The Humble Panier

The ex-GRW 0-6-0 panier tanks were easily recognisable and found all over the Western Region of BR. We rather overlooked them, with so many named classes operating in the same area and vying more successfully for our attention. There were various numbered sequences of this type of engine, representing both Collett designs from 1929 onwards and Hawksworth versions, which were still being built in 1949, after the GWR had become part of BR.

John Dyer photographed members of the class at various locations across the network, including at Croes Newydd sheds at Wrexham, where I also remember seeing them towards the end of WR steam on 31/12/65. They had previously worked the Brymbo and Minera branch line in the hills around Wrexham and occasionally we saw them there when we were exploring North Wales from home by car. The last example I saw working was hurrying through Chester, light engine, during the following year. Croes Newydd closed completely in 1967.

Wrong Way Round

So, says the information board for the former GCR turntable at Penistone, describing the need for steam locomotives to face the direction they were going in. The heritage lines have also found them useful - at Quorn, Minehead and Churston, to name but three. The NRM at York provides demonstrations in the Great Hall, itself a former roundhouse, where the lines were typically arranged star-shaped around the central turntable.

Thanks are due to my friend, Andy, who came across the Penistone example during a recent bike ride, and passed on the pictures. Trawling through my own photos, I found my only turntable example was actually quite poignant, showing how - once balanced - one man could turn a Stanier Black Five, in this case, all by himself. The painting by Mike Jeffries is an appropriate reminder of how we remember them from the 1960s.

Good Hair Day

That was my first vain thought, when Ian sent me this picture, dated August 1966. Those were the days. Hairy. How important appearance was, though maybe not while going round the sheds. Hair was definitely the major consideration, along with the alarm caused by the sudden appearance of a spot. It never went much further than that, for me. Attire was not such a priority, though I did borrow my mum’s red cardie and some of her beads for Flower Power the following summer.

On that day, we went by car to Birkenhead, Edge Hill and Speke Junction sheds. Remaining steam was becoming increasingly concentrated in the north west of England but there was still plenty around at all three locations, though the variety of classes was becoming more and more limited - largely Stanier Class 5s and 8Fs, and Standards - especially the 2-10-0s, like this example No. 92134.  

Daily Exercise

If I get my bike ride timing right, I can take a short breather next to the Castle Line. A farm track crosses the railway at this point between Rolleston and Staythorpe. Yesterday, I was just in time for the DMU and then the Class 60.

Castle Class

I thought the Castles were a bit special - a neat and pleasing design. I was always on the lookout round the sheds for that elegantly curved steam pipe that marked them out from the Halls etc. It was possible to see a few examples in a single day in Chester, even if we were moving on to Crewe for most of the time. John Dyer captured No. 5095 Barbury Castle at Chester in 1961, though my example, No. 4079 Pendennis Castle, was right at the end of things on a special train in 1967.

The GWR Grange Class

I find that I did not take any photos of Granges, or at least none that have survived. Even I had a cut-off point, it appears, beyond which a photo was not worth keeping. John Dyer collected a few shots of the class and the ones shown here are both handling freight trains. No. 6857 Tudor Grange is shown at Chester in 1962 and No. 6813 Eastbury Grange is entering Shrewsbury station in 1964, with the unmistakeable Abbey Foregate signalbox visible behind the train.

I loved going to both of these stations in the days of steam. I was so preoccupied with the trains that I don’t think I realised at the time that Shrewsbury station was adjacent to a proper old castle or that it crossed the River Severn at this point. Call yerself a geographer? I am grateful, as always, to John Dyer for permission to use his photos in this way.

Run, For It

As soon as they are able to walk, it seems, the young ones choose to run, instead. I’m sure I was the same. Why walk when you can get there quicker by running? Running adds an additional freedom. I can still get this buzz when I first get on my bike or swim into the sea. It’s liberating and exhilarating. Running, however, is currently on hold.

