The Final Decade Preview

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‘TheFinalDecade:the1960sSteamRailway’isoneofaseriesofbooksonspecialisttransportsubjectspublishedinstrictlylimited numbersandproducedundertheTotemPublishingimprintusingmaterialonlyavailableatTheTransportTreasury.

wouldallendwithRedStarinthedaysofprivatisation.Yearsbeforethatallthemembersofthe‘Castle’classhadbeenwithdrawnfromserviceandnowit iselectrictrainsthatoperatebetweenWolverhamptonandLondon.

Rearcover:(104)Itiseasytoforgetthetimewhenfreightwasthemainstayofrailwayoperation.Mainlinefreightofallsorts,althoughwithoutdoubtcoal forbothindustryanddomesticusewasthedominantproductcarriedformanyyears.Indeed,moststationshadacoalyardbutallarenowgonetobe replacedbyparkingforthecommuter.Hereapanniertank,No.3759,haschargeofanumberofemptyhoppers,nolocationisgivenbutitcouldverywellbe somewhereintheForestofDeanwhereforhundredsofyearscoalwasminedfromcountlesspitsandlaterexported.Theresultwouldbegranitewaysand laterrailwayscriss-crossingtheforest.

© Imagesanddesign:TheTransportTreasury2021.TextKevinRobertson ISBN978-1-913893-04-0 FirstPublishedin2021byTransportTreasuryPublishingLtd.16HighworthClose,HighWycombe,HP137PJ TotemPublishing,animprintofTransportTreasuryPublishing. Frontcover:(1) The attraction ofsteam.Itmaybeacoldday,itmaybethecarriagewasalotmoreappealing,buttheengine,thetrain,theatmosphere oozesthesteamrailway.Generationsofboys(andmen),andsometimesgirlstoo,wouldstandrivetedtothespot,justtobeabsorbedintheatmosphere. Totherailwaymenthemselveswhetherthatbeontheplatform,intheoffices,orontheengine,itwasajob,secureandsafe,thatisuntilwholesaleline closures,amalgamationsandgeneralmodernisationtookplace.Oncetherehadbeenatrueprideinthejob,nowitwas‘leavewhilstthereisthechanceof somethingelseorjustkeepyourheaddown’. Frontispiece:(2)TheunmistakableoutlineofaGreatWestern‘Castle’atWolverhampton.Opposite,amemoryofthepastwhentherailwayswerethe commoncarrierofparcels-shoppingbypostiscertainlynotatraitofthemoderngeneration.BritishRailwayswouldslowlymoveawayfromparcelsandit

Above:(29)Bournemouthlinefast-nearMicheldever.No35024 EastAsiaticCompany withevidenceof hardworkfromtheburnmarksonthesmokeboxdoor.Thesleeperbuiltandcreosotedplatelayershutis anotherlonglostfeatureofthesteamrailway. Left:(30)Bournemouthlineslow-atMicheldever,alongthecessandtoandfromwork.Theadvertising hoardingwasforbeersandalesproducedbyStrong’sbreweryatRomsey,Similarcolouredhoardings wereplacedalongsidetheBournemouthlineatintervals.Theenginesshownalsochangedoverthe years,fromoriginaltorebuiltBulleidtypes.

Above:(72),opposite(73and74).‘Replenishingthebeast’ withcoalandwater,andanexampleoftheveryrudimentaryfacilitiesthatweresometimesallthat wasavailableformaintenanceattherunningsheds.Atleastforthefirstnamedamoderndaycoal-hopperisavailablebutwithitcamevoluminous quantitiesofdust.

(79)Howmanymighthavetroddenasimilarpathandviewedwhatinthepast:Midland4-4-0s,Johnson‘Spinners’andbeforethatperhapseven Cramptons....

(82)ItcanonlybeononeofthesteepgradientsintheNorth West-Beattockperhaps?(Ohforalistofimages!)A ‘Black5’andtwoClass4tanksseemingly battletotakeatrainofjust20wagonsincludingvanupthegrade.Itispossiblethetrainenginemaynotbedoingverywell;lotsofsmokeandseeminglya limitedblast.Pitythepoorguardaswell,forhimthenoisemusthavebeenconsiderable.

(83)Occupation crossing, somewheretoget close-andatthe sametimelegal. Anothergrimy ‘Black5’,thisone No.44858,newin 1934andwhich endeditslifefrom CarlisleKingmoor attheendof December1967, lessthansix monthsfromthe endofallsteam.Is thefiremanjust acknowledgingthe youngstersoreven warningthemofthe approachingDMU?

Thispage:(99and100)In1967,In1967, Charlie, BR’slastrailwayshunting horse,waswithdrawn.Fortunately,unliketheironhorseshehadworked alongside,whenthetimecame Charlie wasretiredtoaSomersetfarm. Charlie's domainhadbeenthesidingsatNewmarketwhereunderthe commandofhisrailwaymaster,LawrenceKelly,hewouldmovethehorse boxesasrequired.Charliewasindeedthelastofthousandsofanimals onceusedinasimilarroleupanddownthecountry-sometimesacoal merchant’shorsemightevenbe‘borrowed’ asnecessary. Whilsthorses cansometimesbewaryaboutunusualsurfaces,thisonewasnotand wouldhappilystepovertherunningrailsandwalkonsleepersorballastas necessary.Aswellasshuntingwork,horseshadalsobeenaregularfeature ofrailwaycollectionsanddeliveriesfromstationgoodsyards.

Opposite:(101)Anothersightnowconsignedtohistoryisthatofthe Pooleyvan.Thiscompanywereoneofthoseresponsiblefortheregular maintenanceandaccuracyofweighbridgesandsmallerweighscalesused onrailwaypremises.Amongsttheequipmentcarriedwere‘master-weights’ whichwereusedtoassesstheaccuracyofthescaleswithadjustments madewhennecessary.

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