tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-202729112024-02-28T06:58:37.506+00:00Lickey InclineDedicated to the celebration of the great days of steam railways and model railwaysNickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-24160709963624493882018-12-12T11:09:00.000+00:002018-12-12T11:09:10.079+00:00<div abp="1598" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1599" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51WYZOeEzhfxilXd2c_eCNkguFfXuyGEagGgMxChUR8xGRSU_X49TybE61Eo3uV_LF0JJyAX_UAugLFOnP8QBzo50xid6Yiz7JRMnWjAH70UFg8opnpmN2l_pZXoFZ1heGX_MuA/s1600/Croesor+Book+Flyer+latest001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1600" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1122" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51WYZOeEzhfxilXd2c_eCNkguFfXuyGEagGgMxChUR8xGRSU_X49TybE61Eo3uV_LF0JJyAX_UAugLFOnP8QBzo50xid6Yiz7JRMnWjAH70UFg8opnpmN2l_pZXoFZ1heGX_MuA/s640/Croesor+Book+Flyer+latest001.jpg" width="448" /></a></div>
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NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-53812762392883821802017-02-01T15:10:00.000+00:002017-02-01T15:10:37.733+00:00Ghosts of Aberglaslyn - False Starts and Dashed Hopes - the brief life of The Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2ZEwrjbZ1WaSP4-Cc3If7Kpjm-7WSI3oiDkGpr1lbJs5ZclE3SPF3G4TC6Cx2pKCWwBNSNzpJxhKRombzYyxfk4ejaYjH0TQUKel9QQDFN_Dkws8tbzxhoojy8YLF6QMJXosLA/s1600/PBSSR+Book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2ZEwrjbZ1WaSP4-Cc3If7Kpjm-7WSI3oiDkGpr1lbJs5ZclE3SPF3G4TC6Cx2pKCWwBNSNzpJxhKRombzYyxfk4ejaYjH0TQUKel9QQDFN_Dkws8tbzxhoojy8YLF6QMJXosLA/s1600/PBSSR+Book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2ZEwrjbZ1WaSP4-Cc3If7Kpjm-7WSI3oiDkGpr1lbJs5ZclE3SPF3G4TC6Cx2pKCWwBNSNzpJxhKRombzYyxfk4ejaYjH0TQUKel9QQDFN_Dkws8tbzxhoojy8YLF6QMJXosLA/s400/PBSSR+Book+cover.jpg" width="281" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2ZEwrjbZ1WaSP4-Cc3If7Kpjm-7WSI3oiDkGpr1lbJs5ZclE3SPF3G4TC6Cx2pKCWwBNSNzpJxhKRombzYyxfk4ejaYjH0TQUKel9QQDFN_Dkws8tbzxhoojy8YLF6QMJXosLA/s1600/PBSSR+Book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2ZEwrjbZ1WaSP4-Cc3If7Kpjm-7WSI3oiDkGpr1lbJs5ZclE3SPF3G4TC6Cx2pKCWwBNSNzpJxhKRombzYyxfk4ejaYjH0TQUKel9QQDFN_Dkws8tbzxhoojy8YLF6QMJXosLA/s1600/PBSSR+Book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: HI; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">‘Ghosts
of Aberglaslyn’ is available direct from the publisher, the <strong>Welsh Highland
Railway Heritage Group</strong> <span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">for £18 post paid in the UK or via your local </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: HI; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">bookshop quoting: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">ISBN number 978-0-9930821-4-6<o:p></o:p></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-26622776626461650182016-04-16T17:29:00.005+01:002016-04-16T17:29:33.307+01:00Sponsor a Sleeper at Mail Rail - opening in 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1k7sC31pLBySHGif4zwyRqbdSyKkKEzUYoZHOcTilusB4VvGZ3L6Mng3qN3nAl5oq_YNIRjAeVTaLJOcfz8VJR8wjGl2FHBFY6eRldLzjsO3H3d8DS3eBjRnl6dH2JnPX2bTpA/s1600/Mail+rail+Tunnels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Sponsor a Sleeper" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1k7sC31pLBySHGif4zwyRqbdSyKkKEzUYoZHOcTilusB4VvGZ3L6Mng3qN3nAl5oq_YNIRjAeVTaLJOcfz8VJR8wjGl2FHBFY6eRldLzjsO3H3d8DS3eBjRnl6dH2JnPX2bTpA/s400/Mail+rail+Tunnels.jpg" title="Mail Rail Tunnels" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The wooden sleepers that lie beneath the rails of Mail Rail have seen billions of letters, parcels and postcards pass safely overhead, travelling across the country and the world, carrying a multitude of messages of every sort and sentiment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After almost 90 years of loyal service, many of these oak and jarrah sleepers are now in need of restoration or replacement as we prepare to welcome intrepid visitors, rather than letters and parcels, on a journey of discovery on the new Mail Rail ride in the underground world of the historic postal service. Pledge your </span><a href="http://sponsorasleeper.org/#reserve" title="Reserve your sleeper today"><span style="color: #ff0033; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">support by sponsoring a sleeper of your choice</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> today!</span></div>
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NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-61587805121001059952014-11-28T19:13:00.000+00:002014-11-28T19:13:23.489+00:00The Bryngwyn Branch - another railway line with severe gradients
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xPZXfIj0Y1pGVqy7ad_21nzoHfB1GROl2MipYu6y7CweRTCMRrdvf-E97-xpyRzh9DdmUD8ZvcPvQkFx2ENRPxKMz7ZYtcCNy_WeAWU5fLz27fCBZQtZ6cQYsNP9OdSoGSOg0g/s1600/Bryngwyn_Branch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bryngwyn Branch Book" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xPZXfIj0Y1pGVqy7ad_21nzoHfB1GROl2MipYu6y7CweRTCMRrdvf-E97-xpyRzh9DdmUD8ZvcPvQkFx2ENRPxKMz7ZYtcCNy_WeAWU5fLz27fCBZQtZ6cQYsNP9OdSoGSOg0g/s1600/Bryngwyn_Branch1.jpg" height="320" title="Bryngwyn Branch Book" width="226" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A new book by Dave Southern and the late John Keylock and published by The Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Group describes
the history,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>operation and closure of
the Bryngwyn branch and its development
into today's slate trail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.welshhighlandheritage.co.uk/sales.html" target="_blank">Buy the book here</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bryngwyn "branch" was the main line under the
original North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Act of Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Within a matter of two years, it had been relegated to a
branch despite generating more revenue from slate traffic than the new main
line. Named after an adjacent farm, there are a number of villages in walking
distance. However, its main function was for the slate traffic arriving from
the incline, at Bryngwyn.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From this isolated terminus, the cable-worked double track
Incline led up to a point known as Drumhead (at Fron Heulog), where the
tramways from the quarries converged. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/Bryngwyn" target="_blank">More here</a> </span></div>
