Innehållsförteckning för July 2023 från Steam Days

If one were to ask the questions ‘In which century did steam preservation start?’ and ‘Was it the public or private sector that led the way?’, it might well be that the answers given, depending on the age of the respondent, would be along the lines of ‘Why, the 20th century, of course! Didn’t the Talyllyn Railway start the ball rolling in the 1950s?’ and ‘It would have been private individuals surely. Government and local authorities weren’t into that sort of thing, were they?’ Those with slightly longer memories, or who had read the author’s previous articles in Steam Days for September 2020 and September 2022, might have modified the first answer by suggesting that York Museum kicked things off in the 1920s. However, it may surprise some readers to…

Back in June 2016 I was fortunate to spend an enjoyable afternoon in the company of Les Jenks, an employee at Crewe Works from 1936 through to 1987, and he offered an insight into works operations and how they had changed over the years – imagine starting your time as brand new Stanier ‘Jubilee’ class 4-6-0s were being outshopped and remaining at the same site until the class ‘89’ prototype AC electric was produced for British Rail. Most of the staff at the works found themselves in the same building day-in day-out but that was not the case for some coppersmiths as very often they were expected to ‘go to the job’ or had periods when in a coppersmith role but seconded to such places as the tube shop. The…

That’s a 27% saving when you pay by direct debit I have been a railway enthusiast since 1942, and together with my two sons, Ian and Andrew, since March 1993 have provided a record of Britain’s railway scene when steam ruled supreme, from the 1800s until the end of steam in 1968. With a focus on line histories, train spotters’ memories, technical information, railwaymen’s reminiscences and nostalgic photo-features, our purpose is to bring back those halcyon days. With our subscriptions you can get your magazine delivered straight to your door every month, with a superb saving on the cover price. We hope to welcome you soon to the Steam Days family. 12 print issues for £46 Direct debit (27% saving) 1 year credit/debit card for £53 2 years credit/debit card…

Memories and regrets Sir: Reading ‘Trains of Thought’ in the May 2023 issue brought back many memories and regrets. Mention of the Worcester Locomotive Society brought back memories of trips to the West of England, especially crawling up the hillside from the main road to get to Meldon Quarry in the middle of the night, and also to Scotland where many sheds were visited during the night time hours (always advised to pack a torch). The regrets come from the fact that during a house move some 25 years ago all of my notebooks got lost. I still look at photos taken on these, and other trips, which enable me to relive these events but it is not quite the same as thumbing through pages of numbers and being able…

Regular Steam Days readers will know that engine sheds are generally at the heart of our research, but while the infrastructure of these locations, and indeed their changing allocation, are centre stage, we like to make sure that there is more. That ‘more’ is really an understanding of why the engine shed in question was needed in the first place, so, for example, what were its key operations? Sometimes this can be offered as sample passenger timetables, but for sheds such as Frodingham there was very little in terms of passenger work, and indeed, that will be covered more fully when in due course we consider the shed’s limited 4-4-0 allocation as part of a class-by-class follow up, so here we concentrate on a deep dive into the goods/heavy freight…

Completed throughout on Friday, 1 June 1900 and operated by the Isle of Wight Central Railway from the outset, subsequent recollections of both Southern Railway days and the British Railways (Southern Region) era extol the special charm of the branch line that ran south from Merstone to Ventnor West: ‘Without doubt the Ventnor West branch was the most beautiful and scenic rural branch line in the country, with a wonderful view across the sea at St Lawrence.’ Driver Ken West, Newport shed, Isle of Wight. ‘The Ventnor West branch had a unique atmosphere and operated like a gigantic family where every railwayman and woman knew each other and the passengers by name or face.’ Guard Percy Primmer. ‘Tourists travelling across the Solent for their summer holidays would head down the…