announcements and enclosures deadline despatch dates · london ms lisa hirst of oxford (was london)...

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SOCIETY MATTERS Bulletin copy dates

PUBLICATION No Copy to Editor

DEADLINE Anticipated

Despatch Dates Announcements and Enclosures

SEPTEMBER 2020 487 24th July 2020 28th August 2020 –––––––––––––––––––––––

The dates above are from MC's reviewed Society's annual calendar. The announcement below, and what we should expect to be 'normal' life for the next few months, may change the dates but I would be grateful if contributors for Bulletin 487 will adhere to my Copy to Editor deadline

Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting scheduled for 2nd May 2020, but postponed because of the coronavirus situation, will now be held via Zoom video-conferencing on Saturday 15th August at 11:00am. The Notice of the Meeting, the Agenda, notes on how to participate and guidance on how to vote by completing a Voting Form and a Form of Proxy are all set out on a 4-page centre section to this Bulletin. These page can, if required, be detached from the stapling but leaving the remainder of the Bulletin complete. Please check the R&CHS website before committing to any events referred to in this Bulletin and not shown to have been cancelled – there may have been changes.

From: Roger Brice, R&CHS Secretary. <[email protected]> [The above message has been sent to all R&CHS members whose e-mails we have on record]

MEMBERSHIP NOTES TO 8th June 2020 Membership Changes

After accounting for the changes noted below, the Society has 797 memberships including 61 joint and 22 student memberships making a total of 858 members. 45 members have still not paid their subscriptions for 2020 despite several reminders. Notification of address changes, gift aid status, missing or damaged mailings etc, should be sent to: R&CHS Membership Secretary, Andrew Wager, Hollow Croft, Church Lane, Thorpe, Ashbourne, DE6 2AW, by e-mail to <[email protected]> or by telephone [Mobile]: 01335-350239 [Landline]: 07775-964-095.

New Members We are pleased to welcome the following new members. Contact details have been included where members asked for this when they applied for membership.

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Regional Group Name and Location Interests

Midlands East Alistair Helm of Market Harborough Research for a Master’s degree on the pastimes and games played by the navvies as they built the canals.

North East Luke Griffiths of County Durham <[email protected]>

North East (England) railways and coal mining - current interest in C18th and Seaham Harbour

North West Andrew Watson of Carlisle <[email protected]>

Scotland Richard Allen of Edinburgh <[email protected]>

Scottish lowland canals

Un-lapsed members One member who wishes to remain anonymous has renewed membership after being lapsed. Deceased Member We are saddened to record the deaths of the following members:

Mrs E (Betty) Dobbs of Sandbach died on 17th April following an illness of several months. She has been a member since 1996.

Mr C J Middleton of Westhill, Aberdeen who has been a member since 2011. Dr Angus McDougall of Manchester had been a member since 1974 and was also a prominent member

of the Branch Line Society. Richard Meddows-Taylor has died, following a long stay in Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital. He

has been a member since 2013. Changes of e-mail address Because the Society has made substantial efforts to be in a position to contact more of its members by e-mail and its website there are almost 60 changes of e-mail address for the period covered by this Bulletin. Many are for members for whom we previously did not have e-addresses. If you are having difficulty contacting a member, then the Membership Secretary will do his best to help. If you have lost contact with a member or wish to contact them, we may be able to help. When you tell me your changed details, please let me know if you would like the changes included in the Bulletin, otherwise the default is privacy. Changes of postal addresses

Regional Gtroup Name and Location

London Ms Lisa Hirst of Oxford (was London)

Mr Des N Prescott of Cheadle North West

Mrs Thelma Wright of Sheffield (was Sale)

Resignations None of the resignations below implied dissatisfaction with the Society but illness, inability to attend events because of age and change of research interests were cited as reasons.

Regional Group Name and Location

Year Joined

London Mr David Bidwell of Colchester 2016

Midlands East Mr J. Bicknell of Nottingham 2012

Midlands West Dr Bryonny Goodwin-Hawkins of Ceredigion 2018

Midlands West Mr P J Relf of Kington 2008

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Regional Group Name and Location

Year Joined

Mr I C Howard of Sheffield 1987

Paul Colbeck of York 2018

Mrs G A Knight of York 1993

North East

One other member not wishing to be named 2011

South West Mr John Lewin of Chippenham 2017

R&CHS OFFICERS AND CONTACTS 2019 – 2020

Office Name * Contact

President Grahame Boyes <[email protected]>

Secretary Roger Brice <[email protected]> Tel: (01625) 533959 or 07702 303242

Managing Committee Secretary Phil Lloyd * <[email protected]> Tel: (07967) 469574 or (0151) 336 7609

Treasurer David C Smith * <[email protected]> [Work e-address]

Managing Committee Chairman Patrick Moss * <[email protected]>

Membership Secretary Andrew Wager * <[email protected]> Tel: 01335 350239

Publications Committee Secretary Stephen Rowson <[email protected]>

Journal Editor Paul Reynolds * <[email protected]>

Bulletin Editor Rob Shorland-Ball <[email protected]> Tel: 01904 632751

Reviews Editor Matthew Searle <[email protected]>

Publications Sales Martin Lander <[email protected]>

Photographic Collections Steve Martin <[email protected]>

Web Masters Roger Taylor & Roger Brice <[email protected]>

REGIONAL GROUP SECRETARIES

London Andy Brown * <[email protected]> Tel: 020 8424 8272

Midlands East Bob Bramson * <[email protected]> Tel: 01773 825991

Midlands West Ted Cheers * <[email protected]> Tel: 01902 782641

North East Brian Freeborn * <[email protected]> Tel: 01904 637009

North West Roger Brice * <[email protected]> Tel: 01625 533959

CO-ORDINATORS of SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

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Office Name * Contact

Air Transport; Road Transport & Material Handling Philip Scowcroft * 8 Rowan Mount, Doncaster DN2 5PJ

Early Railways Andy Guy * <[email protected]>

Modern Transport Ray Shill * <[email protected]>

Railway Chronology Ted Cheers * <[email protected]>

Railway History Research Andrew D Jones * <[email protected]>

Waterways History Research Peter Cross-Rudkin * <[email protected]>

* postal addresses of these Officers are on inside front cover of R&CHS Journal BOOK AWARDS: Transport History Book of the Year Awards, 2020 These Awards were initiated by R&CHS in 2004 to encourage the writing and publishing of well-researched, interesting and readable books in the field of transport history. Their continuation has been ensured for the foreseeable future by a generous legacy left to the Society by the late David St John Thomas, author and co-founder of the publishing house David & Charles. Judging of the 2020 Awards proceeded during the early months of 2020 but unfortunately the customary presentation evening had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus epidemic. 11 books were short-listed in all and prizes awarded in 3 categories. In addition, the judges decided to award a special prize to an unusual publishing initiative. Railway History category, 5 books were short-listed. The winner was London’s District Railway – a history of the Metropolitan District Railway (2 volumes) by Michael Horne, published by Capital Transport Publishing:

The District Railway has received relatively little attention from historians. But now, Michael Horne's comprehensive history, of more than 700 pages, will surely become the definitive work on this Railway. The District was conceived to complement the Met by completing a circular route around central London, connecting the various southern main-line termini along the banks of the Thames to those served by the Met on the north side, a route now familiar to us as the Circle Line. By means of running powers over other Companies’ lines the District came to serve swathes of SW and E London. It had a complicated and often unfortunate history and yet was of immense benefit to local inhabitants, visitors and those passing through the capital. It was a privately financed utility, often teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, where the shareholders had to wait decades to see any return on their investment. Unable to raise further equity funds, the management had no alternative but to borrow, usually at expensive rates. The author judges that towards the end of the C19th its management became ineffective and complacent. It was an injection of American energy, know-how and funding at the start of the C20th to replace antiquated steam trains with clean, modern, electric stock and transform the Railway into an important part of a co-ordinated transport system for London. The physical aspects of the railway’s infrastructure are well covered. Locomotives, rolling stock, signalling, operational matters, staffing and many other aspects are considered. The author’s account of financial arrangements is particularly clear and understandable, as is the description of electrification and the construction of Lots Road power station.

