Canal News – IWA Award for 60 Years at the London Boat Show

John Fevyer, for IWA, receives the award from National Boat Show Chairman, Peter Gordon.  Image Copyright onEdition 2014©

PRESS RELEASE: IWA Award for 60 Years at the London Boat Show

Issue date: 7th January 2014

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has received a special award from the organisers for its loyal attendance at the London Boat Show. IWA was a founder exhibitor when the event was first launched 60 years ago, and hasn’t missed a year since.

The show is an opportunity for IWA to promote the use, maintenance and restoration of Britain’s inland waterways as well as the Association’s specific campaigns. Although the Boat Show is primarily aimed at the offshore sea-going boater, it was once the only national show of its kind, and has enabled IWA to encourage thousands of newcomers to canal and inland rivers over the years, and well as being a recruitment source for hundreds of IWA members. IWA’s stand has long been an important attraction for the show – providing the principal focus for information on inland boating.

The stand is organised and run by a dedicated team of IWA volunteers, mostly from the London area, who build the stand in the days running up to the show, man it throughout the time the show is open, and then dismantle everything afterwards. In past years, this has frequently meant overcoming blizzard weather conditions to get there! This enables the stand to produce a surplus for the Association each year.

The London Boat Show, which always takes place in January, features a wide range of boats, inside the venue as well as a display of tall boats and other vessels in the Royal Victoria Dock immediately outside the exhibition centre. ExCeL also hosts a dedicated marina and a naval ship (either a destroyer or frigate).

The first London Boat Show was held at Olympia in 1954, before the event moved to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in 1957 following growth in attendance. The event then moved to ExCeL in 2004 and included a Watersports Action Pool, which showcased smaller craft such as dinghies, kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards.

London Boat Show 2014

The 2014 London Boat Show is Europe’s first boat show of the year.

The 60^th boat show to be held in London brings thousands of boats, brands, products and suppliers under one roof for nine days.

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era 1907 – Marsh 4-4-2T London, Brighton & South Coast Railway

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era

1907 – Marsh 4-4-2T

London, Brighton & SouthCoast Railway

No. 22 as originally built

In 1907 D. Earle Marsh built the first of a very fine series of express tank engines for the Brighton main line.  The importance of this design lay in the fact that they were practically the first main line locomotives in the country to be fitted with high degree superheaters.

The first of the new engines, No. 21, was built as a saturated engine, the superheater being added later, but Nos. 22-6, which appeared in 1908-9, came out with Schmidt superheaters.  For comparative purposes the next six, Nos. 27-30, 75 and 76 were also non-superheated to begin with, but the apparatus was fitted to the rest of the class, Nos.77-91, built between 1910 and 1913, when new.

An important series of trials took place in 1908, which had considerable influence on the subsequent locomotive practice in this country.  The experiment consisted of working the ‘Sunny South Express’, which was a through train between Brighton and the North, throughout between the former place and Rugby alternately by a North Western ‘Precursor’ and one of the Brighton tanks, instead of changing engines at Willesden.  Each locomotive stayed overnight at the other Company’s shed, returning the next day.  LBSCR engines used were Nos. 23 and 26, and the LNWR locomotive was No.7 ‘Titan’.  The results of the tests, which lasted a month, showed a considerable economy in both coal and water consumption for the Brighton, which, notwithstanding its being a tank engine, with a coal capacity of only three tons, it was found could make the full round trip of 264 miles between Brighton and Rugby without refuelling.  Moreover, the LBSCR engine could run the ninety miles between Croydon and Rugby without taking water, which ‘Titan’ had to do at Willesden.  The load was about 250 tons.  The results of these tests were conclusive enough to influence locomotive design on all other major Companies, and after a year or two, superheating not only became standard equipment as a matter of course for new express engines, but also became to be applied widely to older existing types.  It has never become practice to apply it universally to smaller shunting engines, where its benefits are comparatively negligible.

The Brighton tanks, known as Class I 3, performed fine work on the main line for many years, taking their turn on the ‘Southern Belle’ and other fast expresses to Brighton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth, until displaced by electrification, after which they were relegated to less spectacular duties.  Many of them finished up at Tunbridge Wells, working stopping trains on the Oxted line.  They became SR Nos. 2012-30 and 2075-91 at the grouping, and all except No. 2024 lasted until Nationalisation days, in most cases to have 30000 added to their numbers.  The last to remain in service was No. 32091, withdrawn in 1952.

No.21 – Driving wheels – 6’ 9”,  Cylinders – 19”x 26”,  Pressure – 180 lb.,  Tractive effort – 17730,  Weight – 75½ tons

Nos. 22-30, 75-81 – Driving wheels – 6’ 7½”,  Cylinders – 20”x 26”,  Pressure – 180 lb.,  Tractive effort – 20015,  Weight – 76 tons

Nos. 82-91 – Driving wheels – 6’ 7½”,  Cylinders – 21”x 26”,  Pressure – 180 lb.,  Tractive effort – 22065,  Weight – 76 tons

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway – Announcing the Thames – Ecclesboune Express

Wirksworth, Idridgehay, Duffield, London St. Pancras Special.

Photo – Flickr/asw909

On Saturday 26th November a special two part train is running to London.

Departing Wirksworth at 07.15 and Idridgehay at 07.33, it is running to Duffield where passengers will cross over to the main line platform where East Midlands Trains will make a special stop on one of their London express services, departing at 08.07 and arriving at London St. Pancras at 10.06.

The return service will depart London at 18.25, arrive Duffield at 20.25 and after a quick change of train, arrive Idridgehay at 20.42 and Wirksworth at 21.00.

There is one set of fares for all stations:  The Adult Standard Return will cost £58.00, with a First Class option at £88.00.  Child, Senior, Student and Disabled Railcard holders pay £41.00 Standard Class and £61.00 First.

This is a very exciting new development for all at Eclesbourne and it is hoped to be the first of many.  Thanks to the great team at East Midlands Trains, passengers from Wirksworth, Idridgehay and Duffield will be able to go Christmas shopping in London without having to use their cars!

Tickets are limited and are expected to sell very quickly.  If you would like to learn more or book on line, go to the website:  http://www.e-v-r.com