R h n hardy collection
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Sitting Ted Phillips, Denis Finch, Reg Wilks, Percy Abeydeera and Alfred George Pink. 800A includes RH , back row next to Jim Williams and excludes John Lunn. RH 800B is the following year 1987 at the same venue L-R Standing Trevor Finch, Ken Bradford, Ted Champion, Alfred George Pink, Jack Clingham, Jim Williams, Reg Wilks and John Greenfield. L-R Sitting Billy Reynolds, Peter Grant, Denis Finch, Jock Niverson, RH, Doug Ballard, Peter Bailey and Alf Murray by then 87 and he lived until he was 94. Who took this I cannot imagine. RH 800 is virtually the same minus RH and John Greenfield sitting between Denis Finch and Alf Murray RH 801 now at the George near Victoria about 1992 Peter Grant(Ping), Doug(Bing) Crosby and Art Clingham RH 801A John Humphries, Reg Wilks, Alfred George Pink(Pinky) and Jim Longley given to dancing on pianos: what marvellous characters all these men were and became even more so. RH 802 Harry Ince who now runs the party which was started by Denis Finch who died in 1990 and then Reg Wilks who died in Oct 2009, the day of the October meeting. With him is Geoff Minton who rarely comes up from Swindon these days. RH 803-805 not filled RH 806 What a classic photo of Reg Coote, Eric Cox, Ted Champion and Les Wood. Eric said to be the best fireman at Stew Lane: I would not know and they were all excellent on the top gangs with only one or two exceptions. RH 807 Yet another classic. Alfred George Pink looking more than ever like a cross between a Stockbroker and a Bethnal Green Enforcer with Jim Longley, Reg Wilks and the ever smiling Doug Ballard. RH 808 And finally Johnny Wilson, Newman Ashworth and Stan Ridgewell. Newman was the Guard of the train that Johnny was driving when he had a heart attack at Bromley. He turned out to have started on the footplate at Newark and then at Stratford reaching the top link for firemen on the Norwich jobs and Britannias when he left the railway restarting years later at Victoria to become a guard. Stan Ridgewell was a first class fireman and despite serious disabilities, come to all the Stew Lane and Eastern section gatherings. RH 809-811 are of John Greenfield who loved to have four days on the Festiniog Railway in the early 90s. He never had much room for preserved railways until he came with me to Porthmadog and met Paul Ingham and he soon changed his tune. RH 809 Paul persuaded John to take Blanche across the Cob to Boston Lodge and here he is doing his stuff a little apprehensive perhaps for he rarely if ever had hold of a steam locomotive whatever he may have done on the electrics on his journey every day from and to Goring by Sea. He never seemed to get tired for he had great energy but he had heart trouble on and off but lived to retire due to this and enjoy life until he died about 1998 RH810 We are standing at Dduallt waiting for the up train to cross us, we have the “Blanche” and with John on the left are Paul Ingham, still driving there today(2010) on both WHR and FR and one of the best in every way. Also there is Gordon Rushton, then of BR and an ex Management Trainee at Liverpool and a friend of his acting as Guard. RH 811 John Greenfield and I are at Penryndaedraeth on the Linda with Evan Davies and Glyn Whitehurst. She is just the engine for a torrential rain and hail storm leaving a very bad rail. Glyn was training as a driver but we would never got through the woods had not the late Evan Davies(L), the booked driver and a much-loved FR character, sat out on the front gang way with a full bucket of sand which he carefully sprinkled on the rails. We had slipped to a stand in the woods and that enabled Evan to get up in front. After that, thanks to his efforts precariously balanced on the buffer beam, we never stopped again and won through to Tan-y-Bwlch more or less on time. This left Glyn in charge and his old stoker i/c the oil burning department and how I always enjoyed trying to get the best out of oil firing and applying the lessons I learned on that old WD 3152 in 1947 between Whitemoor and Temple Mills. I think one or two tricks were new to the FR and the odd word of “not too gentle reproach” was dropped but never by my regular driver, Paul Ingham. RH 812-815 These four photos are of the Stirling 8’ single No 1 at York Museum in the 1980s.. 812 and 814 are head-on views(814 being a better picture) with Clive Farr on the left and a younger Bob Meanley on the R. They took me for a little jaunt down the yard and one might as well have been on an old B engine in the cab apart from a very old type of vacuum ejector which was unusual to handle. Time fades but a rare occasion. Another 8 footer in the year 1985 as we shall see! 813 shows No 1 alongside 4468 Mallard minus streamlining and asbestos lagging on the boiler and firebox and I wonder if Asbestos Annie was still alive: in Doncaster Crimpsall during the war, she put the asbestos