Meeting Reports - September 2016 - May 2017
Visit by members of the Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society (18th May)
The IDHTS team successfully negotiated “passport control” on a damp evening, and another large audience came along for the last meeting of our programme.
Barry Emms opened proceedings with an illustrated account entitled “Restoration of a 1922 Model T Ford”. His associate simply told him that he had “got a car at auction – it needs a bit of work done!” The Model T is quite unlike a modern car – at least this one had an electronic ignition – whereas earlier models had a handle and apparently some fatalities resulted if the transmission bands were out of adjustment! It cannot be apocryphal but the car was often turned round to go up hills backwards to avoid oil running back from the sump. Barry – who was clearly an accomplished engineer – found that he could not stop fuel leaking from the carburettor and solved the problem by making a new one from stainless steel. The throttle was a lever on the steering wheel; the left pedal was the clutch-cum-gear engagement (very odd). Middle pedal was the reverse selector and the right pedal was the transmission brake (the wheels were unbraked). The back seat was over the fuel tank. Oh, and there were no lamps at the rear and acetylene ones at the front! Engine capacity was nearly 3 litres and there were 2 forward gears. Although the Model T was traditionally black, this one was painted a pleasant red, a task carried out professionally. Remarkably, the car still had its original hood, and tyres can still be bought in the U.S. During the model’s near 20 year production run other manufacturers began to get ahead technically and the succeeding Model A began to look like a modern car.
Unfortunately, Barry’s excellent work was undone as his associate went bankrupt and the whereabouts of the car are unknown.
The next presentation was “Water Transport in Norfolk” in which well-known local author Bob Malster concentrated on the Norfolk Wherries which date back to the 17th century. His interest began around the start of WW2 when he cycled round Norfolk looking for old wherries, and somehow he was able to photograph “characters” associated with wherrying! The wherry’s predecessor was the keel, not so manoeuvrable, and could be distinguished by its square sail. Norfolk wherries were a local design and would go down to Yarmouth to load e.g. woven goods into sea-going vessels.
In the 1820s, pressure from Norwich traders – despite objections from Yarmouth – saw plans made to enable Norwich to become a port, served from Lowestoft. Lake Lothing was joined to the sea and the “New Cut” (Haddiscoe – Reedham) created. Apparently traders supported Lowestoft for a few years before returning to Yarmouth. The coming of the railways in the 1840s led to the loss of some of the traditional wherry traffic (e.g. coal and timber inwards and barley and wheat outwards).
The wherry was very versatile, and beautifully shaped. However, Bob had a view of the New Cut in 1892 when it was frozen and impassable. Wherries were able to travel as far up-river as the North Walsham and Dilham Canal.
The 1950s saw the demise of the last commercial wherries, and some were sunk in the vicinity of Thorpe Island – Bob had an image of a “Claud Hamilton” 4-4-0 crossing the bridge close to a sunken wherry.
The wherry Albion was saved by a local group established in 1949 and Albion is still active today.
Seeing slides projected these days is unusual enough, but it’s even more unusual to see the old Super 8 cine films and hear the whirr of the projector as the film threads through the various “gates”. Graham Austin had brought 3 films, and he began at the Passmore Edward Museum (otherwise North Woolwich Station Museum). We saw something of the outside exhibits but Graham’s reason for being there concerned Flying Scotsman’s visit for clearance trials ahead of the Queen Mother’s visit to open the Museum and name a Class 86 (86246 Royal Anglian Regiment) at Liverpool St to mark the electrification of the GEML to Ipswich. Graham had filmed at Stratford Low Level and North Woolwich, and the “bush telegraph” had clearly been working overtime! Conversely, when Jim Connor made his presentation to us in February (see NRS/NL 62/2 p. 7) his images of the trials shot at Stratford Market were spectator-free!
“Pacifics in the Fens” was self-explanatory with Britannia, Duke of Gloucester, Flying Scotsman and an A4 stretching their legs at various locations in Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk. The events appeared to post-date the electrification to King’s Lynn. More recently, Graham was at Ipswich to film the G.E.R, 150 Celebrations. Britannia was present, but not the hoped-for N7.
Graham’s final film had a distinct 1950s “feel” – the commentary and the music – and showed a 1927 Rolls-Royce making its way to Ipswich to join other veterans (I could recognise a Citroen, Daimler, Standard Vanguard and a Sunbeam Talbot) for a run to Felixstowe.
Barry, Bob and Graham were thanked for their respective presentations, as was Mervyn for organising his team’s visit.
“The Chiltern Railways Story” – Dave Penney (4th May)
A degree of arm-twisting by Andrew Munden, new General Manager of the North Norfolk Railway (who was in the audience), meant that Dave Penney, the Chiltern Railways Managing Director, had been persuaded to address us.
Dave could trace his railway interest back to volunteering at the late Rev. Teddy Boston’s Cadeby Light Railway, where he was attracted to the 00 gauge railway. However, his “proper” railway career began on London Underground where he became Fleet Organiser for the Bakerloo Line. He was heavily involved with “Steam on the Met” before joining Midland Main Line which ran a Manchester service prior to completion of the WCML upgrade. He was accepted as Depot Manager at Crown Point under the NatEx franchise, only to find that it lost the franchise the next day, and he never got the job! Finally he joined Chiltern Railways as its Engineering Director before becoming Managing Director.
Chiltern Railways has been a very successful franchise, which can trace its origins back to 1996, but the franchise is due to end in early 2022. In Network South East days, services ran to Aylesbury, with a few to Banbury, but now services extend to Birmingham, Kidderminster and Oxford. Back in the dark days of the 1980s the Thatcher government wanted to convert the route out of Marylebone into a road, such was its nadir! Once the NSE revolution began to take effect, Class 165 units arrived, and then through and terminal platforms at Birmingham Moor St were combined in 2002. Moor St will be close to the eventual HS2 terminal. There has been a new station at Aylesbury Vale Parkway and regular services run to Banbury and Birmingham. Other major work has been carried out at High Wycombe, and the company has established a number of depots.
Until 19th May Chiltern operated 2 Class 121 “Bubble Cars” on the Aylesbury – Princes Risborough shuttle as well as Class 165 Turbos and the Class 168s together with a few Class 172s. A planned merger between Chiltern and the Wrexham & Shropshire company did not come to fruition and the latter sadly folded early in 2011. It had been a popular service but a financial failure.
At the beginning of 2015 Chiltern received its first Class 68s (the 67s were starting to show their age) and it now has a pool of 6 with another 2 in reserve. The first was taken to Crewe and tested on the WCML – Dave thinks they are a fantastic loco, and we saw some “time-lapse” video of one under construction at Vossloh’s Spanish factory.
Chiltern have been involved with the reconstruction of Bicester North station, on the Marylebone/ Banbury /Birmingham line, and Bicester Village station (formerly Bicester Town/London Road) on the Oxford – Bletchley route. The latter does not have a ticket office, but machines instead. Apart from the station rebuildings, a chord has been built from the old G.W.R. Banbury line enabling services to be run from Oxford to Marylebone via High Wycombe. Again, this was recorded on “time-lapse” video. The maximum gradient on the chord is a steep 1 in 48.
At Oxford, another new station has been built at Oxford Parkway (all the new stations are built to a similar style) to cater for customers from north and north-west Oxford whilst at the original Oxford station two new bay platforms have been added, each taking a 6-car unit. A modern traincare depot has been built at Wembley. Banbury station has been modernised and the layout made much more flexible. A new depot will be built on the site of the old steam shed. The two large signalboxes at Banbury North and South have been demolished, Between the former’s decommissioning and demolition, guided tours were available to members of the public to explain how a signalbox “worked”. It was not preserved as similar ‘boxes survive.
After a Q & A Dave was warmly thanked for his inspirational presentation, and thanks must also go to Andy Wright for operating the projector. The evening deserved and received a bumper attendance, and the Committee was pleased to see so many in the audience. (EM)
Crossrail 1, Crossrail 2, High Speed 2, High Speed 3 and more! (6th April)
With a title like that we knew Chris Mitchell would entertain us with a fact-filled evening, and so it proved. He last addressed the Society in 2011 about Crossrail 1 – but a lot’s happened since then! Chris’s work for Crossrail, and his many contacts in the rail civil engineering world, make him ideally placed to give us an insider’s view.
Crossrail – now known as the Elizabeth Line – has been described as one of Europe's largest infrastructure projects. It was approved in 2007 and construction began in 2009. Chris told us that 99% of the civil engineering is complete and showed a video narrated by the project’s CEO Andrew Wolstenholme to demonstrate the incredible progress to date. The main feature is 21km of twin tunnels driven through central London, from Paddington to Stratford and Canary Wharf. An almost entirely new line branches off at Whitechapel, crossing under the Thames, serving a new station at Woolwich and finally connecting with the North Kent Line at the Abbey Wood terminus.
The central section and a large portion of the line, between Paddington in central London and Abbey Wood in the south-east, is due to open in December 2018. Part of the eastern section, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, was transferred to TfL Rail in 2015; this section will be connected to the central route from May 2019. The western section, from Paddington to Heathrow Airport and Reading, is due to become operational in December 2019, completing the east–west route and providing a new high-frequency commuter and suburban passenger service.
Chris showed illustrations of the gigantic Canary Wharf station, designed by Foster+Partners. Located beneath and within the West India North Dock, it contains four levels of retail, roof garden, pavilions and station entrances – and then the station is below all that! It will be one of the largest stations on the route, and will provide an interchange with the LU Canary Wharf and DLR Poplar stations.
Crossrail is intended to ‘unlock’ development potential at places such as Woolwich, where the new station is a key part of a new plan on the Royal Arsenal site which includes 3,750 new homes and new cultural, heritage, commercial and leisure quarters. Woolwich station will help transform the area, supporting regeneration, reducing journey times and creating new transport links. From 2018, up to 12 services an hour will allow passengers to travel to Canary Wharf, the City and the West End without having to change trains.
Crossrail will be operated by MTR Corporation as a concession of TfL, like London Overground. It is expected to relieve pressure on the Central and District lines, which are the current main east–west passenger routes, as well as the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line – and fares will be aligned with the underground ones.
Later this year, Chris revealed, Les Bird, Head of Operations for MTR Crossrail, will pay a return visit to the Society to tell us more about the new nine-carriage Class 345 units which, in the central section, will run at frequencies of up to 24 trains per hour in each direction.
Still in the ‘proposal’ stage is Crossrail 2. Once dubbed the ‘Chelsea–Hackney’ line, this SW-NE route would fill the ‘fast rail gap’ around London by connecting the South Western main line to the West Anglia line via Victoria and King's Cross St. Pancras. Chris told us that Crossrail 2 is designed to bring 270,000 more people daily into central London, thus alleviating the severe overcrowding that would otherwise occur within a couple of decades. Should permission be granted, construction is expected to start around 2023, with the new line opening from the early 2030s.
Crossrail 2 has the potential to unlock up to 200,000 new homes across London and the wider South East and, in particular, would spur the regeneration of under-developed areas such as parts of Enfield and Haringey, where there is great potential for new housing and improved transport connections. It would also provide employment opportunities; once operational, analysis suggests the railway could support up to new 200,000 jobs in a range of industries. With an estimated benefit:cost ratio of 2.7:1, and Chancellor Philip Hammond reported to be enthusiastic, Chris reckoned that Crossrail 2 was likely to pass successfully through Parliament.
One route which has received Royal Assent, on 23rd February this year, is High Speed 2 (HS2). Boasting a (continually revised) budget of £55.7bn, it will be built in a ‘Y’ configuration, with London on the bottom of the ‘Y’, Birmingham at the centre, Leeds at the top right and Manchester at the top left. Work on the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2017, reaching Birmingham by 2026, and be fully completed by 2033. We watched an excerpt from BBC Midlands Today demonstrating the impact the line could have in the region.
Finally Chris moved on to the ideas for High Speed 3 (HS3). This has been conceived as a new 140 mph Trans-Pennine high-speed rail link connecting to the northern branches of HS2 at Manchester and Leeds (30min journey time), together with other regional rail developments. In the 2016 Budget £60 million development funding was provided for the preparation of a route plan for the line.
Chris thought that the autonomy generated by the election of mayors in some northern cities might provide added impetus for HS3. One route possibility could be a re-opened Woodhead route and, as a complete contrast with today’s and tomorrow’s high-speed projects, we watched a series of images of trains hauled by Class 76 and 77 electric locos before the through route closed in 1981.
Chris rounded off an absorbing evening with news from a recent DfT briefing on new rail franchises which he had attended. The importance of Community Rail Partnerships had been stressed; the Bittern Line had been the first, set up in 1997 – now there are 54. (Mike Handscomb)
Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the projector, and to Andy and Chris for spending time on the presentation ahead of our evening.
The IDHTS team successfully negotiated “passport control” on a damp evening, and another large audience came along for the last meeting of our programme.
Barry Emms opened proceedings with an illustrated account entitled “Restoration of a 1922 Model T Ford”. His associate simply told him that he had “got a car at auction – it needs a bit of work done!” The Model T is quite unlike a modern car – at least this one had an electronic ignition – whereas earlier models had a handle and apparently some fatalities resulted if the transmission bands were out of adjustment! It cannot be apocryphal but the car was often turned round to go up hills backwards to avoid oil running back from the sump. Barry – who was clearly an accomplished engineer – found that he could not stop fuel leaking from the carburettor and solved the problem by making a new one from stainless steel. The throttle was a lever on the steering wheel; the left pedal was the clutch-cum-gear engagement (very odd). Middle pedal was the reverse selector and the right pedal was the transmission brake (the wheels were unbraked). The back seat was over the fuel tank. Oh, and there were no lamps at the rear and acetylene ones at the front! Engine capacity was nearly 3 litres and there were 2 forward gears. Although the Model T was traditionally black, this one was painted a pleasant red, a task carried out professionally. Remarkably, the car still had its original hood, and tyres can still be bought in the U.S. During the model’s near 20 year production run other manufacturers began to get ahead technically and the succeeding Model A began to look like a modern car.
Unfortunately, Barry’s excellent work was undone as his associate went bankrupt and the whereabouts of the car are unknown.
The next presentation was “Water Transport in Norfolk” in which well-known local author Bob Malster concentrated on the Norfolk Wherries which date back to the 17th century. His interest began around the start of WW2 when he cycled round Norfolk looking for old wherries, and somehow he was able to photograph “characters” associated with wherrying! The wherry’s predecessor was the keel, not so manoeuvrable, and could be distinguished by its square sail. Norfolk wherries were a local design and would go down to Yarmouth to load e.g. woven goods into sea-going vessels.