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NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-17605074513891888422014-11-07T20:08:00.000+00:002015-02-12T20:38:46.791+00:00A Lifetime with Locomotives, Roland C.Bond - Railway Autobiography<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavIwy1synRuH8BUPgBbmEtX2h870rmDYDqcR397cxW6rAsgE-P7_xMJMkW2NhkWvLnK-SPytmDO_jDSIqJRjrXhGqnX4UxfecDUehhv5hea-NvAVahiOWL4Rhom1qgjmefxQ9EQ/s1600/R+C+Bond001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Roland Bond" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavIwy1synRuH8BUPgBbmEtX2h870rmDYDqcR397cxW6rAsgE-P7_xMJMkW2NhkWvLnK-SPytmDO_jDSIqJRjrXhGqnX4UxfecDUehhv5hea-NvAVahiOWL4Rhom1qgjmefxQ9EQ/s1600/R+C+Bond001.jpg" height="320" title="A lifetime with locomotives" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A thoroughly recommended <strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>autobiography</strong> <strong>with 84 illustrations</strong>, by <strong>Roland C Bond</strong> one of the last Chief Mechanical Engineers and who was at the centre of the changeover from steam to diesel and electric power. A fascinating study of the triumphs, traumas and failures of British railways locomotive engineering and motive power development between during his career. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Forward by E S Cox who was the Executive Officer for Design on the former Railways Executive and who worked with two other former LMS men - Robert Riddles and Roland C. Bond to design and develop the fleet of British Railways Standard Steam locomotives. This book is an excellent companion to Cox's own autobiography <strong>Locomotive Panorama</strong> and his book <span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><strong>British Railways Standard Steam Locomotives</strong></span> both published by Ian Allan; also worth a read is Riddles' biography <strong>The Last Steam Locomotive Engineer: R A Riddles </strong>by Colonel H C B Rogers. <span class="a-size-medium a-color-secondary a-text-normal"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roland Curling Bond (5 May 1903 – 20 December 1980) held senior locomotive engineering posts in the LMS and became Chief Mechanical Engineer under British Railways. Born in Ipswich in 1903, he was educated at Tonbridge School and became interested in railways when staying in Yarmouth during the Great War. .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bond joined the Midland Railway in 1920, which in 1923 became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. He was an apprentice under Henry Fowler and took up a post as Assistant Works Manager at the Vulcan Foundry. In 1931 Bond returned to the LMS, becoming an Assistant Works Superintendent at Horwich and later Assistant Works Superintendent at Crewe. In 1939, he was sent to Scotland as acting Mechanical and Electrical Engineer but in 1941, moved back to Crewe to become Works Superintendent involved in managing locomotive and munitions work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the formation of the Railway Executive in 1948, Bond was appointed Chief Officer (Locomotive Construction and Maintenance), reporting to Robin Riddles, who was Member of the Railway Executive for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. In 1953, Bond became Chief Mechanical Engineer, BR Central Staff and later in 1965 General Manager, BR Workshops. He retired in 1970 and died in 1980, aged 77.</span></div>
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NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-36410224875637681572014-08-27T13:49:00.004+01:002014-08-27T13:49:53.758+01:00The Famous Lickey Incline in the 1930s<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYhIf9YeomPPv2P7WDwFgKV9XIkWQjsE_10iNWsMC1Kp2rFtZYERohHyz3BBPWc-Fb1dHg774IT8CXZRr3XuwSP-ypQwbOnHPEWMPloR7maJlHU56ltXUhYD_kUrT8o_CeF2sWA/s1600/cock0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Banking onthe Lickey Incline" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYhIf9YeomPPv2P7WDwFgKV9XIkWQjsE_10iNWsMC1Kp2rFtZYERohHyz3BBPWc-Fb1dHg774IT8CXZRr3XuwSP-ypQwbOnHPEWMPloR7maJlHU56ltXUhYD_kUrT8o_CeF2sWA/s1600/cock0004.jpg" height="640" title="The Lickey Incline" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Railway Wonders of the World</td></tr>
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<br />NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-88537370688208206262014-08-27T13:43:00.001+01:002014-08-27T13:43:26.393+01:00Gresley P2 Cock O' the North<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbXYd3iIN3cQl_yAwnHW0ce3XPJ_cI9L_ErvwcOaE0PGLy6We_bOOahEqBvUFLoJyeo8HOJRbNRbC7QC3mM5ScsSDMcvsshQ1-xDhVwaPdtxGAS1REl-q2Vh-wJf3cQTQlzbMVQ/s1600/cock0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cock O' the North" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbXYd3iIN3cQl_yAwnHW0ce3XPJ_cI9L_ErvwcOaE0PGLy6We_bOOahEqBvUFLoJyeo8HOJRbNRbC7QC3mM5ScsSDMcvsshQ1-xDhVwaPdtxGAS1REl-q2Vh-wJf3cQTQlzbMVQ/s1600/cock0002.jpg" height="183" title="Gresley P2" width="400" /></a></div>
Two organisations are planning to build a replica of Sir Nigel Gresley's class P2 <em>Cock o' the North, </em>that was completed in 1934 by the London & North Eastern Railway at its Doncaster works. <br />
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Firstly, there is <strong>The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust</strong> that has built the completely new 'A1' Tornado to the original design and with the help of the latest technology, for <a href="http://www.a1steam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=699&Itemid=248" target="_blank">details click here</a>. Secondly there is the <strong>Doncaster P2 Locomotive Trust</strong> - Cock O' The North LNER 2001, <a href="http://www.cockothenorth.co.uk/" target="_blank">for details click here</a>. Both appear to have made rapid progress since announcing their projects.<br />
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To read a contemporary article about the thinking lying behind the design of the P2s have a look at an article published in Railway Wonders of the World published in the 1930s, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzi4QuUY91w8dnlBTW4tZ2p4TzA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">click here for the article</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXphCv6u8f4v4n3FbyxR4pW23N4Vg6gC4N3ki7pKaVX8qsIi2k8ucNGEL6Xy60UH66ZJPofn-4cuEu2pTYajdKDU368H7WkgGc6CVAcVlHpEzfEBiymjtMecTwi0LuyUi8TYUQng/s1600/cock0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gresley P2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXphCv6u8f4v4n3FbyxR4pW23N4Vg6gC4N3ki7pKaVX8qsIi2k8ucNGEL6Xy60UH66ZJPofn-4cuEu2pTYajdKDU368H7WkgGc6CVAcVlHpEzfEBiymjtMecTwi0LuyUi8TYUQng/s1600/cock0003.jpg" height="320" title="Cock O' the North " width="237" /></a></div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-4188884824439854732014-08-01T12:12:00.001+01:002014-08-21T10:32:53.036+01:00Lickey Incline on Facebook<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alan Spencer, a fireman based at Bromsgrove MPD from 1963
till 1970, has set up a Facebook page at <span style="font-family: inherit;">‘<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lickey-Incline-Bromsgrove-MPD/295971187096654?sk=timeline" target="_blank">The Lickey Incline and Bromsgrove MPD’</a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS0nEyHv6a7O4X56dczK4vVi0BeHDrZbLUbaUq7Ypk8hdCC286lrhKaP5oXsr6noOWKPtsPwb5saqeRIhUnHUr7mKI-q3vIFY8NpnWt9JjRumRQgQMQ3KolOFQdG6jGeaz5RvYA/s1600/geograph-2060108-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS0nEyHv6a7O4X56dczK4vVi0BeHDrZbLUbaUq7Ypk8hdCC286lrhKaP5oXsr6noOWKPtsPwb5saqeRIhUnHUr7mKI-q3vIFY8NpnWt9JjRumRQgQMQ3KolOFQdG6jGeaz5RvYA/s1600/geograph-2060108-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">View SW, towards Bromsgrove etc.; ex-Midland <st1:city w:st="on">Birmingham</st1:city> - <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bristol</st1:place></st1:city>
main line. At 1-in-37, few lines - let alone main lines - were burdened with a
steeper incline and virtually all Up trains here had to be sent up from
Bromsgrove with at least one banking engine; these were not coupled and they
dropped off at the summit at Blackwell. On this comparatively light train, the
14.22 stopping train from Worcester Shrub Hill to Birmingham New Street,
Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 No. 45040 is managing so well with just the current
Bromsgrove banker (Class 9F 2-10-0 No. 92079) that it is blowing off as it