blocks on the boilers and firebox and was covered with the stuff morning, noon and night yet I dare say she lived to be a hundred for she was as tough as any man in the Crimpsall and that is saying something. And 815 shows No 1 moving down the yard with the taps open. RH 816-833 are all taken in Hyde Park opposite the Albert Hall and near to the Albert Memorial. I was co-opted by Major Olver of the Railway Inspectorate to train and pass out the enginemen drawn largely from the volunteer staff of the Kent and East Sussex Railway to handle this remarkable machine and I co-opted retired driver Bert Hooker of Nine Elms who had just lost his wife, to join me and to do his stuff of “training” while I did the job of “passing them out”, not a very arduous duty, I am glad to say. But it did Bert a power of good. at a sad time All this took place between Sunday March 31st and Saturday April 6th,1985, Easter week. The pictures are not in chronological order. What a sensation that huge engine and it’s enormous chimney must have created in 1851. The speeds it went and of course, there was no continuous brake and no brake on the engine so the driver and guard had to act pretty quickly if you were knocking on at 70 mph. To put things in the right perspective, the boiler was off an 18”Austerity six coupled tank engine, as were the cylinders, crank axle, Stephenson valve gear reversed to create the Gooch fixed link gear whilst the carrying wheels came from an 08 diesel shunter. Incidentally there is a wonderful book of the Revd Malan’s photographs largely of the Gooch 8 footers and their crews and the latter point makes the book so compulsive to me. The driver of “Timour” ultimately became Chief Locomotive Inspector at Swindon covering Royal duties and receiving the MVO for his services. As a driver, he was a wild looking character and he is one of a remarkable photo of a group of men taken at Bristol where he was based RH 816 We are at the western terminus with our single coach, in steam but not right-away Swindon so there was no need to make smoke. This picture simply sets the scene and shows engine, tender and coach and, of course, the broad gauge track. RH817 We are approaching the eastern terminus and just cast your mind back to 1851 and imagine you are right away Swindon or Temple Meads. Nothing wrong with the view but think what it must have been like in deep mid-winter with not the slightest protection for the enginemen above the waist until you hid behind the firebox but, of course, then you could not see where you were going. There was no Firefly in 1985 with which to make a comparison. This is on the fireman’s side, of course. RH 818 Definitely the first morning as the engine(standing in the Western terminus) has no safety valve cover and there you can just see, the Ross-Pop safety valves which were rarely allowed to lift and the onlookers had begun to gather. It was marvellous to see how many old friends turned up. This is RH 819: RH 816 and 818 are 3/4s front right and this is another from the right but looking down the tender side. She is on the boil but not going anywhere yet awhile. RH 820 The CME at York Museum was John Bellwood who had not been too keen on this particular project nor had he involved himself in it but nevertheless he made a special journey to London to run the rule over things. An excellent start had been made when he arrived but it was obvious to me that he was not best pleased with the turn of events for I had known John very well since he started at Doncaster Plant Works as an apprentice a couple of years after me. Anyhow and immediately he arrived, he took hold of the Iron Duke and contrary to what was expected found nothing wrong, indeed he was able to praise it’s appearance, performance and technical accuracy. Here he is with the regular driver and fireman on the left. Of the driver, my friend “Billy-Boy”, I could tell a good story and it might just creep in later on as ”Billy-Boy was a splendid railwayman. John has just opened the regulator and is watching for movement, the time to ease the regulator in case of a tendency for the 8ft drivers to slip. RH 821-2. These are virtually the same except in detail but I would recommend 821 rather than 822 if only because the head-on view of the engine is absolutely central and out of the four gentlemen present, three have smiles and the fourth is a most distinguished visitor. So L-R John Butler who was Works Manager of Resco Engineering so had a great deal to do with the actual construction of the engine: the distinguished W.O.Skeet, once a Doncaster apprentice who became a water engineering specialist but encyclopaedic on locomotive matters, Tony Hall-Patch who was very much the originator and developer of the whole Iron Duke project and last but not least, David William Harvey who had retired from BR some time before as Shedmaster Norwich and who was the most remarkable practical steam locomotive engineer