In the 1820s, pressure from Norwich traders – despite objections from Yarmouth – saw plans made to enable Norwich to become a port, served from Lowestoft. Lake Lothing was joined to the sea and the “New Cut” (Haddiscoe – Reedham) created. Apparently traders supported Lowestoft for a few years before returning to Yarmouth. The coming of the railways in the 1840s led to the loss of some of the traditional wherry traffic (e.g. coal and timber inwards and barley and wheat outwards).
The wherry was very versatile, and beautifully shaped. However, Bob had a view of the New Cut in 1892 when it was frozen and impassable. Wherries were able to travel as far up-river as the North Walsham and Dilham Canal.
The 1950s saw the demise of the last commercial wherries, and some were sunk in the vicinity of Thorpe Island – Bob had an image of a “Claud Hamilton” 4-4-0 crossing the bridge close to a sunken wherry.
The wherry Albion was saved by a local group established in 1949 and Albion is still active today.
Seeing slides projected these days is unusual enough, but it’s even more unusual to see the old Super 8 cine films and hear the whirr of the projector as the film threads through the various “gates”. Graham Austin had brought 3 films, and he began at the Passmore Edward Museum (otherwise North Woolwich Station Museum). We saw something of the outside exhibits but Graham’s reason for being there concerned Flying Scotsman’s visit for clearance trials ahead of the Queen Mother’s visit to open the Museum and name a Class 86 (86246 Royal Anglian Regiment) at Liverpool St to mark the electrification of the GEML to Ipswich. Graham had filmed at Stratford Low Level and North Woolwich, and the “bush telegraph” had clearly been working overtime! Conversely, when Jim Connor made his presentation to us in February (see NRS/NL 62/2 p. 7) his images of the trials shot at Stratford Market were spectator-free!
“Pacifics in the Fens” was self-explanatory with Britannia, Duke of Gloucester, Flying Scotsman and an A4 stretching their legs at various locations in Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk. The events appeared to post-date the electrification to King’s Lynn. More recently, Graham was at Ipswich to film the G.E.R, 150 Celebrations. Britannia was present, but not the hoped-for N7.
Graham’s final film had a distinct 1950s “feel” – the commentary and the music – and showed a 1927 Rolls-Royce making its way to Ipswich to join other veterans (I could recognise a Citroen, Daimler, Standard Vanguard and a Sunbeam Talbot) for a run to Felixstowe.
Barry, Bob and Graham were thanked for their respective presentations, as was Mervyn for organising his team’s visit.
“The Chiltern Railways Story” – Dave Penney (4th May)
A degree of arm-twisting by Andrew Munden, new General Manager of the North Norfolk Railway (who was in the audience), meant that Dave Penney, the Chiltern Railways Managing Director, had been persuaded to address us.
Dave could trace his railway interest back to volunteering at the late Rev. Teddy Boston’s Cadeby Light Railway, where he was attracted to the 00 gauge railway. However, his “proper” railway career began on London Underground where he became Fleet Organiser for the Bakerloo Line. He was heavily involved with “Steam on the Met” before joining Midland Main Line which ran a Manchester service prior to completion of the WCML upgrade. He was accepted as Depot Manager at Crown Point under the NatEx franchise, only to find that it lost the franchise the next day, and he never got the job! Finally he joined Chiltern Railways as its Engineering Director before becoming Managing Director.
Chiltern Railways has been a very successful franchise, which can trace its origins back to 1996, but the franchise is due to end in early 2022. In Network South East days, services ran to Aylesbury, with a few to Banbury, but now services extend to Birmingham, Kidderminster and Oxford. Back in the dark days of the 1980s the Thatcher government wanted to convert the route out of Marylebone into a road, such was its nadir! Once the NSE revolution began to take effect, Class 165 units arrived, and then through and terminal platforms at Birmingham Moor St were combined in 2002. Moor St will be close to the eventual HS2 terminal. There has been a new station at Aylesbury Vale Parkway and regular services run to Banbury and Birmingham. Other major work has been carried out at High Wycombe, and the company has established a number of depots.
Until 19th May Chiltern operated 2 Class 121 “Bubble Cars” on the Aylesbury – Princes Risborough shuttle as well as Class 165 Turbos and the Class 168s together with a few Class 172s. A planned merger between Chiltern and the Wrexham & Shropshire company did not come to fruition and the latter sadly folded early in 2011. It had been a popular service but a financial failure.
At the beginning of 2015 Chiltern received its first Class 68s (the 67s were starting to show their age) and it now has a pool of 6 with another 2 in reserve. The first was taken to Crewe and tested on the WCML – Dave thinks they are a fantastic loco, and we saw some “time-lapse” video of one under construction at Vossloh’s Spanish factory.
Chiltern have been involved with the reconstruction of Bicester North station, on the Marylebone/ Banbury /Birmingham line, and Bicester Village station (formerly Bicester Town/London Road) on the Oxford – Bletchley route. The latter does not have a ticket office, but machines instead. Apart from the station rebuildings, a chord has been built from the old G.W.R. Banbury line enabling services to be run from Oxford to Marylebone via High Wycombe. Again, this was recorded on “time-lapse” video. The maximum gradient on the chord is a steep 1 in 48.
At Oxford, another new station has been built at Oxford Parkway (all the new stations are built to a similar style) to cater for customers from north and north-west Oxford whilst at the original Oxford station two new bay platforms have been added, each taking a 6-car unit. A modern traincare depot has been built at Wembley. Banbury station has been modernised and the layout made much more flexible. A new depot will be built on the site of the old steam shed. The two large signalboxes at Banbury North and South have been demolished, Between the former’s decommissioning and demolition, guided tours were available to members of the public to explain how a signalbox “worked”. It was not preserved as similar ‘boxes survive.
After a Q & A Dave was warmly thanked for his inspirational presentation, and thanks must also go to Andy Wright for operating the projector. The evening deserved and received a bumper attendance, and the Committee was pleased to see so many in the audience. (EM)
Crossrail 1, Crossrail 2, High Speed 2, High Speed 3 and more! (6th April)
With a title like that we knew Chris Mitchell would entertain us with a fact-filled evening, and so it proved. He last addressed the Society in 2011 about Crossrail 1 – but a lot’s happened since then! Chris’s work for Crossrail, and his many contacts in the rail civil engineering world, make him ideally placed to give us an insider’s view.
Crossrail – now known as the Elizabeth Line – has been described as one of Europe's largest infrastructure projects. It was approved in 2007 and construction began in 2009. Chris told us that 99% of the civil engineering is complete and showed a video narrated by the project’s CEO Andrew Wolstenholme to demonstrate the incredible progress to date. The main feature is 21km of twin tunnels driven through central London, from Paddington to Stratford and Canary Wharf. An almost entirely new line branches off at Whitechapel, crossing under the Thames, serving a new station at Woolwich and finally connecting with the North Kent Line at the Abbey Wood terminus.
The central section and a large portion of the line, between Paddington in central London and Abbey Wood in the south-east, is due to open in December 2018. Part of the eastern section, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, was transferred to TfL Rail in 2015; this section will be connected to the central route from May 2019. The western section, from Paddington to Heathrow Airport and Reading, is due to become operational in December 2019, completing the east–west route and providing a new high-frequency commuter and suburban passenger service.
Chris showed illustrations of the gigantic Canary Wharf station, designed by Foster+Partners. Located beneath and within the West India North Dock, it contains four levels of retail, roof garden, pavilions and station entrances – and then the station is below all that! It will be one of the largest stations on the route, and will provide an interchange with the LU Canary Wharf and DLR Poplar stations.
Crossrail is intended to ‘unlock’ development potential at places such as Woolwich, where the new station is a key part of a new plan on the Royal Arsenal site which includes 3,750 new homes and new cultural, heritage, commercial and leisure quarters. Woolwich station will help transform the area, supporting regeneration, reducing journey times and creating new transport links. From 2018, up to 12 services an hour will allow passengers to travel to Canary Wharf, the City and the West End without having to change trains.
Crossrail will be operated by MTR Corporation as a concession of TfL, like London Overground. It is expected to relieve pressure on the Central and District lines, which are the current main east–west passenger routes, as well as the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly line – and fares will be aligned with the underground ones.
Later this year, Chris revealed, Les Bird, Head of Operations for MTR Crossrail, will pay a return visit to the Society to tell us more about the new nine-carriage Class 345 units which, in the central section, will run at frequencies of up to 24 trains per hour in each direction.
Still in the ‘proposal’ stage is Crossrail 2. Once dubbed the ‘Chelsea–Hackney’ line, this SW-NE route would fill the ‘fast rail gap’ around London by connecting the South Western main line to the West Anglia line via Victoria and King's Cross St. Pancras. Chris told us that Crossrail 2 is designed to bring 270,000 more people daily into central London, thus alleviating the severe overcrowding that would otherwise occur within a couple of decades. Should permission be granted, construction is expected to start around 2023, with the new line opening from the early 2030s.
Crossrail 2 has the potential to unlock up to 200,000 new homes across London and the wider South East and, in particular, would spur the regeneration of under-developed areas such as parts of Enfield and Haringey, where there is great potential for new housing and improved transport connections. It would also provide employment opportunities; once operational, analysis suggests the railway could support up to new 200,000 jobs in a range of industries. With an estimated benefit:cost ratio of 2.7:1, and Chancellor Philip Hammond reported to be enthusiastic, Chris reckoned that Crossrail 2 was likely to pass successfully through Parliament.
One route which has received Royal Assent, on 23rd February this year, is High Speed 2 (HS2). Boasting a (continually revised) budget of £55.7bn, it will be built in a ‘Y’ configuration, with London on the bottom of the ‘Y’, Birmingham at the centre, Leeds at the top right and Manchester at the top left. Work on the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2017, reaching Birmingham by 2026, and be fully completed by 2033. We watched an excerpt from BBC Midlands Today demonstrating the impact the line could have in the region.
Finally Chris moved on to the ideas for High Speed 3 (HS3). This has been conceived as a new 140 mph Trans-Pennine high-speed rail link connecting to the northern branches of HS2 at Manchester and Leeds (30min journey time), together with other regional rail developments. In the 2016 Budget £60 million development funding was provided for the preparation of a route plan for the line.
Chris thought that the autonomy generated by the election of mayors in some northern cities might provide added impetus for HS3. One route possibility could be a re-opened Woodhead route and, as a complete contrast with today’s and tomorrow’s high-speed projects, we watched a series of images of trains hauled by Class 76 and 77 electric locos before the through route closed in 1981.
Chris rounded off an absorbing evening with news from a recent DfT briefing on new rail franchises which he had attended. The importance of Community Rail Partnerships had been stressed; the Bittern Line had been the first, set up in 1997 – now there are 54. (Mike Handscomb)
Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the projector, and to Andy and Chris for spending time on the presentation ahead of our evening.
“The Life & Legacy of George Bradshaw” (Dr David Turner – 16th March)
We were pleased to welcome back Dr David Turner, who first addressed us 2 years ago. David began by saying that there were a lot of things we think we know about Bradshaw, and a lot of things Michael Portillo gets wrong! Bradshaw has been the subject of two principal biographies from 1939 and 1940, but their lack of primary research makes them contradictory at times.
George Bradshaw was born at Pendleton, near Manchester, on 29th July 1800. His father was a weaver – a good job, but not a highly-paid one. He took lessons from a Swedenborgian Christianity teacher before going to a traditional school, but his parents lacked the money to allow him to further his education beyond age 14. He was then apprenticed to J. Beale – an engraver – a man who Bradshaw supported in later years. Bradshaw set up as an engraver in Belfast in 1820, but returned to Manchester in 1822 to set up as an engraver and printer, chiefly of maps. His first maps were published c.1829 and were dedicated to the engineer Thomas Telford. He had seen a gap in the market – there was no map of canals! His work was examined and praised by the Institution of Civil Engineers.
On 16th May 1839 he married Martha Darbyshire – they were to have 2 children and he converted to Quakerism.
The boom in railway investment in 1836/37 saw 57 lines proposed for construction, only 4 of these were never built. About this time the government paid some £20M compensation to slave owners. In 1839 the capitalisation of the railways was just over £11M but the railways were expanding very quickly.
Bradshaw’s first timetable was published in 1838 and just covered railways in Liverpool and Manchester – it was stiff-covered and was intended to help sell excess maps. In 1839 he published his first collection of timetables which sold for 6d (2½p). This was published in 3 parts and soon became Bradshaw’s Railway Companion and sold for 1/- (5p) but in 1841 Adams (his London Agent) suggested he reduce the price to 6d (and so undercut the competition) and so began the Monthly Railway Guide. The separate Companion was issued until 1848. The Guide had 8 pages in 1841 but 89 in 1845.
Railway companies sold their own timetables and some were reluctant to help Bradshaw although he was able to circumvent this. Although Bradshaw was prominent, it had competitors e.g. Murray’s Scottish timetables (1851-1966) and the ABC Guides. But the advantage of Bradshaw was that the information was in one place. Not all of his ventures succeeded – Bradshaw’s Journal ran from 1841-1843 only. His Continental Railway Guides started in 1847 in response to the growth in foreign travel but were criticised for being error-ridden. However, whatever his faults, he was an excellent map-maker.
He visited Norway & Sweden in 1853 – perhaps to see the first railway in Norway – but contracted cholera and died on 6th Sepember 1853 in what is now Oslo.
In 1845 the Guide had 89 pages, but by the 1890s it had some 900, increased of course by the number of lines (over 20,000 miles in the 1890s) as well as the number of passengers (1.26 billion in 1908). As the Guides grew in size they gained a reputation for indecipherability and notes had to be accommodated as best they could. By 1902 all railway companies were required to let Bradshaw’s publishers have timetable information 1½ months before publication.
It needs to be remembered that Bradshaw’s Guides (timetables) made Bradshaw famous, but Bradshaw’s Handbooks (despite being praised by Portillo) were to become just one in a crowded market. The London & South Western Railway Handbook of 1845 was probably the first but Measom’s Guides (beginning with his Illustrated Guide to the Great Western Railway 1852) were superior. The last of Bradshaw’s Guide to Canals & Navigable Waterways was issued in 1904.
The final Bradshaw’s Guide was issued in 1961 (no. 1521). It had become uneconomic – its 1,000 pages required 20,000 hours of work, and it was a complex printing task. The Guide cost 12/6 (62½p) but smart purchasers could obtain the 6 B.R. timetables for 6/- (30p)! Other Bradshaw publications folded around the same time.
