Some Early Lines, Old Railway Companies, Wellington & Drayton Railway

Some Early Lines

Old Railway Companies

Local train from Crewe approaching Market Drayton Junction, Wellington View NW, towards Market Drayton, Nantwich and Crewe: ex-GW Wellington – Nantwich ( – Crewe) line, which was important especially for freight but was closed 9/9/63 for passenger traffic, 11/5/67 completely. Here the 13.02 from Crewe is headed by the engine which when withdrawn from service in 11/66 had the distinction of being the very last GW (standard gauge) locomotive to run on BR: ‘8750’ c

Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Ben Brooksbank

Wellington & Drayton Railway

Incorporated on 7 August 1862, this line linked the GWR at Wellington with the Nantwich & Market Drayton Railway (LMS). It opened on 16 October 1867, and though an Act of 14 July 1864 had authorised transfer of the Company to the GWR on completion, full amalgamation was not ratified until an Act of 12 July 1869, after an agreement dated 16 December 1868. Traffic was never heavy along the line’s 16.25 miles, its passenger service ceasing on 9 December 1963, but it became a diversionary route during the West Coast Main Line electrification. It closed completely on 8 May 1967.

Only the first mile or so lies within Telford, and that is now the northern end of the Silkin Way footpath which begins at Coalport Station and follows old railway lines for much of its distance.

Its junction with the Shrewbury – Wellington line was opposite Orleton Park School, the Shrewsbury line approaching from the right of the picture and the Market Drayton line being the footpath to the left. It passed under Admaston Road and Shawburch road at Admaston, although there was no station: presumably the station on the Shrewsbury line was thought sufficient. It crossed the end of Bratton Road near The Gate pub, where the bastions of a bridge and the remains of an embankment can be seen, and its first station was opposite the site of the creamery in Crudgington.

No.6330 at Drayton Junction, Wellington, October6, 1951  – shropshirestar

Some Early Lines – Old Railway Companies – Helston Railway

Some early Lines – Old Railway Companies

Helston Railway

Locally promoted, and sanctioned on 9th July, 1880, this 8 miles 67 chains line between Gwinnear Road and Helston required extension of time and extra capital (31st July, 1885) before completion. It was opened on 9th May, 1887, and is notable mainly for the fact that the first GWR buses ran in connection with it. A Light Railway Order for extension to the Lizard was obtained, but buses saved the £85,000 expense of building it; they began running on 17th August, 1903, the Company having been absorbed by the GWR five years earlier, under an Act of 2nd August, 1898.

The first road motor car run by the GWR – Heston – Lizard service, 1903

The Helston Railway Preservation Society was the result, 10 years ago, of a vision by a small number of enthusiasts to re-open a section of the Helston branch line.
We now have a 1000 members!
Winner of the Heritage Railway of the Year Award & the HRA Website Award
Please browse our website and learn more about our wonderful project.

http://www.helstonrailway.co.uk/

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era – 1927 – ‘Kings’ – GWR

No.6019 King Henry V as built

The largest and most powerful variant of the numerous family of GWR 4-6-0s; thirty were constructed by Collett between 1927 and 1930. They remained the ultimate peak of GWR express design for the rest of the Company’s existence, as after the ill-fated ‘Great Bear’ that railway never again went in for a ‘Pacific’. The new ‘Kings’ in fact were claimed, and indeed have proved themselves in practice, to possess practically as much hauling power as most ‘Pacific’ designs. Their nominal tractive effort actually exceeds the rated value of the LMS, LNER and SR ‘Pacifics.

For many years these engines have worked the principal trains on the West of England main line, including, of course, the ‘Cornish Riviera’, and between Paddington and Birmingham. Several improvements have been effected since the engines first appeared, such as increased superheat, and more recently they have been fitted with double blast pipes and chimneys. In 1935 No. 6014 was disfigured similarly to ‘Castle’ No. 5005 by a hideous sort of semi-streamlining, but like the ‘Castle’ this was soon mercifully removed.
The original engine, No. 6000 ‘King George V’ visited the USA in the same year that it was built for taking part in the Centenary procession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, and it still carries on the front end the American type bell with which it was presented.
All were still in service in 1959.
Driving wheels – 6’ 6”, Cylinders – 16½”x 28”, Pressure – 250 lb., Tractive effort – 40300 lb., Weight – 89 tons, BR classification – 8P.

