Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Steam Days

Living in Gloucester in the early 1960s enabled me to record on film many of the last months of steam workings in and around the area, but as the end of Western Region steam operations drew near, planned for the end of December 1965, it was clear that I needed to seek inspiration from further afield. Although not having been a devout Southern Region enthusiast in my earlier days, reports that top link steam workings were still to be found on the main line from London (Waterloo), west to Salisbury and particularly on the Bournemouth route, directed my attention to that area. Together with two of my fellow enthusiasts, one of whom worked in the Bristol Control centre at Temple Meads and knew everything that was happening within the realms…

Our series of inter-linked articles covering the various Thornton Junction engine sheds and their domain offer a broad brush of understanding beyond the physical infrastructure of the depots themselves – a series of three installations across four masters – and of what might be seen on shed too, by taking into account the drive behind local railway developments, and any evolution, for it is that which dictates both the level of depot facilities needed and the provision of locomotives required. In terms of Thornton Junction, the coming of the railway was simply as a main line intended to link Edinburgh with Dundee and Perth, but a stopping place was provided for the village of Thornton at the first stage (Burntisland to both Cupar and Lindores) on September 17, 1847, known…

By the spring of 1962, proposals had been put forward by British Railways (Western Region) to end all passenger services to Brecon, and also for the withdrawal of freight services from the Hereford, Mid-Wales and Neath lines; this would leave Brecon with just a goods-only provision from the Newport direction. I realised that I must devise a trip which would take in all four lines, although it would have to wait until I could organise some holiday in the summer. Meanwhile, there was the prospect of the family’s traditional Easter weekend trip by car to see our Welsh relations. On this occasion, for some reason, we forsook Three Cocks for our customary picnic break, but my knowledge of the timetable enabled me to cajole my father into a short detour…

As railway enthusiasts we understand how to get the best out of a journey, and that same thought goes into each magazine as we travel around Britain through the pages of every issue of Steam Days. Stops can be to indulge in photographic nostalgia, reminisce with enthusiasts or get a railwayman’s point of view, learn of everyday operations or of the rise and fall of a long-lost railway, and most of all to seek out some fascinating elements of the UK railway scene when steam locomotives were in everyday operation. The semaphore signal is ‘off,’ so make sure you never miss a copy and join us as a subscriber. CHOOSE WHICH STEAM DAYS SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST 1: 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION BEST VALUE 12 print issues for £47 Direct Debit 12…

Readers Letters Seaton (Rutland) – July 1965 Dear Editor: I was interested to see in the December 2024 edition of Steam Days the photograph on page 3 which relates to the article about LMS/LMR push and pull services. The photo is credited to the R N Smith Collection, so I guess it was acquired from Colour-Rail, where the original is catalogued as ref: 395724. In the interests of accuracy, I would like to add that the original slide was my photograph taken on Saturday, July 3, 1965, not Sunday as indicated, when I travelled to Stamford and back on the train shown. It was not an evening service, as claimed in the text. Rob Tibbits, York Editor–We have rechecked the slide mount and found that it has no markings in…

My earlier article, published in the September 2024 issue of Steam Days, set out the background and context of the Wotton Tramway, taking the story up to the late 1890s and a little beyond. Initially horse-drawn, the six-mile route opened in two stages, firstly to Wotton, in April 1871, and by the time Brill was reached in March 1872, two steam engines were in use, of the traction engine type. The brainchild of the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, the line was intended to meet agricultural needs and link to the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway, which it did, albeit via awkward entry via a wagon turntable into the back of the goods yard at the original Quainton Road station. Two other locos saw use in the early years, and there was…

Our December 2024 article ‘LMS/LMR pull & push services – an introduction’ has set the scene, but with widespread use of such operation across the huge post-Grouping network of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway, and then British Railways era changes too, there is still much to say. For example, one query that has arisen in the past regarding train formation is this: ‘At which end of the train should the locomotive be attached?’ When asked, a locoman once responded: “Sometimes it’s this way and sometimes that,” or words to that effect. In fact, in the case of some lines, there was a laid-down directive; of course, the remote cab would have to be at the opposite end of the formation. In some cases, a steep gradient influenced the choice…