Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Ambulance train and nurses

GWR Churchward "43XX" 2-6-0 No. 5322 on the Didcot shuttle. No.5322 is in WWI ROD (Railway Operating Division) khaki livery as carried when in service in France WWI (although the copper cap chimney and brass safety valve cover would surely have been painted over?). The "43XX" Class were inspired by American Moguls as Churchward was a friend of the Chief Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad as evidenced by the taper boiler, Beelpair firebox, American-type front end and (for it's day) high running plate. The design was arguably Britain's first proper mixed traffic engine and was highly successful, being powerful, fast and economical. At GWS Didcot Railway Centre, Armistice Day, 11 November 2008.

A SHORT HISTORY OF BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS [Part 4]

AFTER WORLD WAR I: “THE BIG FOUR”

The First World War (1914-1918) had put a terrible strain on the railways of Britain.

Unfortunately, the railways - which had come under Government control for the duration of the conflict - had suffered from the constant demands which wartime had brought.

Locomotives and rolling stock were suffering from overuse and a lack of maintenance, and the railway industry, which at the beginning of the 1920s was made up of over 120 separate companies, was in dire need of huge changes.

The 1919 Rail Strike:

The industrial action lasted almost ten days from midnight on the night of the September 26/27 to October 5.

This was part of a much bigger strike movement in Britain.

That year strike days went up from six million in 1918 to 35 million with a total of 2.4 million British workers going on strike.

The strike was triggered by the government’s announcement to reduce the rates of pay for railway workers.

Railways at this time were still largely under government control as were the coal mines.


The troops guarding key installations during the National rail strike of 1919

n a post-war industrial boom, men who had been serving at the front were quickly absorbed into ordinary jobs and there was a feeling of discontent among railway workers that sacrifices made during the war had not been acknowledged by the government.

There was a lot more dependence on the railways and trams in the early 20th century and soon enough the government relented, agreeing to maintain wages for another year.


Seventeen men pose in front of Furness Railway Engine No. 24 after cleaning it during the National Strike in 1919

Two volunteers take a break after cleaning a Furness Railway locomotive on the nine-day National rail strike of 1919

THE GROUPING

Change came on January 1st, 1923, in the form of the Grouping, a Government rationalisation of the many operators which reduced the number of railway companies to just four (though there still existed a couple of smaller companies known as Joint Railways).

The four companies, known as “The Big Four” were:

The Great Western Railway (GWR) – headquarters at Swindon
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) - headquarters at Crewe
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) – headquarters at Doncaster
The Southern Railway (SR) – headquarters at Waterloo, London.

The GWR, which had existed since 1833, was the only one of the existing main railway companies to survive the Grouping.

It absorbed several of the smaller companies in Wales and the South West of England.

The other companies’ names largely indicated the geographical areas which they served, with the LNER running the London King’s Cross to Edinburgh mainline and the LMS controlling the western mainline from London Euston to Glasgow Central.

Of the four companies only the LMS and the LNER ran in Scotland (the LMS also had lines in N. Ireland), with the Southern an exclusively English concern, and the GWR owning many of the lines in Wales and the West and South West of England.

THE GWR

The new companies began investing in new locomotives and rolling stock, with the Great Western building upon earlier achievements and concentrating on producing locomotive designs which used standardised components.

Famous engines included the Hall, Castle and King Class, all of which were highly successful designs masterminded by the GWR’s CME (Chief Mechanical Engineer) , Charles B. Collett (1871-1952) C.B. Collett also continued to improve the design and construction of many previous tried and tested GWR designs such as the Pannier Tank loco, hundreds of which were used throughout its network.

Coat of arms of the Great Western Railway​

THE LMS

The LMS, the largest of the four companies, had inherited a range of antiquated stock from its constituent parts.

It was some time before it was able to organise itself and be in a position to replace some of these with more modern designs.

The first sign of this came with such as Henry Fowler’s Royal Scot Class of 1927.

This was to be the first of a new wave of successful MS engines, and more began to appear from 1932, when a designer called (Sir)William Stanier (1876-1965) was brought over from the GWR to succeed Fowler as the LMS CME.