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era 1923 – ‘Castles’ Great Western Railway

No.7 ‘Great Western’ as running in 1956

When C.B.Collett succeeded Churchward in 1922 he introduced no radical changes in the strongly individual characteristics of GWR locomotive practice built up during that gentleman’s twenty years of office, but proceeded to carry on the tradition which was to last for the remainder of the Company’s existence until absorption into the BR in 1948.
Collett’s first engines were in effect an improved ‘Star’ and the resulting class, the ‘Castles’, became the principal express type for all but the heaviest duties for the next 35 years, and when they did finally begin to be superseded in 1959 it was not by a new class of steam locomotives but by diesels. Their exploits during this period are well known and considerations of space do not allow more than a passing reference to the exchange trials of 1924 and 1925 between the GWR and the LNE and LMS Companies, the results of which had no small influence on future locomotive design on the two last mentioned lines.

Their brilliant performances on the high speed ‘Cheltenham Flyer’ will also not be forgotten. They eventually totalled 171 engines, of which Nos. 4073-99, 5000-82, 5093-9 and 7000-37 were built new as ‘Castles’ and Nos. 4000, 4009, 4016, 4032, 4037 and 5083-92 were rebuilds of Churchward’s ‘Stars. Finally there was No. 111, rebuilt from the 4-6-2 ‘Great Bear’. The majority were named after castles, but there were some variations, and there was a certain amount of renaming. Four notable commemorative names may be mentioned, No. 5069 ‘Isambard Kingdom Brunel’, 7007 ‘Great Western’, 7017 ‘G.J.Churchward; and 7037, the last of the class, and the last express engine built at the famous works, turned out in 1950, was appropriately named ‘Swindon’. No. 4082 ‘Windsor Castle’ was driven by the late King George V on the occasion of a Royal visit to Swindon works in 1924, and bore a suitable commemorative plate. It was desired to use this engine to haul the funeral train from Paddington to Windsor in 1952, but it happened to be in the works for repair and an exchange on name and number plate was made with No. 7013 ‘Bristol Castle’, which engine actually performed the duty under the guise of ‘Windsor Castle’, which it retained, as the plates were left as they were.All of the Castles were still in service in 1959 with the exception of No. 4091 and the rebuilds Nos. 111, 4000, 4009 (latterly numbered 100), 4016 and 4032. The only alteration of note has been the recent fitting of double blast pipes and chimneys to several of the class. No. 5005 ran in 1935 with a particularly ugly form of semi-streamlining, fortunately only for a short time.
Driving wheels – 6’ 8½”, Cylinders (4) – 16”x 26”, Pressure 225 lb., Tractive effort – 31625 lb., Weight – 79 tons 17cwt., Br classification – 7P

GWR 4-6-0 semi-streamlined ‘Castle’ class No 5005 ‘Manorbier Castle’ standing light engine on the middle road, Leamington Station circa 1936.

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com

Railway Miscellany – Steam Speed Records

Railway Miscellany

 Steam Speed Records

In 1804, when Richard Trevithick’s pioneering locomotive made its journey along the Penydarren tramroad, its inventor operated the controls by walking along the track in front of it.  In a letter the following day, Trevithick recorded that ‘The train while working went nearly five miles per hour’ no more than a brisk walking pace.  This was perhaps the first ever steam speed record.

When ‘Locomotion’ ran from Shildon to Stockton 21 years later, it could only outdistance riders on horseback because marshes alongside the line impeded the horses.  At full speed the locomotive could just manage 15 mph.

At the Rainhill Trials in 1829, Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ achieved 29 mph.  This was eclipsed in tragic circumstances the following year, when ‘Northumbrian’ reached 36 mph as it conveyed the dying MP William Huskinson to Eccles after he had been run over by ‘Rocket’ at Parkside.