I ran home alone from junior school as it was safer than walking. We would run to the park [though maybe walk back]. We ran to Goodison Park from the station [and back again] and we ran to the sheds along the routes provided by Aidan Fuller in his shed directory. If we were shouted at by shed staff for trespassing, we probably ran away before trying again. Here at Shrewsbury, we did not run soon enough and got collared by the foreman. What a wonderful carefree pleasure it is to be able to run. I’m working on it……      

The Joys of Spring

I timed my bike ride to intercept the Kingsbury to Immingham oil train through Rolleston at 13.56. Standing on the station [briefly], the sounds of spring were all around. The warblers are all checking in - chiff-chaffs and blackcaps are never backward in coming forward and now joined by willow warblers, who always seem to turn up a bit later but before the common whitethroats. Linnets in striking breeding plumage flew over the racecourse road. We put up a nest box in the garden and a pair of blue tits settled in the following day.

 

The Hall Class at Chester

Chester was always an important location for us. It provided LM namers, GW Halls, Counties and Castles and even the odd B1. We got there by number 10 bus from Stroude’s Corner, then train from Woodside or electric train to Rock Ferry, and sometimes we cycled along the New Chester Road on a 40-mile round trip and parked ourselves on the steps alongside the Hoole Road bridge.

This gave panoramic views of the station and was close to the bay platforms that were often used by the Birkenhead-Paddington services, which reversed here, but also by Ivatt Class 2s on local North Wales stoppers to Ruthin and Denbigh.

John Dyer photographed Nos. 4953 Pitchford Hall, 4956 Plowden Hall and 4968 Shotton Hall at Chester in the early 1960s.   

Shorts

We had to wear shorts in the “Fags” - known then as the third form and described in Roman numerals as Form III. We might have had to wear shorts throughout the fourth form as well [??]. By the lower fifth [LVs], which was our third year at the school and now known as year nine, we were all in long trousers. Here we are at Oswestry station, in full school uniform on a railway society trip to Oswestry.

As is apparent in the photo, full school uniform included caps, but I can’t remember at what stage they could be dispensed with. I do know that mine was size eight and three-quarters, though I have no idea what was actually being measured. Caps were an easy target for anyone who wanted to annoy you for no obvious reason, so I probably had my hat removed without permission and thrown into the nearest bush about once a day, on average. Caps had the school badge on them, but only the blazer badge had an extra bit to note which house you were in. I was in New Brighton house and I don’t think we ever won anything [yet there were always plenty of things that were available to be won]. I’m not sure how they sorted out houses. Although Brian - also in NB house - and I lived in, or close to, New Brighton, I don’t think that Dave was in New Brighton house, yet he lived closer to New Brighton than I did.

As colour combos go, I quite liked the school’s choice of navy blue and gold for jumpers, ties and socks. I’ve no idea how long it had been in existence. Unfortunately, John Dyer’s July 1961 picture of Peter Mensforth alongside No. 5421 is monochrome. I’m not sure who else is visible. Could it be John Duncan and Pete Lacey? Pete Mensforth lived in Cressingham Road, New Brighton, and may well also have been in New Brighton house. I visited him there once and he showed me his train set. I may have stayed for tea, but it couldn’t have gone that well, because that was as far as our “out of school” friendship went, fellow New Brighton house member, or not.

    

The GWR 4700 Class

The Night Owls - so-called because they specialised in fast night-time freights - were occasional visitors to Birkenhead sheds. John Dyer found No. 4701 there in March 1961. There were only nine class members of these Swindon-built, Churchward 7F 2-8-0s, of which I eventually caught up with five.

Steam on the New Brighton line

I can’t remember ever seeing a steam-hauled passenger train between Seacombe Junction and New Brighton. The only time I saw steam on the New Brighton line was a Stanier Class 8F crossing the bridge at School Lane with a short permanent way train.

John Dyer took his photos of steam trains using the electrified line on services to Wrexham in the early 1960s. The locations are Grove Road, Wallasey Village and Harrison Park. Thanks are due to John, as always, for allowing me to use his images on my blog.

Train Days, 2016-19

Looking back with pleasure at our trips over the last four years - and looking forward to the next one.

