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Saturday 28 December 2013

The early Jinty 0-6-0

A reproduction of that early 0-6-0
 
 
And of course the midlands consummate product.
 
I well remember getting one of these for Christmas


Tuesday 24 December 2013

Saturday 21 December 2013

Midland railway jinty precursor

Picture found relating to Barnoldswick then in Yorkshire
 
 
I believe it to be on of the Samuel Johnson class of
shunting tank engines of 1874. The addition of rear
windshield must have been in recognition of the
harsh conditions found in that area between Lancs
and Yorkshire.
 
This was S.W.Johnson’s first design after coming to the Midland Railway in 1873, 25 of these engines were built initially by Neilson & Co in 1874-5, and another fifteen by the Vulcan Foundry in 1875-6.  Many more followed from Derby between 1878 and 1893, and still further batches from outside builders until 1899, by which time the class totalled 280 engines.  Previous to 1907 their numbers were somewhat scattered, but in that year they became Nos. 1620-1899.  A further sixty engines of a slightly larger version came from the Vulcan Foundry from 1899 to 1902, numbered 1900-59.  Many of these were fitted with condensing apparatus for working over the ‘widened’ lines of the Metropolitan Railway, and these consequently spent a lot pf their working lives in the London area.  The MR had evidently by 1902 a sufficient stock of shunting tank engines, and no more were built by that company, but the design in a slightly improved form reappeared again under LMS auspices as one of their standard types, of which no less than 415 were built between 1924 and 1931, as well as a further seven for the Somerset and Dorset Railway, which engines later became merged into LMS stock.
During the 1930s Nos. 1900-59 were renumbered 7200-59.  All of the Midland engines at first carried Johnson’s distinctive boiler with the Salter safety valve in the dome, but most of the later ones to survive, and all of the 1900-59 batch, gradually acquired Belpaire type boilers.  The earlier engines had only half section cabs, which some retained even after rebuilding with Belpaire boilers.  All lasted until the early 1920s, when they began to be taken out of service, but nevertheless 95 of the original series, and all of the ‘1900’ Class, survived to be taken into BR stock and to have their numbers increased by 40000.  No. 41661 built on 1878, was in service until 1959, when there remained also a few others of the pre-1900 series, including No. 41835, still with its Johnson boiler. Whilst about half of the 47200-59 lot were still running, as were nearly all of the LMS built engines, whose numbers range from 47200-47681. Nos. 7260-7309 were originally 7100-49 and 7317-7681 first came out as 16400-16764, whilst 7210-16 had been S&DJR 19-25.
 Dimensions
 Original series – Driving wheels – 4’ 7”,  Cylinders – 17”x 24”,  Pressure – 140 lb.,  Tractive effort – 15007 lb.,  Weight – 39 tons 11 cwt.,  BR Classification – 1F

Many thanks to Chasewater for the above details.

 
Thankfully one has managed to survive into preservation
 
 
Some of the class
worked at the Stavely iron works

 
And so avoided the cutters torch

 
Though a rebuilt engine with belpair firebox
 
 
41708 now preserved. This picture was taken before
the cab was made a full cab. Once again one of the
later rebuilds with Belpair firebox and indeed
 some were converted to full cabs.  
 
 


Friday 20 December 2013

LMS 'Princess Margaret Rose'

Leaving Liverpool Lime St
 
 
I went to university in Liverpool and well remember
run up to Edge Hill. The pull out of Lime St was a hard
one with a heavy express train.

Large Mill engine

Her a typical Mill engine still to be found running
in the fiftties and sixties
 
 

Industrial steam, Mill engines

Of course steam was not only about locomotion
and traction. I was born and brought up in
Worsteadopolis, otherwise known as
The City of Bradford. Where
Wool and the steam used
to process and make
Woolen cloth
was King
 
 
I well remember one Mill on my route home from school
had an engine room close to the path along which I went
on my journey to and from school. I have lingered many
moments watching the engine

St Davids station Exeter

Another mile post on journeys to the south west
 
 
Exeter St Davids as always a place to see lots of
GWR loco's

Saltash

A view I well remember. The Albert Bridge was
always a highlight of any holiday journey
 
 
Even though this was behind a Diesel

Royal Albert bridge

Built to span the river Tamar between Devon and
Cornwall, the Albert bridge (named after Queen Victoria's consort)
 
 
High enough to allow the transit of naval vessels.
Generous enough in width for broad gauge trains

GWR 2-8-0 Maid of all work

Stanier was of course Swindon trained and the
similarities between his standards and the GWR
standards were very similar indeed.
 
 
Stanier however did not have the benefit of a railway
built for broad gauge reduced to standard gauge. The
GWR had and it was obvious in the size of outside
cylinders that could be used. Platform clearances
were far more generous.

