Left:PhotographerGeorgeHeironwasonholiday inNorthDevonintheearly1960swhenhetookthe opportunitytotravelontheIlfracombeline,justas operationsweretransferringfromsteamtodiesel motivepower.ThespeedoofDMSL (DrivingMotor SecondwithLavatory)W50688canbeseentobe ataround15mphasittoilsupthe1in36incline outofIlfracombe,headingtowardsBarnstaple whenthisroutestillhaddoubletrackandwas regardedasamainline.Completeclosurewasto comein1970.Asaclass120,thisvehiclewas scrappedbyMayerNewman’sofSnailwellinApril 1987.(GeorgeHeiron)
Above:InformationaccompanyingthisimagestatesthatitiscarM50408,aDMBSinatwo-car‘ParkRoyal’DMU,atCreweon6 August1958.However,closerinspectionrevealsthattheDMBSisactuallybehindthisone–identifiablebecauseithasthevan, sowearelookingattheDTCL (DrivingTrailerCompositeLavatory,withfirstclasssectionclosesttous).Ifthephotographer’s notebookistobereliedupon,thisisactuallyM56163.TheunithadbeenallocatedtoCreweSouthduringthepreviousmonth. BuiltbytheCrossleyMotorWorksinStockport,thetwenty‘ParkRoyal’ setssufferedfromstructuralproblemsfromearlyonand itwassurprisingthatthelastofthemsurvivedinBRserviceintothe1980s.Onesetthatwastakenintodepartmentalusein1970 (50396/56162becomingRDB975089/90)ranalloverthecountryfornearlytwentyyearsastheDerbyResearchCentre’s‘Lab5’.It wasevenwitnessedatBakerStreetstationontheLondonUnderground!Notetheinterestingstyleofbufferbeamofthistypeand theschool-uniformedspottersmakinggooduseoftheirsummerbreak. (AlecSwainD96-2)
Opposite:ACCarsrailbusNo.W79978sitsinthedownbayplatformatKembleinbetweenworkingservicesontheTetbury branchlineon12June1963.TheBRspecificationfortherailbusesitwishedtotryoutonpreviouslyloss-makinglineswasquite alooseone,allowingthefivemanufacturersinvolvedfreereigntodevelopthebestsolution.Thedesignillustratedherewasthe first‘outofthetraps’ whenSc79979wasunveiledtothepressatMaryleboneon13February1958.Withmainlinedieselsonly justappearingonthesceneatthetime,interestinthesediminutivetrainswasquiteconsiderable.A coupleofroundtripsto Sudbury&HarrowRoadprovedthatthisparticularvehicle(withitssingle150hpBUTengine)wascapableof60mphwhengiven itshead.Theautomaticfoldingstepsonsomevehiclesarosefromtheintentiontousethemlikearoadbus,sometimesstopping topickuporsetdownpassengersatlevelcrossings.OnefeatureoftheGerman-builtdesign(fromWaggonundMaschinenbau) wasatintedglasssunvisor-somethingthatprovedverypopularwithdrivers!(AlecSwainN83-5)
Above:Whataninterestingscenewehavehere!Steam,dieselandelectricmotivepowerallmingleatLondon’sMoorgatestation on14May1959.ThedieselisationoftheservicesintocentralLondonviaKing’sCrossandKentishTownwasneededatanearly stageofthemodernisationschemewhentheCityofLondonwasdeclaredasmokelessone,thoughsteamwouldstillbeseenat thislocationinthefollowingyear.Ontheleft,oneoftheMetropolitanLine’s‘T’ stockwaitstoformaservicetoWatford.These wouldhavelittlemorethananotherthreeyearsontheLondonUnderground.Inthecentre,Fowlerclass3P2-6-2TNo.40026 appearsreadytoleaveonatraintotheMidlandroute.Totheright,anunidentifiedNBL Type2seemstobemovingoff fromthe shortstablingsiding,readytoworkaGNlineservice.Aftertryingtheselocos,aswellastheSulzer-enginedandEEType2son thatroute,BR’sEasternRegionwouldsettleforemployingCravensDMUsandBrushType2sonthe‘WidenedLines’ toKing’s Cross.(R.C.RileyRCR13308)
Oppositetop; A clutchofgleamingnewdieselssitintheyardatDoncasterWorksawaitingacceptancefromBRbeforeentering trafficinMay1959:D6112headsD6110andD5901whilealongsidestandsD5531;threequiteradicallydifferentdesignsthat shouldhavebeencapableofdoingthesamething.TheBrushproductstealsamarchontheothersbyhavingafourcharacter routeindicatorpanelmountedonitscabroof,oneofthefirstofitsclasstoreceiveone.Itwasalsotomakeitintopreservationat theChinnor&PrincesRisboroughRailwayforatime,onlytobescrappedin2008.Theotherswerelessfortunate,beingbroken upin1972,1969and1977respectively,D5901goingafterseveralyears’ useindepartmentalservice.(W.A.C.SmithWS294)
