'Tyseley 100'

On the 28th and 29th June 2008 Tyseley Depot celebrated the 100th anniversary of its opening by holding 'Tyseley 100'. The event also raised funds for the charity The Railway Children. The original Great Western locomotive depot is now split into two sites - Tyseley Locomotive Works (a subsidiary of Birmingham Railway Museum Trust) dedicated to railway preservation and the Depot run by London Midland which maintains modern Diesel Multiple Units. The two sites were re-joined for 'Tyseley 100' and I made a brief visit on the Saturday.

I was a working volunteer at Birmingham Railway Museum for a number of years. I was a 'late starter' in railway preservation, but I joined the 'Lion' supporters group, the Old Locomotive Committee in time to accompany the venerable locomotive on a number of her visits around the country, including two which 'Lion' made to Birmingham Railway Museum. During these visits, one of the OLCO members let on about my interest in railway signalling. Since the Museum's plans were well advanced for building a new demonstration line incorporating a Great Western signalbox (relocated from Holesmouth Junction), new recruits were being actively recruited. And so I trained as a Guard and Shunter, helped out a bit on the signalling side and passed out as a Signalman. When Driving Experience Courses proved so popular at the Museum, there was heavy demand for people who could tell the trainees a bit about shunting, signalling and, with the benefit of a number of a number of locomotives under restoration to study, the principles of locomotive engineering. I served in this capacity for a while and then gravitated to Instructor Driver on the 'Little Engines' used on the Driving Experience Courses - locomotives like 'Henry', 'Cadbury No. 1' and occasionally one of the 'Panniers'. After some more experience, I was passed out on the 'Big Engines', initially 'Defiant' or 'Clun Castle' but later we had all sorts of visiting engines.

I haven't been active at Birmingham Railway Museum for a number of years so 'Tyseley 100' provided an irresistible opportunity to renew old acquaintances, both human and mechanical. I was delighted to see so many of the people I used to work with (and a few of the people who'd been on Driving Experience Courses with me) still going strong.

There was an impressive line-up of steam around the turntable, but photographic opportunities were rather limited whilst I was there because of the crush of visitors. 5029 'Nunney Castle' stood next to 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' (in primer but looking a lot more presentable than the last time I saw her). 7029 'Clun Castle' (shown in the heading photograph) was alongside 4936 'Kinlet Hall' and 4965 'Rood Ashton Hall' (thought to be 'Albert Hall' for years). The first two of the Tyseley Trio of Panniers (7752, 7760) were side-by-side on the turntable. The third member of the troupe (9600) was was giving rides on the demonstration line. Just for good measure, Pannier 9466 pottered about with a short freight train (More pictures of 9466 at Shackerstone).

A lot of interest was caused by the 'Puffing Billy' replica from Beamish Open Air Museum which was giving rides on the short track parallel to the demonstration line.

All very positive. I was less happy to see 'Kolhapur' on display but not in steam and looking a little careworn - this engine had been a particular favourite of mine. 'Cadbury No. 1' is also awaiting its turn for attention and looks rather sad. It was disappointing to see the 'Bloomer' replica in the works, still awaiting completion. The original intention had been to get this tribute to McConnell's famous 2-2-2 design ready for the 150th celebrations of the opening of the London & Birmingham Railway. I hope she'll be operating in time for 175th anniversary, because I'm not likely to be around for the 200-year celebrations!

Over at the London Midland Depot, a big effort had been made to welcome visitors with a line of portable toilets next to a 2-coach buffet, a number of trade stands, children's entertainments and an impressive collection of preserved diesel and electric traction in the outside yard. I found a couple of tempting new and secondhand railway bookstalls and so, agreeing with Oscar Wilde's dictum that "the only thing to do with temptation is give in to it" (at least in connection with the purchase of books), I staggered away from the site with three loaded carrier bags of books.

An immense amount of work is involved in arranging this type of gala and all those participating are to be congratulated on their efforts.

I travelled back via Birmingham Moor Street, where there was a small 'Railway Fayre' to celebrate 100 years of the North Warwickshire Line. There's a short piece on the history of Birmingham New Street here.

My pictures of 'Tyseley 100'.

Stafford Station in the 'Fifties

My very incomplete diagram from 1955.

In 1955, I made the occasional journey by rail from Wolverhampton to Stafford. The station was very different then. Approaching from the South, the Stour Valley and Trent Valley Lines merged at Stafford No. 1, a long L&NWR signal box with a brick base. Continuing North under the road bridge carrying the Wolverhampton-Stafford road, there were then extensive sidings on both the Down and Up sides. On the Up side, there was a smaller L&NWR box dealing with the Up yard, Stafford No. 2. There was extensive shunting and trip work and a 3F 'Standard Shunt' could usually be seen fussing about.

The Up and Down sidings made various connections with the four main running lines which were paired by use just South of the road bridge carrying the Stafford-Newport road. Stafford No. 4, another L&NWR signal box, was situated South of this road bridge, in between the two pairs of two running lines. Subsequently, this signalbox was replaced by a B.R. Standard design on the Up side which remains in use.

The station itself had typical L&NWR architecture with a large overall roof in the main part of the station and canopies carried over the tracks on the main platforms. Buildings were imposing, blue-brick affairs with fairly simple but elegant detailing. All of this was swept away during the Manchester and Euston A.C. Electrification but the arrangements which still remain at Crewe are similar to the old Stafford.

My contemporary diagram above is very incomplete, but clarifies the arrangement of platforms. Then, as now, there were two through roads for the non-stop trains with loops serving up and down platforms. Both platforms had bays at the North and South ends. The Down platform was an island, with an additional loop line to the West serving platform 6. In the middle of this loop, there were connections with the pair of by-pass lines to the West which allowed two trains to stand at platform 6. The by-pass lines were principally used by freight trains. The by-pass lines, the connections to platform 6 and the connections to the cramped Stafford Motive Power Depot were all controlled by another L&NWR signal box, Stafford No. 6. The connections at the North end of the station were controlled by Stafford No. 5, a modern brick-built affair with a L.M.S. or B.R. frame on the side away from the running lines. The M.P.D. building is still in use, heavily adapted as industrial premises. Stafford No. 5 remains a signal box.