passes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p><strong>© Copyright </strong><a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/44502" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL dct:creator" title="View profile"><strong>Ben Brooksbank</strong></a><strong> and licensed for reuse under this </strong><a class="nowrap" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" rel="license"><strong>Creative Commons Licence</strong></a> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
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NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK52.335589 -2.061906000000021852.2967775 -2.142587000000022 52.3744005 -1.9812250000000218tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-70156942376231853462014-05-29T17:33:00.004+01:002014-05-29T17:33:56.198+01:00Lickey Incline - new book<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJi9OwQEqKTe19_8A5Bpp1IRIJ3b7yaYuZkOj2A5RNl83QCqB5-1_0_hytFzg6Igdk6XG2ChrpdoMQLiWMEQG8CZp9eajIpoTremmtTSrU5bF4SS0KYvxa2h7qFNhNlRAQJxTuAA/s1600/Lickeybook+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pat Wallace book" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJi9OwQEqKTe19_8A5Bpp1IRIJ3b7yaYuZkOj2A5RNl83QCqB5-1_0_hytFzg6Igdk6XG2ChrpdoMQLiWMEQG8CZp9eajIpoTremmtTSrU5bF4SS0KYvxa2h7qFNhNlRAQJxTuAA/s1600/Lickeybook+copy.jpg" height="400" title="Life on the Lickey Incline" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life on the Lickey Incline - new book</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Life on the
Lickey: 1943-1986 by </span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Pat
Wallace<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For over forty
years author Pat Wallace worked the Bromsgrove line, well known for the steep
Lickey incline and the locomotives which helped the heavy trains to cope,
including the famous Derby built Big Bertha 0-10-0.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From engine
cleaner to fireman and driver, Pat carefully records his career in a series of
diaries which capture the daily routine and events of a railwayman’s life as
steam hauled trains gave way to diesels. Today the line awaits a new station and
electrification. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The book is
complete with one hundred photographs of locomotives and rolling stock through
the years.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-44496777248127886502014-05-24T15:53:00.001+01:002014-05-24T15:54:09.006+01:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_n_GQUfzeV9If0ss3c6U_8SIfaBtLtZHtMoIE7Se31-BDhhbIZPZZdhT1lfVc2h7RxyMsa7DBJc2EkHLxvlsoxcQLRrCMsF5m9qnxWX86uWk76Eocu7ymwWven1mJ7qukPB8Atg/s1600/Graves+Andy+Savage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Graves St Johns Church Bromsgrove" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_n_GQUfzeV9If0ss3c6U_8SIfaBtLtZHtMoIE7Se31-BDhhbIZPZZdhT1lfVc2h7RxyMsa7DBJc2EkHLxvlsoxcQLRrCMsF5m9qnxWX86uWk76Eocu7ymwWven1mJ7qukPB8Atg/s1600/Graves+Andy+Savage.jpg" height="293" title="Railwaymen's graves Bromsgrove" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from Andy Savage Railway Heritage Trust</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Memorials, which have
stood for over 170 years in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">St
John’s</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place>
Graveyard in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire marking the deaths of Thomas Scaife and
Joseph Rutherford have been restored.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">They died in 1840 when
the boiler of the locomotive they were working on in a yard at the foot of the
famous Lickey Incline exploded. The accident led to the formation of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">They were originally
laid to rest with simple tombstones but in 1841 Mr Rutherford’s widow had a
larger memorial made. Mr Scaife’s colleagues then raised money to have a
similar gravestone made for him, inscribed with a poem which has become
folklore among railway enthusiasts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">After they had fallen
into a state of disrepair, the Church Fabric Committee of St John’s Church
raised £10,000 to have them repaired. The money was collected with the support
of the Railway Heritage Trust, the Bromsgrove Society, the IME, the railway
trade union ASLEF, Cross Country, DB Schenker and others.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/2014/03/02/news-Bromsgrove's-Railwaymen's-Graves-restored-to-former-glory-98346.html" target="_blank">Read more: here</a></span>NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-45050048831103304572014-03-11T19:19:00.001+00:002014-03-11T19:19:42.934+00:00Full steam ahead for mail rail as plans get green light
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnblrOqBoV4OCwK5WPtAGc7L5PpP_mCPQUlf8-lkzSlI7wuf_a7hJhcgoCOqhRZADGecbbFFcITvR8erO_CvRRZRCZ0e6rNo1jbNW7akauLjtTA6y4Uf55TLHDqHGjgZeXhHAAmA/s1600/Mail+Rail+car+-+%C3%82%C2%A9Royal+Mail+Group+Ltd.,+courtesy+BPMA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mail Rail" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnblrOqBoV4OCwK5WPtAGc7L5PpP_mCPQUlf8-lkzSlI7wuf_a7hJhcgoCOqhRZADGecbbFFcITvR8erO_CvRRZRCZ0e6rNo1jbNW7akauLjtTA6y4Uf55TLHDqHGjgZeXhHAAmA/s1600/Mail+Rail+car+-+%C3%82%C2%A9Royal+Mail+Group+Ltd.,+courtesy+BPMA.jpg" height="239" title="PostOffice Railway" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On Monday 10 March
Islington Borough Council approved the British Postal Museum & Archive’s
planning application to develop a stretch of the old Post Office Underground
Railway – Mail Rail – into a unique subterranean ride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The decision means
that visitors to the newly created <st1:placename w:st="on">Postal</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype>, due to open in central <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city> in 2016, will be given the opportunity to explore
the hidden world of this railway under <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mount
Pleasant</st1:place></st1:city> through an engaging exhibition and
interactive ride. In total, visitors will be taken through 1km of the original
tunnels, following the same route that much of the nation’s mail took for
nearly 80 years from 1927-2003. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Mail Rail ride
is part of a much larger project that the BPMA is undertaking to reveal the extraordinary
stories of British social, communications and design history through the
universally iconic postal service. By opening up almost 400 years of records
and objects from the reign of King Charles I to the present day, The Postal
Museum will reveal unusual and exciting episodes from British history. It will showcase
curious items including a first edition of James Joyce’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ulysses</i>, original evidence from the Great Train Robbery trial, a
Victoria Cross and flintlock pistols used to defend Mail Coaches in the 19th
Century. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;">Adrian Steel,
Director of the BPMA commented, “It is fantastic that Islington Borough Council
has given us the green light to open up these unique tunnels to the public and
reveal the captivating story of Mail Rail. Making this exciting project a
reality still requires a further £0.5m, but this is a major boost to our plans
and for Islington’s, <st1:city w:st="on">Camden</st1:city>’s and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>’s heritage offer.