Stanier would go on to design some of the most notable LMS locomotives, including the Black Five, used for all kinds of duties, the 8F heavy freight loco, and the express passenger "Princess” and “Princess Coronation” Class.

The Coronations, the first of which were streamlined, would go on to set new world speed records on the West Coast main line, achievements which were immediately challenged by the LNER on its East Coast route.

Stanier was also responsible for updating the LMS fleet of carriages, with wooden panelled construction giving way to steel sided vehicles which could be produced more quickly and efficiently.

THE LNER

The LNER inherited the talents of Edinburgh born (Sir) Nigel Gresley (1876-1941) - who would come to design some of the most famous and iconic of British steam locomotives - from the Great Northern Railway, of which he had been CME since 1911.

While there, he had been responsible, in 1922, for designing the A1 Class (later Class A3), of which “Flying Scotsman" was one member, ultimately becoming known as the “most famous steam locomotive ever" thanks to its exploits following withdrawal in 1963.

The streamlined Class A4 was a development of the A3, appearing in 1935 for use on the East Coast mainline.

Three years later, an A4 named “Mallard” set a new world speed record for steam traction of 126mph, the ultimate achievement in a highly publicised speed war, which had developed between the LNER and the rival LMS.

To this day the record still stands.

Gresley also designed many other highly successful LNER locomotives as well as being responsible for their beautiful teak carriages and countless other designs.


These arms were granted in 1924


Logo of the London and North Eastern Railway from 1932

THE SOUTHERN

The Southern Railway was the smallest of the Big Four.

However, under the guidance of Richard Maunsell (1868-1944), it was one of the most forward thinking, with much of its suburban and urban network electrified by the 1930s. Maunsell was also responsible for designing some highly successful steam engines such as the “Lord Nelsons” and the “Schools" class.

After Maunsell retired in 1937 he was succeeded by Oliver Bulleid (1882-1970), who was to come up with several radical designs which would not be produced until the war years including the Q1, Merchant Navy Class and Battle of Britain/West Country.

All of these employed innovative techniques and design features.


The company applied for a grant in 1938 but it was not granted until March 1946.

The arms include allusions to London (sword), Dover (leopard’s head), Southampton (rose) and Brighton (dolphin); the barry wavy represents coastal areas and maritime operations.

Crest: a Bulleid-Firth Brown locomotive wheel with a flash alluding to the extensive electrification of the Southern Railway system. The sunburst alludes to the Southern Railway slogan ‘South for Sunshine’.

Supporters: Red dragon (London) and White Horse of Kent (resting a foot on another railway wheel).

THE ROMANCE OF THE RAILWAY

Largely the companies had their own routes in different parts of the country, but there were places where they did rival one-another.

The best example of this was in the West and East Coast routes from London to Scotland.

The LMS and LNER fought a publicity war with each other for much of the second part of the1930s.

Streamlined trains, publicity films, and ever-faster speeds were a welcome diversion from the stark realities of Depression Era Britain and offsetting the reality of the rest of the railway system with its thousands of drab workhorse locomotives, usually painted in grimy black.

In contrast to these, the star locomotives were excitingly clad in the most colourful of liveries: Garter Blue or Apple Green for the LNER, and Caledonian Blue or Crimson Lake for the LMS, with the Southern and GWR joining in with their different versions of green.

The best artists of the day were hired to create colourful and lavish posters for all of the railway companies - not just the LMS and LNER - and, in spite of the economic troubles, trains such as the Silver Jubilee, Coronation, Coronation Scot, Atlantic Coast Express, Golden Arrow and Cornish Riviera Express, captured the public’s imagination, all adding to the romance and appeal of the railways.

Companies, such as the Southern and the LNER also ran Pullman trains, which had an unrivalled reputation for providing passengers with luxury accommodation and dining.


Gallaher's Cigarettes "Trains of the World" Cards issued in 1937.

Gallaher's Cigarettes "Trains of the World" Cards issued in 1937.

SR Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 'Tangmere' THE GOLDEN ARROW

MALLARD at Widney Manor en route for Marylebone from York.

THE APPROACH OF WAR

Sadly, the advances made to the public image of the railways were to be cut short with the outbreak of World War II.

