Riding Yorkshire's Final Steam Trains (eBook)

Journeys on BR'S North Eastern Region

Keith Widdowson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2015 | 1. Auflage
176 Seiten
The History Press (Verlag)
978-0-7509-6416-6 (ISBN)

Infos

Keith Widdowson visited the North Eastern Region of British Railways on over forty occasions during the final eighteen months of steam powered passenger services. With the odd exceptions (usually for railtours) most of the locomotives were neglected, run down, filthy, prone to failure and often only kept their wheels turning courtesy of the skills of the crew coaxing them along with loving care. Far from the scenic delights so often justifiably portrayed of the Yorkshire countryside, the ever-dwindling numbers became corralled within the industrialized heartland of Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Normanton. Here, Widdowson recalls that bygone era, leading an almost nomadic nocturnal existence on his self-imposed 'mission' of stalking the endangered 'Iron Horses' in one of their final habitats. He was often far from alone in his quest. The 'Haulage-bashing' fraternity comprised of like-minded enthusiasts from throughout Britain, often congregated, lemming like, on the one-coach early morning mail trains, the Summer Saturday holidaymaker trains or the Bradford portions; indeed any passenger service with a steam locomotive at its front From the many disappointments of thwarted possibilities to the euphoric joy of unexpected catches, together with over 130 contemporary images, Riding Yorkshire's Final Steam Trains is a compelling snapshot of the race against time at the end of the golden age of steam.

Keith Widdowson's 45-year career with British Railways began in June 1962, the majority of it spent diagramming locomotive and train crews. Now retired, he has written several books on his steam-chasing travels. He also writes articles for railway magazines and is a member of the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway.

Textauszug

1

CHASING: AN ADDICTION EXPLAINED

TRAVELLING BY STEAM train has to be one of the greatest pleasures of life. The steam locomotive, a vital cog of the nineteenth-century industrial revolution, was undoubtedly one of man’s finest achievements. Monopolising the movement of both passenger and freight traffic throughout the world for over a century it was only advancing technology in the form of electric- and diesel-powered alternatives that unseated it off from its throne. Unlike today’s modern traction, which switches off and closes down upon a minor component failing, it usually got you home – even if it was itself ailing! Above all she was a living, breathing machine, often having a will of her own, but if treated with tender loving care would perform all that was demanded of her.

When frequently visiting some of the preserved railways, all the associated memories of my travelling years come back to me. The deafening exhaust echoing off of the cuttings and trees, the atmosphere, the heady nectar of grit, smoke and steam emanating from a living machine tackling a stiff gradient can only be truly appreciated by ‘window hanging’ out of the leading coach. It is beyond my comprehension how anyone can fail to be moved by the sight and sound of a steam locomotive hard at work. Personally, since first viewing them at Waterloo in the early ’60s, I have had an ongoing love affair with them. It, or more universally referred to as she, has been a predominant mistress in my life for over half a century and, being the basis of this book, I defy the reader not to empathise as to the reason why I spent my formative years in pursuit of her.

Those of you who have read my previous tome on (steam) chasing, The Great Steam Chase: The Last Days of Steam on BR’s Southern Region, can anticipate the brief of this explanatory chapter – slotted in here for the benefit of new readers. To set the scene as to when and where the seeds of my love of the Iron Horse were sown, I have to take the reader back to Waterloo – where I commenced my railway career. From my workplace, perched high up on the fourth floor, panoramic views of London were available if looking north, with just a massive expanse of the glass-covered roof if looking south. Although above the roof you could still hear all the station announcements and general noises from the activities below, the noisiest, emanating from the arrival (12–14) and departure (9–11) platforms, was of the steam-operated services.

Not initially an enthusiast when joining BR, it wasn’t until mid ’63 that any interest in disappearing steam and line closures finally fired sufficient interest to propel me out to places I had often directed prospective customers to in my job as telephone enquiry clerk. During my lunch break the 13 30 departure for Weymouth/Bournemouth West was often viewed from the end of platform 11 and perhaps it was the sheer majesty of the 8P Merchant Navy-class locomotive, with its safety valves lifting and the fireman fuelling the fire in readiness for the 143-mile journey ahead, that became the catalyst of a lifetime hobby. As I stood there, camera poised in readiness for the platform staff’s whistle and the guard’s ‘right away’ the potent power subsequently unleashed with the Pacific initially slipping (an inherent Bulleid weakness) on the greasy rail before finally finding her feet and powering the train into the distance must have sunk deep into the memory bank of an impressionable teenager.

At the rear of the train, ably assisting with an almighty shove, was the tank engine that had brought the stock in from Clapham Yard. Within the cavernous station train shed the ear-splitting cacophony of its thunderous exhaust sent the pigeons into orbit and made any conversation nigh on impossible. It all lasted for less than a minute before the tank engine driver slammed on the brakes to bring him to a stand alongside the ever-present gaggle of trainspotters always resident at the country end of platform 11. As I mentioned in my introduction, but I believe is worth restating, how anyone can fail to be impressed with the sight and sound of a steam locomotive in full flight is still beyond my comprehension. The intention of ‘setting the scene’ of my love of Iron Horse chasing has hopefully thus been achieved.

