Meeting Reports - September 2018 - May 2019
“Lines around Stratford” – Jim Connor (16th May)
Jim’s presentations are always full of interest and anecdote, so it was pleasing that a large audience was present.
A map of Stratford and its many junctions was exhibited at the start, but so much simplification and redevelopment has taken place that recognition of once-familiar locations has become very difficult. A brief summary is that lines opened to Bishopsgate 1839, Lea Valley 1840, North Woolwich 1847, and Fenchurch St 1841, but this has not had a passenger service since 1949.
Under the LNER’s New Works Programme of 1935 it was intended to electrify to Fenchurch St but not out to Shenfield. The suburban side at Stratford was rebuilt before WW2 and certain platform anomalies have remained – Platform 7 was never used and Platform 4 is now DLR. En route to Fenchurch St there was an intermediate station at Bow Rd which closed during WW2. After a short re-opening it permanently closed in 1949. Moving to what we know as the GEML, the first part of Liverpool St opened in 1874, followed by the remainder in 1875. Bishopsgate Goods had opened in 1888 on the site of the old ECR terminus, and was destroyed by fire in 1964. Close by were the Quaker St stables – the old building is being converted into flats. Bethnal Green came next – the main line platforms closed in 1946. An unfamiliar name – Globe Rd & Devonshire St, closed 1916 – was next. Its booking offices were in the viaduct arches. This was followed by Coborn Rd, originally Old Ford, also closed in 1946. Going out from Stratford, we went as far as Goodmayes, but mention was made of Crowlands – an intended station south-west of Romford – which never got beyond foundation level.
The former LT outpost from Epping to Ongar was originally GE but was transferred in 1949 – electrification did not come until 1957, and the line closed in 1994. We saw a 1950s image of Grange Hill, on the Fairlop/Hainault loop – uninviting sums it up. The entire Leyton – Epping section was also originally GE but was transferred in the late 1940s. It was also possible to travel from Newbury Park to Ilford/Seven Kings by GE – the present LUL map shows a sharp western turn instead of going straight on and ending up at Ilford depot!
Stratford Low Level dates from 1854 – the next station going north-west was Victoria Park, which closed in 1943. It was once a junction for Poplar.
There had been no service from Stratford to Lea Bridge since 1985, but this has recently been revived, and the line joins the Liverpool St – Cambridge line before Tottenham Hale, now a busy interchange. After this comes Northumberland Park and then Angel Road, just consigned to history in favour of a new station at Meridian Water.
A left fork before Tottenham Hale would be on to the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway for a short distance before another fork, through Seven Sisters, led on to the former Palace Gates branch closed in 1963. We saw pleasing images of an L1 and an N7 on the branch, and it was recalled that although Palace Gates was a beautiful station it was another 25 min. to walk to Alexandra Palace!
We were treated to an image of part of the National Collection, when out-stationed at Stratford – an M7, Q1, LMS 2500 & Britannia were visible. It took a long time for Jim to account for an LNW Oerlikon driving trailer at Stratford, but he eventually learned this had been a mess van at Clacton!
The North Woolwich branch was briefly reviewed, beginning at Stratford Market, closed 1957, where the ironwork supporting the canopies was “recycled” into the rebuilt stations on the Southbury loop. Stratford High St (DLR) is on the site if Stratford Market. Two branches left the North Woolwich branch – one to Beckton (of gasworks and industrial locos fame), and one to Gallions which was always Dock Co./PLA owned.
Jim was heartily thanked for his presentation; thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Jim’s presentations are always full of interest and anecdote, so it was pleasing that a large audience was present.
A map of Stratford and its many junctions was exhibited at the start, but so much simplification and redevelopment has taken place that recognition of once-familiar locations has become very difficult. A brief summary is that lines opened to Bishopsgate 1839, Lea Valley 1840, North Woolwich 1847, and Fenchurch St 1841, but this has not had a passenger service since 1949.
Under the LNER’s New Works Programme of 1935 it was intended to electrify to Fenchurch St but not out to Shenfield. The suburban side at Stratford was rebuilt before WW2 and certain platform anomalies have remained – Platform 7 was never used and Platform 4 is now DLR. En route to Fenchurch St there was an intermediate station at Bow Rd which closed during WW2. After a short re-opening it permanently closed in 1949. Moving to what we know as the GEML, the first part of Liverpool St opened in 1874, followed by the remainder in 1875. Bishopsgate Goods had opened in 1888 on the site of the old ECR terminus, and was destroyed by fire in 1964. Close by were the Quaker St stables – the old building is being converted into flats. Bethnal Green came next – the main line platforms closed in 1946. An unfamiliar name – Globe Rd & Devonshire St, closed 1916 – was next. Its booking offices were in the viaduct arches. This was followed by Coborn Rd, originally Old Ford, also closed in 1946. Going out from Stratford, we went as far as Goodmayes, but mention was made of Crowlands – an intended station south-west of Romford – which never got beyond foundation level.
The former LT outpost from Epping to Ongar was originally GE but was transferred in 1949 – electrification did not come until 1957, and the line closed in 1994. We saw a 1950s image of Grange Hill, on the Fairlop/Hainault loop – uninviting sums it up. The entire Leyton – Epping section was also originally GE but was transferred in the late 1940s. It was also possible to travel from Newbury Park to Ilford/Seven Kings by GE – the present LUL map shows a sharp western turn instead of going straight on and ending up at Ilford depot!
Stratford Low Level dates from 1854 – the next station going north-west was Victoria Park, which closed in 1943. It was once a junction for Poplar.
There had been no service from Stratford to Lea Bridge since 1985, but this has recently been revived, and the line joins the Liverpool St – Cambridge line before Tottenham Hale, now a busy interchange. After this comes Northumberland Park and then Angel Road, just consigned to history in favour of a new station at Meridian Water.
A left fork before Tottenham Hale would be on to the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway for a short distance before another fork, through Seven Sisters, led on to the former Palace Gates branch closed in 1963. We saw pleasing images of an L1 and an N7 on the branch, and it was recalled that although Palace Gates was a beautiful station it was another 25 min. to walk to Alexandra Palace!
We were treated to an image of part of the National Collection, when out-stationed at Stratford – an M7, Q1, LMS 2500 & Britannia were visible. It took a long time for Jim to account for an LNW Oerlikon driving trailer at Stratford, but he eventually learned this had been a mess van at Clacton!
The North Woolwich branch was briefly reviewed, beginning at Stratford Market, closed 1957, where the ironwork supporting the canopies was “recycled” into the rebuilt stations on the Southbury loop. Stratford High St (DLR) is on the site if Stratford Market. Two branches left the North Woolwich branch – one to Beckton (of gasworks and industrial locos fame), and one to Gallions which was always Dock Co./PLA owned.
Jim was heartily thanked for his presentation; thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Visit by members of the Ipswich & District Historical Transport Society (2nd May)
These exchange visits have been taking place for over 50 years, and on this occasion the well-known Mervyn Russen was accompanied by two new faces – their Secretary, David Kerridge, and Anne Beaufoy. In fact, Anne made the entire presentation – on slides – and thanks to Mike Fordham for both operating and supplying the projector. She came from a railway background – her father was a trolleybus engineer.
Her presentation was titled “Railway Furniture and Other Miscellaneous Items”, making a change from the motive power which often dominates evenings. Anne has a background teaching art, and she concentrated on photographing the railway scene before progress swept so much away. Her slides were taken from the late 1950s through to the mid-1980s, and it would be much too trite to lump them together as railwayana – they were more than that. “People should look up” was her mantra.
We started at the dawn of railways – at the Haytor Tramway on Dartmoor, where granite sections were used to guide the horse-drawn wagons, carrying granite for building work, to the Stover Canal, and thence to Bovey Tracey and Teignmouth. It operated from 1820-1858 and a 2015 image of mine is here for reference. She went on to look at some early bridges and the quality of the stonemasonry, and drew attention to some of Brunel’s wooden viaducts, now replaced by stone, though the old piers survive.
She had a fondness for the old Liverpool St, as exemplified by her interior and exterior images, and for semaphore signalling. Claydon station, elegant even with its patina of cement dust, was also praised.
Other stations to capture her attention were Culham, Farringdon & High Holborn and Paddington (including its hotel) whilst Pitlochry’s baronial-style station buildings were admired. There had been losses, of course – for example, a bowstring bridge at Newton Abbot had been lost to road improvements.
On our doorstep, we saw Norwich station complete with signal box, and semaphore signalling, and Cromer with its Eastern & Midlands and M&GN spandrels. Buckenham, with its dark blue running-in board and its telegraph wires, had not escaped her attention, likewise the curious “wheel-spandrels” at Thetford. She has even found the odd trace of the Eye branch at Mellis.
The old running-in board at Penryn must have been replaced by now, but its capital letters and serifs were admired, and she had been to Pwllheli when it boasted a chocolate and cream board. Lower-case lettering merited the equivalent of 50 lines!
She attributed much of the interest in railway heritage to Sir John Betjeman, and showed a steep flight of steps leading up to St Pancras station, complete with a large maroon sign telling you where you were. Unbelievably dingy by modern standards!
Further GW wanderings took her to Exeter St David’s and its tiled platform numbering, and (Pwllheli again) a “Tickets Must Be Shewn” order (only the GWR retained the archaic past participle).
The Humber ferry had not escaped her attention, and the P.S. Lincoln Castle was seen in the days before the Humber Bridge rendered her redundant (and eventually scrapped), and we also saw something of the original Derby Road station and Felixstowe Town when it still had tracks alongside its platforms. More recently she has complained about so few East Suffolk services calling at Westerfield – much good it did her…
At the close, this very well-travelled lady was thanked for her presentation.
These exchange visits have been taking place for over 50 years, and on this occasion the well-known Mervyn Russen was accompanied by two new faces – their Secretary, David Kerridge, and Anne Beaufoy. In fact, Anne made the entire presentation – on slides – and thanks to Mike Fordham for both operating and supplying the projector. She came from a railway background – her father was a trolleybus engineer.
Her presentation was titled “Railway Furniture and Other Miscellaneous Items”, making a change from the motive power which often dominates evenings. Anne has a background teaching art, and she concentrated on photographing the railway scene before progress swept so much away. Her slides were taken from the late 1950s through to the mid-1980s, and it would be much too trite to lump them together as railwayana – they were more than that. “People should look up” was her mantra.
We started at the dawn of railways – at the Haytor Tramway on Dartmoor, where granite sections were used to guide the horse-drawn wagons, carrying granite for building work, to the Stover Canal, and thence to Bovey Tracey and Teignmouth. It operated from 1820-1858 and a 2015 image of mine is here for reference. She went on to look at some early bridges and the quality of the stonemasonry, and drew attention to some of Brunel’s wooden viaducts, now replaced by stone, though the old piers survive.
She had a fondness for the old Liverpool St, as exemplified by her interior and exterior images, and for semaphore signalling. Claydon station, elegant even with its patina of cement dust, was also praised.
Other stations to capture her attention were Culham, Farringdon & High Holborn and Paddington (including its hotel) whilst Pitlochry’s baronial-style station buildings were admired. There had been losses, of course – for example, a bowstring bridge at Newton Abbot had been lost to road improvements.
On our doorstep, we saw Norwich station complete with signal box, and semaphore signalling, and Cromer with its Eastern & Midlands and M&GN spandrels. Buckenham, with its dark blue running-in board and its telegraph wires, had not escaped her attention, likewise the curious “wheel-spandrels” at Thetford. She has even found the odd trace of the Eye branch at Mellis.
The old running-in board at Penryn must have been replaced by now, but its capital letters and serifs were admired, and she had been to Pwllheli when it boasted a chocolate and cream board. Lower-case lettering merited the equivalent of 50 lines!
She attributed much of the interest in railway heritage to Sir John Betjeman, and showed a steep flight of steps leading up to St Pancras station, complete with a large maroon sign telling you where you were. Unbelievably dingy by modern standards!
Further GW wanderings took her to Exeter St David’s and its tiled platform numbering, and (Pwllheli again) a “Tickets Must Be Shewn” order (only the GWR retained the archaic past participle).
