Mainly externals: liveries, names (including the original ones such as Lady of the Lake and Vesta), smoke deflectors, etc. with several tables of dates.

H.T.S. Bailey. 'The things that have gone'. 432-5.
Reminiscences of Great Northern Railway (Ireland) began in 1941 during WW2 where he obtained a footplate pass for use between Belfast and Dublin where he eventually consumed a very substantial lunch and return in 1966 to journey in a diesel multiple unit.

R.H.N. Hardy. Memories of Stewarts Lane. Part 1. 436-9.
Includes memories (and photograph) of Running Foreman Fred Pankhurst and Driver Sam Gingell. Difficulties of man management where working conditions especially timekeeping had become very lax.

Cecil J. Allen. Castle to Western on the WR. Locomotive running past & present — No. 181. 440-5.
Performance logs of running between Paddington and Taunton (and return) behind Nos. D1058 Western Nobleman, 4074 Caldicot Castle, 6002 King William IV, and 46237 City of Bristol, and returns behind latter pair plus Warship No. D837 Ramilles and D1045 Western Viscount.

From elephants to Bulleid Pacifics. 446
David Shepherd's paintings

K. Hoole. The first ECJS dining car trains. 447-51.
The GNR had introduced catering vehicles on 1 November 1879, but their introduction onto East Coast Joint Stock services was slow and not until 24 July 1893, but third class dining cars were included from the start. Vehicles were sold to the North Eastern Railway, but were subsequently returned to Joint Stock services.

K. Hoole. Straight-sided stock of the NER — a postscript. 451.

New books. 456

The story of passenger transport in Britain. J. Joyce. Ian Allan. 208pp.
Reviewed by MJ: clear concise account

The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. J. Cupit and W. Taylor. Oakwood. 42pp.
Reviewed by GMK

The Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. E.J.S. Gadsden, C.F.D Whetmath and J. Stafford-Baker. Oakwood. 51pp.
Reviewed by MJ

Letters. 458-9.

Correction. M.C. Reed.
Harrow should have been added to list of stations served by mixed trains

Midland Pullmans. R.K. Graham. 459
Includes photograph of Pullman extant, but in poor condition at Hellifield mpd.

Number 330 November 1967

R,H.N. Hardy. Memories of Stewarts Lane. Part 2. 470-3.

