On Shed May 2015 Edition

On Shed May 2015 Edition

Front Page

BR Delivery Service: Quorn Yard, Railways at Work, Sat 18 April 2015. (C) Allen Reed)

Contents:

Welcome..and news…
Steam Tube Photographic Highlights
Steam Tube Video Highlights
Steam Tube Blogs
100 Trains….the journey so far….
Tornado…The Story so far…
New & ReBuild News.
B & O Railroad Museum
TV A-Z Great Railway Engineers (T)
Mainline Steam Schedule
On This Day in History.
Radstock to Frome Railway Project
Christian Wolmar…
Around the World in 80 Railways. (No 58:)
WATTRAIN , APHTRO
30742 Charters
Railwayana

Welcome…. A warm welcome to this edition of “On Shed”.

Steam Tube can now report another milestone in its 6 years 3 months history.....1,500 members! And our ever growing library of videos(6,740), photographs (30,953) and blogs (384) surely has something for everyone to enjoy.


This month, Colin B Sanders enthuses on "The Railways of Great Britain - A Historical Atlas - Third Edition", and Dave Wilson, in his own inimitable style , has blogs with a musical feel... "Freight train blues" and "Sing a Song of Railways"....... The first title mentioned ("Freight Train Blues") is a touch ironic, given the news that West Coast Railways, a major mainline steam excursions operator has been suspended from the network by Network Rail following a SPAD incident at Wootton Bassett... (you can read the official report HERE), with the very real prospect of ORR revoking their licence.....More on this particular story will be forthcoming in the days ahead, no doubt.


But there is still plenty of action on the mainline, at heritage railways up and down the country...and elsewhere(China, Australia.....!) so, with cameras at the ready, please enjoy responsibly, the joys of steam railways!

Steam Tube Photographic Highlights

 

Steam Tube Video Highlights

 




Steam Tube Blogs
Toram Beg (Dave Wilson)

Toram Beg wasn’t a Glasgow man, (No.61994 The Great Marquess carries the Eastfield shed code), he was from Edinburgh, and worked on the footplate for the LNER. He worked at Haymarket MPD, at a time when when crew had their own engine, his was the A3 Pacific  LNER No.2796 Spearmint. Toram Beg was an ‘engineman’ in the finest sense of the term, running his train to time and with the minimum of effort was, for him, what it meant to be an engine driver. He looked after his engine, putting in his own time and energy to kept it ‘running sweet’ he wasn’t unique in this, many drivers, of this period, who had been assigned their own engines, looked after them with great care and attention.

Toram Beg, whose real name was Norman McKillop, ( Toram Beg is Wee Norman, in Gaelic), was also a prolific author and an active trade unionist, when he wasn’t on his engine. Toram Beg was Mckillop’s pen name for his regular contributions to the Locomotive Journal, the ASLEF magazine and to Trains Illustrated. Mckillop’s contribution to ASLEF went way beyond articles in the Journal – he penned an excellent history of the Union in his book The Lighted Flame. McKillop also penned a number of ‘railway books’ for a more general readership; How I became an Engine Driver and Ace Enginemen, were two of them.

I will leave you with this quote from the man himself, talking about safety on the footplate; ‘In this job a minute often means a mile …. And in your soul the time sense is born, never to leave it.’ McKillop, N. How I became an Engine Driver.

If youve enjoyed this post, please feel free to share: http://steamagedaydreams.co.uk/   - with friends, rail fans, or railway groups.

The Railways of Great Britain - A Historical Atlas - Third Edition (Colin B Sanders) 

I have just had delivery of the excellent atlas above which has just been reprinted.
Colonel M.H Cobbs masterpiece has been released again for all those people, like myself, who could not obtain an original copy after being shown on "Great British Railway Journeys" by Michael Portillo.
His son Patrick S Cobb has masterminded the operation to produce these two volumes within a slipcase; all of excellent quality. I just thought many people would not know this and may like to buy a copy.
…


Sing a song of railways(Dave Wilson)

I woke up this morning, like you do, and I thought, can I write an essay  using just pieces of lyrics or titles from railway songs I know? ‘While riding on a train going west’ ‘under bridges over bridges to our destination’ ‘He made the freight train boogie As he rolled down the line’. ‘It takes a lot to laugh it takes a train to cry’ ‘Chattanoooga-choo-choo’. ‘Time flies by when you’re the driver of a train, speeding out of Trumpton with a cargo of cocaine’. ‘This old engine makes it on time Leaves Central Station at a quarter to nine’.