The Humber ferry had not escaped her attention, and the P.S. Lincoln Castle was seen in the days before the Humber Bridge rendered her redundant (and eventually scrapped), and we also saw something of the original Derby Road station and Felixstowe Town when it still had tracks alongside its platforms. More recently she has complained about so few East Suffolk services calling at Westerfield – much good it did her…
At the close, this very well-travelled lady was thanked for her presentation.
“From Box Boy to Driver” – Andy Denny(18th April)
Andy’s presentation was one of slides, which is increasingly rare these days. He is a DMU driver with Greater Anglia, having previously driven the Class 90s.
We were treated to a nostalgic shot of King’s Cross in steam days, with a throng of spotters on the platforms, and we also saw the Heathrow Express and Glasgow Subway. To remind us how far railway signalling has advanced, he referred to a very early accident at Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, in the days when the time-interval system applied. When a train did not arrive within the appointed time another train was despatched, on the other line, to investigate. The stationmaster and a porter were on the roof of a carriage on the second train – they remembered to duck under one bridge but forgot the second, and two fatalities resulted.
Maintaining the local theme, he followed with shots from the top of the now-demolished Haughley Silo, and we also learned that all of the former sidings at Stowmarket once had names.
His career began, however, after a failed application to Crown Point. Box boys were required at Ipswich and he joined BR on 29th June 1981, working in the platform box. Apparently he soon learned that Ipswich Tunnel is permanently wet! His tasks included keeping the registers and making tea! Soon, however, box boys were made redundant, and in 1982 he became BR’s youngest guard, working from Ipswich, switching from freight guard to passenger guard when the freight business collapsed.
Anecdotes came thick and fast – there was the case of the guard who jealously enjoyed a fry-up and – after an incident – became the victim thanks to a bar of Palmolive soap, and there was also the remarkable occasion when a grumpy guard managed to separate a partially-sighted gentleman from his guide dog and luggage!
Because he had joined BR prior to privatisation he was able to transfer from guard to driver, which he did in 2000. He had experience of Hull Trains (set up by Anglia Railways), driving Class 170s and lodging at Hull.
Away from his driving duties he has spoken to children about rail safety. However, although he’s experienced the Class 90s his conditions of service enabled him to step back to driving DMUs, and he has a particular fondness for the Class 153s.
At the close Andy was thanked for his entertaining and informative presentation.
Andy’s presentation was one of slides, which is increasingly rare these days. He is a DMU driver with Greater Anglia, having previously driven the Class 90s.
We were treated to a nostalgic shot of King’s Cross in steam days, with a throng of spotters on the platforms, and we also saw the Heathrow Express and Glasgow Subway. To remind us how far railway signalling has advanced, he referred to a very early accident at Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, in the days when the time-interval system applied. When a train did not arrive within the appointed time another train was despatched, on the other line, to investigate. The stationmaster and a porter were on the roof of a carriage on the second train – they remembered to duck under one bridge but forgot the second, and two fatalities resulted.
Maintaining the local theme, he followed with shots from the top of the now-demolished Haughley Silo, and we also learned that all of the former sidings at Stowmarket once had names.
His career began, however, after a failed application to Crown Point. Box boys were required at Ipswich and he joined BR on 29th June 1981, working in the platform box. Apparently he soon learned that Ipswich Tunnel is permanently wet! His tasks included keeping the registers and making tea! Soon, however, box boys were made redundant, and in 1982 he became BR’s youngest guard, working from Ipswich, switching from freight guard to passenger guard when the freight business collapsed.
Anecdotes came thick and fast – there was the case of the guard who jealously enjoyed a fry-up and – after an incident – became the victim thanks to a bar of Palmolive soap, and there was also the remarkable occasion when a grumpy guard managed to separate a partially-sighted gentleman from his guide dog and luggage!
Because he had joined BR prior to privatisation he was able to transfer from guard to driver, which he did in 2000. He had experience of Hull Trains (set up by Anglia Railways), driving Class 170s and lodging at Hull.
Away from his driving duties he has spoken to children about rail safety. However, although he’s experienced the Class 90s his conditions of service enabled him to step back to driving DMUs, and he has a particular fondness for the Class 153s.
At the close Andy was thanked for his entertaining and informative presentation.
“Harwich for the Continent” – Chris Turland (21st March)
This was a rare, maritime-themed presentation, but the GER, LNER & BR were to operate Continental services for many years.
In 1863 the GER obtained Parliamentary powers to operate steamships beginning with chartered vessels but its first railway ship left Halfpenny Pier in the late 1860s. Its early ships were powered but also carried sails; they did, however, popularise the Harwich services until replaced by more modern ships.
The GER and Harwich Council were in dispute over the development of the port – the Council wanted to tax the GER very heavily for its proposed port expansion, but the GER stood firm and found a solution by purchasing Ray Island (to the west) relatively cheaply, enabling expansion to go ahead. Harwich Parkeston Quay was opened in 1883 and the ships Norwich & Ipswich were used from the outset – they usually ran to Antwerp and were not taken out of service until the early years of the 20th Century. The railway reached the Hook of Holland in 1893 and the Press had a cruise from Parkeston aboard S.S. Chelmsford.
Harwich had its own railway station and an adjacent hotel was also constructed. The station was originally named Parkeston Quay, but changed in 1934 after the new Parkeston Quay West station was opened to handle operations at the west end of the quay. Services to the Hook of Holland and Antwerp sailed from Harwich Parkeston Quay whilst Parkeston Quay West dealt with services to Hamburg and Esbjerg.
Various named trains operated from Liverpool St to Harwich, notably “The Hook Continental”, but (in BR days) there were also “The Day Continental” and “The Scandinavian”. I won’t dwell upon the Harwich – Manchester service, especially not in its latter days.
The railway ships tended to be long-lived, and the train ferries came into being towards the end of WW1. Based at Richborough & Southampton, they were laid up after the war with no obvious further use until the LNER and Belgian State Railways negotiated a train ferry service from Harwich to Zeebrugge. The Southampton terminal was towed to Harwich, and nearly arrived until the barges capsized. Although most of the terminal was lost, the linkspan was eventually recovered. The Richborough terminal fared better, and was established at Trinity Pier. Train Ferries 1, 2 & 3 were operating in 1924, but nos. 2 & 3 did not survive WW2. Various train ferries entered service after WW2 but a December 1982 collision between the train ferry M.V. Speedlink Vanguard, on charter to Sealink and sailing from Zeebrugge to Harwich, and the ro-ro ferry M.V. European Gateway, sailing from Felixstowe to Rotterdam, changed everything. The latter was badly holed and sank quickly with the loss of 6 lives. The badly-damaged Vanguard limped back to port. Economic and geographical conditions were moving against train ferries, and the Vanguard made its last run from Harwich to Zeebrugge on 28th January 1987, thus ending train ferry operations.
After DFDS withdrew their Harwich – Esbjerg service, Stena’s Harwich – Hook of Holland service is all that remains.
Many thanks to Chris for an excellent presentation, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
This was a rare, maritime-themed presentation, but the GER, LNER & BR were to operate Continental services for many years.
In 1863 the GER obtained Parliamentary powers to operate steamships beginning with chartered vessels but its first railway ship left Halfpenny Pier in the late 1860s. Its early ships were powered but also carried sails; they did, however, popularise the Harwich services until replaced by more modern ships.
The GER and Harwich Council were in dispute over the development of the port – the Council wanted to tax the GER very heavily for its proposed port expansion, but the GER stood firm and found a solution by purchasing Ray Island (to the west) relatively cheaply, enabling expansion to go ahead. Harwich Parkeston Quay was opened in 1883 and the ships Norwich & Ipswich were used from the outset – they usually ran to Antwerp and were not taken out of service until the early years of the 20th Century. The railway reached the Hook of Holland in 1893 and the Press had a cruise from Parkeston aboard S.S. Chelmsford.
Harwich had its own railway station and an adjacent hotel was also constructed. The station was originally named Parkeston Quay, but changed in 1934 after the new Parkeston Quay West station was opened to handle operations at the west end of the quay. Services to the Hook of Holland and Antwerp sailed from Harwich Parkeston Quay whilst Parkeston Quay West dealt with services to Hamburg and Esbjerg.
Various named trains operated from Liverpool St to Harwich, notably “The Hook Continental”, but (in BR days) there were also “The Day Continental” and “The Scandinavian”. I won’t dwell upon the Harwich – Manchester service, especially not in its latter days.
The railway ships tended to be long-lived, and the train ferries came into being towards the end of WW1. Based at Richborough & Southampton, they were laid up after the war with no obvious further use until the LNER and Belgian State Railways negotiated a train ferry service from Harwich to Zeebrugge. The Southampton terminal was towed to Harwich, and nearly arrived until the barges capsized. Although most of the terminal was lost, the linkspan was eventually recovered. The Richborough terminal fared better, and was established at Trinity Pier. Train Ferries 1, 2 & 3 were operating in 1924, but nos. 2 & 3 did not survive WW2. Various train ferries entered service after WW2 but a December 1982 collision between the train ferry M.V. Speedlink Vanguard, on charter to Sealink and sailing from Zeebrugge to Harwich, and the ro-ro ferry M.V. European Gateway, sailing from Felixstowe to Rotterdam, changed everything. The latter was badly holed and sank quickly with the loss of 6 lives. The badly-damaged Vanguard limped back to port. Economic and geographical conditions were moving against train ferries, and the Vanguard made its last run from Harwich to Zeebrugge on 28th January 1987, thus ending train ferry operations.
After DFDS withdrew their Harwich – Esbjerg service, Stena’s Harwich – Hook of Holland service is all that remains.
Many thanks to Chris for an excellent presentation, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Annual Show Report (9th March)
The team that organised our Show last year was back to run this year’s Show, and I had my first experience of Poringland Community Centre. Although there’s much more car parking, it still “overflowed” to the playing field and Budgen’s. There is, I think, a Law about parking areas and how the number of cars expands to fill them whatever their size!
Not everything on display was railway-related – weird and wonderful Meccano creations (skyscraper/windmill etc) rubbed shoulders with 1950s Hornby-Dublo 3rd rail; Malcolm Cooper had a display of “Thomas” trains, and a funfair, much appreciated by the younger brigade. The Norfolk Mardlers carried on quietly, and had an impressive display of GE locos.
When it comes to size, Graham Smith’s Continental trams display (and much more) is amazing. At the other end of the scale, the NDSME had a super N gauge display of Alsop-en-le-dale. Another group had Princes St Goods Yard, and a really intriguing display of Lowe St – a creosoting/sleeper works.
Having mentioned 1950s Hornby, there was, inevitably, a 1950s Tri-ang TT layout. Brian Cornwell took time away from Show organisation to display his large Lego system, which he has assembled over many years.
The Gauge 1 Model Railway Association was up-to-date with a Class 66 and containers, but tradition came in the form of a V2 and a Midland Compound. Another NDSME display was of horizontal/beam/stationary engines. David White showed his Underground models. The Norwich MRC had a display explaining the different scales, starting at 0 gauge 1:43, descending through 00/TT/N/Z and finally T @ 1:450.
Numerous societies had publicity stands, including Bressingham, Bure Valley Railway, Southwold Railway Trust, M&GN Circle and M&GNJRS whilst Arthur Barrett “did his bit” publicising minor railways such as the RH&D.
The RCTS had a sales stand whilst our own Mike Handscomb was kept busy as some downsized their book (and other) collections; others saw it as an opportunity for some judicious re-balancing!
Outside of the large hall, Ken Mills showed his extensive Hornby 3rd rail collection – pre-war locomotives and pre/post-war wagons. Brian Kirton is custodian of a large model of a Sealink Cross-Channel ferry; this and a number of smaller models made for a different display. David Rowlands, meanwhile, showed his artistic skills with various railway-themed paintings, cards etc. Thanks also to Robert Scarfe for showing his railway DVDs which could be watched during refreshment breaks.
We are grateful that so many exhibitors (many of them members) gave of their time to make our Show such a success. Thanks go to Malcolm, Mike, Peter & Philip for the Show’s organisation, and most of all to Brian Cornwell who oversaw the whole thing. We are also very grateful to Ann, Jane, Janet, Jenni, Julie, Maureen & Rose for their tireless work in the kitchen, and to the unknown ladies who provided the home-made cakes. Andy Wright was busy with his camera/phone, and thanks to him for the images seen here.
