I think Mr Freezer was trying to make up for the glut of GW branch line models that he was responsible for inspiring!
There did seem to be a GW bias in the Railway Modeller at one time, but, as Mr Freezer himself pointed out, an editor can only publish that material which is submitted to him...mind you, he rejected an article of mine (about an HO South-American-inspired layout, belonging to a friend) on the basis that it would be of insufficient interest to his readers.
Perhaps he was right, but he needn't have been so sniffy about it...
Speaking of publishing, has anyone heard if Part II of Mr Waterfield's work on the railways of Sir Arthur Heywood is due to come out soon? AIUI, it will deal mostly with the beautiful Eaton Hall Railway, which lasted for 50 years (1896-1946), albeit latterly with diesel traction.
As this seems to be the only railway thread, may I mention here that it's reported in the Times that the government is expected to approve extension of HS2 into Euston, one hopes with improvement of that station, and also a non-HS relief line from Birmingham to Crewe and on to Manchester. Good-ish news if correct (a no-brainer really) but it will not help with the congestion north of Crewe.
I get regular updates from the publishers, but I have seen no sign of volume 2 of the Heywood Book so far. I imagine such a book may take a while to produce.
Note to self as much as anyone—RCL books tend to go out of print quickly, so buy on sight.
Having visited the RCL site, it looks very much as if they might be folding. They have a magazine, Narrow Gauge and Industrial Review and are talking about ending it with the current volume. (Back numbers are available and they are superbly produced.)
All their books are OOP and they say none will be reprinted. So - maybe - vol 2. won't happen unless another publisher takes it on.
Having visited the RCL site, it looks very much as if they might be folding. They have a magazine, Narrow Gauge and Industrial Review and are talking about ending it with the current volume. (Back numbers are available and they are superbly produced.)
All their books are OOP and they say none will be reprinted. So - maybe - vol 2. won't happen unless another publisher takes it on.
As this seems to be the only railway thread, may I mention here that it's reported in the Times that the government is expected to approve extension of HS2 into Euston, one hopes with improvement of that station, and also a non-HS relief line from Birmingham to Crewe and on to Manchester. Good-ish news if correct (a no-brainer really) but it will not help with the congestion north of Crewe.
No doubt whatever the government decides will be wrong as far as some people are concerned, but at least they're trying to make sense of the risible and toxic legacy which HS2 appears to be...
Indeed. HS2 has become a fustercluck and God help anyone who is lumbered with the job of sorting it out. Making it run to Euston at least stands a chance of making some of it worth using. Terminating at Old Oak Common was just lunacy.
Editorial in today's Times (which seems to be increasingly right-wing) very sceptical, and suggests capacity issues north of Birmingham could be sorted by 'bolting two HS2 trains together and lengthening platforms on the existing line.' Seems to have been written by someone unfamiliar with the facts of the case.
Editorial in today's Times (which seems to be increasingly right-wing) very sceptical, and suggests capacity issues north of Birmingham could be sorted by 'bolting two HS2 trains together and lengthening platforms on the existing line.' Seems to have been written by someone unfamiliar with the facts of the case.
What’s particularly depressing is that the capacity argument is where all this started 20-odd years ago and HS2 was the decision when it was found that actually longer trains and altering existing infrastructure was going to be *more* expensive *and* cripple the network for years while it was being done.
But absolutely, LoNGer TrAiNS and PlAtFORms - thank god The Times is on the case.
The railways could always have been organised and run better by the many pundits who pretend to know so much, but who are in fact woefully ignorant...
My wife would make the same comments about "pundits" who think they can give advice to the teaching profession.
Returning to HS2, in my view the wrong message has been given out from the start, i.e. "making journeys quicker", rather than "increasing capacity".
Perhaps The Times would like wider trains - now why hasn't anyone thought of that? After all, airliners have got wider over the years, so why not trains? Should be a doddle!
Can I please ask, writing from The Continent, whether HS2 would actually be built to a continental loading gauge, and access lines accordingly enlarged, or is it still the traditional UK loading with all its limitations?
The latter of course being considerably cheaper, also permitting flexible use of rolling stock, while the former would enable things like French TGV-like doubledecker trains, so dramatically increase capacity. (As far as I know, HS1 - minus the access routes - is also continental loading gauge, or am I mistaken?)
