Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2024 i Steam World

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them,” wrote Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, referring, of course, to people. The same could be said of locomotives. There's little doubt that, for instance, Flying Scotsman was born great, being named after the LNER's prestigious London-Edinburgh express and thrust into the limelight from day one. On the other hand, Mallard achieved greatness, being just a routine member of the 'A4' class until its exploits on July 3 1938. Similarly, for GWR 'Castle' 4-6-0 No. 4079 Pendennis Castle which actually gained its 'greatness' through its failure on May 9 1964. So why am I writing this around a photograph of a Bulleid 'Battle of Britain' making a routine stop at Eastleigh with a Down parcels train? After all,…

Neville Hill memories After spending years at Neville Hill and then Normanton, I had a very special day on Saturday September 18 1965. I was a Spare Fireman, starting my shift at 2pm. I was working with a lad called Steve Thackway and this photograph shows Steve and I moving No. 'A4' 4-6-2 No.60004 William Whitelaw so that a group of spotters could take a better photograph of it. I was amazed that this locomotive had arrived at Neville Hill. It had never visited before, but it had worked in on an RCTS special and was staying over and working back to Edinburgh on Sunday September 19. Incidentally, I was surprised when I searched for 'Neville Hill 1964' online the other day and discovered a photograph of No. 60004 on…

The summer of 1964 was not so Tdifferent from that of 2024. A tired Conservative government was in its death throes having been in power for 13 years; a General Election would take place that October. International tensions were running high. US President Lyndon Johnson ensured that his country would be embroiled in a disastrous war when he signed the Tomkin Resolution on August 10, authorising the bombing of North Vietnam. Britain's youth was distracted from the important events by off-shore 'pirate' radio stations, such as Radio Caroline, which had made their debut, challenging the BBC's monopoly. Coming over the airwaves in the first weeks of August 1964 was the Beatles' new single A Hard Day's Night, which knocked the Rolling Stones' cover of It's all over Now off the…

It's funny how time changes perception. When we think 'Royal Air Force', we think of The Few, the Fighter Command pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain to keep the Luftwaffe at bay; we think of Guy Gibson, bombing the Ruhr dams in his Lancaster; we think of those awe-inspiring Cold War machines – the Lightnings and the Vulcans. And whenever we hear the roar of today's Typhoons, we know that the RAF still plays a key part in keeping our country safe. So we forget that when North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow was turning out one new 'Royal Scot' after another for the LMS, none of these events had happened yet and that the RAF truly was the 'Junior Service'. The links between the railway and the…

I've always had an affection for the GWR 'Manor' that I can't really explain. It's probably because I found them difficult to spot. I spent my summer holidays with my grandparents in Shropshire. There was always the promise of a few more under linings in my WR Abc and a rare 'Manor'. However, I wasn't ambitious enough on holiday. At home in Surrey, I had no problem bunking six London steam sheds in a day. On holiday, however, I was one station away from Wellington and could have easily gone to Crewe… or Shrewsbury. I did travel from Oakengates for an afternoon's spotting at Wolverhampton for a birthday treat… but Gran insisted on accompanying me and I had to wear my Sunday best! But I did cop at least one…

It's December 19 1915. On the Western Front, the Germans have used poison gas against British troops, in retaliation for an earlier British attack. Meanwhile, Allied troops are preparing for final evacuation following the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign. In Britain, heavy rain is falling. It's been falling for weeks. It's so heavy, in fact, that 1.5 million cubic metres of chalk falls into the sea and, at Folkestone Warren, the South Eastern & Chatham Railway main line between Folkestone and Dover is pushed 50 metres towards the coastline; rails are buckled, the trackbed destroyed. The line remains closed until August 11 1919. With Britain at war, there's neither manpower, time nor money to fix it. It was known as the 'Great Fall' and Derek Butcher, then a Route Asset Manager at…

The War Department 2-8-0s are often considered an honorary Standard design. They were designed by a team led by Robert Riddles and, aside from the drop frame under the smokebox, they shared all the hallmarks of a Standard. Yet they were designed for very different roles. The Standards represented the forefront of steam technology, designed to give British Railways a universal fleet of locomotives. The 'WDs' were designed to haul heavy loads on hastily repaired wartime track with the minimum of maintenance. Whereas some Standard classes – not to mention individual locomotives – gained celebrity status, BR's 735 'WDs' plugged away day-in, day-out without attracting any attention. In many cases, the sound of approaching clanking may have caused enthusiasts to turn away… except for the photographer responsible for these remarkable…

Estate agents have popularised the expression 'Location, location, location' as being the most important consideration when buying, or selling, a property. If you're selling and the location has 'issues' it either won't sell or the price will be adversely affected. On the other hand if it's in a great location, the sky's the limit. Ask me about photographic locations on the former Great Western Railway and I would say, “Sonning cutting and the Dawlish-Teignmouth, South Devon seafront.” In the latter case, when I had access to the Ian Allan library, I reckoned that I could produce a complete album around one viewpoint at one location. It was that distinctive Eastcliff Walk Bridge over the line at Teignmouth, and I'd have photographs from broad gauge days through to the present day…

The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway is, sadly, just a memory. Just a few miles still survive: Cromer to Sheringham is still part of the national network while Sheringham to Holt has been restored as the beautiful North Norfolk Railway. For those in the flat lands of Lincolnshire, M&GN relics are few and far between. They're still there if you know where to look. But the one really obvious reminder of the M&GN is the swingbridge over the River Nene, close to the Lincolnshire/Norfolk border. Today, it carries the A17 trunk road. But it doesn't seem all that long ago that it served both railway and road. When I started on the railway at Sutton Bridge, there were three signalboxes. East 'box was on the Norfolk-side river bank; Station…

'Bradford today is on a siding'. Those words, originally written in the Yorkshire Daily Observer in 1906, proved to be a challenge for many young railway enthusiasts growing up in and around the city. Bradford boasted two stations. Forster Square, on the northern side, was fed from the line from Shipley; Exchange was to the south. But there was no through route between the two. Consequently, it wasn't always the best place for spotting. In pursuit of those elusive 'cops', I would avoid Polish Saturday School and travel to Leeds for its richer pickings. Alternatively, I'd rush out of Saint Bede's Grammar School in nearby Heaton to catch a train to Leeds City; I had to time this right just to be ready for the return journey to Forster Square,…