Misc steam railway, traction, station and rail-related news

[Puddy_Tat]

I guess one day we might look back and say the same about landmark cooling towers at power stations, they’ll all be gone soon yet dominated the landscape even more than railway structures.

a lot of gas holders being demolished / argued about in recent years, e.g. the ones next to the oval cricket ground

Some in railway terms already listed

and (mildly off topic) stockwell bus garage

The Twentieth Century Society – Campaigning for outstanding buildings may be worth a look for efforts to get 'modern' buildings listed.

ultimately, there is a tendency not to regard stuff as being worth keeping until most of it is gone. a fair proportion of victorian architecture that's now highly regarded replaced much older structures and so on

 

[davesgcr]

a lot of gas holders being demolished / argued about in recent years, e.g. the ones next to the oval cricket ground




and (mildly off topic) stockwell bus garage

The Twentieth Century Society – Campaigning for outstanding buildings may be worth a look for efforts to get 'modern' buildings listed.

ultimately, there is a tendency not to regard stuff as being worth keeping until most of it is gone. a fair proportion of victorian architecture that's now highly regarded replaced much older structures and so on

We met a mildly eccentric couple on a steam railtour about 30+ years ago who had a deep interest in gasometers , who freely admitted that every house they had lived in was in sight of a gasometer ,if he is still alive he must be gutted at recent losses or convertions to luxery accomodation (KIngs Cross) a

 

[teuchter]

We met a mildly eccentric couple on a steam railtour about 30+ years ago who had a deep interest in gasometers , who freely admitted that every house they had lived in was in sight of a gasometer ,if he is still alive he must be gutted at recent losses or convertions to luxery accomodation (KIngs Cross) a

Their names weren't Bernd and Hilla were they?

 

[teuchter]

Some in railway terms already listed - Bham New Street Signal Box , Coventry station , post war waiting shelter at Stonebridge Park.

I'd be quite up for keeping (and restoring properly) the current Euston station main hall (I know it's not going to happen)

 

[davesgcr]

Their names weren't Bernd and Hilla were they?

Not to my knowledge - however I recall an ex railwayman who's trip to Poland was made wonderful by a hotel room overlooking a coking plant at a steelworks. ......."chacun a son gout".....

 

[editor]

How cute is this halt on the stupidly closed down Porthcawl line:

 

[editor]

Blackpool Central in the 50s. Station is now closed.

 

[Roadkill]

the destruction of Crumlin (and other large viaducts such as Belah) just seems like monumental cultural vandalism now. Incredible structures.

I'm probably in a minority, but I think Belah Viaduct was a beautiful structure:

IIRC it was in poor condition and needed quite a lot of work, though, and it was a Bouch design so they'd been worrying about it falling over since 1879. I don't really blame the BRB for demolishing it; a more forgivable decision than some they made around that time.

I'd be quite up for keeping (and restoring properly) the current Euston station main hall (I know it's not going to happen)

View attachment 226149

I'm with you there - I like Euston. A lot of people hate it because of what it replaced, but it's not a badly designed station and IMO it's not unattractive.

 

[Roadkill]

On the subject of relics left over from ill-conceived Victorian railway lines that are now long gone, one of the last surviving Hull and Barnsley Railway carriages was brought back to the city earlier this year. Some of the restoration work is being done by students at Hull College, as part of a joint project with its owners, the Hull and Barnsley Railway Stock Fund.

I walk past that bit of the college quite a bit and they seemed to be making pretty good progress before the lockdown. I've not been that way since March, so I wonder how it's looking now.

Most of the Hull and Barnsley route is a footpath these days, although the high-level line around the north of the city centre is still in use for freight, and the Alexandra Dock is now the hub of the local offshore wind industry. Which is slightly ironic, given that the point of the Hull and Barnsley - apart from breaking the NER's de facto and very unpopular local monopoly - was to connect the port to the coal mines of South Yorkshire.

 

[hash tag]

I am certain that carriage/lorry has been on a trucking programme on television.

 

[editor]

' Blackpool Central contained 14 platforms at its closure in 1964,and became the station with the highest number of platforms ever to close. '

 

[editor]

Another photo showing the vast scale of the operation that once existed at Blackpool. It's all car parks now.

 

[quiet guy]

That's one hell of a set up. The rail traffic must have been massive to warrant 14 platforms and all the freight sidings.

 

[StoneRoad]

On the subject of relics left over from ill-conceived Victorian railway lines that are now long gone, one of the last surviving Hull and Barnsley Railway carriages was brought back to the city earlier this year. Some of the restoration work is being done by students at Hull College, as part of a joint project with its owners, the Hull and Barnsley Railway Stock Fund.

I walk past that bit of the college quite a bit and they seemed to be making pretty good progress before the lockdown. I've not been that way since March, so I wonder how it's looking now.

Most of the Hull and Barnsley route is a footpath these days, although the high-level line around the north of the city centre is still in use for freight, and the Alexandra Dock is now the hub of the local offshore wind industry. Which is slightly ironic, given that the point of the Hull and Barnsley - apart from breaking the NER's de facto and very unpopular local monopoly - was to connect the port to the coal mines of South Yorkshire.

Not the weight, but the length of that carriage (and I'm pleased it is being restored) ...
most of the ones I've dealt with have been shorter - and with only 4 wheels.
(apart from the big one NER2853 - any longer and we would have had a job fitting it in) this is it getting some wheels ...

NER7cmpt - and moves towards chassis par StoneRoad2013, on ipernity

 

[Roadkill]

That's one hell of a set up. The rail traffic must have been massive to warrant 14 platforms and all the freight sidings.

It was. At the time of the Beeching Report BR kept several thousand passenger carriages on hand specifically for summer excursion traffic, most of which was to seaside resorts.

 

[StoneRoad]

It was. At the time of the Beeching Report BR kept several thousand passenger carriages on hand specifically for summer excursion traffic, most of which was to seaside resorts.

S&D had several summer Saturday specials & reliefs for them going down to Bournmouth ...

and the length of the platform at the station for Butlins (now Haven) on the Llyn near Pwehelli was massive (I haven't been able to find my pics)
same with Scarborough - this platform seat !

O&S - seat par StoneRoad2013, on ipernity

 

[Roadkill]

S&D had several summer Saturday specials & reliefs for them going down to Bournmouth ...

Indeed. P.W. Smith tells some lovely tales of working them in the 50s. And the Pines Express, for that matter.

 

[StoneRoad]

I've got his books - and I've travelled over that line (although the tunnels out of Bath were frightening to my much younger self)
Bath Green Park's a lovely station.

 

[editor]

The ill-fated horse powered loco!

The idea was comparatively simple, although it had taken many years to get the design to work. A treadmill on an incline would be large enough for horses to walk on, and then the treadmill’s wheels would be connected to gears and then to the main wheels that would drive the “engine”. Although the horses could only walk forwards, the gearing allowed for the engine to reverse when needed.

Built in Italy, it was shipped to London for trials by the South Western Railway, where it proved its ability to haul a train of 20 carriages up slopes, and achieved speeds of 7 miles per hour. It was even thought that it could be upgraded to as fast as 20 miles per hour — a shocking speed, and faster than a steam train could achieve at the time.

Not only faster than a steam train but also cheaper. Four horses would cost around eight shillings to use for a day, versus the £6 per day an equivalent coke based steam engine would cost.

Due to the use of horses, which have limits on how much work they can do, the Impulsoria was expected to be only for use on branch lines, rather than the national railway, but the idea sparked interest in a few areas.

Impulsoria – the Victorian horse powered railway

Imagine if you will in the era of steam locomotives, trains being pulled along by horses, walking on conveyor belts.

www.ianvisits.co.uk

 

[Bus Honeygun]

Neat summary of the current state of play for London projects yoinked from the latest Branch Line News

Critical projects proceeding: * Northern Line extension. * Barking Riverside branch. Piccadilly Line new trains.  Devolution of Great Northern inner suburban services to TfL. * Bank station upgrade. * Step-free access projects at LUL stations now underway. *Renewal of DLR signalling and trackwork and repair/replacement of bogie frames. * Safety critical work including major Tram track renewals. * LUL renewals & upgrades (includes Northumberland Park depot signals renewal, Central & Bakerloo Lines signalling life extension and Tottenham Hale rebuild). However, less urgent track renewals, lift, escalator and station work are deferred; the Central Line fleet renewal programme is slowed down.

Needing extra funding: * Tram rolling stock replacement. * Step-free access at various LUL stations. * Additional entrance at Stratford. Piccadilly Line resignalling. *Replacement of the 1972 Bakerloo Line stock. *20tph on East London Line.  DLR new stop at Royal Docks between Canning Town and West Silvertown. The last two are contingent on Housing Infrastructure Fund bids.

Paused: * Sutton Tramlink.* South Kensington capacity upgrade.

As yet Unfunded Major projects: * Crossrail 2 * Bakerloo Line Extension. * DLR Thamesmead branch. * West London Orbital Railway.

Meanwhile, with some exceptions, free travel for children 11-17 will be withdrawn after Oct half term.

 

[davesgcr]

Neat summary of the current state of play for London projects yoinked from the latest Branch Line News

Critical projects proceeding: * Northern Line extension. * Barking Riverside branch. Piccadilly Line new trains.  Devolution of Great Northern inner suburban services to TfL. * Bank station upgrade. * Step-free access projects at LUL stations now underway. *Renewal of DLR signalling and trackwork and repair/replacement of bogie frames. * Safety critical work including major Tram track renewals. * LUL renewals & upgrades (includes Northumberland Park depot signals renewal, Central & Bakerloo Lines signalling life extension and Tottenham Hale rebuild). However, less urgent track renewals, lift, escalator and station work are deferred; the Central Line fleet renewal programme is slowed down.

Needing extra funding: * Tram rolling stock replacement. * Step-free access at various LUL stations. * Additional entrance at Stratford. Piccadilly Line resignalling. *Replacement of the 1972 Bakerloo Line stock. *20tph on East London Line.  DLR new stop at Royal Docks between Canning Town and West Silvertown. The last two are contingent on Housing Infrastructure Fund bids.

Paused: * Sutton Tramlink.* South Kensington capacity upgrade.

As yet Unfunded Major projects: * Crossrail 2 * Bakerloo Line Extension. * DLR Thamesmead branch. * West London Orbital Railway.

Meanwhile, with some exceptions, free travel for children 11-17 will be withdrawn after Oct half term.

I would put the Piccadilly resignalling and new trains on the "must do" list , followed by doing something to the delightful retro Bakerloo line (last of the classic trains and very traditional signalling !)

About the least valuable item is TfL taking over the inner Great Northern Electrics from Moorgate. Already has new trains and apart from putting a few more station staff on the route (resignalling is planned) , not much really needs doing. Mayor Kahn might appreciate the revenue (or what is left of it !)

Anything safety critical of course is a must do for renewals.

 

[editor]

Someone has put a lot of work into this map of closed stations. So many in south Wales!



It's missed quite a few though, but still interesting

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&mid=1-qtKdwA-_7Y1msH5nlUbVKMjdMk&ll=52.538255982961196,-2.205945281272764&z=8&fbclid=IwAR0PdWtVHd0kSEbNCocCtjBsbnuqUCiNF2-7IOMYWYLPUWp7PcFd2Phpn0k

 

[editor]

The utterly awesome Crumlin viaduct again

 

[StoneRoad]

Just reading the editorial from Nigel Harris in the current RAIL (# 912).

He's not sparing the blushes of the media nor politicians about the Carmont derailment.
Also points out the physical problem of Victorian infrastructure built in more temperate times attempting to cope with a month's rain falling on already sodden ground in 24 hours, coupled with the huge amounts of "deferred" maintenance ...

 

[zahir]

 

[editor]

It's hard to believe a station as big as this and so wonderfully located has been flattened

 

[Roadkill]

Some correspondent of the International Steam website has been busy with Google satellite view, and turned up this steam-hauled freight train:

It's at Chongjin, in North Korea. The article linked to above contains the coordinates of a few other steam locos either in storage or, in a few cases, in use.

 

[editor]

Some correspondent of the International Steam website has been busy with Google satellite view, and turned up this steam-hauled freight train:

It's at Chongjin, in North Korea. The article linked to above contains the coordinates of a few other steam locos either in storage or, in a few cases, in use.

So North Korea isn't all bad then!

 

[Roadkill]

It's hard to believe a station as big as this and so wonderfully located has been flattened

View attachment 229609

Or Nottingham Victoria, perhaps.

The tragedy is that, although the Great Central main line pretty much duplicated the Midland main line and was an obvious candidate for closure in the 50s and 60s, it was engineered to a very high standard and built for high speeds, and it was fairly self-contained as well, with relatively few junctions. If it had somehow survived, or even if the route had been protected, HS2 might have become a reality in the foreseeable future.

 

[editor]

Or Nottingham Victoria, perhaps.

The tragedy is that, although the Great Central main line pretty much duplicated the Midland main line and was an obvious candidate for closure in the 50s and 60s, it was engineered to a very high standard and built for high speeds, and it was fairly self-contained as well, with relatively few junctions. If it had somehow survived, or even if the route had been protected, HS2 might have become a reality in the foreseeable future.

Documented here Video: the death of Nottingham Victoria station