8 Headline News
Contents
Regulars
GBR will build on, not replace, Network Rail; GWR confirms lease of Class 175s;New wagonsfor Ireland
Track Record
52 Steam News Mayflower fills in as Tornado prepares formain line.
57 Industrial Steam Hornet ready to return at Ribble Steam Railway.
58 Heritage Carriages &Wagons Progress on Wensleydale Mk.2 coach.
60 Narrow Gauge Ffestiniog unveils anniversar ycavalcade plans
66 Miniature Burnley railway marks special anniversaries
67 Heritage Trams Easter target forcompleting Beamishtrack works
68 Classic Traction HeavyweightType 3returnstoGreat CentralRailway.
72 Railtours
Unusual EE pairing for‘Double Gloucester ’tour.
74 Freight Only HVO locos to be used on GBRf ’s Drax services
75 Metro West Midlands Metrofiguresatpre -Covid levels
76 Network Rotherham Gatewaystation plans submitted to DfT.
78 Traction &Stock
Ex-Thornabycelebrity‘37’‘steels’the limelight.
83 Stock Update What ’s new,withdrawn, repaintedornamed?
84 Operations News Around-up of the network ’s notable moves.
91 Irish Foynes line set for2026 reopening
92 World Five -year lifeextension forAustralia’s XPT fleet
22 Subscriptions Offer
Agreat deal and have your magazine delivered,too
45 Readers’Platform &Where is it?
Rememberingtravelwriter George Behrend
46 Meetings
Talks and events in your par tofthe countr y.
47 Years Ago
Newsfrom The RM 100, 50 and 20 years ago.
48 Panorama
Aselection of stunning railway photography.
95 Reviews
Threenew railway books–are they anygood?
106 Crossword&NextMonth
Have agoatour popular prizepuzzle.
16 Bigger and Better
Part 4ofour Railway 200 series looks at the amalgamation of smaller lines into larger conglomerates in the Victorian era.
24 Practice&Per formance
Sampling the Transpor tfor Wales Class 67 and Mk.4 sets along the Welsh Marches route.
32 Rolt AndAll TheRest
Wherewould we be todaywithout the preser vation heroes thathelped save thepast and keep our railway histor yalive forthe future?
38 Chasing ‘Tugs’
We look at wheretogotofind thebest spotsfor photographing Class 60s at work on the pic turesque Rylstone branch near Skipton, Nor th Yorkshire.
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This issue waspublished on April2,2025. Thenextissue will be on sale on May7,2025. ©Mor tons Media ISSN 0033-8923
Loco-hauled delight
ITisasad fact that loco-hauled passengertrainshaveall but disappeared in Britain. They have been slowly drifting away from widespread usesince at leastthe 1980s, andmoresosince Privatisation, beingreplacedby multipleunits andother fixed formationtrains.
Butitisonlyafew yearsago that TransPennine Expressused Class68s andMk.5s, CrossCountry hadHSTs, Chiltern ranmorehauled trains than it does now, andLNER hadanalmostfullfleet of Class91s andMk.4s. Goingbacka fewmore yearsfurther,there were Class68s on theFifeCircle, Class90s in East Anglia,and Class37s on the Rhymneyline.
Today, Chiltern andLNERdostill have afew loco-hauleddiagrams, andthere arethe sleepertrainsfrom London to Cornwall andScotland. However, aremaining highlightfor daytimetravelare theTransport for Walesservicesalong theMarches Line betweenSouth Walesand the NorthWest. Usingrefurbished Mk.4 setspowered by Class67s, what couldbebetterthanspendinga fewhours watching thestunning
scenerygobywhile travelling along theEngland-Wales border.Not only that,but if youcan treatyourselfto FirstClass,thenthe food offering is amongstthe best currently available on atimetabledtrain in Britain.
Practice &Performance this monthfocuses on theseTfW services,the routeofferingsections of high-speed running, traditional semaphoresignalling, testing gradients, andelectrification at both ends.Infact, youcould almost say it offers ajourney throughrailway historyinone trip
With theformerTPE Class68s and coaching stockcurrently in store, it wouldbegreat to seethese snapped up by anotheroperator to offerthe same levelofquality andcomfort on some otherlong-distance route that today’spassengersget with TfW alongthe Marchesroute. Loco-hauledtrainsmay be athing of thepast, but it wouldbeniceto seea fewmoreas part of thefuturetoo.
Paul Bickerdyke, Editor
KEITH FENDER World news
IAN SMITH Industrial steam
JON LONGMAN Listings editor
CHRIS MILNER News writer
GRAEME PICKERING Senior correspondent
NICK PIGOT T Consultanteditor
JOHN HEATON Practice&Performance
CLIFF THOMAS Narrow gauge
DOCK GREEN: TheM-Shed museumonthe harbourside at Bristol enjoyedashor t, but popular, visit from GWR-liveried 0-6-0PT No.1369 in Februar yand March, including twophotographic events organised by 30742 Charters on Februar y24and March9,plus alimitedseries of brakevan rides on March14. The1934-built1366 Class loco,the sole -sur vivorout of asmall fleetofsix, wasonloanfromthe South DevonRailway and making its second visit to Bristol Harbourhaving previously run therein1996wearing BR black livery. JACK BOSKE TT
GreatBritish Railways structure willbe‘NetworkRail-plus’
AGovernment consultation documentindicatesthatthe current Network Rail organisationwill form the basis of GBR to preser ve system operator and trainplanning skills
By ‘IndustryUpdate’
FOLLOWING completion of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) legislation last year,aconsultation process called ‘A railway fit forBritain’s future’ hasbeen launched, about policies to be adopted by GreatBritish Railways.
Theconclusions will be formulatedintoanew Railways Bill,which will establish the statutorypowers forGBR and give it theauthorityand autonomyneeded to run the network
Although previously there have been strong denials that GBR would effectively be an enlarged Network Rail,this is exactly whatwill happen as Network Rail Infrastructure Limited as acorporatebody is to become GBR. This action is being taken to avoidthe delay thatwould occur in the transfer of assets such as stations, people,and contractstoa new entity
Theconsultation states the countr yneeds an efficient modern railway to kick-star t growth and free untapped potential of communities and businesses by being affordable and reliable,enabling access to markets and job oppor tunities as well as providing agenuine
alternativetoroad transpor t.
GBR is to create asimplified and unified structurethatwill combine the management of rail infrastructurewith the operationofpassenger ser vices while being operationally independent fromthe Depar tmentfor Transport.Functions will include train planning and timetables,renewaland maintenanceofthe network, the provisionofrollingstock, and setting offares
Theconsultation documentstresses this is not areturn to the past,aslessons will be learned from previous bodies such as British Rail and the StrategicRail Authority, and GBR will work moreclosely in partnership with the privatesector.
Thereare to be statutor y duties requiring decisions to be transparent, ensuring fair treatmentfor all operators with aremit to ensure national benefits and promoterail freight, and an appeals process to the Officefor Rail and Road is to remain.