I.F. Finlay. Stamps. 473

Cecil J. Allen. 1942—1967 Ian Allan Ltd — a publishing success story. 474-8.
[KPJ: please note tenses have not bee n changed]
From time to time history has recorded a "success story" of some enterprise which has been launched as the result of its founder not merely foreseeing some public demand, but actually creating that demand by his own farsightedness. This could certainly be said of the thriving publishing business of Ian Allan Ltd, which this year is celebrating the Silver Jubilee of a publication which anticipated by three years the actual formation of the Company, though proving to be the first step leading towards the latter event. This publication was the ABC of Southern locomotives, which Ian Allan produced in 1942 at the age of no more than 20 years.
In 1938, when only 16, Ian Allan lost a leg; this and his failure to pass the school certificate examination dashed his hopes of achieving his ambition to become a cadet of the former Southern Railway. But John Elliott—now Sir John—then Assistant General Manager of the SR, offered him a post in the Public Relations Office at Waterloo, a position in which he was "directed" to remain for the duration of hostilities following the outbreak of war in 1939. While his claim that he was "the only member of the PRO staff who knew one end of a locomotive from the other" may be taken as a slight exaggeration, his intimate knowledge of locomotives soon began to have effect. Letters which constantly arrived thirsting for information about locomotive matters began as a matter of course to be referred to him for reply, and to simplify this task he compiled, with the help of S.K. Packham, Chief Clerk in the department, a notebook containing the names, numbers, classes, and shed allocations of all Southern locomotives, with an alphabetical list of the various classes and their leading dimensions. This proved so useful as to prompt a suggestion to his chief, Cuthbert Grasemann, that the SR might publish this compilation as a small booklet, thereby saving a great deal of letter-writing and possibly making a small profit for the Company into the bargain.
The proposal was turned down, but AlIan was informed that no objections would be raised to his publishing these lists on his own account. Needless to say, production in war conditions was anything but easy. but the next printer's representative who walked into the Public Relations Office happened to be a Mr. Brett, from the well-known firm of McCorquodale & Co, and to him the precious manuscript was entrusted, thereby initiating what was to prove a long and intimate association with W.C. Brett and his firm. The latter agreed to handle the production, and when the date was approaching Ian Allan inserted a small advertisement in Railways, little dreaming that before many years had passed that journal (as Railway World) would come into his own possession. Two thousand copies were ordered of the first ABC of" Southern Locomotives, and the advertised price was to be a modest shilling; postal orders for this amount soon came flowing into the author's home. On publication day in 1942—November 21—a copy was duly presented to his chief, Grasemann, and one was dispatched with compliments to O.V.S. Bulleid, the Southern Railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer.
The result was unexpected; the new enterprise very nearly foundered on the day that it was launched. For Bulleid objected so violently that anyone should publish a book about his locomotives without his knowledge that he demanded its suppression. At a tender age Ian Allan thus was threatened, on the one hand with ignominious dismissal from the Southern Railway if he did publish and with legal action for breach of copyright (though it would have been very difficult to prove precisely what copyright had been infringed), or on the other hand with repercussions from the many who had sent their shillings and would receive nothing in return.
Desperate situations require desperate remedies. So it was that Ian Allan took his life in his own hands and did publish, but at the same time he rushed a copy, with the compliments of his humble servant, to R. Holland Martin, the then Chairman of the Southern Railway. To his great delight and profound relief, he received a most charming reply from the Chairman, congratulating him on his enterprise, and welcoming the book as a boon to Southern enthusiasts. A copy of this letter was sent immediately to Grasemann, and no further objection was raised either by him or by Bulleid, who no doubt was informed of what had happened. The author, however, was barred from any further access to the Locomotive Drawing Office, and was told that from then on any further communications between himself and the Locomotive Department must pass through official channels. The first edition quickly sold out, and in the production of the "greatly enlarged and illustrated" editions that followed Ian received considerable help, especially with photographs, from O.J. Morris. The latter had been a regular contributor to the Southern Railway Magazine, and thus a frequent visitor to the Public Relations Office at Waterloo. Such had been the success of the ABC of Southern Locomotives that the thoughts of Ian Allan now turned automatically in the direction of the other three main line railways, though he realised that it would be much more difficult in these cases to acquire all the information needed. This soon became evident when the ABC of Great Western Locomotives came to birth; however, in anticipation of possible errors a small edition only was published of this ABC, so that a second and accurate edition, with all needed corrections made, was available by mid-1943. In the preparation of the latter B.W. Anwell, and other members of the SR Chief Mechanical Engineer's staff, proved to be most helpful founts of information.
The London Midland & Scottish and London & North Eastern Railways were going to be much bigger and more complicated propositions, but here Ian Allan was fortunate in that his father had some acquaintance with the then Minister of Transport. With the latter's official blessing a shower of pictures and diagrams descended from the LMS archives at Euston, and help was offered by George Dow, Public Relations Officer of the LNER at King's Cross. Friendly relations also had been established with A.B. MacLeod, then SR Stores Superintendent at Waterloo, whose help with the ABC of London Midland & Scottish Locomotives was invaluable, as also was that of a relation in compiling the ABC of LNER Locomotives.