Especially if HS2 is planned to be by freight trains at night (is it?), this might be a good step forward in helping with road network congestion.
According to you-can-guess-where, it's being built to UIC GC gauge, same as HS1.
But the new plan for north of Birmingham won’t be. And the access lines throughout (AIUI) aren’t.
So, given that it doesn’t connect with HS1, HS2 will be a hermetically sealed larger loading gauge, and given HS2-Light (to Crewe), overall the southern bit might end up being a larger loading gauge that will only use UK loading gauge stock, unless it’s going to have bespoke stock that only does the Euston to Birmingham bit.
The original Eurostar trains had to be built to the British loading gauge, as part of the route (from Northfleet into London Waterloo) was over existing track - a section of the old Gravesend West branch was reinstated to allow the connection to be made IIRC. With the new, later, line into Stratford and St Pancras, this link became redundant, but it was still in situ at least a few years ago.
The difference in the loading gauges was quite marked - from the rather cramped UK trains to the splendid SNCF TGVs (I love the duplex double-deckers - they run on the line which serves my sister's part of France). Are the latest UK Eurostars still of our loading gauge, though? My impression is that they're not as spacious as even the single-decker TGVs.
The blue Javelin HS1 trains are of UK loading gauge, as they run over various sections of the original system, here in Kent. I wonder what the old South Eastern Railway would have thought of them?
O! the penalties for being so far ahead in the railway game - the same applies to much of our canal system, firmly rooted in the 18thC...
Seeing other films, showing cars being craned onto the ships, certainly takes one back to a rather different world!
Speaking of which, the shots of the Lord Warden depict some very fine examples of (mostly) British cars - I think I spotted a Renault! - which would grace any classic car rally today.
The shunting of cross-Channel wagons at Zeebrugge gives a glimpse of what might be an ex-Prussian G8 0-8-0 tender engine, in the ownership of the Belgian railways (SNCB). This would be one of many former German locomotives dispersed around Europe as war reparations.
How times change. I remember the immense new Continental ferry wagon depot being built at Hither Green, and the Transfesa (fruit from Spain, mostly, IIRC) depot at Paddock Wood, with long trains of Foreign Wagons being seen trundling through Our Town. All gone onto the roads now, I suppose...
O, and I recall seeing the Night Ferry on occasions when I couldn't sleep, and climbed out of bed to peer out of my second-floor attic window to observe what was going on in and around Our Town's loco shed and goods yard! The elegant E5000 electric locomotives hauled it at that time.
How times change. I remember the immense new Continental ferry wagon depot being built at Hither Green, and the Transfesa (fruit from Spain, mostly, IIRC) depot at Paddock Wood, with long trains of Foreign Wagons being seen trundling through Our Town. All gone onto the roads now, I suppose...
Here's an article about Tesco bringing produce from Spain by rail to the UK. I think I read somewhere (maybe even upthread on here, ages ago) that some of it gets all the way to Inverness.
My sister went to Goldsmith's College in the late 60s and had "digs" near Hither Green yard. Sleeping was not easy!
In the summer of 1972 I was on a Beach Mission in Folkestone. Every morning I had to walk under Foord Road viaduct and saw the inbound "Night Ferry" several times. On our last afternoon we had a picnic above Folkestone Warren - very fortuitous as the up "Golden Arrow" was due (it was withdrawn later that year). The leader prayed a lengthy grace ... I heard the train approaching ... and I opened my eyes to watch it. Bless me, Lord, for I have sinned!
I can't remember the motive power for either train, would be nice to think they both had Class 71s. When I was at Southampton Uni in the 70s we had the 74s (71 rebuilds into electro-diesels) on the Channel Island Boat Trains.
Once, while waiting for my train home from school, a "light" class 73 came through southbound. This was on the Midland mainline and I guess it was new and on its delivery journey.
Yes, I think both the Night Ferry and the Golden Arrow finished up being hauled by what became the class 71s. Good-looking locomotives IMHO, but (of course) not as good as a Bulleid, Jarvis, or Riddles Pacific!
