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These locomotives enjoyed striking 'continental' good looks with, strangely, more than a nod to preceding steam design; for this they were regarded fondly by enthusiasts and they earned the somewhat fanciful and inexplicable nickname 'Teddy Bears'.
The author spent the best years of his working life at Yeovil Town engine shed, cleaning and labouring at first and then as fireman on goods and passenger trains to Exeter, Salisbury and Weymouth.
Completes the series
The well known LMS 'Jinty' 0-6-0Ts originally known as the 'standard shunting tanks' came to number over 400, built over the years 1924-1931.
The London and Southampton Railway opened its line in 1840, the first major railway in the south of England – soon to become the London & South Western Railway and eventually in 1923 the Southern Railway. Part 1 was concerned with the line from Basingstoke to Winchester. Continuing our jornney, Part Two describes the line through to Eastleigh and beyond to Swathling.
The fifth in a series with the simple old fashioned aim to showcase top quality photographs reproduced at the largest possible size, in order to celebrate some of the best-loved steam classes. Full-page shots are presented in a landscape format and come with comprehensive captions. The emphasis throughout is on the engines in service and the book has been arranged in chapters in chronological order starting with the batches of the class as built. The final five chapters show the engines at work from 1935 onwards on the principal routes where they were used. All engines in the class are covered at least once.
Increasing affluence and a second-hand car allowed the author a geographical range previously denied to him and with various pals he embarked in the 1970s and 1980s on a number of expeditions to various parts of the country, to photograph diesel locomotives, then still running in abundant numbers and variety.
Latest in the longstanding ‘Book Of’ series, in FIVE PARTS to adequately cover the vast number of locomotives involved.
This account is intended to give an overview of the types of first-generation Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains and railbuses that could be seen on BR from the 1950s to the 1980s. Their widespread introduction across the country came to be one of the great pillars of the Modernisation of Britain’s railways throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Put into service in a number of ‘schemes’ (each scheme covering part of the country) the new trains – bright, shiny and modern with wonderful panoramic views – replaced thousands of steam engines. For decades they dominated the railway passenger scene, becoming so commonplace as to go almost unnoticed as memories of steam faded.
The Main Line & Branches.
Third in a series which has but one simple aim, to use top quality photographs reproduced at the largest possible size to celebrate some of the best-loved steam classes. Full-page shots are presented in a landscape format and are backed up by comprehensive captions.
Latest in the ‘Book Of’ series, presenting a comprehensive history and full sequence of works visits together with several photographs of every individual engine. ‘A handsome locomotive, firmly in the Gresley tradition of handsome designs’ and that is certainly true of the LNER B17 4-6-0s. ‘Good engineering should look good, and Gresley never set his hand to a design which looked less than very good.’ Again certainly true.
Third in a series to record in colour and black and white the prototype origins and production lives of the first British Railways diesel locomotives, from halting beginnings in the 1950s to (sometimes) premature ends.
Available from the publisher or selected W H Smith, Sainsburys, Tescos, Asda and Waitrose High Street shops.
The LMS employed innumerable 2-6-4Ts, evolving from parallel boiler Fowler engines through updated Stanier taper boiler versions through to Fairburn’s final development. Between them they amounted to over 600 in total.
Second in a series which has but a simple aim, to use top quality photographs reproduced at the largest possible size to celebrate some of the best-loved steam classes. Full-page shots are presented in a landscape format and are backed up by comprehensive captions.
A personal colour odyssey by an author captivated by steam, like most of us, at an early, highly impressionable age and in his case the introduction was grander than most – the Royal Train passing through Henley-in-Arden in April 1950 headed, memorably by two Castles.
By John Jennison -