After a lengthy Q &A session David was warmly thanked for his presentation, and it emerged he has other talks which he could give! Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Editor’s Note: David has written a very interesting piece about other railway guides – just Google Measom’s Guides.
We were pleased to welcome back Dr David Turner, who first addressed us 2 years ago. David began by saying that there were a lot of things we think we know about Bradshaw, and a lot of things Michael Portillo gets wrong! Bradshaw has been the subject of two principal biographies from 1939 and 1940, but their lack of primary research makes them contradictory at times.
George Bradshaw was born at Pendleton, near Manchester, on 29th July 1800. His father was a weaver – a good job, but not a highly-paid one. He took lessons from a Swedenborgian Christianity teacher before going to a traditional school, but his parents lacked the money to allow him to further his education beyond age 14. He was then apprenticed to J. Beale – an engraver – a man who Bradshaw supported in later years. Bradshaw set up as an engraver in Belfast in 1820, but returned to Manchester in 1822 to set up as an engraver and printer, chiefly of maps. His first maps were published c.1829 and were dedicated to the engineer Thomas Telford. He had seen a gap in the market – there was no map of canals! His work was examined and praised by the Institution of Civil Engineers.
On 16th May 1839 he married Martha Darbyshire – they were to have 2 children and he converted to Quakerism.
The boom in railway investment in 1836/37 saw 57 lines proposed for construction, only 4 of these were never built. About this time the government paid some £20M compensation to slave owners. In 1839 the capitalisation of the railways was just over £11M but the railways were expanding very quickly.
Bradshaw’s first timetable was published in 1838 and just covered railways in Liverpool and Manchester – it was stiff-covered and was intended to help sell excess maps. In 1839 he published his first collection of timetables which sold for 6d (2½p). This was published in 3 parts and soon became Bradshaw’s Railway Companion and sold for 1/- (5p) but in 1841 Adams (his London Agent) suggested he reduce the price to 6d (and so undercut the competition) and so began the Monthly Railway Guide. The separate Companion was issued until 1848. The Guide had 8 pages in 1841 but 89 in 1845.
Railway companies sold their own timetables and some were reluctant to help Bradshaw although he was able to circumvent this. Although Bradshaw was prominent, it had competitors e.g. Murray’s Scottish timetables (1851-1966) and the ABC Guides. But the advantage of Bradshaw was that the information was in one place. Not all of his ventures succeeded – Bradshaw’s Journal ran from 1841-1843 only. His Continental Railway Guides started in 1847 in response to the growth in foreign travel but were criticised for being error-ridden. However, whatever his faults, he was an excellent map-maker.
He visited Norway & Sweden in 1853 – perhaps to see the first railway in Norway – but contracted cholera and died on 6th Sepember 1853 in what is now Oslo.
In 1845 the Guide had 89 pages, but by the 1890s it had some 900, increased of course by the number of lines (over 20,000 miles in the 1890s) as well as the number of passengers (1.26 billion in 1908). As the Guides grew in size they gained a reputation for indecipherability and notes had to be accommodated as best they could. By 1902 all railway companies were required to let Bradshaw’s publishers have timetable information 1½ months before publication.
It needs to be remembered that Bradshaw’s Guides (timetables) made Bradshaw famous, but Bradshaw’s Handbooks (despite being praised by Portillo) were to become just one in a crowded market. The London & South Western Railway Handbook of 1845 was probably the first but Measom’s Guides (beginning with his Illustrated Guide to the Great Western Railway 1852) were superior. The last of Bradshaw’s Guide to Canals & Navigable Waterways was issued in 1904.
The final Bradshaw’s Guide was issued in 1961 (no. 1521). It had become uneconomic – its 1,000 pages required 20,000 hours of work, and it was a complex printing task. The Guide cost 12/6 (62½p) but smart purchasers could obtain the 6 B.R. timetables for 6/- (30p)! Other Bradshaw publications folded around the same time.
After a lengthy Q &A session David was warmly thanked for his presentation, and it emerged he has other talks which he could give! Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Editor’s Note: David has written a very interesting piece about other railway guides – just Google Measom’s Guides.
Vintage Album 1888-1895 – the Early Photographs of Dr T F Budden (John Minnis – 2nd March)
We were delighted to have a return visit from the recently-retired John Minnis, who explained that he had been collecting railway photographs for some 50 years. He had become the part-owner of some of the little-known Len’s of Sutton photographic collection (Len was noted for his old railway magazines). John’s interest in the early photographs/photographers had been sparked by J.E. Kite’s Vintage Album of 1966, in which the author had spoken very highly of Dr Budden’s work.
Dr Tice Fisher Budden was born in Islington in 1866 and was probably the first person to take photographs of moving trains in 1888. He was at Cambridge in 1888/89, and became friendly with A. C. W. Lowe – a co-founder of the Locomotive Publishing Co. Helpfully, his family knew F. P. Cockshott, Superintendent of the G.N.R., who encouraged Budden and gave him then unheard-of facilities.
Budden was registered as a doctor of medicine in 1893 and contributed a lot of photographs to the Locomotive Magazine. By 1911 he was Metropolitan Police Surgeon at Scotland Yard, but after 1905 his work seemed to stop and did not recommence until the 1930s, possibly connected with the “Stirling Single” being returned to traffic for special duties. He died in 1949, his memories stretching from the locomotives built in the 1850s through to the Pacifics.
The photographic collection began on the G.W.R. with views of Dean “Singles” at Paddington, Ealing and Sydney Gardens, Bath, all on the broad gauge. The locomotives were clean, the compositions excellent with more than the locomotive “in shot”. There were several views of the G.N.R. around Harringay and Wood Green, perhaps reflecting Cockshott’s assistance. But we soon found that he travelled widely as he recorded the ecclesiastical-looking G. & S.W. engine shed at Dumfries and the Highland station at Strathpeffer, which still survives.
After the break the tour continued – a L. & Y. “Highflyer” at Leeds, the “Brighton”, and various views of the L. & N.W.R., including a beautiful “Problem” 2-2-2, and shots of Bushey and Euston, before we saw a Webb “Coal Tank” at Afon Wen, near Porthmadoc. A Beattie well-tank (of Wenford Bridge fame) was followed by G.W.R. saddle tanks and the first “517” class 0-4-2T which preceded the familiar 14xx. A visit to what is now Northern Ireland was rewarded with sight of its first compound locomotive on the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway. Representatives from the Caledonian included an unusual outside-cylinder 0-6-0. He also visited the Ffestiniog Railway and we were treated to an excellent view of “Livingston Thompson” not long after it was built.
The G.E.R. featured prominently and there was a view of “Gazelle” at Stow Bardolph on a trial run in 1893, an Adams 0-4-4T at Forest Gate and the Duke of York’s Wedding Special of 1893, hauled by an oil-burning T19 2-4-0. He had also photographed the Stratford scrap line and Shenfield before widening.
There were some oddities: A Metropolitan tank at Bishop’s Road (Paddington) with a train via the East London Line, a North Eastern Worsdell 4-2-2 compound, a Midland 0-6-0 specially built with a low chimney to go under a bridge at Poplar, a Severn & Wye Railway 0-6-0T at Berkeley Road, a South Eastern tank on a train from Muswell Hill and a South Eastern 4-4-0 on the “Granville Express” at New Cross (apparently there was a Granville Hotel at Folkestone, so the train was for its wealthy patrons).
Dr Budden also photographed in Belgium and France – we saw an odd locomotive on the État Belge which had a rectangular chimney and three domes in descending size towards the cab, and tank engines at Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, some of which lasted from the 1860s to the 1920s.
Not everything was straightforward – he had tried a Kodak camera which took circular photographs and which was returned to the company for another camera when 100 images had been taken. Also, we saw some photographs printed on an odd blue paper which were less successful.
John was heartily thanked for his presentation, and thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
We were delighted to have a return visit from the recently-retired John Minnis, who explained that he had been collecting railway photographs for some 50 years. He had become the part-owner of some of the little-known Len’s of Sutton photographic collection (Len was noted for his old railway magazines). John’s interest in the early photographs/photographers had been sparked by J.E. Kite’s Vintage Album of 1966, in which the author had spoken very highly of Dr Budden’s work.
Dr Tice Fisher Budden was born in Islington in 1866 and was probably the first person to take photographs of moving trains in 1888. He was at Cambridge in 1888/89, and became friendly with A. C. W. Lowe – a co-founder of the Locomotive Publishing Co. Helpfully, his family knew F. P. Cockshott, Superintendent of the G.N.R., who encouraged Budden and gave him then unheard-of facilities.
Budden was registered as a doctor of medicine in 1893 and contributed a lot of photographs to the Locomotive Magazine. By 1911 he was Metropolitan Police Surgeon at Scotland Yard, but after 1905 his work seemed to stop and did not recommence until the 1930s, possibly connected with the “Stirling Single” being returned to traffic for special duties. He died in 1949, his memories stretching from the locomotives built in the 1850s through to the Pacifics.
The photographic collection began on the G.W.R. with views of Dean “Singles” at Paddington, Ealing and Sydney Gardens, Bath, all on the broad gauge. The locomotives were clean, the compositions excellent with more than the locomotive “in shot”. There were several views of the G.N.R. around Harringay and Wood Green, perhaps reflecting Cockshott’s assistance. But we soon found that he travelled widely as he recorded the ecclesiastical-looking G. & S.W. engine shed at Dumfries and the Highland station at Strathpeffer, which still survives.
After the break the tour continued – a L. & Y. “Highflyer” at Leeds, the “Brighton”, and various views of the L. & N.W.R., including a beautiful “Problem” 2-2-2, and shots of Bushey and Euston, before we saw a Webb “Coal Tank” at Afon Wen, near Porthmadoc. A Beattie well-tank (of Wenford Bridge fame) was followed by G.W.R. saddle tanks and the first “517” class 0-4-2T which preceded the familiar 14xx. A visit to what is now Northern Ireland was rewarded with sight of its first compound locomotive on the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway. Representatives from the Caledonian included an unusual outside-cylinder 0-6-0. He also visited the Ffestiniog Railway and we were treated to an excellent view of “Livingston Thompson” not long after it was built.
The G.E.R. featured prominently and there was a view of “Gazelle” at Stow Bardolph on a trial run in 1893, an Adams 0-4-4T at Forest Gate and the Duke of York’s Wedding Special of 1893, hauled by an oil-burning T19 2-4-0. He had also photographed the Stratford scrap line and Shenfield before widening.
There were some oddities: A Metropolitan tank at Bishop’s Road (Paddington) with a train via the East London Line, a North Eastern Worsdell 4-2-2 compound, a Midland 0-6-0 specially built with a low chimney to go under a bridge at Poplar, a Severn & Wye Railway 0-6-0T at Berkeley Road, a South Eastern tank on a train from Muswell Hill and a South Eastern 4-4-0 on the “Granville Express” at New Cross (apparently there was a Granville Hotel at Folkestone, so the train was for its wealthy patrons).
Dr Budden also photographed in Belgium and France – we saw an odd locomotive on the État Belge which had a rectangular chimney and three domes in descending size towards the cab, and tank engines at Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, some of which lasted from the 1860s to the 1920s.
Not everything was straightforward – he had tried a Kodak camera which took circular photographs and which was returned to the company for another camera when 100 images had been taken. Also, we saw some photographs printed on an odd blue paper which were less successful.
John was heartily thanked for his presentation, and thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“North Woolwich to Palace Gates” (Jim Connor – 16th February)
We were pleased to find that Jim appeared to be in good health after his planned visit in November had had to be postponed. Jim is a noted London railways historian and founded The London Railway Record in 1994.
North Woolwich to Palace Gates was one of London’s last steam-worked suburban services and we saw a number of images of its usual power – either L1 2-6-4Ts or N7 0-6-2Ts – on about 4 coaches of Thompson suburban stock. But Jim’s presentation began at North Woolwich, opened in 1847 and rebuilt in 1853. It had suffered bomb damage during WW2 and finally closed in 2006 when the electric service to Richmond was withdrawn, a victim of the success of the nearby Docklands Light Railway. The building had housed The Norwich Woolwich Steam Museum for some 20 years. During his investigations in 1967 Jim had unearthed a sign which still said “Next Train to Palace Gates”, despite the line’s closure in 1963.
Going north-westwards the first station was Silvertown, built to serve Silvers Rubber Factory. Unusually, the booking office was underneath the signalbox. The line had had to be diverted in 1855 to allow for the construction of the Victoria Dock – the new line ran north of the Dock - the old line became known as the Silvertown Tramway and ran south of the Dock, serving the many industrial premises nearby. The Connaught Tunnel was an interesting cut-and-cover tunnel built in the 1870s consequent on another diversion. There had been stations at Connaught Road and Tidal Basin, neither of which was rebuilt after bomb damage. Apparently Tidal Basin, at one stage, issued platform tickets proclaiming “Tidal Basin (V.D.)” – Victoria Dock as opposed to a STD!
There had once been two branches from Custom House - one to Beckton, built to serve the huge Beckton Gasworks. The gasworks is no more, but in its heyday it ran two fleets of industrial locomotives – green-liveried ones to serve the gasworks and maroon-liveried ones to serve the by-products plant. The other branch ran to Gallions and both closed in 1940, victims of the Blitz. Gallions had been rebuilt in 1926 in a pleasant, almost chalet, style and was the station for passengers boarding ships in the Royal Albert Dock. This branch had been operated by the Port of London Authority since 1909.
During the evening we were to learn that Jim had heard stories about rare tickets from the line inexplicably being “discovered”. He had never seen any of the tickets, and had to conclude they were just stories!
The next station was Canning Town, now a DLR/Jubilee Line interchange (West Ham was never a G.E. station, having opened in 1979), before reaching Stratford Market which had closed in 1957. During explorations, Jim had found a large sign, obviously pre-war, which was just too big for anyone to carry away! He also took delight in images of enthusiasts in grey macs and other de rigueur trappings of the 1950s. Economy was the watchword when B.R. re-opened and electrified the long-closed Southbury Loop in 1960 - the canopy from Stratford Market was “recycled” at Turkey St! Jim had an amazing image of 4472 Flying Scotsman, also at Stratford Market, undergoing clearance trials prior to the Queen Mother re-opening the North Woolwich Steam Museum in 1984 – there were no spectators and Health & Safety was clearly different then!
Having reached Stratford Low Level (now very different) the bulk of latter-day services terminated, leaving only a sparse peak-hour service to continue to Palace Gates. This would run close to Temple Mills marshalling yards before reaching Lea Bridge, which closed in 1985 before re-opening last year. Then it was via a series of junctions through South Tottenham to Seven Sisters (both now important interchanges), where the branch buildings were in remarkably good condition 3/4 years after closure.
