ISSUE No.5 - WINTER 2022
The history periodical for students of the GWR and BR(W) ISSUE No.5 - WINTER 2022
ISSUE No.5 - WINTER 2022
ISSUE No.5 - WINTER 2022
Contents Introduction
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Putting Marlborough on the Railway The Daylight 47s:
by Michael Barnsley
From the Archives of R C Riley
Temperance on the Broad Gauge
by Amyas Crump
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West Country Clay Traffic - Part 1: China Clay in Cornwall by Stuart Malthouse
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From the Archives: 0-4-0 Saddle Tank - No.96
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Modernising the Western: Reading Diesel Depot
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Over Junction Signal Box
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by Michael Jackson
The Hawksworth Coaches - Part 1: Main Line Stock
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Book Review
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Holiday Haunts
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Recycling Great Western Style
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The Great Western Trust (GWT) - Bulletin No.4
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The Guard’s Compartment
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WESTERN TIMES
4707: From the famous Southall footbridge, No. 4707 makes a fine sight at the head of the 1.15 pm Saturdays Only Paddington-Kingswear on 10 August 1957. The load would appear to comprise 12 or 13 coaches of which the first three are a Collett All Third (possibly a bow ender), a Sunshine, and then a Hawksworth-era vehicle, The remainder appear to be BR Mark 1s except for the seventh whose profile is just discernible as that of a GWR Dining Car. Obviously OOC had that day run short of TRN plates as the “1” of “149” has been fashioned out of a partially masked, inverted “7”. This engine had moved to Southall from St Philips Marsh in November 1955. (RCR 11066). 4708: GWR stands for Great Western Resurgent in this view of No. 4708 (OOC) as it heads the 1.35 pm Saturdays Only 1.35 pm Paddington-Penzance ‘The Royal Duchy’ away from the London terminus on 30 August 1958 (departure time was 1.30 pm on weekdays). It is a shame about the stock as it is all BR Mark 1 and most un-Great Western like in forming a matched set but redemption lies in the chocolate-and-cream livery. The 47s often appeared on summer passenger trains to the West, allowing the then unique sight of eight-coupled locomotives on such duties. (RCR 12664).
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TEMPERANCE ON THE BROAD GAUGE AMYAS CRUMP he demise of the Great Western's broad gauge T system 130 years ago (excluding the LostwithielFowey branch which though dormant at that time,
With all the ensuing drama that a Victorian melodrama could muster, the story ended in a mighty crash. Of the small series of magic lantern slides made to illustrate the story, the principal locomotive is clearly based quite closely on a Gooch 8' single, with archetypal chimney and safety valve cover, and with the domeless boiler covered with iron lagging rather than wood, as did the originals starting with Courier in 1848.
survived a few years longer and indeed is still operational today) remains worthy of note. Of course, there were other lines that operated on gauges wider than 4’ 8½”, but it was Brunel's 7’ 0¹⁄�” system that really captured the public imagination and gave rise to train speeds unknown elsewhere. Swindon Works also made its mark, and produced its first loco Great Western in 1846 as the father of many large single driving wheel designs running through to the days of Churchward. Following on from Great Western came the much celebrated Iron Duke class of 1847.
It was Lord of the Isles that was exhibited when new at the Great Exhibition of 1851, and as pride of the line worked a pre-opening day directors’ special over the Birmingham route, tragically running into the rear of a local train at Aynho. Perhaps it was a contemporary illustration of the accident that gave inspiration to the Rev Macrae's illustrator? Lord of the Isles worked until June 1884, remaining at Swindon until broken up finally in 1906.
It was perhaps a curious choice of locomotive for an Iron Duke to appear as an illustration in a temperance tale titled The Railway Chase by the Rev D Macrae of Auchterarder in the Scottish Highlands, which described the dire consequences of the demon drink. Driver Campbell 'had had another taste of drink' and Fireman Blacklock's betrothed, Jenny, was a passenger on the train.
For background information, the author is indebted to The Magic Lantern Society Readings Library, and RCTS Locomotives of the GWR Part Two.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES:
0-4-0 SADDLE TANK - No. 96 he Chester and Birkenhead Railway opened on T 23 September 1840 to connect those two towns. In July 1847, the CBR amalgamated with the Birkenhead, Lancashire & Cheshire Junction Railway under that title and a line from Chester to Walton, a junction on the London & North Western near Warrington was completed in December 1850. The company’s title was changed to plain ‘Birkenhead Railway’ on 1 August 1859 and the undertaking was purchased jointly by the LNWR and the GWR on 1 January 1860. At time of takeover, the Birkenhead’s fleet totalled 42 locomotives which were equally divided between the new owners. Two goods locomotives that were on order were taken into GWR stock in 1861. The 23 engines thus acquired by the GWR were numbered 95 to 116/ 118. Sharp Stewart built a pair of identical 0-4-0 saddle tanks for the Chester and Birkenhead Railway. No. 39 was built in September 1856 and No. 6 about November 1857. They were christened Cricket and Grasshopper but it is uncertain which name related to which engine. On acquisition by the GWR, they were renumbered: 6 to 95 and 39 to 96, and the names were removed. When built, the dome was mounted on the firebox and the tank covered the barrel only. The footplate
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lacked any form of weather protection and access was only possible from the left-hand side. No. 96 was fitted with new cylinders in June 1871. More rebuilding followed at Wolverhampton in December 1888 with the fitting of a new boiler, a centrally placed dome and a saddle tank that extended forward over the smokebox. The replacement chimney was more modestly proportioned but there was still no way on board from the righthand side. Weather protection of a sort was provided and the engine remained in that condition for the remainder of its career with withdrawal in November 1935. Allowing for the early confusion over identity, No 96 worked for 78 or 79 years. Reportedly, it was a Northern Division engine for most of its career. The Great Western had a significant interest in harbour facilities, especially after the Grouping and a variety of dock shunters was owned down the years. No 96 was an obscure example and comparatively unusual in having inside-cylinders. ‘Dumb’ buffers (i.e. timber blocks) were mounted at both ends for most of its career but the later photograph reveals a concession to modernity with conventional buffers at the rear. The recorded weight distributions (original and as rebuilt) appear strange but can be explained by the amount of rear body overhang.