We hope to launch a public appeal later this year, both in the local community
and further afield, and look forward to welcoming our first visitors in 2016.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt;">The BPMA is currently
waiting on the outcome of an application for £4.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
A decision is expected in May this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Roboto; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TERlpGCC6IBqXSAeOLifiAhgwF9NQIzdk-tDCebQNbE9Ysm6UcDsjrzun9g0qVKv98jmzprjqR2IYfRSRhPt95mYmIcPnsQJqFhT57A66XgUC8rquNSCsQieY0O3OAQg8qBg4w/s1600/Mail+rail+visuals+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Post Office Railway" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TERlpGCC6IBqXSAeOLifiAhgwF9NQIzdk-tDCebQNbE9Ysm6UcDsjrzun9g0qVKv98jmzprjqR2IYfRSRhPt95mYmIcPnsQJqFhT57A66XgUC8rquNSCsQieY0O3OAQg8qBg4w/s1600/Mail+rail+visuals+copy.jpg" height="95" title="Mail Rail - Postal Museum" width="400" /></a></b></div>
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</div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-411377333116800102014-02-16T13:24:00.002+00:002014-08-21T10:22:12.261+01:00Talk on James Cholmeley Russell<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="HAa Eha" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLu1x2xGYhzQQcXzyCypQCNJnRcW4BO2ongC5urEv8mj7CmpCt8gGbK_mH6ZS6MmYLvobvpK_znWL-tyLbHW40NRMc-a3SWnjlmjqQ3Zxt4-6_7Fsp1bkk-l1cHpz5mt2U4rI7sA/w1077-h618-no/Russell0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Russell - the locomotive named in honour of the NWNGR's Chairman and Receiver</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">J.C Russell was a London barrister who first became involved with hiring locomotives to the NWNGR. These were Snowdon Ranger, Moel Tryfan and Beddgelert. He eventually became Receiver of the line.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Don't miss this opportunity to hear about an important figure in the history of what became the Welsh Highland Railway</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Nick is chairman of the WHR Heritage Group and has made a study of J.C. Russell.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Thursday March 20th at 7.30 pm Welsh Highland Railway Society - Dennis Carson Room, Dame Elizabeth Hall, Firbank Close (off Oak Tree Lane), Bournville, Birmingham B30 1UA</strong></span> <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To book this talk for your organisation call Nick Booker on 01926 864 900 for details</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-10752444765158985632014-02-16T12:50:00.002+00:002014-02-16T12:50:38.202+00:00Post Office Railway - Mail Rail<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Mail Rail" class="nk-O-x" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0QyBN7H5M17SOt3NB1LWbvQrWCqNbUf-O54EwyGIcuW35MvpDg2hOREZwnz799Oy0cNKGQBz4kkdwUVl4ast_xPjAqF8K6osmE3aQ1swmJ4ypeDTLQ_DL1359fDr4VkyZ2xJ-Q/h86/Mail+rail+visuals+copy.jpg" style="left: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; top: 0px; transform: rotate(0deg);" title="Post Office Railway" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mail Rail Visuals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">BBC report on the latest news on the </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25145632" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Post Office Railway - Mail Rail</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The British Postal Museum
and Archive (BPMA) plans to open a new postal museum and railway attraction in
2016. The project is gathering pace and we have planning permission for our new
home on Phoenix Place, near Royal
Mail’s Mount Pleasant Sorting Office. Government backing and financial support
from Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd has also been announced, with Mayor Boris
Johnson describing us as a ‘national treasure of global importance.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Postal Museum</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We care for the Royal
Mail Archive (Designated as being of outstanding national and international
importance) and the museum collection of the former National Postal
Museum. Artefacts
cover over 400 years of postal history, from classic vehicles, evidence from
the Great Train Robbery and a 1st Edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses, to rare
stamp artwork, posters and uniforms. The collections also include a world-class
philatelic collection, 80,000 photographs, letters, maps and war medals. Our
vision is for a cherished and valued British postal heritage, providing world
class access for all to our world class collections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together they tell the story of a great
British institution, of the thousands of people that worked there and the
industrial and social advances it pioneered. A dedicated learning space will
give us a springboard for developing new partnerships with businesses on-site
as well as community partners and with outreach activities, we will be able to
inspire young people to consider different careers on all sorts of levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mail Rail</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What makes our project
particularly exciting is the opportunity to open up a significant proportion of
the Post Office Underground Railway, ‘Mail Rail’ for the first time to create a
state-of the-art visitor attraction including an exhibition gallery and multi-function
event space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Mail Rail opened in
1927 and carried the mail along a 6 and a half mile stretch of tunnels from
Whitechapel to Paddington. In its heyday, it carried four million letters a day
before its closure in 2003.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the
only railway in the world that was dedicated to delivering mail underground and
is one of the most enquired about aspects of British postal history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was recently popularised by Michael
Portillo in his TV programme, ‘Great British Railway Journeys,’ and many others
eagerly seek access to ‘secret’ attractions such as this. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Early forecasts show
that the Mail Rail experience, which will take people on a thrilling 15 minute
underground interactive ride, from the depot to the platforms beneath the Mount
Pleasant Royal Mail centre, will be a major means of attracting visitors to
both the museum and railway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 15 minute
ride on newly designed trains will journey through the existing tunnels under
the Mail centre, with commentary describing the construction of the tunnels,
its opening in 1927 when it became the first driverless electrified railway in
the world, how mail was moved across London
and its operation until 2003. Vehicles on display will include pneumatic rail
cars from the 1860s, which were once propelled by air through specially
designed tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mail Rail remains the
only postal underground railway in existence so its preservation and heritage
