Donation of School Fees

23rd April 2011

Seven of the ten girls supported by the 'Better Future Project'.

Certain 'Road to Mandalay' Donors wished to provide educational support to girl students in the Bagan - Mount Popa area and this desire has been implemented in the 'Better Future Project' which provides school and tuition fees during 2011 to ten girls from four villages. The Donors have targeted girls in the belief that they will have a greater attachment to their local area than boys and are more likely to help take care of the local community on completion of their education.

Many able students in rural areas have to leave their education after Middle School because there is no local High School and parents cannot afford the fees or travelling costs to a suitable High School. The students for the 'Better Future Initiative' were chosen in conjunction with local Headmasters and Head Monks.

The ten girls are made up up of 1 at Grade 9, 5 at Grade 10, 2 at Grade 11 and 2 who have passed Grade 11 and will be attending University or Midwife Training.

More pictures

Stationery Distribution at Pauk Taw Pauk Myaing School

31st December 2010

Stationery distribution at Pauk Taw Pauk Myaing School.

On 31st December 2010, Dr. Hla Tun, accompanied by guests from the 'Road to Mandalay' donated two exercise books and four pencils to each of the 210 students.

Damaged, woven bamboo ceiling.

In addition, money was donated to allow replacement of the damaged woven bamboo ceiling which has lasted for 18 years.

Renovation of Donated Schools in Myanmar

4th January 2011

The 'Road to Mandalay' charitable initiatives in Myanmar have been building schoolrooms for so long that re-decoration and renovation is required on the older properties. This work is also paid for by 'Road to Mandalay' and their donors.

Bagan School

At the end of 2010, the school building in Bagan was repainted inside and out. The building was erected around 2002 and has been used extensively since then. The redecoration had to be arranged for the Christmas and New Year period when the school would be closed.

This picture (by Dr. Hla Tun) shows the schoolroom in December 2010, soon after repainting. The donated building was built 8 years earlier.

I've made one visit to the school, on Sunday, 30th October 2011, the date of the official opening of the Bagan Medical Clinic. My post on the clinic opening includes a short piece on the school building and there are a few pictures around the school building here.

Shwe Kyet Yet High School

Another property renovated at the end of 2010 was the Shwe Kyet Yet High School. Parents and teachers co-operated in the organisation of the work which took a mason, a carpenter and a painter ten days to complete, finishing on 3rd January 2011.

This picture (by Dr. Hla Tun) shows work on the entrance steps at Shwe Kyet Yet High School.

Pictures of Shwe Kyet Yet High School Renovation.

Orphans in Myanmar

23rd December 2010

Orphans from Mandalay carol singing in December 2010.

Although Myanmar is a largely Buddhist country, Christmas is widely celebrated. On the 23rd December 2010, fifteen orphans from Mandalay gave a carol concert. Afterwards, the RTM Charity donated money to the orphanage.

There are many orphanages in Myanmar, taking in large numbers of children. Sometimes the children have lost both parents, sometimes only one where the poverty prevents the remaining parent from looking after the child. Extreme poverty may result in a child with both parents living being classed as an orphan.

Bagan Monastery: Three young boys being prepared for the noviciation ceremony.

Where there is no suitable orphanage, a local Monastery or Nunnery may take in children to become Novices. On 26th December 2010, three young boys were noviciated at Bagan Monastery and guests from the 'Road to Mandalay' were able to witness the proceedings.

Bagan Monastery: Three young boys being presented to the Head Monk in December 2010.

There are a couple of earlier posts describing visits to orphanages in Myanmar. On 1st Sep 2009 I visited Doe Pin Orphanage. Then, on 1st November 2011, I visited three orphanages (including a second visit to Doe Pin) in the company of Captain Myo Lwin and Dr. Hla Tun.

Stationery Distribution at Kyoon Khing Gyi School

18th December 2010

Stationery distribution at Kyoon Khing Gyi School.

An earlier post describes a visit to Kyoon Khing Gyi School following a period of exceptional rain. On 18th December 2010, Dr. Hla Tun made a further visit, accompanied by two guests from the 'Road to Mandalay'. Each of the 230 students were given two exercise books and two pencils.

Polite, smiling children in rather basic accommodation at Kyoon Khing Gyi School.

At many schools in Myanmar, some classrooms are rather basic. This illustrates the importance of the 'Road to Mandalay' charitable initiative to provide better schoolrooms, substantially built using brick walls and zinc-coated corrugated steel roofs, paid for by foreign donors.

New school building under construction at Kyoon Khing Gyi.

The visit to Kyoon Khing Gyi also gave an opportunity to look at progress in the construction of the new school building donated by the Toyota Charter Group from Australia.

At the adjacent village of In Chaung, Dr. Hla Tun looked at the foundations of another donated school building which should be finished in May 2011.

Foundations of the new schoolroom at In Chaung.

Dietary Deficiencies in Myanmar

20th November 2010

Poverty is widespread in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and many health problems are related to poor diet. Proper nutrition is particularly important for growing children.

The 'Road to Mandalay' Social Contribution includes initiatives to improve nutrition and the photograph above shows a group of about 250 children being given a meal of Congee (a rice porridge) in Taung Be village, Bagan on 20th November 2010.

Pon Village School

11th November 2010

Four guests from the 'Road to Mandalay' visited Pon School on 11th November 2010 to distribute stationery.

