Bulleid Spam Cans

The Bulleid Light Pacific locomotives were introduced in 1945 by the Southern Railway to a design by Oliver Bulleid. They were designed as a smaller version of the Merchant Navy Class. Their 18 ton axle loading and 8 foot 6 inch wide cabs enabled the class to be used almost anywhere on the Southern Region. Later members, 34071 onwards, were built with wider 9 foot cabs. These locomotives were attached to wider 5,500 gallon tenders. They were often referred to as 'Spam-Cans' because of their unconventional streamlined appearance.

They incorporated the same novel features as the Merchant Navy Class including an all-steel welded boiler, chain-driven valve-gear, inside motion enclosed in an oil bath and 'air-smoothed' casing.

All of this engineering detail meant nothing to me as a kid when I would spend hours during summer school holidays in the 50s train-spotting on the Southern mainline that ran from Victoria to Dover. My favoured location was just downline from Teynham station, which provided good views over a considerable length of the track. The most memorable times were to see a Bulleid Light Pacific from the 'West Country' or 'Battle of Britain' class emblazoned with golden arrows to casing sides and one angled on the front of the boiler housing as it thundered by hauling the Golden Arrow express - suitably named the Flèche D'Or on the run from Calais to Paris. Young heads were filled with romantic ideas of travelling to Paris in one of the Pullman carriages that formed the train....

Battle of Britain class No. 34072 '257 Squadron'

Many years later in October 2003 I attended a steam festival at The Bluebell Line in Sussex. This big kid at heart was thrilled to enjoy a train journey steam hauled by West Country Pacific no. 21C123 'Blackmore Vale' double-headed with visiting LNER V2 2-6-2 no. 60800 'Green Arrow'.

'Green Arrow'

The sheer grace of these magnificent locomotives from a bygone era is breathtaking and fortunately many of them have been preserved by Heritage Lines throughout the UK. I look forward to the day when I can enjoy one of the excursions that run on mainline routes and experience the thrill of being steam hauled at speed....

Perfect Pair of Acronyms...

On a fairly regular basis The Daily Telegraph receives correspondence from readers about the railways. Some of these letters are very funny.

In August 2011 one such reader wrote:
"SIR - it is a surprise to me that while rail companies call their passengers 'customers' and trains 'services' they still use the outmoded 'stations' and 'platforms'. Perhaps customers of this newspaper can suggest modern alternatives."

Two days later the following response was published:

"SIR - How about ' Customer Regional Assembly Point' and 'Customer Rallying And Migration Pier'? In the interests of brevity, acronyms could be substituted."

Absolutely priceless.....

A Haunting Mystery

My interest in railways and my research into the great days of steam and the 'Big Four' rail companies pre-nationalisation sometimes unearths some disquieting tales. This is no exception.

At 5:20am on 13th October 1928 a train crash occurred in Charfield, Gloucestershire. A goods train was being shunted off the main line to make way for an oncoming Leeds-Bristol mail express. However, the manoeuvre was not quite completed before the express train arrived, going at speed, and collided with the goods train. The momentum of the engine carried it under the bridge, but the passenger carriages piled up against it. The situation was made worse by the fact that the carriages were gas-lit, and the accident caused the gas cylinders to rupture and the gas to ignite. The four wooden carriages rapidly became an inferno, and the heat from the blaze impeded rescue efforts. 16 people were killed. All were identified expect for a boy aged around 12 and a girl of about 6, both badly burned.

The ticket collector who survived the crash remembered seeing two children board the train alone at Gloucester. He said that they were wearing school hats and described them as young persons of "reasonable means". Part of a breast pocket of a school blazer was found bearing a school motto, Luce Magistra, as well as two 9-inch-long shoes and part of a sock with the initials CSSS. Tailors and shoemakers over a large area were canvassed without result. Schools, churches and advertisements yielded not a single clue.

Surely someone was waiting for them at the first and only stop? No result there. No relative, friend, teacher or neighbour reported or knew them. Ultimately they were buried, the railway company taking responsibility for the formalities.

Of some curiosity was the fact that an unknown lady dressed in black used to visit the memorial to the crash victims in St James’s Church, Charfield (also the site of the children’s graves) for many years.

There are numerous theories about these children: one of these that they were illegitimate children of a royal dynasty whose existence (and deaths) had to be hushed up. Unlikely? There has never been a definitive answer and this haunting mystery remains.....

More on Steam

Bachmann has produced an accurate OO gauge model of the B1 Class locomotive. The B1 was Thompson's first design for the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER). These 4-6-0 mixed traffic engines replaced a large variety of older designs. It was the LNER's equivalent to the highly successful GWR Hall Class and the LMS Stanier Black Five. They proved to be capable and versatile machines able to perform well on any type of train. Several examples were fitted with electric lighting.

