History of Britain's Railways

Tom Thumb, 30 plaatjes uitgegeven in 1987. Gebaseerd op schilderijen van Eric Bottomley. Ik heb ook het album (met extra teksten) met ingeplakte plaatjes.

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Designed by Sir John Fowler and built by Beyer Peacock of Manchester, the Metropolitan Railway 4-4-0Ts were given names like 'Apollo', 'Cyclops' and 'Mars'. The basic design was highly successful and remained in service for thirty years. Pictured in a typical London Metropolitan Railway setting, complete with enamel signs and long dresses, is No. 47. Because of the problem of steam and smoke in the long tunnels of the underground system, a condensing apparatus for the exhaust steam from the two cylinders was built into the side tanks. Running on 5ft. 9in. driving wheels and developing 11.600 lbs of tractive effort from a boiler pressure of 130 lbs a similar tank engine was used by the District Railway. By electrification in 1905, some of the 4-4-0Ts had been given proper cabs. The Metropolitan - the first underground city railway in the world when it was opened in 1863 - introduced an express 4-4-4 tank engine as late as 1921. Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 6. Een soortgelijke locomotief is te zien in het London Transport Museum.

The high speed of the Berlin - Hamburg diesel express (the 'Flying Hamburger’) caused Sir Nigel Gresley to rethink steam traction on the London & North Eastern Railway. After tests at 100 mph and above with his A1 and A3 engines (Card No. 30) he built the streamlined 3 cylinder A4 with 6ft. 8 in. driving wheels and a 250 lbs. pressure boiler. A corridor tender allowed crew changes on the move and a scoop picked up water from troughs en route. Designed while Sir Nigel lived at Salisbury Hall, the fastest. No. 4468 ‘Mallard’, which achieved 126 mph in 1938 and the world record for steam, was named after the ducks he fed there. Pictured is 2509 'Silver Link’ with the lightweight 'Silver Jubilee' express of 1935, whose carriages were covered with silver-grey rexine which was washed for each trip. A 4s also hauled the two-tone blue 'Coronation' with its beavertail observation car inspired by Bugatti. Others handled fast freight and mail trains. Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 14.

The Swindon-built 4 cylinder King was the ultimate expression of Great Western power. With 6ft. 6in. driving wheels delivering 40,300 lbs. of tractive effort, the 30 Kings handled the big trains from Paddington to Birmingham and the West of England. Capable of 108 mph and featuring an unusual bogie design to permit large inside cylinders, 4,000 gallon tenders and white code numbers introduced in 1934. they were an impressive sight. Seen at Dawlish with a Plymouth-London express is No. 6013 ‘King Henry VII’. First built in 1927, many Kings covered nearly 2 million miles in service before the whole class was withdrawn in 1962. No. 6000 ‘King George V’, the first built, was shipped to the USA in 1927 for the ‘Fair of the Iron Horse’ held by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Highly praised, this most famous King returned with a brass bell and gold cabside medals which it wears to this day. Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 15. De King Class is een grotere uitvoering van de Castle Class.

Built to celebrate the Coronation in 1937, the new London Midland & Scottish express caused a sensation. It soon took The record from the London & North Eastern Railway at 114 mph, storming into platform 3 at Crewe with flames at its brakes. With Coleman-designed streamlined casings, 4 cylinders and 6 ft. 9 in. wheels this Stanier 4-6-2 was 73 ft. 9 in. long and weighed 161.6 tons in working order. Unlike the LNER A 4 (Card No. 14,) it did not have a corridor tender but a water scoop and coal pusher were fitted. Called Duchesses when unstreamlined, 3,350 bhp* could haul 20 coaches in hilly country. Early Coronations were blue with silver lines and the lamps had tiny wings attached. All 38 engines were built at Crewe. In 1939 a Coronation train went to the World's Fair in New York but was trapped there by the war and served as an officers' mess on a training camp! Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 16. Een deel van de locs was oorspronkelijk gestroomlijnd. De niet-gestroomlijnde locs werden 'Duchesses' genoemd.

World War 2 created a massive demand for personnel and supply trains. To meet this, hundreds of specially designed War Department locomotives were built. Many of those that survived later saw service in BR livery hauling freight and sometimes passenger trains during the final age of steam. Seen here is a WD 2-8-0 with a train of army tanks beneath a signal gantry 'somewhere in England'. The 2 cylinder engine had an operational weight of 125.7 tons and developed 34,215 lbs. of tractive effort from its 4 ft. 8½ in. driving wheels. Where possible, expensive casting and machining operations were avoided, as were detail trimmings and the use of materials in short supply. WD 2-8-0s were built by the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow and the Vulcan Foundry of Newton-le-Willows. A similar WD 2-10-0 built by North British had a lighter axle loading for greater route availability and a larger boiler and fire box for low grade fuel. Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 18.

Sir William Stanier stocked the London Midland & Scottish Railway with soundly designed engines and one of the best was the 4-6-0 Class 5. The powerful 2 cylinder 'Black 5' was capable of most duties and was to be seen all the way from Bournemouth to Thurso busily hauling passenger and goods trains for the LMS, once the largest trading company in the world. Between 1934 and 1951, 842 Class 5s were built and, in British Railways livery, some survived until the end of steam. Preserved examples may be seen at Carnforth. Nene Valley and on the Severn Valley Railway. Even good engines sometimes require help: seen here is a Class 5 receiving banking assistance from another at the far end of the train. A second method often seen on LMS coal trains, and usually over longer distances, was to double head the train by placing two locomotives at the front. Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 25.

Seen in striking Ayrline livery near Glasgow Central in June 1986 is the first of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive's Class 318 electric multiple units. In the past iron, steel, wood, roof canvas, carpet and cloth made the traditional coach not unlike a boat in the way it was built. Panels covered wood frames and there was much use of screws, bolts, brackets and sealing compounds. Today lightweight construction makes the Class 318 more akin to an aircraft. Formed plastics and detachable soft trim give bright interiors, and air conditioning has long since replaced the stout leather window strap with its many holes. Powered bogies run smoothly on coil springs and are braked by racing car-style discs. Staybright fittings and straight lines suit the automatic washing plants. The 140mph Class 91 Electra express, announced in September 1986, will advance this modern design philosophy still further. Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 29. Zie de uiterlijke overeenkomsten met BR Class 156 'Super Sprinter'.

Nigel Gresley of the Great Northern Railway (from 1923 part of the London & North Eastern Railway) announced the A1 4-6-2 express in 1922. In 1924 the third built, 'Flying Scotsman', appeared with the Great Western Railway's 'Caerphilly Castle' at the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley. Soon after a contest was arranged between an A1 and a Castle - and the A1 lost! As a result belter valves, steam to 220 lbs. and a big superheater were incorporated into the new A3, which had an operational weight of 154 tons. In all 79 3 cylinder A1/A3's were built and the engine subsequently evolved into the world record breaking A4 (Card No. 14). In LNER lined apple green with white-topped teak coaches, great A3s like 'Papyrus' and 'Windsor Lad' ran the stiff London - Edinburgh route, using watertroughs and tenders with scoops for 10,000 gallons. A full load of coal was 8 tons, to be shifted by hand! Eric Bottomley. Tom Thumb, History of Britain's Railways, Card No. 30. Op de afbeelding rijdt loc 4472 'Flying Scotsman' over de Forth Bridge.

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