Number Forty

[Marking the inclusion of my fortieth published article in the Railway Antiques Gazette, for which I am grateful to the editor, Tim Petchey.]

Amongst named locomotives ending in 40, I have discovered that Hall Class No. 4940 Ludford Hall is missing from my abc of British Locomotives, summer 1962 edition. This is because she was withdrawn in 1959, and as I only started spotting in 1960, I never saw her. I had better luck with Castle Class No. 5040 Stokesay Castle. I also saw Hall Class No. 5940 Whitbourne Hall and Modified Hall Class No. 6940 Didlington Hall, but I missed out on Grange Class No. 6840 Hazeley Grange. 

When I was forty, I decided that whenever I went to the swimming pool thereafter, I would swim one length for each year of my life so far. It so happens, that one length of a normal sized swimming pool is 25 metres and so 40 times that is one kilometre. One kilometre is also the breadth of the River Mersey at the narrowest part of the lower estuary, known as The Narrows, so every time I go swimming I am spurred on by the fact that after 20 lengths I’m over half way across the river, the Liverpool bank is getting closer and I have still not been mown down by a super tanker.

I did not get to the Southern Region until late on and I had some catching up to do. King Arthur Class 30740 Merlin had been written off, having been deliberately crashed as part of the making of a film at the Longmoor Military Railway, in 1955. The Schools Class only went up to No. 30939, but I remember clearly taking this photograph of West Country Class No. 34040 Crewkerne at Oxford during a cycling and youth hostelling adventure with seven friends in 1965. She was waiting to take over a train for the south.

I have continued my fitness connection by attending the gym for 40 minutes only for each visit, a pattern that I have followed for decades. I have persuaded myself that it is a boring but necessary part of my regime and that forty minutes is the minimum I can get away with. This means that with 10 minutes travelling time each way, every trip adds up to one hour out of my day, which is hardly excessive but all I’m prepared to invest. I hope it is enough. I have also noticed that two of the little pills I have to take daily are at doses of 40 mg.

I saw rebuilt Patriot Class No. 45540 Sir Robert Turnbull and the two Jubilees, Nos. 45640 Frobisher and 45740 Munster, which we referred to as a stink, because we saw her pass by so frequently in Chester, when she was a Crewe and Llandudno engine. I also underlined Royal Scot Class No. 46140 The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and Coronation Class No. 46240 City of Coventry.

I have only once been in temperatures of over 40 degrees and that was in Northern Spain, the so-called Green Spain, between the mountain range the Picos de Europa and the Bay of Biscay. We chose this area for our summer holidays in 2012 because it is renowned for having a more temperate climate than areas inland and further south. I don’t do hot that well, though I must say that dry hot is much more bearable than the sticky hot we found in Washington DC in August 2009, where temperatures were only in the low 30’s.

My Eastern Region visits were relatively rare events, but I managed to see both A3 Class 60040 Cameronian and A1 Class 60140 Balmoral. The A2s, again, stopped at 60539. V2s ending in 40 were not named and although I never caught up with B1 Class No. 61040 Roedeer, I did see 61240 Harry Hinchcliffe.

Though I am less well travelled than many of my friends, I see now that I have not only crossed the United States by more or less following the line of latitude at 40 degrees north, but I have spent time in Europe close to the same line when in Madrid and Majorca, as well as at longitude 40 east, when visiting our son in Tanzania at Dar-Es-Salaam and Zanzibar.  

Britannia Class No. 70040 Clive of India started out on the Eastern Region and I thought early on that I would never get to see her. Eventually she was sent to Carlisle Kingmoor, where I remember her looking very forlorn, withdrawn from service and in the company of about half of the class waiting for the chop.

From the outset of every football season Everton need 40 points in the Premiership to be safe from relegation. It is the primary bench mark for a whole host of other top-flight outfits as well. Survival is paramount, both financially and for the club’s reputation. Everton have spent more time than any other club in the top division of English football, making it even more imperative that we hang on to our status. We may not have the big backers who have descended on some clubs, but we are exceedingly proud of our heritage. 40 years before I wrote this piece, Derby were champions, Everton were fourth and Chelsea were relegated. As always, and with the undying optimism that characterises the football fan, we continue to live in hope that next season will be the one.