The other books shortlisted in the Railway History category were: The National Rifle Association, its Tramways and the London & South Western Railway. Christopher Bunch. Pen &

Sword Transport. The Croesor Tramway, a History of the Tramways and Quarries of Cwm Croesor. Dave Southern with Adrian

Barrell. Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Group. North Eastern Railway Branch Lines: Lesser Railways around Darlington. Robin B Coulthard & John G Teasdale

with co-authors John P McCrickard & Richard V Webster. North Eastern Railway Association. Henry Eoghan O’Brien, an Engineer of Nobility . Gerald M Beesley. The author.

Canal & Waterways History category, 2 titles were short-listed. The winner was Passing Through; the Grand Junction Canal in West Hertfordshire, 1791-1841 by Fabian Hiscock, published by Hertfordshire Publications, an imprint of University of Hertfordshire Press.

The author asks: what impact did the Grand Junction Canal have on the area of Hertfordshire that 25 of its 92 miles passed through? No previously published histories of either the canal or the local region have attempted to answer this question. Did this mean that the canal had no economic or social impact, being primarily a trunk

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transport artery between London and the Midlands, or is the picture incomplete? To investigate, he restricts the study to the period up to 1841 because by this date the London & Birmingham Railway was open and beginning to exert its own influence. The opening chapter describes the economic and social scene nationally as it was in the 1790s. A N-S divide was beginning to open up in England, with mineral wealth, the beginnings of industrial development and urban migration in the North whereas the South, London excepted, remained largely rural, agricultural and self-sufficient. Agriculture was becoming more efficient through enclosure and improved farming techniques but this reduced the need for labour so that rural poverty was a problem. The study then considers in detail the situation at that time in west Hertfordshire before comparing expectations with the reality of the canal’s arrival and how the various sectors of society were actually impacted. The canal was the first true external influence on the local economy given that the existing trunk roads to the North ran further to the east of the study area. Potentially the canal created new opportunities. How and why these were or were not exploited is examined and the study concludes with a review of how the area had changed by 1841. Although originating from an academic study, the writing is fluid, readable and commendably free of academic jargon.

The other short-listed canal book was: The Midlands Canals in 1871, the evidence of census. Barrie Trinder. Robert Boyd Publications.

Popular Transport category. 3 titles were short-listed and the prize awarded to Tinsley and the Modernisation of Sheffield’s Railways. Chris Booth & Alex Fisher. Platform 5 Publishing.

The book begins with a brief history of Sheffield’s railways. The area was served by two competing companies, the Midland and the Great Central, which resulted in duplicated facilities. This was perpetuated when in 1923 the MR became part of the LMS while the GCR fell into the LNER group. Other than some traffic-pooling arrangements there was little attempt to rationalise facilities. Following nationalisation, ex-LMS lines around Sheffield became part of the Eastern Region along with the former GCR lines but functional responsibilities were left as before. It was not until 1957-58 that BR established territorial management areas and sensible rationalisation could begin. In 1959 the Sheffield area was responsible for 10% of BR’s freight and coal traffic. Freight traffic working, however, was described as ‘chaotic’ because of the large number of small freight yards which required extensive trip working and the lack of interconnections between the former MR and GCR networks. The solution was to create a single large marshalling yard at Tinsley, a single motive power depot at the same location and a single freight terminal at Grimesthorpe. New junctions were installed so that these facilities could be accessed from all existing routes. Lord Beeching officially opened Tinsley Yard in 1965. The book goes on to record the adjustments made in response to the rapid, often unanticipated, changes in the pattern of freight traffic that ensued. The decline of heavy industry began to reduce the volume of traffic almost as soon as the Yard opened and the increase in block train working meant less need for re-marshalling of wagons. BR’s eventual withdrawal from the wagon load market meant the Yard no longer had much purpose. The authors have consulted many people with personal knowledge and experience of the design, construction and operation of the Yard, ranging from civil engineering staff involved in the design of Tinsley and its structures, to drivers, train preparers and telex clerks who operated the Yard. The result is an extremely detailed account of every aspect of planning, design, construction and operation of this facility. Technical areas such as the design of the modular buildings, the Dowty wagon control system, signalling and operational information handling are not neglected. There is also much detail about the diesel depot, its locomotive allocation and several public open days held there. Marshalling yards such as Tinsley were once seen as the future of railway freight handling in the UK but are now obsolete. This is an area which has received relatively little previous attention from historians.

The other books shortlisted in this category were: Steam Traction on the Road. Anthony Burton. Pen & Sword Transport. The Legendary Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, the Human Story. Tony Nicholson. Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

Trust. The judges decided to award a Special Prize for an unusual publishing initiative.

The story of the rebuilding of the Upper Avon Navigation. John Grundy. David & Alison Higgins Following the restoration of the Lower Avon river navigation from Tewkesbury to Evesham and the southern part of the Stratford Canal, the missing link in the waterways network of the West Midlands was the Upper Avon Navigation, from Evesham to Stratford-upon-Avon. A Trust was formed, and David Hutchings, who had played a corresponding role in the Stratford Canal restoration, was appointed Project Manager. With a staff of 3 (a crane driver, a welder and his part-time secretary) he achieved the re-opening of the Navigation largely using voluntary labour, working parties from prisons and borstals and, for certain specialist tasks, the Army. Plant was donated or