Post-closure images showed that West Green was an unattractive building but at Noel Park & Wood Green we saw a late-1950s exhibition in which J52 68846, Mallard and a 9F were prominent. And so the end of the line was reached at Palace Gates Wood Green which had opened in 1878. Palace Gates was meant to be the Great Eastern’s station for Alexandra Palace but it wasn’t even close! It had a covered footbridge, with fireplaces in the stair-wells, and saw its last passenger trains (Class 31-hauled) on a snowy 5th January 1963. It was still intact a few years later, and there was a coal concentration depot beyond the station reached via an L.N.E.R. connection from Bounds Green. Jim’s presentation closed with an image of the station’s 2-road engine shed.
Thanks to Jim for an excellent show, to Andy Wright for operating the projector, and to everyone for arriving at the earlier time.
Editor’s Note: It is well-nigh impossible to comprehend the line as it was, particularly south of Stratford, as the D.L.R. routes to Gallions Reach and Woolwich either criss-cross or run close to it. Crossrail’s Abbey Wood line will soon be close by. Anyone really interested should obtain the London Railway Atlas (Brown).
We were pleased to find that Jim appeared to be in good health after his planned visit in November had had to be postponed. Jim is a noted London railways historian and founded The London Railway Record in 1994.
North Woolwich to Palace Gates was one of London’s last steam-worked suburban services and we saw a number of images of its usual power – either L1 2-6-4Ts or N7 0-6-2Ts – on about 4 coaches of Thompson suburban stock. But Jim’s presentation began at North Woolwich, opened in 1847 and rebuilt in 1853. It had suffered bomb damage during WW2 and finally closed in 2006 when the electric service to Richmond was withdrawn, a victim of the success of the nearby Docklands Light Railway. The building had housed The Norwich Woolwich Steam Museum for some 20 years. During his investigations in 1967 Jim had unearthed a sign which still said “Next Train to Palace Gates”, despite the line’s closure in 1963.
Going north-westwards the first station was Silvertown, built to serve Silvers Rubber Factory. Unusually, the booking office was underneath the signalbox. The line had had to be diverted in 1855 to allow for the construction of the Victoria Dock – the new line ran north of the Dock - the old line became known as the Silvertown Tramway and ran south of the Dock, serving the many industrial premises nearby. The Connaught Tunnel was an interesting cut-and-cover tunnel built in the 1870s consequent on another diversion. There had been stations at Connaught Road and Tidal Basin, neither of which was rebuilt after bomb damage. Apparently Tidal Basin, at one stage, issued platform tickets proclaiming “Tidal Basin (V.D.)” – Victoria Dock as opposed to a STD!
There had once been two branches from Custom House - one to Beckton, built to serve the huge Beckton Gasworks. The gasworks is no more, but in its heyday it ran two fleets of industrial locomotives – green-liveried ones to serve the gasworks and maroon-liveried ones to serve the by-products plant. The other branch ran to Gallions and both closed in 1940, victims of the Blitz. Gallions had been rebuilt in 1926 in a pleasant, almost chalet, style and was the station for passengers boarding ships in the Royal Albert Dock. This branch had been operated by the Port of London Authority since 1909.
During the evening we were to learn that Jim had heard stories about rare tickets from the line inexplicably being “discovered”. He had never seen any of the tickets, and had to conclude they were just stories!
The next station was Canning Town, now a DLR/Jubilee Line interchange (West Ham was never a G.E. station, having opened in 1979), before reaching Stratford Market which had closed in 1957. During explorations, Jim had found a large sign, obviously pre-war, which was just too big for anyone to carry away! He also took delight in images of enthusiasts in grey macs and other de rigueur trappings of the 1950s. Economy was the watchword when B.R. re-opened and electrified the long-closed Southbury Loop in 1960 - the canopy from Stratford Market was “recycled” at Turkey St! Jim had an amazing image of 4472 Flying Scotsman, also at Stratford Market, undergoing clearance trials prior to the Queen Mother re-opening the North Woolwich Steam Museum in 1984 – there were no spectators and Health & Safety was clearly different then!
Having reached Stratford Low Level (now very different) the bulk of latter-day services terminated, leaving only a sparse peak-hour service to continue to Palace Gates. This would run close to Temple Mills marshalling yards before reaching Lea Bridge, which closed in 1985 before re-opening last year. Then it was via a series of junctions through South Tottenham to Seven Sisters (both now important interchanges), where the branch buildings were in remarkably good condition 3/4 years after closure.
Post-closure images showed that West Green was an unattractive building but at Noel Park & Wood Green we saw a late-1950s exhibition in which J52 68846, Mallard and a 9F were prominent. And so the end of the line was reached at Palace Gates Wood Green which had opened in 1878. Palace Gates was meant to be the Great Eastern’s station for Alexandra Palace but it wasn’t even close! It had a covered footbridge, with fireplaces in the stair-wells, and saw its last passenger trains (Class 31-hauled) on a snowy 5th January 1963. It was still intact a few years later, and there was a coal concentration depot beyond the station reached via an L.N.E.R. connection from Bounds Green. Jim’s presentation closed with an image of the station’s 2-road engine shed.
Thanks to Jim for an excellent show, to Andy Wright for operating the projector, and to everyone for arriving at the earlier time.
Editor’s Note: It is well-nigh impossible to comprehend the line as it was, particularly south of Stratford, as the D.L.R. routes to Gallions Reach and Woolwich either criss-cross or run close to it. Crossrail’s Abbey Wood line will soon be close by. Anyone really interested should obtain the London Railway Atlas (Brown).
Annual Show Report (11th February) - click for our photo gallery
Cloudy and damp weather (similar to that experienced at last year’s Show) might have discouraged some visitors, but it is pleasing to report that there seemed to be a healthy attendance. I think everybody will be familiar with the layout of our Shows, so where better to begin than in the North Room, where our President, Ken Mills, had brought a fine display of “0” gauge on pre-war steel track including some classic British 4-4-0s along with an Argentine 4-4-0 on a train of Argentine wagons.
“Ashfield Green” came courtesy of the Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Society, and members from the East Anglian Transport Museum had an interesting tram layout. Dave White’s display was of his favourite London Underground whilst Philip Moore’s “Hawkins’ Tower” was in 009 gauge which, he told me, had big advantages when it was time to pack up! “Trenance Quay” was from Diss & District M.R.C., complete with a train of clay hoods.
Regulars – “The Norfolk 0 Gauge Mardlers” - had brought a very nice selection of locomotives from various local pre-grouping companies. An unusual display, which I particularly liked, was the “Norfolk Coke & Tar Co” in its industrial setting. “Formhill” was a faithful re-creation of a wayside station and goods yard whilst Great Yarmouth M.R.C’s “Wadham Yard” was deep in G.W.R. territory.
Those who preferred watching DVDs were kept entertained, thanks to Robert Scarfe’s varied show.
In the main circulating area Mike Handscomb had a larger than usual bookstall which included a considerable selection from the recently-deceased John Hanchet.
Moving into the Sanctuary there was publicity from Norwich M.R.C. and a large display from our friends from the B17 Locomotive Trust. Brian Cornwell’s Lego layout was an eclectic mix of American and European which had been built up over some 20 years. Graham Smith’s “Vintage Museum Tramways” featured trams from the U.K. and Europe, including a fictitious “Bertram Mills Organ Tram”! The Barton House Railway brought along its publicity. Michael Land was a newcomer with a display of paintings. The Narrow Gauge Society (16mm scale) had an unusual display of WW1 locos and stock from obscure but obviously well-researched locations.
There was an impressive display of 1950s vintage Hornby-Dublo locos, rolling stock and well-known infrastructure such as the 1930s style station, locoshed and signalboxes. Alongside was “Triang through the Ages” recalling the company’s more dated style of station architecture, signalboxes etc.
In the middle of the Sanctuary, Andy Wright had assembled a photographic display from the late John Hanchet – the night shots on the G.C. were particularly stunning.
And so into the Blake Room where the RC&TS (Ipswich Branch) had its sales/publicity stand, and similar came courtesy of the Friends of the Bure Valley Railway. Arthur Barrett’s chosen narrow-gauge railway this year was the RH&DR and he had the usual mix of publicity/sales and a running DVD. More publicity was afforded to the Southwold Railway Trust, the M&GNJRS and the North Norfolk Railway.
Those of you who had missed Ray Halliday’s Chairman’s Address had another opportunity to acquire the various books on Berney Arms and its environs as Paul & Sheila Hutchinson paid a welcome return visit. Finally, local artist Wrenford Thatcher had an impressive display of railway prints and original paintings. He has made a presentation to us before, and I took the opportunity of asking him to make a return visit early in 2018.
We are grateful to our local heritage railways for contributing free family travel tickets as raffle prizes and to our members for donating other prizes. The Southwold Railway Trust received a cheque from us for £250 and, during his thanks on behalf of the Trust, Chris Williams announced that their first new steam locomotive would be arriving shortly.
Refreshments are an essential part of all-day events and we thank the “Catering Corps” – Ann, Jane, Janet, Jenni, Julie, Maureen, Rose and Sandi – for keeping everyone fed and watered.
And finally…the Show would not have been possible without the efforts of Peter Willis & Chris Mitchell; Chris spent a lot of time managing the car parking – a thankless task on a cold day! Our thanks go to both of them. (EM)
Cloudy and damp weather (similar to that experienced at last year’s Show) might have discouraged some visitors, but it is pleasing to report that there seemed to be a healthy attendance. I think everybody will be familiar with the layout of our Shows, so where better to begin than in the North Room, where our President, Ken Mills, had brought a fine display of “0” gauge on pre-war steel track including some classic British 4-4-0s along with an Argentine 4-4-0 on a train of Argentine wagons.
“Ashfield Green” came courtesy of the Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Society, and members from the East Anglian Transport Museum had an interesting tram layout. Dave White’s display was of his favourite London Underground whilst Philip Moore’s “Hawkins’ Tower” was in 009 gauge which, he told me, had big advantages when it was time to pack up! “Trenance Quay” was from Diss & District M.R.C., complete with a train of clay hoods.
Regulars – “The Norfolk 0 Gauge Mardlers” - had brought a very nice selection of locomotives from various local pre-grouping companies. An unusual display, which I particularly liked, was the “Norfolk Coke & Tar Co” in its industrial setting. “Formhill” was a faithful re-creation of a wayside station and goods yard whilst Great Yarmouth M.R.C’s “Wadham Yard” was deep in G.W.R. territory.
Those who preferred watching DVDs were kept entertained, thanks to Robert Scarfe’s varied show.
In the main circulating area Mike Handscomb had a larger than usual bookstall which included a considerable selection from the recently-deceased John Hanchet.
Moving into the Sanctuary there was publicity from Norwich M.R.C. and a large display from our friends from the B17 Locomotive Trust. Brian Cornwell’s Lego layout was an eclectic mix of American and European which had been built up over some 20 years. Graham Smith’s “Vintage Museum Tramways” featured trams from the U.K. and Europe, including a fictitious “Bertram Mills Organ Tram”! The Barton House Railway brought along its publicity. Michael Land was a newcomer with a display of paintings. The Narrow Gauge Society (16mm scale) had an unusual display of WW1 locos and stock from obscure but obviously well-researched locations.
There was an impressive display of 1950s vintage Hornby-Dublo locos, rolling stock and well-known infrastructure such as the 1930s style station, locoshed and signalboxes. Alongside was “Triang through the Ages” recalling the company’s more dated style of station architecture, signalboxes etc.
In the middle of the Sanctuary, Andy Wright had assembled a photographic display from the late John Hanchet – the night shots on the G.C. were particularly stunning.
And so into the Blake Room where the RC&TS (Ipswich Branch) had its sales/publicity stand, and similar came courtesy of the Friends of the Bure Valley Railway. Arthur Barrett’s chosen narrow-gauge railway this year was the RH&DR and he had the usual mix of publicity/sales and a running DVD. More publicity was afforded to the Southwold Railway Trust, the M&GNJRS and the North Norfolk Railway.
Those of you who had missed Ray Halliday’s Chairman’s Address had another opportunity to acquire the various books on Berney Arms and its environs as Paul & Sheila Hutchinson paid a welcome return visit. Finally, local artist Wrenford Thatcher had an impressive display of railway prints and original paintings. He has made a presentation to us before, and I took the opportunity of asking him to make a return visit early in 2018.
We are grateful to our local heritage railways for contributing free family travel tickets as raffle prizes and to our members for donating other prizes. The Southwold Railway Trust received a cheque from us for £250 and, during his thanks on behalf of the Trust, Chris Williams announced that their first new steam locomotive would be arriving shortly.
Refreshments are an essential part of all-day events and we thank the “Catering Corps” – Ann, Jane, Janet, Jenni, Julie, Maureen, Rose and Sandi – for keeping everyone fed and watered.
And finally…the Show would not have been possible without the efforts of Peter Willis & Chris Mitchell; Chris spent a lot of time managing the car parking – a thankless task on a cold day! Our thanks go to both of them. (EM)
“The Railways of Korea & Japan” (Christopher Joby – 2nd February)
Christopher Joby is the son of our distinguished Hon. Member, Richard Joby, and is a lecturer at Seoul University. We learned that South Korea is a mountainous country and that about half of its population lives around Seoul.
Railways in South Korea date back to 1896 when two American businessmen were granted a concession to construct the Seoul – Chenulpo – Incheon Railroad which opened in 1899, but the railway did not reach Seoul until 1900 when the Han River was bridged. Although the country had long ties with China, it became a Japanese protectorate, finally coming under total Japanese control during WW2. Another line opened in 1905, connecting Seoul with Pyongyang. And other lines followed, enabling a connection to be made with the Trans-Siberian Railway. The railway network was badly damaged during the Korean War but has now been rebuilt and improved – in 1987 some 525 million passengers and 60 million metric tons were moved by rail.
We saw images of the flagship service – the Korea Train Express (KTX) which runs between Seoul and Busan (Pusan) and also operates from Incheon International Airport. Top speed for these is 350 kmh (190 mph) and the new generation of KTX trains has reached 421.4 kmh, making South Korea the fourth country to develop a high-speed train running on conventional rails at 420 kmh (260 mph).
Old Seoul station, finished in 1925, is distinctly Japanese in appearance whilst New Seoul station – opened in time for the Olympics of 2004 – lacks the same character. The Seoul Subway – now 20 connecting lines – opened its first line in 1971. Some 2.6 billion rides are made annually. We found that Christopher has a penchant for photographing signs, and that the translations into American-English left something to be desired!
