Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Steam Days

The Cinderella of London termini, Marylebone station stands on Melcombe Place, just north of Marylebone Road, and opened to passenger traffic in 1899, 125 years ago this month. However, the heady days of Great Central Railway (GCR) optimism in regard to reaching London were long since a memory by late August and early September 1966 when throngs of steam enthusiasts from all parts of the country flocked to the platforms of Marylebone station to pay their last respects to steam on the Great Central lines heading to Woodford Halse, Rugby, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Sheffield – I was one of them. At that time, it was not just the loss of steam-hauled trains but actually the end of all but suburban services from Marylebone, and with it the complete closure…

A little bit of history can explain: before the 1880s, Bournemouth was almost disregarded by railways. It was known to be just a fishing village clustered around the mouth of the River Bourne, a river by name but actually little more than a stream with a catchment area extending no further than the neighbouring town of Poole, thus the London & South Western Railway main line from London to Dorchester ignored Bournemouth, instead passing through the then more important towns of Ringwood and Wimborne, initially as the Southampton & Dorchester Railway. Developments later enabled trains to reach Bournemouth from the west, that is from the Poole direction, terminating at Bournemouth West. In addition, a minor branch line also meandered south from Ringwood to Christchurch and then west to Bournemouth East.…

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. CHOOSE WHICH STEAM DAYS SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST 1: 12 MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 12 print issues for £47 direct debit 12 print issues for £54 credit/debit card BEST VALUE SAVE…

Details of the first five days of my marathon trainspotting tour of summer 1963 were set out in the January 2024 issue of Steam Days, in the article ‘From Dorset to Scotland … and briefly back out again!’ But there is still much to tell. With two weeks of near 24-hour activities to go, and armed with a ‘Freedom of Scotland’ ticket through to 4 September and then reversion to my circular tour ticket (with Carlisle-Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough-Hull, and Hull-Bournemouth legs), and a few additional short-distance journeys beyond the ‘circular’ itinerary too, the adventure continues … but first I find myself attempting to grab some sleep at Carlisle Citadel station’s buffet in the small hours of Sunday, 25 August. Having arrived from Dumfries at 1.19am, I would only be at this…

Aware of my interest in all things steam, a friend of mine in Gloucester whose parents lived in the small Severnside hamlet of Sharpness had, in 1964, made me aware that a number of withdrawn Western Region locomotives were awaiting disposal at the local scrapyard located on the eastern banks of the River Severn, the site being operated by Coopers Metals of Swindon. That company had, unbeknown to myself, this facility at Sharpness, which was served by the Western Region’s branch line from Berkeley Road, itself located on the former LMS/London Midland Region main line between Gloucester and Bristol. My informant, whilst on a recent visit to his parents, had noticed the arrival of a number of locomotives at Sharpness and he promised me that I would not be disappointed…

The locomotive works at Crewe was commenced by the Grand Junction Railway in 1840 with, three years later, the first of what eventually would total 7,331 steam locomotives being built (followed by diesel and electric types). The works was expanded by the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) in 1860, and piecemeal in later years so that by 1920 it was a collection of foundries, shops and sheds, later rationalised to some extent and greatly expanded upon by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway, for example a new erecting shop in 1926. At its height, Crewe Works employed between 7,000 and 8,000 workers. After the LMS attempt at tidying up, BR added improvements such as, in 1959, a new scrapping shed converted from the former Steel Works, and a new…