Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Steam Days

Steam Days|September 2022

TRAINS of thought

In this issue of Steam Days, through the recollections of Nick Hodges we take a look at the Southern Bulleid Light Pacifics that were not modified, some of which were saved from the cutter’s torch. As a young trainspotter in the 1940s and 1950s my visits to Southern territory were very limited and were based around family holidays in Bournemouth, so it was not until my son, Ian, and I learned about the locomotives lying dormant at Barry docks in South Wales in the summer of 1965, followed by us joining the Worcester Locomotive Society in the summer of 1966, that we saw these Southern Pacific locomotives in abundance – both the modified version and those, as built, that had not lost their air-smoothed casings. My first sighting of a…

3 min

Steam Days|September 2022

In Colour 213: The versatile Fowler ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0Ts

Early LMS standard engines were mostly influenced by the existing design work of the constituent companies, with the Fowler ‘3F’ 0-6-0T ‘Jinties’ constructed between 1924 and 1931 based on the rebuilt Johnson ‘2441’ class introduced by the Midland Railway in 1899. The class would eventually grow to 422 examples, built in 23 batches, and it included six engines liveried and supplied to the Somerset & Dorset Railway in 1929 and then absorbed into LMS stock a year later. They were more than just a shunter, being used on branch line services, empty stock duties at main line stations, station pilot turns, local freight trips, banking duties and even passenger work. Numbered 47260 to 47681 post-1948, there were a few gaps in the sequence as the class did not enter British…

6 min

Steam Days|September 2022

The East London Line

The editor has allowed me to start this article ‘Once upon a time, a long while ago’, as this story begins well before the first Underground railway began; in fact it is contemporary with the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (1825), now nearly two centuries ago. It began as a brain-child of that inventive family, the Brunels. Marc Kingdom Brunel, the father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, conceived a tunnel under the River Thames, which, not surprisingly, became known as the Thames tunnel – it is the first known public tunnel under tidal water. After being built in the most appalling of conditions (the men could not work more than a four-hour shift before needing relief), the structure opened in 1843. It was considered a world wonder and folk…

44 min

Steam Days|September 2022

Tail Lamp Readers’ Letters

Bristol (Temple Meads) architect Sir: I read the article ‘From Bristol to Bath along Great Western metals’ (Steam Days, March 2022) by Colin Maggs with interest. On page 15, he refers to P E Culverstone as the architect responsible for the enlargement of Bristol (Temple Meads) station. I believe this to be a typo. One of my distant relatives, Percy Emerson Culverhouse (1871-1953), was the chief architect of the GWR between 1929 and 1945. During this period, he also designed the railway stations at Cardiff (Central), Bourtonon-the-Water, and Leamington Spa. Graham Rankin (by email) A ‘C15’ at Keith Sir: I refer to the article in your March 2022 edition by Messrs Hooper and Griffiths (Great North of Scotland Railway engine sheds, Keith and Elgin). Overall an excellent article, but as…

4 min

Steam Days|September 2022

Travels with unmodified Bulleid Pacifics

I have always liked Bulleid Pacifics, both modified and unmodified, but it is the latter that I prefer. The last fast passenger steam locomotives to be built in Britain, the modified examples were smart and modern, but the original Pacifics, many of which remained un-modernised throughout the steam era, were the type that impressed me as a boy, and still do. Bulleid’s Light Pacifics – ‘West Countrys’, ‘Battle of Britains’, ‘Unrebuilts’, ‘Streamlined’ – call them what you like, I didn’t mind, although I have to say that the term ‘Spam Can’ lacks a certain respect for such magnificent machines. The problems which caused many of them to be modified – the tendency to slip, the chaindriven valve gear, oil bath leaks, the reverser with a mind of its own, difficulties of…

17 min

Steam Days|September 2022

Pay just £3.67 per edition

That’s a 26% saving when you pay by direct debit I have been a railway enthusiast since 1942, and together with my two sons, Ian and Andrew, since March 1993 have provided a record of Britain’s railway scene when steam ruled supreme, from the 1800s until the end of steam in 1968. With a focus on line histories, train spotters’ memories, technical information, railwaymen’s reminiscences and nostalgic photo-features, our purpose is to bring back those halcyon days. With our subscriptions you can get your magazine delivered straight to your door every month, with a superb saving on the cover price. We hope to welcome you soon to the Steam Days family. Rex Kennedy, editor 12 print issues for £44 Direct debit (26% saving) 1 year credit/debit card for £51 2 years…

1 min

Steam Days|September 2022

Leominster, Ludlow and Clee Hill sub-sheds and their duties

In the 1950s and 1960s the main line between Hereford and Shrewsbury still saw heavy flows of long distance rail traffic. This was dominated by freight trains from South Wales to the North-West, and express passenger services from the West of England (via the Severn tunnel) and South Wales to Manchester and Liverpool. They would almost all cover this 50-mile route section without intermediate calls, apart from freight trains sometimes looped for faster trains to pass. Most enthusiasts would have paid scant attention to the intermediate railway infrastructure between Hereford and Shrewsbury, with attention focussed on the two main rail centres. However, in between the two lay attractive border towns with local railway interest, including tucked away small depots that reported to the larger depots on either side. Leominster With…

27 min

Steam Days|September 2022

Building up the National Collection The BTC years: 1948-62

A perusal of the history of some of the main line steam locomotives that are today in preservation shows that some of them have led a bit of a nomadic existence since being saved from scrap, moving from one preservation site to another over the years. This is particularly the case for some of those saved from Barry scrapyard over 30 years ago, one or two of which remain unrestored even yet. What may not be realised by some as they gaze at National Collection locomotives in all their glory today, is that – contrary to what might be expected for items in the care of a national body – some of these locomotives too had a bit of a nomadic existence in the 1950s and 1960s before their current status…

33 min