There are 155 students, extending from Nursery to Grade 8.

Helped by the Headmaster and Teachers, each student received two exercise books and three pencils.

Surveying for new School Buildings

16th October 2010

Thick sand left behind on a major road.

On 16th October 2010, Dr. Hla Tun visited a number of villages on the way from Bagan to Mount Popa for survey purposes.

The villages of Kaung Nyo, Da Hat Kan, War Khing Gyi and In Chaung were being examined for suitability to receive new buildings funded by donors. At Kyoon Khing Gyi, a new building is already under construction, donated by guests from Australia.

Prior to this visit, the area had been subject to unusually heavy rain storms lasting over two weeks, making communication difficult. Normally dry areas became raging torrents - near Bagan a diesel locomotive and coaches were derailed! Young people continuing education after 5th grade frequently have to travel long distances on foot daily from their home village to the nearest school providing secondary education. Tragically, fatalities occurred involving young people being swept away by the water.

The flood water brought with it massive amounts of sand which, of course, were left behind after the waters receded.

Because of these hazards, many teachers and parents are keen to provide for local schooling beyond Grade 5 to avoid the time-consuming and sometimes dangerous daily commute undertaken by young people.

Pictures.

Opening of School Building in Chauk Kan

13th February 2010

The Opening Ceremony.

The village of Chauk Kan in Myanmar is about 14 miles from Bagan. It lies on a side road branching from the road from Bagan to Mount Popa, about 45 minutes by car from Bagan.

A headmaster and eight teachers currently look after 271 students, up to 9th Grade. The Government provide salaries for only 5 teachers, covering up to 5th Grade. The other teachers are funded by payments from students of 700 Kyats per month in 6th and 7th Grade and 1,000 Kyats per month in 8th and 9th Grade. Grades 6 to 9 are open to pupils from two neighbouring villages where there is no local provision above 5th Grade.

The school in Chauk Kan was short of accommodation (the total population in the area is over 2,000) so the RTM Charitable Initiative planned a new building in 2009 which was funded by Mr. and Mrs. Henseler from Germany. The new building is about 25 feet by 40 feet with brick walls and zinc coated steel roof.

The opening ceremony was carried out by Mr. James B. Sherwood, Dr. Shirley Sherwood and a volunteer RTM Guest on 13th February 2010. Following the ceremony, an exercise book and three pencils were distributed to each of the 271 pupils and longyi were donated to 8 teachers and 3 headmasters. Prizes were awarded to outstanding students in each grade and a meal of noodles was provided for all the pupils. There was a tour of the school and the pupils put on a concert in the school compound.

More pictures.

Steam Charter to Peak Rail

'Oliver Cromwell' drifts through the Down Platform at Darley Dale with its 11-coach Charter, passing the empty stock from the 7-coach top-and-tailed service train standing in the Up Platform.

In May 2010, Pete Waterman inaugurated the turntable at Rowsley and I've described this in the post In a Spin with Pete Waterman.

Pete Waterman handsignalling '8F' 8024 onto the 60-foot turntable at Rowsley during the inauguration (Photo: Sheila Rayson).

In July of the following year, Peak Rail's running line was extended from Matlock Riverside to Matlock Town Platform 2. This was the occasion for some festivity, described here.

Peak Rail veteran 68013, carrying headboard and union flags, alongside a completely out-classed '153' DMU at Matlock Town.

Normally, Network Rail and Peak Rail operate as separate railways but a Ground Frame allows trains to pass between Network Rail and Peak Rail when required.

The Network Rail Ground Frame at Matlock Town, released by the Key Token for the Ambergate - Matlock line.

These two events opened up the possibility of Steam Charter workings coming from Network Rail right through to Rowsley, where the Charter locomotive could be turned and serviced prior to working the Steam Charter back to Network Rail metals. Such a Charter was planned for 2011 but was cancelled. However, on 27th May 2012 a Charter from London via the East Coast Main Line triumphantly terminated at Peak Rail's Rowsley station and returned later in the day. This Charter was in the hands of the popular main-line certified 'Britannia' Class locomotive 70013 'Oliver Cromwell'.

Peak Rail's service train currently operates top-and-tailed with a diesel locomotive at one end and Peak Rail stalwart 'Austerity' tank locomotive 68013 at the other end in between Rowsley and Matlock Town. On the day of the Steam Charter, a special timetable had been arranged, allowing the service train to be 'recessed' when the Steam Charter arrived and departed and I was driver on 68013 with Richard as fireman.

The normal 6-coach rake had been re-inforced to 7-coaches because of likely interest and because it was intended to allow passengers from the Steam Charter to have a round trip on the Peak Rail service as an alternative to a road trip to Chatsworth and Bakewell. In another variation from normal, 68013 was to work at the north end of the train facing north with 'Peak' class diesel electric 'Penyghent' at the south end of the train. Our normal first departure is at 11:15 but on the day of the Steam Charter, the first train was at 09:45. 'Penyghent' hauled the train to Matlock Town and then 68013 returned us to Rowsley.

68013 ready to leave Matlock Town. The 'white feather' from the safety valve indicates that the engine is ready and Richard is taking a breather in the shade alongside the first coach.

With seven coaches and 'Penyghent' on the back, the trailing load on 68013 was well over 400 tons but this presented no problem and my normal setting of not-quite-full 'First Valve' and the reverser taken up two notches allowed us to maintain the timings even though much of the route is uphill at around 1 in 400.