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hired. The engineering was kept as simple as possible because of the use of unskilled labour. 9 new locks were built, each unique to suit the donated gates available and the local ground conditions. No attempt was made to restore what little remained of the original infrastructure. Weirs and water levels had to be re-thought. A huge amount of dredging proved necessary and the disposal of the dredged material was one of the biggest and most expensive problems faced. In addition to the engineering aspects, David Hutchings had to negotiate with landowners, the drainage authority and the various tiers of local government, overcoming concerns about new weirs and increased flood risk, invasion of private property by city-dwelling boaters and a myriad of other issues, not to mention fundraising. John Grundy was a trainee design & technology teacher and due to the involvement of some relatives in the project, was persuaded to write his University dissertation about the restoration. This then lay in an attic for some 40 years until a chance conversation made David Higgins aware of its existence. David had already been concerned to create some sort of memorial to David Hutchings, who had died in 2005. He therefore had the dissertation and supporting documentation professionally scanned, printed and bound, with copies placed in appropriate archives and libraries as a resource for future historians and researchers. After introductory chapters on the history of the Navigation, the bulk of the dissertation is a detailed chronological account of the work carried out and the day-to-day issues that had to be dealt with. After 4 years of planning and negotiation, work on the ground began in November 1968 and culminated with a formal re-opening by HM the Queen Mother in 1974. John Grundy was a diligent researcher. The supporting documents include his correspondence with those from whom he sought information – David Hutchings himself, Robert Aickman (who declined assistance because he was ‘already in touch with 2 people who say they are writing books about our project’), innumerable local government officials, river and drainage authority staff, archivists, newspaper and magazine editors . . . the list goes on. The number of replies he received offering no assistance or referring him elsewhere is testament to his authorial persistence. There are transcripts of previous legislation, going back to the order of 1635 allowing William Sandys to make the river passable, and a C19th legal judgement about abandonment. There are many maps, plans and diagrams and photographs of work in progress and work completed, and an album of press cuttings. This is not a conventional history book. One judge remarked that it looked like the contents of a filing cabinet but it is also a unique record of history as it was being made. Those 2 other books mentioned by Aickman never materialised and the judges felt that the combined efforts of John Grundy and Mr & Mrs Higgins to tell and publicise the story were deserving of recognition by the Society.

Transport History Book of the Year – chosen from the 3 category winners. The judging panel awarded the title to London’s District Railway. Michael Horne. The book is consistently well written, thoroughly researched, covers all aspects of its subject in depth, is beautifully presented and tells a fascinating story. BOOKS FOR SALE

Gordon Biddle's latest book, 64 pages, 59 illustrations and published by R&CHS Books at £10.00, post free in the UK from 28 Christ Church Close, Stamford. PE9 1HS. Railways transformed Morecambe Bay, creating the industrial town of Barrow, the resorts of Grange-over-Sands and Morecambe and culminating in the deep-water post at Heysham in 1896. This book looks at these achievements as well as a long and fascinating pedigree – beginning with perilous foot-crossings of the Bay which for centuries formed the main route to Furness. Special attention is given to the now forgotten ports of Milnthorpe, Greenodd and Ulverston, including the Ulverston Ship Canal. Gordon is a founder member of R&CHS, the first Secretary and now a Vice-President and lives at Silverdale overlooking Morecambe Bay.

London’s Underground : The Story of the Tube. Oliver Green. White Lion Publishing (in association with The Daily Telegraph). 2019. Hardback @ £35 (ISBN No.978-0-7112-4013-1) and as an E-book. R&CHS member Chris Green has reviewed Oliver's book thus: My first book – London Transport Railways Album – was published by Ian Allan in 1978. Although a modest affair, it was one of the first illustrated histories of the London Underground. Save for its dust-cover, all the photographs were in black and white and, as an album, it contained only limited details of the history of the system in captions accompanying the illustrations. Nevertheless, I felt very proud when it was referred to in the Bibliography to the London Transport

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Golden Jubilee Book 1933-1983 written by Oliver Green and John Reed. My book pales into insignificance when compared to this recent publication by the same Oliver Green over 40 years later. This is a detailed history of the underground system lavishly illustrated with monochrome historical illustrations and with modern and stunning and often specially commissioned photographs by Benjamin Graham, the UK Landscape Photographer of the Year 2017. Oliver first joined London Transport in 1979, and was the first Curator of the London Transport Museum when it opened 40 years ago in 1980. He is now a Research Fellow at the LTM and there can be few authors better qualified to produce this detailed history not only of the trials and tribulations but also of the enormous successes of the London Underground system from before its opening in 1863 – as the first in the world – to the pending (if sadly delayed) completion of the Elizabeth Line. Oliver’s book is not a book just about trains, although these of course feature, and Oliver describes the underground trains developed in the 1930s as then “The World’s Best Trains with a warm and inviting appearance, highly functional and looking surprisingly luxurious”. He also deals with the engineering, social, financial and political obstacles encountered along the way, in peace and in war. Even before the formation of London Transport in 1933, some of its constituent parts had recognised the importance of good design and London Transport led the world in the creation of a “brand image”. Great care was taken in the design of station buildings in the 1920’s by Underground Electric Railways of London, and London Transport enthusiastically adopted modern European-inspired architecture for the Piccadilly line extensions in the 1930s. As Oliver states, “. . . all the stations were instantly recognizably . . . and instantly made any nearby main-line suburban stations look old-fashioned and shabby.” More recently, many of the stations on the Jubilee line extension towards Docklands have received great praise, as can be seen from some of Benjamin’s dramatic photographs. Many of these stations, and the former London Transport headquarters at 55 Broadway, have been given protected status as listed buildings because of their architectural importance and should survive to enhance the street scenes in London for many years to come. Other achievements, such as the iconic Underground map designed by Harry Beck, Edward Johnston’s typeface and the internationally recognised and often copied London Transport roundel, live on without the need for statutory protection, whilst the current standing of the modern underground system is a living testament to the two men who Oliver rightly credits for much of its success – Lord Ashfield and Frank Pick. In his Introduction, Oliver concludes by stating that the “Tube has been, and still is, quite a triumph”, and I believe that this book can be similarly described. It is a joy to the eye and to read . . . it is . . . a scholarly work (at 270 pages) that should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in transport in London or, indeed, in London itself. Waterways Journal Vol 22. Waterways Museum Society. Cath Turpin (Editor)

If the Contents of this Journal are not readable in the picture they are repeated here: Bridgewater Boat Building at Bangor–on-Dee, Part 2: Paul Sillitoe Preston Brook: mission boats, school boats. Evidence and conjecture. Some observations on a canal company’s involvement with them in the 19th century: Alan Jones Pleasure boating in the Mersey area in the 1950s - the case of the Wirral Cruising Club: Part 1: Joseph Boughey The Company Minutes of Thomas Clayton (Oldbury) Ltd: Cath Turpin The City Road Basin [Regent's Canal] and its people in the C19th : Giles Ayre There are 3 ways that Waterways Journal Volume 22 can be bought: i) By mail order @ £11.50 including P&P. Please download an order form from the Waterways Museum Society website: waterwaysmuseumsociety.org.uk

ii) In the Shop and the Volunteer Hub at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port @ £8.99 when the Museum re-opens after the lockdown. iii) As a PDF @t £5.00 – please contact us via the contact details on the Waterways Museum Society website.

R&CHS Journal – Online access to e-supplements: from Paul Reynolds Readers with an interest in the Great Central Railway will be interested in the latest addition to the e-supplements to the Journal which can be found on the Society’s web site, ‘The financial impact of the Great Central Railway’s London extension’ by Tony Sheward. In his introduction, the author writes:

The general opinion of authorities, who have written about the Great Central Railway’s (GCR) London Extension, seems to be that the project was not a financial success and acted as a drag on the company’s performance in the years following its opening. This article attempts to examine the financial results of the GCR in the years immediately leading up to the decision to commit to the project, the construction period, and operations from its opening up to 1913. It seeks to discover whether there were other factors, which influenced its financial performance either positively or negatively.’