The team that organised our Show last year was back to run this year’s Show, and I had my first experience of Poringland Community Centre. Although there’s much more car parking, it still “overflowed” to the playing field and Budgen’s. There is, I think, a Law about parking areas and how the number of cars expands to fill them whatever their size!
Not everything on display was railway-related – weird and wonderful Meccano creations (skyscraper/windmill etc) rubbed shoulders with 1950s Hornby-Dublo 3rd rail; Malcolm Cooper had a display of “Thomas” trains, and a funfair, much appreciated by the younger brigade. The Norfolk Mardlers carried on quietly, and had an impressive display of GE locos.
When it comes to size, Graham Smith’s Continental trams display (and much more) is amazing. At the other end of the scale, the NDSME had a super N gauge display of Alsop-en-le-dale. Another group had Princes St Goods Yard, and a really intriguing display of Lowe St – a creosoting/sleeper works.
Having mentioned 1950s Hornby, there was, inevitably, a 1950s Tri-ang TT layout. Brian Cornwell took time away from Show organisation to display his large Lego system, which he has assembled over many years.
The Gauge 1 Model Railway Association was up-to-date with a Class 66 and containers, but tradition came in the form of a V2 and a Midland Compound. Another NDSME display was of horizontal/beam/stationary engines. David White showed his Underground models. The Norwich MRC had a display explaining the different scales, starting at 0 gauge 1:43, descending through 00/TT/N/Z and finally T @ 1:450.
Numerous societies had publicity stands, including Bressingham, Bure Valley Railway, Southwold Railway Trust, M&GN Circle and M&GNJRS whilst Arthur Barrett “did his bit” publicising minor railways such as the RH&D.
The RCTS had a sales stand whilst our own Mike Handscomb was kept busy as some downsized their book (and other) collections; others saw it as an opportunity for some judicious re-balancing!
Outside of the large hall, Ken Mills showed his extensive Hornby 3rd rail collection – pre-war locomotives and pre/post-war wagons. Brian Kirton is custodian of a large model of a Sealink Cross-Channel ferry; this and a number of smaller models made for a different display. David Rowlands, meanwhile, showed his artistic skills with various railway-themed paintings, cards etc. Thanks also to Robert Scarfe for showing his railway DVDs which could be watched during refreshment breaks.
We are grateful that so many exhibitors (many of them members) gave of their time to make our Show such a success. Thanks go to Malcolm, Mike, Peter & Philip for the Show’s organisation, and most of all to Brian Cornwell who oversaw the whole thing. We are also very grateful to Ann, Jane, Janet, Jenni, Julie, Maureen & Rose for their tireless work in the kitchen, and to the unknown ladies who provided the home-made cakes. Andy Wright was busy with his camera/phone, and thanks to him for the images seen here.
“Colours of the M&GN” – Nigel Digby (7th March)
Nigel began by saying that everybody probably had a fixed idea of what a locomotive livery looked like, though this was not necessarily correct.
He showed an old image of the C & W staff around the time of WW1, including the painters. His late friend, Charlie Porter, was not allowed to paint anything visible when he started, and pigments worked into linseed oil were used to build up successive layers. An old van found at Briningham was very useful for taking colour samples, whilst an image of a 4-4-0T built by Hudswell Clarke helped on the lining. Some locos on the Eastern & Midlands Railway were described as “2 tone brown”. Nigel also explained that vermilion is not available now as it contains mercury.
On to the coaching stock, and a Marriott photograph shows some in Lynn & Fakenham livery, which was mahogany painted and grained. From 1882 the large stock of 6-wheeled vehicles was given a grained finish, lined gold and white roofs. Carriage no. 110 was later discovered in Lincolnshire, having been withdrawn in 1912 and possibly used for fruit-picker accommodation. The NNR has restored a Midland Railway coach and painted it in red. In 1931 the “wordy” marking on coach sides was replaced by standard LNER lettering. A driving special on the North Walsham – Mundesley branch in 1960 (J15 & 2 Mark 1s) gave a comparison between BR “blood and custard” and the later maroon, and demonstrated the pitfalls that occur in re-creating railway liveries.
The Lynn & Fakenham Railway’s red/brown stayed on wagons until the end of the M&GN. Photographs of these wagons showed brakes on both sides. Brake vans were in brown oxide with yellow lettering.
On stations the main colour was brown with cream as the contrasting colour. Bricks depended on the location of the clay and brickworks e.g. Norfolk Red or the yellowish Gault from the Peterborough area. When the LNER repainted M&GN stations the striped awnings gave way to cream canopies. Green was used up to dado level. When the Norwich – Melton Constable line stations were repainted from July 1957 BR’s painting was close to LNER colours. Gedney to Sutton Bridge was repainted in 1950/51, but both the LNER green and BR green were susceptible to fading.
Signalboxes were painted in brown and cream. Some concrete was left natural, some painted white. Mileposts were not normally painted, but numerals were painted on. BR painted mileposts white. In the mid-period (1903 – 1910) box boards were painted red (vermilion) on white.
Many thanks to Nigel for giving a most interesting presentation, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Nigel began by saying that everybody probably had a fixed idea of what a locomotive livery looked like, though this was not necessarily correct.
He showed an old image of the C & W staff around the time of WW1, including the painters. His late friend, Charlie Porter, was not allowed to paint anything visible when he started, and pigments worked into linseed oil were used to build up successive layers. An old van found at Briningham was very useful for taking colour samples, whilst an image of a 4-4-0T built by Hudswell Clarke helped on the lining. Some locos on the Eastern & Midlands Railway were described as “2 tone brown”. Nigel also explained that vermilion is not available now as it contains mercury.
On to the coaching stock, and a Marriott photograph shows some in Lynn & Fakenham livery, which was mahogany painted and grained. From 1882 the large stock of 6-wheeled vehicles was given a grained finish, lined gold and white roofs. Carriage no. 110 was later discovered in Lincolnshire, having been withdrawn in 1912 and possibly used for fruit-picker accommodation. The NNR has restored a Midland Railway coach and painted it in red. In 1931 the “wordy” marking on coach sides was replaced by standard LNER lettering. A driving special on the North Walsham – Mundesley branch in 1960 (J15 & 2 Mark 1s) gave a comparison between BR “blood and custard” and the later maroon, and demonstrated the pitfalls that occur in re-creating railway liveries.
The Lynn & Fakenham Railway’s red/brown stayed on wagons until the end of the M&GN. Photographs of these wagons showed brakes on both sides. Brake vans were in brown oxide with yellow lettering.
On stations the main colour was brown with cream as the contrasting colour. Bricks depended on the location of the clay and brickworks e.g. Norfolk Red or the yellowish Gault from the Peterborough area. When the LNER repainted M&GN stations the striped awnings gave way to cream canopies. Green was used up to dado level. When the Norwich – Melton Constable line stations were repainted from July 1957 BR’s painting was close to LNER colours. Gedney to Sutton Bridge was repainted in 1950/51, but both the LNER green and BR green were susceptible to fading.
Signalboxes were painted in brown and cream. Some concrete was left natural, some painted white. Mileposts were not normally painted, but numerals were painted on. BR painted mileposts white. In the mid-period (1903 – 1910) box boards were painted red (vermilion) on white.
Many thanks to Nigel for giving a most interesting presentation, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“A Journey Through Time” – Andrew Munden (21st February)
We were very pleased to have a presentation from Andrew Munden, General Manager of the NNR, who came to Norfolk some 2 years ago.
His railway career dates back to 1981 when he joined the SR’s Chief Civil Engineer’s Dept. In his Southern days he controlled 984 trains in an 8 hr. shift, and has been Network Rail’s Route Director for HS1. Other moves have seen him as the Route Director for Anglia at Liverpool St, and he has been an Operations & Safety Director responsible for the re-opening of the Oxford – Bicester route. His qualifications include that of Chartered Surveyor, Fellow of the Institute of Railway Operations and Fellow of the Permanent Way Institution. In his spare time he has a penchant for old Land-Rovers.
He reminded the audience that Sheringham NR station – which receives about 300,000 customers annually - will be closed from 31st March to 5th May to allow for the construction of an 80m platform to accommodate the new trains. During the closure services will terminate at Cromer.
He also reminded the audience of the pivotal role and positions held by William Marriott (1857 – 1943). As is well known, he pioneered the use of concrete and we learned that the GN bought concrete station names. The M&GN Marriott Museum contains many artefacts, only about 10% of which are on public display, and he drew attention to a large clock presented to a George Freeman (clerk at Holt) by Alfred Jodrell, High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1890. Although Freeman’s star may have been shining brightly then, in 1893 he (with many others) was made redundant immediately before the M&GN came into being. They were, naturally, re-engaged at lower rates of pay!
Andrew believes that the M&GN was responsible for the development of North Norfolk and, to return to the artefacts, where would we be if closure notices for the Norwich/Cromer/Sheringham line had taken effect? Also of interest is a set of Marriott blueprints, one of which shows a track layout at Sheringham that never existed!
Weybourne is a station in the middle of nowhere. It did not open until 1901, no doubt being seen as a means of bringing trade to the nearby Weybourne Springs Hotel which opened in 1902. The guests failed to materialise and the hotel had a chequered existence, serving variously as an old people’s home and a home for wounded officers. Its prominent position would have made it an easy enemy target and so the Army demolished it in 1940. Weybourne had, however, seen the establishment of Army camps – which lasted until the late 1950s – which also generated special trains. The NNR have restored the station to its 1910 condition; the footbridge is from Stowmarket.
In the longer-term, the NNR plan to restore Sheringham station to its 1955/BR condition; the NNR has planning permission to rebuild the buildings on Plstform 2 – the likely cost will be approx. £300,000, with the canopy being the most expensive part. Andrew produced a postcard of an accident at Sheringham on 5th July 1909 when a van was shunted into the rear of the station building. What was remarkable, however, is that this postcard was sent the day after the accident, no mean feat production-wise!
We saw images of the passenger and goods stock; the Quad-art set just escaped being burnt at King’s scrapyard!
The Q & A revealed that it was Government policy not to permit new level-crossings. Nor would support be forthcoming for a level-crossing to “break out” of Holt. This year, there will be 8 dining trains to Cromer – the stock is cleared for use anywhere on NR. Coal supplies remain a problem for heritage railways – about 30,000 tons is burnt on the heritage system, of which the NNR uses about 1,000 tons. The going rate for coal is £160 per ton, and complications arise matching the type of coal to fireboxes and ensuring that firebars are not burnt through as if they were going out of fashion!
At the end of the presentation, member Steve Ashling outlined his plans for moving Reedham signalbox to Holt. The big problem is one of cost – about £35,000 for transportation alone. Steve sought ideas on how the transportation should be funded (the NNR will be unable to help). When installed at Holt it would be a part historic/part interactive display.
Many thanks to Andrew and Steve for an entertaining evening, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
We were very pleased to have a presentation from Andrew Munden, General Manager of the NNR, who came to Norfolk some 2 years ago.
His railway career dates back to 1981 when he joined the SR’s Chief Civil Engineer’s Dept. In his Southern days he controlled 984 trains in an 8 hr. shift, and has been Network Rail’s Route Director for HS1. Other moves have seen him as the Route Director for Anglia at Liverpool St, and he has been an Operations & Safety Director responsible for the re-opening of the Oxford – Bicester route. His qualifications include that of Chartered Surveyor, Fellow of the Institute of Railway Operations and Fellow of the Permanent Way Institution. In his spare time he has a penchant for old Land-Rovers.
He reminded the audience that Sheringham NR station – which receives about 300,000 customers annually - will be closed from 31st March to 5th May to allow for the construction of an 80m platform to accommodate the new trains. During the closure services will terminate at Cromer.
He also reminded the audience of the pivotal role and positions held by William Marriott (1857 – 1943). As is well known, he pioneered the use of concrete and we learned that the GN bought concrete station names. The M&GN Marriott Museum contains many artefacts, only about 10% of which are on public display, and he drew attention to a large clock presented to a George Freeman (clerk at Holt) by Alfred Jodrell, High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1890. Although Freeman’s star may have been shining brightly then, in 1893 he (with many others) was made redundant immediately before the M&GN came into being. They were, naturally, re-engaged at lower rates of pay!