will attract an international audience.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-51221216119625977052013-07-01T18:33:00.003+01:002013-07-01T18:36:23.688+01:00Terence Cuneo and the Lickey Incline <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebcSmta9eSciJK00vlKETrYq3Ij-82IRcJ-j0Ie7iTmsehOacoNWE-PjeYn9KRzieBVrsTUzoCTGsYoId76J7Xt1JUQHGUVirU2HIt4XfLCzz7HKbdzr-lf_i30508qYY98lzbw/s1600/Cuneo,+Lickey+Incline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cuneo Lickey Incline" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebcSmta9eSciJK00vlKETrYq3Ij-82IRcJ-j0Ie7iTmsehOacoNWE-PjeYn9KRzieBVrsTUzoCTGsYoId76J7Xt1JUQHGUVirU2HIt4XfLCzz7HKbdzr-lf_i30508qYY98lzbw/s400/Cuneo,+Lickey+Incline.jpg" title="Lickey Incline by Terence Cuneo" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kolhapur on the Lickey Incline by Terence Cuneo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On 11 July Christie's will be offering Terence Cuneo's painting of the LMS Jubilee 'Kolhapur' on the Lickey Incline in their sale of Victorian & British Impressionist Art. Patrick Whitehouse, the author, steam railway preservationist and joint presenter of BBC TV's 'Railway Roundabout', commissioned 'The Lickey Incline' directly from the artist in the 1960s.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Patrick Whitehouse bought 'Kolhapur' as a wreck and it was restored at the Tyseley Railway Museum in Birmingham, which he founded. 'Kolaphur' was one of the few locomotives which were powerful enough to take a passenger train up the Lickey Incline without needing assistance from a banking engine.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
'The Lickey Incline' was painted on site and from a photograph taken by Patrick Whitehouse, a renowned railway photographer. The two children depicted in the lower left corner are Whitehouse’s son and daughter.<br />
<br />
<strong>Details</strong><br />
Artist: Terence Cuneo (1907-1996)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Lickey Incline signed and dated ‘“CUNEO”/JUNE ‘68’ (lower left)<br />
<br />
oil on canvas 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.7 cm.)<br />
<br />
Estimated Price: £50,000-80,000<br />
<br />
PROVENANCE: Patrick Whitehouse, and by descent. Anonymous sale; Christie’s, South Kensington, 11 May 2005, lot 139.<br />
<br />
</div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-64728268888926936992013-04-27T15:15:00.005+01:002014-05-15T09:06:06.632+01:00Even more about A N Wolstenholme (1920-2002) the 'forgotten' railway artist <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A fuller picture of Arthur Wolstenholme the commercial
artist who was responsible for some of the most iconic railway posters and
drawings of the 1940s, 50s and 60s is now emerging. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This post complements some earlier postings in
lickeyincline of this supremely talented artist. His work, for Ian Allan,
British Railways and others has until recently been largely ignored, but is now
beginning to achieve the recognition it deserves. A posthumous triumph was to
be the inspiration for the £1.28p stamp in the Royal Mail’s 150<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> Anniversary
of London Underground set . See the earlier postings for additional information and links.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvKlsNChlselcfpHo2NTWbXB6H8_S8GdxihWfsTqfstZWh-7uQFZmH5KOIS0p-SfN_k7vBNF5ADZ2TTCs97ekQ7Wz5mkOCsF47ggWffHqlcEobhLgxqSHukwzWU-G9CepNs_5Og/s1600/london_underground_stamps5_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/8389623858/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvKlsNChlselcfpHo2NTWbXB6H8_S8GdxihWfsTqfstZWh-7uQFZmH5KOIS0p-SfN_k7vBNF5ADZ2TTCs97ekQ7Wz5mkOCsF47ggWffHqlcEobhLgxqSHukwzWU-G9CepNs_5Og/s320/london_underground_stamps5_0.jpg" height="320" title="A N Wolstenholme Royal Mail stamp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Mail stamp 150th Anniversary of the London Underground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Little had been known of the man behind the brush until two
excellent articles by Geoff Courtney in 'Heritage Railway' (March-April<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 and August 2011) sketched in some of the
background to his life. Now the Editor of '<strong>Western Power'</strong>, Adrian Curtis has
produced a revealing insight, by talking to ANW’s widow Inga. The well illustrated interview about the man who should be honoured for his
lifetime's work in the genre of transport and industrial art is featured in Edition 11 of <strong>'Celebrating Western Power'</strong> . To obtain a copy of the magazine, go to <a href="http://www.westernlegacypublications.com/westernpowermagazine.htm" target="_blank">Western Legacy Publications</a> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-t_02fHScrBQkX7gwXKZEXLsKVcOl0iMorThCbY7CcSE4mZjxbef7yMQJU7PLzZOFRB-EZ_3xH1L_vWJMgk-B2Tr4LmTaDCjrlgBuApErsG425phfW82kAeVMI0-RLuPJphe-w/s1600/1950%2520London%2520Transport%2520Railways-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ian Allan Spotters Book cover" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-t_02fHScrBQkX7gwXKZEXLsKVcOl0iMorThCbY7CcSE4mZjxbef7yMQJU7PLzZOFRB-EZ_3xH1L_vWJMgk-B2Tr4LmTaDCjrlgBuApErsG425phfW82kAeVMI0-RLuPJphe-w/s320/1950%2520London%2520Transport%2520Railways-L.jpg" height="320" title="A N Wolstenholme Ian Allan Spotters Book cover" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The inspiration for the stamp</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CXzmQhFzs2s45Wbk1w63FLUg8qqHLFHvN3HIRxgzMFzC97EP2RpSRPW1Bcs_dA6hUTKU_qHgcaVhOH-dIvz2RKLb2NrS39MQ5Hb6rqAS_TiVTkuF0HILwsb0hXfnxvX6KpaKgQ/s1600/Montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="railway artist" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CXzmQhFzs2s45Wbk1w63FLUg8qqHLFHvN3HIRxgzMFzC97EP2RpSRPW1Bcs_dA6hUTKU_qHgcaVhOH-dIvz2RKLb2NrS39MQ5Hb6rqAS_TiVTkuF0HILwsb0hXfnxvX6KpaKgQ/s400/Montage.jpg" height="400" title="A N Wolstenholme montage" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some examples of A N Wolstenholme's non railway work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-81959472726969018322013-03-13T21:42:00.000+00:002013-03-19T10:17:55.241+00:00Russell Restoration<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdiww_WLRuYW9V-uG388oKc9Hjn2RZYKrJFZUjuMcOR1C2YhujTfQLaswufJH23bFB1531M7bh-F4u1aEYSuv9N8U9nzfh7VymHSAsgbA3HWg2UQAYrbiv5G5MtclMipfVxqCHuA/s1600/Russell+at+Beddgelert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Russell Appeal" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdiww_WLRuYW9V-uG388oKc9Hjn2RZYKrJFZUjuMcOR1C2YhujTfQLaswufJH23bFB1531M7bh-F4u1aEYSuv9N8U9nzfh7VymHSAsgbA3HWg2UQAYrbiv5G5MtclMipfVxqCHuA/s320/Russell+at+Beddgelert.jpg" title="Russell at Beddgelert" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell at Beddgelert in the 1930s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
RUSSELL is the only surviving steam locomotive from the original Welsh Highland Railway. In April 2012 the Board of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, Porthmadog decided to send RUSSELL’s rolling chassis , boiler and fabricated components to <a href="http://www.alankeef.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alan Keef Ltd</a>, Ross-on-Wye to continue the restoration work.<br />
<br />
In June 2012 they made an appeal for £125,000 to complete the work. There was a terrific response from Russell donors, WHHR members, Welsh Highland Railway Society members and readers of Heritage Railway and Narrow Gauge World magazines.<br />
<br />