When stopping at Darley Dale, the first two coaches had to be taken beyond the platform to ensure that 'Penyghent' was clear of the Track Circuit extending from the facing points into the platform. Failure to do this would prevent the signalman from reversing the points for an Up train (which would be important later in the day when we would be 'recessed' in the Down Platform for the Up Steam Charter to pass).

On arrival back at Rowsley, we took water from the grey tanker wagon which serves as our water supply. As is often the case with Steam Charters, it appeared that the journey on Network Rail metals was not without incident and we started to get reports of late running. We made our second round trip starting at 11:02 and by the time we got back to Rowsley the delay to the Steam Charter seemed to have extended. Undaunted, we set off again at 12:19 on the third round trip, watering again when we got back to Rowsley.

The special timetable called for our next working to be at 13:29, Empty Stock to Darley Dale where we were to wait on the Up whilst the Steam Charter passed us on the Down on its way to Rowsley. But the late-running Steam Charter was still miles away so instead we were told that there would be a fourth passenger round trip leaving at 13:39 which should allow us to get back to Rowsley around 14:38. On the trip back, when 68013 was doing the work, there were noticeably more photographers around lineside and in the fields. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I seemed to sense their disappointment that we were not the big green engine with a chime whistle that they were expecting. Most of them seemed to make the best of a bad job and took pictures of us anyway.

A fifth passenger round trip had been arranged for us, leaving Rowsley at around 14:50, with only a brief stop in Matlock Town, leaving at 15:17 to be back at Rowsley about 15:39. This trip was performed without incident but on the way back there seemed to be even more people watching. At least nobody was shaking their fist at us or making rude gestures because we were not 'Oliver Cromwell'.

When we got back to Rowsley, we watered again ready for the delayed Empty Stock working. Instead of the originally-planned departure at 13:29, we set off around 15:49 with 'Penyghent' in charge for the short trip to Darley Dale. Here we waited. It wan't too long before we heard a chime whistle and the long-expected train rumbled through and disappeared towards Rowsley.

Photographers and onlookers cluster on the Down Platform at Darley Dale as the delayed Steam Charter approaches.

The arrival was around two hours late, leading to a similarly-delayed departure back to the main line, so the carefully-arranged special timetable had to be abandoned. The original plan was to wait at Darley Dale until 'Oliver Cromwell' had gone on shed and the 11-coach charter train had been shunted into the loop at Rowsley. The Peak Rail service train was then to have returned to Rowsley and provided a round trip to Matlock not stopping at Darley Dale. This working was cancelled and we simply shunted the Peak Rail train across to the Down platform and waited, leaving the Up line free for the returning Steam Charter. We didn't get to see 'Oliver Cromwell' turned, coaled and watered but eventually, around seven o'clock the Steam Charter set off on its return journey.

The Charter return working approaching Darley Dale.

At last, we were able to take our 7-coach train back to Rowsley and shunt 68013 to No. 1 shed road for disposal. 'Penyghent' followed us onto No. 3 shed road. An interesting, if tiring, day.

More pictures here.

Battlefield Line Modellers' Weekend 2012

The DMU at Shackerstone ready to depart for Shenton. The Class 47 can be seen at the far end of the platform.

The Battlefield Line ran its Modellers' Weekend on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th May 2012. On the Saturday, the service was provided by the diesel railcar and I was the driver. The formation was the single-unit 'Bubble Car' coupled to half of the 2-car Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) and we were booked to operate five round trips from Shackerstone to Shenton, stopping at Market Bosworth where most of the models were exhibited.

Although preparing a DMU is much quicker than getting a steam locomotive ready, I always like to allow plenty of time, because you never know what you'll find. What I found was that the DMU was 'boxed in' by a Class 47 coupled to a van and 20-ton brake van. I did the normal checks and successfully started up the four 150 horse power engines.

Whilst the compressors produced sufficient air pressure for the Electro-Pneumatic (E.P.) controls, I considered whether we could propel the Class 47 and the two vehicles out of the way so that we could operate the first train at 11:15. The early DMUs had standard buffers and standard screw couplings meaning that, when necessary, they could run with 'tail traffic' or, as in this case, shunt other vehicles. The weight of the vehicles to be moved was approaching 150 tons but moving the vehicles was not the major consideration, rather it was had we sufficient brake power to safely control the movement.

I judged that the movement was safe so I moved the DMU up to the Class 47 and coupled up. By the time I'd released the handbrakes on the Class 47 and the box van, Adrian had arrived and he agreed to release the handbrake on the leading vehicle (the 20-ton brake van) and then 'ride the brake' acting as our shunter. Once the road was set from the signal box, we slowly moved the odd-looking train out of the DMU Siding and into Platform 1. We 'tied down' the Class 47 and the two vehicles at the North End of the Platform and detached them from the DMU, allowing the DMU to operate from the South End of Platform 1.

At Shackerstone, we're allowed to bring a passenger train into an already-occupied platform. The signal box authorises movements into both platforms with ground disc signals and, conventionally, ground signals authorise a driver 'as far as the line is clear towards the next signal' rather than to the next main signal. Many passenger stations needed this flexibility back in the days of mechanical signalling and a special form of Permissive Block Working called 'Station Yard' was often used. An approaching driver would be given an 'Off' Main Arm if the whole platform was clear or an 'off' subsidiary arm displaying a 'C' when 'off' for 'Calling On' onto an occupied line. In modern installations with colour light signals, matters are somewhat different but it is still common to find a 'subsidiary aspect', two white lights displayed diagonally when 'off' (often called 'cat's eyes') underneath a 'main aspect' displaying red for 'stop'.