There were four main lines going North to Crewe - the Down and Up Slow to the West, Down and Up Fast to the East. Two branches diverged at Stafford No. 5. The one to the West went to Wellington which, at the time, still enjoyed a passenger service, usually compartment stock in the hands of Fowler 2-6-4 tanks. The branch to the East survived as far as Stafford Common. It originally extended to Uttoxeter but, by the mid '50s, I think it had been truncated and only served the large R.A.F. depot just outside the town. I remember watching 'Standard Shunts' on trip workings over this branch.

A barrow crossing was provided at the South end of the station to allow station staff to move parcels between the up and down platforms. The sounding of an electric bell heralded the approach of a through train as a warning to staff using the crossing. The passage of a non-stop on the through lines was impressive - the noise was deafening and the whole area shook with vibration.

A visit to Stafford afforded the opportunity to see a host of 'Named Trains' which had come down the Trent Valley. Today, it seems rather quaint (if delightful) to give important services a name. The locomotive carried a headboard displaying the name of the service and the destination boards on the coaches (long wooden boards carried in brackets above the windows on each coach) usually carried the name. The last coach of any express was fitted with a gangway board to close-off the unused corridor connection (preventing the interior from getting dirty) but the rear of the 'Royal Scot' enjoyed a special gangway board with a tartan background and the name of the service displayed!

Many of the 'crack' trains were hauled by 'Princess' and 'Princess Coronation' locomotives, very rarely seen on the Stour Valley Line or in the West Midlands at the time. Later, as steam was withdrawn and locomotives were 'cascaded' to less-important routes, Stanier Pacifics became a common sight on the 'Stour'.

My interest was in signalling and general railway operation - I had never collected engine numbers, but I occasionally wrote down a few numbers as a guide to what was rostered on various trains. My diagram above has a short list from one visit.

44962: This 'Black 5' was noted facing South in Platform 2 (the Up side bay at the South end). It was fairly common to find a locomotive here: I wonder if it was policy to keep a spare engine here to assist an Up train in difficulty?
45041: Another 'Black 5'. No details, but these engines could be found doing anything, anywhere.
45555: A '5X', 'Quebec', probably on express passenger duty.
41213: Ivatt's Class 2 'Moguls' were popular, economical engines, often used for parcels traffic.
46201: One of Stanier's first batch of 'Pacifics', 'Princess Elizabeth' was almost certainly on one of the non-stop expresses.
42886: Hughes big 'Moguls' were odd-looking engines, with their high, angled cylinders (which may be the source of their nickname 'Crabs'), but they did the job, on passenger or freight. This one was on an Up Stour Valley passenger

There's a note about the passing 'Emerald Isle Express', but it appears that the engine name has been mis-read. I think the locomotive was probably 'Patriot' class 45541, 'Duke of Sutherland'.

My diagram above only shows one signal - an elderly L&NWR lower quadrant wooden-post survivor I particularly admired which controlled trains leaving the Up side bays at the South end of the station. Each road has a full-size arm (reading to the Up Main) and two miniature arms (reading to the two up goods loops). There's a bit of a mystery because photographs exist (see 'Books' below) showing distant arms below the full-size arm so maybe my original sketch is in error.

An earlier official plan of Stafford station. Click on image to enlarge.

Much later, I discovered an earlier official plan (shown above) which shows Stafford No. 5 box as the original L. & N. W. R. structure on the Up side.

By 1962, electrification was in progress and there's a post about this period in 'Sunday Stroll to Stafford'.

Books:

For more detailed layouts of Stafford in this period, refer to the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's'. Stafford is included in 'Volume 1: ex-LNWR main line, Euston to Crewe' (ISBN: 1 873228 00 7).

For details of the layout of Stafford in 2005, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West', Second Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 0-9549866-0-1). The First Edition of this book was published by Quail in 1988.

The thoroughly useful book 'A Pictorial Record of L.N.W.R. Signalling', Oxford Publishing (SBN: 86093 147 1) includes, as Plate 7.15, a picture of the elderly signal mentioned above.

'Scenes from the Past: 22 - Railways in and around Stafford', Foxline (ISBN: 1 870119 27 4) is a splendid record of Stafford over the years.

'Steam around Stafford', Sutton Publishing (ISBN: 0-7509-2368-7) is another excellent record of railways in the area, including (page 103) a picture of the elderly signal mentioned above.

[Additional material added December 2011]

L&NWR Block Signalling Instruments

I've always thought the Fletcher Double Needle Combined Block Signalling Instrument produced by Fletcher for the London & North Western Railway (illustrated above) an elegant and practical solution to the problem of the safe handling of trains using the block system.

Background: Railways were one of the first users of the electric telegraph to allow communication over long distances. The Single Needle Telegraph was based around a Polarised Galvanometer where an electric current flowing through a coil under the influence of a permanent magnet caused the movement of an armature carrying a pointer. Current in one direction deflected the pointer to the left, current in the opposite direction produced a deflection to the right. The current was produced by two batteries, connected to the galvanometer by pressing one of two keys.

A complete system required an instrument similar to the photograph above at each of two stations. The two instruments were interconnected by a single telegraph wire - the earth could serve as a return to complete the circuit. Batteries at each station allowed the two black keys at the base of the instrument to deflect the needles of both the local and remote instruments left or right, as desired. By rapidly generating a series of left and right swings, each letter of the alphabet could be represented, using the code printed on the dial visible in the picture above. Transmitting successive letters allowed words and complete messages to be generated. The telegraph quickly became a vital part of the commercial management of railway systems. It also paved the way for a system of train control on double lines so succesful that it remains in use today.