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Leading Dimensions: Boiler Barrel - length - inside diameter Firebox - inside length Heating Surfaces - tubes - firebox Grate [sq ft] Boiler Pressure Cylinders Tractive Effort [lb - 85%] Wheel Diameter Wheelbase Weight [tons] - total - maximum axle loading Water Capacity (gallons)
As Built
Rebuilt 1881
9’ 9” 3’ 7” 3’ 6”
9’ 10” 3’ 7” 3’ 4”
545 60 n/a n/a 14” x 18” 4’ 0” 7’ 2”
829 60 9.4 140 14¹⁄�” x ¹⁸” 16,080 4’ 0” 7’ 2”
19.35 13.45 (rear) n/a
25.85 15.75 (rear) 490
The Northern Division seems traditionally to have received less attention than operations further south. The editorial team would welcome contributions that describe the GWR’s more far flung corners. 39
HOLIDAY HAUNTS he term ‘Holiday Haunts’ is uniquely T synonymous with the GWR having been adopted in 1906 as a promotional slogan and was
believe that any company would give money away for nothing! ‘Nobody can expect to be paid for work that is not done …..they are trying to trick us, just you wait and see!’ Consequently when his turn came for annual leave he had absolutely refused to accept it, saying that ‘he could not afford to be without a week’s wages.’ This response may have been typical of others and if so, it implied that the company was perhaps less-than considerate towards the wages of staff in the past, despite a job on the GWR meaning lifetime employment, a retirement pension and a certain amount of unpaid leave.
the title of the publication that advocated travel to resorts served by the company. Its release coincided with inauguration that year of the shortened West of England route via Castle Cary and also the opening of Fishguard Harbour. Access to the west was also improved with commencement of through services from the Midlands by way of Honeybourne and Cheltenham. With opening of the ‘Badminton line’ which brought Wales closer to London a few years earlier, 1906 represented the zenith of the GWR’ s network expansion. This massive investment had to be financed and enhanced income through encouragement of leisure travel was one means to that end so the GWR’s publicity machine moved up a gear.
The growing demand for accommodation at coastal and inland resorts stimulated the era of holiday boarding houses. These establishments were targets for promotion in Holiday Haunts and station masters and canvassers were required to call upon them to sell the advantages of advertising in the publication as a means of expanding their businesses. The publication appeared every Easter and its effectiveness in filling a pressing market need was apparent when four years after launch annual sales exceeded 100,000 copies. Publication continued until 1916 by when unit sales had fallen for obvious reasons; Richard Burdett Wilson recorded sales for that year as about 50,000. When publication resumed in 1921, circulation was 40,000 but thereafter volumes revived. Circa 1930 the page count was around 1,000 sides with a print run of 200,000 copies. The years of Depression would result in a fall in annual sales (1932 less than 124,000 copies) followed by steady recovery (1935 – 150,000 copies & 1938 – 172,000).
At the time, many workers lacked entitlement to a paid holiday so the notion of ‘going away for a break’ was novel. It would be 1938 before one week’s paid holiday became an obligation upon employers through the ‘Holidays with Pay’ Act although even then this ‘generosity’ evoked suspicion in some. Behind the Steam by Bill Morgan and Bette Meyrick (Hutchinson & Co. 1973/ Firecrest, Chivers Press 1988/ KRB Publications 2003), a useful chronicle of GWR staff reminiscences includes an account of the new legislation’s reception at Neyland shed: ‘…we had all been delighted with an entire week off work every year.’ All that is, except Joe Jenkins [shed labourer] who had stubbornly refused to Left: Front cover of the 1931 guide for public sale. Holiday Haunts was one of a series of GWR guides produced for Ireland, Devon, Cornwall etc. These publications ignored locations beyond GWR territory; Ireland was justified as the rail journey and the Fishguard ferry involved GWR travel. These publications’ success in attracting passengers (‘customers’ for hotels and boarding houses) induced other railway companies to follow suit with their own similar publications some years after the GWR. Painting by D Penty. Right: An image that typifies the output of the GWR Publicity Department in the 1930s, as Collett ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 No. 6025 King Henry III majestically hauls a Holiday Haunts Express westwards. Handbills were produced together with carriage window labels for ‘the Holiday Haunts expresses’ which ran early each year from key conurbations to the West Country to enable customers check up on suitable locations for their Summer holiday. The location is Reading West and the date is Easter Sunday, 21 April 1935. Maurice Earley.
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ISSUE No.5 - WINTER 2022