The paper can be downloaded as a PDF file at <https://rchs.org.uk/journal/journal-supplements/>

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Tony Sheward’s paper is one of several which are now generally available for download. They represent papers which are too lengthy for publication in the Journal but which are too specialised to be viable as print publications. Other titles are:

The Ealing & South Harrow Railway Company by Owen E Covick Place on Rail: Transportation of the Dead by Train in the UK by Brian Parsons A Financial History of the Metropolitan Railway, 1853-1933 by Tony Sheward Watkin’s Struggles at the SER Board 1876-79 and R W Perks by Owen E. Covick

SOCIETY WEBSITE – R&CHS Journal

The March Journal is available online, together with Bulletin 485 (May 2020). Log-in to the ‘members pages’ section of the Website by visiting http://www.rchs.org.uk/login To access the Bulletin you need to be logged-in and, if you are still without a username and/or password, or for other log--in queries, please e-mail <[email protected]> Web Team Miscellany This is a new section on the website and includes items of interest suggested by Society members. Recent additions include an original article, by Phil Lloyd, on the Britannia Bridge prompted by the recent 50th anniversary of the 1970 fire that destroyed the bridge along with a17-minute video; an article on the history of crossings under (and over) the Mersey estuary; and confirmation of a Grade II listing of a portal of the Barton Aqueduct granted on 27th May 2020. Contributions to this miscellany are welcomed.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Perhaps the reference in Bulletin 485's Letters to a proposed railway tunnel to Ireland provoked this delightful contact from Brian J Goggin from Stradbally North, Castleconnell, Co Limerick, Ireland:

Lady Northcote’s Fancy Fete and Shannon River Show Being interested in the history of the River Shannon navigation, I have recorded several relevant wants on <https://www.abebooks.co.uk> so that if any second-hand books relevant to the Shannon come up for sale I get to hear about them. I was surprised, though, to find one offered for sale in India. It was the souvenir booklet for Lady Northcote's 5-day Fancy Fete and Shannon River Show, held in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1902 so I had to buy it!

Lady Northcote was the wife of the Governor of Bombay and the adopted daughter of Lord Mount Stephen, 1st President of the Canadian Pacific Railway. She aimed to raise money for the Bombay branch of the Countess of Dufferin's Fund to provide better healthcare for Indian women. The joint secretaries of the organising committee were Marshall Reid, W E Crum and T Birkett. W D Sheppard, the Municipal Commissioner, exerted his influence and energy and assistance was provided by Government civil and military, the Church, the King’s Navy, the Bench, the Bar, Commerce and Municipal Self-Government. The committee was of course all male, but there were both ladies and gentlemen amongst the helpers. THE SHANNON RIVER The idea of using the Shannon River [not River Shannon] as the central theme seems to have come from Charles Carkeet James, who is widely known as the author of Notes on Disposal of Sewage at the Matunga Leper Asylum, Bombay [Times of India Press, 1901], Drainage problems of the East [Times of India Press, 1906; revised and enlarged edition Bennett Coleman 1917], Oriental Drainage: a guide to the collection, removal and disposal of sewage in Eastern cities, with a glossary of sanitary and engineering terms, etc [Times of India Press, 1902], Sewerage of Cairo: Report on the second section [National Printing Dept, Cairo, 1910] The Main Drainage Of Cairo [Minutes of the Proceedings Institution of Civil Engineers Vol 202 Issue 1916, 1 January 1916]. The idea of this masterpiece of engineering originated with Mr C Carkeet James, the Special Drainage Engineer of the Bombay Municipality, to whom Mr Sheppard, the Commissioner, confided his intention of helping Her Excellency Lady Northcote and effecting something worthy of the City of Bombay. Mr James, who only recently returned from England where, with the spirit of the true engineer he had probed the very “arcana” of the Canton River at Earl’s Court, drew up a scheme for a similar though smaller stream, to be called “The

Railway and Canal Historical Society

Founded 1954 Website: www.rchs.org.uk Incorporated 1967 Charity registration number 256047 Company registration number 922300 (England & Wales)

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Notice of Annual General Meeting . The Annual General Meeting scheduled for 2nd May 2020, but postponed due to the coronavirus situation, will now be held via Zoom video-conferencing on Saturday 15th August at 11:00am. Documents related to items 3-5 are available from the RCHS website (https://rchs.org.uk/2020-agm/) for those who did not take up the offer to receive a printed copy. The agenda will be as follows: 1. Apologies for absence 2. A reminder of the rules for the meeting 3. Minutes of the 65th AGM, 27th April 2019 – Proposed: that these be approved as a correct record. 4. Annual Report 2019 – to be received by the meeting 5. Annual Accounts and Independent Examiner’s Report 2019 – to be received by the meeting 6. Subscription rates for 2021. Proposed: that there be no change to the annual membership subscription

and the meeting notes that a charge of £6pa to receive printed copies of the Bulletin was approved by a poll of all members – circulated with Bulletin 485.

7. Appointment of Independent Examiner for 2021: Proposed: Scrutton Bland LLP of Ipswich be reappointed. 8. Election of members of Council for 2020/21

Vice-Presidents – current (maximum 8) G J Biddle Dr J V Gough M J Messenger G A Boyes D Joy I P Moss Dr W J Freer Dr M J Lewis

Officers (ex-officio members of Council) offering themselves for election President: Matthew Searle Treasurer: D C Smith Secretary: R Brice Members of Council (minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 elected annually)

P A Brown Dr P Lloyd S Rowson P Cross-Rudkin P Moss P Scowcroft T Edmonds R Taylor A Wager G Leach

Regional Group Representatives (appointed): R Haskins, N Higton, G Wild

9. Any other business — The Secretary having received no notices of motions, any resolutions passed can only be advisory for the Council and not binding

ADDITIONAL ITEM FOR COUNCIL after closure of AGM – but members need not leave the meeting for it.

Selection of the Managing Committee This item is usually taken at the Council meeting immediately following the AGM. As this is not possible under the present format, the membership of the Managing Committee will be considered at the end of the AGM. The following have offered themselves for selection for the Managing Committee in addition to the ex-officio status of the President, Treasurer and Secretary: P Moss (chairman) A Wager; R Taylor P Lloyd – who would be Assistant Secretary serving the Managing Committee

https://rchs.org.uk/2020-agm/



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Please Note: The AGM is being convened while there is still significant uncertainty regarding the free movement of people and social distancing arrangements that may be in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is therefore intended that the 2020 AGM be held via Zoom. Also: - To participate you will need to obtain a link from the Members area of the website

(https://rchs.org.uk/2020-agm/) which will then give access to the meeting. This page on the website will also include the AGM agenda and papers. You should have logon details, but if not then contact [email protected]

- You will need a PC/laptop/tablet with a camera and a microphone to “attend”. If you do not have access to the above technology, you may still use the Zoom phone-in service from a traditional phone. The details will be on the website as above.

- It is proposed that only essential business shall be transacted. No notices of motion have been

submitted under Article 12 of the Articles of Association.

- On-line meeting protocols shall apply, with one person speaking at a time. Instructions on giving a “hand wave” prior to being invited to speak by the chairman will be explained at the commencement of the meeting. Your microphone should be switched off during the meeting unless and until you are invited to speak by the chairman. At that point, please ensure your microphone is turned on and state your name before speaking. Should it be necessary to amend this protocol, due to the number of members attending, this will be explained at start of the meeting.

