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Western Steam Farewell by Darren Page
Western Steam Farewell by Darren Page
Hard cover Reflection from light on some photos
Copyright Darren Page 2004
Index of Locations
Acocks Green 1, 12, 27, 28
Bearley 66
Bentley Heath 69
Birmingham 17, 34, 57, 77
Blowers Green 72
Cashes Green 48, 70
Claverdon 55
Dawlish 16, 58
Gloucester . . . .25, 50, 61, 62, Back cover
Goring 35
Grimes Hill & Wythall Front cover
Hatton 30, 67
Honeybourne 54
Knowle & Dorridge 20, 51, 59
Leamington Spa . .4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 21, 22, 43
Lickey Incline 71
Oxford 24, 64
Paddington 6
Plymouth 68
Reading 11, 18
Sharpness 78
Shrewsbury 2, 19, 32, 37, 45, 53
Solihull 36, 38, 40
Stroud 29, 49, 60, 75
Swindon 13, 14, 15, 44, 65, 76, 79
Tyseley 23, 42, 47
Wellington 56, 73, 74
Willenhall 41
Wilmcote 39, 52
Wolverhampton 8, 46
Worcester 26, 31, 33, 63
Preface
One fine summer morning a young man sat watching a motionless float as he fished on the Birmingham-Stratford canal. The fish were not co-operating that day, and his attention soon strayed to the passing traffic on the nearby railway line.
The young man was John Walter Page, my father, and the date (though never given accurately) was some time in the late 1950s. The railway network Was enjoying something of an Indian summer in terms of revenue, and that morning the scene before him was typically Western Region. Express workings flew past behind 'Hall' 4-6-0s, stopping trains rumbled along behind Prairies and the omnipresent 0-6-0 pannier tanks. It was a wonderful sight for any enthusiast and one that couldn't last much longer. That thought brought about a sudden change in my father's interests. The fishing rods were left in the shed, and his other hobby - photography - was put to use recording what he could of the railway scene before steam disappeared for good.
Although he travelled far enough to record the great engines of the 'Big Four', my father was Birmingham-born and -bred. Having grown up in Acocks Green, his early memories of steam were coloured by the nearby North Warwickshire line. Not surprisingly he was a GWR man at heart, and much of his time was spent recording what remained of Swindon's influence, from the mighty top-link express locomotive through to the humble auto-train. He even photographed the sad relics languishing in the back yard at Swindon's workshops.
Following Nationalisation Britain's railway network was still one of the busiest in the world. During the 1950s the system could boast some 2% million users per day, whilst freight services dealt with nearly a million tons of goods and provisions every weekday. Yet things had changed: World War 2 had seriously drained national reserves, and, as part of the price of peace, Britain was facing the loss of her Empire. The war had also forced massive advances in internal-combustion-engine technology that would soon have far-reaching effects on the viability of steam power.
By the 1960s the pace of economic and social change within British society was beginning to have a marked influence on the rail network. Just as the railways spelled the end for commercial canal traffic the development of the road system began to offer serious competition to rail freight services, whilst growing prosperity amongst the working classes saw a rise in popularity for the motor car. The effective increase in personal liberty and choice drove the last nail into many a branch-line coffin. Once the arteries of rural and metropolitan communities, many lines could no longer muster the traffic to pay their way. Official policy within the British Transport Commission even started to favour the fanciful notion that the helicopter would form a viable part in the quest for an integrated transport policy!
Railway motive power was also caught in the midst of change. British Rail engineers introduced a number of standard locomotive designs, but when 2-10-0 No 92220 Evening Star was turned out by Swindon Works in March 1960, she became the last new
steam locomotive commissioned for BR. Modernisation plans had been underway for some time, and a great many diesel and electric locomotives had already entered into BR service before Evening Star left the works.
As the new decade dawned `dieselisation' was far from complete: many of the engines in service were of non-standard types, and some were none too successful. However, the writing was on the wall. Steam engines always required a great deal of maintenance, and their postwar performances had suffered due to inferior coal supplies and leaner engine-shed schedules. Despite the predictions from many enthusiasts, only five short years were left for this form of motive power on the Western Region.
Even in the face of so much change and BR's preponderance towards LMS design thinking, the Regional railways still held a strong affinity with the past. Many of the earlier locomotive designs had been withdrawn, but lots of train movements were still headed by Regional engines. The fact that a great number remained within pre-Nationalisation boundaries helped to reinforce regional stereotyping too. This link with the past was at its strongest on the Western Region, where a family of 4-6-0 and Mogul tender engines plus a disproportionate number of tank engines presented a scene that was unmistakably GWR to the death.
Nationalisation had put something of a stranglehold on Regional locomotive design, but by the 1950s a degree of autonomy had been handed back to Swindon. What followed was the development of diesel motive power subtly different from that finding favour elsewhere. Diesel-electric traction had gained in popularity, but such engines were relatively heavy and complex. Swindon designers did away with the electric traction motors and utilized viscous couplings between the diesel engine and drive wheels. The results were light, powerful and distinctive units that rapidly replaced steam-hauled freight and passenger services.
The GWR had also made use of diesel railcars during the 1940s. These simple diesel-mechanical units were successful enough to survive into the 1960s and were being joined by diesel multiple-units that were dependable, capable of long-range operation and offered passengers a comfortable and clean means of transport.
Realizing that time was short, my father got busy with his camera using a mix of Agfa and Kodak film, most of which he developed at home. The following material has been selected in an attempt to cover as diverse a range of engines and locations as possible, and it is pleasing to note that, despite the general neglect characteristic of steam power during the 1960s, many of the shots depict locomotives in glorious condition, still on top of their work on a busy and extensive network.
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