Detailed plans in the consultation document showGBR absorbing up to 17 existing organisations that include Network Rail,DfT Operator (the former Operator
“This is not areturn to the past, as lessons will be learned from previous bodies such as BritishRail andthe Strategic Rail Authority”
Thereis no suggestion that rolling stock leasingcompanies willnot continue in their currentroleof financing and maintainingvehicles,but fleet requirements will become more standardised to reflectuse on anetwork-wide basis.GBR will also manage network access and set charges forusers such as the freightcompanies, open access passenger operators and charterorganisers.
of Last Resor tteam,currently running four former franchises Nor thern, TPE, Southeastern and LNER), 14 train operating companies holding National Rail Contracts, and elements of the currentDfT organisation. TheRailDelivery Group,which processes ticketing and settlementagreement, and terms forindependentretailers will also be included
Changes will be made to the regulatory framework.It has been concluded thatGBR must be giventhe necessar y
spacetooperate with authority, independenceand clear strategic direction. But the need forregulation remains to ensurethattaxpayers’money is properly spent, and thatthird par ties seeking access to the network aretreated fairly Theperiodic review process is also to be retained,which currently oversees Network Rail expenditureplans at five-year intervals.This means thatGovernmentinput in terms of the High LevelOutput Specification (HLOS) and StatementofFunds Available (SoFA) forthe five-year control periods will also continue. GBR will hold aregulatory licence, as currently with NR, butthe conditions will be written by the Secretar yofState to ensureitreflects the strategic direction determined by the Government. This can be expectedtoinclude safetyand per formancetargets,enforced by the ORR as safetyregulator and as the competition authorityconcurrently with the Competition and Markets Authority.
Track access charges
Thereistobewholesale reform in the waytrack charges are calculated. GBR will not pay forthe ser vices it operates,but will be required to put in place and publish an appor tionment
NE W
LO OP FOR NE WQ UAY BR ANCH
Capacit y enhancements on the Newquayline in Cornwall sawthe new loop completed at Goss Moor,bet ween Bugle and St Columb Road,inearly March. Colas Rail’s No.70809 wasthe first locomotivetoenter the newloop,atdusk on March2,when it wasrecessed thereso thatanengineering train poweredby classmate No.70810 could pass by JON HIRD
process thatrecords the cost of its train ser vices using the network
Non-GBR operators will payaccesscharges thatare required to be set fairlyand reflectthe cost of using the network.Thiswould suggest thatthe marginal charges applied at themomentwill continue,but therewillbe legislation to ensurethere can be appeal to theORR if charging decisions are considered discriminatory. Targeted discounts to nonGBR operators willcontinue to be available, providing an additional lever to meet the Government’sstrategic goals. This could include reduced charges fornew intermodal freightflows until theser vice becomes established,orif ‘track friendly’ or lowcarbon traction and vehicles areused
Theexisting duties of the ORR willcontinue for infrastructureand facility managers thatare not within the futureGBR organisation. This includes the privatelyowned HS1 between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel,the line from Airpor t Junction to Heathrow, and theCoreValley Lines that have been transferred to the Welsh Government. Theaim is to ensurethese par ties have astable and predictable framework under which they can operatealongside the GBR-managed network.
Devolution will remain in Scotland,Wales, and the growing number of Combined Authorities with electedmayors.The Scottish Governmentwill continue to be the commissioning body forScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper ser vices.Italso funds rail infrastructure in Scotland andwill continue to do so with aseparate HLOS and SoFA
TheWelsh Governmentis the commissioning body in Wales forser vices operated by Transpor tfor Wales,although it does not fund infrastructure other than theSouthWales Metronetwork
Thesituation in London wherethe mayorhas awide range of rail responsibilities will not change,which implies thatser vices such as the Elizabeth Line and London Overground will continue to be operated as externallyowned concessions
Newshamreturns to therailwaynet work
Thestation is the first of twoser ving theBlyth area to open on the Nor thumberland Line.
By Graeme Pickering
NEWSHAMstation, the first of twoserving Blyth to open as partofthe £298.5 million Northumberland Line project, which has restored services between Newcastle and Ashington afteragap of 60 years,welcomed its first passengersonMarch 17.
The06.12 departurefor Newcastle wasthe first train to call at whatisthe largest of thesix newstations on the routeand the thirdtoopen, Ashingtonand Seaton Delaval having been broughtintouse on December 15 last year
Close to the A1061 (for whichanew bridge wasbuilt over the site, replacing the
previous level crossing to its nor th), the two-platform station, which has aliftaccessible footbridge,ticket machines and car park, is around half-a-mile south of the previous one.Situatedon the junctionwith the sinceclosed and dismantled line into centralBlyth, it shut to
Having worked the first ser vicetocall at the newstationearlier that morning,Nor thern’s No.158851 gets readytoleave Newsham on March17with the slightly late -running 10.42 to Newcastle,which had star tedatAshington on-time at 10.30. GR AEMEPICKERING
passengers along with Blyth station in November 1964.
Thefourth of the Northumberland Line stations to be completed will be Blyth Bebside,onthe north-western edge of the town.
“We’re looking at Bebside this summer,” StuartMcNaughton, Northumberland County Council’s head of strategic transportand climate change told The RM.“Bedlington and Northumberland Park are ongoing so we’rehoping they’ll followsoon after.”
“We’ve had in excess of 150,000 journeyssincethe line opened in December,”explained Paul Henry, Northumberland Line programme director forNorthern. “Obviously opening Newsham todayisgoing to add to that.”
From the perspectiveofthe council,which has spearheaded the project, Mr NcNaughton said he waskeen not to get “overly excited”regarding initial figures.With anecdotal evidencesuggesting that passengers living further
north have been driving to Seaton Delavaltopark and catchthe train, he believes thataproportion of the currentridership could be split between stations morelocal to them as they open. However, additional early morning and late eveningbus connections and the completion of walking and cycling routes at Bebside is expectedtofurther encourage people to travel by rail Northern’s driver and conductortraining programme, which has nowstretched beyond those who areexpected to work the routemost regularly, is almost complete. Thecouncil is already preparing to look at howitcould extend passenger services beyond Ashington, potentially with asingle station positioned to serveNewbigginby-the-Sea, Lynemouth and Woodhorn.
“Wecan’t go cap-in-hand to the Governmenttogive us 100% of the funding,” Mr McNaughtoncommented. “We need to think outside the box.”
LatestORR figures show passengerand freightgrowth
THE rail network has afinite capacity in terms of train paths, and the exponential growth in demand seen sincePrivatisation in the mid-1990s continues. Thelatest quarterly ORR report published on March20reveals a7%year-on-year growth to 446 million passengers between October and December 2024, which is close to the figure recorded immediately prior to the Covid pandemic Managing capacityhas become critical in makingthe best use of the rail network and prioritising the economic benefit to be achieved.One of the concerns in the industryas awhole is thatif, as intended,
GreatBritish Railwayshas controlofthe timetabling process,then it will give preferencetoits servicesover those of other operators. Competition benefits have been demonstrated over many years on the East Coast Main Line,wherethe presence of open access operators suchas Hull Trains,Grand Centraland Lumo have resulted in an overall expansion of rail travel.Inthe latest quarterly figures,the DfT-sponsored operator LNER recorded growth of 15%in passenger journeys, while Lumo showedanincrease of 12% and Hull Trains 15%.
In contrast,the monopoly
West Coast Main Line operator Avanti could only manage growth of 6%, with similar restrictedgrowth on the Great Western Railway.Onboth these routes open access rights have been approved by the ORR to introducecompetition, and it canbeexpectedthis will stimulate overallgrowth on theseroutes with no loss of funds to the Government.
