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 Mechanical locking bars 25 and 31 (a perennial source of trouble) had been replaced by new track circuits T2, T3 and T4.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.

More about 'Lion'

A great deal has been written about the history of the locomotive 'Lion' over the years, much of it by the 'Old Locomotive Committee' ('OLCO'), the locomotive's very own supporters club.

In 1930, the November 14 edition of 'The Engineer' had an interesting article (starting on page 535) which was the subject of an earlier post.

Also in 1930, page 684 of 'Meccano Magazine' had a single-page article on 'Lion' which is reproduced below - click on the article to enlarge it.

The pictures in the article show the actual form of the firebox, which I'd describe as "raised round-top". The wonderful brass cover which is now such a characteristic feature of 'Lion' was actually a bit of artistic license by Crewe during the rebuilding prior to the 1930 celebrations.

Zen and the Art of Platform Numbering

When I was rather younger, I was very impressed to discover that Grand Central Terminal, New York had a Track 117 (I never fathomed why we number the platform alongside the track whilst the Americans number the track itself. I suspect it's because we British know how to build a proper, high-level platform to allow passengers to step conveniently from platform to train. In contrast, our American cousins content themselves with an apology of a platform, only raised a few inches above rail level, necessitating steps inside each car up to floor level and, additionally at some locations, the use of a footstool to assist in boarding and alighting).

Knowing the American delight in superlatives, I fondly imagined that there was a track for each integer from 1 to 117. I later discovered that this is not the case. Grand Central is a double-deck station, because of the site limitations. When they had finished numbering the tracks on one level consecutively, they started numbering the second level at track 100, leaving plenty of spare numbers for possible future expansion which did not occur.

When I finally visited the station, I forgave the builders the slight deceit in track numbering because of the grandeur of the 'Belles Artes' architecture. Following the recent refurbishment, the station ranks amongst the most impressive I have seen. The picture below shows the decorated marble portico to tracks 116-117, together with the destination indicator for track 116. Is this not a fitting invitation to travel by train? It has to be admitted that, having passed through the archway, one is led via a ramp onto an undistinguished and narrow platform where the predominent motif is reinforced concrete but I suppose one cannot have everything.

In Britain, we've only managed to get our platform numbers into the low twenties. I think Clapham Junction held the record but the present state of this station is too depressing to dwell upon. Integers did not prove adequate at all sites and letter suffixes were sometimes used. Historically, upper case 'A', 'B', 'C' and so on were used. However, modernisation of our railways has now been achieved by stripping away these old-fashioned designations and replacing them with lower case 'a', 'b', 'c' and so on. Where this technique appears insufficiently drastic for a 21st century railway, at some locations the sequence has been reversed so that, for instance, platforms 1 to 12 are now plattforms 12 to 1. Brave New World!

In response to an initiative by the popular children's author J.K. Rowling, an experimental fractional platform number (9-3/4) has been introduced at Kings Cross. Our photograph below suggests that this interesting experiment is not without teething problems - the distressed passenger (sorry - we must now call him 'customer' for reasons which are not completely clear to me but I believe are related to the removal of any expectation of travel from place to place and the substitution of various over-priced 'retail opportunities') appears to have his luggage trolley stuck in the entrance to the platform.

A brave attempt by Britain, which has been described as "magical" but I confess that we have been trounced by the orientals from Japan. The rebuilt Kyoto station has been widely hailed as a masterpiece of modern design. The soaring atrium is certainly impressive but, alas, not to my rather old-fashioned taste. However, in the matter of platform numbering they have transcended the use of big numbers in America and fractional numbers in Britain. As shown in the picture below, the modern shuttle trains to the new airport now leave from 'Platform 0'. The practice of Zen has allowed the designers to effortlessly summon up the mysteries of the infinite with a simple yet breathtaking numbering plan. And the trains run on time!

More on Platform 0.

The Old Locomotive Committee

'Lion' enjoys the sun during the 'Riot of Steam' in 2005.

What is the Old Locomotive Committee? In explanation, I can do no better than quote the brief history of the LION locomotive published by the present Old Locomotive Committee:-

"In January 1923 an interesting 'Old Locomotive' was noticed still doing duty as a pumping engine at the Graving Dock, Princes Dock on the River Mersey. This locomotive was subsequently identified as LION, built in Leeds in 1838 by Messrs Todd, Kitson and Laird for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway and sold 'Out of Service' to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board in 1859. She had been used as a pumping engine since 1871.