Requirements of the Absolute Block System: The Block System divides each line into sections extending from one signalman to the next. Only one train is allowed in each 'block section' at a time so as to avoid collisions. The block signalling equipment must allow adjacent signalmen to communicate so that the signalman in advance can, when requested, give the necessary permission to the signalman in the rear for each train to approach. This is done by the exchange of simple coded messages using single-stroke electric bells. In addition, there should be a continuous indication to both signalmen as to the current state of the section, occupied or clear. This is done using galvanometers as described above. Some systems used a non-polarised galvanometer with just two positions (Line Clear/Train on Line). The advantage of using the polarised galvanometer was that three distinct conditions could be indicated (Line Closed/Line Clear/Train on Line).

Use of Block Indicator/Bell/Block Indicator: Spagnoletti on the Great Western Railway developed successful equipment based on these principles, based on three separate wooden-cased units - a single-stroke bell, a block indicator with two keys and a block indicator without keys. A double track line between two signal boxes required a bell (used for trains in both directions), an indicator with keys (used for trains approaching) and an indicator without keys (used for trains departing) at each box. The keys in a telegraph system were pressed and released quickly but in the block indicator, a peg was provided which could be inserted so as to hold one key pressed for 'Line Clear', the other key pressed for 'Train on Line' or be removed for 'Line Closed'. The signalman in advance controlled the pegging of the keys and the signalman in the rear observed the block indicator without keys. From these origins, the two types of block indicators were called 'pegging' or 'non-pegging'.

Many railways continued to use the separate Block Indicator/Bell/Block Indicator arrangement. The picture below shows three demonstration Midland Railway units on the Battlefield Line arranged Block Indicator/Bell/Block Indicator. In this case, both indicators are 'pegging' instruments (although the two keys with a peg have developed into a 3-position rotary switch called a 'commutator'). In a real double-track situation, one block instrument would be 'non-pegging'.

Development of the Combined Instrument: However, in a large box, this Block Indicator/Bell/Block Indicator arrangement used up a lot of space on the block shelf. Fletcher produced for the L&NWR the 'Combined' instrument illustrated at the top of this post where the Bell, the Non-pegging Block Indicator and the Pegging Block Indicator (with its associated Commutator) were grouped into a well-proportioned unit. The commutator was arranged as a double-pole reversing switch so that a single battery could be used to produce the opposite polarities required for 'Line Clear' and 'Train on Line'. The design incorporated a number of features making the unit reliable and secure. More pictures.

Variations: The basic design appeared in a number of variations. One of the more common was the 'Permissive' instrument. On a permissive line, more than one train can be allowed into a block section, subject to certain safeguards. This was often done on Goods Lines. The permissive 'pegging' instrument incorporated a mechanical reminder of the number of trains currently in the section. Pressing the spring-loaded plunger on the right hand side of the unit would allow the commutator to be turned clockwise (to add a train) or anti-clockwise (as a train cleared the section) and the glazed window above the commutator would indicate the appropriate number. The 'More pictures' link above shows a permissive instrument formerly in used at Watery Lane signalbox.

As well as the Double Needle ('DN') pattern for double track, there were Single Needle patterns for use in appropriate situations. The 'Third Line' from Sedgeley Junction to Dudley East was such a situation.

The most unusual situation I came across was the Up & Down Goods Line between Deepfields and Spring Vale. Here, a single line carried traffic in both directions. Special 'pegging' instruments with separate 'Up' and 'Down' block indicators were provided at each signal box, but electrical interlocks ensured that only one box could give 'Line Clear' at a time. I made some partial notes back in 1964 but didn't get an opportunity to study the arrangement in detail. Sorry!

Deepfields in Detail

In an earlier post I introduced Deepfields signal box. Here's the simplified box diagram:-

The official signal box diagram was mounted in a glazed wooden frame and suspended above the equipment on the block shelf from the roof. My simplified diagram (dating from 1961) omits some of the information which appeared on the official box diagram, such as the gradient profile, the distances from the box to running signals, details of Spares (levers fitted but without function, painted white) and Spaces (locations without a lever but where one could be fitted at a later date).

A few years later, in 1964, I made two pages of notes about the lever frame and block shelf. By this time, the down sidings had been taken out of use and levers 9, 10, 11 and 12 were painted white, as spares. Mechanical locking bars 25 and 31 (a perennial source of trouble) had been replaced by new track circuits T2, T3 and T4. A brief explanation of the type of information included in the notes is given below.

Pull Plates: These are the cast labels or 'badges' fixed to the front of each lever with two machine screws into tapped holes in the lever. They listed the numbers of the other levers which had to be reversed before that lever could be pulled - sometimes called the 'lever leads'.

Back Plates: These were mounted on long wooden boards arranged behind the levers, mounted from the floor on cast brackets angled for better visibility of the Back Plates. Behind each lever were one or two cast Back Plates, fixed to the wooden boards with two woodscrews. Text on the backplates described the function of the lever.

Levers:The levers were numbered, starting at '1' on the left (facing the frame). Each type of lever was painted in different colour or style to identify its function. The pull plates and back plates were painted in the colour of the associated lever, with the raised letters and figures picked out in white. The standard colours in use at Deepfields were:-
Yellow (Y): Distant Signals
(or weight bars operating Distant Signals).
Red (R): Stop Signals (including shunting signals)
Red with White Band: Stop Signals released by the Block.
White (W): Spares.
Black (B): Points.
Blue (BL): Facing Point Locks.
Black with White Arrows: Detonator Placer
(arrows point down for Down Line, up for Up Line).

Block Shelf: This ran the length of the frame, suspended above the levers from the roof on round rods. Whilst some railways (like the Great Western) literally had a 'shelf', in the form of a horizontal plank, the L&NWR used a wooden box section, a sort of hollow beam. The horizontal upper surface mounted block instruments, block switches, lamp repeaters and sometimes additional bells or signal post telephones. The vertical front mounted signal and weight bar repeaters, sealed releases and the like. The rear of the box section was a series of hinged doors usually secured by turnbuckles. When open, the doors gave access to the electrical wiring feeding the equipment mounted on the block shelf.

