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Journal of the Railway & Canal Historical Society 2022 Volume 40 Part 7 |
Number 243
Robert Humm, Wingfield railway station: from Thompson to redemption.
404-12. 5 illustrations + lithoograph on front cover.
A table lists eighteen other stations which remain as constructed
prior to, and including 1840. Six are on the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway.
Paisley Gilmour Street is rather questionable as the earlier remains are
buried in later enlargements.
Francis Thompson was born
in Woodbridge, Suffolk on 25 July 1808
Gordon Biddle. Manchester termini. 422-
Manchester London Road, 1901, before rebuilding; London Road No 3 signal
box, London Road Station; Manchester Victoria, interior of trainshed, 1970
(Manchester Evening News); Manchester Exchange, exterior of trainshed, 1962
looking east with type 45 diesel; Manchester Exchange, interior of trainshed,
1962 looking west; Manchester Victoria and Exchange, layout, 1950. diagram
Manchester Central, 1964, with a corner of the Midland Hotel on right
Sources Gordon Biddle, Railway Stations in the North West: a pictorial history
(Clapham: Dalesman, 1981) Gordon Biddle, Great Railway Stations of Britain:
their architecture, growth, and development (Newton Abbot: David & Charles,
1986) Gordon Biddle, Britain’s Historic Railway Buildings: a gazetteer
of structures and sites (2nd ed, Hersham: Ian Allan, 2011) G O Holt, A Regional
History of the Railways of Great Britain, vol 10, The North West (2nd ed,
Newton Abbot: David St John Thomas, 1986)
Anthony Dawson. Three Liverpool & Manchester curiosities. 428-36
Correspondence. 437
Henry Maxwell, an eminent enthusiast. Robert Humm
RCHS Journal no 241 (July 2021), pp 291–6
and no 242 (November 2021), pp 379–380 I am much obliged for John
Hendy’s long letter of reminiscence about Henry Maxwell in the November
Journal. The occasion of Henry playing trains with Winston Churchill Jr is
delightful. A couple of points deserve comment. Maxwell’s remark that
he was merely the tea boy at ICI might very well have been said tongue in
cheek as a way of deflecting conversation away from a sensitive subject.
Whether we shall ever discover exactly what Maxwell’s role at ICI was
now seems doubtful. In the same paragraph Maxwell is quoted as saying that
Beeching and Sir Peter Allen should have been given each other’s jobs.
It might have been said in jest, for the last thing Ernest Marples wanted
at BR was a railway enthusiast. Marples had been impressed by Beeching’s
analytical contribution to the 1960 Stedeford Committee and felt he was the
right man to take the necessary unpopular decisions. He, Marples, might not
even had heard of Peter Allen at that time.
Reflections on whether ‘reeds’
were planted in the margins of newly built canals. Peter
Brown
RCHS Journal No. 242 (November 2021), pp 343-354 In the case of the Birmingham
& Liverpool Junction Canal, we can definitely say that reeds were planted
within a year of opening. On 13 May 1835 William Cubitt reported to the committee
about the finishing of the Newport Branch: ‘Mr Easton [the contractor]
has adopted a most excellent method of securing the sides of the canal on
this Branch from being washed away at the water surface by means of flagging
the top slopes with sods and planting rushes which are at an expense of about
2d per yard run makes a handsome finish to the canal and an effectual prevention
of wash on the banks.’ The wording implies that this was innovative.
Two meetings later, on 16 July 1835, Cubitt reported on the main line of
the canal. He wrote that Alexander Easton, the resident engineer, had (amongst
other protective works) been ‘lining the embankments with flags and
planting rushes at the surface of the water to a very considerable extent
and with very good effect – all which operations it will be good policy
and good economy to continue until the whole line of canal be gone through
with’.