‘Its hell on a plate it’s a funeral freight, oh Johnny It’s the end of a dream in steel and steam, oh Johnny’. ‘I got sheep, I got Cows I got horses I got pigs I got all livestock I got all livestock’. ‘Coal in the boiler burning up bright Rolling and a-rocking through the night’ ‘Freight train was it taught me how to cry The holler of the driver was my lullaby’

‘Hey, look a-yonder comin’ Comin’ down that railroad track’ ‘It’s the 06.05 Special’ ‘The boiler was filled with lager beer The devil himself was the engineer The passengers were most a motley crew’ ‘In the cutting, through the tunnel, Rushing clanking on the track‘. ‘This train don’t carry no Gamblers Liars, thieves, nor big shot ramblers This train is bound for Glory This train.’ ‘John Henry told his captain
“Lord a man ain’t noth’ but a man” ‘

Freight train blues(Dave Wilson)

Here in Britain we have never really had a tradition of using the railway to ‘hitch’ a ride – no hobo’s riding our rails. Here, the freight train blues were all imported, like the sound of a chime whistle blowing across a darkening prairie or echoing from some mountain gorge – they had a familiar ring,  but were, unquestionably, from another world.

Very close to where this photograph was taken, lie the towns of Coalville and Ashby, in between them is the village of Swannington, from which, in 1830, opened a line to Leicester – the Leicester & Swannington Railway. The L&S, which came into being, primarily, as the result of corporate rivalry between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire mine owners, was only the 5th line to be opened in Britain; it was up and running before such luminaries as the London & Birmingham.

The Leicester & Swannington has, perhaps, a more important claim to  fame and a world first, according to legend. Shortly after the line opened, there was a collision between a train, hauled by the locomotive ‘Samson’, and a horse and cart, loaded with eggs and butter, bound for the market in Leicester. This incident, prompted the line’s manager, a Mr. Bagster, to suggest the engines be fitted with steam whistles, to prevent such an event from happening again.

So the next time you hear that prairie whistle wail and that old blues man sing about ‘Box car Willie’ – remember the Leicester & Swannington – who gave us ‘the south bound whistle – on the south bound train’.

The locomotive, BR Standard Class 2MT 2-6-0, No. 78019 is photographed, near Loughborough, on the GCR, hauling one of the putative ‘windcutter’ services during a Gala event.

If youve enjoyed this post, please feel free to share: http://steamagedaydreams.co.uk/   - with friends, rail fans, or railway groups.

100 Trains….the journey so far….

I now need YOUR help to continue this project. Be part of it! The original journey was self-funded. However, as all personal funds have been swallowed up by living expenses and medical bills over the last 15 months, this final leg is being funded by YOU (the Friends of 100 Trains). If you would like to support this project, and be recognised for doing so, please Become a “Friend of 100 Trains” today.   So what do you get for your £25? (less than USD$40) Twitter Retweets (RT): All of your own future tweets will be RT’d by: @UKHotelNetwork (over 18,000 followers); @100trains (over 6,000 followers); and @hotrev (almost 5,000 followers). SEO: Where applicable, direct links will be made to your website, Facebook & Twitter pages from our Friends of 100Trains page.

100 Trains. Be part of it.

Become a Friend £25.00 GBPFriend (inc. logo) £100.00 GBP

*Paypal will convert to your currency of choice.        A million thanks! Now, All Aboard!

Tornado…The Story so far…

Steam Tube’s Log of Tornado’s Career to date

Where to travel Please keep an eye on this page for the annual diary of Tornado’s 2015 mainline tours plus her preserved railway visits. More details will be published on this website as more trains are finalised (contact details for the rail tour companies and preserved lines appear at the bottom of the page)

30th May – ‘The Cumbrian Fells Express’ Britsol to Appleby and return (Tornado, Crewe – Appleby – Crewe) – Pathfinder

2nd June – ‘The White Rose’ King’s Cross to York with D9009 Alycidon and return with Tornado – UK Railtours

4th June – The Railway Children Special – Belmond British Pullman

10th July – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

22nd July – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

8th August – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

11th August – 2nd September – Nene Valley Railway – full details here.

11th September – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

23rd September – London Victoria to Bristol and return – Belmond British Pullman

6th November – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

8th December – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

12th December – Surrey Hills Excursion – Belmond British Pullman

31st December – ‘St. Mungo Anniversary Tour’ York to Newcastle and return – A1SLT

The Trust respectfully requests that anyone wanting to see Tornado follows the rules of the railway and only goes where permitted.

Please carefully check Tornado’s dates of operation and services on the preserved lines visits using the relevant website links below as actual dates and times of operation may vary from the above shown.

Belmond British Pullman

Tel: 020 3117 1300020 3117 1300

Web: www.belmond.com/british-pullman-train

Nene Valley Railway

Tel: 01780 78444401780 784444

Web: www.nvr.org.uk

Pathfinder Tours

Tel: 01453 83541401453 835414

Web: www.pathfindertours.co.uk

UK Railtours

Tel: 01438 71505001438 715050

Web: www.ukrailtours.com

New & ReBuild News.(Hengist, Unknown Warrior.. Miller Project)

Latest progress on P2’s Facebook page…..

Hengist: Latest news at http://www.72010-hengist.org/

On Shed May 2015 Edition