Most unusually, the refreshments (which were excellent) came from the presenter’s sister Lyn, who owns the 7 Surrey St café – perhaps this aspect could receive further thought in future!
We briefly saw some old South Korean trams, trams having ended in 1968 only to be restored recently in a few places. Seoul buses were introduced in 1930 and returned after the Korean War. A glimpse of North Korea, which has a larger rail network, produced a diesel locomotive probably of Chinese or East European origin.
Japan’s railways date back to 1872, with the opening of the line from Tokyo to Yokohama, and since 1987 the railway business has been privatised. There are 27,268 km (approx. 20,000 miles) of railways, over 20,000 km of which are in the hands of Japan Railways Group; the rest are owned by private enterprise companies. The railway carried nearly 7.3 billion passengers (cf. 2.2 billion in Germany). Because of the massive use of its railway network Japan has 46 of the 51 busiest stations in the world (no UK station on the list)! Japan’s high-speed or “bullet” trains were introduced in 1964 and we saw images of various types, including the latest Shinkansen.
A Q & A session followed, and a question was asked about reunification of the North and South. Christopher thought this unlikely as the economic difference (about 20:1 in favour of the South) was too great. In Germany it had been about 3:1 in favour of the West.
Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the projector, and to Christopher for a most unusual and much-appreciated presentation.
Christopher Joby is the son of our distinguished Hon. Member, Richard Joby, and is a lecturer at Seoul University. We learned that South Korea is a mountainous country and that about half of its population lives around Seoul.
Railways in South Korea date back to 1896 when two American businessmen were granted a concession to construct the Seoul – Chenulpo – Incheon Railroad which opened in 1899, but the railway did not reach Seoul until 1900 when the Han River was bridged. Although the country had long ties with China, it became a Japanese protectorate, finally coming under total Japanese control during WW2. Another line opened in 1905, connecting Seoul with Pyongyang. And other lines followed, enabling a connection to be made with the Trans-Siberian Railway. The railway network was badly damaged during the Korean War but has now been rebuilt and improved – in 1987 some 525 million passengers and 60 million metric tons were moved by rail.
We saw images of the flagship service – the Korea Train Express (KTX) which runs between Seoul and Busan (Pusan) and also operates from Incheon International Airport. Top speed for these is 350 kmh (190 mph) and the new generation of KTX trains has reached 421.4 kmh, making South Korea the fourth country to develop a high-speed train running on conventional rails at 420 kmh (260 mph).
Old Seoul station, finished in 1925, is distinctly Japanese in appearance whilst New Seoul station – opened in time for the Olympics of 2004 – lacks the same character. The Seoul Subway – now 20 connecting lines – opened its first line in 1971. Some 2.6 billion rides are made annually. We found that Christopher has a penchant for photographing signs, and that the translations into American-English left something to be desired!
Most unusually, the refreshments (which were excellent) came from the presenter’s sister Lyn, who owns the 7 Surrey St café – perhaps this aspect could receive further thought in future!
We briefly saw some old South Korean trams, trams having ended in 1968 only to be restored recently in a few places. Seoul buses were introduced in 1930 and returned after the Korean War. A glimpse of North Korea, which has a larger rail network, produced a diesel locomotive probably of Chinese or East European origin.
Japan’s railways date back to 1872, with the opening of the line from Tokyo to Yokohama, and since 1987 the railway business has been privatised. There are 27,268 km (approx. 20,000 miles) of railways, over 20,000 km of which are in the hands of Japan Railways Group; the rest are owned by private enterprise companies. The railway carried nearly 7.3 billion passengers (cf. 2.2 billion in Germany). Because of the massive use of its railway network Japan has 46 of the 51 busiest stations in the world (no UK station on the list)! Japan’s high-speed or “bullet” trains were introduced in 1964 and we saw images of various types, including the latest Shinkansen.
A Q & A session followed, and a question was asked about reunification of the North and South. Christopher thought this unlikely as the economic difference (about 20:1 in favour of the South) was too great. In Germany it had been about 3:1 in favour of the West.
Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the projector, and to Christopher for a most unusual and much-appreciated presentation.
Chairman’s Address – “Berney Arms Past & Present and Incidents & Special Days on the North Norfolk Railway” (Ray Halliday – 19th January)
Vice-Chairman Brian Kirton introduced Ray’s presentation, which did not require explanation.
Berney Arms is some 3½ miles from Reedham and some 4½ miles from Yarmouth. It is an isolated spot, and there have never been more than a dozen properties around the station. It is some 2 miles from the nearest road, meaning that it is accessible only by boat, on foot, by cycle or by rail. The station opened in 1844 and is in the middle of land owned by the Berney family – Thomas Berney agreed to the railway crossing his land/marshes so long as a station was provided. Having provided the station, the railway tried to outsmart him by withdrawing the stopping trains but the legal challenge resulted in the stop being reinstated.
The station (perhaps halt would be better) would have been used by marshmen and agricultural workers as well as the few families living in the surrounding cottages, whose children would have used the trains to get to and from school. The station building served partly as a Post Office, waiting room and ticket office – the rest was residential. It was demolished around 1970. The tiny signalbox has also gone – first to the nearby pub but now it’s at Mangapps Farm Museum.
The windmill is well-known, and is now an RSPB base. Last year the area featured in a short Country File piece, largely about drainage. The mill is open to visitors occasionally, and we were grateful that former Berney Arms resident Sheila Hutchinson and her husband Paul had been able to come to our meeting to add to Ray’s presentation. Her book Berney Arms Past & Present generated a lot of interest and sales were brisk. It was surprising to learn that the mill had once been used to produce cement clinker and that a sawmill was nearby. Neither activity survived the 19th century.
The number of passengers using Berney Arms was 1,510 at the last count – a surprisingly large number considering that Shippea Hill could muster a mere 22 over a year! Most of the users would be walkers, possibly taking in the Weavers’ Way, but the timetable is not exactly “user-friendly”. Coming from Norwich there are 2 “by request” stops and 1 from Yarmouth, although Sundays see an augmented service. By comparison, the 1979/80 timetable had some stopping trains, not just “by request”.
After the break we visited Ray’ second home – the North Norfolk Railway, where he has been a Traveliing Ticket Inspector for about 5 years. He also acts as a guide. He recalled some amusing incidents – last year a member of a coach party was sure he was Howard from The Last of the Summer Wine! On another occasion, a Gala Day, he was riding in an e.c.s. to Holt when he looked out and his hat blew away! The “bush telegraph” went into overdrive and it took a long time for the “hat jokes” to be played out. Finally, a couple with a large dog asked, tongue-in-cheek, the cost of a Rover(!) ticket for the dog! Ray said £1 – the money was paid and they replied: “Here’s the dog – we’re off to Blickling”!
We then saw a DVD – “Yesterday Today on the North Norfolk Railway” made in 2007. Prominent were the evacuees and their train, the WW2 Day and the Classic Car Day. The film had a continuity actress and, no doubt, opinions of her ranged from the amusing to the insufferable! Very apparent was the way the re-enactors entered into the spirit of the WW2 Day. Finally, it included a few minutes of the Marriott granddaughters talking about their grandfather.
There was generous applause for Ray at the end, and thanks also to Andy Wright for projecting and taking the trouble to visit Ray in advance to ensure the presentation ran smoothly.
Vice-Chairman Brian Kirton introduced Ray’s presentation, which did not require explanation.
Berney Arms is some 3½ miles from Reedham and some 4½ miles from Yarmouth. It is an isolated spot, and there have never been more than a dozen properties around the station. It is some 2 miles from the nearest road, meaning that it is accessible only by boat, on foot, by cycle or by rail. The station opened in 1844 and is in the middle of land owned by the Berney family – Thomas Berney agreed to the railway crossing his land/marshes so long as a station was provided. Having provided the station, the railway tried to outsmart him by withdrawing the stopping trains but the legal challenge resulted in the stop being reinstated.
The station (perhaps halt would be better) would have been used by marshmen and agricultural workers as well as the few families living in the surrounding cottages, whose children would have used the trains to get to and from school. The station building served partly as a Post Office, waiting room and ticket office – the rest was residential. It was demolished around 1970. The tiny signalbox has also gone – first to the nearby pub but now it’s at Mangapps Farm Museum.
The windmill is well-known, and is now an RSPB base. Last year the area featured in a short Country File piece, largely about drainage. The mill is open to visitors occasionally, and we were grateful that former Berney Arms resident Sheila Hutchinson and her husband Paul had been able to come to our meeting to add to Ray’s presentation. Her book Berney Arms Past & Present generated a lot of interest and sales were brisk. It was surprising to learn that the mill had once been used to produce cement clinker and that a sawmill was nearby. Neither activity survived the 19th century.
The number of passengers using Berney Arms was 1,510 at the last count – a surprisingly large number considering that Shippea Hill could muster a mere 22 over a year! Most of the users would be walkers, possibly taking in the Weavers’ Way, but the timetable is not exactly “user-friendly”. Coming from Norwich there are 2 “by request” stops and 1 from Yarmouth, although Sundays see an augmented service. By comparison, the 1979/80 timetable had some stopping trains, not just “by request”.
After the break we visited Ray’ second home – the North Norfolk Railway, where he has been a Traveliing Ticket Inspector for about 5 years. He also acts as a guide. He recalled some amusing incidents – last year a member of a coach party was sure he was Howard from The Last of the Summer Wine! On another occasion, a Gala Day, he was riding in an e.c.s. to Holt when he looked out and his hat blew away! The “bush telegraph” went into overdrive and it took a long time for the “hat jokes” to be played out. Finally, a couple with a large dog asked, tongue-in-cheek, the cost of a Rover(!) ticket for the dog! Ray said £1 – the money was paid and they replied: “Here’s the dog – we’re off to Blickling”!
We then saw a DVD – “Yesterday Today on the North Norfolk Railway” made in 2007. Prominent were the evacuees and their train, the WW2 Day and the Classic Car Day. The film had a continuity actress and, no doubt, opinions of her ranged from the amusing to the insufferable! Very apparent was the way the re-enactors entered into the spirit of the WW2 Day. Finally, it included a few minutes of the Marriott granddaughters talking about their grandfather.
There was generous applause for Ray at the end, and thanks also to Andy Wright for projecting and taking the trouble to visit Ray in advance to ensure the presentation ran smoothly.
“A Shed Called Volcano” (Ken Mills – 5th January)
Argentina is some 11 times the size of the U.K., and Ken’s exploration of that country’s railways – especially the remoter ones – always holds interest for your scribe. Ken’s metre-gauge journey (from circa 1970) began at the Retiro terminal of the General Belgrano Railway in Buenos Aires, and he headed north to Tucumán (800 miles) and thence to Jujuy (1,009 miles) where the altitude is over 4,000’. At one time there were cross-border services to Bolivia and Chile, but these seem to have been closed or are out or use.
Of the steam locomotives seen, which mainly came from European builders, a distinct family likeness was apparent. Many were wood-burners (it is the Chaco region) but there were a few oil-burners. Signalling equipment looked very British.
As we approached the break, Fate intervened as the projector began to “chew” some of Ken’s card-mounted slides. Mike Fordham did his best to retrieve these from the Society’s 30 year-old projector, but it was a thankless task, and I was forced to abandon the meeting after an early refreshment break had been taken. We never got to see the remarkable German-built 0-12-2 combined rack and adhesion locomotives used on the 9 mile stretch from León to Volcan on a gradient of 1 in 17 (about 6%) which must have made a remarkable sight.
If anyone has the Railway Magazine for July 1959 please refer to pp 459-466 and the article “International Rail Routes over the Andes”.
We offer our apologies to Ken for the evening’s disaster – it was nothing less – and the loss of some of his precious slides. (EM)
Argentina is some 11 times the size of the U.K., and Ken’s exploration of that country’s railways – especially the remoter ones – always holds interest for your scribe. Ken’s metre-gauge journey (from circa 1970) began at the Retiro terminal of the General Belgrano Railway in Buenos Aires, and he headed north to Tucumán (800 miles) and thence to Jujuy (1,009 miles) where the altitude is over 4,000’. At one time there were cross-border services to Bolivia and Chile, but these seem to have been closed or are out or use.
Of the steam locomotives seen, which mainly came from European builders, a distinct family likeness was apparent. Many were wood-burners (it is the Chaco region) but there were a few oil-burners. Signalling equipment looked very British.
As we approached the break, Fate intervened as the projector began to “chew” some of Ken’s card-mounted slides. Mike Fordham did his best to retrieve these from the Society’s 30 year-old projector, but it was a thankless task, and I was forced to abandon the meeting after an early refreshment break had been taken. We never got to see the remarkable German-built 0-12-2 combined rack and adhesion locomotives used on the 9 mile stretch from León to Volcan on a gradient of 1 in 17 (about 6%) which must have made a remarkable sight.
If anyone has the Railway Magazine for July 1959 please refer to pp 459-466 and the article “International Rail Routes over the Andes”.
We offer our apologies to Ken for the evening’s disaster – it was nothing less – and the loss of some of his precious slides. (EM)
Members’ Evening (15th December)
A very short summary of a members’ evening could be: “You never know what’s coming!”
John Hutchinson started the ball rolling with a poetry reading, written by Denis Muir, about a late 1950s summer day at Carlisle Citadel, in which the atmosphere of the time was faithfully re-created.
Robert Scarfe followed with action footage concentrating on local steam Galas. Notable was 0-6-0PT 6430 plus auto-coach shuttling to Hoe and back, and Metropolitan 0-4-4T no. 1 on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. Over at the Nene Valley Railway, 60163 Tornado and D9000 Royal Scots Grey completed the action.
Peter Cooke contributed a selection of readings from a book on railway humour before Mike Fordham took us back to July 2003 when the last mail trains ran between Norwich and Dover. The earlier train left around 1900 but no sorting took place on board whereas on the 2200 departure sorting took place en route. Ceremonial last postings (on payment of the late fee) were filmed and several members, including the late David Wright and the late Roger Harrison, were seen. Those “in the know” had found these trains an easy means of clearing their Class 67s.
As the break approached, your scribe read from the book Leaves on the Line – a collection of railway-related letters to the Daily Telegraph. Finally, Andy Wright weighed-in with an excellent set of images of Nottingham’s trams which culminated in a seasonal poster announcing that mince pies and other goodies were ready.