Driver's view of the Inner Home at Shackerstone. The upper disc reads to platform 1; the lower disc to platform 2.

On a glorious hot sunny day, we made the scheduled five round trips to Shenton, stopping at Market Bosworth in each direction.

The DMU pauses at Market Bosworth en route to Shenton.

An awful lot of effort has gone into bringing Market Bosworth station back into use. There's a car park and a gated pedestrian level crossing over the railway to reach the platform. Major work continues on the restoration of the ex-L&NWR signal box (there are some pictures of the work in progress here. With a childrens' play area and refreshments available, the station is now a destination in its own right. The former Goods Shed at Market Bosworth was in use as exhibition space for Modellers' Weekend and a large relocatable office building in the Yard held more layouts and displays.

View from Market Bosworth Platform looking towards Shenton. Left to right: Relocatable Offices, Goods Shed, Level Crossing.

Currently, the end of the line is at Shenton. We use the former up platform. There''s a run round loop flanked by the former down platform which is not in use but fenced off from the large car park. Another gated crossing allows people to cross from the cark park to the station and, via a footpath, the Visitor Centre for the Battle of Bosworth.

The DMU waits at Shenton, ready to return to Shackerstone.

With only a two minute booked stop at Market Bosworth, there wasn't really time for me to look at the exhibits but, on the last round trip, I agreed with the guard that I'd dash across to look at the models on display. As soon as we arrived, I 'tied down' the DMU and removed the Master Key before running over the crossing for an exceptionally quick look at what was there before returning to the DMU and continuing with the diagram.

John Ward operating a large 3rd rail 'tinplate' layout.

By the time we returned to Shackerstone for the last time, Mike had pulled '3803' (the Great Western 2-8-0) out of the shed and lit up so that the Sunday service would be steam hauled. There's some information on '3803' here.

So it only remained to position the DMU in the long siding, shut down and perform the final checks before locking-up and signing off after an enjoyable 'non-steam' day.

More pictures here.

London & Birmingham in 2012

A 'Pendolino' on arrival at Wolverhampton's Platform 4 with a service from Euston in 2007.

Following the amazing success of the Liverpool & Manchester railway (opened 1830), London was linked to Birmingham in 1838 by a route still in use today. There's an earlier post on the origins of the London & Birmingham Railway.

In the post The Premier Line I disclosed my enthusiasm for the London & North Western Railway. This Company operated the London & Birmingham railway until the Railways Act of 1921 caused the 'Grouping' when the L&NWR became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway. The LMS did good work and, like the L&NWR, was profitable.

The second world war took its toll on all the Britsh railways and the post-war Labour government nationalised the railways in 1948. The Euston to Manchester route was chosen for the first major 25kV a.c. overhead electrification project and the work was carried out during the 1960s.

By the 1990s the calamitous Railtrack had embarked on a disastrous project to modernise the whole of the West Coast Main Line which incorporates the London & Birmingham. Railtrack's successor Network Rail managed to complete a degraded form of this modernisation plan in 2009. There's a useful 'Wikipedia' article West Coast Main Line.

I use the route today reasonably regularly to get to London and back. So what of the modern travelling experience?

Well, reading my posts Brave New Railway and Brave New Railway (again) you might just gain the impression that I'm not a total fan of the way things are done now.

Passengers still leave London from Euston Station. In my post London's Terminal Stations, the present-day Euston gets short shrift compared with King's Cross (reviewed prior to the recent extensive rebuilding) and St. Pancras (reviewed after its incredibly expensive rebuilding which added 'International' to its title).

For Network Rail's 'take' on Euston, go to their Euston Webpages. There's a page with a brief history of the station.

This statue of Robert Stephenson originally stood in the (long gone) Great Hall at Euston. It now stands in "Smokers' Corner", a depressing, muddled paved area immediately outside the present station building which Network Rail are pleased to dignify with the title 'Forecourt'.

Photographs

To illustrate the route today, there are various sets of photographs listed below. The camera technique for most of them is the "drive by shooting" taken from a moving train so the quality is pretty grotty, sorry.

London & Birmingham Railway.
London: Euston.
Rugby.
West Midland Railways.

References

You can find more detailed track and signalling diagrams of the route prior to electrification in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's'. Euston to Rugby is included in 'Volume 1: ex-LNWR main line, Euston to Crewe' (ISBN: 1 873228 00 7) and Rugby to Birmingham and Wolverhampton is in 'Volume 11: LNW Lines in the West Midlands' (ISBN: 1 873228 13 9)

For details of what remained of this route 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.

Liverpool by Train

In an earlier post I wrote about a modern journey from Wolverhampton to Liverpool by 'London Midland' Class 350 EMU (a version of the Siemens 'Desiro' range). I repeated the trip on the 19th May 2012, in order to attend the Old Locomotive Committee Annual General Meeting at the Museum of Liverpool. There's a report on the A.G.M. here.