Restrictions on paper consumption during the war meant that all editions of the ABCs were on a limited scale, but the business was growing and the circulation already was of considerable magnitude. The publishing office was the home of Ian Allan's parents at Staines. His father, G.A.T. Allan—"Father George"—held the responsible post of Clerk of Christ's Hospital, and between his working life at Horsham and his weekends at Staines contrived to keep the accounts. Ian had to divide his tim between Staines, Waterloo and Elmstead Woods, to which some of the Southern's offices by now had been evacuated. During the week this meant catching the 7.25 a.m. train and rarely getting home less than twelve hours later. Even with willing family help it was rarely that he got to bed until well after midnight, and the overflowing of the book business into office hours also was becoming something of an embarrassment. He decided to resign from the Southern Railway and to devote himself entirely to the business of publishing.
Before he had left the service of the Southern Railway, the success of the locomotive ABCs had been such as to prompt the idea that other realms of transport might be exploited in the same way. London Transport seemed a natural sequitur to the four main line railways, and as a result a new ABC including the LT railways, trams, buses, trolleybuses and coaches, saw the light of day. Notwithstanding a very poor cover design and half-tones barely recognisable because the only paper obtainable was of such shockingly bad quality, Ian AlIan was astonished that the 20,000 copies of the first edition sold out in a few days. But there was another outcome. It was an almost immediate invitation to the publisher to lunch with Charles E. Lee, President of the Omnibus Society, and with Charles F. Klapper, Editor of Modern Transport. The lunch resolved itself into a two-hour harangue, castigating the publisher for producing such an inaccurate and indeed wholly objectionable load of rubbish; this, the two critics proclaimed, they were telling Ian for his own good. When the latter naively remarked that the edition had sold out already at a modest profit, it was to receive the stern admonition that publishing was not merely a matter of commerce. "Accuracy", he was told, "is of paramount importance. In days to come all such books, even this offending example, may be used for reference and if you are to go on publishing, you must conform". So, somewhat resentfully, Ian Allan slunk back to Waterloo with his tail between his legs—having exceeded his lunch-time allowance by a full hour—but having realised that the old hands had given him a very valuable lesson. Since then the wheel has come full circle, for it now falls to Ian Allan to complain to Charles Klapper if Modern Transport does not come up to scratch, seeing that that journal passed in 1963 into Ian AlIan ownership!
Meantime there had been another happening of some importance. To supplement the various booklets which by now were widely in circulation, lan Allan conceived the idea that it might be worth while to publish a fully bound book, and that a suitable subject might be the many famous British trains carrying names, under the heading Titled Trains of Great Britain. Who should be invited to write it? A.B. MacLeod suggested the name of Cecil J. Allen, probably the best-known of all railway writers at that time, and already the author of a number of railway books. Little did lan think that "C.J.A." would entertain any such proposal from a young man like himself. But a meeting in the familiar "Room 15" at Waterloo proved to be a friendly and productive encounter, and laid the foundation of yet another association which was to prove permanent.
For, on Ian Allan deciding in 1945 to turn his publishing business into a limited company, Cecil J. Allen agreed to become one of its first directors, which he still remains, though now past the 80th "milepost" in years, in the interim having been a prolific contributor to the Company's journals and the author of many successful books that Ian Allan has published.
In 1946 Cecil J. Allen's son, Geoffrey Freeman Allen, joined the staff on the editorial side, destined later to be appointed a Director and finally Joint Managing Director; it soon became necessary to address him as "Freeman" instead of by his correct surname in order to avoid confusion with the Allans—a practice which has continued ever since.
The 1940s were eventful years. The year 1946 saw the first issue of what was soon to become a railway monthly—a slim production born in the Court Room of Christ's Hospital. Those present at this preliminary conclave were Ian Allan, G.A.T. Allan, Cecil J. Alien, Arthur Baldwin, Rixon Bucknall, H.C. Casserley, Maurice Earley and O.J. Morris. After a great deal of discussion, it was decided to call the new publication Trains Illustrated. Its appearance precipitated another clash with the law, which still, because of post-war shortages, prohibited the appearance of any new periodicals; but by publication at first at irregular intervals the Paper Controller was appeased.
The first four issues were edited by O.J. Morris; then Cecil J. Allen took over, and continued to No. 16, at the end of 1949, while from January, 1950, now with regular monthly publication, G. Freeman Allen assumed control. Under his able editorship Trains Illustrated progressed until it had attained the largest monthly circulation of any railway journal in the world; and finally, from the beginning of 1965, there came the transformation to Modern Railways. By this time there had been a gradual development from a little monthly designed for railway enthusiasts and for "spotters" in particular to what to-day is a journal of a high technical standard, circulating throughout the railway offices and held in high esteem by the administration of British Railways.