Suitably refreshed, it was time for Ray Halliday to open the second part with a DVD from a friend showing steam in the north-west in 2016. Several Settle & Carlisle locations were featured, together with Milnthorpe on the WCML and, finally, Copy Pit summit near Todmorden (where the Todmorden triangle has recently been reinstated allowing through services between Manchester and Burnley to resume). Of the locomotives seen, 4472 Flying Scotsman seemed to be running particularly well.
Mike Handscomb’s disposal of the Society’s archives had unearthed a photograph of delegates attending a motive power conference at Hadley Wood in 1952. Helpfully, all of the delegates were identified on the reverse, and there was no doubt who was in charge – it was the redoubtable L.P. Parker, Motive Power Superintendent at Liverpool St, a much-feared gentleman as soon becomes apparent from the writings of Dick Hardy. Mike then dipped into his own collection with a set of enamel indicator shutters which once occupied the huge indicator box next to Platform 12 at Waterloo, and he continued with some amusing post-Beeching Report publicity aimed at putting the railways in a better light with the help of the late Tony Hancock.
Richard Adderson showed images of Norfolk’s railways in November, all taken within half-an-hour of home. Naturally we saw Class 68s on the “short sets”, but 6201 Princess Elizabeth had been to Norwich recently and Richard had taken some excellent night shots.
John Hutchinson returned, showing part of a DVD on the A3s, which included 60045 Lemberg as standing “up” pilot at Darlington before the modern technology was packed away and Graham Smith ended proceedings with slides of a Society visit to the just re-opened Severn Valley Railway in 1970 and of very early days on the North Norfolk Railway.
Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the digital projector and other kit.
The collection for St Martin’s Housing Trust totalled £150 (£120 last year), so many thanks to everybody who donated. Once again, we are indebted to Graham & Joy Kenworthy for their hard work in bringing the festive fare to us, and to Brian Cornwell and John Hutchinson for their help on the night.
A very short summary of a members’ evening could be: “You never know what’s coming!”
John Hutchinson started the ball rolling with a poetry reading, written by Denis Muir, about a late 1950s summer day at Carlisle Citadel, in which the atmosphere of the time was faithfully re-created.
Robert Scarfe followed with action footage concentrating on local steam Galas. Notable was 0-6-0PT 6430 plus auto-coach shuttling to Hoe and back, and Metropolitan 0-4-4T no. 1 on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. Over at the Nene Valley Railway, 60163 Tornado and D9000 Royal Scots Grey completed the action.
Peter Cooke contributed a selection of readings from a book on railway humour before Mike Fordham took us back to July 2003 when the last mail trains ran between Norwich and Dover. The earlier train left around 1900 but no sorting took place on board whereas on the 2200 departure sorting took place en route. Ceremonial last postings (on payment of the late fee) were filmed and several members, including the late David Wright and the late Roger Harrison, were seen. Those “in the know” had found these trains an easy means of clearing their Class 67s.
As the break approached, your scribe read from the book Leaves on the Line – a collection of railway-related letters to the Daily Telegraph. Finally, Andy Wright weighed-in with an excellent set of images of Nottingham’s trams which culminated in a seasonal poster announcing that mince pies and other goodies were ready.
Suitably refreshed, it was time for Ray Halliday to open the second part with a DVD from a friend showing steam in the north-west in 2016. Several Settle & Carlisle locations were featured, together with Milnthorpe on the WCML and, finally, Copy Pit summit near Todmorden (where the Todmorden triangle has recently been reinstated allowing through services between Manchester and Burnley to resume). Of the locomotives seen, 4472 Flying Scotsman seemed to be running particularly well.
Mike Handscomb’s disposal of the Society’s archives had unearthed a photograph of delegates attending a motive power conference at Hadley Wood in 1952. Helpfully, all of the delegates were identified on the reverse, and there was no doubt who was in charge – it was the redoubtable L.P. Parker, Motive Power Superintendent at Liverpool St, a much-feared gentleman as soon becomes apparent from the writings of Dick Hardy. Mike then dipped into his own collection with a set of enamel indicator shutters which once occupied the huge indicator box next to Platform 12 at Waterloo, and he continued with some amusing post-Beeching Report publicity aimed at putting the railways in a better light with the help of the late Tony Hancock.
Richard Adderson showed images of Norfolk’s railways in November, all taken within half-an-hour of home. Naturally we saw Class 68s on the “short sets”, but 6201 Princess Elizabeth had been to Norwich recently and Richard had taken some excellent night shots.
John Hutchinson returned, showing part of a DVD on the A3s, which included 60045 Lemberg as standing “up” pilot at Darlington before the modern technology was packed away and Graham Smith ended proceedings with slides of a Society visit to the just re-opened Severn Valley Railway in 1970 and of very early days on the North Norfolk Railway.
Thanks to Andy Wright for operating the digital projector and other kit.
The collection for St Martin’s Housing Trust totalled £150 (£120 last year), so many thanks to everybody who donated. Once again, we are indebted to Graham & Joy Kenworthy for their hard work in bringing the festive fare to us, and to Brian Cornwell and John Hutchinson for their help on the night.
Committee Pot Pourri (1st December)
Chairman Ray Halliday began the evening by announcing that The North Norfolk Railway had been voted ‘Best Large Attraction' in Norfolk and Suffolk in the EDP Hoseasons Tourism Awards. This was a much-deserved tribute to the NNR’s outgoing General Manager Trevor Eady. Ray also thanked Brian Cornwell for producing a number of loco-themed ‘baubles’ to decorate the URC Hall’s Christmas tree.
The evening’s entertainment was in two parts. First, Brian ran a DVD entitled The End of Steam: The Story of Dr Beeching’s Railway Cuts, issued by local production house Timereel.
Subdivided into chapters, the DVD began with The Beeching Cuts, which illustrated how the UK’s route mileage was just too large to be maintained, and included excerpts from interviews with ‘the great and good Doctor’ (to quote Gerard Fiennes). In End of Steam, the grimy and back-breaking conditions on the footplate were given as a prime reason for scrapping thousands of steam locos.
Dash for Diesel examined the BTC’s Modernisation Scheme - well under way, of course, by the time Dr Beeching became BR Chairman - and contained some super colour footage of pilot scheme diesels (37s under construction at EE, Brush Type 4s at Loughborough) and the ill-fated Blue Pullmans. Electrification included the success story of the WCML where traffic doubled between 1966 and 1976. In Freight Revolution pick-up freights and old-fashioned shunting methods (including Charlie, the Newmarket shunting horse) were contrasted with liner trains and modern marshalling yards – many of the latter destined to enjoy only a short life. Semaphores gave way to centralised control and colour lights in Track and Signalling, and the first tentative steps of the preservation movement were recounted in The Heritage Industry.
Finally, Retrospect concluded that the Modernisation Scheme, despite being lambasted in some quarters, was ‘good in parts’ - in particular, the electrification programme.
From Plawsworth to the Boat Train was the title Andy Wright gave to his presentation after the break: it was, he explained, a photographic miscellany from his journeys during 2016.
So where on earth is/was Plawsworth? In County Durham, it turned out, on the ECML between Durham and Chester-le-Street, although Plawsworth station lost its passenger services back in 1952. On holiday there, Andy had become intrigued by the area’s railway past, and with the aid of old maps and photographs he showed us the contrast between Plawsworth in its heyday and today’s scene with Virgin East Coast and Cross-Country expresses streaking through.
He’d also taken the opportunity to visit other railway locations in the area: Chester-le-Street; Newcastle (where he illustrated the set of cross-Tyne bridges and their various traffics); and the Tanfield Railway. Not only does this boast, in the the Causey Arch, the oldest surviving single-arch railway bridge in the world, but the railway’s Marley Hill engine shed, built in 1854, is thought to be the oldest engine shed in the world still used for its original purpose.
Also on Andy’s County Durham itinerary was Seaham, a coastal town which he recalled from his student days. It had once been the site of three collieries – Vane Tempest (opened as recently as 1928), Dawdon and Seaham, but by 1992 all three had closed, a process accelerated by the British miners' strike and cheap coal imports. Again using recent photographs, then-and-now maps and archive aerial shots, Andy showed the physical effect of the changes which had hit the local economy hard - and obliterated its railway network.
NRS member and past chairman Peter Adds is a trustee of the Royal Scot Trust, and earlier in the year he invited Andy to visit the Trust’s base at Crewe. Inside the brightly-lit and well-equipped workshop, Andy had photographed a clutch of prestigious machines: 70000 Britannia, 60532 Blue Peter, 60019 Bittern and 5029 Nunney Castle.
Returning closer to home, his days out in East Anglia had taken him to Manningtree and Harwich, and to Cambridge and Ipswich; a most unusual sight emerging from Stoke Hill Tunnel was a Class 68 hauling a last-minute Norwich - Colchester and return replacement service. Andy had also joined the band of diehard traction-bashers on a ‘short set’ return trip to Lowestoft.
A change of viewpoint came when he was invited to take a trip in a light plane. This was a fine opportunity to ‘do a Mike Page’ by capturing unusual perspectives of Norfolk railways and abandoned trackbeds.
To round off the presentation Andy showed pictures from a trip to Folkestone, using a Javelin set for the leg from Stratford International. His destination was the disused Folkestone Harbour station - hence ‘the Boat Train’ of his title. The much photographed branch and station had been used by the odd railtour until 2009 and then officially closed in May 2014. Though desolate and decaying, the platforms and track are, it appears, still accessible to the determined photographer.
Ray Halliday thanked both presenters for a most entertaining evening.
Chairman Ray Halliday began the evening by announcing that The North Norfolk Railway had been voted ‘Best Large Attraction' in Norfolk and Suffolk in the EDP Hoseasons Tourism Awards. This was a much-deserved tribute to the NNR’s outgoing General Manager Trevor Eady. Ray also thanked Brian Cornwell for producing a number of loco-themed ‘baubles’ to decorate the URC Hall’s Christmas tree.
The evening’s entertainment was in two parts. First, Brian ran a DVD entitled The End of Steam: The Story of Dr Beeching’s Railway Cuts, issued by local production house Timereel.
Subdivided into chapters, the DVD began with The Beeching Cuts, which illustrated how the UK’s route mileage was just too large to be maintained, and included excerpts from interviews with ‘the great and good Doctor’ (to quote Gerard Fiennes). In End of Steam, the grimy and back-breaking conditions on the footplate were given as a prime reason for scrapping thousands of steam locos.
Dash for Diesel examined the BTC’s Modernisation Scheme - well under way, of course, by the time Dr Beeching became BR Chairman - and contained some super colour footage of pilot scheme diesels (37s under construction at EE, Brush Type 4s at Loughborough) and the ill-fated Blue Pullmans. Electrification included the success story of the WCML where traffic doubled between 1966 and 1976. In Freight Revolution pick-up freights and old-fashioned shunting methods (including Charlie, the Newmarket shunting horse) were contrasted with liner trains and modern marshalling yards – many of the latter destined to enjoy only a short life. Semaphores gave way to centralised control and colour lights in Track and Signalling, and the first tentative steps of the preservation movement were recounted in The Heritage Industry.
Finally, Retrospect concluded that the Modernisation Scheme, despite being lambasted in some quarters, was ‘good in parts’ - in particular, the electrification programme.
From Plawsworth to the Boat Train was the title Andy Wright gave to his presentation after the break: it was, he explained, a photographic miscellany from his journeys during 2016.
So where on earth is/was Plawsworth? In County Durham, it turned out, on the ECML between Durham and Chester-le-Street, although Plawsworth station lost its passenger services back in 1952. On holiday there, Andy had become intrigued by the area’s railway past, and with the aid of old maps and photographs he showed us the contrast between Plawsworth in its heyday and today’s scene with Virgin East Coast and Cross-Country expresses streaking through.
He’d also taken the opportunity to visit other railway locations in the area: Chester-le-Street; Newcastle (where he illustrated the set of cross-Tyne bridges and their various traffics); and the Tanfield Railway. Not only does this boast, in the the Causey Arch, the oldest surviving single-arch railway bridge in the world, but the railway’s Marley Hill engine shed, built in 1854, is thought to be the oldest engine shed in the world still used for its original purpose.
Also on Andy’s County Durham itinerary was Seaham, a coastal town which he recalled from his student days. It had once been the site of three collieries – Vane Tempest (opened as recently as 1928), Dawdon and Seaham, but by 1992 all three had closed, a process accelerated by the British miners' strike and cheap coal imports. Again using recent photographs, then-and-now maps and archive aerial shots, Andy showed the physical effect of the changes which had hit the local economy hard - and obliterated its railway network.
NRS member and past chairman Peter Adds is a trustee of the Royal Scot Trust, and earlier in the year he invited Andy to visit the Trust’s base at Crewe. Inside the brightly-lit and well-equipped workshop, Andy had photographed a clutch of prestigious machines: 70000 Britannia, 60532 Blue Peter, 60019 Bittern and 5029 Nunney Castle.
Returning closer to home, his days out in East Anglia had taken him to Manningtree and Harwich, and to Cambridge and Ipswich; a most unusual sight emerging from Stoke Hill Tunnel was a Class 68 hauling a last-minute Norwich - Colchester and return replacement service. Andy had also joined the band of diehard traction-bashers on a ‘short set’ return trip to Lowestoft.
A change of viewpoint came when he was invited to take a trip in a light plane. This was a fine opportunity to ‘do a Mike Page’ by capturing unusual perspectives of Norfolk railways and abandoned trackbeds.
To round off the presentation Andy showed pictures from a trip to Folkestone, using a Javelin set for the leg from Stratford International. His destination was the disused Folkestone Harbour station - hence ‘the Boat Train’ of his title. The much photographed branch and station had been used by the odd railtour until 2009 and then officially closed in May 2014. Though desolate and decaying, the platforms and track are, it appears, still accessible to the determined photographer.
Ray Halliday thanked both presenters for a most entertaining evening.
“Steam Locomotives on East Anglian Metals” (Peter Groom – 17th November)
The conjunction of the words “Steam” and “East Anglian” guarantees a bumper audience, and Peter’s presentation no doubt sent everyone home happy.
However, his story began when he was a student at King’s College in 1955 and he read about the impending Modernisation Plan, which spurred him to photograph every class of surviving steam locomotive though, in the event, a few escaped him. Unusually, his presentation was in black & white slide format, and it began at Liverpool St with an L1 on a Cambridge line service. 70009 Alfred the Great between duties was next, and he began to highlight some of the minor detail differences e.g. it still had additional disc positions from its time on the S.R. Next came a curiosity – petrol-engined Y11 15099 which spent its time shunting at Ware on the Hertford East branch before Peter saw it on one of Stratford’s scraplines.