To complete the work and have RUSSELL back in steam on the WHHR at the beginning of next season they still needed £65,000 at the end of January. In mid-February the WHHR received a single donation of £25,000 from one of their longstanding donors. The donor wishes to remain anonymous. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<strong>However, the donor has offered to match other donations they receive before the end of May 2013 £ for £ up to another £25,000.</strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<strong>To get Russell steaming go to the<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.whr.co.uk/appeals/russell-rebuild" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">appeal page here</span></a></o:p></span></strong></div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-69038691632714904742013-03-09T19:37:00.000+00:002013-03-09T19:41:07.035+00:00London's Best Kept Secret - The Post Office Railway<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rda8-Jyc3jqcRJG63gSsf2beNE-7f_q2TBmk9sSygkUYIeZX1qOk2klIaWbQ-adSJsBchyphenhyphenwsbhC4O-jlfv225MdkbzUUf7MW9RlcTLupcC-jz3zO6dZyWM4hCSIYpTMLiP1xVQ/s1600/BPMA+Mail+Rail0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mail Rail" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rda8-Jyc3jqcRJG63gSsf2beNE-7f_q2TBmk9sSygkUYIeZX1qOk2klIaWbQ-adSJsBchyphenhyphenwsbhC4O-jlfv225MdkbzUUf7MW9RlcTLupcC-jz3zO6dZyWM4hCSIYpTMLiP1xVQ/s640/BPMA+Mail+Rail0001.jpg" title="Post Office Railway" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">
The Post Office Railway. Photographs copyright BPMA</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZlTmVlNuUPFi22yrri1GrW9ShZLQEa7ip9WgYAPK5TcY0pytf4e5Cbmi1tDj-zR6JsGsfDDQv0zO2HoG0WBm0c2TM37IYBFaYLeOPdeR5RFuyELOkGuyJqN5V6KCTZLtCoP8mQ/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="British Postal Museum & Archive" border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZlTmVlNuUPFi22yrri1GrW9ShZLQEa7ip9WgYAPK5TcY0pytf4e5Cbmi1tDj-zR6JsGsfDDQv0zO2HoG0WBm0c2TM37IYBFaYLeOPdeR5RFuyELOkGuyJqN5V6KCTZLtCoP8mQ/s200/logo.png" title="BPMA" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The British Postal Museum and Archive is assessing the viability of opening a section of the former Post Office underground railway, 'Mail Rail', as a heritage railway and visitor attraction. Development funding of £250,000 was awarded from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2012.<br /><br />The opening of the Post Office Railway in 1927 in London, the world's first driverless electric railway, revolutionised the delivery of mail in the UK. Mail Rail was a solution to carrying mail quickly and efficiently across London, as congested and polluted streets meant road transport was slow and very unpredictable. A two foot gauge railway was built, which transported mail underground.<br /><br />The railway consisted of six and a half miles of tunnels, dug by hand, which ran at an average of 70 feet below ground. It connected the West and East ends of London and followed part of the existing London Underground route.<br /><br />There were eight stations in total, situated at </span></div>
<ul><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Paddington District Office; </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Western Parcels Office (<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Baker Street</st1:address></st1:street>); </span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Western District Office (<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Rathbone Place</st1:address></st1:street>); </span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Western Central Central<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">District Office (High Holborn); </span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mount Pleasant</st1:place></st1:city>; King<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><st1:placename w:st="on">Edward</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Building</st1:placename> (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">St Paul</st1:city></st1:place>'s); </span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Liverpool Street</st1:address></st1:street> railway station<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and Eastern District Office (<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Whitechapel Road</st1:address></st1:street>). </span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1930 and 1931 were key milestones
when 51 trains were built, each 27-foot long; and at its peak, 34 trains ran 22
hours a day</span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">along 23 miles of track. In 1951 the railway was handling over 12 million bags of letters and parcels. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Progressing to the 1980s, trains
travelled at an average speed of 35 mph and the time taken to run trains from Whitechapel
to Paddington was around 30 minutes. By the late 1990s more than six million
bags of mail were carried below ground each year - four million letters every
day! The network closed in 2003 after almost 80 years' service and still
remains the world's only dedicated underground mail transport system
in existence.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggC1PB3bXCttocrwH-dvqr1GQurseWcEu7OdlHaGNq7uGEZ3HOGm86Ep-sQVa7TRe_BsP-Sr1VjbsMU5c-zg5DXGw8JNqEGBWNRYSxe0V_iw_atn7ZVuLIMg4J2OrU3qKbn4M-Lw/s1600/boris_johnson_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mail Rail Boris Johnson" border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggC1PB3bXCttocrwH-dvqr1GQurseWcEu7OdlHaGNq7uGEZ3HOGm86Ep-sQVa7TRe_BsP-Sr1VjbsMU5c-zg5DXGw8JNqEGBWNRYSxe0V_iw_atn7ZVuLIMg4J2OrU3qKbn4M-Lw/s200/boris_johnson_3.jpg" title="Boris Johnson Post Office Railway" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> "</o:p>The BPMA is a national treasure of
global importance" Mayor Boris Johnson</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p><strong>Opening Up Access for All</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Few people have had access to
this unique part of our heritage. However more and more people are learning of
its significance and place in world history. Michael Portillo, for example,
popularised Mail Rail in his TV programme, Great British Railway Journeys, and
BPMA focus group research revealed that the majority of people questioned would
love to take a ride on a train.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p>Having a visitor attraction would
be a major means of encouraging people to come to both the new postal museum and
Mail Rail; however to achieve this the BPMA will need to raise the majority of
funds by November 2013 to make it a reality by 2016.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The vision is for a first-class attraction
which would creatively convert the Mail Rail depot at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mount Pleasant</st1:place></st1:city> into a museum exhibition space
and introduce a fascinating 15 minute ride on the Mail Rail network. Newly
designed battery-operated trains will journey through the existing tunnels
under the mail centre - an unforgettable experience. The fully narrated tour will
describe the construction of the system from 1915, its opening in 1927 and
operation until 2003.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="justify">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoTN_hBLZzwNQldqqdM3OpUt0Iy35TOlmrLnJ_CYM5fPizusbho4dLD0z89QO06pt3I5DxZHRSlv9jQvz-Q9gRinpHyxTBOWPGKk_cXInr7iVsczmzamnNS0qCulshctgEW7mNQ/s1600/BPMA+Mail+Rail0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Post Office Railway re-born" border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoTN_hBLZzwNQldqqdM3OpUt0Iy35TOlmrLnJ_CYM5fPizusbho4dLD0z89QO06pt3I5DxZHRSlv9jQvz-Q9gRinpHyxTBOWPGKk_cXInr7iVsczmzamnNS0qCulshctgEW7mNQ/s320/BPMA+Mail+Rail0002.jpg" title="Mail Rail The Vision" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vision</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The old car depot will be
transformed into a lively exhibition, tracing the history of moving the mail
both above and below ground. Vehicles will include pneumatic rail cars from the
1860s, which were once propelled by air through specially designed tunnels.