- The chairman shall call for a member to propose and second resolutions. However voting shall be only by means of the proxy form (attached). Please use the proxy form, making the chairman of the meeting your proxy.

- Please note that the meeting will be recorded. If you do not wish to appear in the recording, switch off your camera.

Notes Regarding Voting at the Annual General Meeting

1. Within the limitations set out above, Council has resolved that all categories of member shall be “admitted” to the meeting.

2. Any member wishing to vote will need to use the Proxy Form to express their votes and to appoint the Chairman of the Meeting as a proxy on a poll to vote, even in the case of the virtual presence of the member. The Proxy Form must be lodged. In hard copy or as a PDF, with the Secretary not less than 48 hours prior to the AGM.

3. Only instruments on the official proxy form will be accepted. Incomplete forms may not be accepted.

4. Should you have any questions on the AGM please contact: [email protected]. For assistance with logging in to the members area of the website, contact [email protected]

Roger Brice

Secretary, Railway & Canal Historical Society

7 Hough Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 2LG

(email: [email protected]; tel: 01625 533959, 07702 303242)

https://rchs.org.uk/2020-agm/

mailto:[email protected]






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2020 AGM Motions to Vote On

Note: There will be no voting during the meeting. All members wishing to vote must

complete the form below and the Form of Proxy overleaf.

Voting Form 2020 AGM

(mark your votes with an ‘X’)

Motion (to be agreed) YES NO Abstain Motion (Elections, cont.) YES NO Abstain

Minutes of 65th AGM, 27April 2019(1) Election of Council

Annual Subscription: maintain at £25 Philip Brown

Appt. of Independent Examiner (Scrutton Bland LLP, Ipswich)

Peter Cross-Rudkin

Tim Edmonds

Motion (Elections) YES NO Abstain Gerald Leach

Election of Officers Dr Phil Lloyd (MC Secretary)

Matthew Searle (President) Patrick Moss (MC Chairman)

David C Smith (Treasurer) Roger Taylor (MC Member)

Roger Brice (Secretary) Stephen Rowson

(1) Available, along with the instructions for joining the

meeting, on the Society’s website, or by post from the Secretary (see address below). A stamp, addressed C5 envelope would be appreciated.

Philip Scowcroft

Andrew Wager (MC Member)

This voting form and the form of proxy must be received by the Secretary, in hard copy or as a PDF, at the address below, no less than 48 hours prior to the AGM

Return Completed Form to:

Roger Brice

Secretary, Railway & Canal Historical Society

7 Hough Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 2LG

(email: [email protected]; tel: 01625 533959, 07702 303242)




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2020 AGM

Form of Proxy

Notes for Completion – Please Read

1. Please note, in order to be accepted, this Proxy Form MUST be received by the Society Secretary,

either in hard copy or as a PDF, at the address on the Voting Form, AT LEAST 48 hours BEFORE the meeting.

2. Please complete the forms IN FULL. Incomplete forms cannot be accepted.

3. If Joint Memberships require an additional copy, please photo-copy the Proxy Form (page 3) before completing any section.

4. When voting, mark your choice with an ‘X’. Other marks may not be accepted.

5. As there cannot be voting at the meeting, the proxy MUST be the chairman of the meeting

Form of Proxy: 2020 AGM (Please Note: Voting at the AGM will ONLY be via this form) I …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. (insert full name – BLOCK CAPITALS)

Of ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(insert full address – BLOCK CAPITALS) Postcode: ………………………………………………

Being a member of the Railway & Canal Historical Society hereby appoint

… THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MEETING ……

as my proxy to vote on my behalf at the AGM of the Railway & Canal Historical Society to be held on 15th August

2020 and at any adjournment thereof. I wish my votes to be cast as set out in the Voting Form.

Signature: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Date: …………………………………………………….. Office Use: ………………………………….

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Shannon River.” The river featured scenery painted on canvas: “the practical application of Art, of which India stands in such need.”

The river, which was constructed by Messrs Vishnu Hari Athavale & Co, was composed of a concrete foundation with side walls of brickwork plastered with Portland cement. The total length of the journey was about 770 feet, the width of the river being 3ft 6" and the depth of the water 1ft 3". A short length of 90ft at the beginning was straight (see adjoining picture) but subsequently the river wound its way in various directions, ultimately terminating near the starting point. At this point the water was lifted by a powerful water-wheel and discharged into the head of the river. On the line of the route were 6 tunnels having a total length of 356 feet, the longest tunnel being 100 feet in length. These were constructed of expanded metal fixed on round iron supports covered with cloth painted a dark green. The materials required were lent by Messrs Marsland and Price, who also superintended the construction. Mr W D Sheppard was in general charge of the whole Shannon River enclosure. Mr Hewett superintended the launching of each boat; men of King’s Navy –

… hauled up the craft unceasingly from the landing-place, wiped the seats, helped in the visitors and despatched them

once more upon their tortuous way. […] Truly the East and the West met, if ever they did, upon the Shannon River.

The Shannon River was essentially a flume ride; there was little to interest anyone seeking information about navigation upon the real River Shannon. However, the other form of transport within the grounds, the "mono-railway", was more entertaining. THE MONO-RAILWAY

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The mono-railway was laid by Marsland & Price of Bombay. There were other early monorails in India. The Kundala Valley monorail, constructed in 1902, used the Ewing system in which a set of wheels running on a rail took the main load while a balancing wheel, on the other side, ran on a roadway. The same system was used on the Patiala State Monorail, built in 1907, which also managed to use locomotive haulage. The Patiala was constructed by Marsland and Price, who laid the Bombay line for the Fancy Fete. However, the Bombay line did not have a road wheel for balance; it seems that the draught animal did that job as well as providing propulsion. Presumably that was why the animal was to one side of the car rather than ahead of it. The system was described thus:

[…] the strange open car, in which the steed, be it horse or bullock, trots along by the side of the passenger, while the dusky Jehu keeps guard behind, draws up alongside, discharges a fresh relay of visitors back from the Shannon River, and waits for us to take our seats. How the people flocked to it, Native and European alike! The miles which the cars covered during the five days and nights must have exceeded even the distance traversed by that Pearl of Elephants, whose giant frame from time to time swayed up and down the avenues of the Fete. The groups of passengers by the mono-railway were almost as numerous and cosmopolitan as those which crowded into the boats. […] But see! The car fills quickly, the driver mounts his seat, the whip cracks, and the journey begins, past boxing booths, the weird recesses of the palmist, the Cafe Chantant, the Science exhibition, and many another attraction, too numerous to mention. And so it goes on, until we arrive at the entrance to the Shannon River Show.

GROUP EVENTS London Group 2020 Programme – No Report Midlands East Group – No Report Midlands West Group – No Report North East Group – Nothing to Report North West Group – contributed by Roger Brice, North West Group Secretary

All meetings and walks have, unfortunately, been cancelled. We hope that most will be re-arranged for a future date. Please consult the website and Bulletin 487 for updates. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP REPORTS AND ACTIVITIES

Bulletins on the Website are available, well in advance of receipt of the printed Bulletins, as downloadable and printable PDFs for all R&CHS members only. An especial benefit for those who have raised concerns about type-size and the A5 format of the Bulletin is that the PDF can be printed at A4 size so both text and pictures are bigger – and better! The details of the SIGS announcements are also part of the Bulletin PDF via the R&CHS website.