In 1949 there was a new venture. Ian Allan bv now was in such close touch with youth, through the medium of the Locospotters' Club, that a railway excursion with a special train on a fast schedule, it was thought, might prove an attraction. And so it was; the first run was to Swindon Works of the Western Region, with the inducement thrown in of the inspection of a neighbouring airfield. A fully booked train showed that this was a profitable enterprise, and each year from then on saw the organisation of fresh excursions. But by degrees the journeys grew longer, often over circuits which in parts included unfamiliar routes and with a great variety of motive power, and in the later years, with the fairly substantial fares that had to be charged because of the distances covered, the clientele gradually changed in the main to the older railway enthusiasts. Some of the most outstanding excursions have been over the system of the former Great Western Railway. One, on 9 May 1964, was to commemorate the first recorded attainment of 100 m.p.h. by a British locomotive 60 years before. Great Western "Castle" class locomotives were used to Plymouth and back, outward via Westbury and back via Bristol, and some notable performances were put up, by the famous Pendennis Castle and Clun Castle, both of which reached a top speed of 96 m.p.h. Another trip, in 1966, created a record by providing its patrons with the only non-stop journey ever made over the 305 miles from Paddington to Penzance, and also over the old London & South Western route from Plymouth to Waterloo, in both directions with diesel power and at such high speed as to give some of the party time for a helicopter trip to the Isles of Scilly and back — all in the compass of one day's round trip from London! All such excursions have been booked to capacity, as also one in 1967 to signalise the last use of steam on passenger service in the Western Region; this required two specials carrying a total of nearly 1,000 enthusiasts from London to Birkenhead and back, again headed by the veterans Pendennis Castle and Clun Castle, and created enormous public interest en route.
Of a different kind have been well patronised visits to Switzerland, both for adults with first class travel and hotel accommodation, and also with parties of young people, extending over ten days or so in each case. So in every possible way the firm of Ian Allan has been exploiting the possibilities of travel, chiefly that by rail, and with considerable success.
By 1949 the monthly Buses Illustrated had made its appearance, and also the Railway Modeller, but as the latter had not reached a stage of profitability an offer from another company to purchase it was accepted—a step which the Company realised later to have been a serious error of judgment. It is not surprising that by 1950, with all these developments in the Company's activities, the premises at Vauxhall Bridge Road were becoming inadequate, and a move had become essential. In the following year the eye of Ian Allan fell on a rambling Georgian mansion at Hampton Court, situated opposite the corner where tlie Hampton Court Road turns at a right-angle round the high wall of Hampton Court Palace grounds. The question had to be faced as to whether removal from the heart of London to the outer suburbs might make it difficult to maintain various contacts, but the decision was reached that this was not an insuperable obstacle. The house was a century-and-a-half old, having been built in 1801, and, incidentally, having been occupied for a time by the Duke of Wellington; because of its age and condition no high price was asked, and it was acquired jointly by Ian AIlan and William Brett.
But if acquisition had been easy, it was a different matter altogether to get the Twickenham Council to agree that what had been a private residence might be turned into a business office. A public enquiry was held, in which Sir Derek Walker represented the Company, and the Clerk represented the Council. Public interest in the proceedings was almost nil, and the Minister found for the Company. But for a time part of the house had to be retained as a residential flat in order to placate the Council, with which a hard fight continued on and off during the whole period of the Company's sojourn in the Borough. On the brighter side, however, it would have been difficult to find a more delightful location for the daily work of the staff; from the front of the house the eye ranged over the Green, and from the back windows it was possible to feed the deer that wander over the wide spaces of Bushy Park.
Events now moved faster than ever. In 1957 an approach was made to Ian Allan by the Locomotive Publishing Company as to the possible acquisition of the latter. The LP Company had been run by two brothers, A.R. and W.J. Bell; their former premises had been bombed out of existence during the war; both were now dead; and with great difficulty the business was being carried on almost single-handed by Charles Simpson at Horseferry Road, Westminster. Satisfactory terms were soon arranged, and so the Locomotive came into the Ian Allan orbit. It was continued as a separate publication until the end of 1959, after which it was incorporated in Trains Illustrated. Among the assets of the Locomotive Publishing Company was a collection of 25,000 glass negatives of locomotive subjects, many of them of whole-plate size, which formed part of the Ian Allan acquisition. Moving these from Westminster to Hampton Court was no light task; they had been packed in tea chests, to lift each of which required the services of two men. A team from the staff then began unpacking the negatives, sorting them, and placing them on shelves in a first floor room which had been prepared for their reception. Suddenly it was seen that the weight of the glass was beginning to separate the walls of the room from the ceiling, a gap of fully 3 inches already having opened out between the two! Hastily work began on removing the load to a safer part of the building.
The next approach to Ian Allan Ltd came from W.J. Fowler, of Cricklewood, publisher of the monthly periodicals Railway World and Model Railway Constructor. While the circulation of the former was small in comparison with that of Trains Illustrated, the latter offered an admirable opportunity for getting back into the model railway field, which so unfortunately had been abandoned by the sale earlier of Railway Modeller. As matters have since developed, Railway World, of which the circulation has been greatly increased in recent years, is now gradually taking the place in the affections of railway enthusiasts and those with nostalgic interests formerly occupied by Trains Illustrated, while the latter's successor, Modern Railways, concerns itself entirely with the technical side of railway administra- tion, equipment and operation, both at home and overseas. Through Mr. Fowler touch was established also with the Light Railway Transport League, and agreement was reached for the joint production of Modern Tramway, bringing the number of Ian AlIan periodicals up to five. The three journals, Railway World, Model Railway Constructor and Modern Tramway are controlled by a separate subsidiary company, Railway World Ltd.