Video projections, objects and interactive displays will offer personal
insights into the daily lives of the Post Office engineers who kept the system
running - a service that shaped the modern world and touched the lives of
countless generations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Further details about the railway
heritage attraction will be developed over time and posted on the BPMA website </span><a href="http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">www.postalheritage.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">
or sign up to the e-newsletter to receive regular updates and news on activities
</span><a href="http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/mailing"><span style="font-family: inherit;">www.postalheritage.org.uk/mailing</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSE-ryEQZnLE8ZLo4iU3cSJvG1q9QFlLfaGzpSwywq-JPfCmOIpSnkVhJkpRkLOzc5qQYz9tmnCOXk0HJg1uKxNZfhv-xpUll1wfezd0wBJpaXsXuqaEZzs-wQweGgHrS9JkvXXw/s1600/BPMA+Mail+Rail0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="BPMA Post Office railway" border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSE-ryEQZnLE8ZLo4iU3cSJvG1q9QFlLfaGzpSwywq-JPfCmOIpSnkVhJkpRkLOzc5qQYz9tmnCOXk0HJg1uKxNZfhv-xpUll1wfezd0wBJpaXsXuqaEZzs-wQweGgHrS9JkvXXw/s640/BPMA+Mail+Rail0005.jpg" title="Mail Rail Depot" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">
Post Office Railway Depot Mount Pleasant - Photograph copyright BPMA</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-77344085541304407952012-12-22T18:04:00.000+00:002012-12-22T18:21:48.753+00:00100 defining aspects of British Rail<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5a0bIPX8LOUoVPCwUO7a2PaAyF1hPT93eRGBm8fomCtAxeRfmRbdEGbSAOXwc3anE0iR0dT70GjAQjbCjlYNo5sfiYfNdREJGOseC5e6S61GeZqxle3YZyqtgpX8B80MYzeVC6w/s1600/British-Rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5a0bIPX8LOUoVPCwUO7a2PaAyF1hPT93eRGBm8fomCtAxeRfmRbdEGbSAOXwc3anE0iR0dT70GjAQjbCjlYNo5sfiYfNdREJGOseC5e6S61GeZqxle3YZyqtgpX8B80MYzeVC6w/s200/British-Rail.jpg" title="British Rail logo" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The <strong>'100 defining aspects of British Rail'</strong> is a fascinating list of those characteristics, happenings and products which we loved and loathed and BR will be remembered for. It was certainly not all bad as some will have us believe. Much listed here is still with us including HS125 and the ticketing system. </span><a href="http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ca14/ALYCIDON%20RAIL/Archive%20misc/100%20factors%20that%20defined%20BR.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> for the full list and below for the first 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1) APTIS and PORTIS <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buy a computer and by the time you unpack it and plug it in
it is obsolescent. Back in 1985 BR commissioned the new All Purpose Ticket
Issuing System (APTIS). And 18 years later, 1.5MB of bubble memory and all, it
is still sitting there in booking offices, unmatched for speed and flexibility.
</span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2) APT <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A victim of irrational over exuberance at conception, the
Advanced Passenger Train so nearly succeeded. Cancellation followed a loss of
nerve when the BR Board should have toughed out the media ridicule and given
the P-Train the resources it needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3) Acronyms <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">BRUTE, LOVERs, RAVERs, TOPS, SPAMS: BR was the master of
memorable acronyms that were easy to pronounce. How do you say IKF or NFRIP? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4) AWS </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pioneered by the Great Western, the Automatic Warning system
was seen as nice-to-have, rather than essential, for most of BR's 46 years.
After all, it was the driver's job to obey the signals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5) <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Derby</st1:place></st1:city>
Research </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Often dismissed as an ivory tower inhabited by PhD and Bar
scientists, BR Research left an enduring legacy including the first real
understanding of vehicle ride dynamics, high speed pantographs and the world's
most successful computer based interlocking. But don't mention the Railbus.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6 Black Macs </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">More than the bowler hat, the black gabardine raincoats worn
by supervisors identified the hard men at the sharp-end who made the railway
run. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">7) Beeching </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hero or villain? As BR Chairman Dr Richard Beeching
undoubtedly cut too deeply, but he also sparked a revolution in operational
thinking which created the modern railway – particularly in freight. </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">8) Black books </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">At the end of the 1960s, Director of Design Walter Jowett
produced two black-jacketed publications – ‘Locomotives for the 1970s' and
‘Diesel electric multiple unit trains'. The first was a missed opportunity but
the second gave us IC125 </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">9) Blue book </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Published in 1985, ‘Main-line locomotive renewal programme
1985-2009' forecast 850 new freight diesels, 390 passenger diesels and 260
electrics. Production would have peaked at over 100 locos a year in the 1990s.