Freightoperators also recorded growth in the quarter from October and December 2024, with 4065 million net tonne kilometres hauled and continuing growth in maritime and domestic intermodal workings.There wasalso an
SIDELINES
Rhymneyline elec trific ation TR ANSPORT forWales has announced thatthe Rhymney Valley line will undergo major enhancementwork from theend of March, as par tof the next phase of the South Wales Metroscheme
An eight-month programme will electrify almost 10 miles (15km) of railway line from Caerphilly to Rhymney,which will allow Stadler tri-mode Class 756s units to be used on the line to replacethe currentClass 231 DMUs. Thework will include twosix-week closures from April 12 to May23and July 19 to August 31.
Therewill also be track and signalling upgrades, plus station and siding improvements at Rhymney wherethe trains will be stabled
Tyne &Wear Metro resignalling progress FOLLOWING its submission at the end of last year to ministers,and review by the Depar tmentfor Transpor t, the business case foranew signalling system forthe Tyne &WearMetronetwork has progressed to the next stage Operator Nexus will continue discussions with the Governmentasit completes its final business case foraround £400 million of investmentto replaceits currentsignalling infrastructure, which dates back to when the network wasconstructedinthe late 1970s and early 1980s
Theexisting equipment, which includes mechanical relays and track circuits has exceeded its designlifeand Nexus says it is nowthe root cause of up to 62% of infrastructure-relateddelays
increase in the haulage of biomass following the closure of the final coal-fired power stations
Themake-up of freighttraffic has changed considerably in the recent past,ashaulage to powerstations in the former coal producing areas has been replaced by long-distance intermodals thatinvolvethe movementoflengthytrains over long distances,which competefor capacitywith express and interurban passenger services.There has been investmentinthe Strategic FreightNetwork to reflectthese changes,ofwhich morewill be required
Chiltern to operate EWR THE Depar tmentfor Transpor thas announced thatChiltern Railwayshas been chosen to run the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes Services areset to star t laterthis year forthe first time in nearly 60 years,with twotrains an hour each way oncethe routeisestablished Almost100 jobs will be created, including driver apprenticeships
Seen on openingday March17, Newsham station on the southern edge of Blyth is the first of two Nor thumberlandLinestationstobecompleted to ser ve thetown. Thesecond,Blyth Bebside, is dueto open this summer. GR AEMEPICKERING
SIDELI NES
Hinckleyfreight site refused permission
THE Governmenthas refused permission forthe proposed £750 million Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange in Leicestershire.
Detailing the reasons fordenying adevelopment consentorder to applicant Tritax Symmetr y, aMarch 10-datedletter on behalf of the TransportSecretar y, who delegatedthe decision to TransportMinister Mike Kane, identified highways issues as weighing “substantially against”it.
Theletter drew attention to apotential safetyrisk posed by lorries rerouting through thevillage of Sapcoteasa result of slip road construction on the M69 relatedtothe project. It also concluded thatthe proposals showed inadequate modelling of the impacts of motor way junction traffic and did not fully comply with national planning guidance.
Thedecision can be challenged by judicial review if aclaim is lodged within six weeks of the notification.
Plan forCleethorpes open access service
ARRIVAGroup is submitting an application to the Office of Rail and Road foropen access ser vices between Cleethorpes, Grimsbyand King’s Cross via Doncaster.The proposals rival those of LNER, which plans to introduceser vices to Cleethorpes via Lincoln –the seaside townnot having directrail links to London for morethan 30 years
Grand Centralhas previously submitted three other applications,including proposals fortwo extradaily return ser vices between Bradfordand London; an early morning and late evening return from York to London; andfor extension of its existing track access rights until 2038.
Bluebell and Network Rail sign deal
THE Bluebell Railway has signed acollaboration deal with Network Rail thatissaid to be the first of its kind in the south of England.
TheBluebell will benefit from donations of redundant railway assets,such as rail and sleepers no longer needed on the mainline railway
Meanwhile Network Rail will use the Bluebell Railway ’s facilities as partof its communityengagement activities,which include hosting rail experiencedays to help promotethe industr y to people considering a career in rail
GWRconfirmslease of 26 ex-TfW Class175sDMUs
Thefirst units areexpectedtobe introducedbythe operator laterthis year,allowing its four remaining HSTstoberetiredfromser vice.
By GraemePickering
GREATWestern Railway has confirmed it is to lease 26former Transportfor Wales Class 175 DMUsfromAngel Trains to “help improvepunctualityand reliability”
Theintroduction of thefirst sets laterthis year is expected to lead to the withdrawal of its four remaining ‘Castle Class’HSTs, and the operator envisages all of the Class 175s (10two-car and16three-car units) will be in use by the end of 2026, working services on routes from ExeterSt David’s to Penzance, Barnstaple and Okehampton.
GWR anticipatesthatthe HSTswill be retired by the end of this year.Aspokesman told TheRM thatthe Class 175s would also allowacascade of rolling stock,complementing work to improvethe resilience of Thames Valley and CardiffPortsmouth services,aswell asprovidingtrains forMidCornwall Metroand MetroWest diagrams
Plans fordeploymentof the units (reportedinlast September’s RM)havebeen in placefor anumber of months. Thefirst unit arrived
at Lairadepot in Plymouth forstaff training in November, and by late Marchfour (Nos 175002/007/009/114) hadbeen delivered to the site, but the spokesman said he wasunable to indicate howsoon members of the fleet could see revenueearning use.
“This is anew type of train to be maintained by the engineering team at Laira
depot,soweare havingtowork through lots of new operational details as partofthe project,” he added.“We’vealso had to develop training plans forour drivers,onboardcrewand station teams.”
Fleet history
Built by Alstom and having originally enteredservice from June 2000 with First Northwestern, the Class 175s were ultimately inherited by Transportfor Wales and refurbished between 2019 and 2022 with recoveredseats,new carpets and new interior fittings, including USB and three-pin
mobile devicecharging points Displaced by Class 197s, the final Class 175s in service with TfW worked in October 2023, although movements have sincetaken placefor maintenanceaswell as storage. Two-car No.175008 is the only unit from the originally 27-strong class thatisnot being leased by GWR. It andNo. 175101 sustained firedamage in separateincidents in 2023. The usable vehicle from No.175008 wasutilised to makeNo. 175101 serviceable again and the redundantcars from both sets have been listed forpotential disposal by Angel Trains.
Deal settob esigne dfor £100 millionIrish wagonf le et
MANSFIELD-BASED wagon manufactureW HDavis is expectedtowin acontract worthup to £100 million from IarnródÉireann (IÉ), to supply up to 400 railway wagons,writes HassardStacpoole
Thedeal will see the replacementofIÉ’scurrent wagon fleet with amodern air-braked alternative. It wasrevealed inanofficial communiqué at the Anglo-Irish Summit held in Liverpool on March5,whichwas attended by Prime Minister Keir Starmerand TaoiseachMicheál Martin.
TheRM understands the communiqué surprised both IÉ and WHDavies,asthe contracts have yettobe formally signed An IÉ spokesperson said: “On wagons,we areinthe process of engaging with apreferred supplier on contractual details.”