I do have a little further information about canal vegetation, and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in particular. I have two sources for recent work: •1982: European Weed Research Society, 6th international symposium on aquatic weeds, pp 96104, ‘Ten years experience of weed control on the L&LC’ by J W Eaton and J Freeman. •1982 Biological DataBank, West Yorkshire region, Cliffe Castle, Keighley, ‘Vascular plant communities of the canals of West Yorkshire’ by K Wilson. The following extract from the minutes of a
Reviews. 439
Built in Britain: the independent locomotive manufacturing industry in the
nineteenth century — Michael R Bailey 221pp, 214x279mm, 174 illustrations,
7 graphs, Railway & Canal Historical Society, 2021, ISBN 978 0 901461
70 4, £30 Reviewed by Peter Johnson.
Hitherto locomotive histories have concentrated on the outputs of railway
companies that built locomotives or the larger independent manufacturers.
Here, the author examines the independent builders active in the 19th century
as an industry, concluding that the development of British locomotive
manufacturers was influenced by the need to supply small batches of bespoke
designs which discouraged or prevented them from developing production line
techniques and adopting standard components with a view to reducing prices.
There are chapters covering market development, marketing and sales, technology
and design, manufacturing, management, employment and industrial relations
and strategy and administration, all with footnotes. The bibliography and
index each occupy nearly seven pages. Illustrations mostly comprise contemporary
photographs of locomotives. A few of the manufactories are illustrated, and
some of the devices invented to improve the manufacturing process. The
nineteenth-century images are contrasted with some of surviving locomotives,
including those that the author sought out overseas. The design is to the
standards expected in a modern book although it is regrettable that it was
not adjusted to eliminate the three blank pages at the back. The quality
of the reproduction cannot be faulted. Of particular interest is the twelve-page
appendix detailing independent workshops which includes the location of known
archives and details of works histories where they exist. It should be noted
that the Hunslet Engine Company’s archive is to be found at the Statfold
Barn Railway in Staffordshire. Also, that the sale of assets given as an
explanation for the demise of George England & Co’s activities at
Hatcham in 1869 took place in 1872, following the end of manufacturing of
Fairlie Patent locomotives on the site, which itself had been triggered by
the death of George England junior, who had been the de facto works manager,
in 1870. Given the scale of the work these are minor faults. Overall, this
is a first-rate publication, and the author and society are to be congratulated
for it.
Kendal Tommy: a history of the Arnside Hincaster branch — Dave Richardson 95pp, 295x210mm, 80 photographs, 7 maps, 8 architectural drawings and line diagrams, softback, Cumbrian Railways Association, 104 Durley Avenue, Pinner HA5 1JH <cumbrianrailways.org.uk>, 2021, ISBN 978 0 9570387 8 3, £14. Reviewed by The origin of this branch line, which skirted the east bank of the River Kent estuary at the head of Morecambe Bay, is in 1857 when commercial interests in the market town of Kendal became concerned at the effects and adverse financial impact of railways on the town’s existing means of transport, namely the long established coastal shipping trade via the Irish Sea and the more recent Lancaster Canal. Kendal Town Council took action in petitioning both the Admiralty and Parliament. Initially the two railway companies involved were the Ulverstone & Lancaster (soon to become part of the Furness Railway) and the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway, which also owned the Lancaster Canal, (soon to become part of the LNWR). A long and protracted scenario developed involving negotiations between the interested parties, parliamentary lobbying and the promoting and debating of Bills. Eventually the two companies compromised and agreed, reluctantly it seems, that the Furness Railway should finance and build a branch line and make improvements to the nearby coast road. It was not until June 1867 that an Act of Parliament was passed, authorising the construction of a branch railway from Arnside on the Furness Railway to Hincaster Junction on the west coast main line south of Oxenholme. The branch eventually opened in June 1876 and it provided Kendal with an alternative link by rail to the Furness area. The subject of this review is a well-researched account of the history of the line. The first two chapters describe events that preceded construction of the railway. Subsequent chapters cover the construction phase, the passenger and goods operations, stations and signalling. The book is generously illustrated with photographs and other graphic material, including superb architectural drawings and maps of station layouts, all in colour. There is a contents page and references to the principal sources consulted by the author. An interesting and recommended read. GERALD LEACH
Bigrigg Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway: the Bigrigg branch & iron ore mines — Bigrigg Research Team 48pp, A4, 49 photographs (38 colour), 16 maps and plans, softback, Cumbrian Railways Association, 104 Durley Avenue, Pinner HA5 1JH <cumbrianrailways.org.uk>, 2020, 978 0 9570387 7 6, £7.50 Reviewed by Continuing the publisher’s series covering the relationships between Cumbrian communities, their industries and their railways, this volume looks at the mineral branches from the joint line at the small village of Bigrigg. Closed mostly before the end of World War II, most of what is known of their history occupies only a few pages of this book, which is largely devoted to a physical exploration of the
The Mansfield Southwell Rolleston Railway — Robert Western 112pp, 210x148mm,
92 photographs, 31 maps, Oakwood Press, 54–58 Mill Square, Catrine KA5
6RD, 2021, ISBN 978 0 85361 757 0, £15.95 Reviewed by
The branch from the Midland Railway at Rolleston to Southwell opened in 1847,
but it was only a little over two miles long and struggled to be economic.