The contestants’ achievements at Rainhill were carefully recorded.  Later it became difficult to establish accurate claims as speeds increased and railways spread throughout the world.

Unlike world speed records on land and in the air, there are no international standards for railways.  For example, the effect of a strong following wind has never been taken into account and on almost every occasion a record breaking train was appreciably assisted by gravity.  This applies equally to the TGV’s present world record of 320.2 mph as to ‘Mallard’s’ 126 mph in 1938.

Speed records were usually obtained by stop-watch measurements from mile or kilometre posts.  In some cases the speed claimed at the time was later adjusted after the information had been examined further.

The performance of the Milwaukee Road’s Hiawatha expresses in the 1930s was accurately measured and the 112 mph record by the streamlined Atlantic N0. 2 in 1925 was adequately proved.

During the 1930s, there was considerable rivalry over maximum speeds between the LNER and the LMS.  In 1937, the LMS claimed a maximum of 114 mph on the press run of their Coronation Scot streamliner train.  This would have beaten ‘Silver Link’s’ record but the figure was not confirmed by a number of experienced recorders on the train.  This left ‘Coronation’ sharing the record of 112 mph with the LNER A4 and Milwaukee Atlantic.

By 1936 the German Pacific No. 05.002 reached 124.5 mph and in 1938, ‘Mallard’ achieved an historic all-time record for steam of 126 mph.

All the fully authenticated world records achieved by steam locomotives are the maximum speed attained, rather than averages.  Some top speeds, like ‘Mallards’ were sustained only for a few yards.

Although a record of 74 mph was achieved by a GWR locomotive in 1846, it was not until 1931 that the company ran trains at such speeds in everyday service.  The Cheltenham Flyer was the first train in the history of railways to average regularly over 70 mph.  On 14 September 1931, the express sweeps through Tilehurst, Berkshire on its way to London.

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era 1911 – Robinson 2-8-0 Great Central Railway

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era

1911 – Robinson 2-8-0

Great Central Railway

No. 1185 in Great Central days; this is one of the engines which went abroad on active service in 1941 and never returned.

Robinson’s standard heavy freight engine of 1911 was destined to achieve much historic interest, as the design was adopted by the Government during the First World War for use in the various theatres of action abroad.  Several hundred were built by outside firms for this purpose alone, apart from the 130 engines constructed by the GCR for its own use between 1911 and 1920.  After the war the Government engines were disposed of, some to railways abroad, and at home the LNWR had fifty, and the Great Western 105, whilst the LNER eventually absorbed another 273 into its own stock along with the original Great Central engines.

A good deal of rebuilding and modification has since taken place, resulting in about seven different varieties from the original basic design.  These mainly concern the boilers and boiler mountings, but a number have been completely rebuilt from 1944 onwards with raised framing, Walschaert valve gear, and LNER B1-type boilers.

The class was again one of those commandeered for overseas service at the beginning of the Second World War, and 92 of the LNER engines were sent abroad, some of them being the same ones which had done duty in 1917-18, thus being ‘called up’ for the second time.  In 1946 the LNER renumbered the class from 3500 onwards, provision being made for the return of some of the war service engines, but in fact none of them ever came back.  Consequently the remainder of the class eventually became Nos. 3570 to 3920 with some gaps, altered in due course under Nationalisation by the addition of 60000.  Withdrawal on a general scale of the LNER engines did not commence until 1959, but it may be mentioned that the last of those acquired by the Great Western, which had been Nos. 3000-99 and 6000-4 in that Company’s lists, was scrapped in 1958, and the fifty engines of the LNWR, which became Nos. 9616-65 (some of which were later renumbered into the 9400s), had all gone as early as 1933.