BR naiveté at its most extreme. </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">10) Chief Inspecting Officers </span><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Invariably retired military men, Chief Inspecting Officers
brought authority, rigour, common sense and man management to accident
investigation and safety regulation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-77395253095668190712012-11-13T17:55:00.000+00:002012-11-13T17:55:14.525+00:00The Flying Scotsman Saga<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyESDQ0xGnwvY0_3-BU2IcGi9Ye1Yvt7gNYlqjrV-QY5yJMxj6Ojy6uZlLigzptho85Qhz9I0RxXKg14yOP_ftDP7QPWSAQF_3UPsHrrkUKt0B32bC6fTtl9KGbyhn5d4K1ensZg/s1600/4472_FLYING_SCOTSMAN_at_Carnforth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Flying Scotsman at Carnforth" border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyESDQ0xGnwvY0_3-BU2IcGi9Ye1Yvt7gNYlqjrV-QY5yJMxj6Ojy6uZlLigzptho85Qhz9I0RxXKg14yOP_ftDP7QPWSAQF_3UPsHrrkUKt0B32bC6fTtl9KGbyhn5d4K1ensZg/s320/4472_FLYING_SCOTSMAN_at_Carnforth.jpg" title="Flying Scotsman the National Railway Museum story" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying Scotsman at Carnforth - Creative Commons licence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Those looking to understand the problems of maintaining and running large bits of engineering kit in museums and on heritage railways can do no better than read the report into the NRM's travails with the Flying Scotsman. While highlighting the deficiencies in NRM's project management it also highlights the serious issues facing heritage railways in general and the conflict between 'cottage engineering' and the professional engineering industry. <br /><br />It also has lessons for anyone involved in operating, restoring or conserving complex or not so complex obsolete machines - steam locomotives, aircraft, stationery engines etc and the ability in the future to these keep them operating. Well worth a read even if engineering is not your 'thing'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">See the report for the Trustees of the Science Museum Group into the <strong>restoration of A3 Class Pacific Flying Scotsman</strong> and associated engineering project management. Researched and written by Robert Meanley and a</span><span style="color: black;">ssisted by Roger Kemp 26 October 2012 Download available on the National Railway Museum site </span></span><a href="http://www.nrm.org.uk/AboutUs/~/media/Files/NRM/PDF/Scotsman.ashx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: TTE22AFE18t00;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: TTE22AFE18t00;"><br /></span><br />NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-59230231240195425642012-07-13T14:08:00.001+01:002012-08-02T19:32:20.078+01:00The Double Lickey Banker 3<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/6913928344/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="Lickey incline steam" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5035/6913928344_e8e402d21b.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" title="" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/6913928344/">The Double Lickey Banker 3</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/">D1059</a>.</span></div>
Copyright Stephen DanceNickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-40704321592533926662012-07-12T22:44:00.001+01:002012-08-02T19:33:01.666+01:0048249 on the Lickey Bank<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffsimages/6284102797/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="Lickey Incline Bank" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6106/6284102797_f7b886a1d1.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" title="" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffsimages/6284102797/">48249 on the Lickey Bank</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffsimages/">geoff7918</a>.</span></div>
A homage to the late Peter J Shoesmith - a great photographer.<br /><br />Photographed at Vigo on the Lickey incline Stanier 8F 48249 makes good progress with a fairly heavy mixed freight on a cold winter's day. 48249 was photographed in the Newport area, withdrawn, in September 1967.<br />See more on FlickrNickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-49238107664388117802012-05-05T15:45:00.002+01:002012-08-02T19:33:53.558+01:00Russell and the Manchester & Milford Railway<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLg3UoRC3flAVSahXNavhRYhrZjC7xI3XfSU2P7VXdMMvRrm3n3FIdpxEzK3pzrK9ZnGTO0hyphenhyphenAoUfMSqS2wiyl7C70MW6EA_GmYbnq2nOonx-l7zJw8s4_OKCZf-6pNQ7A-bI9w/s1600/ol50-Manchester_and_Milford_Railway-150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Oakwood Press book" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLg3UoRC3flAVSahXNavhRYhrZjC7xI3XfSU2P7VXdMMvRrm3n3FIdpxEzK3pzrK9ZnGTO0hyphenhyphenAoUfMSqS2wiyl7C70MW6EA_GmYbnq2nOonx-l7zJw8s4_OKCZf-6pNQ7A-bI9w/s1600/ol50-Manchester_and_Milford_Railway-150.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Published by the Oakwood Press</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://jamescholmeleyrussell.blogspot.co.uk/p/russell-and-manchester-milford-railway.html#.T6U7jfwoc9E.blogger">Russell and the Manchester & Milford Railway</a><br />
<br />
James Cholmeley Russell and the Manchester & Milford Railway - one of his other railway activities.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbbAOXrwAuiAn_h1FVMNWbe87zgZS9CXOunUp_bb2EJl8PJJ4kLBCIFTBx6KYZq5qM-P-b76I1ky24G9qXfPZjOayjOnWUY7O10Io-2tnewfaXE5E-KyJFNDK8TD6adb6kPn8Dw/s1600/James+Cholmeley+Russell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="James Cholmeley Russell" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbbAOXrwAuiAn_h1FVMNWbe87zgZS9CXOunUp_bb2EJl8PJJ4kLBCIFTBx6KYZq5qM-P-b76I1ky24G9qXfPZjOayjOnWUY7O10Io-2tnewfaXE5E-KyJFNDK8TD6adb6kPn8Dw/s320/James+Cholmeley+Russell.jpg" title="" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Cholmeley Russell (1841-1912)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-18874921448876314772012-04-30T14:20:00.001+01:002012-04-30T14:20:25.557+01:00GWR - Gloucestershire's mainline heritage railway - Chicken Curve Update 19th April 2012<a href="http://www.gwsr.com/news/latest-news/chicken-curve-update-19th-april-2012.aspx#.T56Rg9MglAo.blogger">GWR - Gloucestershire's mainline heritage railway - Chicken Curve Update 19th April 2012</a>NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-20023512985057452182012-04-23T19:34:00.001+01:002012-08-02T19:34:54.018+01:00Snailbeach District Railways<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/6956945762/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="Snailbeach" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/6956945762_372f19baa7.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" title="" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/6956945762/">Snailbeach District Railways</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/">Boxbrownie3</a>.</span></div>
See the flickr site where this is located for more pictures on SnailbeachNickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272911.post-91395596410303887352012-04-12T10:17:00.001+01:002012-04-12T10:17:06.112+01:00New Passage Hotel June 1974<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/7050636461/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/7050636461_9fcf882451.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/7050636461/">New Passage Hotel June 1974</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boxbrownie3/">Boxbrownie3</a>.</span></div><p>The story of crossing the River Severn by rail before the opening of the Severn Tunnel</p>NickBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07297226270045478392noreply@blogger.com0