LMS Black Five

Class Five mixed traffic locomotive of the LMS
 
 
Very much a partner of the Jubilees, often standing in
 for them on trains where high speed was not of the
essence though they could make a good turn
when asked.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Fairlie Locomotives and how they work

The little railways of Wales are excellent places
to view Fairlie locomotives
 
 
How they work


Monday 16 December 2013

Charing Cross in Edwardian times

A real old gem here. Charing Cross underground
station in late Victorian or Edwardian days
 

Peppercorns A1

Never saved so a new one was built. Peppercorns
A1
Tornado was the first brand new steam locomotive
of the 21st century
 
Superb machines in their day


SR Schools class

Not for reasons of personal memory but simply
admiration of a superb locomotive. Richard
Maunsel's 'Schools' Class were a class apart
 

Bradford Foster Sq station

Previously known as Bradford Market St station
 
 
Bradford was for me always a Midland or LMS
town. The first station was Market St which was
the first connection between Leeds and Bradford.
The Bradford and Leeds Railways was soon taken
over by the Midland railway which had access to
Leeds and so the relationship was born. Built in
the area of the town known as Little Bermondsey,
 the original Market St Station was a little to the
west and north, roughly where the Midland Hotel
main acom block stands in this picture. Little
Bermondsey and its associated Margerison
Square was a slum and under the clearances
of the mid 19th century following the 1849
50 and 51 Cholera epidemics, was demolished,
making way for the new Midland station

Whale 4-6-0 inside two cylinder 4F-D

Again the similarity of thinking between Crewe
and Horwich is apparent. Whales 4F-D 
 
Introduced 1908. Whale LNWR "19-inch Goods".
  Rebuilt with Belpaire boiler.

Weight:
Loco 63 tons 0 cwt Driving Wheel: 5' 2?"
Boil Press: 175lb/sq in NS
Cylinders: Two Valve Gear: Joy (piston valves)
19" x 26" (inside) TE: 22,340 lb
 
 
The 4F-D was a freight engine which could well
serve on passenger trains too notably excursion
work and special running where a conventional
passenger loco was not available.

Hughes L&Y 4-6-0 passenger engine

I have always been struck by the similarities between
the Lancashire and Yorkshire locomotives and the LNWR
designs such as the Claughton's of a similar period. Of
course the LNWR and the L&Y amalgamated before
the 1924 great grouping, having amalgamated on 1st
of January 1922.
 
 
Crewe and Horwich must have had some amazing
second sight or more realistically joint thinking
Above the Hughes 4-6-0 three cylinder passenger
locomotive built for the fast trans Pennine services
of the L&Y
 
It compares well with the Claughton class four cylinder
4-6-0 of the LNWR.

LMS Royal Scot class 'The Boy Scout'

Doubtless the Chief scout of the day
 

LMS 0-6-0 Jinty

The very popular Triang Rovex model of the Jinty
which so many of us played with in the fifties and
sixties. For many the budget set was a first model
Railway
 

Sunday 15 December 2013

LNER

My dad had an MG before the war, he always blamed
Hitler for losing him a fortune as he sold it cheap on
the outbreak of war
 

Steam Traction

As you know both forms of steam traction form
important memories for me.
 

More railways art

All part of the childhood memories
 
 
It was an idealised image

 
But it rang many bells
 
 
And nit just the trains


N2 Tanks GNR

Often seen on the Queensbury lines, lost count of the
number of times I have travelled behind one unknowingly
 
 
Though this one is probably a Kings Cross based
loco as it has condensing gear for running through
tunnels

Saturday 14 December 2013

The Queensbury lines GNR

 
Wilsden Station. Wilsden was the home of my
Mothers paternal side of the family the Pickles

 
South portal of Queensbury Tunnel.

 
Thornton Station, The village where I was born

 
Another view of Wilsden station

GWR Torquay station

The station at Torquay had changed very little from
this early twentieth century photograph
 

Weston Super Mare poster

We always visited Weston on the steamer.
It was a good 45min trip across from Cardiff
 
 
Illfracombe was better though
Nearly two hours and out of sight of
 land for just a little bit

LMS Black Five

Black fives along with Jubilee's were the order of the day
 
 
The Devonian

Railway posters

My favourite places for Holidays as a child
 
 
We had family in Wales, just outside Cardiff and
many very happy holidays were spent down there
The highlights used to be the train ride down and
Steamer trips to places down the Bristol Channel
That was where I got my love of the sea and ships

 
Torquay meant the long run on the Devonian
LMS to Temple meads and GWR on to Devon

Ohh how the memories spring to life

Friday 13 December 2013

LMS Jubilee class Locomotive

Undoubtedly my favourite of the LMS stable in my
childhood was the Jubilee. Many happy holidays began
behind one of this class of locomotives which pulled
the Devonian from Bradford to Bristol where the GWR
took over for the run to Torquay or Paignton
 

LMS Royal Scot Class.

The break with the Midland small engine policy
culminated in the Royal Scot Class. Designed to run
non stop between Euston and Crewe with heavy Scots
expresses.  
 
 
The for runner of this engine was the Patriots whose
genealogy has been discussed before

LMS Coronation class or 'Duchesses'

The ultimate steam locomotive by the LMS was od
course the Coronation class or 'Duchesses as they were
affectionately known