How times change. I remember the immense new Continental ferry wagon depot being built at Hither Green, and the Transfesa (fruit from Spain, mostly, IIRC) depot at Paddock Wood, with long trains of Foreign Wagons being seen trundling through Our Town. All gone onto the roads now, I suppose...
Here's an article about Tesco bringing produce from Spain by rail to the UK. I think I read somewhere (maybe even upthread on here, ages ago) that some of it gets all the way to Inverness.
I remember cars being hoisted on to the Jersey ferry at Weymouth in the early fifties.
More recently, there used to be trains of Continental wagons at Neasden after the opening of the Tunnel, when the policy was to encourage goods traffic by rail. A special siding and depot was installed for them, with its own diesel shunter. All ripped out when the Hither Green depot was opened.
Yes, I think both the Night Ferry and the Golden Arrow finished up being hauled by what became the class 71s.
The 71s were withdrawn by 1977 but the Night Ferry continued until 1980. Certainly the last one was hauled by a class 33 diesel (I've seen a photo) though Wikipedia suggests that class 73 electro-diesels were also used.
Yes, I think both the Night Ferry and the Golden Arrow finished up being hauled by what became the class 71s.
The 71s were withdrawn by 1977 but the Night Ferry continued until 1980. Certainly the last one was hauled by a class 33 diesel (I've seen a photo) though Wikipedia suggests that class 73 electro-diesels were also used.
Yes, the 73s (ubiquitous, and long-lived, if rather plain) were sometimes used. By 1980, I no longer resided near the railway, so didn't see much of what was going on - even though I travelled to London by train every day!
I doubt if anyone ever expected 73s to be hauling the Scottish sleeper service! But they do - did this morning in fact, double-heading with a 66. I believe that these locos, although still capable of running on electric, have had their pick-up shoes removed.
I found the 73s, hurtling past at the rear of GatEx sets, quite worrying!
I remember cars being hoisted on to the Jersey ferry at Weymouth in the early fifties.
More recently, there used to be trains of Continental wagons at Neasden after the opening of the Tunnel, when the policy was to encourage goods traffic by rail. A special siding and depot was installed for them, with its own diesel shunter. All ripped out when the Hither Green depot was opened.
Hmm. AFAIK, the Neasden depot is still open (I may be wrong) and is, I guess, mostly used by container trains these days. Again, I may be wrong, but I don't think any *normal* goods wagons from Foreign Railways grace our tracks now.
The Hither Green depot was opened as long ago as 1962, but is alas! no more.
AFAIK, the Neasden depot is still open (I may be wrong) and is, I guess, mostly used by container trains these days.
The cargowaggon railhead at Neasden was owned by Tibbett & Britten, and was opened in the early 90s; it closed about ten years ago. There is still an aggregates siding at Neasden.
Well, in the Llangennech disaster it seems that the wagon which failed was part of a very complex web of ownership and maintenance which stretched across (at least) Germany, France, Belgium and Wales. It was almost inevitable that some issues "fell into the management gaps".
Whilst waiting glumly on the river bridge in a queue of stationary traffic earlier today (I was on my way to Tesco's, but for some reason the traffic was much heavier than usual), I was cheered up by the sight of Jarvis-Bulleid Pacific 35028 Clan Line at the head of a train of Pullman cars on the adjacent main line to the coast.
Clan Line looked immaculate (Stewarts Lane-style), and I repeat my assertion that the Jarvis-Bulleid Pacifics are the best-looking express locomotives produced post-WW2. So there. 😜
When I were a lad, there were often continental wagons in the sidings at Ashburys (Manchester). Usually peak-roofed vans IIRC. I believe they brought food and flowers to the area. But it was a different world back then. We had these effete things called 'goods yards'. The railways were not operated as a glorified tramway as they are now.
Whilst waiting glumly on the river bridge in a queue of stationary traffic earlier today (I was on my way to Tesco's, but for some reason the traffic was much heavier than usual), I was cheered up by the sight of Jarvis-Bulleid Pacific 35028 Clan Line at the head of a train of Pullman cars on the adjacent main line to the coast.
Clan Line looked immaculate (Stewarts Lane-style), and I repeat my assertion that the Jarvis-Bulleid Pacifics are the best-looking express locomotives produced post-WW2. So there. 😜
How lovely! Interesting that it went out via Chatham - when we went on it earlier in the year (diesel-hauled) it went out via the South Eastern main line.