Andrew believes that the M&GN was responsible for the development of North Norfolk and, to return to the artefacts, where would we be if closure notices for the Norwich/Cromer/Sheringham line had taken effect? Also of interest is a set of Marriott blueprints, one of which shows a track layout at Sheringham that never existed!
Weybourne is a station in the middle of nowhere. It did not open until 1901, no doubt being seen as a means of bringing trade to the nearby Weybourne Springs Hotel which opened in 1902. The guests failed to materialise and the hotel had a chequered existence, serving variously as an old people’s home and a home for wounded officers. Its prominent position would have made it an easy enemy target and so the Army demolished it in 1940. Weybourne had, however, seen the establishment of Army camps – which lasted until the late 1950s – which also generated special trains. The NNR have restored the station to its 1910 condition; the footbridge is from Stowmarket.
In the longer-term, the NNR plan to restore Sheringham station to its 1955/BR condition; the NNR has planning permission to rebuild the buildings on Plstform 2 – the likely cost will be approx. £300,000, with the canopy being the most expensive part. Andrew produced a postcard of an accident at Sheringham on 5th July 1909 when a van was shunted into the rear of the station building. What was remarkable, however, is that this postcard was sent the day after the accident, no mean feat production-wise!
We saw images of the passenger and goods stock; the Quad-art set just escaped being burnt at King’s scrapyard!
The Q & A revealed that it was Government policy not to permit new level-crossings. Nor would support be forthcoming for a level-crossing to “break out” of Holt. This year, there will be 8 dining trains to Cromer – the stock is cleared for use anywhere on NR. Coal supplies remain a problem for heritage railways – about 30,000 tons is burnt on the heritage system, of which the NNR uses about 1,000 tons. The going rate for coal is £160 per ton, and complications arise matching the type of coal to fireboxes and ensuring that firebars are not burnt through as if they were going out of fashion!
At the end of the presentation, member Steve Ashling outlined his plans for moving Reedham signalbox to Holt. The big problem is one of cost – about £35,000 for transportation alone. Steve sought ideas on how the transportation should be funded (the NNR will be unable to help). When installed at Holt it would be a part historic/part interactive display.
Many thanks to Andrew and Steve for an entertaining evening, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“My Life as a Railway Journalist, and what awaits Greater Anglia?” – Richard Clinnick, Assistant Editor, RAIL Magazine (7th February)
I contacted Richard in the autumn, on the off-chance of a presentation, and was delighted to receive a positive response. A few facts and figures: Richard is a trained journalist, having joined RAIL from the Yarmouth & Waveney Advertiser in 2005. He is presently working on RAIL’s 350th issue and also looks after RAIL’s website. Richard and his boss (Nigel Harris) are both enthusiasts, although as the enthusiast-readership is falling they have positioned themselves closer to the Modern Railways readership. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, he lives next to Crown Point but, more surprisingly, is a Norwich City season ticket-holder!
He is by no means faint-hearted; a Scotrail Press trip took him to the top of the Forth Bridge, which wobbles when a HST goes across! Somehow, he is certified to drive a Class 700, even if stops can be overshot! The use of Class 37s on the (very) short sets has brought noise complaints from a Postwick resident – others take a different view!
Overseas tours e.g to the Stadler factory in Switzerland have enabled him to see the Class 755s under construction. A 4-car unit has 2,700 bhp at its disposal. It’s also possible to walk through the engine room. Train seating in general has come in for a lot of criticism, but Richard believes the seating in the 755s is good. By comparison, the Bombardier Aventra Class 720 seating, with a 3 + 2 arrangement, looked cheap. The DfT is, apparently, seat-orientated.
He thought that the Great Eastern Main Line Campaign (Task Force), co-chaired by Norwich North M.P. Chloe Smith, had done a good job in bringing much-needed improvements to the area’s railways, but both she and her co-chairman have moved to pastures new, and the same sense of purpose may have gone (members interested in reading more should go to [email protected]). The use of Class 158s on EMT’s Norwich – Liverpool/Manchester run came in for criticism, and more criticism will doubtless be aimed at the service if it is split at Nottingham as its only good point (no changing) will have gone.
The Q & A was longer than Richard’s career summary, and was most interesting. I can do more than write a little about some points, and in response to a question about the scrapping of the maintenance depot at Brantham (Manningtree) he explained that the ground was contaminated and that it sits on a flood plain. AGA have not helped by not being particularly open about anything. There was also to be a new depot at Cambridge North. Now the plan is to have a depot at Harwich whilst the new units will go to Ilford!
The GW electrification seems to be a case of “almost everything has gone wrong that could go wrong”. NR do not seem to have a central record of infrastructure, and “improvements” to tried and tested electrification equipment have been the reverse.
As for the Wherry Lines, the Berney Arms line will re-open to deal with the extra summer traffic, but once again NR have been slow off the mark, PR-wise. Probably 2020 is a more realistic re-opening date.
NR was in his sights again, this time over Dawlish. There have been 2 closures since 2014, and the closures will continue until NR tackle the cliffs. It would be good, though not a priority, to restore Okehampton to the railway map; likewise Tavistock to Bere Alston but progress here is very slow.
Joining up the missing link (Okehampton – Tavistock) is unlikely as the area is sparsely-populated. Moving the Dawlish route a little way inland is a better option in the long run. The Class 800s seem to have a water-aversion although the 802s are fine!
Richard regards the HS2 project as vital for the UK and capacity, but is concerned for its long-term future north of Crewe due to the current political situation. He believes that that and the “Northern Powerhouse” rail schemes must both be built. Charters are thought to have their place, but confined to secondary routes. Where possible, electric haulage will be used for the bulk of charter journeys.
A surprising statistic to end my report – there are 8 different types of coupling in use in the UK!
Many thanks to Richard for his presentation, and for answering many questions, Thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector. (EM)
I contacted Richard in the autumn, on the off-chance of a presentation, and was delighted to receive a positive response. A few facts and figures: Richard is a trained journalist, having joined RAIL from the Yarmouth & Waveney Advertiser in 2005. He is presently working on RAIL’s 350th issue and also looks after RAIL’s website. Richard and his boss (Nigel Harris) are both enthusiasts, although as the enthusiast-readership is falling they have positioned themselves closer to the Modern Railways readership. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, he lives next to Crown Point but, more surprisingly, is a Norwich City season ticket-holder!
He is by no means faint-hearted; a Scotrail Press trip took him to the top of the Forth Bridge, which wobbles when a HST goes across! Somehow, he is certified to drive a Class 700, even if stops can be overshot! The use of Class 37s on the (very) short sets has brought noise complaints from a Postwick resident – others take a different view!
Overseas tours e.g to the Stadler factory in Switzerland have enabled him to see the Class 755s under construction. A 4-car unit has 2,700 bhp at its disposal. It’s also possible to walk through the engine room. Train seating in general has come in for a lot of criticism, but Richard believes the seating in the 755s is good. By comparison, the Bombardier Aventra Class 720 seating, with a 3 + 2 arrangement, looked cheap. The DfT is, apparently, seat-orientated.
He thought that the Great Eastern Main Line Campaign (Task Force), co-chaired by Norwich North M.P. Chloe Smith, had done a good job in bringing much-needed improvements to the area’s railways, but both she and her co-chairman have moved to pastures new, and the same sense of purpose may have gone (members interested in reading more should go to [email protected]). The use of Class 158s on EMT’s Norwich – Liverpool/Manchester run came in for criticism, and more criticism will doubtless be aimed at the service if it is split at Nottingham as its only good point (no changing) will have gone.
The Q & A was longer than Richard’s career summary, and was most interesting. I can do more than write a little about some points, and in response to a question about the scrapping of the maintenance depot at Brantham (Manningtree) he explained that the ground was contaminated and that it sits on a flood plain. AGA have not helped by not being particularly open about anything. There was also to be a new depot at Cambridge North. Now the plan is to have a depot at Harwich whilst the new units will go to Ilford!
The GW electrification seems to be a case of “almost everything has gone wrong that could go wrong”. NR do not seem to have a central record of infrastructure, and “improvements” to tried and tested electrification equipment have been the reverse.
As for the Wherry Lines, the Berney Arms line will re-open to deal with the extra summer traffic, but once again NR have been slow off the mark, PR-wise. Probably 2020 is a more realistic re-opening date.
NR was in his sights again, this time over Dawlish. There have been 2 closures since 2014, and the closures will continue until NR tackle the cliffs. It would be good, though not a priority, to restore Okehampton to the railway map; likewise Tavistock to Bere Alston but progress here is very slow.
Joining up the missing link (Okehampton – Tavistock) is unlikely as the area is sparsely-populated. Moving the Dawlish route a little way inland is a better option in the long run. The Class 800s seem to have a water-aversion although the 802s are fine!
Richard regards the HS2 project as vital for the UK and capacity, but is concerned for its long-term future north of Crewe due to the current political situation. He believes that that and the “Northern Powerhouse” rail schemes must both be built. Charters are thought to have their place, but confined to secondary routes. Where possible, electric haulage will be used for the bulk of charter journeys.
A surprising statistic to end my report – there are 8 different types of coupling in use in the UK!
Many thanks to Richard for his presentation, and for answering many questions, Thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector. (EM)
“To Tebay on ebay” – David Pearce (17th January)
David makes one of his inimitable presentations about once a year. These are made with little reference to notes, and this one turned out to be something of a misnomer as not all of the images were ebay acquisitions. Nothing detracted, however, and David was fortunate to be friendly with the families of photographers whose work he admired. Some of David’s preferences can be summed-up – people often enhance an image, and smoke effects are enjoyed. As the evening progressed a number of themes were explored e.g. railwaymen, signalboxes and snow, and locations such as the Peak District and Tebay itself. He had, however, also drawn upon the work of two Society “elder statesmen” – Arnold Hoskins and Peter Starling – neither a slouch photographically speaking.
He particularly favoured the work of the late Jim Carter – a Patricroft fireman who took excellent night shots (his job would have helped) and was also good at “panning”. Jim probably came to wider attention thanks to his image of 1013 County of Dorset leaving Chester and which graced the cover of the March 1964 Railway World (anyone interested please email me – Ed.). Many of the other photographers whose work David displayed were not “household names” in the railway-photography sense but their work was still excellent. See the March - April Newsletter for the photographs accompanying this report.
Many thanks to David for his thoroughly enjoyable evening, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
David makes one of his inimitable presentations about once a year. These are made with little reference to notes, and this one turned out to be something of a misnomer as not all of the images were ebay acquisitions. Nothing detracted, however, and David was fortunate to be friendly with the families of photographers whose work he admired. Some of David’s preferences can be summed-up – people often enhance an image, and smoke effects are enjoyed. As the evening progressed a number of themes were explored e.g. railwaymen, signalboxes and snow, and locations such as the Peak District and Tebay itself. He had, however, also drawn upon the work of two Society “elder statesmen” – Arnold Hoskins and Peter Starling – neither a slouch photographically speaking.
He particularly favoured the work of the late Jim Carter – a Patricroft fireman who took excellent night shots (his job would have helped) and was also good at “panning”. Jim probably came to wider attention thanks to his image of 1013 County of Dorset leaving Chester and which graced the cover of the March 1964 Railway World (anyone interested please email me – Ed.). Many of the other photographers whose work David displayed were not “household names” in the railway-photography sense but their work was still excellent. See the March - April Newsletter for the photographs accompanying this report.
Many thanks to David for his thoroughly enjoyable evening, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“A Tale of Two Cities - Neville Kirton (3rd January)
Writing meeting reports is close to the edge of my comfort zone. Writing about overseas-themed meetings is very difficult! Thanks to Neville, however, I was spared reviewing my unintelligible scrawl the following day! I’ve attempted an overview but it may well be disjointed and/or be less than an accurate account.
Colombia is some 5 times larger than the U.K. It borders both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and its capital is Bogotá. Medellín is its second city, about which more later. Its population is close to 50 million, although ⅔ of city residents live below the poverty line.