Notes on the left half of the frame:

The block shelf appears near the top of the view, showing the equipment which it supports. Below the lever numbers are the 'pulls' and below that the text on the back plates. In the case of signals, a single back plate suffices, such as 'DISTANT DN MAIN' on lever 1. Points usually have two back plates. The upper one describes the route with the lever normal, the lower one the route with the level reverse. In the Notes, the two sets of text are separated by a slash, for instance 'UP & DOWN MAIN'/'CROSSING' on lever 13. Near the bottom of the Notes is a code letter for the lever colour and any special remarks. Well, the Notes probably raise as many queries as they answer, so more explanation will be added as possible.

The repeater for lever 1 is a 'Slot Indicator', as Deepfields controlled the yellow to green transition of Bloomfield's Down colour-light Starter. The Blocked/Clear indicator near lever 2 is an early type of mechanical Signalman's Reminder appliance. The repeater above lever 3 is the Track Circuit Indicator for TC1450, the track circuit extending towards the Down Starter. Because the Down Starter is some distance away, there is a Slack Adjuster to control the wire tension. This was the L&NWR typically heavy-duty pattern with an adjustment knob altering the signal wire via a worm gear. The block instrument communicating with Bloomfield Junction was near lever 18, next came the Block Switch and the Spring Vale main-line block instrument. Signal 23 was a short arm signal reading to the Up & Down Goods and provided with a repeater on the block shelf. There are track circuit indicators for T3 and T2. There is an Emergency Sealed Release for the Facing Point Lock, lever 25, allowing the points to be moved if there's a track circuit failure. Mounted on a bracket above the block shelf is the Track Circuit Indicator for TC1449 (the Up Home Berth Track) Circuit).

Notes on the right half of the frame:

Lever 31 originally controlled the the Locking (Clearance) Bar in addition to the Facing Point Locks, but the introduction of Track Circuit T4 had eliminated the need for a Locking Bar. There is now an Emergency Sealed Release for the Facing Point Lock, lever 27, allowing the points to be moved if track circuit T4 fails. The block instrument for the Up and Down Goods Line is special. It is a 6-segment permissive but 'Line Clear' is given by either Deepfields for Up trains or Spring Vale for Down trains - not both! Near lever 34 is an electric bell used to announce movements to or from the Up Sidings via crossover 32/33. The block shelf gets heavily-populated as we approach the Up signals at the right hand end of the frame. There's a signal repeater for the Up Goods Home (lever 37) and a weight bar repeater for lever 38 (the 'slot' on Spring Vale's Up Goods signal). Lever 39 is the Up colour light Starter, so there's a signal repeater, plus a track circuit repeater for T1 on the approach side. After an Up train had cleared T1 on its way to Bloomfield, the colour light was automatically replaced to danger, even with the lever still reverse in the frame. As this happened, a buzzer gave a short 'burp' to advise the signalman. There was a repeater for the Up Home, lever 40 and then two weight bar repeaters for the inner distant (lever 41) and the outer distant (lever 42). The Blocked/Clear indicator near lever 41 is the mechanical Signalman's Reminder appliance for the Up line. There were Slack Adjusters provided on the Up Goods slot, lever 38 and the Up Inner and Outer Distants, levers 41 and 42. The Up Distants were always a pain to get 'Off' and there was an inclined footboard to the right of lever 42 against which the signalman could brace his foot during the 'throw'. Finally, the was a fairly modern modular Signal Lamp Repeater, covering the Up Main and Up Goods home signals and the Up Inner and Outer Distants.

Horsley Fields Junction

A friend who'd read my post on Sedgeley Junction asked about one of the adjacent boxes, Horsley Fields Junction. This was situated on the South Stafford line, which extended from Walsall (London & North Western) to Dudley (Great Western).

Horsley Fields Junction box was a standard London & North Western Railway design of the early pattern with a hipped roof, brick base and Webb lever frame. Sedgeley Junction was adjacent to the south-west, Great Bridge to the north-east. Trains faced a steep climb from Great Bridge to Dudley and banking of freight trains was commonplace. At Horseley Fields Junction, a diverging route headed east, through ex-Great Western station Great Bridge East to Swan Village on the Wolverhampton (Low Level) to Birmingham (Snow Hill) line. There was still a signal box at Great Bridge East in the early '60s, but invariably it was 'switched-out', so the block section extended from Horseley Fields Junction to Swan Village West box, which was just before the junction with the Great Western main line.

At Horseley Fields Junction, the railway ran in a cutting with road bridges across the line on either side of the junction so the area seemed rather isolated. The signal box was set high-up on the Down side and a series of steps set into the embankment led from the track to the box. Behind the box lay the Horseley Bridge and Thomas Piggott works - the large black shed with the company name displayed was visible for some distance.

I worked the box informally on a couple of occasions when one of my relief signalman friends was rostered. The job was not too demanding - two points, one with a facing point lock, a home signal with distant on both the Up Main and Up Branch and two home signals protecting the facing junction on the down. I think the down distant was 'fixed' - it was certainly a tall L.M.S. lattice post on the Sedgeley Junction side of Dudley Port Low Level station. The lever frame with block shelf above were on the track side of the box. The three block instruments were Fletcher combined Double Needle and bell, one of which (I can't remember which) was the earlier pattern mounted on two cast brackets rather than the later four columns with wooden base.

Passenger trains to and from the Swan Village branch were signalled using the '1-3' bell code ("Is line clear for branch passenger train?") to distinguish them from the Walsall - Dudley locals which came as a '3-1'. By the early '60s, passenger trains were usually Diesel Multiple Units, although one local to Snow Hill in the morning with a corresponding return to Dudley in the afternoon was still steam-hauled. At the time of my visits, the box was only open during the day, when there were scheduled trains on and off the branch. At night and at other times, the box was 'switched-out' and the block section was from Sedgeley Junction to Great Bridge.