Late in 1927, a number of members of the (now defunct) Liverpool Engineering Society, conscious of the recent Centenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and anxious that the Centenary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway should reflect the greater importance of the latter enterprise, began to look towards seeking LION's restoration and with this objective in view, formed themselves into an Old Locomotive Committee.

LION was restored to working order and provided with a tender and a train of six period carriages by mid-1930, in time for the Liverpool & Manchester Centernary celebrations at Wavertree Park, Liverpool, where she played a prominent part, giving a faultless performance. In 1938 she was used by the London Midland & Scottish Railway, both in steam and as a static exhibit, for the London & Birmingham Centenary Celebrations. In 1980 she was again restored to working order in time to lead the cavalcade on the first day of the 'Rocket 150' celebrations at Rainhill. She was a major point of interest for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when she was in steam, supported by OLCO members in costume, for the Crewe celebrations of 1987. HRH the Prince of Wales rode on her footplate in the course of the Royal visit to Tyseley which took place during the last period LION was steamed in 1988 - her 150th birthday year.

LION is probably best known for her starring role in the film 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' but she was also used for the films 'Victoria the Great' of 1937 and 'The Lady with the Lamp' in 1951. Before the last war she was kept on a plinth at Lime Street Station, Liverpool but latterly, having been passed to National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, following the demise of the Liverpool Engineering Society, she has been displayed in the Transport Gallery of Liverpool Museum. Following that museum's successful lottery bid, however, she has been on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester since mid-June 1999, returning to Liverpool in 2007. She is not in steamable condition, but details of what would be needed to restore her to working order have been established. Compared with some other sucessful restorations, they are not extensive.

Following LION being put back into working order in 1980, interest in the locomotive revived dramatically so that when moves to institute a society connected with the locomotive were made in 1984, the fledgling organisation adopted the name 'Old Locomotive Committee' as a tribute to the stalwarts of the former Liverpool Engineering Society who had rescued the locomotive originally. This full name has conveniently been contracted to 'OLCO', with a logo based on the letterhead of the successor company - Kitson & Co - of the partnership which originally built LION. OLCO members have been instrumental in helping to run the locomotive when in steam, researching her history, providing a focus for modellers with drawings (measured from LION herself), other information and annual steaming meets at various venues."

As stated above, the last steaming of LION was at Birmingham Railway Museum, Tyseley in 1988. She was stored there for some time before moving to Dinting for a while in anticipation of bringing her back to steam. Unfortunately, Liverpool Museums decided that LION will not steam again and LION was moved to Dorothea Restorations at Whaley Bridge for cosmetic restoration.

Since there was no suitable space to display LION in Liverpool, the locomotive then spent some years on display in the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. During this time, OLCO member John Hawley refined his series of drawings of LION which form the definitive record of the current condition of the locomotive. A fairly detailed photographic record was also made. Click for photographs.

The Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened on 15th September 1830. 175 years later, in 2005, the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester hosted a 4-day celebration which they called 'Riot of Steam', featuring replicas of the contenders at the earlier Rainhill Trials. Liverpool Museum allowed LION to appear at these celebrations, giving rise to some interesting photo-opportunities. 'Riot of Steam' pictures.

In March 2007, LION finally left Manchester and was returned to store in Liverpool, although OLCO members still have limited 'visiting rights'. To see David Boydell's pictures of LION leaving Manchester, Click here.

It is intended that LION will be displayed in the new (and architecturally rather contentious) museum being constructed at Liverpool.

Members of OLCO receive a newsletter and, for the benefit of modellers, there is an annual competition of live steam models called 'Lionsmeet'.

As time permits, I'll post more information and more of my photographs of LION. To display all posts with the label 'OLCO' Click here.

Driving Turn at Peak Rail - Part One: Preparation

Visitors to preserved railways are often interested in what's involved in becoming a working volunteer, so here's a description of a recent turn.

As a driver, I normally 'book on' rather later than the fireman but, on this occasion, the fireman and I travelled to Peak Rail together, so that meant I left earlier than normal and arrived just after 5 a.m. when it was still dark. There's a Mess Hut where volunteers 'Sign on' on arrival and, having changed into overalls and safety boots, we made our way to the locomotive, an 0-6-0T 'Austerity', standing in the open, over an inspection pit. There are a couple of electric lights near the stabling point which help a lot, but a good torch is still a necessity. We were lucky that the morning was reasonably mild - it can be a bit miserable when it's cold and positively unpleasant when it rains.

The engine had been used the day before so, despite standing in the open overnight, the boiler was still fairly warm. This considerably reduces the time necessary to raise steam. From cold, you need to allow around 4 hours for this size locomotive, eight hours or more for bigger engines. There are all sorts of techniques for speeding steam raising, but they are generally frowned upon as they can adversely affect maintenance costs. Sometimes, engines are kept 'in steam' overnight but, apart from the cost of fuel, this normally requires staff to be on hand through the night so it's not too common.

Before a new fire can be lit, a series of checks are necessary to ensure the safety of the boiler. Two gauge glasses allow the level of water in the boiler to be deemed sufficient and the boiler is examined outside and inside both the firebox and smokebox to check for leaks. The integrity of the fusible plug in the roof of the inner firebox is also checked. This device melts and discharges steam into the firebox in the event of the boiler water level falling dangerously. 'Dropping the plug' is one of the worst sins a fireman can commit.

The firebox still had the ashy remains of the previous day's fire, so some time was spent removing this, using various shovels and implements manipulated through the firehole door from the cab A bad sign was that some of these remains had fused onto the cast iron firebars, requiring the upper half of the operator's body to be inserted through the firehole in order to wield various implements to dislodge the sheets of fused slag from the firebars so that it could then be shovelled out. The fireman and I shared this task, taking turns. The boiler was hot enough that after about a minute it was necessary to have a breather. You can imagine that you ingest a fair bit of dust and ash in the process, even if you decide to look for a facemask first. In the meantime, the inside of the smokebox could be examined and, where necessary, the 'char' removed.

On completion of these unpleasant and dirty tasks, a new fire could be set. Various techniques can be used. On this occasion, wood was placed on a thin layer of coal then more wood was ignited from rags soaked in used oil carefully added on top. Having established a decent wood fire, further coal was added until a raging fire resulted. It's essential to have a big enough fire to produce enough heat. An engine like the 'Austerity' will have around half a ton of water in the boiler - that's quite a big kettle to bring to the boil, even if the water is warm to start with!

Having helped the fireman get the fire started, I was able to carry out the tasks of examining the mechanics of the engine and 'oiling round'. The 'exam' is carried out at least daily and oiling daily or more frequently, depending upon the duty. Although the 'Austerity' has some grease points provided with nipples, the majority of lubrication on a steam locomotive uses mineral oil in a 'total loss' system - there's no collection, filtration and re-use. Most of the oiling is done with a fairly 'thin' oil with a viscosity of around SAE220. This is often called 'motion' oil or 'bearing' oil, but other names are in use. I find the term 'lubricating' oil, which some people use, particularly confusing, so I avoid that.

To make sure everywhere gets dealt with, it's desirable to be methodical, so I usually start with the six crankpins (remove screw cap, top up oil, replace cap, also adding a little oil to the oil holes on the gradient pins. Then, mounted on the foot-framing near the smokebox is an oil box either side to feed the piston glands and valve spindle glands. Lying on the foot framing, you can reach between the frames to get at four oil pots with hinged lids on each set of slidebars, then remove screw caps, oil and replace caps on two little ends (where each connecting rod is articulated to its crosshead) and two valve rods. From this position, I normally also deal with the four oil holes at the top of the lifting links and the two holes of the weighshaft trunnions.

I find the best way to get at the inside motion on this class is to lower yourself between the frames from the footframing on the left side of the engine (access on the right side is prevented by the reach rod), standing on the brake rigging or whatever foothold you can find to avoid dropping down into the pit below. How difficult this process is partly depends how the engine was left by yesterday's driver. If the right-hand crankpins have been left at 'seven o'clock' (for this class of locomotive), the job is rather easier. There's not usually steam to move at this stage so, if the engine is on a 'bad angle', you normally oil as much as you can and remember to come back later once you have steam to reposition the locomotive. It is possible to move the engine manually using a pinch bar but there's not usually much enthusiasm for this - it's easier to grumble about yesterday's crew.

Before you enter the motion, it's vital that you ensure that the engine is secured by following the mantra "Reverser in mid-gear, drain cocks open, regulator properly shut, handbrake hard on". Once you're in the motion, it's not easy to get out, so it's important that the fireman knows your whereabouts and that you both keep a good lookout for any other movements - many men have been killed or badly mauled when a locomotive being prepared in this way has been accidently struck by another engine. Setting a 'NOT TO BE MOVED' board (as shown in the photograph at the top) is a good precaution, but it doesn't actually prevent an accident.

Climbing into the motion so as to face towards the rear of the engine, it should be possible to remove the screw caps, top-up with oil and replace the caps on the left big end and the two eccentrics for the left cylinder, as shown in the picture. Reaching across, you have to do the same for the right big end and the two eccentrics for the right cylinder. If the weather is cold, it's all too easy to drop one of the screw caps, slowing down the process whilst the missing cap is located, cleaned (anything you drop gets covered in ash from the pit) and screwed back in.

If the big ends and eccentrics are worn, your oil feeder is sure to need replenishing at some stage, so it's a good idea to remember to put the oil 'bottle' (shown above - it's actually made of tinplate) within reach on the framing. Otherwise you have to try to attract the attention of your fireman or, failing that, extricate yourself from the motion, get some more oil and insert yourself back into the motion. Once the big ends and eccentrics are done, it's necessary to turn round to face the front of the engine - easier said than done in the restricted space between the frames.

From this new position, the various oil holes on both expansion links and both dieblocks can be dealt with. Once this is done, you can haul yourself up onto the footframing and climb down to ground level. I normally do my 'exam' underneath the locomotive next. Again, it's important that the fireman knows your location. There are some oiling points on the handbrake screw, steam brake piston and brake rigging I look to and sometimes I add a little oil to the damper linkage and the linkage to the cylinder drain cocks (usually referred to as 'taps').

Most important is to study everything you pass, looking for anything unexpected - something becoming detached, unusual wear, missing split pins or nuts, anything broken, loose or showing signs of cracking (particularly on the springing), anything out of alignment. Careful examination during preparation greatly reduces the chances of suffering a failure 'on the road'. Since, by this time, the engine is warming up, this process is usually accompanied by being engulfed in drifting steam and having hot water dripped down your neck.

Back at ground level, the six axleboxes have to be attended to. On an 'Austerity' the top of each axlebox is formed into an oil reservoir covered by a sheet metal plate. From each reservoir, three tail trimmings deliver oil to the crown of the axlebox and the two hornguides which allow the axlebox to move up and down under the control of the spring. There's not much space to reach through the spokes of each wheel and prise-up the metal cover plate so as to attend to the reservoir and it's necessary to remove any water which has collected in the reservoir with a syphon before 'topping up'. If the locomotive is on a 'bad angle', either the crankpin or balance weight will stop the job being done until you've 'set' the engine in a better position.

Returning to the footplate, there are a couple more oil pots with hinged lids and I usually apply a little oil to the reverser and its rack, the lower slides of the firedoors and the various moving parts of the arrangement of levers which opens the firedoors.

A much thicker oil is used for parts in contact with steam requiring lubrication - usually the two cylinders, the two valve chests and the steam brake cylinder. A compound oil with a viscosity of SAE 600 or above is used. This oil retains adequate lubrication qualities at the high temperatures expected where there's steam. Again, there are various names for this oil - 'thick' oil, 'cylinder' oil, 'steam' oil, 'black' oil and, because this oil is often dispensed by a lubricator, 'lubricating' oil (now you see why I don't call 'thin' oil 'lubricating' oil).

There's a small, brass globe oiler near the boiler backhead, positioned in the steam line to the steam brake cylinder. A little 'thick' oil will help to avoid the embarrassment of the brake piston siezing in the brake cylinder the first time you try to stop (I often tell people "Always brake as if you expect the brakes not to work, 'cos one day, you'll be right!"). However, caution must be used in filling this oiler. If the steam brake application valve is 'passing' at all (often the case), rather than the oil flowing obediently into the oiler, hot water and oil may spray out all over you.

Cynics may think that this is why the job of filling the globe oiler on the steam brake line is often given to the fireman, but the explanation is probably more prosaic. I mentioned that 'steam' oil is often dispensed by a lubricator. Where fitted, this is usually mounted on the fireman's side so that makes it more logical for the fireman to look after the 'steam' oil. The Great Western (of course) were the exception to this convention. Lubrication was (quite correctly) regarded as so vital to the running of the engine that the lubricator was always fitted in front of the driver and was the drivers responsibility.

So, why the need for a lubricator? The problem is to provide a supply of oil from a suitable reservoir to cylinders and steam chests pressurised at boiler pressure. Without digressing too far, two simple types are the Displacement Lubricator, where steam condenses to hot water in the oil reservoir and thereby displaces oil into the steam/oil line, and the Sight Feed Lubricator, as fitted on today's engine. The Sight Feed Lubricator is a more sophisticated form of the Displacement Lubricator offering better control of the oil supply. The condensing steam supply is independently controlled, the oil supply can be shut off when the locomotive is stationary and a needle valve in each outgoing oil line allows the feed rate to be accurately set by observing the formation and breakaway of oil globules through a glass window. Excellent when working, but they can be temperamental.

I should mention in passing that modern locomotives tend to use mechanical lubricators where a series of small pumps, one per oil line, are driven from some oscillating part of the motion. This type of lubricator can be used to dispense both motion oil and steam oil. We'll leave the question of 'atomising', to try to obtain a more regular oil film on the parts to be protected, for another time.

The locomotive should be about ready for traffic by now. The fireman should certainly check that both injectors are capable of delivering water to the boiler. This can be done by deliberately raising the boiler pressure until the safety valve 'lifts' and ensuring that this occurs within a few 'pounds per square inch' of the registered pressure. Putting on an injector will then 'cool' the boiler, lowering the pressure and allowing the safety valve to close.

The driver should also check that the vacuum ejector for the train brakes is capable of creating the correct partial vacuum (21 inches of mercury for this locomotive) and that there are no blockages in the brake pipes to the flexible hoses on the front and rear bufferbeams. If time is short, this last test is sometimes deferred until the locomotive is actually in traffic but this is not to be recommended.

Oh, and if you're very lucky, there may even be time for a "brew" before movements commence!

Click to see Part 2.

The Panama Canal Railway

I travelled on the Panama Canal Railway in March 2008. It's a most interesting operation and the history of the railway is unusual.

History

The geography of Panama has made the area strategically important for centuries. The Spanish originally developed a mule track through the rainforest between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to allow them to bring treasure back to Spain. Despite the rigours of the passage through the jungle, this route became part of the best method of getting from the East Coast to the West Coast of North America - a ship South to Panama, a fifty mile land crossing and then another ship North.

So it was inevitable that, with the development of railways, a railway should be constructed across the Isthmus of Panama. The appalling conditions and the disease claimed thousands of lives during the construction phase but, in 1855, the single-line, 5 foot gauge Panama Railroad opened and became the first trans-continental railway in the Americas. The Gold Rush in California and the subsequent rapid development on the Pacific side of North America brought initial prosperity to the Panama Railroad. However, the Trans-continental railway was completed in the U.S.A. in 1869 and this siphoned away traffic until the Panama Railroad was virtually bankrupt.

In the 1880s, the French started to build their Canal in Panama, under the control of the charismatic Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps who had triumphed in creating the Suez Canal. The Panama Railroad was acquired by the French, but the canal construction was dogged by an initial poor choice of route and failure to learn from the experience of the original builders of the Panama Railroad the sheer scale of the problems they would face from disease and difficult engineering conditions. Eventually, the French abandoned the project and sold out to the United States of America.

The attraction of a canal to the U.S.A. was a rapid means of transferring their fleets between West and East in a time of crisis. In 1902, work re-started but the initial emphasis was on sanitation. Only when they had obtained relatively safe working conditions did they commence canal building. They also adopted the main elements of a plan originally proposed by Baron Godin de Lepinay in 1879 which had been rejected out of hand by the French canal builders. The design had the canal about 85 feet above sea level with locks lowering ships to the ocean at each end. The Chagres River would be dammed and the water level thus raised to create a large man-made lake (Lake Gatun), avoiding significant excavation. The waters of the Chagres would also power the locks. Major excavation was unavoidable to cut through the 'spine' of hills dividing the North of Panama from the South in the vicinity of Culebra. Much of the original railroad would require re-location further East to avoid the Canal and Lake Gatun - see the map below.

The railroad played a vital role in the construction of the canal but, with the successful opening of the Canal in 1914, much of its importance was lost and the railway became very run down. In 1977 the railway was transferred to the Government of Panama but continued to lose money. Eventually, in 1998, the Government gave a 50-year lease to a new Joint Venture between the Kansas City Southern Railroad and Mi-Jack Products (an inter-modal terminal operator). After the expenditure of eighty million dollars, the Panama Canal Railway opened, to passengers and freight, in November 2001. The Company has an excellent website with more historical information and a description of the modern-day operation.

A Journey on the Railway

In March 2008, I travelled on the 07:15 train from Panama City to Colon, taking a number of pictures of the railway. When the present railway was constructed after the 1998 agreement, the original line along the breakwater South of Balboa and the line into the terminus at Panama City were abandoned (refer to the map above). A new passenger station, called Corozal, was created near Balboa Port. This appears to have originally been a rail-connected transhipment building. It was used by the United States Armed Forces as a Commissary before refurbishment for its current role. The train was already waiting when I arrived, consisting of five remodelled bogie passenger coaches and a restored 1938 Southern Pacific Dome Car. The stock was top-and-tailed by two of the railway's ten 3,250 horse power F40 diesel-electric locomotives which operate the passenger service push-pull (1863 at the rear and 1861 leading).

The F40PH (I later discovered) is a General Motors Electro Motive Division B-B diesel-electric originally introduced in 1976 for use on Amtrak, using the EMD645E3 2-stroke V16 diesel engine. For use on passenger trains, Head End Power (HEP) was produced by an auxiliary generator giving 480 volts a.c. 3-phase at around 500kW, but this required the EMD645E3 to run at 900 r.p.m. even with the locomotive stationary, hence the class nickname 'screamers'. Some later variants had a separate diesel engine for HEP.

On adjacent tracks were some of the railways container wagons, awaiting loading. The Company website says that these were originally built by Gunderson and are 'articulated 5-well double-stack bulkhead rail cars'. Later in the day, I saw some of these cars loaded with two-tiers of containers, but I didn't see one of the 'fast freights' on the move. The Company can tranship containers 'in bond' across Panama.

Tourists boarded the train early but as departure time approached, regular business travellers appeared. Right on time, the bell (which is sounded within station limits) started up, the air horn gave a blast and the train slowly moved out onto the main line, over a remote-controlled switch (turnout) and past an LED running signal showing a green. Once clear of station limits, speed increased. The first few miles are uphill to the summit near Culebra then the line is reasonably easy. The train is allowed one hour to Colon, so it does not hang about. There is one passing remotely-controlled passing loop with signals and a second loop where I couldn't determine the facilities. The train is a good way of seeing the Panama Canal, Lake Gatun and the Dredging Division at Gamboa - there are a few pictures of the railway. In some areas, you can only see the jungle through which the railway passes. At one point, there is a prison adjacent to the line.

As we approached Colon after our non-stop run, speed was reduced as we entered Station Limits and the locomotive bell started to sound. On our left extended the container port adjacent to the Canal, where I spotted the yellow open-top hopper cars used for ballast. A branch diverged to the right to the second container port, Manzanillo International Terminal (locally just called 'MIT') where the railway also has its maintenance shop. The train came to a stand at the curving platform of the Atlantic Passenger Station, Colon.

The new permanent way is in excellent condition. The rails are 136 pound 'flat bottom' from Canada, continuously welded. These are laid on concrete ties (sleepers) supplied from Columbia. The ballast came from Nova Scotia. Remote control and monitoring of switches and crossings is over a digital UHF radio channel. Train despatching uses RailComm's Domain Operations Controller (DOC), a remote, hosted service marketed as 'SaaS' (Software as a Service): see Railcomm's site but the Company is also implementing 'Train Sentinel' from Quantum Engineering.

I found the whole operation impressive and professional.

The Jackass & Western Railroad

The Nevada Railway Museum at Boulder City has a diesel locomotive with an interesting history. It was built by General Electric in March 1953, makers number 31827. It's described as a 'B-B-160/160'. The customer was the United States Navy and it carries its 'Navy Plates' - 'LOCOMOTIVE DE 80 TON 56-1/2 IN GA 0-4-4-0 CLASS'. It took me a moment to realise that '56-1/2 IN GA' just meant standard gauge.

The locomotive was eventually transferred to the Atomic Weapons Testing Site in Nevada, which had its own internal railway. The lighthearted title of 'The Jackass and Western Railroad' stuck and the name appears in black on each side of the yellow-liveried locomotive.

In the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, there is a model of the railway on the test site which seems to have been used as a training aid. I also found the 'Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity' authorising the operation of the railway on the test site. This was issued on 7th April 1975 by the Public Service Commission of Nevada and allows the Jackass and Western Railroad to operate a freight and passenger service within the confines of the Nevada Test Site. It's not thought that a passenger service was ever operated. A copy of this certificate is held at the Railway Museum at Boulder City.

On the day I visited the railway museum, the locomotive was 'stopped' due to problems with the water pump.

My pictures of the prototype, the model and the certificate.