The J65 0-6-0Ts shunted in e.g. docks and to assist their negotiation of sharp curves the front sections of their coupling rods were removed, meaning they ran as 2-4-0Ts! The J67/J69 classes were full of detail differences, including a handle on the tender, and he speculated whether this was for the use of shunters and from the time some spent in Scotland. Some had cut-down chimneys enabling them to work over to S. London etc. We saw F5/F6 2-4-2Ts still fitted with condensing apparatus or with supports to hold destination boards in front of the smokebox! Stratford scrap lines had much to offer including the last N7 0-6-2T with a G.E. chimney c.1958. Another N7 was push-pull fitted, harking back to its days on Marylebone – Ruislip services. A Great Northern N1 0-6-2T went for scrap at Stratford in 1963, long withdrawn and subsequently used on carriage-warming duties at Shoeburyness.
Moving on to tender engines, we saw variants of the E4 2-4-0, some fitted with slightly more weatherproof cabs long after their repatriation from the Stainmore route. The K5 – the Thompson 2- cylinder rebuild of the K3 – was pictured, and so it continued - you began to wonder if any 2 engines of the same class were exactly alike!
And so to a salutary tale – in 1960 a pupil at Peter’s school approached him, asking if he wanted to buy the nameplate from 61657 Doncaster Rovers, which had recently been withdrawn. It could be had for £8 - the scrap value of the brass. Peter thought about it, but declined, on the basis that it would be too difficult to transport, first across London to his own flat, and thence to his parents’ house in the Midlands!
King’s had a scrapyard in Poplar – in 1964 he learned that a Y4 0-4-0T (Departmental 33) was awaiting cutting-up, along with a J15. He duly photographed what was thought to be the last Stratford engine to be steamed – it was kept in reserve at the Old Works and occasionally steamed until the end of 1962.
Other gems included a C12 4-4-2T at March – records show that 67363 moved from Tilbury to New England in 1958, though lasted only another 3 months. Also seen at March was 61631 Serlby Hall, in steam, on what was thought to be its last journey to Doncaster. Turning to the large J20s we learnt that some had holes cut in the footplate steps to fit the S.R. clearances – a few went to Hornsey in the early 1950s to work cross-London freights.
Norwich had to feature, and the old depot was well-represented including 61572 specially posed for his camera. He had a “query” shot at Norwich – a B12 showing a single disc on the buffer-beam and leaving on a lengthy train. Richard Adderson confirmed what he thought – that the disc was a G.E. route indicator. His presentation ended at Yarmouth in August 1968 with a Drewry diesel shunting wagons of old railway scrap.
His show was much appreciated by everyone, and we are very grateful that he travelled from Hertfordshire to entertain and educate us. Thanks to Peter Adds and Andy Wright for help with the projector.
The conjunction of the words “Steam” and “East Anglian” guarantees a bumper audience, and Peter’s presentation no doubt sent everyone home happy.
However, his story began when he was a student at King’s College in 1955 and he read about the impending Modernisation Plan, which spurred him to photograph every class of surviving steam locomotive though, in the event, a few escaped him. Unusually, his presentation was in black & white slide format, and it began at Liverpool St with an L1 on a Cambridge line service. 70009 Alfred the Great between duties was next, and he began to highlight some of the minor detail differences e.g. it still had additional disc positions from its time on the S.R. Next came a curiosity – petrol-engined Y11 15099 which spent its time shunting at Ware on the Hertford East branch before Peter saw it on one of Stratford’s scraplines.
The J65 0-6-0Ts shunted in e.g. docks and to assist their negotiation of sharp curves the front sections of their coupling rods were removed, meaning they ran as 2-4-0Ts! The J67/J69 classes were full of detail differences, including a handle on the tender, and he speculated whether this was for the use of shunters and from the time some spent in Scotland. Some had cut-down chimneys enabling them to work over to S. London etc. We saw F5/F6 2-4-2Ts still fitted with condensing apparatus or with supports to hold destination boards in front of the smokebox! Stratford scrap lines had much to offer including the last N7 0-6-2T with a G.E. chimney c.1958. Another N7 was push-pull fitted, harking back to its days on Marylebone – Ruislip services. A Great Northern N1 0-6-2T went for scrap at Stratford in 1963, long withdrawn and subsequently used on carriage-warming duties at Shoeburyness.
Moving on to tender engines, we saw variants of the E4 2-4-0, some fitted with slightly more weatherproof cabs long after their repatriation from the Stainmore route. The K5 – the Thompson 2- cylinder rebuild of the K3 – was pictured, and so it continued - you began to wonder if any 2 engines of the same class were exactly alike!
And so to a salutary tale – in 1960 a pupil at Peter’s school approached him, asking if he wanted to buy the nameplate from 61657 Doncaster Rovers, which had recently been withdrawn. It could be had for £8 - the scrap value of the brass. Peter thought about it, but declined, on the basis that it would be too difficult to transport, first across London to his own flat, and thence to his parents’ house in the Midlands!
King’s had a scrapyard in Poplar – in 1964 he learned that a Y4 0-4-0T (Departmental 33) was awaiting cutting-up, along with a J15. He duly photographed what was thought to be the last Stratford engine to be steamed – it was kept in reserve at the Old Works and occasionally steamed until the end of 1962.
Other gems included a C12 4-4-2T at March – records show that 67363 moved from Tilbury to New England in 1958, though lasted only another 3 months. Also seen at March was 61631 Serlby Hall, in steam, on what was thought to be its last journey to Doncaster. Turning to the large J20s we learnt that some had holes cut in the footplate steps to fit the S.R. clearances – a few went to Hornsey in the early 1950s to work cross-London freights.
Norwich had to feature, and the old depot was well-represented including 61572 specially posed for his camera. He had a “query” shot at Norwich – a B12 showing a single disc on the buffer-beam and leaving on a lengthy train. Richard Adderson confirmed what he thought – that the disc was a G.E. route indicator. His presentation ended at Yarmouth in August 1968 with a Drewry diesel shunting wagons of old railway scrap.
His show was much appreciated by everyone, and we are very grateful that he travelled from Hertfordshire to entertain and educate us. Thanks to Peter Adds and Andy Wright for help with the projector.
“North Woolwich to Palace Gates” (Jim Connor – 3rd November)
Unfortunately Jim was unwell a few days in advance of his presentation, and he was no better a couple of days before. The Fixtures Committee had to swing into unaccustomed action, and it is to be hoped that the substitute show provided some entertainment and interest for everybody.
Edward Mann had a themed-DVD to show, starting with the well-known 1930s classic - “Night Mail”. The film concentrated on the Down “Postal” which used to leave Euston at 2030, with portions for Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen. Liberties were taken with the locations, of course, and I think the Watford area featured strongly. We saw the postal sorters at work (management seemed to look as if they’d swallowed something unpleasant), and the heavy work involved in putting the apparatus out to collect bags and the equally heavy and dangerous work when the bags were collected from the lineside at 60 m.p.h. Crewe was the most important station stop, where engines were changed, with many bags taken aboard and put off. The film contained the unforgettable music by Benjamin Britten and poetry by W.H. Auden, and we must be grateful that Health & Safety considerations would have received very blank looks back then!
And so we moved on to the tale of an urgent letter from London to Aberdeen in “Spotlight on the Night Mail” from 1948, a resourceful secretary (working overtime?) and, of course, the Down “Postal” once again. Having missed the last collection, she made her way to Euston and posted the letter directly on to the T.P.O., which then cost an extra ½d! This film seemed more a dramatized documentary but it was pleasing to see the old Euston, Camden M.P.D. and 6207 Princess Arthur of Connaught in charge of the train. There were some inexplicable engine changes en route but we saw the happy conclusion - a “Jubilee” entering Aberdeen, and the letter reaching its destination the next day. If only they had fax machines!
After an extended break for a Committee meeting, the films continued with “Night Mail 2” from 1987, made some 50 years after the original. Letters were transported by air, sea, road and rail. And we saw something of the remote Hebridean island of Barra where, in those pre-internet days, the mail order catalogue business was a godsend. Down at Gatwick, a passenger flight arrived from Paris; the plane’s seating was taken out and, a few hours later, it would be taking mail to Edinburgh. We saw the North-Eastern Up T.P.O. leave Newcastle for St Pancras, with Derby as the principal hub en route, where other mail trains converged, and there was related traffic to/from nearby East Midlands Airport. The filming marked the naming of 47476 as Night Mail (it was called a train!) and, afterwards we moved into London to see the old Post Office Railway, which carried mails between Paddington, the principal sorting offices, Liverpool St and Whitechapel.
Graham Kenworthy rounded off the evening with a series of aerial M&GN images, starting at South Lynn and gradually working east towards Yarmouth Beach. Mike Page had taken these, but there was a good mix of ground level images too, including the King’s Lynn – South Lynn “shuttle” and recent views of some of the closed stations.
Ray Halliday thanked our presenters for their contributions, and Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Unfortunately Jim was unwell a few days in advance of his presentation, and he was no better a couple of days before. The Fixtures Committee had to swing into unaccustomed action, and it is to be hoped that the substitute show provided some entertainment and interest for everybody.
Edward Mann had a themed-DVD to show, starting with the well-known 1930s classic - “Night Mail”. The film concentrated on the Down “Postal” which used to leave Euston at 2030, with portions for Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen. Liberties were taken with the locations, of course, and I think the Watford area featured strongly. We saw the postal sorters at work (management seemed to look as if they’d swallowed something unpleasant), and the heavy work involved in putting the apparatus out to collect bags and the equally heavy and dangerous work when the bags were collected from the lineside at 60 m.p.h. Crewe was the most important station stop, where engines were changed, with many bags taken aboard and put off. The film contained the unforgettable music by Benjamin Britten and poetry by W.H. Auden, and we must be grateful that Health & Safety considerations would have received very blank looks back then!
And so we moved on to the tale of an urgent letter from London to Aberdeen in “Spotlight on the Night Mail” from 1948, a resourceful secretary (working overtime?) and, of course, the Down “Postal” once again. Having missed the last collection, she made her way to Euston and posted the letter directly on to the T.P.O., which then cost an extra ½d! This film seemed more a dramatized documentary but it was pleasing to see the old Euston, Camden M.P.D. and 6207 Princess Arthur of Connaught in charge of the train. There were some inexplicable engine changes en route but we saw the happy conclusion - a “Jubilee” entering Aberdeen, and the letter reaching its destination the next day. If only they had fax machines!
After an extended break for a Committee meeting, the films continued with “Night Mail 2” from 1987, made some 50 years after the original. Letters were transported by air, sea, road and rail. And we saw something of the remote Hebridean island of Barra where, in those pre-internet days, the mail order catalogue business was a godsend. Down at Gatwick, a passenger flight arrived from Paris; the plane’s seating was taken out and, a few hours later, it would be taking mail to Edinburgh. We saw the North-Eastern Up T.P.O. leave Newcastle for St Pancras, with Derby as the principal hub en route, where other mail trains converged, and there was related traffic to/from nearby East Midlands Airport. The filming marked the naming of 47476 as Night Mail (it was called a train!) and, afterwards we moved into London to see the old Post Office Railway, which carried mails between Paddington, the principal sorting offices, Liverpool St and Whitechapel.
Graham Kenworthy rounded off the evening with a series of aerial M&GN images, starting at South Lynn and gradually working east towards Yarmouth Beach. Mike Page had taken these, but there was a good mix of ground level images too, including the King’s Lynn – South Lynn “shuttle” and recent views of some of the closed stations.
Ray Halliday thanked our presenters for their contributions, and Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“The Southwold Railway – Past, Present & Future* (John Ridgway – 20th October)
John, a Trustee, Volunteer & Newsletter Editor, opened his presentation by explaining that the Southwold Railway had run from Halesworth to Southwold for 50 years from 1879 to 1929. As Southwold, with its silting harbour, had declined in favour of Lowestoft, various railway schemes were put forward but all failed through a lack of finance. Fortunes changed in the mid-1870s and the railway opened on 24th September 1879 though a branch to Kessingland was never built.
All trains were “mixed” and were timed at 16 m.p.h. Passengers were accommodated in 6-wheel carriages, with the passengers facing inwards. To run the trains the company had 3 2-4-0T engines built by Sharp Stewart, although one was soon returned to the builders. Another locomotive – no. 4 Wenhaston – was built by Manning Wardle and in 1893 this company supplied a 2-4-2T. They also obtained an 0-6-2T in 1914.
The late 19th/early 20th century were the railway’s best years and the bridge over the River Blyth was widened to standard gauge, although the line’s overall widening never took place.
The government took control of the railway in WW1, handing it back in 1921. Times were hard, and the railway made its first loss in 1926. These losses could not be sustained and the line closed on 11th April 1929. There were various schemes to revive the railway in the 1930s but it was an early victim of road competition.
It’s possible to walk most of the route; the ends of rails can be found at Blythburgh, and an old bridge still stands at Birds Folly, Halesworth. The only rolling stock to have survived is a van which is now at Carlton Colville Museum.
It’s a long-term goal to rebuild the entire railway. In 2009, 32 acres were acquired together with a small plot at Wenhaston, but the company’s planning application failed. Most of the 32 acres has since been sold, save for the trackbed.
The railway has a Heritage Train Project, to build a mixed train, including no. 3 Blythburgh, which lasted from 1879 to 1929. The NRM had just one loco drawing but, thanks to CAD wizardry, a 3-D locomotive has been re-created. Cleminson coaches were almost unique to the line, but another was found on the old Manx Northern Railway but its chassis needs to be replaced.
The line’s fortunes changed when they obtained permission to build a visitor centre at Blyth Road, and a share issue will be launched at their November A.G.M. Strangely, the line’s well-publicised planning difficulties have been at the Southwold end – where tourists do not appear to be wanted – whereas Halesworth is far more supportive.
Surprisingly, perhaps, the railway has a locomotive – a small Deutz-engined Simplex – formerly used in mines.
John was thanked for his presentation and Andy Wright for operating the projector.
John, a Trustee, Volunteer & Newsletter Editor, opened his presentation by explaining that the Southwold Railway had run from Halesworth to Southwold for 50 years from 1879 to 1929. As Southwold, with its silting harbour, had declined in favour of Lowestoft, various railway schemes were put forward but all failed through a lack of finance. Fortunes changed in the mid-1870s and the railway opened on 24th September 1879 though a branch to Kessingland was never built.