Writing meeting reports is close to the edge of my comfort zone. Writing about overseas-themed meetings is very difficult! Thanks to Neville, however, I was spared reviewing my unintelligible scrawl the following day! I’ve attempted an overview but it may well be disjointed and/or be less than an accurate account.
Colombia is some 5 times larger than the U.K. It borders both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and its capital is Bogotá. Medellín is its second city, about which more later. Its population is close to 50 million, although ⅔ of city residents live below the poverty line.
The country’s main artery to the sea is the River Magdalena which flows north to enter the Caribbean Sea near Barranquilla. In 1825, 2 steamships plied the river, but by 1926 some 80 vessels operated. Its importance declined although it was a favoured export route for e.g. coffee, cotton and tobacco. Its railways were not part of any State-inspired network, being constructed by a mix of government, states and private companies. Railway development was hindered by topography, adverse weather, and being a poor prospect for foreign loans. Poor State management and piecemeal development did not help, although credit from the U.S. in the 1920s (to serve coffee regions) was not wisely spent. Today, the network has shrunk to some 3,500 km, as public perception of railways has continued at a low ebb. That said, rail plays a significant part in moving export coal (general freight is negligible). Almost inevitably, Bogotá has its own Tourist Train.
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Bogotá does, however, have a fleet of modern buses (the TransMilenio) covering many services and carrying about 2.5M passengers daily. The buses run along exclusive lanes with elevated “stations” at approx. 500m intervals. Each bus can carry up to 160 passengers, the majority standing. The routes are integrated with feeder bus services from local areas. The city also enjoys an excellent cycle network ” – especially on Sunday and public holiday mornings when major carriageways are closed to allow cycling and other forms of recreation.. Following the TransMilenio’s introduction in 2000, it enjoyed huge popularity but this has declined - the routes are many and varied and it is necessary to queue to buy a ticket. Bus use has slumped; this and the growth of Colombia’s middle class has led to an increase in car ownership. A surprise in the capital was a Routemaster bus!
Medellín, meanwhile, seems to have opted for a more imaginative solution. Cable cars are not normally associated with mass transit, but the Metrocable is capable of reaching some of the settlements on the steep hills that characterise its topography. There are 4 lines, dating back to 2004, with a fifth due to open in 2019. Its Metrosystem works alongside the Metrocable.
To return to Bogotá, it recently opened its own cable car to connect neighbourhoods in the south of the city with the TransMilenio, and next year work will start on its Metro (elevated) system, due for completion in 2025. Finally, in November, a consortium ran a successful test train of 20 containers, each of 20 tons of coffee, from Dorada to the port of Santa Marta, a journey of 767 km. This may lead to a reactivation of national rail transport.
Many thanks to Neville for his excellent presentation, to his family for providing support, to Brian & Velma and their friends for coming to our meeting, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Medellín, meanwhile, seems to have opted for a more imaginative solution. Cable cars are not normally associated with mass transit, but the Metrocable is capable of reaching some of the settlements on the steep hills that characterise its topography. There are 4 lines, dating back to 2004, with a fifth due to open in 2019. Its Metrosystem works alongside the Metrocable.
To return to Bogotá, it recently opened its own cable car to connect neighbourhoods in the south of the city with the TransMilenio, and next year work will start on its Metro (elevated) system, due for completion in 2025. Finally, in November, a consortium ran a successful test train of 20 containers, each of 20 tons of coffee, from Dorada to the port of Santa Marta, a journey of 767 km. This may lead to a reactivation of national rail transport.
Many thanks to Neville for his excellent presentation, to his family for providing support, to Brian & Velma and their friends for coming to our meeting, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Members’ Christmas Evening (20th December)
It was a surprise when Steve Cane arrived, complete with an Argo Transacord LP and a portable record player. We were taken back almost 60 years, hearing 46225 Duchess of Gloucester racing down Shap, and a “Black Five” ascending Shap in charge of a freight (complete with banker). The next sequence was at Hitchin, and we heard various Pacifics and a V2. Many thanks to Steve for going to the trouble of bringing the LP plus, of course, the record player.
We stayed with steam, but crossed the Atlantic to hear Peter Davies relate the history of New York Central’s Niagara 4-8-4s (or “Northerns”). Although the wheel arrangement was popular, the Niagaras probably represented the last word in U.S. steam development. The first class member had 6’3” driving wheels, but the remaining 26 had 6’7” drivers. A few dimensions are startling: total weight was 405 tons; boiler pressure was 275 lbs p.s.i.; the 2 outside cylinders were 25½” diameter x 32” stroke. Fuel capacity was 46 tons of coal and 15,000 gallons of water. The tractive effort was 61, 570 lbs and 6,700 h.p. was available. Numerous weight-saving measures were introduced, but the carbon-silicon steel boilers may have been the Achilles heel.
The class was introduced at the end of WW2 to accelerate the New York – Chicago services (just under 1,000 miles). Average utilisation was 29,000 miles/month, never bettered by a steam locomotive. To achieve such high utilisation (which was the goal), maintenance workers wore asbestos suits to enter the firebox whilst the engine was still in steam! Figures produced showed that the engines were cheaper to build and run than the nearest equivalent diesel. (Peter has supplied a cost comparison chart which I can send to those interested – Ed.) Unsurprisingly everything about the class was way ahead of the largest U.K. locos.
Peter had also obtained some videos of the locos in action, and being serviced – great stuff, especially if you like period U.S. cars, too! Unfortunately, boiler and firebox problems told against the class, and all had been withdrawn in the mid-1950s. None has been preserved. Excellent research, Peter.
Andy Wright’s presentation was much closer to home – he showed the MNR (especially the central part) in summer and early autumn this year, followed by some aerial views taken slightly later. So much work has been/is being done – double tracking at Hardingham, for example, plus the new stabling facilities between Hardingham and Kimberley Park. The new carriage/maintenance shed at Dereham is also well advanced.
Brian Kirton had had a couple of short holidays, visiting the South and West of England, Brian reminded us of our mainland oilfield (Wych Farm), but this is no longer rail-connected. On the nearby Swanage Railway services were being worked by the T9 4-4-0 and a Standard 2-6-4T. A diversion to Weymouth Quay showed that the rails were in the roadway. Moving on to Dawlish Warren, the 8 “Camping Coaches” (described on a website as Brunel but actually, with one exception, ex-BR Mark 1 catering vehicles) were in a sorry state – they need refurbishment, but will surely be uncompetitive with half-decent caravans or mobile homes.
Peter Willis weighed in with a DVD shot on 22nd February when 70013 Oliver Cromwell, complete with a wreath celebrating the life of the late Dick Hardy, worked a Liverpool St – Norwich charter, unfortunately failing at Diss. There appeared to be cameras recording the work of the crew, while others focused on the way ahead. It was noticeable that the Britannia’s ride seemed extremely smooth; perhaps the cameras were heavily damped. Sadly, 70013’s main-line certificate has now expired so we must wait a long time to see it active again.
The original Railway Roundabout programmes covered the years 1958-1962 but, inevitably, there was plenty of material not seen in the programmes. This has found its way on to a couple of DVDs and Alan Thurling brought along one of the “Revisited” DVDs. We saw “Jubilee” 45653 Barham being serviced at Newton Heath in 1961, when several ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire locos were also present. A session at Cambridge followed, to see the steam/diesel changeover whilst the E4 2-4-0 pottered about. Finally, a visit was made to the Tyne Valley line (Newcastle – Carlisle) to see DMUs on passenger services and steam on freight.
Peter Cooke was our final presenter, and he had investigated railway ghosts and related phenomena (not literally – Ed.). A “Top 10” of the most-haunted stations began at Norwich (10) with sightings of a rat-like creature with long teeth, through Yeovil Junction (6) – ghost of a female station worker who died on a platform – eventually reaching Crewe (1) – unexplained sounds of the patter of children’s footsteps and a phantom cat! Most of the ten stations were large, and it’s perhaps surprising that the Settle & Carlisle’s isolated outposts did not feature at all!
Many thanks to everyone who contributed material, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
It was a surprise when Steve Cane arrived, complete with an Argo Transacord LP and a portable record player. We were taken back almost 60 years, hearing 46225 Duchess of Gloucester racing down Shap, and a “Black Five” ascending Shap in charge of a freight (complete with banker). The next sequence was at Hitchin, and we heard various Pacifics and a V2. Many thanks to Steve for going to the trouble of bringing the LP plus, of course, the record player.
We stayed with steam, but crossed the Atlantic to hear Peter Davies relate the history of New York Central’s Niagara 4-8-4s (or “Northerns”). Although the wheel arrangement was popular, the Niagaras probably represented the last word in U.S. steam development. The first class member had 6’3” driving wheels, but the remaining 26 had 6’7” drivers. A few dimensions are startling: total weight was 405 tons; boiler pressure was 275 lbs p.s.i.; the 2 outside cylinders were 25½” diameter x 32” stroke. Fuel capacity was 46 tons of coal and 15,000 gallons of water. The tractive effort was 61, 570 lbs and 6,700 h.p. was available. Numerous weight-saving measures were introduced, but the carbon-silicon steel boilers may have been the Achilles heel.
The class was introduced at the end of WW2 to accelerate the New York – Chicago services (just under 1,000 miles). Average utilisation was 29,000 miles/month, never bettered by a steam locomotive. To achieve such high utilisation (which was the goal), maintenance workers wore asbestos suits to enter the firebox whilst the engine was still in steam! Figures produced showed that the engines were cheaper to build and run than the nearest equivalent diesel. (Peter has supplied a cost comparison chart which I can send to those interested – Ed.) Unsurprisingly everything about the class was way ahead of the largest U.K. locos.
Peter had also obtained some videos of the locos in action, and being serviced – great stuff, especially if you like period U.S. cars, too! Unfortunately, boiler and firebox problems told against the class, and all had been withdrawn in the mid-1950s. None has been preserved. Excellent research, Peter.
Andy Wright’s presentation was much closer to home – he showed the MNR (especially the central part) in summer and early autumn this year, followed by some aerial views taken slightly later. So much work has been/is being done – double tracking at Hardingham, for example, plus the new stabling facilities between Hardingham and Kimberley Park. The new carriage/maintenance shed at Dereham is also well advanced.
Brian Kirton had had a couple of short holidays, visiting the South and West of England, Brian reminded us of our mainland oilfield (Wych Farm), but this is no longer rail-connected. On the nearby Swanage Railway services were being worked by the T9 4-4-0 and a Standard 2-6-4T. A diversion to Weymouth Quay showed that the rails were in the roadway. Moving on to Dawlish Warren, the 8 “Camping Coaches” (described on a website as Brunel but actually, with one exception, ex-BR Mark 1 catering vehicles) were in a sorry state – they need refurbishment, but will surely be uncompetitive with half-decent caravans or mobile homes.
Peter Willis weighed in with a DVD shot on 22nd February when 70013 Oliver Cromwell, complete with a wreath celebrating the life of the late Dick Hardy, worked a Liverpool St – Norwich charter, unfortunately failing at Diss. There appeared to be cameras recording the work of the crew, while others focused on the way ahead. It was noticeable that the Britannia’s ride seemed extremely smooth; perhaps the cameras were heavily damped. Sadly, 70013’s main-line certificate has now expired so we must wait a long time to see it active again.
The original Railway Roundabout programmes covered the years 1958-1962 but, inevitably, there was plenty of material not seen in the programmes. This has found its way on to a couple of DVDs and Alan Thurling brought along one of the “Revisited” DVDs. We saw “Jubilee” 45653 Barham being serviced at Newton Heath in 1961, when several ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire locos were also present. A session at Cambridge followed, to see the steam/diesel changeover whilst the E4 2-4-0 pottered about. Finally, a visit was made to the Tyne Valley line (Newcastle – Carlisle) to see DMUs on passenger services and steam on freight.
Peter Cooke was our final presenter, and he had investigated railway ghosts and related phenomena (not literally – Ed.). A “Top 10” of the most-haunted stations began at Norwich (10) with sightings of a rat-like creature with long teeth, through Yeovil Junction (6) – ghost of a female station worker who died on a platform – eventually reaching Crewe (1) – unexplained sounds of the patter of children’s footsteps and a phantom cat! Most of the ten stations were large, and it’s perhaps surprising that the Settle & Carlisle’s isolated outposts did not feature at all!