Thetender wasissued in November 2022 foranew fleet of “type-approved” wagons through aFramework Agreementcoveringupto400 wagons over a10-year period.IÉ anticipatesthatthe initial order will consist of approximately 200 wagons,including asubfleet of up to 30 orewagons for Tara mines traffic.The tender also requested the design and supply of infrastructure, intermodal,and orebogie railway wagons suitable for rail traffic at speeds of up to 100-120kph.
Thewagonorder is acrucial elementofIÉ’sRail Freight 2040 Strategy.This aims to achieveafivefold increase in rail operations,including morethan 100 new weekly services across the network,with an emphasis on low-carbon transportmodes
DEPOTE XPAN SION : An aerial viewofSiemens’ Kings Heath Traincare Facilityin Nor thampton on March18, showing anew building under construction at the nor th end thatisto become a‘Multi Functional Centre’for modificationworkfor other operators’vehicles RICHARDGENNIS
To markthe 30th anniversar yofthe 201 Class,Iarnród Éireann repaintedNo. 220 RiverBlackwater into amodified version of the original liver ycarried when delivered.Onits first outing since overhaul and repainting,the locoisseen crossing the Barrow Bridge at Monaster vin with the 09.40 Nor th Wall to Ballina IW TonMarch 15. NEIL DINNEN
DIAR Y
Ongoing to May4
GrimsbyFishing
Heritage Centre
Adisplayofalmost 100
original framed railway poster prints and maps promoting Lincolnshiretowns,skills, occupations,histor y, people andplaces.These include several examples by well knownposter ar tists
Ongoing to May10
Llangollen station
Aseries of talks about pioneering engineering begins with John Violet discussing Thomas Brassey, “the greatest railway builder in the world”.
Ongoing to November 30
HopetownDarlington
S&D R200 is anine -month international festival taking placeacross County Durham and Tees Valley in 2025, to celebratethe 200th anniversar yofthe first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway
May11
Micheldeverstation
Aday of talks and exhibits to celebrateRailway 200 and 185 years sincethe railway arrived in this par tof Hampshire.
Datesfor bicentenar y exhibition trainannounced
Thespecial Railway 200 ‘Inspiration’train is duetovisit around 60 locations across Britain over 12 months from the endofJune.
ANEW exhibitiontrain will open to the public on June 27 at the Severn Valley Railway as part of thenational celebrations forthe 200th anniversar yofthe modern railway
Thetouringtrain, named ‘Inspiration’, is expectedto visit 60 locations across Britain over 12 months to summer 2026, including mainline stations,heritage railwaysand rail freightsites.Designed in partnership with the National Railway Museum, it will promote the past,presentand futureofthe railway,helping to attractthe next generation of pioneering talent.
Thetrain will comprise four reconfigured Mk.3 coaches procured by Network Rail: Rail’s innovation and pioneering pedigreewill beexplored in the ‘Railway Firsts’coach; ‘Wonderlab on Wheels’will invitevisitorstotest their engineering skills witha range
of interactiveexhibits; ‘Your Railway Future’ will showcase some of the morehidden roles in rail; and the ‘Par tner Zone’coach will offera flexible exhibition space.
Thecarriages arebeing fitted out with a£250,000 grantfromThe National Lotter yHeritage Fund,and the train will be operated by GB Railfreight.
More than200,000 people,including many schoolchildren, are expectedtovisit by prior booking.Admission will befree, but normal entr y charges to heritage railways and privatesites whereitis locatedwill apply.Bookings will open shor tly afterEaster (see www.railway200.co.uk for moredetails).
An ar tist’s impression of howthe exhibition train could look.
July 18/19: Waterloo
July 20/21: Margate
July 23-29: Bluebell Railway
August 1-3: Alstom Derby
Theinitial planned itinerar y is:
June 27-July 6: SVR
July 8-10: Birmingham Moor St
July 12-15: Euston
Lineside signs to mark S&DR 200
ANUMBER of new signs,inthe same style as thoseinstalled on the East Coast Main Line in the 1930s,are to be installed along sec tions of the Stockton &Darlington Railway routetocoincide with the 200th anniversar yofthe first passenger railway journey
Thesigns arethe idea of MauriceBurns,vicepresidentofthe Nor th Eastern LocomotivePreser vation Group,who has taken the projec tfor ward in conjunc tion with Network Rail and his friendsRichardBarber,Gordon Best and Nick Carter
Theproposal wasfor five signs on the basis thatNetwork Rail would install them if Mauricecould coordinate the design, supply of materials and oversee their fabrication.
Working with the Friends of the Stockton &Darlington Railway,grantsweresecured from TheRailway Heritage Trust,DurhamCounty Council and Nor thern Trains.Network Rail and its sub -contrac tors AmcoGiffen, Construc tion Marine Limited and QTS Group gave in-kind suppor t. Fabrication wasunder taken
Oneofthe lineside signsmade at Nor thern Heritage Engineering. FRIENDS OF THE S&DR
by Nor thern Heritage Engineering.
Five signs willbeerected on the Shildon to Stockton routeat Shilton, Heighington, Darlington Nor th Road,near Allens West station (Urlay Nook), and Bowesfield (Stockton)
Agreementhas also been reached forasix th sign to replacea ‘lost ’one that indicatedthe line west from Darlington. Originallythis
pointedtowards the ‘Lake Distric t, Teesdale and Weardale’ but the new signlocated on the ECML will promote the routetoShildon, Bishop Auckland and Weardale
Early Marchsaw confirmation of aseventh signtobeerected at Preston Park ,Stockton, wherea preser vedbut abandoned stretch of the original 1825 line runs through the museum grounds
August 7-10: Norwich
August 11-14: Lowestoft
August 16/17: Doncaster
Railpor t
August 23-31: NRM,York
September 10-17: Darlington Sep20-Oct1: Locomotion Further datesare stilltobe announced,including visits to Scotland,Wales and allEnglish regions.Nopassengers will be carried in transit,but avir tual tour is planned forthose who unable to visit in person.
EversholtRailto sponsorBluebellvisits
TR AINleasing firm Eversholt Rail is sponsoring school visits to the Bluebell Railway ’s Railway 200 eventstaking placeoverthe summer.
TheBluebell is staging exhibitions covering the past, presentand futureofrailfrom June to September
Fifteen days arereser ved forschools,and around 18,000 children from London and the South East are expectedtovisit
Thechildren will learn
LOCOMOTION
ON TEST: Thereplica
Locomotion No.1, acopyofthe engine that hauled the first train along the Stockton &Darlington Railway in 1825, wasbeing tested at Ruddington on the GreatCentral Railway (Nottingham) on March18. Thelocoisset to playa starring role in S&DR celebrations leading up to the actual 200th anniversaryofthe event on September 27.
about the histor yofrailways; the scienceand technology thatunderpins the rail industr y; rail safety; thewide range of careers offered by rail; and the role rail and mass transit systems willplayin anet-zeroBritain. They will also see arange of old and modern railwayvehicles and working steam locomotives
Schoolsinterested in attending shouldemail Railway200event@bluebellrailway.com formoredetails.
Railways in Parliament
Public ownership
WITHAMMPPriti Patelasked whatplans the Department forTranspor t(DfT) has for the nationalisation of the GreaterAnglia franchise,for future investmentand for step-free access in station redevelopments.