Oppositebottom:ThisisadelightfulsceneatFraserburgh,showingasitdoesthealltoobriefperiodwhenmodernisationcame tofarthestflungAberdeenshireandpromisedabetterrailwayforthefuture.Sadly,itwasn’ttobeandpartsofthecountrysuchas thisthatlosttheirrailwayshavebeenthepoorerforit.Passengerservicesendedherein1965butfreighthungonuntil1979.We seeNorthBritishdieselelectricD6140abouttodepartforMaudJunctionwhereitwillprobablymeetasimilartrainformation comingfromPeterhead,thetwotrainscombiningtobedoubleheadedonwardstoAberdeen.Ithasbeensuggestedthatthe unreliabilityoftheselocosservedtoputpeopleoff usingthetrainsinthisarea,theresultofwhichhelpedbringonthelossof passengerservicesandeventualcompleteclosureofmanylinesthattodaymightwellbethriving.Thedateisthoughttobein November1963andtheBeatlesaresaidtohaveplayedattheDalrympleHallvenue(visiblebehind)in1960. (W.A.C.Smith WS7256)
Above:Movingonafewyearsto13June1964,No.D27hasgotseveralyears’hardworkunderitsbeltandthatisstartingto show.Ithascaughtfirewhilstpoweringtheup‘Waverley’ express(the10.15amEdinburghtoStPancras)northofNewcastleton andeffortsarebeingmadetoquelltheflames;accordingtotheBRDatabasewebsite,thiswasduetooilydirtbeingignitedby sparksfromthebrakeblocks. A similarincidenthadoccurredtwoyearspreviously. RescueintheshapeofA3Pacific60077 The WhiteKnight off adownfreight,theninitslastfewweeksofserviceonBR,wouldeventuallyappeartotaketheailingensemble ontoCarlisle(havingleftD27atNewcastletonstation)wherefreshmotivepowerwoulddoubtlessbewaiting.Thereliabilityofthe ‘Peaks’wasnotgoodintheirearlyyearsbutimprovedastimeprogressed.D27wasbasedatHolbeckatthetimeandremainedso untilthelate1970s,beingwithdrawnfromserviceatTinsleyinJanuary1981withTOPSnumber45028.(W.A.C.SmithWS7484)
Oppositetop:Youwouldneverseearailwayjunctionthislarge,thistidy,today!Thecuttingsidesaregrassywithnotahintofa brambleorabushabouttorunrampant.Thecessisclearfortrackmenandsignallingmaintainersaliketowalkalong,withno rubbishordiscardedtrackmaterialsforthemtotripover.LansdownJunctionatCheltenhamwasthepointatwhichtheGWRand LMSmainlinesfromBirminghammetandtookorexchangedtheirrespectivetrafficheadingfortheSouthWestandSouthWales. Atthetimethisphotowastaken,thetrackworkfromwartimewideningin1942wasstillevident.Curvingoff totheleftgoesthe MidlandandSouthWesternroutetowardsCharltonKingsandAndoversfordJunction;thisclosedinSeptember1961,sowithits railsapparentlynotheavilyrustedand‘Peak’ D37beingnewtotrafficinJulyofthesameyear,thephotocanberoughlydated accordingly.Thegeneralfall-off intrafficlevelsallowedtheGloucesterlinestobereducedtotwotracksoncemorein1966when therelieflineswereabolished,apartfromashortstretchfrombesidethesignalboxthatsurvivestothisdayasthedown Hatherleyloop.(DavidHorne)
Oppositebottom:A thirteen-coachtrainistakensingle-handeduptheLickeyInclineinthemid-1960sbyanunidentified‘Peak’. Onlyacoupleofyearsbefore,thesametrainwouldverylikelyhavereceivedbankingassistancefromapairof‘Pannier’ tanks withplentyofsoundandsmoke,regardlessoftheweatherconditions.Forthefirstfewyearsofdieseloperationoverthissection, bankingengineswereprovidedmoreoutofstatutoryroutinethannecessityandconcernoverthepossibilityofvehiclesrunning away.RegularuseofsteambankersfromBromsgroveendedinSeptember1964andthesub-shedtherewasalsoclosed.(George Heiron)
haphazardly.Bythisstage,thelocalcrewshadgrownaccustomedtotheselocosandfoundthemtobecompetentenough
Oppositetop:D802 Formidable isshowncurvingawayfromSouthBrentstationwithanamedbutunidentifiableupexpress (around1960)–noteventheheadcodenumbersareuponthenose.Therelativedifferenceinleanbetweenthefirstandsecond coachesasitnegotiatesthepointworkwouldconfirmthatitwasanon-stopservice.Sadly,wehavenodateoridentificationofthe photographereither,thoughitdoesclearlyshowthejunctionwiththeerstwhilebranchtoKingsbridgeintheSouthHamsregion ofDevon.Righttothelastsummerofservicesin1963,throughcoachesrantoPaddington,whichwouldhaveusedthecrossover visibleinthebackground.Withclosureloomingintheautumn,the‘PrimroseLine’ wasforatimeconsideredforpreservation aheadoftheDartValleylinebutrapidremovalofthetrackafterthelasttrainranoveritinOctober1963putpaidtoanysuchplan. Thereisnodoubtthathaditgoneahead,itwouldhavemadeforanequallyattractiverideforpassengersasthattoBuckfastleigh. (Photographerunknown)