When I were a lad, there were often continental wagons in the sidings at Ashburys (Manchester). Usually peak-roofed vans IIRC. I believe they brought food and flowers to the area. But it was a different world back then. We had these effete things called 'goods yards'. The railways were not operated as a glorified tramway as they are now.
The days of small goods yards at every station are gone (though I suspect they may return) - but don’t be blind to the £25bn of freight carried by rail this year.
Whilst waiting glumly on the river bridge in a queue of stationary traffic earlier today (I was on my way to Tesco's, but for some reason the traffic was much heavier than usual), I was cheered up by the sight of Jarvis-Bulleid Pacific 35028 Clan Line at the head of a train of Pullman cars on the adjacent main line to the coast.
Clan Line looked immaculate (Stewarts Lane-style), and I repeat my assertion that the Jarvis-Bulleid Pacifics are the best-looking express locomotives produced post-WW2. So there. 😜
How lovely! Interesting that it went out via Chatham - when we went on it earlier in the year (diesel-hauled) it went out via the South Eastern main line.
Well, this time it was the Blunder, Smash'em & Turnover Railway's turn! I'd hazard a guess that the trip back to London was via the South Eastern - I don't think TPTB like steam engines attempting Sole Street bank these days, even though the obligatory Diseasel was bringing up the rear of the train I saw.
Trivia.... I think I only ever saw one Merchant Navy at work. We saw my mother onto a train at Waterloo to visit her friend in Brockenhurst, and there was 35025 Brocklebank Line at the head, unrebuilt - summer of 1956. What a glorious looking engine! If you like coincidences, many years earlier my father had been a radio operator on a Brocklebank ship, and for another, we found out many years later that my grandmother's grave number at Nunhead is 35025. Funny how certain numbers keep reappearing, especially engine numbers.
The Bulleid Pacifics were common sights at The Station Of My Youth, mostly on the through expresses and boat trains, but I don't ever recall seeing one being serviced on Our Shed. They wouldn't have fitted on our turntable, which was only long enough for a Maunsell Mogul...
Some Light Pacifics were loaned to the Great Eastern section in the early 1950s after the wheels of the new Britannias were found to be loose on their axles. The GE section had quite severe weight (and possibly gauging) restrictions which presumably precluded the Merchant Navys.
Yes. The Bulleid Pacifics didn't really stray far from their native metals (even the Somerset & Dorset was part-owned by the Southern), but I'd forgotten about their holiday in East Anglia.
What did the GE/LNER men make of them, I wonder? Whatever their faults and failings, Bulleid engines rarely ran short of steam...
The GE line is surprisingly up-and-down. Brentwood Bank can be "rushed" going north, but Belstead Bank southbound is tackled fairly "cold" after Ipswich station.
I have seen a Bulleid at Ipswich - more than once: "Tangmere" (although I was annoyed on the final occasion as I was anticipating "Bittern"!)
Yes, the various preserved Pacifics do get around a bit now, much more so than in *real* steam days!
BTW, I see that the long-awaited 00 scale model of Bulleid's Leader will soon be available. It is to be produced in light grey (the livery in which 36001 ran during tests), black (36001 was painted black whilst in the works - there are photos - but was repainted grey before she was allowed out into the open), BR lined Brunswick green, and (oddly) BR rail blue!
There don't appear to be any cine films of 36001 in steam (plenty of still photos, of course), so I have no idea what she sounded like. She apparently ran as smoothly as a coach, which I suppose is only to be expected of a bogie vehicle.
Comments
There did seem to be a GW bias in the Railway Modeller at one time, but, as Mr Freezer himself pointed out, an editor can only publish that material which is submitted to him...mind you, he rejected an article of mine (about an HO South-American-inspired layout, belonging to a friend) on the basis that it would be of insufficient interest to his readers.
Perhaps he was right, but he needn't have been so sniffy about it...
Speaking of publishing, has anyone heard if Part II of Mr Waterfield's work on the railways of Sir Arthur Heywood is due to come out soon? AIUI, it will deal mostly with the beautiful Eaton Hall Railway, which lasted for 50 years (1896-1946), albeit latterly with diesel traction.