Original design – Driving wheels – 4’ 8”,  Leading wheels – 3’ 6”,  Cylinders – 21”x 28”,  Pressure – 180 lb.,  Tractive effort 31325 lb.,  Weight – 73 tons 4 cwt.,  GCR classification – 8K,  LNER classification – 04,  BR classification – 7F

1944 rebuilds – Driving wheels – 4’ 8”,  Leading wheels – 3’ 6”,  Cylinders – 20”x 28”,  Pressure – 225 lb.,  Tractive effort 35518 lb.,  Weight – 73 tons 6 cwt.,  GCR classification – N/A,  LNER classification – 01,  BR classification – 8F

 

Some Early Lines – Neath and Brecon Railway

Some Early Lines

Neath and Brecon Railway

Brecon Station on 29th August 1962 with No. 3768 on the 6.20pm return working.  (Peter W.Gray

The Neath and Brecon Railway linked the Vale of Neath Railway at Neath with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Brecon and also via a connection from Colbren Junction, it linked to the Swansea Vale Railway at Ynysygeinon Junction (sometimes spelt Ynisygeinon).

The southern section from Onllwyn to Neath is still open to goods traffic, although passenger services ceased from October 1962 and the northern section lifted under the Beeching Axe as the coal industry wound down.

Brecon Station

View westward, towards Neath; ex-GWR Neath & Brecon section. A scene just six months before the whole station and all lines were closed on 31/12/62.   © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

 Route

The railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 29 July 1862 as the Dulais Valley Mineral Railway to transport coal from the Dulais Valley to Neath. It was promoted and constructed by the contractor John Dickson. After being authorised to extend the railway to Brecon, it changed its name to the Neath and Brecon Railway. The railway linked itself to the Swansea Vale Railway by promoting the Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junction Railway. This line had a long gestation period due to Dickson’s bankruptcy but eventually when it was opened it gave the Neath and Brecon access to Swansea via running rights. In return, the Neath and Brecon gave full running rights over its system to the Swansea Vale Railway. The Neath and Brecon started operating a passenger service between Brecon and Swansea using these running rights.

An early and unsuccessful purchaser of the new Fairlie locomotive, when in 1863 the railway reached Crynant, coal mining quickly expanded. At Crynant several new mines were opened including the Crynant colliery, Brynteg colliery in 1904, Llwynon colliery in 1905, Dillwyn colliery, and Cefn Coed colliery 1930. These mines led to the expansion of the village.

Brecon Station: activity at the east end

Viewed from the east end of Brecon station, an ex-L&Y 0-6-0, far from its origins ‘Up North’ but now employed on the ex-Midland trains from Hereford, is prominent, while on the left a stopping train leaves for Hereford (hauled by an ex-Midland 0-6-0). However, Brecon station was in the ex-GWR ambit, being the terminus from this (eastward) direction of the ex-Brecon & Merthyr trains from Newport via Torpantau Summit and of the ex-Cambrian Rly Mid-Wales Line trains from Moat Lane Junction, as well as the Hereford trains. Westwards from Brecon ran the ex-Neath & Brecon trains down to Neath. All these lines were closed in 1962 and on 31/12/62 this local metropolis had lost all railway facilities.   © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

 Brecon

When the railway reached Brecon in 1867, it provided access to the Brecon and Merthyr, the Mid Wales, and the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railways which were all completed about this time. The initial B&M station at Brecon was at the Watton and the Mid Wales Railway had a station at Mount Street. The Hereford, Hay and Brecon, after belonging to the empire of Savin (originally a draper from Oswestry who became a railway contractor, promoter and operator), was leased and then taken over by the Midland Railway who, by using running powers over the Mid Wales from Three Cocks Junction, gained access to Brecon.

The Midland then leased the Swansea Vale Company’s line from around 1874 and in so doing obtained the use of the SVR’s running powers over the N&B. This enabled them start running trains from Brecon to Swansea. At around the same time the N&B abandoned its Brecon – Swansea service and decided to lease its main line north of Colbren to the Midland in return for an annual fee. This situation remained in force until around 1930 when the LMS (the 1923 successor to the Midland) decided to abandon its through Swansea Brecon services when the N&B line (then part of the Great Western Railway) was taken back by its owners and rather than being a through route, reverted to being something of a backwater.