The 'London Midland' franchise started on 12th November 2007 and their service from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street is now well-established. At New Street, a short bay platform called '4c' was added at the north end of the original Platform 4/Platform 5 island platform. It's not that easy for the uninitiated to find this bay. Because it's common to have two trains on a single through platform at New Street, the southern half of each through platform is called 'a' and the northern half 'b'. This in itself can be a bit confusing for unfamiliar passengers but, once you've got your head round that, where do you look for a 'c' platform? Because the bay 4c is a fairly modern addition, the Passenger Information Displays (PID) and signage aren't as helpful as they might be. If you manage to walk the right way along platform 4, there is a PID at the last moment to confirm you're in the right place but I have seen rather bewildered passengers trying to find the right train.

Platform 4c at Birmingham New Street with a Class 350 about to depart for Liverpool.

I've taken a few 'Modern Image' photographs around Birmingham and Wolverhampton - they're in the set West Midland Railways - but in my mind's eye I still see the railway as it was in steam days.

After a few miles of open country north of Wolverhampton and a brief stop at Penkridge, the line joins the Trent Valley Line at Stafford. My 'Modern Image' pictures are in the set Stafford Area. There are brief recollections of Stafford in steam days here.

After the four-track 'racing stretch' we arrive at Crewe, now a very pale reflection of what I remember from steam days. Some of my early recollections are in Railways at Crewe in the '50s. There are a few 'Modern Image' pictures in the set Crewe Area. Something of the earlier character of Crewe survives in the station buildings shown in the set Crewe Station Buildings: L&NWR.

Crewe: The carved stone and elegant curves hint at the history of this now rather forlorn looking station..

The route north of Crewe is still a muddle of four- and two-track sections until the River Weaver is crossed and the newer direct line to Liverpool diverges left, leaving the original Grand Junction line which continues to Warrington and the north. The signal box at Birdswood is long gone, but there are still signal boxes at Halton Junction and Runcorn. I'm always transported back in time passing over the Runcorn Railway Bridge across the Mersey. This was opened in 1868 and is still doing its duty. I wonder how many of our modern artefacts will be as durable?

The three spans of Runcorn Railway Bridge with its castle-like approach towers viewed from Ditton Viaduct. The arch bridge in the background is the modern road bridge which replaced the old Runcorn Transporter Bridge.

Speke Junction and Allerton Junction signal boxes survive as does the Power Box at Edge Hill and the pre-war 'A.R.P.' signal box at Lime Street.

You need to be quick to take in the station at Edge Hill, for our train does not stop, but the handsome stone-built station buildings from 1830 remain, pock-marked by a thoughtless modern clutter of signage, electric lights and waste bins, but still an amazing link with the origins of passenger railways.

The 1830 station buildings at Edge Hill, in a view snatched from a passing train.

Finally, our train descends through the deep sandstone cutting criss-crossed by a network of road bridges to reach the terminus at Lime Street, with its massive twin trainsheds.

The journey to Liverpool hadn't been bad but my return later in the day was rather disappointing. I was surprised, on reaching the right platform at Lime Street, to find the platform PID carrying the remark 'No toilets available on this train'. Once I'd boarded, the guard confirmed over the public address that the train had two toilets but that both were out of commission. The train was also strewn with empty drinks cans, discarded packing and (worse) uneaten food. I know that if people were better behaved in the first place, there would be no need for carriage cleaning but rail fares are now sky-high and the combination of a dirty train with no functioning toilets didn't improve my mood. For some reason, we also suffered a number of signal checks en route to Wolverhampton, but no explanation was offered for the late running.

Lime Street showing Class 350 forming a service to Birmingham. Note the large clock.

There are some 'Modern Image' pictures around Merseyside in the set Liverpool Area.

Old Locomotive Committee A.G.M. 2012

The 'group shot' in front of "Lion" after the A.G.M.

On the 19th May 2012, the Old Locomotive Committee held its 27th Annual General Meeting in Liverpool.

One year previously, the 2011 A.G.M. had been held at the Liverpool Museum Store, through the courtesy of the Museum's Transport Curator Sharon Brown, so as to give OLCO members a final opportunity to inspect 'Lion' closely before she was transferred to the new Museum of Liverpool. There's a report on that A.G.M. (with links to pictures) here.

The new Museum of Liverpool first opened to the public on 19th July 2011, although not all the Galleries were complete at the time. 'Lion' was installed in her new place of honour in time for the Official Opening of the Museum on Thursday 1st December 2011 by Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. There's a report on the Official Opening here. In terms of visitor numbers, the Museum has proved a resounding success - since the partial opening in July 2011 over a million visitors have already passed through the doors.

Sharon Brown kindly provided the venue for the 2012 A.G.M. but this time we were based in one of the Education Rooms at the new Museum of Liverpool situated at the Pierhead in Liverpool. Massive windows forming one wall of the Education Room gave panoramic views showing both the National Maritime Museum at Albert Dock and the Mersey looking upstream.

Sharon, John and Alfred chatting prior to the A.G.M. with the shipyards of Birkenhead visible in the background.

Sharon had also arranged a supply of tea, coffee and biscuits for which members were very grateful. The meeting was opened by the Chairman within a few minutes of the published time and business was dealt with in an efficient manner. Members of the Old Locomotive Committee will receive details of the proceedings in due course.

