Locomotive Stock Changes And Withdrawal Dates

The British Railways ‘Pilot Scheme’ orders of 1955 included six Type 2 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by the North British Locomotive Co., these being introduced during 1959 for use on the Western Region. Without operational experience, a further fifty-two locomotives were delivered between 1959 and 1962. The fleet survived intact until 1968, when approximately half of the class was withdrawn as a result of declining traffic levels across the UK, with successive National Traction Plans progressively selecting the less successful, non-standard and ‘numerically challenged’ classes for removal from traffic. All fifty-eight locomotives were withdrawn by New Years Day, 1972. This book, the first of two, sets the scene surrounding the short history of the Class 22s covering the introduction of the fleet, technical aspects, appearance design, delivery and acceptance testing, works histories and allocations. Detailed individual histories of each of the fifty-eight locomotives are included.

The British Railways ‘Pilot Scheme’ orders of 1955 included ten BTH and ten NBL Type 1 locomotives, these being introduced during 1957-61 for use in East London, and on the Great Eastern and London, Tilbury & Southend lines. The BTH fleet subsequently expanded to forty-four, as a consequence of their light axle-loading and the availability of spare manufacturing capacity which BR chose to exploit in their quest to eliminate steam traction. Further construction of these two classes ceased after the fifty-four units, with preference being given to the highly reliable English Electric product which by mid-1962 had proliferated to 128 examples. The NBL fleet survived until 1968, being withdrawn after ten years of indifferent performance. The BTH locomotives followed by 1971, although four lingered on as carriage pre-heating units. Dramatic reductions in goods traffic during the 1960s/70s particularly impacted local trip and transfer freight duties, the ‘bread and butter’ work for the Type 1s, and it was inevitable that the less successful classes were retired from traffic first. This book looks at the short history of these two classes, making extensive use of archive sources, combined with the primary observations of numerous enthusiasts. Previously unpublished information, covering the introduction, appearance design and performance issues of the locomotives, form a central focus, and, allocations, works histories, storage and disposals, liveries and detail differences are covered in the same level of detail as previous volumes in the ‘Locomotive Portfolio” series.

This is the second volume of the history of the Great Eastern Railway from 1811 to 1924. This volume covers from 1862 when the Great Eastern Railway was formed to 1924 when with the absorption of the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway and the Mid Suffolk Light Railway into the LNER, the cessation of locomotive building at Stratford and the departure of the Company’s last General Manager, Sidney Parnwell the GER could finally be said to exist. The history covers many things including the building and the subsequent expansion of Liverpool Street station and the development of the extensive suburban system. The Company’s attempts to gain direct access to the northern coal fields which resulted in the formation of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line is mentioned as is the abortive proposed working union with the Great Northern and the Great Central railways. Relations with London, Tilbury and Southend Railway including the battle for the Southend traffic from 1911 are dealt with, as is the effect of Midland Railway takeover of that Railway. How the GER dealt with the threat of electric tube railways at the turn of the 20th century receives attention as do the abortive proposals in 1918 for the electrification of the Company’s suburban services.

An in-depth look at the British railway company’s celebrated class of steam locomotives, with more than three hundred photos. Built by Collett in 1927 after pressure to restore the Great Western Railway’s pre-eminence in motive power and cope with increasing postwar traffic to Devon and Cornwall holiday resorts, the thirty Kings were the final development of the Churchward Stars and the 1923 Castles and remained on top-link main line duty until their final replacement by the ‘Western’ class 52 diesel hydraulics in 1962. This book includes an insight into the thinking of some of Collett’s senior staff at the end of the 1930s and the eventual transformation in the latter years with redraughting and double chimneys. As well as describing their design and construction, the book comprehensively covers their operation and performance, backed up by many recorded logs on all main GW/WR routes over which they were permitted. The author had close experience of the class when working at Old Oak Common between 1957 and 1962, and includes a chapter of his experiences with them, including many footplate trips (as a management trainee, he was greeted with glee by firemen who would hand him the shovel). The book also includes over 300 photographs, one hundred of them in color.