The author comments on how the line vanished from timetables although the
local press actually reported that locomotives were replaced by horses in
December 1848. The line then reopened in 1852, only to close again in 1853
– but there was at least one excursion train to Southwell races that
year and coal traffic was running in 1858. Local press sources indicate that
passenger services were restored some time around the end of July 1860. As
the author explains, this struggling branch was originally intended to be
a through line to Mansfield and Clay Cross. Eventually, in 1867, local groups
began to pressurise the Midland to complete a line to Mansfield at least
and this was eventually delivered in 1871. The resulting line crossed some
of the least populated country in Nottinghamshire although it did at last
connect into Mansfield. Some significant engineering works were needed at
the Mansfield end, but these only began to look worthwhile when the mining
of coal began to spread eastwards from about 1912. New mines at Rainworth
and Blidworth transformed the line’s economics – but only for freight.
With its principal town only two miles from a much better connected station
on the NewarkNottingham line, and little other intermediate traffic, passenger
services were soon threatened again. The author does not mention one of the
best illustrations of this – that Southwell’s first bishop in 1884
chose to live instead at Thurgarton, specifically because he could better
catch trains across his diocese. In 1929 passenger services from Southwell
to Mansfield were axed, and the remaining stub went in 1959. Not even the
discovery of oil locally could save the line which was progressively closed
to all traffic by 1983. This really was a surprisingly little known railway,
but as the many pictures form the 1960s and later show, it had some substantial
freight traffic at various times. Heavy freight trains thus dominate the
photos although there are a couple of the ‘Paddy’ train from Southwell
to Rolleston Junction, and some atmospheric postcard images of the rural
wayside stations though there is nothing to convey the drunken scenes as
excursionists went home on the Southwell races excursions – although
even here the racecourse was moved near to Rolleston in 1898. It would certainly
make an interesting project for a modeller. This is Robert Western’s
second book on lines in the Mansfield areaf and he has compiled plenty of
information about a line with little previous published coverage. Together
with a varied collection of pictures and many track diagrams, this book helps
fill a gap in our railway history. ADRIAN GRAY Stamford’s Industrial
Past: an untold story — Neville Birch
Britain’s Railways in the First World War — Michael Foley
204pp, 286x255mm, 112 illustrations, hardback, Pen & Sword Transport,
47 Church Street, Barnsley S70 2AS <www.pen-and-sword.co.uk>, 2021,
978 1 5267 3679 1, £20. Reviewed by Ray Shill.