Of course, those attending took advantage of the opportunity to look at 'Lion' and check-out the audio-visual presentations. I'd not seen the 'Big Screen' display previously. This runs automatically every 30 minutes in high definition colour with sound. There are pictures of the 'Rocket' replica and 'Planet' replica performing but I'm pleased that the film also includes some archive shots of mine showing 'Lion' in steam at Wroughton, Manchester Museum and Birmingham Railway Museum. I'm not a great fan of locomotives 'stuffed and mounted' although I recognise the arguments for preserving an artifact for the future.

As an additional attraction, a number of groups of Morris Men were performing in Liverpool on the day of the A.G.M. I watched one group outside the museum and we could see a second group outside the National Martime Museum. I believe there were five locations all told and, after performing a set at one location, the group moved round to the next location. It's a while since I've seen Morris Men (but there is an earlier post here).

Morris Men performing immediately outside the Museum of Liverpool with the Albert Dock Complex in the background.

Oh, incidentally, the entire Committee were re-elected en bloc so I'm Secretary for a further year.

My photographs taken on the day are here.

I've posted a number of articles about 'Lion' and her 'supporters club' OLCO which you can find here.

Albion

(Click on sketch for a larger version).

Albion - No, not this Blessed Country of ours nor a certain football club but a long-gone station and signal box on the Stour Valley Line in the West Midlands. In the days of manual block signalling, the signal box at Albion was flanked by Dudley Port Junction on the Wolverhampton side and, originally, West Bromwich Gas Works Siding box on the Birmingham side. As far as I remember, West Bromwich Gas Works Siding was only opened 'As Required' and it was finally abolished in 1961, so that Oldbury became the next box to Albion in the Birmingham direction.

Sadly, I only visited Albion box once, in the early '60s. The visit was arranged by my friend Tommy Evans at Tipton box. Tommy had been a regular signalman at Albion for some time before taking the post at Tipton.

I was able to catch the 'Up Local' from Tipton to Albion station. The line through Albion was on a curve (with the Up line on the outside of the curve). Like Tipton, Albion had wooden platforms, but Albion featured distinctive round-topped canopies on both platforms. At the Birmingham end of the platform, there was a level crossing. This crossed the Up and Down main lines and also a siding which ran "back o' the box". Like Watery Lane, the gates were normally left open for rail traffic. I think there was just a single gate on either side so, when opened for road traffic, the roadway was not closed off from the railway, as is usually the case. There were wicket gates for pedestrians, plus a footbridge so that foot traffic was not interrupted when the wickets were locked. The footbridge also gave access to the two platforms.

I didn't make notes on my visit (or, if I did, they are lost) so the sketch above is made from memory, combined with information from the John Swift diagrams. I've deliberately shown the arrangement of signals before West Bromwich Gas Works Siding box was abolished.

The signal box itself stood on the Up platform, on the Dudley Port side of the station buildings. It was based on the usual L.N.W.R. design with a 40-lever Webb tumbler interlocking frame. The structure was pitched low so that the operating floor was only a couple of feet above platform level. This was presumably so that the signalman's view was not obstructed by either the Up platform canopy or the footbridge. There were two block instruments of the Fletcher Double Needle Absolute pattern, mounted on the substantial L.N.W.R. pattern block shelf.

Most running signals were upper quadrant on tubular posts but some of the shunting signals had miniature arms on wooden posts. I think most of the ground signals were L.M.S. disc signals.

Down Signals: There were two distants, both mounted under stop arms. The outer distant was mounted under Oldbury's last stop signal. The distant also served as the distant for West Bromwich Gas Works Siding so was slotted so that the arm came off only when both West Bromwich Gas Works Siding and Albion had cleared their distants. Albion's inner distant was mounted under the down home for West Bromwich Gas Works Siding. This inner distant was only about 260 yards from Albion's home, hence the need for an outer distant to ensure that approaching drivers had adequate warning. Albion's down home protected the level crossing, the connection to the down sidings and the crossover on the Birmingham side of the station. The final down signal was the Starter. By the time of my visit, this had been converted to a colour light signal situated a quarter of a mile from the box. This signal also served as the Down Distant for Dudley Port. Albion cleared the signal from red to yellow and Dudleyport then changed it from Yellow to green. The John Swift diagram shows the colour light as 4-aspect but I think the additional yellow was unused.

Up Signals: The Up Distant (lever 39) was semaphore and independent (that is, not on the same post as a stop signal). The Up Home (lever 38) was bracketed for sighting. The doll carried an Up outer distant for West Bromwich Gas Works Siding and a subsidiary arm (Shunt Ahead, I imagine). Lever 37 was a stop signal protecting the level crossing. The L.N.W.R. normally called such signals 'Home 2' (for instance, see Deepfields). The signal post was unusually short, presumably to prevent the station canopies or the footbridge from impairing the sighting of the signal from an approaching train. The post also carried an Up inner distant for West Bromwich Gas Works Siding. At the foot of the running signal there was also a 2-arm ground signal reading from the Up Main into the goods yard. Such facing connections into sidings had become quite unusual. Finally, there was the Up Starting Signal (lever 36). This was slotted by West Bromwich Gas Works Siding box so that it acted as Up Starter for Albion and Up Home for West Bromwich Gas Works Siding. A distant arm for Oldbury was mounted under the stop signal.

Green Lever: I was fascinated by a green lever in Albion, which I'd not seen before. It operated a shunters' gong over a signal wire up by Roway Crossing.