Many thanks to everyone who contributed material, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“25 Years of Plandampf” – Chris King & Paul Hudson (6th December)
Well that was the intended title, but once Chris & Paul got to grips with their material they realised that there was enough for another presentation sometime! I’ve decided on a novel approach to reporting Chris’s & Paul’s evening – few words and plenty of images. Complain to the Editor if you wish… A Plandampf is essentially an occasion where regular/service trains are hauled by steam locomotives, usually passenger but occasionally freight. Its origins are in the former GDR (East Germany) where, at unification, there were still operational steam locomotives and the necessary infrastructure to support steam. That said, southern Germany seems to be favoured location-wise although an area further north around Eisenach (to the west of Erfurt) has hosted Plandampfs on 4 occasions. Thanks to Chris & Paul for a really excellent evening, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector. (EM) |
More images and captions can be found in the Jan-Feb 2019 Newsletter
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"An East Anglia Railwayman Over 4 Decades – Enthusiast, Preservationist, Manager & Driver" – Steve Ashling (15th November)
Our ever-popular member, Steve Ashling, spent the evening recalling his varied railway career to date, and it was pleasing that a large audience came along to hear him.
His interest was kindled at the Old Oak Common Open Day of 1981, and in 1982 – when his father had a shop in Yarmouth – Steve would spend his time at Yarmouth watching the loco-hauled trains – there were 4 x 10-coach trains then – and operating Vauxhall’s shunt/release in between “cabbing”! His activities soon took him to Somerleyton, where he thinks he became the only 13-year old able to operate a swingbridge!
On leaving school he got an electrical apprenticeship with the Ministry of Defence, but not guaranteed a job at the end. So after 3 years, and other jobs, he ended up as a signalman at Reedham @ just under £10,000 p.a. from 1995 to 1999. The salary would now be £29,000 p.a. He enjoyed his Summer Saturdays but there wasn’t enough to hold his interest on weekdays. However, a fertiliser train (contract long lost) gave him the rare opportunity to shunt a freight.
Next move was to be Route Manager, Liverpool St, North London Line. He went from Grade 2 to Grade 12! He oversaw the operation of Class 313s and Class 150s on Millennium Night when nobody knew if any of the systems would “crash”.
Another move to Assistant Maintenance Delivery Manager, Ely, coincided with the end of the Railtrack era which, inevitably, saw maintenance brought in-house. Whilst at Ely he oversaw the re-opening of Whitemoor Yard and, throughout, his amazing fund of stories continued at the drop of the proverbial hat! He moved to Operation Manager, West Anglia – Outer, in charge of 36 ‘boxes and 172 staff, and devised a new signalbox colour scheme, first applied at Bury St Edmunds courtesy of May Gurney.
The bridge just north of Ely station was notorious for its bridge strikes; totally unfathomable was the strike (above right) by a lorry loaded with bales of straw which saw the lorry cab crushed, never mind the much higher straw bales!
Sadly, his duties took him to Elsenham where 2 schoolgirls were killed by a passing express in 2005. Not so well known is that, the following day, commuters were still crossing the lines in droves, oblivious to the warnings.
A serious derailment involving a Class 60 on a Mountsorrel – Chelmsford working closed the Ely – Soham line for 6 months from June 2007. Without any previous design work, a brand new bridge was built across inaccessible countryside. The second-largest crane in Europe was brought in – hard ground was some 5m below the boggy peat! (Those interested will be able to find the accident report on-line – Ed.)
Steve thinks that the new Platforms 7/8 at Cambridge are a waste of time, and that better use could have been made of the original “long” platform. Although the opening of Cambridge North garnered plenty of publicity, the first train to stop there was actually hauled by 70013 Oliver Cromwell; the charter was briefly held at signals! He then had a spell as Project Manager, Anglia – he believes they only have RHTT as NR can’t manage the vegetation. Another view is that there’s no money to be made from vegetation-clearance! Steve left NR in 2016 and began work as a signalbox-preservationist. Cromer box went to the NNR and Brundall is likely to go to Dereham.
Since 2016, and following a cab ride on the GN, he has been a driver. His career moves have been many and varied, and no doubt there are many more to come. Steve takes a keen interest in the NNR and he regards his “crowning glory” as achieving the Sheringham connection. He wants to develop an Exhibition Hall at Holt, based around Reedham Junction box.
An appreciative audience expressed its thanks, and thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Our ever-popular member, Steve Ashling, spent the evening recalling his varied railway career to date, and it was pleasing that a large audience came along to hear him.
His interest was kindled at the Old Oak Common Open Day of 1981, and in 1982 – when his father had a shop in Yarmouth – Steve would spend his time at Yarmouth watching the loco-hauled trains – there were 4 x 10-coach trains then – and operating Vauxhall’s shunt/release in between “cabbing”! His activities soon took him to Somerleyton, where he thinks he became the only 13-year old able to operate a swingbridge!
On leaving school he got an electrical apprenticeship with the Ministry of Defence, but not guaranteed a job at the end. So after 3 years, and other jobs, he ended up as a signalman at Reedham @ just under £10,000 p.a. from 1995 to 1999. The salary would now be £29,000 p.a. He enjoyed his Summer Saturdays but there wasn’t enough to hold his interest on weekdays. However, a fertiliser train (contract long lost) gave him the rare opportunity to shunt a freight.
Next move was to be Route Manager, Liverpool St, North London Line. He went from Grade 2 to Grade 12! He oversaw the operation of Class 313s and Class 150s on Millennium Night when nobody knew if any of the systems would “crash”.
Another move to Assistant Maintenance Delivery Manager, Ely, coincided with the end of the Railtrack era which, inevitably, saw maintenance brought in-house. Whilst at Ely he oversaw the re-opening of Whitemoor Yard and, throughout, his amazing fund of stories continued at the drop of the proverbial hat! He moved to Operation Manager, West Anglia – Outer, in charge of 36 ‘boxes and 172 staff, and devised a new signalbox colour scheme, first applied at Bury St Edmunds courtesy of May Gurney.
The bridge just north of Ely station was notorious for its bridge strikes; totally unfathomable was the strike (above right) by a lorry loaded with bales of straw which saw the lorry cab crushed, never mind the much higher straw bales!
Sadly, his duties took him to Elsenham where 2 schoolgirls were killed by a passing express in 2005. Not so well known is that, the following day, commuters were still crossing the lines in droves, oblivious to the warnings.
A serious derailment involving a Class 60 on a Mountsorrel – Chelmsford working closed the Ely – Soham line for 6 months from June 2007. Without any previous design work, a brand new bridge was built across inaccessible countryside. The second-largest crane in Europe was brought in – hard ground was some 5m below the boggy peat! (Those interested will be able to find the accident report on-line – Ed.)
Steve thinks that the new Platforms 7/8 at Cambridge are a waste of time, and that better use could have been made of the original “long” platform. Although the opening of Cambridge North garnered plenty of publicity, the first train to stop there was actually hauled by 70013 Oliver Cromwell; the charter was briefly held at signals! He then had a spell as Project Manager, Anglia – he believes they only have RHTT as NR can’t manage the vegetation. Another view is that there’s no money to be made from vegetation-clearance! Steve left NR in 2016 and began work as a signalbox-preservationist. Cromer box went to the NNR and Brundall is likely to go to Dereham.
Since 2016, and following a cab ride on the GN, he has been a driver. His career moves have been many and varied, and no doubt there are many more to come. Steve takes a keen interest in the NNR and he regards his “crowning glory” as achieving the Sheringham connection. He wants to develop an Exhibition Hall at Holt, based around Reedham Junction box.
An appreciative audience expressed its thanks, and thanks also to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“The Kingdom of Fife & the Railways of Perth over the last 50 Years”David MacLean (1st November)
David was the ideal person to fit the Scottish speaker/Scottish themed evening which I’d been after for a long time. He’s a retired railwayman – twice retired actually, his first retirement lasting just over a week!
His background was signalling & telecommunications, and one of his jobs was to check signal sightings. He was offered a cab pass (!) on the 1400 King’s Cross – Aberdeen hauled by 55010 The King’s Own Scottish Borderer. The loco had a faulty speedometer so he acted as an unofficial secondman. A replacement loco was not available at Doncaster, nor at York, so it wasn’t until Newcastle that 55015 Tulyar took over.
Anyway, the area was a North British Railway “fiefdom”; the nearest the Caledonian got was Alloa to the west. Its fortunes depended on coal – not only travelling over B.R. metals, but also those of the Wemyss Private Railway which linked to the main network at Cameron Bridge. Coal moved to power stations, industrial users and to the cities for domestic use. The WPR was built to a high standard, but its fortunes declined as the demand for coal fell, and the system closed in 1970. Three of its locos survived to be preserved.
Thornton Junction was the hub of a system that is now a shadow of its former self. Lines radiated north to Perth and Dundee; east round the coast to Methil or Leven, and thence St Andrew’s; south to Kirkcaldy and the Forth Bridge and west to Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline. To shift the coal the NBR had a sturdy fleet of 0-6-0s (J35-J37s), supplemented by the LNER’s J38s and B1s and, of course, WD 2-8-0s. The lines still operated a largely steam-hauled passenger service - think B1s and a mix of 4-4-0s of the D11, D49 and the D30 “Scott” and D34 “Glen” varieties. D11 62677 Edie Ochiltree was seen several times – perhaps it was Thornton Junction’s “pet”! Indeed, the Scottish D11s took their names from characters in Sir Walter Scott’s novels – what about Wizard of the Moor (62684)?
David told us that his railway career was nurtured by listening to the bell-codes; this was followed by visits to the boxes at Markinch and Methil when things were quiet.
Thornton Junction sat atop a productive coal seam – indeed bricks had to be put in regularly to stop the station platforms sinking. Many of David’s images also showed modern colliery towers in the background – the story of the Rothes mine demonstrates that the wasting money is not new to our Governments. It was sunk just after WW2, and formally opened by H.M. the Queen in 1958. Sadly, it was built in the wrong place and closed in 1962 having constantly flooded. The new town of Glenrothes was planned to house the miners, and has been more successful than the mine!
David did not just cover the steam era – we saw the D25xx and D27xx shunters, long gone, along with the D85xx Claytons (one of which we saw working!). Class 40s and 47s worked through Thornton on passenger services and the lesser services were operated by Classes 24, 25 and 27, many of the latter awaiting a last trip to Vic Berry’s scrapyard at Leicester as work dried up.
Other sights David brought to our attention were the annual Rosyth Navy Days with odd mixes of locomotives and rolling stock, Aberdour, which regularly won the “best kept station” prize, and Kinghorn Tunnel which is apparently “kinked” as a result of the boring teams not meeting in the middle!
He has been involved on two Forth Bridge jobs – on one of them the engineers appeared to be abseiling to check the pointing. We also saw something of earlier “Health & Safety”, in particular a gang member standing on the bridge with no harness or anything!
A big success in recent years has been the “Fife Circle” – one way via Dunfermline to the fairly new station at Glenrothes with Thornton and the other way via the coast (Kirkcaldy) and back via Dunfermline.
Unfortunately, David was unable to reach the Perth part of his presentation and we hope he will be able to come back next October. Many thanks to David for an enthralling evening.
David was the ideal person to fit the Scottish speaker/Scottish themed evening which I’d been after for a long time. He’s a retired railwayman – twice retired actually, his first retirement lasting just over a week!
His background was signalling & telecommunications, and one of his jobs was to check signal sightings. He was offered a cab pass (!) on the 1400 King’s Cross – Aberdeen hauled by 55010 The King’s Own Scottish Borderer. The loco had a faulty speedometer so he acted as an unofficial secondman. A replacement loco was not available at Doncaster, nor at York, so it wasn’t until Newcastle that 55015 Tulyar took over.
Anyway, the area was a North British Railway “fiefdom”; the nearest the Caledonian got was Alloa to the west. Its fortunes depended on coal – not only travelling over B.R. metals, but also those of the Wemyss Private Railway which linked to the main network at Cameron Bridge. Coal moved to power stations, industrial users and to the cities for domestic use. The WPR was built to a high standard, but its fortunes declined as the demand for coal fell, and the system closed in 1970. Three of its locos survived to be preserved.