The Territorial Army Centenary and the Wonky Signalbox

I can almost guarantee that has not been used as a title for anything ever before. It could be the beginning of a story for young children…… “Once upon a time there was a signal box that was on its last legs. It had been closed for a long time and had been propped up to stop it falling over. The big red diesel often came along to say hello to the poor old signalbox. Its name was The Territorial Army Centenary….”

….Maybe not.   

The 1500 Class

The ten chunky Hawksworth 0-6-0 panier tanks were actually built in 1949, after the GWR had become the Western Region of BR. A less conventional GW design, they were best known for their role shunting express passenger stock at Paddington station. I never got to the London terminus in the age of steam so the only one I have seen is No. 1501 - in her preserved form on the Severn Valley Railway. John Dyer caught up with No. 1505, awaiting attention at Wolverhampton Stafford Road Works in 1962.  

Rubbish Pictures

In my limited experience, selling one’s own books is not easy, especially in niche areas which are already very competitive. Just one of the stumbling blocks has been the quality of the photographs and two retailers have complained very directly that the photos were rubbish. They were right, of course.

As a thirteen-year-old schoolboy interested in trains, cash was a constant issue, even though my parents were as generous as they could be. In reality, it meant making a choice between train spotting trips, photography and railway modelling. I chose spotting, sold my train set [spending most of the £5 on sweets] and made do with some very basic cameras. My folks used this Ensign Ful-view for holiday snaps and I set forth in 1962 with a Kodak Brownie 127, fairly swiftly followed by a Kodak Coloursnap 3, itself rapidly replaced with a Halina Rolls. Don’t ask me why. None of them were any good - or maybe it was just me. It wasn’t until the 1970s that I began to make any noticeable progress [with an East German Practika] by which time it was too late to record the last years of steam in the way I would have liked to.

Being too “picky” about the “pic’s” in my books would be to miss the point, though. They recorded moments in time that help to tell a story. Indeed, they were an integral part of the story. I was born too late to take full advantage of the steam era, but I’m so glad I was born early enough to be there. As a special treat, I thought I’d include here one or two of the poorest railway photos ever to make it into print. Each one has something to say, even if I’m the only one who can make any sense of it.      

The GWR 1400 Class

I remember being intrigued in the very early 60s by some photos of the Tiverton Junction to Hemyock branch that were probably in Trains Illustrated magazine. A 1400 Class in an attractive rural setting was shown picking up the milk tanks from the local dairy in a short, mixed rake of passenger and freight rolling stock. All, presumably, part of the efforts to provide London with its daily “pinta”. It offered such a contrast - as local services go - to our own Wirral to Liverpool EMUs.

These neat little Collett 1P 0-6-2 tanks were introduced in 1932 for light branch line working. My own introduction to them was at Gobowen on the Chester to Shrewsbury main line in 1962. From here they worked the Oswestry branch and I photographed No. 1458 about to leave the junction station.

They were also used on the push and pull auto-train on the former Cambrian Railway’s route from Ellesmere to Wrexham Central and John Dyer photographed them in both locations. No. 1432 and No. 1458 are featured, both in 1962. The Ealing comedy film, the Titfield Thunderbolt, brought the 1400 Class to a wider audience, sharing the limelight with the ex-Liverpool and Manchester Railway survivor, Lion.

With particular thanks to John Dyer

Robert Adley

My friend, John, has drawn my attention to a book he has recently re-visited - In Search of Steam 1962-68, by Robert Adley. I did not know that in his quest for a parliamentary seat, Robert Adley had [unsuccessfully] contested the 1966 general election as the Conservative candidate for the Birkenhead constituency.

He was also a renowned train man, of course, an advocate for the railways in general, a photographer and an author of a series of railway books, who sadly died as a relatively young man. The extract John passed to me shows that while Robert Adley was in town to organise his election campaign, he also found time to get down to the Mollington Street sheds a number of times - between 8/8/65 and 7/5/66, at least - and that he befriended a number of railwaymen in the process.

We went around ourselves on many occasions during that period, though the dates of our visits did not coincide with his. Like us, he appears to have always been granted access, though we never tried it on other than on Sunday mornings, when it was quiet. We were never denied access by the foreman, however, and so we never had to “bunk” them as we were more than happy to do elsewhere.