By September 1939, Britain was once more fighting in a struggle against Germany, and such frivolous activities as speed records and streamlining were abandoned, with the railways being firmly at the forefront of the war effort.

Although some of the named expresses were to re-appear following the cessation of hostilities and the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, icons such as the “Coronation Scot” were consigned to the history books.

The locomotives themselves suffered the indignity of being repainted in "wartime black” livery and having their streamlining either cut back, e.g. the Gresley A4s, or removed altogether, as in the case of all the streamlined LMS “Coronations”.

It was the end of an era.

4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' LNER Class A4 Pacific 4-6-2 in wartime black livery​

A SHORT HISTORY OF BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS [Part 5]

WORLD WAR II AND THE RAILWAYS

War is Declared Again

In 1939 the railways found themselves in a similar situation to where they had been 25 years earlier.

On 3rd September of that year, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced solemnly on radio that Britain was at war with Germany.

However, rather than entering the conflict from a period of relative prosperity, the “Big Four” – the LMS, LNER, GWR and Southern Railways – were suffering from a distinct lack of money and resources well before the declaration had even been made.

They had managed to survive the Great Depression of the late ‘20s and ‘30s, but only just, and to be plunged into a war in 1939 was the last thing they needed.


New Barnet Station in pre-WWII days and the scene of a well-rehearsed evacuation from North London districts in early September, 1939 - an LNER 'Streak' (Class A4 Pacific) heads for King's Cross Station, London with an evening express

“Operation Pied Piper”

One of the first effects on the railway companies, which were taken - as in WW1 - under government control, was the need for Evacuation trains.

These were needed immediately and plans, referred to as “Operation Pied Piper”, had been in place for some time.

So it was that, two days before the September 3rd announcement, the evacuation of children and others began.

It was a huge undertaking, and in the first 3 days, some 1.5 million people, over 800,000 of which were children of school age, were displaced from their urban homes, and sent to relative safety in the country.

Other groups included were young mothers, children under 5, pregnant mothers, disabled persons and teachers and other helpers.

This was a voluntary scheme, but many took up the offer, feeling that there would be too many risks in staying in the cities.

The trains in which the evacuees travelled were specially laid on, but the evacuees themselves did not know exactly what was happening or where they were meant to be going.

They travelled with a minimum of luggage: one small suitcase with as many clothes as could be packed inside; some food for the journey, such as sandwiches; a regulation issue gasmask in a cardboard box, and a small paper label with the evacuees’ name and address.

The carriages in which they travelled were often ones without corridor connections, which meant that there was no opportunity to get to a toilet en-route, especially as the compartments were also locked for safety at the start of the journey and not unlocked until the end!

When the evacuees arrived at their destinations they were usually taken to a building such as a Town Hall, where the process of “billeting” would be carried out.

This was when the children and others were allocated to stay with a particular family or person (this was known as their "billet”).

Often the evacuees would not be the ones that the people receiving them had expected, but everyone had to make do with the situation.

The initial period of the war was to become known as “The Phoney War” in that the expected attacks did not immediately come.

Several thousand of those who had been evacuated returned to the cities within a few months, and many would be evacuated again once the prospects of invasion looked even more likely following the Fall of France in May 1940.


'Operation Pied Piper' was the evacuation of children up to school leaving age (14 in 1939) from cities to rural locations, planned by the Railways Executive Committee in the run-up to WWII

The Effect on the Railways

Aside from the evacuation, there were many other effects on the railways in wartime which greatly affected the lives of those who travelled and worked on them.

At the outbreak of war, station nameplates, as well as road signs, were removed.

The reason for this was to prevent the enemy from knowing where they were in the event of an invasion.

This meant that, often, travellers unfamiliar with a route or an area would not know where they were.

As it was regarded as suspicious behaviour if any stranger was to ask where they were, it became extremely difficult to find the way around.

Indeed, so awkward did the war make railway travel, that posters stated: “Is Your Journey Really Necessary?” – a plea to reduce the number of unnecessary journeys to the bare minimum.

This was meant to lessen the strain on everyday services, which were being changed and cut, often at short notice, to make way for trains carrying troops and equipment.