Sidings: The Down Sidings had once given access to a number of factories but, by the time I visited Albion, I don't think there was much traffic. The facing connection on the Up Main led to elaborate sidings leading to Albion Basin and a Coal Yard. Another level crossing, Roway Crossing, crossed these goods sidings. Near Roway Crossing, a through siding branched off which went behind the Up Platform. Two signals on the through siding protected the main level crossing. The through siding then served the Up Traffic Sidings. The Up Traffic Sidings could also be reached by setting back off the Up Main through a trailing connection on the Up Main (lever 31). The through siding then formed a headshunt. A separate connection formed a parallel road which eventually split into a fan of tip sidings. I was always amazed how far towards Dudley Port these sidings extended. John Swift shows 5 sidings. I suspect the ones furthest away from the main line had got fairly overgrown because, viewing from passing trains, I thought there were fewer sidings. In the late '50s, there were always wagons there, but they looked fairly abandoned. As far as I remember, once the Electrification Project started, the tip sidings seemed to regain importance.

Birmingham Power Signal Box: Albion ceased to be a Block Post on 9th January, 1966 with the commissioning of the Stour Valley Stage of Birmingham P.S.B. I believe Albion was retained as a Shunting Frame for a time but today there is very little evidence of what was once an important freight yard.

The 'Breakdown' at Bloomfield

After the commissioning of Wolverhampton Power Box, Bloomfield Junction signal box remained for a time as Bloomfield Junction Shunting Frame. I made a few visits but, of course, the working was a pale reflection of earlier times. However, 2nd October 1965 was a bit out of the ordinary.

Area around Bloomfield Junction Shunting Frame in the 1960s. The Stour Valley line runs from top left to bottom right. The 'Western' sidings are the two groups of sidings which diverge from the Stour Valley top left and curve towards the canal basins bottom right (Map: Old-Maps).

Bloomfield Shunting Frame, Saturday 2nd October 1965

I arrive at 07:10 and discover a little bit of excitement - there's three wagons 'Off the Road' down the 'Western' (these are the two fans of sidings leading to Tipton Five Ways Goods Depot). The 'Breakdown' has been summoned from Bescot.

Bloomfield Junction Shunting Frame, as detailed in Special Notice 745G.

The locking has been completely re-arranged and a lot of levers are now 'Spare' and painted white. There are now three release levers electrically controlled from Wolverhampton Power Box. Number 7 controls the trailing connection from the Down Main to the Down Sidings at the Wolverhampton end. The 4-aspect colour light for the Down Line (WN282 mounted on the signal gantry) is held 'On' (Red) whilst the release is given but the Ground Frame now controls the 'Cat's Eyes' (two diagonal white lights normally out) forming a subsidiary 'Shunt Ahead' signal mounted underneath the main signal. Numbers 27 and 28 control the crossover outside the box and the trailing connection to South Staffs Wagon Company.

There's not a lot to do now Bloomfield is demoted to a 'Shunting Frame' so I make my way through the overgrown sidings to inspect the damage. The derailed vehicles are DE190839, DM741097 and DB458080. It looks as if they came off whilst being propelled into the curving siding, possibly as a result of 'buffer-locking'.

Just before 11:00, a Ballast train arrives on the down with 60 wagons, mainly 'SOLES'. 8366 is the locomotive and it's reputedly Target 28. When we get release lever 7 from the Power Box, 8366 draws the whole train past the trailing connection with the Down Main. I made a note that Lever 12 failed to give an 'Off' indication (I think that was the 'Cat's Eyes'). We set the points for the 'Back Road' (number 2 Down siding) and clear the (semaphore) shunting signal for the move. The train cautiously sets back, controlled by handsignals from the Guard hanging out of his brake - when setting back 60 wagons towards a stop block, caution is good. While this is going on, the Down Parcels is standing at Tipton and the Breakdown Train is waiting at Princes End. Once the Ballast is safely 'Inside Clear' we restore the release at 11:32, allowing the Power Box to run the Parcels. Then he gives us all three releases so that we can turn out 8366 off the Ballast onto the Up Main, light engine to Bescot. We restore all the releases at 11:37.

The Power Box now looses the Breakdown (travelling as 1Z99 since he's on the way to an incident) 'Off the Top' and he arrives at 11:37, 8659 tender first, the Bescot Steam Crane, two Tool Vans, a Mess Van and another Tool Van. We get lever 7 released at 11:42, the breakdown draws clear of the trailing points, we set the road and he starts to back in. After a pause (perhaps whilst the Guard and Foreman decide which road down the Western to use), the train moves inside clear and we restore the release at 11:50. Whilst this is going on, 1S61 has come to a stand at Tipton and there's a train of Empty Stock behind that.

We're needed again when T54 comes 'Off the Top' with 8754, because he has "Three to put off at Bloomfield". He comes to a stand on the Down at 12:06, we get Lever 7 released at 12:10 and the engine goes inside on the 'Front Road' with the three wagons to detach. He doesn't hang about - we restore the release at 12:18 and T54 disappears towards Spring Vale.

The three derailed wagons are back on the track by 12:35 - apparently it was just a 'Jacking Job'. I'm not quite sure how we 'got rid of' the breakdown because there's a note about "reversing the train on 1 to get the crane next to the engine" which I don't understand (remember, we'd got 60 Ballast on 2 and three wagons on 1). There's also no note in my train register about getting releases to despatch 2Z99 back to Bescot. However, by 13:20, it was all done and we closed the Shunting Frame.