Acquisitions had not yet come to an end. In 1963 the News of the World organisation offered to Ian Allan the prosperous monthly Passenger Transport, and immediately after that the weekly Modern Transport was offered also. Modern Transport had its own premises in Woburn Place, Southampton Row; it was decided to dispose of these as soon as possible, and to integrate the whole Modern Transport set-up with the Ian Allan organisation. In 1966 the decision was reached to change the format of Modern Transport completely from that of a weekly newspaper to that of a monthly technical journal, with a modern and attractive layout, and this has proved a most satisfactory move. The dressing-down that Ian Allan received years earlier from Klapper and Lee concerning the deficiencies of the former's first ABC of London Transport had long since been forgotten; Charles Klapper continued to edit Modern Transport, and had now joined the Board of the parent Company.
It need hardly be said that all these additions to the work of the ran Allan organisation had necessitated increases in the staff, and correspondingly in the staff accommodation required. By degrees additional premises had been acquired in Hampton Court Road, adjacent to the Craven House Headquarters, but it was far from convenient to have operations being carried out in buildings unconnected with one another. Once again, however, with what might seem admirable foresight but which was actually sheer coincidence, Ian Allan had been negotiating since 1962 with the Southern Region of British Railways for the purchase of a site adjacent to Shepperton station. Negotiations with the SR Estate and Rating Surveyor's Department dragged on for months (and a description of these proceedings might well fill another book!), not to mention those with the local Council, the architect, the contractors and everyone else concerned. But eventually the new building—parallel blocks on both sides of the station united by a footbridge—was brought to completion; even so, it took fully six months to move everything to the new establishment, and for the staff to settle down in their new surroundings. With underfloor heating, modern equipment and furnishing, this accommodation was considerably more comfortable than anything that many members of the staff had enjoyed—or endured!—previously.
One most interesting acquisition at this stage was of Malaga, a first class Pullman car containing a saloon, a coupe and a kitchen, which formerly had been used frequently for Royal journeys. After more negotiations with the Southern Region, this eventually was installed on a short length of track adjacent to the running lines in Shepperton station, and was "vestibuled" to that part of the new building on the up side. In the main saloon, in this most appropriate atmosphere, the Directors' meetings have been held ever since. The main building has made it possible to concentrate everything under one roof, and has the advantage of ample space for storage, for the Printing department, and, at the start, for all the staff, though with the continued expansion of the staff necessitated by expanding interests, the original idea of a separate room for almost everyone is no longer possible. Another great advantage is that of direct access from the building to the station platform for the dispatch of parcels by passenger train. The inclusion in the plans of a commodious entrance hall was originally to house a model railway exhibition associated with the Model Railway Constructor, but with space at a premium a much more valuable use was found for it.
There was at that time a director of the Festiniog Railway named H. Trevor S. Bailey, who had recently disposed of his family business, and was thinking of entering the travel trade. This was a type of enterprise which the Board of Ian Allan Ltd had been considering for some time past, and the opportunity seemed to have come. So the entrance hall, in addition to providing space for a display of the Company's products, was now furnished as a travel agency, over which Trevor Bailey was put in charge. With the absence at Shepperton of the parking restrictions that bedevil travel agencies in the surrounding district, the growth of this business right from the start was almost staggering, and it soon became obvious that branching out into other districts might prove well worth while.
Within a year a branch had been opened at nearby Ashford; in the autumn of 1966 the business was acquired of a firm in Hayes, Middlesex, which specialised in school party travel, while early in 1967 a "shop-in-shop" agreement was reached with Kennard's—a large store in Staines. A little later came a branch at West Dray ton, while in 1967 a seventh agency was opened at Alton in Hampshire, and further thoughts turned in the direction of Thames Ditton. The present Ian Allan organisation comprises a holding Company and eight subsidiaries. Ian Allan Ltd, controls the book publishing; Modern Transport Publishing Company is responsible for the professional and technical journals, Modern Railways, Modern Transport and Passenger Transport; Railway World Ltd produces Railway World and Model Railway Constructor; Railway Publications Ltd deals with all forms of transport other than railways; Locomotive Publishing Company is the retail organisation for all sales; Ian Allan (Travel) Ltd supervises the travel agencies; lan Allan (Printing) Ltd conducts the firm's printing activities; and Ian Allan (Development) Ltd looks after all the firm's properties.
Such has been the remarkable development, in no more than a quarter of a century, of an enterprise which began its history with no capital and with nothing more than two thousand copies of a shilling booklet entitled the ABC of Southern Locomotives.
Illustrations: excursion in 1955 from St. Pancras to Buxton hauled from Derby by twt 4P compound 4-4-0s; No. 6021 King Richard II on first Ian Allan excursion from Paddington to Swindon on 1 September 1949; Somerset & Dorset 2-8-0 No. 53807 leaving Evercreech Junction for Bournemouth West on Severn & Wessex Express on 14 May 1960 (Ivo Peters); Ian Allan and G.M Kitchenside in posed office shot; two Director class 4-4-0s at Sowerby Bridge on Pennine Pullman on 12 May 1956; two T9 4-4-0s en route from Exeter to Plymouth on 20 September 1958; two Fowler 2-6-4Ts on Potteries Express on 9 May 1959 and 0-10-0 No. 58100 banking train with Coronation observation car at rear in April 1955