I used the 'Multimap' aerial view and Bird's Eye Views to have a look at the area today. Most of the features I remember are long gone but the rails of the South Stafford Line remain, very overgrown. The route has been proposed as a future Midland Metro route from Walsall to Dudley, but government funding has not been forthcoming. Click for map.

Gone are the works of Horseley Bridge - modern houses now occupy the site. Some records remain in the National Archives. Horseley Bridge originated as Dixon, Amphlett and Bedford, in 1792, building the Galton Canal Bridge at Smethwick for Telford in 1829, locomotives under Isaac Dodds and, later, steel buildings of various types. Thomas Piggott and Company was founded in 1822 to build iron canal barges, later diversifying into gas plant, lifeboats, piping and pressed steel tanks. The two firms amalgamated in 1933. In 1951, the company was responsible for the Dome of Discovery for the Festival of Britain.

The Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is one of the World's iconic man-made features. It was built during the Great Depression, came into service in 1936 and is still performing well today.

Unusually for a major project, it was brought in on time, on specification and on-budget, like the Empire State building completed a little earlier. Again, like the Empire State building, it was the product of a vision that, in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, I particularly associate with the United States as Great Britain progressively lost its former confidence in carrying out these bold initiatives. Because of the poor economic conditions in the U.S.A. at the time, labour was readily available to complete the work but the privations and dangers suffered by the workforce are now hard to believe, in these days of enhanced 'Health and Safety'.

I'd always wanted to visit the structure and my visit to Las Vagas in 2008 provided the opportunity. My helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon gave me stunning views of the dam from the air and one of my pictures is shown above. In this picture, Nevada forms the left bank and Arizona the right bank. Lake Mead is at the top of the picture and the Colorado River at the bottom. On the left, Route 93 from Las Vegas descends via a series of hairpins so as to cross the top of the dam en route for Phoenix, Arizona. The visitor centre is on the Nevada side adjacent to the dam. The long, flat-roofed buildings extending away from the dam are the two Turbine Halls where electricity is generated. The structure under construction in the foreground is the new road bridge which, when completed, will divert road traffic away from the top of the dam.

The day after my helicopter ride, I visited the dam by road, descending by lift to the Nevada Turbine Hall and then taking a raft on the Colorado River to approach the dam at water level. Details of my visit to Hoover Dam.

Although the Hoover Dam incorporates a major hydro-electric generating station, the principal reason for construction was flood control. When the winter snows melt in the Rockies, incredible amounts of water come down the Colorado River and, before the building of the Dam, widespread damage was caused annually through inundation. Since the inauguration of the Dam in 1932, these waters can be stored in the artificial lake created behind the dam, Lake Mead, and progressively released in a controlled fashion, simultaneously generating power. At the time, Lake Mead was the largest artificial lake in the world (taking the title from Lake Gatun, on the Panama Canal, which I was to visit later on the same trip).

The agricultural areas of Southern California are the largest water consumer served by the Hoover Dam but the remarkable growth of Las Vegas has been made possible by the secure water supply. Initially, the hydro-electric generating plant at Hoover Dam was key to the electrification of Las Vegas and the surrounding areas but the generating capacity, although still important, is no longer a 'base-load' plant but is used as required, exploiting the flexibility of hydro-electric plant to start and stop at short notice.

Sales of water and electricity since 1936 mean that the capital cost of the scheme has been fully recovered - current income now services the maintenance of the installations.

In 1936, the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation published a book describing the construction of the dam. Now in its 32nd printing, it's still available (ISBN 0-916122-51-4) and gives a fascinating insight into this achievement.

Incidentally, at the time of construction, the name 'Boulder Dam' was used. Congress changed the name to 'Hoover Dam' in 1947.

More information is given in the excellent Wikipedia article.

My pictures of Hoover Dam.

Cyclone Nargis

On 2nd May 2008, Cyclone Nargis (the name is the Urdu word for 'daffodil') struck the delta region of Myanmar (formerly Burma) causing major flooding and terrible damage with winds peaking at about 135 miles per hour. The devastation was unimaginable and the world turned in sympathy to provide aid. Whilst the military junta which rules Myanmar was happy to accept finance, it was reluctant to allow foreign national aid workers into the country and an already disastrous position was exacerbated.

International relations are normally predicated on the absolute sovereignty of the effective rulers of a nation state to control their borders, however unappealing those rulers may be to the rest of the world. Whilst such delicacy may be normal, events in Iraq show that it is not universal. There is a concept of 'Responsibility to Protect' (which, in the dreadful modern idiom, enjoys the acronym 'R2P'). This seeks to classify the circumstances in which unauthorised external interference might be justified. 'Natural disasters' are not currently one of the justifications. Until recently, it probably didn't appear likely that problems such as have occurred in Myanmar (and Zimbabwe) would arise.

The United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a report.
The United Nations' ReliefWeb publishes a series of maps.

Earlier in the year, I was in Myanmar on an Orient Express cruise on their ship 'Road to Mandalay'. I learned about the educational and medical charitable work sponsored by Orient Express staff and their passengers. No Orient Express staff were injured in the Cyclone, but the cruise ship, which was in dry dock at Yangon at the time, was badly damaged. Having met the Orient Express staff, it came as no surprise to receive reports of humanitarian work being carried out by them.

On 10th May 2008, the Ship's Doctor went to Bogalay Township in the Delta Area of Myanmar - one of worst-hit areas. The volunteer team comprised two doctors and a health assistant. They provided medical treatment to refugees, using Monasteries as a makeshift hospital and moving to a new Monastery each day.

Many refugees had lost families and all their possessions except the clothes they were wearing. Some had no clothes at all. Refugees reported that many villages had been completely obliterated. By the 15th May, this one volunteer team had treated 649 patients. They distributed food, water, clothing and first-aid materials both during treatment and using Monks based in remote villages. Some medicines were supplied to another doctor and midwife to allow treatment in other villages.