Yes, I've read an article on this in Railway Modeller...
Note to self as much as anyone—RCL books tend to go out of print quickly, so buy on sight.
All their books are OOP and they say none will be reprinted. So - maybe - vol 2. won't happen unless another publisher takes it on.
Sad news, but thanks for the update.
Here's the Guardian's take on this:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/09/transport-secretary-extend-hs2-rail-line-euston
No doubt whatever the government decides will be wrong as far as some people are concerned, but at least they're trying to make sense of the risible and toxic legacy which HS2 appears to be...
The railways could always have been organised and run better by the many pundits who pretend to know so much, but who are in fact woefully ignorant...
What’s particularly depressing is that the capacity argument is where all this started 20-odd years ago and HS2 was the decision when it was found that actually longer trains and altering existing infrastructure was going to be *more* expensive *and* cripple the network for years while it was being done.
But absolutely, LoNGer TrAiNS and PlAtFORms - thank god The Times is on the case.
Returning to HS2, in my view the wrong message has been given out from the start, i.e. "making journeys quicker", rather than "increasing capacity".
Perhaps The Times would like wider trains - now why hasn't anyone thought of that? After all, airliners have got wider over the years, so why not trains? Should be a doddle!
The fact that many voters agree with them depresses me even more.
It's as if the nation is sinking into second childhood.
The latter of course being considerably cheaper, also permitting flexible use of rolling stock, while the former would enable things like French TGV-like doubledecker trains, so dramatically increase capacity. (As far as I know, HS1 - minus the access routes - is also continental loading gauge, or am I mistaken?)
Especially if HS2 is planned to be by freight trains at night (is it?), this might be a good step forward in helping with road network congestion.
Thank you for your insights.
But the new plan for north of Birmingham won’t be. And the access lines throughout (AIUI) aren’t.
So, given that it doesn’t connect with HS1, HS2 will be a hermetically sealed larger loading gauge, and given HS2-Light (to Crewe), overall the southern bit might end up being a larger loading gauge that will only use UK loading gauge stock, unless it’s going to have bespoke stock that only does the Euston to Birmingham bit.
Trebles all round.
The difference in the loading gauges was quite marked - from the rather cramped UK trains to the splendid SNCF TGVs (I love the duplex double-deckers - they run on the line which serves my sister's part of France). Are the latest UK Eurostars still of our loading gauge, though? My impression is that they're not as spacious as even the single-decker TGVs.
The blue Javelin HS1 trains are of UK loading gauge, as they run over various sections of the original system, here in Kent. I wonder what the old South Eastern Railway would have thought of them?
O! the penalties for being so far ahead in the railway game - the same applies to much of our canal system, firmly rooted in the 18thC...
Pre- Eurostar etc., here's a very good film about cross-channel ferries back in 1956:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyLncXp_7yo
Enjoy!
My sister, who is older than I am, still remembers cars being craned onto the ferries (as I saw at Oban in 1964).
Speaking of which, the shots of the Lord Warden depict some very fine examples of (mostly) British cars - I think I spotted a Renault! - which would grace any classic car rally today.
The shunting of cross-Channel wagons at Zeebrugge gives a glimpse of what might be an ex-Prussian G8 0-8-0 tender engine, in the ownership of the Belgian railways (SNCB). This would be one of many former German locomotives dispersed around Europe as war reparations.
How times change. I remember the immense new Continental ferry wagon depot being built at Hither Green, and the Transfesa (fruit from Spain, mostly, IIRC) depot at Paddock Wood, with long trains of Foreign Wagons being seen trundling through Our Town. All gone onto the roads now, I suppose...
O, and I recall seeing the Night Ferry on occasions when I couldn't sleep, and climbed out of bed to peer out of my second-floor attic window to observe what was going on in and around Our Town's loco shed and goods yard! The elegant E5000 electric locomotives hauled it at that time.