within my experience. RH 823-824. This picture 823 is slightly better than 824 and was taken on the first morning when folk in general were wondering why I was there and taking a photograph was as good a way as any of breaking the ice so here we are:- L-R Mike Hart, Managing Director of Resco in North Kent whose firm built the engine and tender to drawings prepared under the direction of Tony Hall-Patch who stands on the footstep wearing his old Royal Engineers cap: and to his left are Bert Hooker who had just arrived and John Higgins who, with John Sinclair and others, actually built the engine. However the tender, coach and the track were built by BR WR. This was so sensibly approved by the General Manager, W P Bradshaw whilst John Butt CM&EE made the arrangements and Ted Steally “project managed ”the vehicles at Cathays.. RH 825.On the ground is another of the K&ES men, Christopher Landi who came later in the week as a driver. He was a splendid young man whose hairstyle and beard might well have been just right in 1851. On the tender, the late and much loved David Ratcliffe of the Bluebell Railway and, on the footplate, Bert Hooker, very much the driver that he was in his clean 1945 Southern Railway overalls and with sponge cloth to hand on an already spotless handrail. RH 826 A view looking down from the tender where the pressure gauge is visible and to the left of Major Olver, a gauge glass, one of two as the other column is close(on the picture!) to his left ear. L and R of the Major on the firebox front near the top are the steam keys for the injectors and probably for the vacuum ejector and blower. Not one of these fittings existed in 1851 and the engine would, I believe, have had two crosshead pumps to fill the boiler. Now L-R are:- Mark Stutchbury at that time a CO4 in BR’s Clerical grade and I wonder where he is now. Major Peter Olver who found things to his liking and immediately began to enjoy himself and there, happy and smiling, is Peter Wensley of B.Arms and Slade Green and what a pedigree that was for it matched that of the other great South Eastern and Chatham shed of Stewarts Lane to which I was very much attached from Aug 1952 to Jan 1955 as Shedmaster, Both sheds were amazing places where men performed miracles during the busy times and where young men got many opportunities to drive on express services when just passed out at 24 years of age .Oh, I forgot to mention that other place down Brooklands Road, Battersea, they were pretty good too but in their own way! RH 827 The naming ceremony took place on April 3rd and was a great success with everybody from the Duke of Wellington onwards enjoying the occasion. For me, the great bonus was the presence of the splendid band from the village of Aston Tirrold in which Bill Bradshaw played the tuba. Bill Bradshaw had recently left BR having been General Manager Western Region and would surely have reached the very top but it was not to be. On the other hand he pursued a very active academic career keeping very close links with the railways and was eventually raised to the Peerage, as Lord Bradshaw. He was a great loss to the railway industry. He followed me as Divisional Manager Liverpool and, thirteen years younger than I, built on all that was good and improved many things that needed attention. Anyhow here he is in his band uniform along with Bert Hooker up on the engine and Peter Fitzgerald, the Museum Assistant for Marine who was a great practical help to Tony and his men. The great engine stands in the background with the name plate covered and ready for the occasion. RH 828 An excellent close-up of the firebox front showing gauge glasses, regulator, pressure gauges and four brass taps, probably two injector steam valves, another the blower valve and the last for the vacuum ejector. Very simple these days, much more so in 1851. Mike Hart and Bert Hooker both in good form RH 829 Very similar to 826 but with Peter Olver and “Billy-Boy”(Peter Wensley) in deep conversation and Mark Stutchbury looking happily at the camera. RH 830 Bert rests his hand on the vacuum-brake, another luxury which I seem to think operated the tender bakes only there still being none on the engine. Tony Hall-Patch had six blocks fitted instead of the original three on one side only, again a very sensible move. Bert is just coming to a stand with the regulator in the closed position. RH 831 Later in the week, we have Bert doing some training probably of Christopher Landi and his fireman Howard. Taken from the tender as usual. RH 832 Bert Hooker again: returning to the western end with the reversing lever in back gear, a formidable instrument. Bert again has his hand on the vacuum brake. RH 833 And finally my oldest grandchild, David, then seven and taken on the Sunday when the engine was dead and on show and he stands against the great driving wheel with the name in polished brass: ”Iron Duke”. The Iron Duke was a wonderful machine and through being asked to become involved, I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Hall-Patch. He did a remarkable job as did those who worked with him and the detail is set out in an article “The Iron Duke re-born” written by Tony in his capacity as Assistant Keeper in charge of Transport at the Science Museum, South Kensington. RH 834 and 835, the latter being the recommended print. It shows Tom Tighe who has looked after the old “ Prile of Sevens”, Sir Lamiel since the 1980s. She was always a good engine when she was at Dover in my time on the Southern, good for a heavy relief boat train down the Maidstone East or over the Chatham, both heavy roads. The picture is taken on the Settle Carlisle in the southbound direction where we had stopped for water. Tom is surrounded by his crew and stands tall at the back. So L-R:- Peter Gregory, Gerry Garside, Edward Matheson, Train Steward, Tom Tighe, Bob Phizackerley, Bob Dewhurst working for FSS and i/c of the train excepting the guard, of course. Drivers John Finlayson of Carlisle and Paul Kane the latter doing the firing, the work that he loved. The train went through to Leeds and maybe beyond and the new crew got into difficulties with a strange engine round about Keighley. Finally Inspector Jim Baker also of York. Paul Kane had a heart attack on 60019 near Stevenage on Dec 18th 2010 and was pronounced dead on arrival at the nearby Lister Hospital, aged 72. He was one of the best. RH836 Brian Axtell, an old Neasden man who had fired on the L1s when new and thought the world of these much-decried engines and on his own regular engine. As a driver it was a pleasure to ride with him as indeed it was with all the Neasden men who ran the steam engines in the 80s on the Stratford-on-Avon jobs The Green Arrow 4771 stands in No 4 platform at Marylebone and it is after an organisational change when the LM Traction Inspectors were replaced Western men, in this case by Mick Jones. And finally there is John Bellwood, CME of the National Collection who had spent most of the day on the engine. His colleagues gave him the nickname of ”Locktite”. Once on, you could not get him off! Sadly John, who had started at Doncaster two years after me, died in 1988 His funeral was at Poppleton outside York on a glorious September day with the church-door open and the distant sounds of the railway. RH 837 The “Prile of Sevens”, 777 King Arthur class N15 and one of the best.at the buffer stops at Marylebone on return from Stratford on Avon in the late 80s when Western Region inspectors had taken over from the LM men. I forget why this was so. The old engine had done a great job as it always did on the GC section.So standing on high we have Jim Arkle and Tom Tighe.and across the buffer beam L-R Norman Moore, Tony Lever, Driver Bob Cotterill of Marylebone and now a DBS driver at Didcot, Inspector Mick Jones, Driver Joe Bint of Neasden, Lisa and Phil Ginger an ex LM man from Willesden who came across to the Southern as a driver at Waterloo, then David Wheeler and Peter Hartley whilst sitting/squatting on the buffer beam is Peter Gregory and John Street. RH838 Again the Prile of Sevens this time on the SR years later when the driver was an ex Nine Elms man and the fireman John Pilcher as far as Hastings whence we had Tonbridge men. I had done my spell on the front from Victoria to Redhill whereas the latter part of the journey up from Hastings with these Tonbridge men was a delight. Further more it was a first-timer for them on the steam for many years. L-R Inspector David Godden who came from the Western to Grove Park on the juice and then became an inspector on all forms of traction. Driver Ken Hodson of Tonbridge depot, the cheerful Fireman(normally driver but stoker for the day), Dave Weddle who I met years later at the Rainham SR retired enginemen’s gathering, Richard Thistleton, Tony Lever, Barry, a Bluebell Railway volunteer, Tom Tighe, John Street, Peter Starks of BR, John Harmsworth and kneeling, Paul Bryant, Jim Street John, now with Roland Kennington and Gerry Garside who has been with Tom for many years, one of the best. RH 839 Tom Tighe has been at the game since the 1970s and we are now in 2010. He has turned out and run a Black 5, 70013 in recent years and above all Sir Lamiel, a favourite wherever it goes if they know the tricks of the King Arthur trade. The old ”Prile of 7s” has done some wonderful work. Tom was a Doncaster apprentice in the earlier diesel era and eventually left the railway although he has always been a Railwayman through and through. Here he is looking round and oiling his engine ready for the BR men to take on but where we are, I cannot remember? RH 840 This driver on the tender of 777 is no ordinary Carlisle man but he is a Scot not from Edinburgh like Jimmy Lister who came to Canal from St Margarets shed only a mile or so from the Waverley and started on the railway at Corstorphine in 1937: No, this driver comes from Kittybrewster GN of S and LNER and transferred to Kingmoor after that ex-CR and LMS depot became part of the Scottish Region BR. This enabled Willie Alexander to transfer southwards first to Kingmoor and later on to Upperby. He looks a real Scot and he was a grand engineman and mate. Nice to think that he must have done many miles on the old Great Eastern 1500s, class B12 and un-rebuilt, not to mention Mr Pick’s and Mr Heywood’s splendid little D41 class masterpieces, not unknown in the South East of England between about 1900 and 1926 where they did very well. They were referred to as “Them Bleedin’ Caledonians”: the only thing wrong with them was that they were left hand drive and the SECR was entirely RH until after the grouping when the Drummond T9s and L12 Bulldogs came across, not to mention some Brighton types also left hand drive... RH 841 Steam on the Met in May 1993, my last year as a driver or fireman having reached 70 in Oct 1993. We had 6441, the Beet’s little Ivatt class 2 and a wonderful little machine. She would run, pull and steam and at that time we were still going to Harrow as well as Watford(Met). We are in the upside sidings once the Goods Yard at Amersham and here is the Beet’s entourage and what a pleasure it was to work for them. L-R is Graham, Chris Beet who is now Chief Mechanical Engineer of the National Railway museum. Then with him in the cab is his Mother, Barbara who is still very active in their group, then standing with specs is the one and only “Trumpet”, Brian Coulbeck, then we have Andy Lister with whom I had a very pleasant day working a school special to Amersham whilst on the Saturday we had the Silver Fox with us. Once a Nine Elms driver, he finished his career as General Secretary of ASLEF. Bryan Gibson and I were together, always a pleasure and we wore our ASLEF badges, mine Honorary and his from his days when he was a fireman and passed fireman at Holbeck. Then Doctor Peter Beet who did so much for us over those two weeks and very proud of his machine. He was my fireman on his last trip and had the old girl on the mark where it mattered, climbing to Amersham with a heavy train and the old Met Electric on the back. And then the late Bryan Gibson, one of the very best who knew the job inside out. RH 842 “The Old Firm” Bryan Gibson and myself. We worked in perfect harmony sharing the work 50:50 and kept in touch right through the SLOA days until he died in 2009. We look happy and we were! RH 843 and 844 Sept 26th 1987. Choose 843, the better picture of the cab end and the crew. My first trip on a King and what an engine she was. She was so strong and yet, despite being that great 6000 KGV, she was unlike any engine I had been on. They had kindly brought an Eastern Region shovel, (a tea-spoon to an GW man) for me to use but first I watched the carry-on of a splendid fireman Stan Reynolds of Hereford and his equally good driver, Tony Shaw, who was ex-LMS. Both men were completely on top of the job, GWR fashion. We started from Hereford and Stan took the flame scoop out of the firehole with his enormous GW shovel, laid it on the footboard and filled the back corners up and then rebuilt the great “tymp”(haycock) in the middle of the fire at a point where nobody but a GW man would dream of putting coal. However, there we were and there was the old engine sizzling on 250psi and the injector on. After that back went the flame scoop and the firing was continuous to the front and sides, lifting the flap between each shovelful which added to the work but they fired the same principle on the Gooch 8ft singles back in Victorian times. After a while I had a go and the tymp helped me no end as the shovel slid along it’s side for the coal to reach the front of the longest firebox in the country.. We had 250 all the time with a very heavy train. And with us was Angus Brymer, the Hereford loco Inspector: whenever he was in charge, the job went well for he was all an Inspector should be and it is a great pleasure to keep in touch with him and meet him from time to time. Three men with whom it was a joy to work as has so often been the case down the years and as long as I can remember. RH 845/846. These two are almost identical and, of the two, 846 is marginally the best. We have arrived at Shrewsbury and here is the support crew of KG5 withou whose efforts the present day job would not be what it is. On the front gangway are Tony Shaw and Stan Reynolds and to the extreme right is Angus Brymer. Bernard Staite to whom so much is owed by us all is fourth from the left and between the headlamp and the bell is Eddie Taylor.. How I should love to know the names of the rest of the crew and maybe whoever reads these notes can help me. There was a fair amount of dirt in the fire but no time to clean it effectively and they had a bit of a struggle going home. Download 0.62 Mb. Share with your friends:
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