On 29th May 2008, the Ship's Doctor returned to the Delta Region and, assisted by a Local Health Assistant, treated 491 patients in four days. He also distributed food, blankets and medicines to Health Workers, Midwifes or Nurses at four different villages.

The United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) is already involved in the territory, also Medecin Sans Frontieres and a number of other well-known charities.

The reluctance of Myanmar's rulers to allow foreign media to report on progress within the country means that the disaster has been pushed from the front pages and the news bulletins. We must not let the plight of the people of Myanmar be forgotten.

(Photographs are by courtesy of the relief teams involved).

9:17 a.m. to Birmingham

It must have been in the 1950s that I started to travel from Wolverhampton to Birmingham on my own. Steam still reigned supreme and the express passenger trains featured a parade of Black 5s, 'Jubilees', rebuilt 'Scots' and 'Patriots', with a sprinkling of various new B.R. Standard Classes. Trains to Birmingham were normally routed along the Stour Valley Line through Dudleyport, passing a succession of signal boxes that I was later to become familiar with. The 9.17 a.m. departure, however, had a special attraction. It was an 'All Stations', formed of non-corridor stock and normally hauled by one of the good-looking 'Fowler' 2-6-4T which did some sterling work around the country. The train originated at the exotic-sounding Silverdale, which I eventually learned was in the Stoke-on-Trent area. The real 'clincher' was that this train was routed to Birmingham not via the Stour Valley line which most trains took, but via the 'Old Road', through Bescot.

The first main-line railway in Britain was the Liverpool and Manchester (opened 1830). Birmingham was first joined to London in 1838 by the London and Birmingham Railway (see my blog). The Grand Junction Railway was planned to link these two early lines, forming the start of the railway network. Because of delays in the completion of the London and Birmingam, the Grand Junction Railway opened in 1837, before the London line.

The Grand Junction started from Curzon Street, adjacent to the London & Birmingham line, and headed north through Bescot, missed Wolverhampton, then continued through Bushbury, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington and joined the Liverpool and Manchester at Earlestown. Later, when the Stour Valley Line linked Birmingham and Stafford via Wolverhampton, the Grand Junction route was often called the 'Old Road'.

So, part of the attraction of the 9.17 a.m. was to ride on 'the road less travelled', look at the lines of freight locomotives at Bescot Motive Power Depot and marvel at the extent of the sidings in Bescot Yard, which boasted hump yards on both the Up and Down sides of the main lines. Later in the journey, we passed the junctions at Aston and the Motive Power Depot. Aston M.P.D. was on a very cramped site, but provided passenger locomotives for trains leaving Birmingham. The double track then became quadruple through Vauxhall & Duddeston and there was the excitement of Curzon Street Goods, the flyover, Grand Junction, Proof House Junction (with an impressive L.M.S. gantry signal) and finally the steep descent and passage through the smokey tunnels to reach Birmingham New Street Station.

New Street was effectively two interconnected stations side by side. The London & North Western side comprised a reasonably straight set of platforms serving the low-numbered bays and through lines on the Up side, by this time roofed by nondescript platform canopies replacing the wartime damage. There was then a cobbled carriage drive and, beyond this, the higher-numbered Midland platforms, sharply curved but still retaining the old train shed. The whole station sat in a hole with two double-track tunnels leading south to Proof House Junction and two double-track tunnels at the other end of the station serving diverging routes. The tunnel curving left was the Midland Line to Bristol, straight ahead lay the murky and damp New Street north tunnel taking the Stour Valley Line of the London & North Western to Wolverhampton and Stafford. There were still parcels sidings and a fish dock so there was always a station pilot either fussing about or gently simmering. Very often, the pilot was an L&NWR 0-6-2 'Coal Tank' - a real survivor. At the time, I never imagined I'd one day drive the sole remaining example of this class, but, it came to pass. There was always some movement with 'Fives', 'Jubilees', 'Patriots' and 'Scots' on the expresses and an assortment of tanks, '2P' 4-4-0, oh, almost anything on secondary trains.

As time went on, diesel multiple units proliferated and larger locomotives often took the expresses - 'Britannias' and 'Princess Coronations'. Eventually main-line diesels replaced steam and, later, the whole area was electrified at 25 kV a.c. but I treasure the period I experienced before the demise of steam. Would that I had been more diligent in recording the passing scene - my only defence is that I was young and just could not imagine that it would all be swept away.

The original 'straight shed' at Bescot M.P.D. survives, although derelict. This picture is from my collection West Midlands Railways which shows the modern railway in the area.

Black Parrot Seaside

Driver Eddie Jones and I shared the driving and firing on 'Sir Gomer' at the Battlefield Line on Sunday 8th June 2008. It must have been the hottest day of the year and we were both suffering from the roasting heat. On the last round trip, when Eddie said "The band should be at Shackerstone when we arrive", I thought I was hallucinating, but the band were there. Eddie plays in Black Parrot Seaside (known to the cogniscenti as 'BPS'), a four-man group who offer "folk with attitude". They were going to take some publicity shots around the railway, and Liz was there with her camera.

I decided I should take some shots as well and, later on, other Shackerstone members arrived with their cameras. An improptu performance of 'Requiem for Steam' recorded on the day appears on their website. This number, by Dave Goulder, they describe as "a serious and rather wistful song about the end of the steam locomotive in Britain".

My pictures of BPS at Shackerstone show the group around 'Sir Gomer', on the signalbox steps and on Platform 1.

BPS play on the steps of Shackerstone signal box (with unscheduled diesel loco horn accompaniment).

BPS play on Platform 1 at Shackerstone Station.

L&NWR Signalling and the 'Bedstead'

I've always had an affection for the London & North Western Railway. Francis William Webb not only provided them with their motive power for a long period but was responsible for their signalling. He standardised a series of signal box designs, some of which are still in use (albeit with double glazing units in place of the original horizontal-sliding sashes). He produced two types of rugged mechanical interlocking frame, examples of which also survive. The 'Crewe' power operated system and miniature interlocking frame, with electrically-operated semaphore signals, was also quite successful. However, the vast majority of signals were mechanically operated over wire - and what signals!