Having initially joined BR ‘because my parents noted my interest in local timetables’ (albeit bus!) I soon realised that the majority of the, certainly clerical, workforce not only saw their employment as a means to pay the mortgage but as an extension of their hobby – enhanced perhaps by the free and reduced rate travel facilities available! One particular friend, Bill, with whom I was to subsequently travel throughout Europe, often arrived in the office on a Monday morning with tales of his travels, photographs and timetables from all over the country. ‘Get out there – use your travel facilities. It’s all disappearing,’ he often said. He was referring to the seemingly relentless number of routes closing as a consequence of Dr Beeching’s axe (The Reshaping of British Railways, 1963) together with increasing dieselisation (Modernisation and Re-Equipment of the British Railways, 1955), the consequential outcome inevitably leading to the wholesale slaughter of the steam locomotive.

During the latter part of ’63 curiosity began to get the better of me and I tentatively started to venture further afield, away from the mundane suburban commuter journeys undertaken so far, to routes (in the south of England) threatened with closure. During those early explorations I regrettably failed to document any facts and it was only by carrying a Brownie 127 camera and armed with an ever-deteriorating, flimsy paper network map on which I coloured in the relevant routes that any details survived the years. From the March of ’64, however, having had a birthday present from my parents of a Kodak Colorsnap 35 and now always travelling with a notebook, the addiction was taking hold of me. This camera was equipped with the latest technology! It had a lens you could change to whatever the weather was doing i.e. bright sunshine, black-lined cloud or rain – not quite up to present-day equipment but adequate enough for my needs. Over the years, having been dropped, mislaid and cursed at (when the film jammed), it has provided me with over 1,000 images, some of which have found their way into the railway press. I wish I had taken more, but funds were directed at travel costs and, as a junior clerk, weren’t always there.

As the months counted down towards the end of steam throughout Britain an ever-increasing number of enthusiasts could be witnessed on the scene. As mentioned in the introduction, rather than ‘copping’ a locomotive, we haulage bashers had to travel behind our quarry in order to redline the entry in our Ian Allan Locoshed books. The resulting satisfaction of seeing a page or column completed, perhaps even before our fellow conspirators, was without doubt what we all wanted to achieve. Being a haulage aficionado was undoubtedly a very self-appreciating variation of railway enthusiasm. No one else would benefit from our successes. Photographers can display their results for all to enjoy whereas what did I achieve – a book full of numbers! Memories, however, remain and whenever espying a photograph in a magazine or book of a train I might have travelled on, out come the notebooks and if indeed I was aboard the depicted train the relevant page gets extracted and stowed away in my ‘I was there’ folder.

Photography was always, as far as I was concerned, secondary to the pursuit of steam haulage – I would love to have been at the lineside as well, but being unable to be in both places at once a choice had to be made. It was a race against time. Success in tracking down steam-operated services came with experience, but it was always reassuring to see a wisp of smoke in the distance thus increasing the likelihood, but not always guaranteeing, the arrival of one. It was a mad, frenetic period – the camaraderie, the sense of urgency – knowing it would all end one day. Steam was disappearing at an extraordinarily fast rate, that fact alone providing the impetus to catch every potential movement. I sometimes wonder if had the steam locomotive not been dying so quickly whether such enthusiasm, such a fanatical chase, would have occurred.

Whilst appreciating the run-down conditions and constant failures, such a frequent occurrence towards the end, I still feel privileged to have witnessed the scenarios and participated in the pursuits with all their attendant emotional excitement and sadness. One of my friends from that period recently contacted me in connection with a previous book and, within the communication, highlighted how lucky we were to have enjoyed the scenarios, stating they were ‘the best days of my life’ – with which I concur. Whereas they were fun, providing excitement and joy for us enthusiasts to follow as a hobby, for the railway employees working with such run-down machines in depots surrounded by dereliction and filth it was no joke. Their own employment was in doubt as steam sheds were closed down and I take my hat off to them for the chivalrous attitude they had towards us ‘puffer nutters’.

My case and equipment. Everything I needed was crammed into this 16×10×4in attaché case.

Through all the travels contained within this tome my small attaché case (16×10×4in) went with me. All necessary equipment was contained within it: timetables, camera, Ian Allan books, notebooks, Lyons pies, Club biscuits, pens, flannel, handkerchief, stopwatch, cartons of orange drinks, sandwiches and, of...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 2.2.2015
• Verlagsort: London
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Schienenfahrzeuge
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie
• Schlagworte: Bradford • British Railways • bygone era • golden age of steam • iron horses • Journeys on BR'S North Eastern Region • Journeys on BR'S North Eastern Region, british railways, steam powered passenger services, railtours, steam locomotives, steam engines, steam trains, yorkshire, bradford, leeds, wakefield, normanton, bygone era, iron horses, mail trains, golden age of steam • Leeds • mail trains • normanton • railtours • steam engines • steam locomotives • steam powered passenger services • steam trains • Wakefield • Yorkshire
• ISBN-10: 0-7509-6416-2 / 0750964162
• ISBN-13: 978-0-7509-6416-6 / 9780750964166