Air Transport Group – contributions from Philip Scowcroft via Graham Wild Apology: Entry in the last Bulletin (485) incorrectly credited paper 480 to Philip Scowcroft but should have been credited to Brian A L Jones. The May 2020 mailing of this special interest group, Newsletter No 53, included the following Occasional Papers and the Answers to the two Quizzes. Anyone requiring copies may access the Members Section of the website and download and/or print free of charge. If in difficulty please contact Philip by post or Graham by e-mail to <[email protected]> There may be a charge to cover printing and postage.

Ref No Title Author Pages

483 75th Anniversary of Second World War plane crash in Derbyshire • Noah Martin 4pp - illus

484 The FE Series Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

485 The Westland Wallace Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

486 They Also Took Part Geoff Simpson 10pp - illus

487 The Boulton Paul Overstrand (and Sidestrand) Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

488 The Cierva C.30 Autogiro Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

489 Locomotive Naming Ceremonies Geoff Simpson 3pp - illus

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Ref No Title Author Pages

490 The Avro Lincoln Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

491 The Handley Page Harrow (Sparrow) Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

492 The Hawker Fury - 1930s and 1940s Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

493 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

494 Supermarine Sea Otter Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

495 The Bristol Buckingham, Buckmaster and Other Bristols of 1939-45 Philip Scowcroft 1p - illus

• Apology: In paper 483 the first line of paragraph two reads 'Short Stirling'; it should read Short Sterling. Early Railways Group – contributed by Andy Guy C38: May 2020 – Downloading the ERG archive:

Changes to the ERG Castle Hill Bridge Tanfield Waggonway Kington Railway ‘Locomotion’ engine Tranent & Cockenzie Waggonway Llangattock Rail Way Jessop’s Tramway Congleton Railway Cefn Robertstown Bridge Fire at Dunston Staiths Comments on OPs 255 & 256 Horse trade article Additions to OP 257 New books British Newspaper Archive Newspaper cuttings Correction to OP 252 Waggons on the Portreath Tramroad (13 pages)

The 7th International EARLY RAILWAYS CONFERENCE 2021. Swansea: Some of you may have missed the earlier announcement that this Conference will be a joint one, embracing the roles of both the Early Railways series and the Early Main Line Railways series. These two themes will henceforth be combined. Researchers into early railway history, from its origins in C17th to the developing main line and industrial railways of the 1870s, are invited to submit papers, arising from previously unpublished research, to be delivered at the Conference. One day will be allocated to the pre-main line era, and the remainder of the programme will be devoted to the development of main line railways in their earliest years The closing date for the submission of proposals for papers is looming, being the end of this month - 30th June 2020. For full details see the ‘call for papers’ and please contact Peter Cross-Rudkin with your proposals. Maritime Heritage Trust – No Report Modern Transport Group – No Report NRM and IRS information and activities – No Report Pipeline & Materials Handling Group – No Report Railway Chronology Group – forwarded by Ted Cheers (Co-ordinator)

CO-ORDINATING NEWSLETTER No 102. May 2020 CONTENTS 01 - 10 Amendments to “Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain” – Michael Quick 11 - 14 Fixed engine haulage on Public Railways (part 1) – Ray Shill 14 - 15 Stalybridge to Diggle section of LNWR Standedge route – N J Hill 16 Dublin Broadstone 17 Birmingham Curzon Street – Richard Maund NOTES, QUERIES & RESPONSES 18 Rookery Bridge (LMS plan) [item omitted from newsletter 101 p24] – Ted Cheers 18 Irish Railways – A Chronology. – N J Hill 19 One way stations – Tony Jervis 19 Wellington and Oakengates for Telford 20 Moving stations (Mexborough) – Andrew Overton 21 Victoria and Albert Dock Goods Station – Richard Maund 21 Bodmin (GWR) 22 Station renaming; Western region; Autumn 1949

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22 – 23 Station renaming; Somerset; Autumn 1949 23 Ticket platforms – Birmingham 24 Worcester Shrub Hill 24 Poyle [GWR] . Contributions for the next Newsletter should be sent to the Coordinator (see below) before the end of September 2020 for newsletter number 103 now due to be produced.

All correspondence to the Group Coordinator, Ted Cheers at 7 WEALDEN HATCH, WOLVERHAMPTON, WV10 8TY, by E-mail to <[email protected]> or to <[email protected]>

and: Index to Railway Chronology Special Interest Group Newsletters 1st series 1 - 4 and 2nd series 1 - 102 Railway History Research Group (RHRG) – contribution from Andrew D Jones Newsletter 29, containing 42 pages, was e-mailed to group members at the beginning of June and is also available via the members-only section of the R&CHS Website. This issue contained 4 Occasional Papers – Curzon Street Locomotive Shed [Ray Shill]; The Long Road to the Permanent Way - part 2 [Ray Shill]; ‘Rugby all change’ the Story of the First Station [Stephen Weston]; and Success and Failure in Early Mainline Railway Management: the Liverpool & Manchester, and Leeds & Selby Railways [Anthony L Dawson] – and a note/query (with replies) on Unusual Parcels Traffic. Road Transport Group – No Report

Waterways History Group – No Report

ALAN GODFREY MAPS – from Tony Jervis

Over 3,000 titles have now been published in this series. The majority of maps cost £3.00 each, but colour-printed maps, including those of Germany and France, cost £4.00. However, considerable discounts are available for those subscribing in advance for all issues or for all of particular areas. For a copy of the latest catalogue of available maps send a stamped, addressed envelope to the publisher, Alan Godfrey Maps, Prospect Business Park, Leadgate, Consett, DH8 7PW, or visit the website at <www.alangodfreymaps.co.uk> where maps can be also be bought on-line. Mr Godfrey’s printers were expected to adjust to the coronavirus crisis by closing down for 2 or 3 months from 1st April 2020 and this would enforce a hiatus in map production. However, he and his staff would continue to work from home and should be able to satisfy on-line enquiries and orders with little delay. Likewise he and his authors will still be writing essays for future maps. [Note from Editor RSB: I am pleased to be able to confirm that two recent orders I made for NE Wales and Deeside maps to enhance research for my next book was very promptly fulfilled so I can fully support Tony's comment above and his endorsement of the excellence of the product.]