Michael Foley in his second study of wartime Britain goes back to
the First World War period to examine how the railway system and its workers
were vital to the war effort. The chapters follow this topic in chronological
order from 1914 to 1919. Again the author draws on careful research to piece
together the historical developments commencing with the formation of the
Railway Executive in 1912. A variety of related themes are mentioned. These
include troop movements, the electrification program which released steam
locomotive for other duties, the role of the railway workshops and their
use for munitions production, the increased role for women employed in the
railways, docks and ambulance trains. Observations are made about the superiority
of the German railways and their early development of trench railways. The
author sees the British as slow in this regard and when they did it was initially
with the assistance of Canadian engineers. Railway shipping was taken over
by the Admiralty during the war and the transfer of railway staff into the
services is regularly mentioned as was the tragic loss of life in the conflict
and the many memorials to record their sacrifice. Particular attention is
given to the staff employed in the railway engineering departments of the
services and training at Longmoor Camp. From the one-page bibliography, the
sources used tell of the restricted nature of this study. Wartime transport
is a complex subject, and the author has only selected specific examples
of topics for this essay and some aspects perhaps deserved better explanation,
such as the association between the Railway Operating Department and the
Royal Engineers. There are a variety of illustrations which include the faces
of some of the railway staff who died and images of railwaymen at home and
abroad. There are pictures of the contribution women made working at stations,
on the permanent way and in the railway workshops. It is a book to savour
for its insights, but not one to look to for references to locomotive histories
or the many Ministry of Munitions or War Office records that exist at The
National Archives; only a few Ministry of Health records were consulted.
In conclusion this book should perhaps be regarded as a general read and
important background study rather than being memorable for definitive research.
Swindon – the complete works: a detailed history of the Great Western
Railway’s centre of manufacturing during its heyday in the 1930s, ’40s
and ’50s — Peter Timms 248pp. 286x222mm, 200 illustrations (31
colour), hardback, Crécy Publishing, 1A Ringway Trading Estate, Shadowmoss
Road, Manchester M22 5LH <crecy.co.uk>, 2021, ISBN 978 1 910809 86
0, £25. Reviewed by Matthew Searle. 449
This volume is a thorough reworking of the author’s Working at Swindon
Works 1930–1960 (2007) and In and around Swindon Works (2012) under
the Oxford Publishing Company imprint and format. Based largely on recollections
of staff, both male and female, it is a department-by-department account
of life ‘inside’, extending far beyond rolling stock construction
to such diverse tasks as branding the company’s initials on broom handles,
engraving notices on plastic laminate, and punch card accounting machine
operation. It gives an fascinating portrait of the life of a community of
37,000 people now completely vanished.
Railway structures in Wales and the Marches — Trefor Jones, Mike
Morton Lloyd, Jonathan David and Ray Caston 40pp, A4, 21 photographs, numerous
drawings, softback, Welsh Railways Research Circle, 2 Auckland Close, Hereford
HR1 1YF, 2021, ISBN 978 0 9527267 9 1, £12 (plus £2.50 p&p)
Reviewed by Richard Coulthurst 450
This slim booklet is a collection of scale drawings of station buildings,
signal boxes and lineside equipment (such as water columns and ‘fire
devils’) largely on the former Cambrian Railways lines in mid-Wales
and the borders. The drawings are accompanied by historical notes and there
is a list of 34 publications for ‘further reading’. The publication
is well produced and is clearly intended for the railway modelling market
although it is a little expensive.
Number 244 (July 2022)
Julia Winterson. Music hall and the railway. 454-60.
M.R. Connop Price. Before the railways: the early steamers of Cardiganshire. 461-77.
Robert Humm. Some notes on Julius Dorpmüller. 478-81.
John King, Thomas Cook and the Compagnie Internaionale des Wagons-Lits. 482-8.
Neil Clarke. Bow hauling on the Upper Severn. 489-97.
Martin Barnes. Maths throws light on Brunel legend. 498-9.
Obituary. Dr Nicholas Martin Limar Barnes CBE 1938-2022. 500-1
Obituary. Roderic Alun Huw Sladen 1948 -2022. 501
Correspondence. 502-3.
Reflections on whether 'reeds' were planted in the margins of newly built
canals. Pat Jones
RCHS Journal no 242 (November 2021, pp. 343
-354)