All trains were “mixed” and were timed at 16 m.p.h. Passengers were accommodated in 6-wheel carriages, with the passengers facing inwards. To run the trains the company had 3 2-4-0T engines built by Sharp Stewart, although one was soon returned to the builders. Another locomotive – no. 4 Wenhaston – was built by Manning Wardle and in 1893 this company supplied a 2-4-2T. They also obtained an 0-6-2T in 1914.
The late 19th/early 20th century were the railway’s best years and the bridge over the River Blyth was widened to standard gauge, although the line’s overall widening never took place.
The government took control of the railway in WW1, handing it back in 1921. Times were hard, and the railway made its first loss in 1926. These losses could not be sustained and the line closed on 11th April 1929. There were various schemes to revive the railway in the 1930s but it was an early victim of road competition.
It’s possible to walk most of the route; the ends of rails can be found at Blythburgh, and an old bridge still stands at Birds Folly, Halesworth. The only rolling stock to have survived is a van which is now at Carlton Colville Museum.
It’s a long-term goal to rebuild the entire railway. In 2009, 32 acres were acquired together with a small plot at Wenhaston, but the company’s planning application failed. Most of the 32 acres has since been sold, save for the trackbed.
The railway has a Heritage Train Project, to build a mixed train, including no. 3 Blythburgh, which lasted from 1879 to 1929. The NRM had just one loco drawing but, thanks to CAD wizardry, a 3-D locomotive has been re-created. Cleminson coaches were almost unique to the line, but another was found on the old Manx Northern Railway but its chassis needs to be replaced.
The line’s fortunes changed when they obtained permission to build a visitor centre at Blyth Road, and a share issue will be launched at their November A.G.M. Strangely, the line’s well-publicised planning difficulties have been at the Southwold end – where tourists do not appear to be wanted – whereas Halesworth is far more supportive.
Surprisingly, perhaps, the railway has a locomotive – a small Deutz-engined Simplex – formerly used in mines.
John was thanked for his presentation and Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“The Great Northern Railway – Not Just Stirling Singles (Part 2)” (Allan Sibley – 6th October)
We were delighted that Allan Sibley, Editor of Great Northern News and a retired career railwayman, was able to bring us Part 2 of his presentation. We saw that there was much more to the G.N. than its “Singles”, 54 of which were constructed and no. 1 escaped cutting-up. It was put aside, but its future was uncertain. A historically-inaccurate tender had been found to go with it for the 1938 celebrations, and these remained paired until recently when an accurate tender from “Single” no. 1002 (which had been found in the 1960s at Connington Tip being used as a sludge carrier) was restored to ensure historical correctness.
The G.N. started producing postcards of locomotives and views in 1902, the former being attributed to the pseudonymous “F. Moore” (actually a couple of G.E. employees). Other cards e.g. by Fleury were less authentic. The famous “Skegness Is So Bracing” poster was the creation of John Hassall who received £5:5:0 (£5.25) for his work. Some cards contained errors e.g. Bamborough (sic) Castle.
Amongst the ephemera featured was a poster advertising Saturday to Monday excursions to “Lincolnshire Watering Places” e.g. Cleethorpes, and circular no. 2453 – “Accident to the Tay Bridge” – which was dated one day after the event.
The less-than-successful Sturrock Steam Tenders were shown, along with a Ravenglass & Eskdale revival of the idea in the 1920s and a demonstration to staff showing how valve gears worked.
We were then treated to a sort of Cook’s tour of the G.N., including images of Flying Scotsman draped in a sort of “cling film” for the 1925 Empire Exhibition. Oddities included a “vacuum cleaner van” comprising an oil-engine with a suction pump for cleaning carriages. The “Prince of Wales” saloon of 1899 drew unfavourable comment from its namesake but it ended its days on B.R. c.1965 when it was grounded and used as a church at Gatehouse of Fleet. The congregation did not look amused!
Over 100 years later locations proved difficult to identify, such as one near Leicester Belgrave Road showing the laying of tram tracks in 1903. The vast expanse of Colwick marshalling yard is now a retail park. A rare view of the Harrison Cord (early communication cord) could be seen on a staff photo at Retford, along with ash-ballasting.
Stations visited included Shipley & Windhill where an 0-6-0 had come to grief at the foot of a 1 in 70 gradient. Sightseers were everywhere, and no doubt the breakdown crane would soon effect recovery and normal services would be resumed. Also seen was the triangular station at Queensbury (closed 1955), the cantilevered signalbox at Halifax North Bridge and Keighley G.N. Goods, the company’s northernmost penetration. Then came extensive coverage of the G.N. in Doncaster – various signalboxes and the replacement of a level-crossing by a bridge just north of the station. Away from the railway, on the retirement of Patrick Stirling, a drinking-trough had been erected, paid for by Doncaster employees.
At King’s Cross we saw the memorial to 818 G.N. employees who died in WW1 and which was re-dedicated in 2013.
Ray thanked Allan for his excellent presentation and Andy Wright for operating the projector.
We were delighted that Allan Sibley, Editor of Great Northern News and a retired career railwayman, was able to bring us Part 2 of his presentation. We saw that there was much more to the G.N. than its “Singles”, 54 of which were constructed and no. 1 escaped cutting-up. It was put aside, but its future was uncertain. A historically-inaccurate tender had been found to go with it for the 1938 celebrations, and these remained paired until recently when an accurate tender from “Single” no. 1002 (which had been found in the 1960s at Connington Tip being used as a sludge carrier) was restored to ensure historical correctness.
The G.N. started producing postcards of locomotives and views in 1902, the former being attributed to the pseudonymous “F. Moore” (actually a couple of G.E. employees). Other cards e.g. by Fleury were less authentic. The famous “Skegness Is So Bracing” poster was the creation of John Hassall who received £5:5:0 (£5.25) for his work. Some cards contained errors e.g. Bamborough (sic) Castle.
Amongst the ephemera featured was a poster advertising Saturday to Monday excursions to “Lincolnshire Watering Places” e.g. Cleethorpes, and circular no. 2453 – “Accident to the Tay Bridge” – which was dated one day after the event.
The less-than-successful Sturrock Steam Tenders were shown, along with a Ravenglass & Eskdale revival of the idea in the 1920s and a demonstration to staff showing how valve gears worked.
We were then treated to a sort of Cook’s tour of the G.N., including images of Flying Scotsman draped in a sort of “cling film” for the 1925 Empire Exhibition. Oddities included a “vacuum cleaner van” comprising an oil-engine with a suction pump for cleaning carriages. The “Prince of Wales” saloon of 1899 drew unfavourable comment from its namesake but it ended its days on B.R. c.1965 when it was grounded and used as a church at Gatehouse of Fleet. The congregation did not look amused!
Over 100 years later locations proved difficult to identify, such as one near Leicester Belgrave Road showing the laying of tram tracks in 1903. The vast expanse of Colwick marshalling yard is now a retail park. A rare view of the Harrison Cord (early communication cord) could be seen on a staff photo at Retford, along with ash-ballasting.
Stations visited included Shipley & Windhill where an 0-6-0 had come to grief at the foot of a 1 in 70 gradient. Sightseers were everywhere, and no doubt the breakdown crane would soon effect recovery and normal services would be resumed. Also seen was the triangular station at Queensbury (closed 1955), the cantilevered signalbox at Halifax North Bridge and Keighley G.N. Goods, the company’s northernmost penetration. Then came extensive coverage of the G.N. in Doncaster – various signalboxes and the replacement of a level-crossing by a bridge just north of the station. Away from the railway, on the retirement of Patrick Stirling, a drinking-trough had been erected, paid for by Doncaster employees.
At King’s Cross we saw the memorial to 818 G.N. employees who died in WW1 and which was re-dedicated in 2013.
Ray thanked Allan for his excellent presentation and Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Members’ Summer Reports – 15th September
Our season opened on a very warm evening. Several members were still enjoying their holidays, but it was heartening to see Ian Woodruff amongst those present.
Brian Kirton began with a series of images of the Tourist Railway in Colombia (3’ gauge). Although the state railways finished in the early 1990s, a tourist train runs some 50km from Bogota to Zipaquira for its “salt cathedral”, He then moved to The Netherlands and we saw something of the heritage Hoorn – Medemblik line, which forms part of a triangular trip (by boat) to Enkhuizen, and paid a visit to Utrecht Railway Museum.
Bob Brister described a recent Nenta excursion to Plymouth (20th August) which required an 0450 departure! The train was wisely top’n’tailed by Class 47s, the leading one getting no further than Trowse! After putting the back loco on the front (1¼ hours’ delay) it ran very well to reach Plymouth on time! He went on the optional cruise around Plymouth Sound, which took him close to the Tamar bridges. Return was punctual at 0100 and Bob spoke highly of Premier Class travel!
Ray Halliday updated us about developments on the North Norfolk Railway – the new Tourist Information Centre and toilet block, station extension and footbridge, for example. He related how General Manager Trevor Eady was pressed into guards’ duty on a very busy day. Dining trains have started to run to Cromer, and the inaugural train came to the rescue of some AGA passengers when the 1230 Cromer – Sheringham AGA service was cancelled and they used the dining train instead!
Chris Mitchell had visited New York and we saw something of the “High Line”. If you’ve seen footage of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, imagine walking at that level. The original High Line was opened in the 1930s and was a very significant link during WW2, ferrying men and matériel to the waiting ships in New York Docks. It also allowed freight trains to load and unload their cargoes inside buildings. The system was in decline by the 1950s due to interstate trucking competition and the docks moving to New Jersey. About 1.45 miles has been reopened as a “linear park” and seems a popular attraction. On a visit to Fort Worth we saw a massive 4-6-6-4 undergoing restoration.
Graham Kenworthy had paid a visit to Chester Cathedral where there is a chapel in memory of railway civil engineer and contractor Thomas Brassey, who was born nearby. He had been heavily involved with many of the pre-G.E.R. railway companies in East Anglia and, when he died in 1870, was estimated to have been responsible for the building of 1 in every 20 miles of railway in the world!
Edward Mann showed images of a recent holiday in South Wales, having visited the Brecon Mountain Railway. He then moved on to Newport and visited its Transporter Bridge – and a climb to the top, across the walkway, down again and back across the River Usk in the bridge’s gondola is recommended. The Gwili Railway near Carmarthen is likely to extend southwards soon, but the Teifi Valley Railway is barely surviving due to financial mismanagement by a former “manager”.
David Pearce visited his favourite G.C. exactly 50 years after B.R. closed most of it, and the heritage railway did its best to re-create the times and trains of that last day. Unfortunately, the Saturday weather was not so kind, but we saw 70013 Oliver Cromwell on a last day special and a 9F on one of the famous “Windcutters”. Station staff were out in force, outnumbering passengers sometimes, so some things did not change in 50 years.
Ken Mills has remained loyal to transparencies, and briefly reviewed his outings, beginning with 31806 and the Y14/J15 at the NNR’s Steam Gala, and then moving to France for the Baie de Somme Weekend where a 230D from Mulhouse Museum, and a PLM Pacific were the “big engines”. He came back to the MNR’s Steam Gala in June when 6100 Royal Scot and 6233 Duchess of Sutherland were the distinguished visitors.
Finally, many thanks to David Pearce for operating the projector and to Andy Wright for David’s tutorial.
Our season opened on a very warm evening. Several members were still enjoying their holidays, but it was heartening to see Ian Woodruff amongst those present.
Brian Kirton began with a series of images of the Tourist Railway in Colombia (3’ gauge). Although the state railways finished in the early 1990s, a tourist train runs some 50km from Bogota to Zipaquira for its “salt cathedral”, He then moved to The Netherlands and we saw something of the heritage Hoorn – Medemblik line, which forms part of a triangular trip (by boat) to Enkhuizen, and paid a visit to Utrecht Railway Museum.
Bob Brister described a recent Nenta excursion to Plymouth (20th August) which required an 0450 departure! The train was wisely top’n’tailed by Class 47s, the leading one getting no further than Trowse! After putting the back loco on the front (1¼ hours’ delay) it ran very well to reach Plymouth on time! He went on the optional cruise around Plymouth Sound, which took him close to the Tamar bridges. Return was punctual at 0100 and Bob spoke highly of Premier Class travel!
Ray Halliday updated us about developments on the North Norfolk Railway – the new Tourist Information Centre and toilet block, station extension and footbridge, for example. He related how General Manager Trevor Eady was pressed into guards’ duty on a very busy day. Dining trains have started to run to Cromer, and the inaugural train came to the rescue of some AGA passengers when the 1230 Cromer – Sheringham AGA service was cancelled and they used the dining train instead!
Chris Mitchell had visited New York and we saw something of the “High Line”. If you’ve seen footage of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, imagine walking at that level. The original High Line was opened in the 1930s and was a very significant link during WW2, ferrying men and matériel to the waiting ships in New York Docks. It also allowed freight trains to load and unload their cargoes inside buildings. The system was in decline by the 1950s due to interstate trucking competition and the docks moving to New Jersey. About 1.45 miles has been reopened as a “linear park” and seems a popular attraction. On a visit to Fort Worth we saw a massive 4-6-6-4 undergoing restoration.
Graham Kenworthy had paid a visit to Chester Cathedral where there is a chapel in memory of railway civil engineer and contractor Thomas Brassey, who was born nearby. He had been heavily involved with many of the pre-G.E.R. railway companies in East Anglia and, when he died in 1870, was estimated to have been responsible for the building of 1 in every 20 miles of railway in the world!
Edward Mann showed images of a recent holiday in South Wales, having visited the Brecon Mountain Railway. He then moved on to Newport and visited its Transporter Bridge – and a climb to the top, across the walkway, down again and back across the River Usk in the bridge’s gondola is recommended. The Gwili Railway near Carmarthen is likely to extend southwards soon, but the Teifi Valley Railway is barely surviving due to financial mismanagement by a former “manager”.
David Pearce visited his favourite G.C. exactly 50 years after B.R. closed most of it, and the heritage railway did its best to re-create the times and trains of that last day. Unfortunately, the Saturday weather was not so kind, but we saw 70013 Oliver Cromwell on a last day special and a 9F on one of the famous “Windcutters”. Station staff were out in force, outnumbering passengers sometimes, so some things did not change in 50 years.
Ken Mills has remained loyal to transparencies, and briefly reviewed his outings, beginning with 31806 and the Y14/J15 at the NNR’s Steam Gala, and then moving to France for the Baie de Somme Weekend where a 230D from Mulhouse Museum, and a PLM Pacific were the “big engines”. He came back to the MNR’s Steam Gala in June when 6100 Royal Scot and 6233 Duchess of Sutherland were the distinguished visitors.
Finally, many thanks to David Pearce for operating the projector and to Andy Wright for David’s tutorial.