Simon Lightwood,the Parliamentar yUnder Secretar yofState forLocal Transport, replied: “The DfTannounced thatSouth Western Railway ’s services will be the first to transfer into public ownership in May, followedbyc2c in July and GreaterAnglia in the autumn.
“The Departmentwill issue an expir ynoticeto GreaterAnglia in due course to confirm the exacttransfer date
“Ministers arecarefully considering the best approach to the Access for All programme,including as it relatestoGreater Anglia stations.Greater Angliahas taken steps to improvestation accessibilitywith its work
Compiled by Jon Longman
on virtual trains and station tours,and anew accessible footbridge will be installed at Stowmarket during 2025.
“The business planning round for2025/26 is under wayand proposals regarding redevelopments and rail infrastructurewill be reviewed with decisions made in due course.”
Railway Byelaws upheld GREATYarmouth MPRuper t
Lowe asked theDfT to consider the potential merits ofincreasing the powers of conductors to tackle disruptivelevels of noise on trains
Mr Lightwood replied: “Train operating companies and their conductors can already use the Railway Byelaws to address disruptive levels of noise,and we have no plans to makechanges to this
“Toensureease of travel and safetyfor ever yone using the railway,the rules set out in Byelaws must be adhered to
and enforcementaction can be taken against those who do not comply.”
Tackling thefts
ST Albans MP Daisy Cooper asked whatrepresentations the DfThas received from the British Transpor tPolice (BTP) on the potential merits of additional funding to help ensureitcan review CC TV footage forall repor ted incidents of theftonthe Govia Thameslink Railway
Mr Lightwood replied: “Policeaccess to CCTV is an essential tool when investigating crime on the network,but also to equip PoliceOfficers with effective situational awareness and evidence when making decisionsinongoing incidents
“The DfTisinregular contact with the BTPand the British TransportPoliceAuthority (BTPA) about making the best use of technology,including discussing fundingoptions for new activities
“The BTPcosts forpolicing
the railways, includingits resourcesfor reviewing CCTV,are met by funding agreements with train operators.”
Improving signalling
WOKINGHAM MP CliveJones asked the DfTtoimprovethe reliabilityofsignalling on the GreatWestern Main Line out of Twyford.
Mr Lightwood said: “Ministers have met with both GreatWestern Railway (GWR) andNetwork Rail on operational per formance which is the Secretar y of State’skey focus for improvement.
“Recentper formance for Network Rail has improved includingthe infrastructureon the main line around Twyford. Improvingsignallingispartof an ongoingprojectbetween Network Rail western region and GWR.”
Reviewing RSSB role
LORD Berkeley asked what role the DfTenvisages forthe
Rail Safety and Standards Boardwithin the new structurewith GreatBritish Railways.
TransportMinister
Lord Hendy replied: “The independentRail Safety and Standards Boardactsasthe safety, standards and research body forGreat Britain’s rail network
“Wewillreview its exact remit to ensureitisable to fulfil asimilar role within the new model.”
June date forTavistock TORRIDGE and Tavistock
MP Sir Geoffrey Coxasked if the DfThas consulted stakeholders on the futureof the Tavistock to Plymouth line
TransportMinister Mike Kane said: “DfT ministers have not recently consulted with relevantstakeholders on the line north of Bere Alston.
“The projecttoreopen the line is being considered as partofthe Spending Review, whichwill be concluded in June.”
Sushila is returned to ground level afterfive-mile excavation mission
Agantr ycrane wasusedtoliftan850-tonne sectionofthe tunnel boring machine to the sur face.
TWOyears and fivemonths afteritbegan its five-mile drive, creating one of the twin bores of HS2’sNor tholt Tunnel West, tunnel boring machine (TBM) Sushila wasbroughttothe sur faceinmid-March. Named afterGreenford High School teacher Sushila Hirani, knownfor her work in inspiring girls to study science, technology,engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, the 2,000-tonne,140-metre (460 feet) long machine waslaunchedonOctober 6, 2022 –the first of six TBMs to begin work on HS2’stunnels under London. Itscounterpar t Caroline (named after astronomer Caroline Herschel) waslaunchedlater the same month, to drive the second boreofthe tunnel
Excavation
Both began their journeysat West Ruislip,with adestination of Green Park Way, Greenford,
wherethe tunnel joins end-on to the 3.4 mile long Nor tholt Tunnel East (being excavated by TBMs Emily and Anne). Sushila brokethroughintoa reception can at Greenfordon December 19 last year,having excavatedover1.2 million tonnes ofear th and installed 4217 precast concreterings to line the tunnel bore. The reception can wasdesigned to mitigate the effectofhigh groundwater pressureand allowedthe TBM to maintain its pressurewhile sealantwas appliedtothe tunnel lining to preventwater ingress.The canwas thendepressurised to allowthe machine to be removed.
On March15, the cutterhead, front and middle shield from Sushila were liftedback to ground level in one piece, weighing 850 tonnes,through the tunnel vent shaftatGreen Park Way, using a750-tonne gantr ycrane
Up and away.Weighing 850 tonnes in total,the cutterhead,front andmiddle shield from tunnelboring machine Sushila were liftedinone pieceback to ground levelthrough theventshaftatGreen Park Way, GreenfordonMarch 15.A 750-tonne gantr ycrane wasused HS2
A43 BRIDGE PROGRESS: Thesteel beams forthe structurewhich will carr ythe A43 over theHS2 routenear BrackleyinNor thamptonshirewereliftedintoposition during weekend closures of theroadin Februar yand March. Thecarriageways,which have been temporarily movedtoeither sideofthe bridge during construction, will be realigned to run over it earlynextyear, oncethe concretedeck and parapets have been completed.The trackbed forthe railway will then be excavated. HS2
Civilengineering completed at Long Itchington Wood
Oneofthe now-finished twin bores of Long ItchingtonWood Tunnel in Warwickshire. Civil engineering work has been completed ahead of the installation of overhead equipment, trackand signalling. HS2
CIVIL engineering work on Long Itchington Wood Tunnel in Warwickshirehas been finished,making it the first deep tunnel on HS2 to reach such astage of readiness
Ahead of the installation of overhead line infrastructure, track and signalling,finishing work has been carried out to base slabs,three cross passages and emergencyand
maintenancewalkwaysinthe mile -long twin-borestructure, which runs 30 metres (98feet) belowancientwoodland
In total,380 people have been involved in its construction over the last five years,which included the use of tunnel boring machine Dorothy between December 2021 and March2023, to excavate bothofits bores
and
ment Bigger better
the building mania 1840s esta
Following the buildingmania of the 1840s and the establishment of early networks, thenext stage inrailway development was the amalgamationof smaller lines into larger conglomerates, as Dr Joseph Brennan describes.
“WHERE combinationispossible, competitionis impossible,”
RobertStephensonisbelieved to have said.Itisadictum that strikesatthe heartof howepoch-makingrailwayslikethe Stockton & Darlington (S&DR) andLondon& Manchester (L&MR), throughcombination,transformed mere tramroadsinto modern railways as we wouldrecognise them today–and an ethos that underscoreswhy amalgamation was embracedbyrailwaysasanecessary path to maturity,eveninthe early years.