They were lower quadrant (where the arm is lowered below the horizontal for 'proceed'), with massive cast spectacles. Webb introduced a corrugated steel arm with a long life. The signal arms were big for good visibility, although there were many situations where restricted space enforced the use of shorter arms. Where there were multiple roads, for instance Fast and Slow, the signals for the less-important line carried a large, white ring. Signal posts were normally wooden.

What particularly distinguished the L&NWR was its predeliction for tall signals - 'sky arms'. During the nineteenth century, the pace of development, both industrial and domestic, introduced much more 'clutter' into the landscape. At night, the number of lights not associated with the railway rapidly multiplied. The L&NWR policy was to ensure that the driver could reliably sight his signals, even against an increasingly 'busy' background. One common technique was to lift the signal arm high above the ground, so that the signal arm (or, at night, the signal lamp) could be readily spotted against the sky. This arrangement was useful, for instance, where an overbridge was situated in front of the signal. The tall signal posts which were needed also required elaborate systems of guy wires to provide sufficient support.

There is a problem as a train approaches, or is detained at, a very tall signal - the signal arm becomes harder to keep in view. Where necessary, 'co-acting arms' were provided near the bottom of the post, operating in concert with the top arm.

At diverging junctions with two possible routes, the L&NWR was quite likely to erect two straight posts side by side, although, where space was limited, it might use a wooden bracket signal or a wooden gantry. The horizontal beam of a wooden gantry would normally be under-stayed with steel rods. Where a number of lines had to be straddled, massive steel structures were produced, usually using Pratt trusses.

When I was young, L&NWR lower quadrants were still fairly common, although the LMS had converted many installations to upper quadrant (where the arm is raised above the horizontal for 'proceed'). At large stations, like Crewe, semaphores had been replaced by colour-light signals, but the Goods Independent Lines at Crewe retained a fair number of the old power-operated semaphores. Some of the miniature interlocking frames survived around Crewe (for example, Crewe Station 'A', Crewe Station 'B', Gresty Lane Number 1).

Chester retained a wonderful selection of L&NWR lower quadrant signals right up until the introduction of a power box by British Rail. I believe some of these were slated for preservation but were cut-up.

The only L&NWR signal I can remember operating myself was the bay platform starter at Dudleyport.

So - what of the 'Bedstead'? This was the nickname for the massive gantry erected south of Rugby station, controlling approaching Down trains. Early in the 20th century, the Great Central Railway was building its line to London. The new line crossed the L&NWR just south of Rugby station on a bridge comprising a series of steel trusses. Because the L&NWR established its route first, the Great Central had to pay for any changes the L&NWR had to put in place. Certainly, the massive new bridge would badly affect the sighting of L&NWR signals approaching Rugby on the down. Since the L&NWR wasn't paying, it designed a fairly lavish replacement signal gantry which achieved fame as 'The Bedstead', featuring arms carried high above the Great Central's bridge, with co-acting arms at a lower level.

[Click on the picture to enlarge]

There's a lovely comment about the 'Bedstead' in a footplate tale by Professor W. A. Tuplin. A fireman is struggling for steam on a Euston - Liverpool express. Approaching Rugby, he's been told they need "four greens and forty reds". The fireman comments along the lines "I saw the four greens but I didn't have time to count the reds before I was back to shovelling!".

I never saw the Bedstead myself - by the time I was travelling on trains, it had been replaced by multiple-aspect colour light signals with 'line-of-lights' route indicators on simple tubular posts.

For more on L&NWR signalling, refer to the excellent book 'A Pictorial Record of L.N.W.R. Signalling' by Richard D. Foster, published by Oxford Publishing Company in 1982 (SBN: 86093 147 1).

The London & Birmingham Railway

The first railway to join London and Birmingham was the London and Birmingham Railway, opened in 1838 and only the third main-line railway to be opened in the country (following the Liverpool & Manchester in 1830 and the Grand Junction Railway in 1837).

After five years of construction, the double-track line surveyed by Robert Stevenson eventually stretched from Euston Square in north London to the northern terminus at Curzon Street, Birmingham, by means of an amazing series of civil works. This work was carried out using only manpower and animal power and, at the time, represented one of the largest works ever undertaken. The techniques developed during the earlier phase of canal building were adapted for railway construction and the canal construction workers - the 'navigators' or 'navvys' - became the core of the workforce. A massive volume of earth had to be moved to create a route gentle enough for the small and not-very-powerful early locomotives. In 1835, Otis introduced his first steam shovel in the U.S.A. to mechanise this type of earth moving, but, for some reason, the introduction of steam shovels in England (where they were normally called 'steam navvys') took some time.

The terminus at Euston was graced by a Propylaeum - the monumental arch usually called the 'Doric Arch' and swept away by the vandals when Euston was modernised. Now, only the Entrance Lodges remain, flanking Euston Grove which originally led to the 'Doric Arch'.

More on the Entrance Lodges.

At Curzon Street, the central part of the original stone-built station remains, as shown below.

Years of neglect have failed to take away the quiet dignity of this building, now marooned some distance away from the modern railway. Incidentally, the building in the background of the picture is Birmingham Science Museum.

Leaving Euston, trains immediately faced the straight 'Inclined Plane' which was necessary to lift the lines over the Regents Canal at Camden. Originally, this section was cable-worked and the locomotives were attached at Camden to continue the journey north. An elegant round-house was constructed on the east side of the line to house the diminuitive Bury locomotives which ran the trains. Two, three or more of these locomotives were needed on heavier trains. Later, as locomotives became more powerful, the cable working was discontinued and locomotives worked trains to and from Euston. Heavily-adapted, the original locomotive house survives as the Roundhouse Theatre.