Here's an article about Tesco bringing produce from Spain by rail to the UK. I think I read somewhere (maybe even upthread on here, ages ago) that some of it gets all the way to Inverness.
https://www.tescoplc.com/how-tesco-is-turning-to-trains-to-help-cut-the-emissions-it-takes-to-get-food-on-our-plates/
In the summer of 1972 I was on a Beach Mission in Folkestone. Every morning I had to walk under Foord Road viaduct and saw the inbound "Night Ferry" several times. On our last afternoon we had a picnic above Folkestone Warren - very fortuitous as the up "Golden Arrow" was due (it was withdrawn later that year). The leader prayed a lengthy grace ... I heard the train approaching ... and I opened my eyes to watch it. Bless me, Lord, for I have sinned!
I can't remember the motive power for either train, would be nice to think they both had Class 71s. When I was at Southampton Uni in the 70s we had the 74s (71 rebuilds into electro-diesels) on the Channel Island Boat Trains.
Once, while waiting for my train home from school, a "light" class 73 came through southbound. This was on the Midland mainline and I guess it was new and on its delivery journey.
Thanks for that! Good to see that rail is still of some use for freight...
More recently, there used to be trains of Continental wagons at Neasden after the opening of the Tunnel, when the policy was to encourage goods traffic by rail. A special siding and depot was installed for them, with its own diesel shunter. All ripped out when the Hither Green depot was opened.
Yes, the 73s (ubiquitous, and long-lived, if rather plain) were sometimes used. By 1980, I no longer resided near the railway, so didn't see much of what was going on - even though I travelled to London by train every day!
I found the 73s, hurtling past at the rear of GatEx sets, quite worrying!
Hmm. AFAIK, the Neasden depot is still open (I may be wrong) and is, I guess, mostly used by container trains these days. Again, I may be wrong, but I don't think any *normal* goods wagons from Foreign Railways grace our tracks now.
The Hither Green depot was opened as long ago as 1962, but is alas! no more.
Well, in the Llangennech disaster it seems that the wagon which failed was part of a very complex web of ownership and maintenance which stretched across (at least) Germany, France, Belgium and Wales. It was almost inevitable that some issues "fell into the management gaps".
Whilst waiting glumly on the river bridge in a queue of stationary traffic earlier today (I was on my way to Tesco's, but for some reason the traffic was much heavier than usual), I was cheered up by the sight of Jarvis-Bulleid Pacific 35028 Clan Line at the head of a train of Pullman cars on the adjacent main line to the coast.
Clan Line looked immaculate (Stewarts Lane-style), and I repeat my assertion that the Jarvis-Bulleid Pacifics are the best-looking express locomotives produced post-WW2. So there. 😜
How lovely! Interesting that it went out via Chatham - when we went on it earlier in the year (diesel-hauled) it went out via the South Eastern main line.
The days of small goods yards at every station are gone (though I suspect they may return) - but don’t be blind to the £25bn of freight carried by rail this year.
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/freight-in-numbers/#:~:text=69m,goods%20worth%20about%20£25bn.
Well, this time it was the Blunder, Smash'em & Turnover Railway's turn! I'd hazard a guess that the trip back to London was via the South Eastern - I don't think TPTB like steam engines attempting Sole Street bank these days, even though the obligatory Diseasel was bringing up the rear of the train I saw.
The Bulleid Pacifics were common sights at The Station Of My Youth, mostly on the through expresses and boat trains, but I don't ever recall seeing one being serviced on Our Shed. They wouldn't have fitted on our turntable, which was only long enough for a Maunsell Mogul...
What did the GE/LNER men make of them, I wonder? Whatever their faults and failings, Bulleid engines rarely ran short of steam...
I have seen a Bulleid at Ipswich - more than once: "Tangmere" (although I was annoyed on the final occasion as I was anticipating "Bittern"!)
BTW, I see that the long-awaited 00 scale model of Bulleid's Leader will soon be available. It is to be produced in light grey (the livery in which 36001 ran during tests), black (36001 was painted black whilst in the works - there are photos - but was repainted grey before she was allowed out into the open), BR lined Brunswick green, and (oddly) BR rail blue!
I'm tempted to buy one just for the hell of it...
More seriously, looking at the video, do we actually know what "Leader" sounded like?
It looks great in Rail Blue although it really out to have a TOPS number!
There don't appear to be any cine films of 36001 in steam (plenty of still photos, of course), so I have no idea what she sounded like. She apparently ran as smoothly as a coach, which I suppose is only to be expected of a bogie vehicle.
A curious *what if* of railway history!