Initially, therewas aperception–following an exampleset by thecanals–thatany carrier wouldbefreetoworkvehicles over arailroad. Yetafter theS&DR, theRainhillTrialsand the L&MRhad provedthe railwayconcept and ignitedanew age, considerations of safety andthe needsofoperation made it clearthat, as WESimnettexplained in 1923,itwas impracticaltoallow anyone butthe railwaycompanyitselftowork thetraffic
In otherwords,itwas soon realised that
if arobustnetwork wastoform, cooperation andcombination wouldbenecessary.And thus,withinafew yearsofthe dawn of this new age(that we celebratethisyear),thatisexactly what occurred.
In aseriesof1912lecturesdelivered at the London School of Economics, WARobertson set outten distinct formsofcombination or cooperationthattookplace duringthe formativeyears of themodernrailways. These were:amalgamation, jointlines,working union, lease, workingagreement,running powers,pooling agreement,agreement notto promote acompetingrailway,clearinghouse conferences,and jointclaimers committee.
Thegreat,early amalgamationsofthe 19th Centuryare ourfocus here.Byamalgamations we mean thecompleteunion of twoor more companiestoforma newcompany or theabsorptionofone or more smaller undertakings by alarge company.
In theminds of many,suchcombinations areoften connectedwith the20thCentury andthe Railways Actof1921– andits resultant ‘Big Four’grouping(atermcoinedby The RM). Butamalgamationand consolidationwerein fact championed by thepioneers, George and Robert Stephenson.And,asSimnettwritesin theopening line of histreatiseonthe subject: “Railwayamalgamationisnearlyasold as the
introduction of steamlocomotives on the railways of this country.”
Freshfromour marvel at some of the triumphs of ‘The heroic age’ of the1840s (see last issue),our tour starts in that same decade, tracinghow many of the‘early’ railways –such as theS&DRand L&MR– settled down into fewer, larger companies, before we deep dive into twoofthe most importantamalgamations of this period.
Born in the mid-1840s
“Amalgamationasamoreorlesscontinuous processreallybegan in 1844 with thefusionof theMidland Counties,Birmingham &Derby, andNorth MidlandRailways, whichformed thenucleus of theMidland Railwaysystem,” Simnettexplains. Circa1844was adefining year forrailway expansion, considered by historians as theyear in whichthe networkwas more or less complete,yet existedasalargely unconnectedseriesoflines.Amalgamation, therefore,becameanimportant wayoflinking theselines together
Though theMidland Railway(MR)is generallyregardedasthe firstofthe great amalgamatedcompanies,amalgamations were notanew conceptand companieslikethe GrandJunctionRailway were borneofsmall amalgamationsinthe 1830s, forexample.But it
Below: Crewestation wasbuilt as amajorjunction, enlarged by variousrailway companyamalgamations, and todayisser vedbymultiple operators including Avanti West Coast,London Northwestern Railway, Nor thern, Transpor tfor Wales,East Midlands Railway, Caledonian Sleeper,and CrossCountr y. This view on April 15, 2024 shows (from left) aTfW servicefromManchesterPiccadilly to Cardiff (with DV TNo. 82230 leading); Avanti ‘Pendolino’No. 390043 bound forEuston; and aNor thern Class 323 EMU.
wasinthe 1841-1852periodthatthe imperative to amalgamate wasrealised.
Starting with theopening of theGreat WesternRailway in 1841 andendingwith completion of theGreat Northern Railway’s original conceptin1852(then thelargest built underasingle Act), it wasaperiodinwhich a sprawlingseriesofunconnected lineswithan operationalmileage of around 1500 milesgrew into arelativelyintegratednetwork of 7336 miles.
In 1846,atthe height of railwayexpansion, amalgamation proposalsbecamea natural consequenceofgrowinganetwork.Infact, in theParliamentarysession of 1846,almost200 Billsthatinvolvedthe principleofamalgamation were submitted.
TheLondon&BirminghamRailway (L&BR) wasarguablythe most importantlinetounite with.EngineeredbyRobertStephenson, the L&BRwas,after theS&DRand L&MR, thenext evolutionary step.Itbecamethe firstimportant trunklinetoreceive Parliamentarysanctionby obtainingits Actin1833, andwould continue its significantcontribution to therailway project when,in1846, it formed part of theLondon& NorthWestern Railway(LNWR).
Around this time theLancashire& YorkshireRailway wasalsoformed(with the Manchester &Leeds Railwayasits origin), as wasthe Manchester,Sheffield &Lincolnshire Railway(whichbefore theend of thecentury becamethe GreatCentralRailway andthe last of themetropolitantrunk lineswithits 1899-openedextension to London). Other1846 amalgamationsincludedthe London Brighton &South CoastRailway,which fusedthe London &Croydon andthe London &Brighton lines.
Interestingly, so rapidwas amalgamation in themid-1840s that theSecretary to the BoardofTrade’s railwaybranch, Samuel Laing, prophesiedthatultimatelythe principalrailway communications of Britainwould be parcelled into sixoreight greatsystems.The result being, to return to Stephenson’s dictum quoted at thestart:a finalabandonment of competition. Of course, thecollapseofrailway activity that camewiththe 1847 financialcrisiscaused much disruption.
In thewakeofthe crash, an institutionwas establishedthatwould come to carrymuch influence. This wasthe RailwayClearing House, foundedona Robert Stephenson suggestion andwith originsin1842. It was, at first, avoluntary organisation of standard gaugerailways; itspurpose beingtoregulate theinterchange of trafficand adjustment of ratesbetween members, making steady progress until1850, when it obtained an Act of incorporationfromParliament.Asasign of theswift hand of amalgamation –noneof itsnineoriginalmembers survived long as independent companies.
TheGreat EasternRailway (GER)was anotherkey amalgamation,though onewitha protracted journey. This startedwith thelocal amalgamationsleading to theEastAnglian, to latercombine theEastern Counties with branch linestoformthe GER–aprocess completedin1862.
Thepotentialofconsolidation continued itspullinthe followingdecades when further, more precise, prophesies of what would come persisted. Forexample,during an amalgamation campaignin1872, theengineer Houghton proposed that Britain’srailways should be consolidated into four great
HowCrewe looked in early LNWRdaysaround thelate1840s
Crewestation around 1900, with the train sheds,columns and bayplatforms thatare still familiar today.
St Pancras wasthe jewel of theMidland Railway network,and todayhas been superbly restored as Britain’s railway gatewaytoContinental Europe.ThisviewofClass 373and 374 Eurostars wastaken on May23, 2017.
systems. Admittedly notthe same as those formed by the1921RailwaysAct, Houghton nevertheless foreshadowed this famous grouping more than half acentury before it cametobe.
To understand howamalgamationnot onlyensured that railways became the19th Century’sdominant mode of transport, but gave theresources forsometruly grand buildings, we only need look at twokey 1840s companies: theMRand theLNWR.
Midland gold
On theMR, Simnettnotes that thecompany had been active in extensionand amalgamation from itsoutset; itsgeographicalposition‘in thecentre’makingconstantoutward growth an importantcounter offencetoconstrictive pressure on itsborders.Thispersistent anxiety aboutpotentialcurbing of routes to market fostered an aggressively expansionist and utterlyindividualcompany identitythathas madeitone of Britain’smostrecognisable railwaybrands.