A copy of the Train Register entries covering these movements appears below:-

DOWN

UP

North British Locomotive Company Limited

North British introduced a distinctive diamond-shaped works plate, seen here on a locomotive built in 1926 now in Livingstone Railway Museum, Zambia.

Scotland, and in particular Glasgow, had a reputation for producing excellent engineers and engineering products. So it is perhaps no surprise that Glasgow was the home of a famous locomotive builder - the North British Locomotive Company Limited. The first locomotive built by the company was outshopped in 1903 but the company's origins are much earlier since North British was formed by the amalgamation of three locomotive builders.

The oldest of the three constituent companies was Sharp, Stewart and Company which had originated in Manchester. Locomotive building had started in the 1830s with 'Experiment' built for the Liverpool and Manchester by the firm of Sharp, Roberts and Company (already famous for textile machinery). Locomotive construction expanded as the firm became Sharp Brothers and, in 1852, Sharp, Stewart and Company. Locomotive construction continued in Manchester, for both British and Foreign railways, until the 1880s when the business was relocated to Springburn in Glasgow. By the time Sharp, Stewart and Company amalgamated in 1903, it had produced over 5,000 locomotives.

In 1836, Mitchell and Neilson was set up in Glasgow as an engineering company. This company traded under various names (all including 'Neilson') for the first few years at the Hyde Park Works in Finnieston. After producing a number of stationary steam engines, the firm started to expand into the business of building locomotives. In 1858 Henry Dubs became General Manager and supervised the move to a new works in Springburn (also called 'Hyde Park Works' to commemorate the firm's origins). In 1863, Dubs resigned as Managing Partner to set up his own business and was replaced by James Reid. In 1876, Reid bought out Neilson and the firm, again under a variety of names, continued to enjoy success. In 1893, Reid's four sons joined him in the business. James Reid died the following year and, in 1898, the firm's name was changed to Neilson, Reid and Company.

As noted above, Dubs left Neilsons in 1863, after acrimonious disagreements, to set up The Glasgow Locomotive Works in Polmadie (later called Queens Park Works). The locomotives were innovative and well-built and the Dubs business grew to become the second largest locomotive builder in Britain.

By the start of the twentieth century, the earlier success of these three Glasgow locomotive builders was being challenged by manufacturers in other counties, notably by Baldwin in America. To counter this threat, in 1903 Sharp Stewart, Neilson Reid and Dubs decided to amalgamate to form 'The Combine'. Initially, the three different works carried on independently, much as before, but they had sufficient success, particularly in the important export market, to carry on building steam locomotives until after the second world war.

Indian and African railways continued to be important markets for North British. It was only when I visited Livingstone Railway Museum in Zambia that I realised the significance of the African market to North British. Here's a summary of the preserved locomotives in Livingstone Railway Museum which had been built in Glasgow:-

No. 955, built Neilson Reid 1892.
No. 69, built Neilson Reid 1900.
No. 70, built Neilson Reid.
No. 1126, built Sharp Stewart 1902.
No. 91, built North British 1912.
No. 96, built North British 1912.
No. 181, built North British 1926.
No. 57, built North British 1957/8.

The only locomotives exhibited which were not supplied by 'The Combine' and its predecessors were three Beyer-Garratts and a Hunslet 2-6-2 tank.

Running number 1126 in the museum is an 8th Class locomotive, shown below:-
(Click on any of these images for a larger view)

Rhodesia Railways 8th Class, supplied in 1903/4 (Mitchell Library Collection).

Running number 181 in the museum is a 12th Class locomotive and I found a further, working example (No. 204) operated by Bushtracks on the Royal Livingstone Express. The 'ex-works' condition of this class is shown below:-

Rhodesia Railways 12th Class, ordered 1929 (Mitchell Library Collection).

In addition to the working 12th Class, Bushtracks operate No. 156, a working example of the 10th Class also used on the Royal Livingstone Express and in steam at the time of my visit. The outline diagram of the 10th Class is shown below:-

Rhodesia Railways 10th Class, supplied in 1929/30 (Mitchell Library Collection).

North Britsh produced a surprising number of locomotives for the British railway companies. Often, the railway company would manufacture part of the Class in their own workshops and North British would produce the balance. At least 19 North British locomotives for the railways of Britain have been restored to action by the preservation movement (and I've worked on a least six of them). Birmingham Railway Museum Pannier Tanks 7752 (shown below) and 7760 were both built by North British in 1930.

Preserved 'Pannier' 7752 at Tyseley (Birmingham Railway Museum).

By the 1950s, potential customers were increasingly turning to diesel and electric traction and North British produced various designs using these more modern forms of motive power. Despite these innovations, trading conditions continued to deteriorate and the business was finally liquidated in 1962.

References

'North British Steam Locomotives built 1857-1956 for railways overseas' by John H. Court (D. Bradford Barton) ISBN 0 85153 332 9.
'Glasgow: Locomotive Builder to the World' Murdoch Nicolson, Mark O'Neill (Polygon Books) ISBN 0 948275 46 4.
'Giants of Steam' by Rodger P. Bradley published by Oxford Publishing Company ISBN 0-86093-505-1 provides a detailed history of the North British Locomotive Company Limited.

There is a North British Locomotive Preservation Group and you can find their website here.

There's a Wikipedia article on North British here.