Thornton Junction was the hub of a system that is now a shadow of its former self. Lines radiated north to Perth and Dundee; east round the coast to Methil or Leven, and thence St Andrew’s; south to Kirkcaldy and the Forth Bridge and west to Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline. To shift the coal the NBR had a sturdy fleet of 0-6-0s (J35-J37s), supplemented by the LNER’s J38s and B1s and, of course, WD 2-8-0s. The lines still operated a largely steam-hauled passenger service - think B1s and a mix of 4-4-0s of the D11, D49 and the D30 “Scott” and D34 “Glen” varieties. D11 62677 Edie Ochiltree was seen several times – perhaps it was Thornton Junction’s “pet”! Indeed, the Scottish D11s took their names from characters in Sir Walter Scott’s novels – what about Wizard of the Moor (62684)?
David told us that his railway career was nurtured by listening to the bell-codes; this was followed by visits to the boxes at Markinch and Methil when things were quiet.
Thornton Junction sat atop a productive coal seam – indeed bricks had to be put in regularly to stop the station platforms sinking. Many of David’s images also showed modern colliery towers in the background – the story of the Rothes mine demonstrates that the wasting money is not new to our Governments. It was sunk just after WW2, and formally opened by H.M. the Queen in 1958. Sadly, it was built in the wrong place and closed in 1962 having constantly flooded. The new town of Glenrothes was planned to house the miners, and has been more successful than the mine!
David did not just cover the steam era – we saw the D25xx and D27xx shunters, long gone, along with the D85xx Claytons (one of which we saw working!). Class 40s and 47s worked through Thornton on passenger services and the lesser services were operated by Classes 24, 25 and 27, many of the latter awaiting a last trip to Vic Berry’s scrapyard at Leicester as work dried up.
Other sights David brought to our attention were the annual Rosyth Navy Days with odd mixes of locomotives and rolling stock, Aberdour, which regularly won the “best kept station” prize, and Kinghorn Tunnel which is apparently “kinked” as a result of the boring teams not meeting in the middle!
He has been involved on two Forth Bridge jobs – on one of them the engineers appeared to be abseiling to check the pointing. We also saw something of earlier “Health & Safety”, in particular a gang member standing on the bridge with no harness or anything!
A big success in recent years has been the “Fife Circle” – one way via Dunfermline to the fairly new station at Glenrothes with Thornton and the other way via the coast (Kirkcaldy) and back via Dunfermline.
Unfortunately, David was unable to reach the Perth part of his presentation and we hope he will be able to come back next October. Many thanks to David for an enthralling evening.
“The Great Northern Railway – Not Just Stirling Singles (Part 4)” - Allan Sibley (18th October)
We were delighted to have a return visit from Allan, Editor of Great Northern News, and his wife Marion.
Allan first showed us the Granary Building, not far from King’s Cross, and once the centrepiece of King’s Cross Goods Yard. The railway infrastructure had been derelict for some time but the area has been completely transformed. The Granary was once a rail/road/canal transhipment depot, used by both the Great Northern & Midland companies (the Midland also used it as their first passenger station). The area is now very popular – there is a piazza, also fountains, plenty of restaurants and, of course, offices and expensive flats. The next phase of refurbishment will be at the coal drops where more apartments/offices/small business units will go in.
No doubt many will be familiar with the gasholders near St Pancras. There belonged to the Imperial Gas Co. and were shut down in 1905. 3 of the 7 gasholders remain and, surprise, surprise, very expensive flats have been created inside the structures - £4M anyone?
Allan then took us to Derby from where the GN line to Nottingham & Grantham had closed in 1964. Friargate Bridge, built by Handyside & Co., crosses Friar Gate and is essentially 2 bridges side by side. The GN’s goods depot/bonded warehouse is in a semi-derelict state. Bennerley Viaduct crosses the Midland main line a little to the north; it is made of wrought iron which makes demolition well-nigh impossible. It is owned by Railway Paths Ltd, an offshoot of the B.R. Property Board, and it may see official use as a pathway – Sustrans’ interest comes and goes.
Another move north took us to Manchester – there was a GC/GN goods depot at Deansgate, built as a double-deck arrangement to the design of W.T. Foxlee who became the depot manager when it opened. The building is now a multi-purpose centre.
The most northerly GN outpost was at Windhill, Shipley, at the end of a branch that came in from Laisterdyke. It was never successful and passenger services ceased in 1931, but it lasted as a goods depot until the 1960s. Although it survives it is in poor condition. However, Allan and other GN Society members had to make a sudden expedition to recover piles of old handbills (from the 1890s)/tickets/ledgers/letters (which had survived in good condition) before they were destroyed. One of the intermediate stations was at Idle (of Idle Working Men’s Club fame)!
Allan’s wide-ranging presentation then moved to the M&GN and the very short-lived Sutton Bridge Dock. The station was on an S-bend and movements were controlled by 4 signalboxes. The Dock was completely independent but the GN got involved as it would be their only sea access. It invested quite heavily in the dock but the dock had been built on unstable soil, and insufficiently dredged, and it collapsed within 4 weeks of its 1881 opening. The GN was asked if he it wanted to be involved in the rebuilding but declined. The site is now a golf course. A new Sutton Bridge Dock opened in 1987 and had an inauspicious start with a ship getting stuck, eventually breaking in two places. Wisbech Port was blocked for 4/5 weeks.
Boston Sleeper Depot (Hall Hills) was not forgotten as it supplied sleepers to the entire GN. An obscure 0-4-2ST shunted the depot (it began life as an 0-6-0T). We also saw a petrol-electric railcar built by Dick Kerr & Co. Little is known except that it underwent trials on the Dunstable branch. It was in service for 3/4 years before it was decided that steam railmotors were better prospects.
Finally, Allan turned attention to King’s Cross, and the unexpected sight of a T-Rex skeleton, there to publicise a new version of Jurassic Park earlier this year. The GN’s War Memorial, unveiled by Earl Haig on 13th June 1920 has 818 names inscribed and was originally on Platform 10 but has now been moved to Platform 8.
Many thanks to Allan for taking us into little-known corners of the GN, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
We were delighted to have a return visit from Allan, Editor of Great Northern News, and his wife Marion.
Allan first showed us the Granary Building, not far from King’s Cross, and once the centrepiece of King’s Cross Goods Yard. The railway infrastructure had been derelict for some time but the area has been completely transformed. The Granary was once a rail/road/canal transhipment depot, used by both the Great Northern & Midland companies (the Midland also used it as their first passenger station). The area is now very popular – there is a piazza, also fountains, plenty of restaurants and, of course, offices and expensive flats. The next phase of refurbishment will be at the coal drops where more apartments/offices/small business units will go in.
No doubt many will be familiar with the gasholders near St Pancras. There belonged to the Imperial Gas Co. and were shut down in 1905. 3 of the 7 gasholders remain and, surprise, surprise, very expensive flats have been created inside the structures - £4M anyone?
Allan then took us to Derby from where the GN line to Nottingham & Grantham had closed in 1964. Friargate Bridge, built by Handyside & Co., crosses Friar Gate and is essentially 2 bridges side by side. The GN’s goods depot/bonded warehouse is in a semi-derelict state. Bennerley Viaduct crosses the Midland main line a little to the north; it is made of wrought iron which makes demolition well-nigh impossible. It is owned by Railway Paths Ltd, an offshoot of the B.R. Property Board, and it may see official use as a pathway – Sustrans’ interest comes and goes.
Another move north took us to Manchester – there was a GC/GN goods depot at Deansgate, built as a double-deck arrangement to the design of W.T. Foxlee who became the depot manager when it opened. The building is now a multi-purpose centre.
The most northerly GN outpost was at Windhill, Shipley, at the end of a branch that came in from Laisterdyke. It was never successful and passenger services ceased in 1931, but it lasted as a goods depot until the 1960s. Although it survives it is in poor condition. However, Allan and other GN Society members had to make a sudden expedition to recover piles of old handbills (from the 1890s)/tickets/ledgers/letters (which had survived in good condition) before they were destroyed. One of the intermediate stations was at Idle (of Idle Working Men’s Club fame)!
Allan’s wide-ranging presentation then moved to the M&GN and the very short-lived Sutton Bridge Dock. The station was on an S-bend and movements were controlled by 4 signalboxes. The Dock was completely independent but the GN got involved as it would be their only sea access. It invested quite heavily in the dock but the dock had been built on unstable soil, and insufficiently dredged, and it collapsed within 4 weeks of its 1881 opening. The GN was asked if he it wanted to be involved in the rebuilding but declined. The site is now a golf course. A new Sutton Bridge Dock opened in 1987 and had an inauspicious start with a ship getting stuck, eventually breaking in two places. Wisbech Port was blocked for 4/5 weeks.
Boston Sleeper Depot (Hall Hills) was not forgotten as it supplied sleepers to the entire GN. An obscure 0-4-2ST shunted the depot (it began life as an 0-6-0T). We also saw a petrol-electric railcar built by Dick Kerr & Co. Little is known except that it underwent trials on the Dunstable branch. It was in service for 3/4 years before it was decided that steam railmotors were better prospects.
Finally, Allan turned attention to King’s Cross, and the unexpected sight of a T-Rex skeleton, there to publicise a new version of Jurassic Park earlier this year. The GN’s War Memorial, unveiled by Earl Haig on 13th June 1920 has 818 names inscribed and was originally on Platform 10 but has now been moved to Platform 8.
Many thanks to Allan for taking us into little-known corners of the GN, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
“Ipswich – a Railway Junction in the East” - John Day (4th October)
We were delighted to have a return visit from John Day, Ipswich born and bred, to talk about the town’s railways. Very little of railway interest escapes John, who has honed his gardening skills in pursuit of unusual images.
His earliest memories are of Felixstowe line trains crossing Spring Road bridge, and it wasn’t long before he gravitated to standing outside 32B long before the diesels arrived. On today’s railway, good relations with the station staff are essential, and John seems to have raised this to an art form!
John’s presentation was an excellent split of the present-day and nostalgic, as witness the station remodelling and a new multi-storey car park completed in 2017. As a result of these improvements the station won the Best Large Station Award. Only a year earlier, though, the station had to be closed when a Lithuanian gentleman got on to the canopy for several hours!
The Felixstowe branch is worked by single Class 153 DMUs, but these can get very busy. Maybe 60 years ago we saw Class 21 D6117 in the centre road before the class was reallocated to Scotland! Nuclear flasks from Leiston were once regular traffic, but none has run for some 2 years. A most unusual sight in January 1998 was a Class 73 electro-diesel on a Crown Point – Eastleigh stock move, and other unusual sights were Class 58s on the North Walsham – Harwich condensate workings and Class 170 DMUs en route to Clacton to be “refreshed”.
John was, of course, there when EMU 321366 turned up in an awful “Space for Ideas” livery. He returned to the old days with an image of a B17 on an up slow alongside 70011 Hotspur on, possibly, a Newcastle – Colchester service. Class 87 electrics visited on Freightliner trains in 1989, crewed by Stratford men. Mail trains brought Class 315 electrics on Christmas workings, along with regular Class 67s on the Wembley T.P.O. “Royal” 67006 visited on an Aberdeen – Parkeston tank train. Services long gone are the (SO) Diss – Ince UK Fertiliser and the Snailwell – Sheerness scrap trains.
The first electric-hauled passenger service reached the town on 9th April 1985 with a Class 305; equally notable was D9000 Royal Scots Grey on the East Anglian, 1700 Liverpool St – Norwich, in September 1998. New Class 68, 68004, failed on the London side of Ipswich Tunnel and was rescued by Class 70, 70015. A first-ever Class 92 visited on a Trafford Park – Felixstowe working – their high “juice” consumption meant special arrangements had to be made. Loco was 92032 in 2013. Railtours were not forgotten – the Branch Line Society’s Orwell Docker DMU tour did not complete its dock tour in case the buffers locked. When Orwell Docker IV ran, brake vans were used. The once-busy dock lines are in a poor state today, with very little traffic passing.