B1 Class No. 1306 "Mayflower" later renumbered 61379

Introduced in 1942 the first locomotive no. 8301 was named "Springbok" in honour of a visit by Jan Smuts, the South African Prime Minister. The B1s became know as the 'Antelope' class as the first 40 were named after breeds of antelope and unofficially as 'Bongos' after no. 8306 'Bongo'. The remaining engines were un-named except for 18 that carried names of LNER directors and no. 61379 'Mayflower', named in 1951 (see photo). A total of 410 engines were built.

The class survived almost to the end of steam on BR after working extensively over BR's Eastern and Scottish Regions, with the last working example being withdrawn in September 1967. Two locomotives have been preserved.

The Nation's Favourite Motown Song

So, didi you watch it last night? The Nation’s Favourite Motown Song told the story behind 20 of Motown’s best-loved songs. It explored the label which became the American soundtrack of the Sixties and beyond, creating a one-stop factory of hit songs and a sophisticated style which set the agenda for generations of pop stars to come. The documentary special featured new interviews with Motown stars alongside footage of the greatest hits from the label’s iconic artists. The Motown label was founded by Berry Gordy II who was the victim of an Internet death hoax earlier this month. He is happily alive and well.

Mark Robinson, Creative Director, Shiver (ITV Studios' factual division) said: “Motown is ideally suited to the The Nation’s Favourite… format, which celebrates the greatest popular music acts of our lifetimes. This special explores the fascinating background to some of the best-loved Motown songs and will ultimately reveal The Nation’s Favourite Motown Song.”

Richard Klein, Director of Factual for ITV said: "If you don't like Motown you don't like pop music - or dancing. Motown is the distilled essence of 60s urban pop music, and no label has ever quite matched it. The Nation's Favourite Motown Song is a brilliant and delicious way to celebrate 20 three-minute slices of musical genius."

I recall some great times in the Swinging Sixties when the hits just kept coming from the likes of The Supremes, Four Tops, the Temptations, Jackson Five, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and solo stars such as Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye (my particular favourite, everyone should have a copy of his album 'What's Goin' On') and Jimmy Ruffin. So many songs often written by Holland, Dozier and Holland, helped provide the soundtrack for an era and are still highly regarded.

This wonderful TV programme told the stories behind 20 of the label's greatest hits, told by those who helped to make pop history. And the voting public got the number one exactly right: Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'.

A most enjoyable 90 minutes of TV.

The Honourable Woman

I have watched more TV over the past two weeks than I probably have since the beginning of the year. Heady days of World Cup football, Wimbledon tennis and F1 Grand Prix racing have kept me entertained amidst a calendar containing no 'soap' episodes, much to my wife's chagrin.

Beside my love for sport I do enjoy a good drama series. The Scandinavians are particularly good at producing these; The Killing and The Bridge are two typical examples. Occasionally we British come up with the goods and my interest was aroused in a new BBC2 drama entitled 'The Honourable Woman' - the first of eight episodes aired on Thursday. Written by Hugo Blick (that alone is usually a good recommendation) and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as businesswoman Nessa Stein, this first episode had me gripped from the start.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

This could turn out to be the 'spook' drama to eclipse all predecessors. Scene stealing Stephen Rae (did you see him in 'The Crying Game' - brilliant) portrays sceptical MI6 agent Hugh Hayden-Doyle, a terrific performance that put me in mind of George Smiley. I will watch this first episode again today (series set to record on the Virgin box) with my wife who has yet to see it.

The momentum, richness and complexity of this drama are maintained throughout. If the remaining seven episodes are equal to this, The Honourable Woman will win every award going (yes, it's that good) and when it ends in the final days of summer its fans will be legion and messianic in its cause. Nothing on telly is going to be this good for some time to come.

Steam Train: 6024 King Edward I, Valentine's Cathedrals Express, 12 Feb ...

As a committed 'gricer' I have always had a passion for steam locomotives. I have a collection of OO gauge models proudly displayed in cabinets and a modest N gauge layout to run these smaller trains, to recall the great days of steam. It is a passion that it is still possible to follow at the various Heritage lines throughout the UK where steam locomotives have been restored and continue to run. Some of these Heritage lines have direct links to mainline tracks and excursions of some duration are often available for the enthusiast.

I have just added a Hornby model of the GWR locomotive 'King Edward 1' to my collection but there is nothing more nostalgic than seeing the original, restored engine hauling thirteen carriages on a mainline run. Take a look: