Lionsmeet 2009 - York

'Lionsmeet' is a peripatetic event, moving from year-to-year between the tracks of different model engineering societies. To even up the travelling for our widely-spread membership, the event organiser, Alan Bibby, intentionally rotates the venues between north, south and midlands. This year, we were the guests of the York Model Engineering Society at their track at Dringhouses.

Over the years, we've had a pretty good record of picking days which enjoyed good weather but I'm afraid the first of August at York was pretty foul. Heavy rail eventually died out before the contest finished but it remained overcast and pretty cool. A number of our regular competitors were unable to attend this year but the enthusiasm of members who were able to share the day with our hosts at York was undimmed.

The track is situated in a partially wooded area next to the East Coast Main Line and we were treated to a procession of mainly electric trains all day. I'm afraid I find modern traction fairly boring and the only sight which I found mildly notable was three Class 66 coupled together hurrying south. 'Lionsmeet' was held on the multi-gauge elevated continuous track which I think is a little under 1200 feet in length. There are covered steaming bays with a traverser to access the continuous track. The layout is a 'squashed oval' with clockwise running and a system of 3-aspect colour light signals to allow multiple trains (although, for 'Lionsmeet', only one competitor at a time is on the track). Outside the elevated track, there's a dual gauge ground level track with signal box and pointwork leading to outside steaming bays and a traverser.

A diesel-outline loco with a Great Western 'Toad' brakevan performed on the ground level track for a while but most of the action was on the elevated track. The 'Lionsmeet' challenge is simply a contest to see which locomotive can produce the most work done in ten minutes. It's not an 'Efficiency' trial like the more elaborate IMLEC competition. The locomotive hauls a Dynamometer Car to measure distance and drawbar pull so that work done can be calculated.

This year, we had borrowed the Bristol M.E.S. Dynamometer Car. This is a bogie vehicle with a seat for the driver at the front, an impressive-looking control panel in the middle for the operator and a seat for the operator at the rear. For recent 'Lionsmeets', I've normally been the operator so Alan and I have coined the term 'dynamometrix' for this exalted (?) post.

A bogie passenger car formed the final vehicle in the consist, allowing the driver to choose the appropriate 'ballast' (passengers) for his run. This last vehicle fortunately had a handbrake at the front, allowing the dyamometrix to reach behind and apply some braking effort.

Bill Stubbs was the first in steam and he sportingly volunteered to compete first. By tradition, the previous year's winner goes first but Jon Swindlehurst was still readying his model. Unfortunately, Bill got the worst of the weather and probably the worst of the track conditions. One adverse incline on a curve under the trees proved troublesome to Bill but this spot gave all the competitors problems. Bill started his run with the dynamometrix and two passengers but 'dropped' one of the passengers to ascend the troublesome incline (the rules allow the load to be reduced but not increased during the timed run).

Jon Swindlehurst was the next competitor and with the dynamometrix and two passengers he completed a solid run, during which his mechanical lubricator failed. Unfortunately, the dynamometrix also broke off the hand brake handle so the passenger car had to be replaced by one with a serviceable brake.

David Wainwright was next to run. He started with the dynamometrix and two passengers but suffered badly on the incline in the wet conditions and 'dropped' two passengers.

Alan Bibby took the dynamometrix and two passengers and completed a solid run. Then, the problems started. The Dynamometer car showed a lower distance run than Jon (confirmed by observation) but a much higher Work Done. Unable to find a satisfactory explanation for this anomaly and with Jon unable to run again because of his lubricator failure, the Committee agreed that Alan should repeat his run. He made a good first circuit but, on the second circuit, the leading bogie of the passenger truck derailed. It was agreed that Alan should start again. This time, the passenger truck derailed as soon as the train passed the site of the first derailment. Members of the host club examined the permanent way and made some urgent repairs. Finally, Alan made a successful 10-minute run with credible figures recorded but they did not quite come up to Jon's achievement and so Jon took the winner's cup home again.

The performances are summarised below:-

Name	Distance	Work done	Position
Bill Stubbs	3470	12200	3
Jon Swindlehurst	6250	18400	1
David Wainwright	3540	11200	4
Alan Bibby	5710	14800	2

It was generally agreed that there should have been a special award to Alfred for attending in the atrocious conditions on his Vincent 'Black Shadow' motor cycle.

Pictures of the event

Liverpool

This panorama from the Liverpool Overhead Railway 'Map and Guide of the Railway and Docks' shows the extensive docks. Click on the image for a larger view.

Liverpool has always had a fascination for me for a host of reasons. I was quite young when my Father, Mother and I went to New Brighton for a holiday. We certainly went on the Mersey Ferry service to Liverpool and I think that was my first visit to the city.

After the death of my father, my mother took me back to Liverpool in the early 1950s and I was overwhelmed by the place. I was impressed by the municipal buildings, Lime Street Station, the tram system, the river and the docks. The Liverpool Overhead Railway was still running and I was staggered by the size of the docks and the ships which almost seemed to touch the overhead railway.

The area around Pierhead seemed very exciting. There was an Overhead Railway station there, in the shadow of the famous Liver Building. Four sets of stairs led down to ground level from the Overhead station. Directly beneath the Overhead ran two tracks used by Mersey Docks and Harbour Board to move freight around the docks. Six coupled saddle tanks fussed around in an area criss-crossed by tram tracks and roads. A few yards away was the Pierhead tram terminus which always bustled with passengers. At the river's edge lay the massive floating pontoon of the Pierhead Landing Stage with Mersey ferries coming and going to various destinations on the other side of the river. Morning and evening, the Landing Stage would be crammed with passengers, many with bicycles. When each ferry arrived, as soon as the gangway had been lowered, there would be a crush of people and bicycles disembarking and then the waiting passengers would refill the ferry. With a roar from the engines, the powerful ferry would head off into the murky waters of the Mersey and, at busy times, another ferry would immediately berth. I found it all a unique experience.

Pierhead is still worth a visit today but it all seems very quiet compared with how I remember the area from those early visits - the Mersey Ferries still operate but largely as a tourist attraction (so be prepared for the 1964 hit 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' on the public address).

The Liverpool Overhead Railway was the first overhead railway in the world to use electric traction and it operated from 1893 to 1956. See the Wikipedia Article.

Liverpool Museums are preparing the preserved Liverpool Overhead Railway Driving/Motor car for display in the new museum. My pictures of this car are here.

The picture above (from the 'Map and Guide') shows a Liverpool Overhead train entering Seaforth Sands station, with a host of dockside cranes and a warship on the right.

The preserved coach is now on public display in the Museum of Liverpool (see article on the Royal opening of the Museum).

There is a high-resolution copy of the 'Map & Guide'.

Amended January 2011
Museum of Liverpool reference added April 2012

Relief Work in Myanmar

On 2nd May 2008, Cyclone Nargis 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 initially turned in sympathy to provide aid. But the problems of dealing with the Government in Myanmar and subsequent other natural disasters (like the earthquake in China) resulted in Cyclone Nargis being largely forgotten by the wider world. At the time of writing, it's over fourteen months since Cyclone Nargis struck but the need for relief is still pressing. The low-lying Delta area of Myanmar was worst affected, as it became inundated by the sea during the cyclone.

During my first trip to Myanmar, I had learned about the educational and medical charitable work sponsored by Orient Express staff on the ship 'Road to Mandalay' and supported by former passengers from a number of countries. Within days of the cyclone, Doctor Hla Tun from 'Road to Manadalay' travelled to the Delta to operate a mobile clinic in the more remote areas. Dr. Hla Tun has continued to make visits to the Delta and has provided the information below. For my earlier report on the cyclone and its aftermath go to Cyclone Nargis

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

1st Trip

The first trip was from the 10th to the 16th May 2008. 599 patients were treated.

2nd Trip

The second trip was from the 29th May to the 1st June 2008. 491 patients were treated, bringing the total to 1,090.

3rd Trip

The third trip was from the 13th to the 20th June 2008. 868 patients were treated, bringing the total to 1,958.

4th Trip

The fourth trip was from the 16th to the 24th July 2008. After an early start, Doctor Hla Tun arrived in Bogalay Township in the Delta where he hired a boat to carry medicine and surgical materials to 8 different villages. One day was spent in each village and one day in Bogalay Township, treating around 100 patients each day. 951 patients were treated, bringing the total to 2,909.

In addition, medicine was donated to the Township Hospital where essential items were running short. Pressure on the Hospital was so great that some beds were shared by two patients. The relief team donated clothing to some patients and two ready-made noodle packs, provided by other donors, were distributed to all patients. Many people had lost loved ones, pets, houses and possessions and were struggling for food. In addition to the medical problems caused by poor nutrition, some suffered from post traumatic stress.

5th Trip

The fifth trip was from the 20th to the 28th August 2008. The mobile clinic operated in 9 different villages treating 909 patients, bringing the total to 3,818.

In addition, a total of 648 young people studying in temporary tents in various villages each received a pencil and notebook. Just over 100 U.S. Dollars made 648 young people very happy. Most of the population had been engaged in farming and since their fields were flooded with salty water and their cows and buffaloes died during the cyclone, they are currently dependent on outside help.

6th Trip

The sixth trip was from the 10th to the 16th September 2008. 666 patients were treated, bringing the total to 4,484.

On this trip, Doctor Hla Tun was accompanied by a former passenger on 'Road to Mandalay' and Associate Professor of Rheumatology Leila Magaro. The mobile clinic operated in four different villages within Bogalay Township, but patients from around 15 neighbouring villages attending the clinics. A further donation of medicines was made to Bogalay Township Hospital, at the request of Township Medical Officer. T-shirts, notebooks and pencils were distributed to over 300 students. 20 patients were referred to the Township and Division Hospital and a contribution was made towards transportation, investigation and treatment.

7th Trip

The seventh trip was from the 26th September to the 2nd October 2008. On this trip 307 patients were treated, bringing the total to 4,791.

8th Trip

The eighth trip was from the 10th to the 13th September 2008. 294 patients were treated. The total number of patients treated is 5,085.

9th Trip

The ninth trip was from the 26th September 2008. 288 patients were treated, bringing the total to 5,373.

10th Trip

The tenth trip was from the 21st to 26th November 2008. 507 patients were treated at two villages, bringing the total to 5,880.

In addition, pencils and notebooks were given to 285 students in two schools.

11th Trip

Doctor Hla Tun went to Pet Pyel Village in the Delta on 13th December 2008, returning on 17th December 2008. Pet Pyel village had a population of of 1,755 at the time of the visit but the clinic also dealt with patients from the nearby village of Toe Hla (population 377). It's believed that 350 people from these two villages lost their lives in the cyclone. These villages are remote, involving a two-and-a-half hour journey from Bogalay Township against the current of the river, using a small boat with a ten horse-power engine. There was no electricity in the villages, so the doctor had to use a small petrol generator donated by a Township Association and costing about 90 U.S. Dollars. On the first day, the clinic remained open until after midnight and on the second day, didn't finish until even later - 1.40 a.m.! Petrol for the generator is a significant overhead at around 3.50 U.S. Dollars per day.

The mobile clinic was open for three days, treating 71 patients on the first day, 131 on the second and 77 on the third. Number of patients treated over the three days was 279, bringing the overall total to 6,159.

In addition, a book and pencil were distributed to 418 students in the school there. There are 288 students in the Primary School (1st - 5th grade) and 130 students in the Middle School (6th - 9th grade).

Snacks, milk powder and clothing were also distributed to some poor patients. Food is also still being provided by the United Nations.

Doctors from the Health Ministry treat patients at large villages by using a ship but this cannot pass along the streams to the smaller villages.

Patients most commonly suffer from peptic ulcers, hypertension, chest infection and aching of the muscle and joints caused by hard, physical labour. Psychological trauma is common. Diarrhoea and dysentery has not been a problem at about 30 villages in Bogale Township because they collected clean water from rain during the rainy season. Although many reservoirs were inundated with salt water during the cyclone, some still provide reasonably clean water but the situation could deteriorate.

Most farmers have now harvested the rice crops in their paddy fields but yields vary from 30% to 80% of normal. Yield depends on the location, time of sowing, resistance of the seeds to the salt water which inundated the fields during the cyclone and availability of replacements for the buffaloes, sickles, spades and small plants from the nursery. Different planting methods have also been used when aid was received late from Government or NGOs. Instead of planting the small plants transferred from nursery to the paddy field, sometimes seeds have been sown directly. In places, shortage of buffaloes for ploughing has resulted in tractor ploughing being employed but this needs trained drivers and a supply of fuel. An attempt has been made to use buffaloes brought from Arakhine State in the South East of Myanmar, but problems have occurred due to the Myanmar Language having a different accent from that spoken by the Arakhine Tribe.

12th Trip

Doctor Hla Tun went to the Delta on 29th December 2008 for 3 days, opening a mobile clinic in 3 different places. 229 patients were treated, bringing the total to 6,388. On 31st December, the small boat used to access these remote villages grounded in the mud because of low water and it was necessary to wait four hours for sufficient water to proceed. During the enforced wait, 22 patients were treated in a temporary tent in a paddy field which has replaced a stronger one destroyed during the cyclone. The patients showed their gratitude by serving lunch to the relief team, after which the boat got under way to the village of Pet Pyel where a further 145 patients were treated.

Clothing and shoes were also donated to the patients.

13th Trip

Dr. Hla Tun travelled again to the Delta on 12-Jan-2009, returning 16-Jan-2009. This time, a boat with a 16 h.p. engine took two and half hours from the Bogalay Township with the boat of engine 16HP to reach the area of Ah Pyin Pa De Kone Village and Tha Maung Stream Village. On the first day 59 patients were treated, on the second 85 and on the last day 73, a total of 217 treatments, bringing the total to 6,605.

During the cyclone, over 2400 villagers perished in Ah Pyin Pa De Kone, leaving around 600 survivors. The number of dead is not accurately known because, on the day of the cyclone, there were two wedding ceremonies and many relatives and friends were visiting Ah Pyin Pa De Kone. The population has now swelled to around 1000 because of survivors migrating from smaller neighbouring villages.

The headmistress explained that about 65 students are expected to enrol this academic year compared with 215 students last year. Currently, there are 121 students in the primary school. Some are just starting school at age 5 and some are migrants from neighbouring small villages. Two teachers are taking all the classes this year. The headmistress estimated that more than 140 students died during the cyclone.

Of the 485 houses in Ah Pyin Pa De Kone, only 3 were left standing after the cyclone. There were 41 monks in the local monastery and all survived the cyclone, except for one who had gone to a relative's house in the village. The monastery itself was badly damaged but the monks ascribe their survival to the protection afforded by the trees which surrounded the monastery.

Treatments were also carried out at Tha Maung Stream Village which is a 45 minute drive from Ah Pyin Pa De Kone. Only one monastery here survived the cyclone. Because this visit was made during winter and the villages are near the sea, it was cold and windy.

14th Trip

Once again, Dr. Hla Tun went to the Delta for 4 days on 26th January 2009, reaching 2 villages which he'd not previously visited. A boat with a 16 h.p. engine took two hours and 40 minutes from the Bogalay Township to reach Pyin Boe Gyi. This village and A Se Gyi village are opposite Main Ma Hla Island.

The daily patient numbers were 43, 128, 70 and 83: a total of 324, bringing the total to 6,929.

Milk powder was distributed to some of the patients. In addition, 448 pencils and 348 books were distributed to 144 students in Pyin Boe Gyi Middle School and 371 students in A Se Gyi Monastic High school. The chief monk of A Se Gyi Village is a graduate who teaches 28 students in 10th and 11th grades at the High School. This is the only functioning High School education found during relief work in over 30 locations. In addition, there are 233 students in the primary school and 110 students in the middle school. There is a plan by a military attache from the Japanese Embassy to construct a new school in time for the next academic year.

The name Main Ma Hla Island means 'Beautiful Girl Island'. It's a free zone of 34779 acres, where there are crocodile breeding camps but all the crocodiles escaped during the cyclone.

During the cyclone, 374 villagers from Pyin Boe Gyi died out of a total population of 680. Due to migration, the present population is 804.

At A Se Gyi a levee reduced the force of the water during the cyclone. Over 50 villagers died out of a population of around 1300. Again, due to migration from outlying villages, the present population is has increased to 1564.

15th Trip

This was a 5-day trip to the Delta starting on 19th February 2009, operating at three villages, only one of which had been previously visited. The daily patient numbers were 57, 103, 126, 115 and 62: a total of 463. One of the villages is fairly close to the sea, taking a 10 h.p. boat about 20 minutes.

Dr. Hla Tun has treated 7,392 patients at this stage, with help from a local doctor on the first trip and the assistance of Dr. Leila Magaro on the 6th trip.

16th Trip

This visit to the Delta starting on 15th March 2009 and treated 282 patients in 2 different villages, the Robbers' Village and the Betel Nut Village. The Robbers' Village is very close to Thar Yay Kone village and the combined population is 1065. More than 100 villagers died during the cyclone. 147 patients were treated. There are 1350 villagers in the Betel Nut Village at the moment. Over 605 villagers died during the cyclone. A total of 7,674 patients have now been treated.

17th Trip

On 27th March 2009, Dr. Hla Tun undertook another trip to the Delta, treating 302 patients in 3 different villages (one village not previously visited). A total of 7,976 patients have now been treated.

18th Trip

This trip started on 20th April 2009, treating 230 patients over 3 days, bringing the total number of patients treated to 8,206.

Clean drinking water remains a problem in many of the affected communities. On this trip, Dr. Hla Tun organised a new Tube Well, 430 feet in depth for Lawine Island Village. He also organised the raising of the boundaries on the reservoir for Tha Maung Chaung Village. These boundaries are about 6 feet wide and 320 feet in length. The height is being raised around 3 feet at a cost of 650 U.S. Dollars. During summer, 35 villages rely upon this reservoir for drinking water.

19th Trip

This 3-day trip started on 8th May 2009 and treated 264 patients, bringing the total number of patients treated to 8,470.

20th Trip

256 patients were treated, bringing the total to 8,726.

21st Trip

Dr. Hla Tun went to the Delta on 17th June 2009, treating 272 patients in total during 3 days. The total number of patients treated is now 8,998 patients since Cyclone Nargis.

22nd Trip

This trip to the Delta started on 1st July 2009 and treated 274 patients in 3 different villages over a period of 3 days. This brings the total number of patients treated since the cyclone to 9,272.

On this trip, Dr. Hla Tun handed over medicines and his group of three assistants to a 74-year old native health assistant with a lot of experience. Dr. Hla Tun intends to follow up their activities on subsequent visits to the Delta so as to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of their activities. The health assistant had previously worked with Dr. Hla Tun on the first three visits to the Delta.

Details of later relief work can be found here.

[Statistics amended 15-May-2012].

Boulogne

My first trip abroad was a day trip by ferry to Boulogne with my mother when I was ten. The photograph above was taken by my mother from the ferry ('Maid of Orleans', I think) as it docked at Boulogne. The picture shows a diesel railcar waiting to speed passengers away. We stayed in Boulogne looking at the town and the docks. We had lunch at a small restaurant in the town, sitting at one of the outside tables - this idea of eating outside struck me as very continental.

Later, we returned to the docks for our return sailing where I watched the Paris express being marshalled by one of the exotic-looking '231' Nord Pacifics. I'm sure my mother took a photograph of the '231' but I'm afraid I've not been able to find it.

I spoke no French, but my interest in railways must have been apparent because at one point one of the shunters suddenly lifted me up into a baggage car where I sat on the floor as the train disappeared towards the station throat. My mother did not at first realise that this was only a shunting move and envisaged me ending up in Paris! She was relieved when the train stopped and reversed into an adjacent platform where we were reunited. That was my first trip on a French train. At the time, I found it perfectly natural to be suddenly given a short ride on a train in a foreign country - it's only looking back now that it seems remarkable.

New Platform at MOSI

Passengers boarding the first public train from the 2009 platform.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (which now likes to be known as 'MOSI') recently introduced a new platform for passengers boarding and alighting from the steam train which runs most weekends and some weekdays.

When I first became a member of the Friends organisation, back in 1988, the platform was near the main museum entrance, outside the Power Hall. A few years later, the running line was truncated and a new platform was constructed near the spiral stairs leading to the lower yard. We used this new platform until recently when another platform was completed. The latest platform is more or less in the position of the first platform (although it's now designed to serve the line nearest the Power Hall, rather than, as originally, the next road).

Looking towards Liverpool from the 2009 platform.

The line nearest the Power Hall has always had an inspection pit which has been refurbished. Since the pit is now on the running line, guard rails have been fitted. A small compressor house has been built just beyond the buffer stop and an air main feeds two charging points to allow the air receivers on 'Planet' to be recharged (the 'Planet' replica does not follow the prototype in having only a tender handbrake - the replica has a British Rail 2-pipe air brake system with 3 disc brakes on the engine and tender!). A modern ticket machine housed in a small wooden 'chalet' at the entrance to the platform allows passengers to purchase tickets for the ride before boarding the train.

On Saturday 27th June 2009, the new platform was brought into full service without ceremony and I was rostered as driver on that day, using the 'Planet' replica.

In August, the Museum is hosting a Transport Festival, starting on Saturday 8th August 2009. This festival concludes with the Great Garratt Gathering on 14-15-16th August. It's anticipated that the new passenger arrangements will be comprehensively tested during the Transport Festival.

Postscript: The Transport Festival is described here.

The Locksmith's House

Willenhall, in the West Midlands, was once the centre of the English lock-making industry which exported its products around the world. Although a small number of large companies eventually predominated, for many years small family businesses flourished. Richard Hodson and Son was typical of these businesses and, through good fortune, the family home and attached works became a lock museum, called The Locksmith's House.

In December 2008, regular public opening of the museum at The Locksmith's House in Willenhall ceased. Representations by various groups to the present owners, the Black Country Living Museum, have not succeeded in averting the closure. The museum claims that it will continue to open, as required, for party bookings. See the Official Website.

I visited the museum shortly before regular opening ceased to make an informal photographic record. It's a fascinating site, full of interest, conveying a real sense of the history of lockmaking in Willenhall and the lifestyle of the owners at the end of the Victorian era. It's sad that it can only be seen by pre-booked parties now.

My pictures of the Locksmith's House.

Flying

I've already described my first flight which gave me the taste for flying and since then I've flown in a variety of aircraft.

That first flight was a private charter by one of my customers and later I was able to charter an aircraft myself. This is how it came about...

Having set up as an electronics consultant, I was trying (with no great success) to establish the business. One day, I received a call from a senior electrical engineer at a large company involved in building new plant for British Steel (yes, in those far-off days, we had a British-owned steelmaking industry). I'd worked with him before and he thought I might be able to help with a problem. It seems that another company had designed special electronics for bulk materials handling equipment which was failing to give satisfaction on site. The client, British Steel, was not amused and was demanding urgent action. I was invited to go up to the site in the North East of England and see what could be done. At the time, I didn't relish trying to put someone else's mistakes right (it was tough enough trying to rectify my own mistakes) and I said that I was too busy to travel to the wilds of the North East. But the engineer persisted and I was amazed to find myself saying "Oh, alright, I'll go and have a look, but you'll have to charter a light aircraft to take me there and back". I imagined that would be the end of the matter but, instead, I was told, yes, they'd pay for the charter provided I arranged it, as they had no experience in chartering. It seemed the wrong moment to confess that I'd never chartered, either. I was more confident that I could arrange a charter than that I could fix the problem when I got there.

I arranged a twin-engined Piper 'Aztec' and pilot out of Birmingham to a small airport a taxi-ride away from the steelworks. In the meantime, we collected as much information as we could about the problems that were occurring and designed a small control module to replace the key element of the existing system. Although we had to make a number of assumptions in designing our control module, I hoped that our replacement would at least furnish an indication of the way to go.

I can remember very little of the flight, except waiting in the old, cramped terminal at Elmdon before departure, along with passengers for the various commercial departures (this was in the days before there was a separate 'General Aviation' terminal for private flights). The other passengers were scurrying hither and thither in reponse to inaudible public address annonuncements but when my pilot arrived, I was politely asked "Are you ready to leave?" and the two of us went out onto the apron and made our way to the waiting aircraft. I liked the idea of sitting 'up front' in the right hand seat and wearing headphones ('cans') both to facilitate conversation with the pilot and to follow the Air Traffic Procedures. Basically, I was hooked on aviation!

And what about when I arrived at the steelworks on that charter trip? I'm glad to report that our hastily-constructed control module performed better than I'd dared hope and we subsequently did quite a bit of work at various steelworks supplying materials handling equipment of our design. I managed to charter small aircraft a few more times as well but that's another story.

Tesla's Legacy

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) is one of the biggest influences on technical development in the 20th century but he died in poverty and relative obscurity. He fully accorded with the image of the "mad scientist" and was a prolific inventor. He had a brilliant mind and progressively became more and more eccentric. Although he became obsessed with the transmission of power without wires, it was his earlier work on rejecting Direct Current electric systems in favour of Alternating Current Polyphase systems which transformed our world.

Nowadays, when the developed world is completely electrified, it's hard to think back to a time when electricity was a novelty (not quite so hard for me: in the 1950s I lived for a number of years in a house without electricity). Production and distribution systems for gas became widespread in urban areas during the 19th century but the generation and transmission of electricity was still in its infancy. Direct Current systems were universal, partly because an important use for electricity was to produce mechanical power using an electric motor. Electric motors of the time needed direct current to operate - the alternating current motor was invented by Tesla around 1883 and started to be introduced around 1888, together with his Alternating Current Polyphase transmission.

When I was young, some parts of the country still used direct current (d.c.) transmission. When it was necessary to change the voltage, a rotary converter was used where the supplied voltage would drive a d.c. motor coupled to a generator producing the required voltage. This was complex and introduced power losses. The brilliance of the alternating current (a.c.) system is that voltage can be readily changed using a transformer - a completely static device. Even a transformer will introduce some power loss as heat but this can be minimised by careful design and choice of materials. The lack of moving parts and relative simplicity makes a transformer very reliable.

Even today, high-power electricity generation relies on rotating machines. Alternators (a.c. generators)are generally spun by turbines powered by steam (obtained by burning fossil fuel or nuclear reaction) to achieve relatively high efficiencies. Alternately, gas-turbines can be used. In smaller generators, it's possible to use reciprocating engines to spin the electric generator. In hydro-electric plant, a water turbine is used to spin the generator. In the case of (highly over-sold) wind generators, a big fan spins the generator directly.

The power is moved from place to place over wires. Copper is an excellent material to use, as it has little resistance to the flow of electricity. The resistance produces heat so, to minimise power loss through heating, the wire must be as thick as possible. These days, aluminium is also used. Its performance is not as good as copper, but it's cheaper.

Here's the attraction of a.c. transmission. Heat losses due to wire resistance can be reduced by increasing the transmitted voltage. For a given power, increasing the voltage will reduce the current. Voltage can be changed quite easily, using a transformer, to a higher voltage for transmission then, using a second transformer, transformed back to a lower voltage near the point of use.

Multiple transmission lines in Germany

The developed world is now covered by a 'Grid' of transmission lines, often at high voltages of 132 thousand volts or, in the case of the 'Super Grid', 400 thousand volts. Whilst voltages up to a few thousand volts can be carried in multi-core cables where the individual conductors are insulated from one another by plastic materials, higher voltages are normally carried by bare conductors in air, since air is a pretty good insulator. The conductors are carried on pylons, suspended from ceramic or glass insulator strings.

Electricity pylon routes marching across the landscape may not be elegant but they have facilitated the high energy consumption lifestyle which many of us enjoy.

Tesla wrote a number of publications, some of which have been reprinted, such as 'Tesla's Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency'. This was originally published in 1904 by McGraw Publishing Co., New York and reprinted by Lindsay Publications in 1986 (ISBN 0-917914-39-2).

There's a small collection of pictures showing various transmission lines.

Railway Signalling: Spring Vale Sidings Box

A copy of the box diagram in its later form

Introduction:

Spring Vale Sidings Box was on the double-track Stour Valley Line from Wolverhampton High Level to Birmingam New Street. Catchem's Corner was the next box towards Wolverhampton and Deepfields the adjacent box on the Birmingham side. Spring Vale was an L.M.S. standard 'composite' box with a brick locking room and glazed, wooden operating floor. In addition to the Up and Down Main lines, a bi-directional Up and Down Goods Line extended from Spring Vale to Deepfields. There were extensive sidings on both the Up and Down sides of the main lines. The signal box commanded a good view of the steel works on the Up side of the line which gave rise to the box's importance.

The box diagram above shows the arrangement in the later years after changes associated with an ill-starred Steel Terminal built on the down side. Originally, a running crossover with single slip was provided on the Wolverhampton side of the box. After remodelling, motor points 2A/2B and the facing crossover 5/6 provided similar functionality. Originally, access to the Down & Up Goods Loop from the Up Main was via a scissors crossover. Following remodelling, separate crossovers 5/6 and 13A/13B provided similar functionality. The Bonding Diagram below shows the original arrangement.

After electrification of the line, Spring Vale Sidings box struggled on as a Shunt Frame for a few years but, like the steelworks it was built to serve, it has now disappeared.

The Steelworks:

In the early 1950s, I visited the Steelworks on an official tour which started my interest in steelmaking and heavy engineering in general. At the time, the works was universally known as Stewarts and Lloyds but it ended up part of British Steel and was eventually closed. Very little sign of a once-major employer remains.

There was one Blast Furnace, a post-war affair called 'Elizabeth' named after the then-princess, now Queen, Elizabeth. Once 'lit' blast furnaces are kept going as long as possible. A 'campaign' can last 10 - 15 years. The blast furnace produces iron from iron ore in a batch process. Every few hours, the furnace would be 'tapped' to release the new batch of 'blast furnace metal'. Originally, this would be sand-cast into 'pigs', allowed to solidify, then broken up and carried away for further processing which involved melting it again. In an 'Integrated Steel Works', blast furnace metal is kept molten and transferred immediately for further processing. The Spring Vale Works had a number of electric-arc furnaces, used for converting iron into steel.

As British Steel modernised, the more efficient Basic Oxygen Steel process was introduced at certain sites, together with new, larger blast furnaces which, whilst still batch-orientated, had a much larger throughput than 'Elizabeth'. So the Spring Vale works became less economical and closure became inevitable.

Signalling:

The box was provided with an L.M.S. standard lever frame unusally on the track side (because the brick base was 'undercut' due to limited clearance to the siding running behind the box). The lever frame stood about 18 inches above the floor. All the interlocking was contained within the Operating Floor in flat trays protruding to the rear of the frame. The catch handles were 'trigger levers' mounted behind the lever top (similar to old-fashioned car handbrakes). 'Catch Handle Locking' was provided so that, if a lever was locked, it was not possible to squeeze the catch handle against the lever top to release the catch prior to moving the lever. This prevented the signalman from 'taking a swing' at a lever which was locked, minimising the chance of injury. Nonetheless, I always preferred the older L. & N.W.R Webb design where locking was on the lever, not the catch handle. A number of levers in the frame were provided with electric lever locks or circuit controllers.

One feature of L.M.S. frames was that the levers controlling running signals for the main lines were grouped towards the middle of the frame, rather than at each end, so as to minimise the required walking by the signalman. At Spring Vale Sidings, the levers required for an Up Train were thus 20 (Home), 21 (Starter) and 19 (Distants). For a Down train, the "pull" was 35 (Home), 34 (Starter), 36 (Distants) and 37 (Distant).

Signalling at Spring Vale Sidings was upper-quadrant semaphore, wire-operated. The Down Starting Signal (with Catchems Corner Down Inner Distant below) originally had an ususual 'gallows' post but the limited remodelling changed this for a straight post with a 'Shunt Ahead' subsidiary signal below. Note that the lever number for the 'Shunt Ahead' signal was 33 - my diagram incorrectly shows it as 35. Originally, points were all mechanically operated via rodding but the limited re-modelling introduced electric operation of points 2A and 2B.

Absolute block signalling was in use on the main lines, using L&NWR instruments of Fletcher's 'DN' pattern.

The Down and Up Goods Line to Deepfields was worked 'Permissive', using special bi-directional single-line block instruments. Although each instrument had two block indicator needles, only one needle could be used at a time, according to whether the train was 'coming' or 'going'. In addition, the commutator which allowed the block to be set at 'LINE CLEAR', 'TRAIN ON LINE' or, when not in use, 'LINE CLOSED' also included a mechanical reminder device which displayed the total number of trains in the section in a small window.

I'm afraid I never did a detailed signalling diagram before the remodelling, but the diagram above represents Spring Vale in its final years as a block post.

Down Main Signals:

Spring Vale Sidings Down Block Section extended from Deepfields Down Starting Signal to Spring Vale Sidings Down Home Signal (35), just outside the box. 'Station Limits' extended from the Home Signal to the Starting Signal (34).

A Distant Signal is, of course, provided sufficiently far in the rear of the Home Signal to serve as a warning to the driver of an approaching train of adverse stop signals ahead. The location of a Distant Signal depends upon Line Speed, Gradients, Sighting Distance and train braking characteristics. If a Block Section is sufficiently long, the distant signal will be placed on its own post but where Block Sections are shorter (such as along the Stour Valley Line), the Starting Signal of the box in rear would often intervene so a distant arm was placed below the Starting Signal arm. A 'Slot' mechanism on the signal post would prevent the distant arm from coming 'Off' until the Starting Signal had cleared. The lever of the Distant Signal would work the 'Weight Bar' in the Slot mechanism, enabling the Distant Arm to clear once the Starting Signal is cleared. There's a bit more about 'slotting' here. A further Distant Signal would have to be provided under the Home Signal of the box in the rear, similarly 'slotted'.

In fact, Spring Valve Sidings controlled a total of three Distant Signals in the Down direction, all mounted under Deepfields 'stop' signals and 'slotted' by them. Lever 37 operated the weight bar for a Distant Signal 1144 yards from the Home Signal, mounted under Deepfields' Down 'Home 1' signal. You can imagine that getting the weight bar to move correctly at this distance required a certain technique. Lever 36 operated the weight bars for two Distant Signals - 36a (mounted under Deepfields' Down 'Home 2' signal) and 36b (mounted under Deepfields' Down Starting signal).

Up Main Signals:

Spring Vale Sidings Up Block Section extended from Catchems Corner Up Starting Signal to Spring Vale Sidings Up Home Signal (20), from where 'Station Limits' extended from to the Starting Signal 21).

Spring Valve Sidings controlled two Distant Signals in the Up direction, both mounted under Catchems Corner 'stop' signals and 'slotted' by them. Lever 19 operated the weight bar for Distant Signal 19b mounted under Catchems Corner Up Starting Signal. Provided the weight bar came 'off' correctly, a circuit controller applied power to motor-operated Distant Signal 19a mounted under Catchems Corner Up Home Signal. This motor-operated Distant Signal was 1190 yards from Spring Vale Sidings Up Home Signal.

Down and Up Goods Loop & Adjacent Sidings:

The 'third line' on the Deepfields side of Spring Vale Sidings was an up and down permissive block goods line. 'Permissive' meant that a second, or subsequent, goods train could be admitted onto the occupied line. To ensure the co-operation of signalmen at Spring Vale Sidings and Deepfields regarding trains on the Down & Up Goods Loop, stop signals at either end were 'Slotted' (in a similar fashion to slotting of Distant Signals described above) so that both signalmen had to operate their slot lever before the signal cleared. Lever 29 at Spring Vale Sidings worked the slot on the bracket signal allowing Up Trains to proceed to Deepfields. Lever 50 at Spring Vale Sidings worked two slots at Deepfields allowing Up Trains to approach Spring Vale. One slot was on the arm controlling facing movement from the Down Main to the Down & Up Goods; the other controlled the 2-arm miniature semaphore ground signals controlling movements setting-back from the Up Main to the Down & Up Goods.

The 'fourth line' on the Deepfields side of Spring Vale Sidings box gave access to a fan of sidings which extended to Deepfields. There was no block signalling on these sidings and the connection at the Deepfields end was very rarely used.

Typical working:

Whilst some boxes were only open during the daylight hours, Spring Vale Sidings worked three shifts ('Early', 'Late', 'Nights') most of the week.

A lot of the activity was concerned with the through trains. This involved accepting the 'Is Line Clear?' from the box in the rear ("Taking On"), obtaining 'Line Clear' from the box in advance ("Sending On"), clearing the signals in the order Home, Starter finally Distants ("Pulling Off"), observing the train as it passed, sending 'Train Entering Section' ("Section") to the box in advance, ensuring a tail lamp was carried, replacing the signals, giving 'Train Out of Section' ("Knocking Out") to the signal box in rear and waiting for the box in advance to send 'Train Out of Section'. Even this repetitive process could get quite demanding at busy times when trains followed one another on short headways and, of course, trains were being handled in both directions. Once freight trains, requiring to detach or attach wagons, terminate or originate at Spring Vale, were added to the mix, life could be quite hectic.

Signalling Controls:

There's a bit about the electrical signalling controls at Spring Vale Sidings starting here.

References:

For an earlier diagram of the arrangements at Spring Vale Sidings, refer to the Signalling Record Society publication 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's', 'Volume 11: LNWR Lines in the West Midlands' (ISBN: 1 873228 13 9).

For details of the the Stour Valley line 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.

[Additional material added January 2010. New links added July 2013]

Sedgeley Junction remembered

In the post 'Sedgeley Junction', I talked about this signal box on the South Stafford Line. My friend Phil is contemplating a model based on the area and was recently interviewed on radio, appealing for more information, particularly about the Palethorpes operation.

So I've trawled the gloomy recesses of my memory for more information to 'add to the pot'.

The railway spelling of the placename - Sedgeley Junction - always intrigued me. The nearby 'Sedgley Road West' eventually leads to the town of 'Sedgley'. Both names get by with only two 'e' in the name, but the railway always used three in the name of their junction.

Sedgeley Junction controlled access to Palethorpes' private sidings. These sidings were situated on the Up side between Sedgeley Junction and Dudleyport Low Level station. There was a fairly basic loading platform with awning. The main factory was a short distance away. I'm indebted to John Dunn for this brief history of Palethorpes:

Henry Palethorpe commenced business as a butcher at Gooch Street, Birmingham, in 1852, where he was to develop a product that was to lead to the business becoming the largest producer of sausages in the world. In 1870 the business was moved to the Market Place, Dudley, as by then more production capacity was required. The business continued to grow, the year 1892 saw the purchase of premises formerley used as a brewery, belonging to Whitehouse Brothers, in Park Lane West, Dudley Port, later to be known as Tipton. These premises were known as the 'Model Brewery'. After extensive modification production commenced there in 1896, and continued until the 1967, when the company moved to a new purpose built factory in Market Drayton, Shropshire.

I believe 'Black Country Bugle' number 711 has an article about the demolition of the Park Lane West factory after the move to Market Drayton.

Palethorpes had its own fleet of railway vans, carrying the company name and a large picture of their sausages. Each weekday afternoon, these vans were attached to various passenger trains for distribution around the country and the unloaded, empty vans returned the next morning. There were no run-round facilities in Palethorpes' sidings so, when I used to visit Sedgeley Junction, two shunting locomotives would normally arrive at around the same time. In the morning, vans from two directions would be brought in and the two locomotives would co-operate in getting the vans positioned at the loading platform. In the afternoon, two loaded trains would be made up. As far as I remember, one train would head up the 'Third Line' to Dudley, the second would take the down branch to Dudleyport. At Dudleyport, further shunting would attach the vans to the required expresses.

Sedgeley Junction track diagram. Click on the diagram to enlarge.

The lack of a run-round and the inconvenient layout at Sedgeley Junction meant that there was quite a bit of 'fussing about' to get two trains away. In particular, the train for Dudleyport would be drawn up the 'Third Line' past the signal box by the engine for the Dudley working attached to the Dudley end of the vans. The Dudleyport engine (often a Stanier 2-6-4T) would then attach to the Dudleyport end of the vans, clear of the crossover. The points were then set for 'Up Main' to 'Third Line' and the Dudleyport engine would then draw its train onto the Up Main, clear of the facing points. Once the points were reset for the main line, the engine would propel its train past the box to clear the crossover points. 'Line Clear' would be got from Dudleyport for a '1-3-1', the junction points set for Dudleyport and the crossover reversed. The train would then depart on its short journey to Dudleyport. This move was invariably called 'the W move'. The lack of ground signals for shunting (except actually leaving the Palethorpes' siding) meant that all these moves were authorised from the signal box by handsignal - a raised arm given at an open window.

The freight guards who came with the Palethorpes' trains were kept quite busy by all this shunting. Freight guards jobs then were totally different from today. Railway staff who worked inside private sidings were frequently given little 'perks' by the businesses to ensure their co-operation. It was customary for the train guard to grab a snack at the Palethorpes' works canteen and, on one occasion, a friendly guard invited me to accompany him. The main works which housed the canteen was large and brick-built, four or five stories high and built right up to the pavement. The canteen was crowded and noisy but we were quickly furnished with bacon sandwiches.

Palethorpes' works was dominated by a tall brick chimney and, from time to time, this emitted what I found a very distasteful smell as a reminder of what the plant was about. Once, exactly what the business involved was brought forcefully home to me. I had visited my friend Tom at Sedgeley Junction on a Saturday and, checking the Special Traffic Notices, found that a special train was due to arrive at Palethorpes. The train duly arrived with about eight or ten cattle wagons and was 'loosed up' the 'Third Line'. The wagons were full of live pigs, all squealing. I still remember my sense of guilt as the train was slowly reversed down to the Palethorpes' loading dock where the pigs were unloaded to await their fate. In a while, the engine returned with just its brake van and, after performing the 'W' move, departed on the down main propelling the brake, 'rightaway Bescot'.

Normally, of course, the locomotive has to be at the front but the propelling of one or two brake van was permitted - the guard would usually be on the front verandah keeping a lookout. The 'Is Line Clear?' for an engine with one or two brake vans was '1-1-3'. Timetables usually used the acronym 'EBV' (Engine and Brake Van); railway staff called them 'Engine and Brake' or 'Horse and Cart'.

The Diesel Parcels Units (DPU) became quite familiar when I was working signal boxes. It was quite usual to see them with 'tail traffic' of a few vacuum-fitted vans. But I don't remember personally seeing a DPU hauling a 'Palethorpes' van, although there's photographic evidence that they did. DPU were quite common on the Stour Valley and the South Stafford Line on normal parcels trains but I never saw one go into Palethorpes'.

Dudley was a somewhat unlikely destination for day trips, mainly because of the Zoo. At Bank Holidays, a number of steam-hauled excursion trains would converge on Dudley from various towns, mainly in the East Midlands, so it was an interesting time to visit the box. Next time, I'll tell you a little about these excursions.

Stanier '8F' inauguration at Peak Rail

The public debut of the maroon Stanier 8F, 8624, took place on Saturday 23-May-2009, as part of a 3-day steam gala at Peak Rail for the Bank Holiday weekend. The first day didn't quite go to plan, as I'll explain shortly. I was marked as driver on 8624 during Saturday morning with Chris Ward as fireman, then we were both to swap onto 'Royal Pioneer' giving brake van rides at Rowsley for the afternoon.

When I arrived at Darley Dale South Yard, The invariably-smiling Chris was on hand and 8624 was quietly 'brewing-up' at the North End of Siding 2. 'Royal Pioneer' was being prepared in the usual spot, over the inspection pit towards the south end of siding 2. After exchanging greetings with Derek and Harvey on 'Royal Pioneer', I returned to 8624 to set about the driver's preparation duties.

I've talked about preparation of 'Royal Pioneer' in an earlier article. The same principles apply to an '8F' - it's just a bit bigger. The '8F' has one major advantage over 'Royal Pioneer' - it has two outside cylinders and Walschaert's Valve Gear outside, so it's easier to get at most oiling points. Some of the corks are a bit high-up so that the foot-framing (running board) gets in the way but hinged flaps are provided in the foot-framing so that the driver can attend to these oiling points from above.

On 'Royal Pioneer', steam oil is dispensed by a sight feed lubricator but on the '8F' a mechanical lubricator, driven from the motion, distributes oil as long as the engine is in motion. During preparation, the driver has only to lift a hinged lid on the lubricator to ensure there's sufficient oil in the reservoir for the day's work. The driver will also turn the lubricator by hand perhaps twenty turns to 'prime' the oil lines with oil before setting off.

On the '8F', a second mechanical lubricator (a 'Silvertown' of a slightly different pattern) distributes 'motion oil' to the top of the coupled axleboxes to feed the journals and hornguides. At present, there is no manual handle for priming, so this lubricator is 'cranked' by turning the nut on the end of the pump spindle with a spanner.

Although the mechanical lubricator will provide a supply to the axleboxes, it's also necessary to go underneath the engine to attend to the axlebox underkeeps, for Stanier introduced the very reliable Swindon design of axlebox on the L.M.S. The picture below shows one axlebox on the pony truck of the '8F'.

The 'Achilles Heel' of many Derby-built locomotives before Stanier was said to be inadequate bearing size in axleboxes. There was a famous tussle when Derby placed an order with Beyer Peacock in Manchester for the 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 'Garratts'. Beyer Peacock politely pointed out that they would recommend the use of their standard axleboxes with generous dimensions. But Derby insisted on the standard axlebox, with predictable consequences for reliability. On his arrival at Derby, Stanier went about quietly introducing a number of Swindon ideas, including his version of the Swindon axlebox. The underkeep is in the form of a generous oil reservoir. A worsted pad is immersed in the oil, with a spring pressing the pad upwards to wipe oil onto the journal. Each reservoir is topped-up via a protruding pipe closed with a cork, accessible when the locomotive is standing on an inspection pit. The bottom of the reservoir has a hex-headed bolt which may be slackened to drain any water from the reservoir.

When the crew of 'Royal Pioneer' had finished their preparation, they moved the engine off the pit, so that I could set back 8624 onto the pit to check the axleboxes. By the time I'd done this, it was 09:15 - time to tie the two engines together and make out way to Rowsley. Having obtained the Darley Dale - Matlock single line staff from the Darley Dale signalman, the crew of 'Royal Pioneer' were able to operate the South Yard Ground Frame and drag us onto the running line. With the ground frame restored to normal, I received the staff (Peak Rail has changed it rules so that it's now the leading engine which carries the staff) and we made our way towards the Darley Dale Down Home signal which 'cleared' as we approached.

I surrendered the single line staff to the signalman as we entered the double track section through Darley Dale station. As we approached Church Lane, the signal came 'off' and, having picked up the staff for the Church Lane - Rowsley section, we carried on up the bank, to stop by the crossover ground frame on the approach to Rowsley. Here, we 'split' the two engines.

I took 8624 up to the 6-coach train in the platform and 'Royal Pioneer' made its way into the sidings to pick up a brake van for the brake van rides. The guard called us onto the stock and members of the 48624 society joined the train, for the first round trip due to depart at 09:45 was to be be a private working for society members. The Traction and Train Crew Officer had decided to drive the first trip, so I was left at Rowsley, waiting for the train to return.

When the train returned, it was quickly discovered that the big end bearing on the right hand side was very hot. Alen gave a monosyllabic diagnosis - "SHED!". So, I took over a 'sick' engine, unable to work the first revenue-earning public train. 'Royal Pioneer' was told to drop his brake van off and get attached to the front of the train to work the service whilst repairs were attempted to 8624. Once 'Royal Pioneer' had shunted onto the train, I was able to gingerly shunt 8624 across to the shed, where we positioned the engine as required by Alen and the working members of the 48624 Society.

The team took down the right hand motion in order to examine the big end. This is an easier task on an locomotive with outside motion, but it's not a job for the faint-hearted. The parts are heavy and cumbersome and strength is required, even with a willing team. My pictures of 8624 include some shots showing the repair in progress.

Once the four nuts securing the return crank are removed and the eccentric rod is disconnected from the expansion link, the return crank and eccentric rod can be lifted off and set aside. The gudgeon pin is then removed, allowing the little end of the connecting rod to be separated from the crosshead. The big end is then slid off the crankpin and the long, heavy connecting rod withdrawn. This is easier said than done because the connecting rod passes through the motion bracket (also called the 'spectacle') and has to be manhandled towards the cab until it's clear of the motion bracket. The rod can then be set down on wooden blocks to allow the whitemetal bearing to be examined.

Judicious 'scraping' was performed on the whitemetal bearing to remove possible 'high spots'. Years ago, this was a favourite training job for apprentices in the works. Meanwhile, the oil pad was given a good soaking in fresh oil. Before re-assembly, all bearing surfaces were given a liberal application of oil, then the procedure for taking down the motion was reversed until the engine was complete again. As a test, we ran the engine the length of the loco yard and back three times. After each run, the big end temperature was checked and the following run was made at a slightly higher speed. The repair was judged a success and the engine was released to traffic, after less than three hours on shed - a tribute to the 48624 team's professionalism.

While all this was going on, 'Royal Pioneer' had completed two round trips to Matlock. 8624 shunted to the south end of the train and 'Royal Pioneer' moved from the north end to the yard, to resume brake van rides. The first revenue service operated by 8624 was the late-running 13:45 departure, reporting number 2M05. The engine was tender first, of course, going to Matlock. I'm afraid the Stanier 4000 gallon tender doesn't give the driver very good visibility when running tender first. When I used to work mechanical signalboxes (unofficially) when I was young, I was intrigued that some freight train drivers would insist on turning their engines on a nearby triangle so as to work back 'chimney leading', whereas other drivers would save time by working back tender first. Most of the British Rail Standard tenders were 'inset' at the top, to improve visibility.

I've discussed some of the duties of the traincrew in 'The working of trains' but if it's an unfamiliar engine, the driver also has to work out the best way of handling the engine. Below is a small selection of the things to bear in mind
- On any engine with piston valves, aggressive use of the cylinder drain cocks is essential, to prevent condensate being trapped in the cylinders.
- Each time the regulator is shut, there's a fair amount of steam left in the main steam pipe and this steam will be expanded as it passes through the superheater, so the engine will remain under power for some seconds.
- A screw reverser allows fairly precise setting of the cut-off, but it can become a little heavy if you're doing a lot of shunting.

Chris had things well in hand on the fireman's side, as usual, so I could concentrate on driving. It's always policy to start off in full gear, to ensure you can produce enough torque to start away cleanly with a moderate regulator opening. After a few yards, I pulled her back to 55% for better economy. Since 55% is also the marked position for drifting (coasting), I could shut off without making any further adjustment to the reverser. On this run, we wanted to keep the speed down and, every time we stopped at a station, we checked the right hand big end which remained cool. So we enjoyed an uneventful, if rather restrained round trip. I was reminded that this was a fairly special occasion as we approached Rowsley on the way back in bright sunshine. In the field on the left, there was a fan of about ten photographers, lenses trained on our engine as we made our sedate progress into the platform.

On our arrival, I squeezed up and Chris 'hooked off'. Long-term Peak Rail member Bill Berisford marked the occasion by the charming gesture of presenting me with flowers, shown in this picture by Mick Cramp. Then it was time to relieve the crew on 'Royal Pioneer' and Jack and Mike took over 8624 for its second revenue trip. The Traction and Train Crew Officer decided to take 8624's third revenue trip. Chris and I continued the brake van rides during the afternoon and when 8624 completed its third trip (by now about one hour 'down' on the schedule), we coupled the two engines together. 'Royal Pioneer' led the way home to the South Yard at Darley Dale, where the two engines were disposed. An interesting and tiring day. The early failure of 8624 was clearly disappointing but the marvellous way in which the members of the 48624 society rallied round to get the engine back in traffic was in the very best traditions of steam railways.

Other Articles on 8624 in this Blog

Stanier '8F' restored at Peak Rail.
In a Spin with Pete Waterman.

Ask the Expert - 1

"Thank you. This is a rather nice commemorative plaque featuring a Great Western 'Castle' class locomotive. Modelling can be very variable on this sort of objet but this is quite well done. There's a limit, of course, to how much detail can be incorporated but the classic lines of the 'Castle' are quite clear."

"Churchward introduced the Great Western 'Star' class which laid out the basic format for a four cylinder express locomotive. Divided drive, with two inside cylinders set well forward connected to the leading cranked driving axle and two outside cylinders driving the next axle via crankpins. Although Stephenson link motion had been used with complete success on other types, Churchward decided to fit two sets of Walschaert's motion inside the frames working the piston valves on the inside cylinders directly and the piston valves for the outside cylinders via rocking levers. Initially, the 'Atlantic' wheel arrangement (4-4-2) was to be used, as on the De Glehn compounds he'd evaluated, but Churchward became convinced that the extra adhesion contributed by a pair of coupled wheels, rather than a pony truck, would be more valuable, giving rise to the classic Great Western 4-6-0. The 'Castle' closely followed the outline of the earlier 'Star' but Collett did provide a somewhat improved cab, allowing us to quickly identify this plaque as a 'Castle'."

"Turning to the material which has been used for this plaque, the brown colouration suggests terracotta which, in the right hands, can provide the level of detail we see here... I beg your pardon? Chocolate? Did you say CHOCOLATE? You are surely mistaken" ...

(MUNCH) ... "Certainly, it's rather softer than I would have expected. Terracotta requires the correct kiln temperature for 'firing' to produce a durable artefact ..."

(MUNCH) ... "Of course, Churchward used only a low degree of superheat and it wasn't until after the Second World War that higher superheat was used. The traditional Great Western sight feed lubricator was not sufficiently reliable with the resulting higher steam temperatures and so a mechanical lubricator was used for the cylinder oil. A double chimney and blastpipe was introduced, to reduce back pressure and consequent power losses" ...

(MUNCH) ... "The name of Sam Ell is associated with this post-war work at Swindon where the steaming of a number of classes was significantly improved, often by quite minor changes to the draughting. By this time, the work of Lemaitre, Chapelon and Kylala was becoming well known" ...

(MUNCH) ... "Now, looking again at this commemorative plaque ... Oh dear, it seems to have gone. Next object, please!"

Fourth Rail Electrification

Fourth rail electrification, White City, London Underground

Electric railways were introduced towards the end of the 19th century. Electric traction was particularly suitable for use on underground railways where steam traction could be particularly troublesome. Early systems used locally-generated direct current, produced by stationary steam engines.

Largely because of the available materials for generators and motors, working voltages were limited to six or seven hundred volts. At these relatively low voltages, currents are fairly high, so a third rail, the conductor rail, was provided to carry the traction current between the feed point and the train to be powered. One or both running rails were used to return the current to the feed point. The conductor rail was carried on glazed porcelain insulators (invariably called 'pots') mounted on the transverse timbers ('sleepers') to which the running rails were also fixed. The high insulation resistance of the insulators ensured that almost all the current flowing in the conductor rail was that drawn by the train.

The situation was more complex as far as the return current from the train was concerned. The running rails were held at the proper gauge by fixing them rigidly to the sleepers which, in early days, were generally made of wood - a reasonable electrical insulator. To provide resilience against the dynamic loads of passing trains, the sleepers were buried in ballast, often crushed limestone - again a reasonable insulator. Sleepers and ballast were in contact with the mass of the earth. The earth resistance from the running rails may be fairly high in dry conditions but, when wet, earth resistance falls. Although most of the return current would flow from the train to the feed point through the rail, a proportion leaked from rail to sleeper and from sleeper to ballast so that a significant current flowed through the mass of the earth. If there were nearby metallic water or gas pipes, some of this stray current could flow through them, causing damage by electrolytic action.

The situation was even worse in deep tube lines, which were lined with sectional cast iron sections which would not only suffer electrolytic action but, if rings were not bonded together, could display arcing. To mitigate this problem, London's Underground evolved with a 'fourth rail' to carry the return current via a path isolated from earth.

The outer conductor rail is positive at around +420 volts and the inner conductor rail, mounted between the running rails, is negative at around -210 volts. These are the theoretical voltages under dry conditions. Leakage resistance across every porcelain insulator will provide a multitude of paths to earth from both conductor rails which can alter the voltage to earth ratio of the positive and negative conductor rails. To define the 'normal' ratio, London Underground provide bleed resistors every so often connected from each conductor rail to earth. This 'normal' ratio will be subject to significant change on surface lines under varying weather conditions.

Fourth rail electrification with modern concrete slab track

For notes on traction power distribution on London Underground click here.

For an excellent article on conductor rail systems by Russ Elliot click here.

The world's railways use a wide variety of d.c. and a.c. electrification systems employing both conductor rails and overhead conductor systems - to see the Wikipedia article on 'Railway Electrification' click here.

Related posts on this website

All my posts on London Underground can be found here.

Stanier '8F' restored at Peak Rail

During the Second World War, the 'Big Four' railways were still in existence, but under Government direction. Riddles was seconded to the Ministry of Supply to ensure that locomotives were available for the war effort. One of the classes he chose to manufacture was Stanier's '8F' freight locomotive and orders were distributed amongst a number of workshops. This is how the locomotive numbered 48624 post-war came to be manufactured by the Southern Railway at Ashford Locomotive Works. It was delivered in 1943, one of a batch of 13 locomotives built there and was initially allocated to Willesden M.P.D. on the L.M.S.

After a little over 20 years service, the locomotive was scrapped in 1965 as part of the frenzy to eliminate steam and languished in Barry scrapyard until 1981, when a group of enthusiasts purchased the locomotive and commenced restoration at Peak Rail's Buxton site.

The problems Peak Rail experienced at Buxton necessitated a fresh start at Darley Dale and so 48624 relocated to the South Yard at Darley Dale to allow work to continue. The amount of money and dedication necessary to restore any locomotive from Barry condition, particularly a large one like an '8F', is hard to imagine. It took 28 years of hard work by the volunteers of the 48624 Society to bring the locomotive back into steamable condition and in that time some of the stalwarts have passed on. Almost all the work has been carried out in the open air - it's only in the last few months that the locomotive was moved to the new Locomotive Shed at Rowsley, offering a significant improvement in working conditions.

On the 25th April 2009, the locomotive moved under her own steam for the first time in 43 years. Alan Taylor made a video of this historic event. To watch Alan's historic video, Click here.

During the restoration, the locomotive had been painted in British Rail black, numbered '48624' and with the 'star' symbol on the cabside (indicating that the locomotive had improved balancing and was suitable for working high-speed freight trains). But, at a late stage, the controversial decision was made to turn her out with the L.M.S. running number '8624' and L.M.S. express passenger livery which, of course, is historically incorrect. The Power Classification has been altered to '8P', to correspond with the livery.

I imagine there'll be some debate about the appearance of the engine. My view is that people who have expended such a super-human effort in bringing the locomotive back to life have a perfect right to choose the livery. Although I have some personal reservations, it can't be denied that she looks very handsome in the chosen colour scheme and I'm sure the general public (as opposed to the rivet-counters) will approve. Click here for my pictures.

The public debut of the locomotive in revenue service is set for 23rd May 2009 at Peak Rail - click here for the Peak Rail website.

Signals in the Sand

In March 2009 I visited Egypt to see some of the Nile temples. I'm afraid I didn't manage to travel by rail and only visited one station (Aswan) but I did snatch some photographs as I made my way around.

The main station in Cairo is Ramses. The elevated road into the city from the airport passes close to the station but I hadn't been able to see much on my arrival. I contemplated a trip to look at the station but I couldn't make enough time. There is a railway museum adjacent to this station, but I discovered it was closed for the holiday. Apparently, Ramses station has a well-regarded Art Deco frontage. There is currently a fuss because proposed redevelopment at the station threatens the views of the old frontage. I hope they're more successful than we generally have been in England.

Originally, quite a lot of railway equipment was supplied from the U.K. and I knew that the semaphore signalling was generally based on British Practice. But I was surprised to see how much semaphore signalling remains in use today. The heading picture shows the first signal I came across, where the line crosses the Cairo - Suez dual carriageway. It's a lower quadrant with a fabricated post and the balance weight mounted at high level. My photo shows the rear of the signal, a starting signal for thje signal box in the background which appears to control one end of a passing loop, judging by the arrangement of signals in the distance.

As we travelled around the Canal Zone by car, I took a few more pictures but I'm afraid they don't show a lot. My pictures of 'Signals in the Sand'.

Whilst I was in Aswan, I managed to make a quick trip to the station. Eight o'clock in the morning was clearly a good time to visit as, at one point, we had three simultaneous movements. Pictures of Aswan station.