Oppositebottom:D807 Caradoc pausesintheplatformatExeterStDavidson16August1959whilstworkingthedown‘Torbay Express’ fromLondonPaddingtontoKingswear.The‘Warships’ endedupcosting40%morethantheWestGermanRailways V200seriesuponwhichtheywerebased.Thiswasduetothehugeamountofre-designthatwasnecessarytogetherwiththe licensingfees.MentionwasmadeearlieraboutthesmoothrideathighspeedaffordedbythebogiesontheD600s.Unfortunately, themoreradicaldesignofthefour-wheelbogiesontheD800sprovedlesscomfortableandevenratherdangerous.Thoseof similararrangementontheV200shadn’tgivenproblemsasexpresstrainsonDeutscheBundesbahnweregenerallylimitedto 75mph;WesternRegioncrewsregularlyworkedtheirsteedsintothe90-100mphrange.Thedesignflawwhichthisservedto exposetookthreeyearstoeliminatefromthefleet,onceasolutionhadbeendevised. (W.A.C.SmithWS4931)
Oppositetop:TheSouthernRegion’s4DDunitsweretheresultofsomechronicovercrowdinginandoutofCharingCrossduring 1948,whichclearlycametothenoticeofthemoreinfluentialmembersofsociety,forthisexperimentaltraintoseeservicethe followingyear.TheMinistryofTransporthadexpressedtheviewthatadoubledecktrainmightbetheonlysolution,sothatwas whattranspired.Thetwofour-carunits4001and4002werebuilttoexploittheavailableloadinggaugetothelimit,thougheven thentheywererestrictedtojustDartfordandGravesendservices.Accesswasviathelowerdeckwithcompartmentsstaggered (orinter-leaved)betweenthetwolevels;theywerenotpuredoubledecktrains.Unfortunately,thefactthatthewindowsonthe upperdeckwerenon-openingandthatseatingwasmorecrampedledtopassengersavoiding‘upstairs’.This,togetherwith longerplatformdwelltimesaslargernumberssoughttoboardthroughthesamenumberofdoorsasastandardunit,alladdedup toapartialsolutiontotheoriginalproblem,atbest.Buttheywerenotquitediscardedasafailureandcarriedoninuseforover twentyyearsbeforewithdrawalin1971.S13004SistheMotorBrakeSecondleading4002hereatCannonStreeton21July1958 andwasoneofthetwovehiclesthatsurvivedintopreservation.(FrankGoudieFWG821)
Oppositebottom:ThesplendidoverallroofatLondon’sCannonStreetstationwouldonlyremaininplaceforafewmoremonths afterthisimagewascapturedon30May1958.Aftersufferingfromdamageduringthewar,thelargelyglasslesscanopywas removedthefollowingwinterasthestationsitebecameatargetforlucrativeredevelopmentwork;thetowerssurvived.4EPBunit S5213isshownwendingitswayoutfromtheterminus(thoughttobeonanOrpingtonroutetrain),whereaplumeofsteamcanbe seenissuingfromalocomotivewaitingtoleavewithanothereveningpeakservice.Curiously,anumberofSRunitslikethis carried‘S’infrontoftheirsetnumberforatime.Thephotographertookanumberofmonochromeandcolourimagesfromthis spotonasunnyMayeveningandmaywellhaveobtainedspecialpermissionfortheexerciseonthisparticulardate. (R.C.Riley RCR11872)
Above: A visualfeastfortheSouthernEMUaficionado!Thisview(andthepreviousone)appearedinthe TrainsIllustrated Annual for1960whenthephotographerwroteanarticleaboutthesuburbantrafficontheSouthern’sSouthEasternsection.Heexplained whatmeasureshadbeentakenwiththetrackandinfrastructuretoaccommodateten-coachtrainsonthebusiestservices.Itwas alsonecessaryforthelargefleetsof4SUBand4EPBunitstobekeptapartfromeachother,employingastheydiddifferent couplingandbrakingsystems.ViewingoperationsfromthevantagepointofCharingCrosssignalbox,hetookthisphotoof mostly4EPBs(TOPSclass415)on3January1959.Severalheadcodesareondisplay:10forBromleyNorth,60forDartford(via Blackheath&Charlton),70forDartford(viaBexleyheath)and80forDartford(viaGreenwich).(R.C.RileyRCR12987)