Steam on Pilatus. 479.
Three photographs of steam railcar with horizontal boiler on steepest (1 in 2) on Locher rack.

David Jenkinson. The "Royal Scots". Part 2, 480-3. 
Mainly externals: liveries and smoke deflectors., Includes No. 6170 British Legion (illustration in red livery with single chimney); No. 6126 Royal Army Service Corps in plian black; No. 46154 The Hussar with WD tender on Southern Region during locomotive exchanges; No. 46139 The Welch Regiment in light green livery; No. 46100 Royal Scot with smoke deflectors and 46152 leaving Skipton in April 1965.

Cecil J. Allen. "City of Truro" and the "Rheingold". (Locomotive running past and present —No. 182). 484-7.

Robert E. Jowitt. The Leukerbadbahn—a Swiss tragedy.496-8.
A rack and adhesion railway which used to serve an Alpine spa above the Rhone Valley which closed on 21 May 1967 and was replaced by a bus service

Kinnaber—junction no more. 499-500.
Closure of Forfar route and diversion via Dundee with extended journey times.

Centenary of Aberdeen Joint Station. 501.
Photo-feature: Stanier Class 5 Nos. 44957 and 444669 leaving on St, Mungo on 31July 1953 (Brian E. Morrison); former GNoS 4-4-0 No. 6812 with train of six-wheel coaches leaving for Ballater on 28 May 1930 (H.C. Casserley)