Regular Godfrey Edition, 1:2,500 reduced to approximately 1:4,340 ISBN Numbers should be pre-fixed with 978-1-78721

County or Area Sheet No. Title ISBN Note

18.15 Brimington, 1914 314–2 Derbyshire

30.07 Clay Cross (North), 1913 315–9

Durham 14.06 New Silkstone, Tunstall & Ryhope Colliery, 1895 316–6

75.13 Birkdale, 1892 [Coloured edition] 317–3 Lancashire

115.09 Widnes, 1891 318–0

30 Stoke Newington, 1937 312–8 1 London

70 South Ealing, 1913 313–5 2

Tyneside 31 Longbenton, 1913 319–7 3

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Notes – from Tony Jervis 01) The original copy of this London Sheet 30 was printed by the Ordnance Survey in 1939 as London Sheet II.15. The most obvious railway infrastructure is part of the Bury Street Junction & Enfield Town line of the LNER, including Stoke Newington and Rectory Road Stations and a long viaduct south of the latter. There is a second railway on the map but, despite being a main line and therefore identified only as being the London & North Eastern Railway, it is very shy and most of it hides away in two tunnels south of Clapton Station. Occasional dots alongside both lines are marked “S.L.” rather than the more usual “S.P.”, presumably indicating “Signal Light or Lamp” (i.e., a colour-light signal, perhaps of the single-lens “searchlight” variety) rather than movable boards on a Signal Post. Other rails lie along the centre of Upper Clapton Road, the double track becoming single while crossing the bridge by Clapton Station. A second double track line runs north-south from Stamford Hill to Stoke Newington Road but it too has a short single-track section in High Street where buildings on opposite sides of the road have been built too close to allow two trams to pass. And not to be outdone, the double track running from Green Lanes to Newington Green also reduces to a very short single track in the former highway, though here the reason is less obvious; the road width narrows slightly but appears to stay narrow for some distance. 2) London Sheet 70 is the masquerade title given by Alan Godfrey to Middlesex Sheet XV.16 so that all London area maps can be listed in one series rather than separately under the counties gradually swallowed into the metropolis. Railway interest comprises the Metropolitan District Railway’s Hounslow Extension with stations at South Ealing, Northfield and Boston Manor; the last is in a particularly isolated spot apparently serving only a tree known as the “Gospel Oak” that acted as a parish boundary marker between New Brentford and Hanwell. However, the station did carry a suffix “for Brentford and Hanwell” and a double-track tramway is shown running along Boston Road, passing the station and connecting those places. GWR enthusiasts will also find 2.005 acres of the company’s Brentford Branch and those for whom Grand Junction is more important will note Osterley Lock and the River Brent falling over a weir to avoid it. Those with an eye for detail might notice a short tramway within Brentford Urban District Council’s Sewage Works and perhaps an even shorter one connecting Ealing Corporation’s Refuse Destructor with its Electricity Works, though the map’s accompanying essay by Pamela Taylor says a pipeline joined the two. At a time when self-isolation is the watchword, it is interesting to note that cheek by jowl with the two councils’ sewage works were their Isolation Hospitals for infectious diseases, together with that for Chiswick Urban District; perhaps opportunely located, on the opposite side of the road was Ealing & Old Brentford Cemetery! 3) Tyneside Sheet 31 was headed by the Ordnance Survey when they reprinted it in 1940 as “Northumberland (New Series) Sheet NXCV.1”, that county having been drawn on the meridian of Simonside (NZ 027985) during the C19th but revised – hence the parenthetic suffix – on the County Durham meridian of Brandon Down (NZ 208401) in 1913. The only station marked on the map is the modern Benton station, opened in 1871 when it replaced a station further west that Clinker in his Register referred to as Long Benton, although Quick’s Chronology says that the prefix does not appear in contemporary documentation. This earlier station was presumably situated on Benton Lane where the Four Lane Ends Metro station exists today. The present Longbenton station was one of the last gasps of the LNER, opened on 14th July 1947, just 23 days before King George VI signed the Transport Act 1947 to abolish the Company. In 1913 the railway, named without London-centricity on the map as the “NER Newcastle, Tynemouth & Newcastle” line, ran through empty fields with only a terrace of 16 “back-to-backs” within 300 yards. East of Benton Station the curve to Benton Quarry Junction diverges southwards, joining the East Coast main line to the south of a second curve from the east. The flooded quarry that gave the junction its name lies immediately west, 2·112 acres of water surrounded by 3·131 acres of cliff faces; the O.S. noted that the largest island poking above the water comprised 0·336 acres but the roods and perches of three smaller islets are unmentioned. The afore-mentioned main line slips off the eastern edge of the map but all is not lost; on the rear of the sheet it re-appears running very nearly due north and south down the edge of about 476 acres of empty countryside punctuated only by East Benton farm and “Bigges Main Colliery (C. Pit) (Disused)”, the latter almost 5 acres of waste tips, “Old Shaft”, small reservoir and two cottages; its owner, Thomas Bigges, lived locally in Benton House. A section of the Coxlodge Waggonway, runs across a corner of the main map, single-track with two passing places marked as “Disused” but also described by the O.S. as a “Tramway” as its route was being used by the Tyneside Tramways & Tramroads Company which, as the revising surveyors passed by, was being taken into the Northern General Transport Company. The trams were eventually replaced by motor buses and the tramway by a footpath and cycleway.

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ROLL UP! ROLL UP! MORE NEWS FOR THIS BULLETTIN Edited from: Spring 2020 Transport Digest, the Journal of the Transport Trust Transport Trust becomes National Transport Trust Stuart Wilkinson, Chairman. Why? This year the Trust is 55 years old. Since its foundation some of its initial roles have been taken on to some extent by other organisations, including the Heritage Railway Association, Maritime Heritage Trust, Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, Aviation Heritage UK. The role of the Transport Trust has changed over its life and now focuses on its financial awards and loans schemes which encourage and enable active preservation, its personal awards which recognise and celebrate preservation achievements, and its Red Wheel scheme which marks in physical terms, and informs via the TT website, sites of transport heritage significance. The Trust's role within and on behalf of the Transport Preservation movement remains central and important. National Transport Trust reflects more accurately the range of our activities and our status as the only organisation in the UK which promotes, encourages and supports transport preservation in all its forms, on land, on water, in the air. The name Transport Trust, which was distinctive in 1965 and stood out from other organisations in the then relatively young and uncrowded world of Transport Preservation, is no longer distinctive and no longer accurately reflects what the Trust is about. Why now? Our Patron of 40-years, Prince Michael of Kent, is standing down and we have a new Patron so it is the right time to refresh our name, our image and our organisation. We are looking to raise the profile of our activities in several areas, particularly promoting and encouraging involvement of young people in Transport Preservation, and a re-launch will be a good platform for initiating this. Benefits The change will, in the view of the Trustees, lead to a higher profile for our organisation, a greater standing and thus a louder voice in the Transport Heritage environment, increased membership – both Individual and Affiliate – and a stronger income stream on which to fund our work to meet our charitable aims. Our new patron Anne, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, has become the Trust's new Royal Patron as the organisation is rebranded National Transport Trust (NTT) to reflect its growing and evolving nationwide role. As the umbrella organisation for all forms of transport preservation in the UK, the NTT promotes, encourages and supports the nation's transport heritage in all its many guises, while further developing its reach and links with preservationists, stakeholders and the general public throughout the United Kingdom. We are delighted to welcome our new Royal Patron . . . who through her associations with the Worshipful Company of Carmen, Aerospace Bristol and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, among others, has excellent connections to the world of transport. In addition to greeting The Princess Royal NTT . . . pays tribute to HRH Prince Michael of Kent, whose participation as Royal Patron over the past 43 years has been instrumental in the development and success of our organisation. [A Future for the NTT] Today, NTT is the sole body representing the nation's entire transport heritage in all its various guises - road, rail, water and air. The UK's transport preservation movement comprises a diverse list of participants, ranging from major museums and trusts through to small societies and individuals. There is naturally a great geographical spread between these groups and, as we have evolved, our involvement as a co-ordinating body has grown too. By forging links and building relationships, we offer a common platform for all and provide a single point of contact for anyone seeking information, expertise or advice on any particular form of transport preservation. Stuart Wilkinson

MISCELLANIA Saving Brandon Station. Mike Fell has alerted R&CHS to a threat to destroy the Brandon Station buildings –

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PRESS RELEASE 6th March 2020: New Owner Wanted: Small Station with Big History SAVE Britain’s Heritage is seeking a reprieve for an empty and forlorn country station which is crying out for rescue, restoration and revival. Brandon Station in Suffolk is near the major RAF and USAF bases at Lakenheath and Mildenhall. Completed in 1845, its charm comes in its domestic scale – like a row of cottages including a station master's house. True, its canopies have long gone but old photographs survive to provide the necessary detail for reconstruction. However, the historic station building is now set to be demolished under permitted development rights by rail operator Greater Anglia (GA), who have a 99-year lease on the station from owner Network Rail. GA claim the unlisted building cannot be revived and must be ‘quickly removed’ to enable the expansion of the station car park.