The three companies providing services to Brecon consolidated their stations at a newly rebuilt Free Street Joint Station from 1871.

Neath Riverside station

In the years before closure, just one daily train departed from Neath Riverside to Brecon. The South Wales main line passes over the bridge top right. The signalbox remains to this day, controlling freight trains from Onllwyn in the Dulais valley.  © Copyright Flying Stag and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

 

Gradual winding down

In October 1962, all passenger services were withdrawn from Neath to Brecon, leaving only freight services. The line north of Craig y Nos/Penwyllt station closed to Brecon on closure of Brecon station, and remained open south until 1977 to serve the adjacent quarry. The line remains open to Onllwyn, with Celtic Energy using the coal washing plant there through partnership with English, Welsh and Scottish Railway. Some of the old Celtic Energy wagons are now housed at the Foxfield Light Railway.

Taken from the window of the 4.10pm Neath Riverside to Brecon headed by 0-6-0 pannier tank No. 3768, this photograph shows Cradoc station  on 20th August 1962.  By its appearance, Cradoc was then an unstaffed halt and sadly neglected at that, with paintwork peeling and a grass-grown platform.  However, Great Western cast iron letters are still solidly screwed onto the station nameboard.  Once part of the Neath and Brecon Railway, Cradoc passed into Great Western ownership at the 1923 grouping of railways, when one considerable point of interest was its method of working.  In Neath and Brecon days, arrangements had been made from the 1880s for the Midland Railway (who controlled the nearby Swansea Valley Railway) to work all services and this was continued by its successor the LMS until the end of 1930.  In the good or bad old Victorian days, access to the black diamonds of the Welsh Valleys was eagerly sought and the Midland, via Hereford and Brecon, held on tight.  It is reasonable to assume that after 1930 the LMS thought twice for, like its near neighbour the Abergavenny Myrthyr line of the erstwhile LNWR, the Neath and Brecon’s passenger services outlived their freight, closing as from 15th October 1962  (Peter W.Gray.

 

Some Early Lines Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line

Some Early Lines

Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line

Aylesbury, around 1910 with a GCR local train. Originally part of the GWR’s Wycombe Railway from Maidenhead to Princes Risborough, with branches to Oxford and Aylesbury, the High Wycombe to Aylesbury section became part of the Great Western & Great Central Joint Railway in 1906  (spellerweb.net

The Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line is a rural branch line from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. The line is single track throughout with a maximum speed of 40 mph.

History

The line was built as a single track broad gauge branch of the Wycombe Railway in 1863. The branch became part of the Great Western Railway when the latter took over the Wycombe Railway in 1867. The GWR converted the line to standard gauge in 1870. The branch was incorporated into the newly formed Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway in 1906. Network SouthEast made the branch part of its Chiltern subdivision in the 1980s.

The Wycombe railway opened its 7½ mile branch from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury on 24 October 1864. On 27 May 1962 0-4-2T No. 1455 (84C) runs off the branch and enters Princes Risborough with the 2.25pm service from Aylesbury. (L.Sandler

Traffic

Passenger services are now operated by Chiltern Railways. The line is regularly used by freight services operated by Freightliner and DB Schenker. The trains, referred to as ‘binliners’, carry waste from London to a waste facility near the site of the former Great Central Railway station at Calvert. For this purpose, during Chiltern Railways’ Evergreen 2 project the line was resignalled with two new signals at Little Kimble, one for each direction of travel. These allow two trains to travel in the same direction, thus allowing a passenger service to follow the freight train or vice versa.Against the backdrop of the Chiltern Hills 0-4-2T No. 1455 (84C) approaches Princes Risborough on 10th June 1962 with the 2,22pm service from Aylesbury Town. (L.Sandler

There were three intermediate stations on the branch: Monks Risborough & Whiteleaf Halt (opened 11 November 1929), Little Kimble (opened 24 October 1864) and South Aylesbury Halt (opened 13 February 1933). On 3 June 1962 0-4-2T No. 1455 (84C) and autocoach ‘Thrush’ stand at Little Kimble with the 10.35am service from Aylesbury. South Aylesbury Halt was close to passengers on 5 June 1967. (L.Sandler

During the big freeze in 1963 the branch required the assistance of the Wycombe snow plough seen here on 21 January 1963 as driver Johnny Bloxham poses for the photographer alongside ‘5700’ 0-6-0PT No. 3622 and ‘2251’ class 0-6-0 No. 2289

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era 1908 – ‘Pacific’ Great Western Railway

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era

1908 – ‘Pacific’

Great Western Railway 

The engine as running in 1920.