New books. 504

I tried to run a railway . G.F. Fiennes. Ian Allan. 138pp. Reviewed by MJ
The events of the last week of September—-in Sir Stanley Rayrnond's words one of the blackest weeks on British Railways—culminating in the resignation of Mr. Gerard Fiennes as General Manager of the Eastern Region, are too fresh in memory to need recapitulation except to say that I I ried to run a railway was the root cause. In recent years many people have written railway books commenting on the current railway scene on what they can see by looking through the window from the outside. Mr. Fiennes, however, with years of railway management experience, writes from the inside. about his early days on the railway as a traffic apprentice, as an assistant yard master at Whitemoor, as assistant district superintendent at Burntisland to his wartime experiences in the Cambridge and Nottingham districts. In the last 20 years he moved on to take charge of the Stratford district and later the Great Northern line as Line Manager, followed by his appointment to BRB headquarters as Chief Operating Officer, then to Paddington as General Manager and finally to Liverpool Street and York as General Manager of the combined Eastern and North Eastern Regions.
Throughout, his narrative is about railways and the men who run them. Indeed, the only failing of the book to the layman is that most names are unknown outside railway circles. For all that, however, it is a highly entertaining account of the behind-the-scenes activities of day to day railway management, spiced with the author's own comments on matters outside his control or with which he did not agree. Mr. Fiennes leaves us in no doubt that he dislikes reorganisation, and contrasts the grouping period, when the LNER ran for 25 years with more or less the same organisation throughout, with BR days and the almost two-yearly upheavals. His theme throughout is clear. Let BRB officers develop new ideas for transport by rail and let the Regional Managers get on with the job of running a railway without interference, reorganisations and massive enquiries.
The Beeching Plan and the battles between the Board and the Regions in its execution show only too clearly that many closure proposals depend on the attitude of the individual. Indeed, Mr. Fiennes confirms the view held by many that some lines can be rescued by more economic operation as a basic railway. Unfortunately, one is left with the-impression that other railway managers do not always share his view. To single out anyone of the many anecdotes and reminiscences for mention would be invidious; some can only come under the heading of sheer farce and show the funny side of railway operation. All may not agree with what Mr. Fiennes says or indeed his timing but in I tried to run a railway he clearly points to much that is wrong with BR today.

Great Central  steam. W.A. Tuplin.. Allen & Unwin. Reviewed by H.S.
Whether or not one agrees with the author's well-presented views on the steam locomotive, this is an absorbing work, well written and of appeal to a much wider variety of readers than dedicated steam enthusiasts. In some degree it supplements the information in the third volume of Dow's Great Central. There is much closely-argued exposition of GCR locomotive design and practice, of considerable value as a contribution to the history of mechanical engineering. Of particular interest are the chapters on " locomotive beauty, performance and design" and on " possibilities"; the latter is concerned with such fascinating Gorton might- have-beens as an outside-cylinder 2-6-0 with outside axle-boxes for the pony truck and an inside-cylinder 4-4-0 with a 14ft coupled wheelbase. The short, sad history of the Pollitt "singles" is well summarised. The many photographs and drawings are well reproduced and captioned. Nobody interested in British railway working in the quarter- century before Grouping, especially the Edwardian decade, should fail to read this book.

Transport today & tomorrow.John Day, Peter Duff and Michael Hill. Lutterworth Press. 158pp. Reviewed by H.S.
How? Why? Where? and What? are questions fre- quently asked by young enthusiasts in seeking knowledge about transport. Many of the answers to their enquiries can be found in a new book written by authors actively engaged in the transport industry and covering railways, monorails, road transport, sea transport, hovercraft, aircraft, and rockets and space flight. Inevitably with such a widely- based approach to the subject much is omitted but the authors have succeeded in producing a good, readable introduction to transport without falling into the trap of writing down to younger readers. Included in the railway chapters are sections on signalling, underground railways, mountain railways, locomotives, coaches and freight services, and concludes with some thoughts on trains of the future. The only criticism is in some of the accompanying drawings which in a few instances are not up to the standard of the authors' text. The book is otherwise well illustrated with photographs, diagrams and sketches.

Channel Tunnel 1802-1967. A.S. Travis. Signal Transport Papers No. 2. 10Spp. Reviewed by H.S.
There could be no better time for this useful study than the present, when the Channel Tunnel looks at long last like becoming a reality within the next decade. Mr. Travis outlines the history of the various projects from the first proposal of 1802 to the applications made in April, 1967, to participate in financing the scheme now under consideration. More might have been said about the latter's technical implications for British and French Railways—jas for instance about the question of enlarging a Chunnel-London route to take Berne gauge rolling stock; one semi-official proposal is for enlargement via Maidstone East and the Catford Loop, obviating Sevenoaks, Polhill and Penge tunnels. The bibliography might have included some of the mass of matter published in French. Twenty pages of illustrations include early prints and drawings.

British platform ticket check list M.G. Stewart. Transport Ticket Society 46 duplicated foolscap pages . Reviewed by MJ
Some years ago the Ticket and Fare Collection Society published in its newsletter lists of stations that currently issued platform tickets. However, research has since brought to light more information regarding platform ticket issues, both charged and free, which has been brought within the covers of a foolscap duplicated list; the compilers claim it to be the most accurate and exhaustive survey to date on the subject of past and present platform ticket issues. The list is obtainable direct from the Society at 18 Villa Road, Luton, Beds