In addition to the removal of signs, the railways were also required to comply with the Blackout Regulations, which meant that no building should show any form of light after dusk.

The reason for this was that, when it was dark, in the era before the use of infra-red “night vision" and other such technological advances, enemy planes (particularly bombers) would be unable to identify their targets and get their bearings using easily spotted landmarks, e.g. towns and cities, on the ground.

Blackout curtains were installed in the windows of all buildings, including stations, with all exterior lights switched off.

Railway carriages’ lights were dimmed, with bright bulbs replaced by ones which glowed a dim blue.

There were blinds on carriage windows to keep even this low level of light safely inside.

On the engine footplate itself, thick canvas was hung between the cab and tender to prevent the bright glow from the engine’s firebox being spotted from above.

Problems encountered included people getting off at the wrong stations, passengers falling off almost invisible platform edges and goods yard staff being unable to read destination labels in dark conditions.

In War And Peace We Serve poster – World War II Propaganda Poster – Reginald Mayes – c1940​

Is Your Journey Really Necessary​

Bert Thomas c1940

The poster says it all, only too well...

Austerity Measures

The continuing war also affected the railways in other ways.

With an absence of skilled men and resources it became more difficult to maintain the rolling stock.

The glamorous expresses, with their brightly liveried engines and carriages, were no more and the LMS’s streamlined “Coronations” were painted plain black and then slowly stripped of their streamlining to make maintenance easier.

To be fair, the streamlining had been more of a publicity gimmick rather than something which was actually economical, as any small speed benefits were cancelled out by the extra coal consumption of the heavier streamlined engines!

The LNER’s fleet of streamlined A4s fared slightly better, keeping all of their streamlined cladding above footplate level but losing most of that around the wheels.

Like the LMS locos, when in the workshops, these were repainted in plain black as an economy measure.

One of these A4s, “Gadwall” was wrecked in an air raid in 1942 when a bomb hit the York train shed where it was housed.

Servicing became less and less frequent during the course of the war, and some locos ran for long periods without proper maintenance.

Loads hauled were also much greater than before and it was not unknown for a passenger locomotive to pull a train made up of around 20-25 carriages.


“Gadwall”

Just before the war, Gadwall was chosen to be renamed after the Chief Officer of the LNER, Sir Ralph Wedgwood.

'Sir Ralph Wedgwood' A4 class No 4469 lies destroyed in the wreckage of York North locomotive depot, following the air raid on 29 April 1942.

A4 4469 Gadwall passes Brookmans Park with the up Silver Jubilee in 1938.. Later renamed Sir Ralph Wedgwood and unfortunately destroyed in an air raid at York 1942

Summary

The War Affects Production

The huge locomotive works, had their vast production lines turned over to the making of such vital items as components for Rolls Royce Merlin engines (as used in the Spitfire and Mosquito aircraft) as well as gliders which would take part in D-Day in 1944.

They consequently became prime targets for German bombers.

Locomotive production was confined to making engines that were going to be essential to the war effort.

Austerity was the key word, with engines made which would be stripped of all excesses and easy to maintain.

Such designs were the War Department Heavy Freight 2-8-0s and 2-10-0s, 0-6-0 Saddle Tanks (some later known as LNER J94) as well as the unique Q1 class 0-6-0s built by the Southern Railway.

Many of the engines produced would be immediately shipped abroad to help with the movement of men and equipment across Europe following the June 1944 D-Day landings.

War Department 2-10-0 steam locomotive Nr. 73799 "North British" - 11 October 1945​

Southern Region Q1 0-6-0 No. 33035.

What Came Next?

The “Big Four” companies would never really recover from the consequences of the war.

While many of the designs of the 1920s and ‘30s had demonstrated just how capable they were of maintaining maximum performance with a minimum of outlay, the whole railway system was on its knees.

The companies’ income during the war had been capped and once the conflict was over they simply did not have the resources to cope with the enormous backlog of repairs and reconstruction which had built up over the last 6 years.

By 1947, with a Labour government in power after its landslide election victory of 1945, proposals for nationalising the railways became a reality, and on 1st January 1948 the era of the “Big Four” was over.


31st December 1947

I was trying to watch Poirot, but Lulu had other ideas.