This famous engine, No. 111 ‘The Great Bear’, was the sole representative of its class.  It was for many years the only main line ‘Pacific’ in the country, and although this type was later extensively used by the LMS, LNER and Southern Railways, it was never revived on the GWR.  It was the most powerful engine in the country in its day, but owing to its weight had to be restricted to  the main line between London and Bristol, and that was probably the reason why the class was never multiplied.  In 1924 it was rebuilt as a 4-6-0 of the ‘Castle’ class, and renamed ‘Viscount Churchill’.  In this form it lasted until 1953.

Driving wheels – 6’ 8½”,  Cylinders (4) 15”x 26”,  Pressure – 225 lb.,  Tractive effort – 29430 lb.,  Weight – 97¼ tons

Some Early Lines – Taunton – Barnstaple Line

Some Early Lines 

Taunton – Barnstaple Line

Barnstaple (Victoria Road) Station

View eastward, towards Taunton, from buffer-stops of disused terminus of former GWR line from Taunton, which also connected with the SR line at Barnstaple Junction until the line was closed entirely on 3/10/66. Meanwhile this station had been closed to passengers on 13/6/60 but to Goods (from Barnstaple Junction) not until 5/3/70.  © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

The beginning of October 1966 marked the closure of the Taunton – Barnstaple route which diverged at Norton Fitzwarren Junction. Over 45 years have passed since communities such as Wiveliscombe, Dulverton, Milverton and South Molten have been cut off from the mainline network. The line was built to Brunel’s broad gauge by the Devon and Somerset Railway and was opened through to Wiveliscombe on the 1st of November 1871. Heavy engineering further west slowed the progress of construction to Barnstaple delaying the completion of the route until June 1873.The line was later converted to standard gauge between 15th & 17th May 1881 and then, twenty years later, the Devon and Somerset Railway was bought by the Great Western Railway in whose ownership the line remained until nationalization in 1948.

A South Molton – Taunton freight crossing the River Exe near Dulverton on August 28^th, 1961.  (M.J.Fox

The Taunton to Barnstaple line must rank as one of the prettiest in the West Country. It runs through picturesque, thickly wooded scenery, and there are many impressive sights on the line. The most memorable being Filleigh Viaduct from which a magnificent view is obtained. The Taunton-Wiveliscombe section of the line was opened in 1871 and the Barnstaple section 2 years later. The reason for the closure is that, despite the change over 3 years ago, from the old steam engines to the modern diesels, the line has steadily lost passengers.

The 8.12am Barnstaple – Taunton wanders away from Wiveliscombe.  (M.J.Fox

TC Wolverhampton – Ilfracombe; 6363 leaving Dulverton on August 22, 1964.  (M.J.Fox

7333 climbs into the loop at Venn Cross with a Taunton – Barnstaple Junction freight in August, 1961.  (M.J.Fox

Barnstaple Town Station

View SE, towards Barnstaple Junction and Exeter; ex-London & South Western Exeter – Barnstaple Junction – Ilfracombe line, closed beyond Barnstaple Junction 5/10/70. Ex–Great Western trains via Taunton also ran to Ilfracombe until the line from Taunton was closed from 3/10/66, running to Barnstaple (Victoria Road) (SeeSS5632 : Barnstaple (Victoria Road) Station), joining the SR just south of Barnstaple Junction. In the foreground is the site of the terminus of the abandoned Lynton & Barnstaple narrow-gauge railway, closed 29/9/35.  © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.