More nostalgia – Classes 21 & 24 on freights – the latter were common at Ipswich before transfer to the L.M.R. In early privatisation days locos were turned out in white primer until their Sector was known. Sir Robert McAlpine’s special train visited East Anglia on 27th April 1984 – guess who was there to see that and the last Liverpool St – Lowestoft loco-hauled service which ran about a fortnight later!
Preserved Class 4 2-6-0 76079 was seen on a Lowestoft – Liverpool St special working; amazingly this doubled as a stopping service (lucky passengers!) to avoid problems associated with a cancelled service train. Would that happen today?
The most notable event, though, has probably been the opening of the Bacon Factory Curve, which permits through running to/from Felixstowe from/to Stowmarket and points west without an Ipswich reversal. John was, of course, instrumental in securing a privileged visit for a small party. He couldn’t please everyone!
In response to a question, John thought that the present time was the most interesting since the end of steam, and he was extremely grateful for the Real Time Trains app and his mobile phone! Maybe John will pay us a return visit to explore the town’s buses, trolleybuses and railway developments when circumstances allow.
Thanks to Mike Fordham and Velma Kirton for ensuring a normal refreshment break. (EM)
We were delighted to have a return visit from John Day, Ipswich born and bred, to talk about the town’s railways. Very little of railway interest escapes John, who has honed his gardening skills in pursuit of unusual images.
His earliest memories are of Felixstowe line trains crossing Spring Road bridge, and it wasn’t long before he gravitated to standing outside 32B long before the diesels arrived. On today’s railway, good relations with the station staff are essential, and John seems to have raised this to an art form!
John’s presentation was an excellent split of the present-day and nostalgic, as witness the station remodelling and a new multi-storey car park completed in 2017. As a result of these improvements the station won the Best Large Station Award. Only a year earlier, though, the station had to be closed when a Lithuanian gentleman got on to the canopy for several hours!
The Felixstowe branch is worked by single Class 153 DMUs, but these can get very busy. Maybe 60 years ago we saw Class 21 D6117 in the centre road before the class was reallocated to Scotland! Nuclear flasks from Leiston were once regular traffic, but none has run for some 2 years. A most unusual sight in January 1998 was a Class 73 electro-diesel on a Crown Point – Eastleigh stock move, and other unusual sights were Class 58s on the North Walsham – Harwich condensate workings and Class 170 DMUs en route to Clacton to be “refreshed”.
John was, of course, there when EMU 321366 turned up in an awful “Space for Ideas” livery. He returned to the old days with an image of a B17 on an up slow alongside 70011 Hotspur on, possibly, a Newcastle – Colchester service. Class 87 electrics visited on Freightliner trains in 1989, crewed by Stratford men. Mail trains brought Class 315 electrics on Christmas workings, along with regular Class 67s on the Wembley T.P.O. “Royal” 67006 visited on an Aberdeen – Parkeston tank train. Services long gone are the (SO) Diss – Ince UK Fertiliser and the Snailwell – Sheerness scrap trains.
The first electric-hauled passenger service reached the town on 9th April 1985 with a Class 305; equally notable was D9000 Royal Scots Grey on the East Anglian, 1700 Liverpool St – Norwich, in September 1998. New Class 68, 68004, failed on the London side of Ipswich Tunnel and was rescued by Class 70, 70015. A first-ever Class 92 visited on a Trafford Park – Felixstowe working – their high “juice” consumption meant special arrangements had to be made. Loco was 92032 in 2013. Railtours were not forgotten – the Branch Line Society’s Orwell Docker DMU tour did not complete its dock tour in case the buffers locked. When Orwell Docker IV ran, brake vans were used. The once-busy dock lines are in a poor state today, with very little traffic passing.
More nostalgia – Classes 21 & 24 on freights – the latter were common at Ipswich before transfer to the L.M.R. In early privatisation days locos were turned out in white primer until their Sector was known. Sir Robert McAlpine’s special train visited East Anglia on 27th April 1984 – guess who was there to see that and the last Liverpool St – Lowestoft loco-hauled service which ran about a fortnight later!
Preserved Class 4 2-6-0 76079 was seen on a Lowestoft – Liverpool St special working; amazingly this doubled as a stopping service (lucky passengers!) to avoid problems associated with a cancelled service train. Would that happen today?
The most notable event, though, has probably been the opening of the Bacon Factory Curve, which permits through running to/from Felixstowe from/to Stowmarket and points west without an Ipswich reversal. John was, of course, instrumental in securing a privileged visit for a small party. He couldn’t please everyone!
In response to a question, John thought that the present time was the most interesting since the end of steam, and he was extremely grateful for the Real Time Trains app and his mobile phone! Maybe John will pay us a return visit to explore the town’s buses, trolleybuses and railway developments when circumstances allow.
Thanks to Mike Fordham and Velma Kirton for ensuring a normal refreshment break. (EM)
Members’ Summer Reports – 20th September
Four members have had significant health issues this year, so it was pleasing that Ken Mills and Gordon Bruce were sufficiently recovered to be with us. Ian Woodruff and John Hutchinson are out of hospital, and we wish them well with their recoveries.
Mike Handscomb reported first, recalling the 10 slides from the late Bernard Harrison’s collection which realised the best prices on eBay. He had been asked to sell another collection but, this time, there was no location or date information. Thanks to a tour de force from David Pearce, David had been able to identify almost every location, and we saw the 10 slides that realised the best prices beginning with 35007 Aberdeen Commonwealth approaching Southampton Central with the down Bournemouth Belle (£9.61), There was a definite W.R. theme until Mike reached the best-seller – a Derby “Lightweight” DMU at Keswick alongside an Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 with, possibly, a portion of the Lakes Express (£42.14). See image below. Some medium-format slides sold disappointingly, but how David identified Filleigh Viaduct (between Taunton & Barnstaple) is a mystery!
Malcolm Wright and his wife enjoyed a Railway Touring Company holiday to Scotland, travelling first-class from King’s Cross. They had trips on the Strathspey Railway, hauled by ex-C.R. 0-6-0 828, the Keith & Dufftown Railway (exclusively DMU but none the worse for that) and, inevitably, the West Highland Extension with images of the train crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct. During time spent at Inverness they saw the opulent Royal Scotsman top’n’tailed by a pair of 66s.
Brian Kirton showed images from the Cotswolds and Bath, beginning at Charlbury on the Cotswold Line, once the local station of ex-B.R.B. Chairman, Sir Peter Parker. Brian then diverted to an Ely – Carlisle steam trip behind 60163 Tornado, though this was piloted by a Class 66 as its TPWS was defective. We then saw something of the GW electrification; unusually the gantries/masts support from one side only. A few images around Bath followed – Box Tunnel, Sydney Gardens & Cleveland House (built over the Kennet & Avon Canal), and for which offers around £3.5M were required!
Warren Wordsworth had enjoyed a holiday in glorious weather in N. Wales; the Ffestiniog and ATW are side-by-side at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Locomotives in action were Lyd (SR 190) and the Fairlies. After a look at Llandudno station, with its ornate gates but with facilities much reduced from its heyday, Warren visited the Welsh Highland, where the muscular S.A.R. Garratts were in charge of services.
Andy Wright had “W”- based holidays, starting at Watchet and handy for the West Somerset Railway. Ex – S & D 2-8-0 53808 and 6960 Raveningham Hall were operating services, but there was plenty to be seen away from the trains. There’s a really good museum at Bishop’s Lydeard whilst Watchet was once home to the West Somerset Mineral Railway which ran into the Brendon Hills; the station house and goods shed survive in private ownership. His next visit was to Winchcombe, on the Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway, now extended to run between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway. 2807 was working, and there’s the usual mix of steam/diesel services. An imposing G.W.R. style signalbox is under construction at Broadway, and very smart it will look. Best of all, it is pleasing to report that passenger numbers have doubled since Broadway was re-opened. Certainly one to visit.
Finally, Mike Fordham wound up the evening with images of the Swanage Railway. Their M7 had just been taken out of service and its boiler was later noted at Weybourne awaiting repairs. He questioned whether Swanage turntable had ever turned (unlikely). He reminded us of the visit to the Norfolk Tank Museum in June and the very thorough talk we’d had about the replica WW1 tank, seen on the Guy Martin programme on Channel 4. Although the Norfolk tank was female (machine guns only) Bovington Tank Museum has a male tank (bigger guns). Mike also showed the Bovington reserve collection of tanks, shoe-horned with the aid of a model, under one huge roof!
Thanks to everyone who brought material, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.
Four members have had significant health issues this year, so it was pleasing that Ken Mills and Gordon Bruce were sufficiently recovered to be with us. Ian Woodruff and John Hutchinson are out of hospital, and we wish them well with their recoveries.
Mike Handscomb reported first, recalling the 10 slides from the late Bernard Harrison’s collection which realised the best prices on eBay. He had been asked to sell another collection but, this time, there was no location or date information. Thanks to a tour de force from David Pearce, David had been able to identify almost every location, and we saw the 10 slides that realised the best prices beginning with 35007 Aberdeen Commonwealth approaching Southampton Central with the down Bournemouth Belle (£9.61), There was a definite W.R. theme until Mike reached the best-seller – a Derby “Lightweight” DMU at Keswick alongside an Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 with, possibly, a portion of the Lakes Express (£42.14). See image below. Some medium-format slides sold disappointingly, but how David identified Filleigh Viaduct (between Taunton & Barnstaple) is a mystery!
Malcolm Wright and his wife enjoyed a Railway Touring Company holiday to Scotland, travelling first-class from King’s Cross. They had trips on the Strathspey Railway, hauled by ex-C.R. 0-6-0 828, the Keith & Dufftown Railway (exclusively DMU but none the worse for that) and, inevitably, the West Highland Extension with images of the train crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct. During time spent at Inverness they saw the opulent Royal Scotsman top’n’tailed by a pair of 66s.
Brian Kirton showed images from the Cotswolds and Bath, beginning at Charlbury on the Cotswold Line, once the local station of ex-B.R.B. Chairman, Sir Peter Parker. Brian then diverted to an Ely – Carlisle steam trip behind 60163 Tornado, though this was piloted by a Class 66 as its TPWS was defective. We then saw something of the GW electrification; unusually the gantries/masts support from one side only. A few images around Bath followed – Box Tunnel, Sydney Gardens & Cleveland House (built over the Kennet & Avon Canal), and for which offers around £3.5M were required!
Warren Wordsworth had enjoyed a holiday in glorious weather in N. Wales; the Ffestiniog and ATW are side-by-side at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Locomotives in action were Lyd (SR 190) and the Fairlies. After a look at Llandudno station, with its ornate gates but with facilities much reduced from its heyday, Warren visited the Welsh Highland, where the muscular S.A.R. Garratts were in charge of services.
Andy Wright had “W”- based holidays, starting at Watchet and handy for the West Somerset Railway. Ex – S & D 2-8-0 53808 and 6960 Raveningham Hall were operating services, but there was plenty to be seen away from the trains. There’s a really good museum at Bishop’s Lydeard whilst Watchet was once home to the West Somerset Mineral Railway which ran into the Brendon Hills; the station house and goods shed survive in private ownership. His next visit was to Winchcombe, on the Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway, now extended to run between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway. 2807 was working, and there’s the usual mix of steam/diesel services. An imposing G.W.R. style signalbox is under construction at Broadway, and very smart it will look. Best of all, it is pleasing to report that passenger numbers have doubled since Broadway was re-opened. Certainly one to visit.
Finally, Mike Fordham wound up the evening with images of the Swanage Railway. Their M7 had just been taken out of service and its boiler was later noted at Weybourne awaiting repairs. He questioned whether Swanage turntable had ever turned (unlikely). He reminded us of the visit to the Norfolk Tank Museum in June and the very thorough talk we’d had about the replica WW1 tank, seen on the Guy Martin programme on Channel 4. Although the Norfolk tank was female (machine guns only) Bovington Tank Museum has a male tank (bigger guns). Mike also showed the Bovington reserve collection of tanks, shoe-horned with the aid of a model, under one huge roof!
Thanks to everyone who brought material, and to Andy Wright for operating the projector.