Afterthe highly publicised maniaand crashofthe 1840sexposed scoundrels like George Hudson forwhattheywere(a manwith ahandinmanyfacetsofrailway development,including theMRmerger),the subsequent period from around 1853 to 1876 marked amaturing of railwaybusinesses, characterisedbyarisetoprominenceofa new, more scrupulous generation of railway managers runningthese enormous and ever-competitivecompanies.
In a2014Historic England-commissioned report by RPSGroup,focused on protecting Britain’srailway heritage,the authorsdefine this period as oneof“intensecompetition” that,“coupledwithgrowth of thelarger combines throughamalgamationand merger, sawthe railways emerge as pioneers of corporatedesign”.
It will come as no surprise to anyone reading this that “the thrustingMidlandRailway”(in thewords of theRPS Group) set agoldstandard indesignquality in allthatitbuilt.Under the keen eyeofJames Alport,the MR’s southwards
thrust from LeicestertoStPancras and northwards to Manchester,Leeds andCarlisle areespeciallyspectacular.
Thesublime St Pancrasstation (opened 1868 anddesignedbyWilliam HenryBarlow of replacement TayBridgefame) andhotel (opened1873and designed by George GilbertScott)isagrand terminus statement. Comprising atrain shed,terminusfacilities andoffices,ancillary buildings andmore, it has, in thelisting authority’swords:“claimtobe Britain’smostimpressivestation”.
Nowa national treasure;with “dramaticroof line with gables andspires”,itis“monumental, picturesquelycomposedGothicRevival” and“formsanimportant landmark”. How unthinkableitisinthisyearofcelebration that such agrand gestureina terminus of agreat
railwaywould ever need to dodgethe wrecking ball’s swing. Thepassionatecampaigning to save it in the1960s that inspired thepresentdaypreservationmovement– it beinggranted top-tier, GradeI protectionjustdaysbefore demolition wasscheduled to commence in November 1967
It is rightthatweshouldlookskyward in appraising theMR’scontribution to architectural excellence;for Joseph Paxton –of CrystalPalacefame– wasanMRdirector. It is little surprise,therefore,thatthe MR wasa pioneerinthe monumental iron andglass roofs that were an increasingly importantelement of stationdesignattermini andlargerstations, especially of this period.
Basedonthe CrystalPalace, largetransverse ridge-and-furrow roofsatgrand stations
TheMidland Railway ’s station on Carrington Street in Nottingham captures something of the cosmopolitan spirit of the company–ared brick,terracotta and Neo -Baroque gem thatisa rarityamong English stations.This view wastaken on December 20, 2018.
TheM idland Railway’sSouth Viaduc tatM illers Dale (foreground) crossesthe riveroblique ly so that theribsofeacharchare st aggere d, themasonry pier sb eing of irre gular he xagonal plan.Itdates from 18 62/1863and is GradeII* listed.The NorthV iaduct (b ehind) datesf rom1905and is GradeIIlis te d.
TheMidland hotel on PeterStreetinManchester isnow aLeonardo Hotelsproperty, but wasbuilt as oneofthe Midland Railway ’s grand hotels–the former Centralstation, used by the MR,
becameakey design trend, with theMRalso pioneeringthe rolloutofprefabricated iron and glassplatformcanopiesatsomelesserstations.
Architec tural legac y Duringthe 1853-1876period, therailways were also pioneers in thestructuraldesign of bridgesand viaducts.One of my personal favouritesisthe 1862-1863Grade II* wrought iron SouthViaduct (alsoknown as MillersDale Viaduct), builtinthe parishes of Wormhill and Taddington Millers Dale forthe MR’s main London to Manchester line.Alongside it is NorthViaduct, builtin1905bythe MR to cope with expandingtraffic
SouthViaduct crossesthe dale obliquely so that theribsofeacharchare staggered andthe masonrypiers areof irregular hexagonal plan.The viaductdraws parallels in my mind with George Stephenson’s great skew bridge on theL&MR(then LNWR)at Rainhill,the onebeneath which Rocket first demonstrated thepracticabilityof high-speed mechanical traction.
It beggarsbeliefthatthisimportant L&MR bridge is onlyGrade II listed,placing it somewhereinthe tophalfmillion of Britain’s listed buildings. Hopefullythisissomething soon to be redressedvia alisting upgrade; certainlyitisinthe national interest to do so
More relevant to theMR–and better protected –isGeorgeand Robert Stephenson’s (with FrederickSwanwick) 1836-1840fivespan,skew-archedDerwent Viaduct, builtfor theNorth MidlandRailway at Ambergatein Derbyshire.ItisGrade II* listed.There wasa boldness to theMRthatcaptured something of thegreat design flairofthe railways as keen to carve outavernacular(the“flair” of the Derwent Viaductisone of thereasons forits more-than-special designation).
TheMRalsofosteredthe tradition, which startedwithGeorgeStephensononthe S&DR, to carryout greatengineeringworks at extraordinaryscale andcost. This culminated in theMRhavingthe distinctionofbuilding thelasttruly heroic mainline railway: the
Meanwhile in Liverpool,the former GreatNor th WesternHotel fronting Lime Street station wasbuilt by the LNWR in the French Renaissancestyle and datesfrom1871. Thestation’s sheds and façade were begun in 1867, then extended by aparallel shedtothe south in 1874-1879. They areGrade II listed.
Settle to Carlisle route. TheMR’strans-Pennine masterpieceincludesmonumental works suchasthe 1870-1874Batty Moss (Ribblehead) Viaduct, whichislistedatGrade II*.
Agreat legacy of theMRtoday is boundup in itsgrand stationhotels. WhereMidland became synonymous with aluxurystay– such as at Manchester’s PeterStreet‘TheMidland’ andthe GrandHotel on ColmoreRow in Birmingham (bothlistedGrade II*). Luxuries that go someways in showinghow alarge railwaycompanywith greatreach across Britainnot only establisheda brandfor itself, butalsoengineereda wholeculture of travel Alogical ambition when asprawling network nowcomes underasinglecompany’s control.
Andthe MR diditinmuchstyle through much of itshistory,the rich reds and polychromaticbrickwork beingusedineven themostfunctionalofbuildings.
Forexample,inthe MR’s 1867-1868 Worcestergoods shed (Grade-II listed), its carefully composed andskilfully articulated polychromaticbrick stylingisfamilialand attractive,while therelationshipbetween administrativeand industrial areasremains evident in thebuilding’sconfiguration. A design anduse sensitivitythatleads thelisting authoritytocallit“an excellent representation of MidlandRailway’s housestyle,tailoredtoan urbansetting”.
Therewas also an MR willingnesstoexpand on itsstyle in exciting ways.The 1904 Midland StationonCarrington Street in Nottingham, forexample,captures somethingofthe cosmopolitan spiritofthiscompany,being GradeII* listed andthe thirdMidland station to be builtinNottingham. This redbrick, terracotta andfaience Neo-Baroque gemisa rarity amongEnglish stations,showing through itsdesignanAmericaninfluence (and beingthe firsttoexhibit this).