The Station looking east towards Norwich in October 2019. Railway stations were the subject of SAVE’s first exhibition held at the RIBA in 1976. In the companion book we wrote: Britain retains a fascinating collection of small stations, the product of numerous independent companies, each of whom provided a brand of station reflecting its financial stature, its pretensions and the architects it employed. While major stations were often flamboyant in their architecture, numerous minor stations are of architectural merit too. Many companies, conscious

of the concerns the railway caused, built in local materials to blend with the local scene. Brandon was a renowned centre for Suffolk flint napping, and flints were used both for the station and the adjacent station master’s house. During the Second World War, Brandon was the main station for the American Airforce and large sidings were put in (known as the American Sidings). It also featured in a 1968 episode of hit TV comedy Dad's Army. Although the station is still a stop on the main line from Cambridge and Norfolk, the station offices were closed in the 1980s and, until September 2004, were leased to a building company. They are now empty and boarded up. Marcus Binney, executive president of SAVE Britain’s Heritage says: “We appeal to Greater Anglia to grant a reprieve to allow a concerted rescue effort which will give the station a long-term use.” Ben Oakley, Conservation Officer at SAVE Britain’s Heritage says: “Having stood the test of time for 175 years, this excellent historic station building deserves an owner who cares and a brighter future than total demolition, all for the sake of additional chargeable car park spaces.” SAVE has requested GA delay their demolition plans whilst we work with local campaigners to establish a new use and owner for the building. PRESS RELEASE 10th June 2020: SAVE backs rescue bid to revive 1845 Brandon Station As bulldozers loom over Brandon’s flint station building . . . SAVE has joined forces with the Suffolk Building Preservation Trust (SBPT) to apply for the listing of Brandon Station on the Suffolk Norfolk border, which has stood since 1845 and served both the RAF and the US Air Force during the second world war, even hosting a royal visit by the then King George VI and Queen Mother. The appeal comes in response to the station’s leaseholder Abellio Greater Anglia’s bid to demolish the station in order to expand the car park under permitted development rights. Currently, the station remains unlisted with demolition proposed by the end of 2020. The Architecture the Railways Built. Graham Bird alerts us to a Yesterday Channel10-part railway series . It is entitled: For details of the content of each programme, please see the link preview below: <https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2020/04/22/see-the-architecture-the-railways-built/> Canals at home – from John Jolliffe NTT Office The nation waits for the Prime Minister to announce more easing of the lock-down but not even the most optimistic expect him to include the opening up of inland waterway usage in the early stages. However, all is not lost; our friends at the Canal and Rivers Trust have put together a library of canal-related films, images, stories and interactive content so that you can enjoy the canal system from home. Without going aground, working locks, or getting wet you will be able, virtually, to lock up as well as lock-down! As you tour, look out for Transport Trust Red Wheels, of which there are more than 30 on the canal network. The Link is:

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<https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/our-campaigns/canals-at-home-our-best-bits>

Robert Welton commends us all to a worthwhile locked-down activity: he writes – I commend the Project Gutenberg website; it offers copies of thousands of old, and often unusual, books which can be freely downloaded. I look at it each week for the latest offerings; some are bizarre, some are of railway and canal interest, and some both. Recently were the following offerings:

Sabbath-Breaking on the Canal – A Poem by Rev John Clutton. Robin notes: At a brief glance the words "long and turgid" seem appropriate but it is definitely unusual and might fill in an hour or so.

The Chester And Holyhead Railway and its Prospects. By William Morgan, a Shareholder. H. Hughes, Bookseller, St. Martins’-Le-Grand. London: Price 4d.

A Letter to the Kensington Canal Company on the Substitution of the Pneumatic Railway for the Common Railway by which they contemplate extending their line of conveyance. By John Vallance

I explored these recommendations then, it being a Sunday I thanked Robert with a useful homily from a recent list of ephemera from Parish magazines: Our Minister unveiled the Church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge – Up Yours!" Submarines: I hoped they might not all submerge and my hope was answered by a note from John Liffen: Dear Rob, Thank you for another very interesting RCHS Bulletin (No 485, May 2020). I was interested to read the follow-up correspondence in Bulletin 485, pp. 11-12, about the photograph of the Submarine Railway car reproduced in the previous issue. I support Tom Burnham’s suggested identification of the location as Shepherds Bush railway goods yard. A check of the Godfrey reprints of London OS 25-inch sheets 59 (1914) and 73 (1913) confirms the rows of terrace houses seen in the background. Through a magnifying glass can be seen the upper part of a multi-arm telegraph pole. This would be alongside the West London Railway which is descending southwards into a cutting here to take it under the Uxbridge Road. Above the man on the extreme right can be seen a wide single-storey building on an east-west alignment. I suggest this is part of the long sequence of raised exhibition halls which connected the Uxbridge Road entrance with the main White City exhibition grounds some way north along Wood Lane. Donald Knight, in his 1978 book The Exhibitions, Great White City [etc], described these as follows:

The Halls between the main entrance in Uxbridge Road and Wood Lane gave the architects a tough job as they had to design the buildings to allow the ground under them to be used by the Railway Companies who had leased just small plots of ground to the Exhibition Company. The architects devised a way that by using steel stanchions as supports the halls could be built some 30ft from the ground and at some places only 3ftt from houses. Each of the halls was about 70ft wide and about 400ft long.

On a more general point, it is a pity that so often, so much detective work has to be undertaken before old photographs can be used as evidence in historical research, simply because the caption details have been allowed to become lost. There seems to be a general indifference to recording such data going back many years, as, for example, when the Locomotive Publishing Company took over the collection of R H Bleasdale’s locomotive negatives in the 1920s and re-catalogued them, losing the vital information about the photographer and the original negative numbers in the process. Alan A Jackson drew attention to this general malaise in his article ‘Pictures and the Transport Historian’ (Journal RCHS, Vol 31 Pt 8, March 1995) but I’m not sure how much improvement there has been since then in either public or private collections? Station Bells: another subject not yet submerged. Jane Ellis recently visited Goxhill Station in Lincolnshire and found two treasures that may generate more comments for the next Bulletin! Stay Safe, Well and Alert – and avoid trespassing on LNER property!