From Camden, the line then passed through Primrose Hill via a tunnel. The massive and elegant tunnel mouth can still be glimpsed from passing trains. When the line was first opened, families would picnic on the hill, so as to watch the wonder of the steam trains coming and going.

Each mile of the route north had its constructional challenge, tunnels, cuttings (like Bushey and Tring), embankments, viaducts (like Watford) and myriad bridges. Perhaps the most famous feature of the line is the 2432 yard long Kilsby Tunnel, south of Rugby, shown in the classic view below.

Because of objections to the originally-proposed route through Northampton, an alternative route was chosen, necessitating the construction of Kilsby Tunnel. Surveys had failed to discover the quicksand which caused the workings to flood and the contractors almost despaired of completing the work. Perseverance eventually triumphed and today's 'Pendolino' electric trains still pass through the tunnel.

Eventually, Northampton realised that it had become isolated by declining the railway and a loop line was constructed from Rugby via Northampton, rejoining the main line originally at Blisworth and later via a line to Roade.

Along the route, many of the nineteenth-century features remain, although increasing traffic meant that long sections were widened from the original double-track to quadruple track by the successors of the London & Birmingham Railway, the London & North Western Railway.

In general, grades on the route were fairly easy and fast running was possible. Perhaps the hardest part was starting northbound trains from Euston, once cable haulage to Camden was discontinued. Right up to the end of steam traction, the firemen of departing trains were faced with getting the train up Camden Bank with a 'green' fire, not yet brought to working temperature by the fierce steam blast of a hard-worked engine. If the crew were lucky, some rear-end assistance would be provided by the engine which had previously drawn the coaches into Euston (when I was young often an 0-6-0T 'Standard Shunt') but there was sometimes a significant gap between the rear coach and a reluctant 'banker'!

More from Wikipedia.

The Circle Line, Yangon

In March 2008, I made my first visit to Myanmar (formerly Burma). This was before the tragedy of Cyclone Nargis, which has brought such devastation to an already-poor population and exposed the shortcomings of the present military regime to wider scrutiny.

The British were largely responsible for establishing the infrastructure in Burma and an extensive metre-gauge railway was established. There is an excellent short description of the railways in steam days at Mike's Steam Pages.

The then capital Rangoon (now called Yangon and no longer the administrative capital) was provided with a double-track suburban line configured as a circle and this still provides an important transport link. I made a clockwise tour of the Circle Line during my trip and took a number of pictures.

My journey started (and finished) at the main station in the city, shown above. In steam days, this station was known as Phayre Street and there's a picture on Mike's Steam Pages taken from more or less the same viewpoint as above. With the sun shining on the modern gilded towers behind the long-distance platform, my picture makes the station look quite attractive, but I'm afraid the suburban platforms are definitely shabby.

The diesel locomotives are rather 'battered'. The coaching stock on the Circle Line Trains is quite basic (windows are simply unglazed frames and there are no doors) but I didn't discover another shortcoming until later. At each of the frequent stops, the rear coach in which I was riding kept oscillating back and forth on the slack in the 'chopper' couplings. I couldn't understand why the driver didn't lightly hold the brake on the train for the safety of people getting on and off. Eventually, I found the answer. Although the coaches were originally vacuum-fitted (as evidenced by the partial rigging and the steel pipework remaining), vacuum hoses, vacuum cylinders, most of the rigging and the brakeblocks had been removed. The train was unbraked, relying upon the locomotive brake!

Whilst the track isn't too bad near the main station with a fair amount of concrete sleepers and modern rail fastenings, it deteriorates further out. Here, rails are frequently spiked to elderly wooden sleepers which are quite widely spaced and with indifferent ballasting. Rail gaps are very variable (sometimes with a short piece of rail plugging the gap) and with frequent missing fishbolts, as my photographs show.

I'm afraid these standards are typical of the infrastructure in Myanmar, which has suffered from years of neglect.

Signalling appears somewhat better - colour light with point machines, although it's quite possible that, given an opportunity to look inside some of the sturdy signalling location cases, I'd have been disappointed. I did pass one station with a manual signal box and rod-operated points (using steel tubes for rodding, similar to the Great Western). Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any photographs.

For a non-railway description of my visit to Yangon, click here.

'Lion' and the Pumphouse

View of the Pumphouse from the street (from a photograph by David Neish).

In 1992, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside conducted an extensive survey on the pumping shed at Princes Dock which had housed LION from the 1870s until the 1920s, prior to the demolition of the shed. By this time, the shed had reached a stage of extreme dilapidation.

Loraine Knowles, then the Head of the Regional History Department, allowed the Old Locomotive Committee to publish a synopsis of the survey, from which this report is derived.

The pumping shed was constructed during the late 1860s, at the South end of a graving dock facility within the Prince's Dock, in order to pump dry the graving dock. The graving dock itself was formed from a redundant link between the Prince's and George's Docks.

This building was originally built to accommodate the steam locomotive LION, re-arranged as a stationary engine. LION was removed when electrically-driven pumps were installed in the late 1920s, allowing part of the building to be converted as a maintenance garage. Most of the available drawings date from this change to electric pumping and the building was little changed thereafter. Unfortunately, these drawings do not show all details of the main chimney associated with the building or of the internal timber platform which was used to store coal and give access to LION's firehole door for firing.

The survey found that a number of details differed from the drawings, possibly because the original proposals were unworkable or incomplete or for reasons of cost-saving.

View of the Pumphouse from the street and an aerial view of the site being cleared for redevelopment.

Detail Front Elevation and Section (measured drawing by Kingham Knight Associates for the survey).

Building Plan, Front Elevation and Rear Elevation (measured drawing by Kingham Knight Associates for the survey).

Cross Section A-A, Side Elevation (facing river), Side Elevation (facing Dock Road) (measured drawing by Kingham Knight Associates for the survey).

View of roof, showing louvres, and internal view showing roof construction.

A plan showing the arrangement of LION in the pumphouse.

Another plan showing LION in the pumphouse and the drive via bevel gears to the chain pump.