LNWR morefunc tional
Agreat antithesis to the‘MR style’, in some keyrespects, wasthe LNWR,which set the standard forstandardisation,while also having
many agrand architecturaland innovation legacy to gift us
KnownasEngland’s premier railway, the LNWR wasformedout of theLondon& Birmingham,Grand Junction,and Manchester &Birminghamrailways–systems that were, as Simnettnotes,“themselves thefruit of previous amalgamations”.Ithad thegreat, original Euston stationasits headquarters,now sadlylost.
From the1853to1876period, Crewestation’s 1867 structures tell us somethingabout the fruits of amalgamation.First opened by the GrandJunctionRailway in 1837,itwas rebuiltby theLNWRin1849toaccommodate increased trafficthatfollowedthe openingofthe line to Scotland,thenrebuilt againin1867tocopewith theexpansion of thenetwork
Thestation comprisesarcades,two platform buildingsand flanking wallsinanItalianate style of creamand orange brickand terracotta. It is listed at GradeIIand describedbythe listingauthority as “one of thebestpieces of mid-19thCentury platform architecture designed anywhere on theLNWRnetwork,and araresurviving examplenationallyofbuildings of amajor junction stationofthisperiod.”
The1867buildings have survived remarkably well consideringthe intenseuse andnumerous alternationand expansionactivitiesthey needed to endure.CarlisleCitadel wasanother importantjunctionstation,connected with the LNWR by theCaledonian Railwaycooperation (and listed at GradeII*).
Of course, Crewewas thelocationofan importantrailwaysworks forthe LNWR (and theGJR before it), whichthrough amalgamation had also inheritedworks at Earlestown andWolverton (the MR having its famous Derby-based works)
Wolverton Workswereassociatedwith theL&BR, andthere is aRobertStephenson cast-ironbridgethere (datingfrom1834/1835) that theLNWRlikelywidened in 1889.Itis GradeII* listed andinteresting forthe simple reason that it stillexists. This sectionofthe main line wasbypassedby1882, whichmeant
canjust be seen behind MA NC 360( CC BY -SA 3.0 )
RODHULL ANDEMU (CCB Y- SA 4.0)
passengertrainswerenolongercarried by the bridge,and therefore it wasnever replaced.The failureofseveral cast iron beam bridgesled to replacement in most cases, making this bridge, in thewords of thelisting authority, “now a greatrarity andpossiblyuniqueon this scale”
Returning to the1853-1876 period,there were many interesting, expansionist LNWR enterprises,suchasthe LNWR’s steampacket serviceacrossthe IrishSea –althoughBrunel andthe GWR, with the1838SS GreatWestern andthenSS GreatBritain (now in theGrade II* listed GreatWestern drydockinBristol), being themostfamousofthe train-to-shiproutes. TheformerLondon& NorthWestern Hotelon theNorth Wall Quay in Dublin is an enduring remnantofthe LNWR’s cross-seaexcursions.
House styles
Theperiodalsosaw theemergence of the conceptof“corporatehouse-styles”,which deservetoberegardedinthe same pioneering ilk of burgeoning railwayvernaculardesigns at thedawnofthe modern age.
As theRPS Groupreportnotes:“Whilst railwaybuildings andstructuresafter around 1860 tend to be regarded as beingincreasingly standardised,truly standardised (i.e. identical, template)companydesigns forstationsand otherbuildings remained relatively rare and good survivingexamplesofearly house-styles arerarer still.”
On this countthe LNWR,asthe largestof allrailway concerns,becamenoted forits parsimonyand reliance on functional,standard designs –due largelytothe influences of its chairman SirRichard Moon.Onthe parsimony point, TimBryan (now director of theBrunel Institute) notesinhis 2017 book Railway Stations that theLNWRintroducedstandard wooden buildings from the1860s. These modularstructuresthatwerecheap andquick to buildwereusedall over thesystem.
Standardisationtookmanyforms.A 2012 reviewofBritain’s signalboxesbyJohn Minnis,for example, acknowledges that the MR toofavouredstandardisation,but that standardisationwas particularly parfor the course on theLNWR–especiallyfrom1874 onwards. Minnis does also note,however,in his2018 Britain’sLostRailways,that“beyond itslikingfor prefabricatedtimberbuildings” theLNWR“didnot really have astyle of its ownfor stations in theway that some other companiesdid”.
That is nottosay that theLNWRwas not innovative. Acaseinpoint waswater troughs
Aremarkable sur vivor is the railway bridge over the GrandUnion Canal in Wolver ton, which wasbuilt by Rober tStephenson forthe L&BR(1834/1835) and laterwidened by the LNWR. It owes itssur vival to the main line being moved east in 1881 to allowWolverton Works to expand,but is still in use forrailaccess to the works.Described by the listing authorityas“agreat rarity and possibly unique on this scale”, it is GradeII*
listed STE VE CL ARRIDGE
forlong-distance rail travel.JohnRamsbottom, LNWR locomotive superintendent,was a pioneerinthisspace –the lucrativeIrish mail contractsonthe Chesterand Holyhead beinga powerful incentivetospeed up travel times.
Like theMRand many otherlarge amalgamations, theLNWRhad itsshare of grandterminusstations, shedsand hotels, includingthe former GreatNorth Western HotelfrontingLimeStreetstation in Liverpool (alsoknown as NorthWestern Hall). In the French Renaissancestyle,itdates from 1871 andisGrade II listed.The railway’ssheds and façade at Lime Street were begun in 1867 and extended by aparallelshedtothe southin 1874-1879; theoriginalLimeStreetstation by theL&MRdatingfromthe 1830s. Birmingham NewStreetwas also impressive,including its splendid Queen’sHotel (sadly acasualtyof 1960sredevelopment).
So greatwas theenterpriseofthe LNWR that by theturnofthe 20th Century, it hadclaim to be thelargest jointstock companyinthe world. Anda significantproportionofits successcame throughcooperation,inparticularwith theCR. Butthe LNWR’s successowedall buteverything to soundearly amalgamations, especially the L&MRand L&BR.
It connectedEngland’sfourlargest cities –London, Birmingham,Manchesterand Liverpool–and through co-operation with theCR, Scotland’s largestcities, Glasgow andEdinburgh,aswell. Acooperation that preemptedthe ‘great’mergerofthese two companies, together with theMR, into the
London,Midland &ScottishRailway in 1921
From the‘dawn’ofthe modern railwayin 1825 untilthe cataclysmofthe FirstWorld War, it is estimatedthatconsolidation resulted in thedisappearance of more than 1000 railway companies–mostlydue to successive stages of amalgamation.
So significantwas this process that by 1875, thetotal number of distinct companieshad been reducedtosome247,and by 1914 there were just 14 ‘great’railway companiesinBritain Next month’sissue will explorethe impact of amalgamation in itsmostfamousform, tracing events from 1914 untilthe ‘Big Four Grouping’ andits impactsonrailway developmentand changesinthe 21stCentury,with many akey milestonealong theway. ■
■ Dr Joseph Brennanisanaward-nominated author of historical fictionwitha penchant forVictorian-era (and earlier) rail
TheLNWR wasapioneer in technologies likewater troughs,which helpedspeed up journeysbyavoiding theneedfor waterstops.The troughsat Bushey, south of Watford, were amongst themost well known–thisview showingthe LNWR’s Down ‘Irish Mail’therearound 1910.
