| "Dear Sirs, I am currently in the process of assembling information with a view to producing a commemorative article in the railway press to mark the 40th Anniversary of the End of BR Steam. In order to assist my research I recently placed the following item in some of the local newspapers in and around Lancashire. This brought a very encouraging response, including letters from now retired footplatemen and other railwaymen whom I had not seen or heard from since the end of the Sixties. If there is any way that you might be able to publish any or all of this appeal, I should be extremely grateful. Yours sincerely, Alan Castle" THE END OF STEAM …. WAS IT REALLY ALL OF 40 YEARS AGO?  Sunday the 4th of August 1968 was a particularly auspicious occasion in the annals of Britain’s railways, for it was at the close of that day that the very last mainline steam locomotive on British Railways was withdrawn from service. With the march of so-called ‘progress’, the time had come for steam and now it had all ended. The wealth of the nation owed so much to the invention of the steam locomotive and its century and a half of loyal service. It had been very much a British invention during the Industrial Revolution, reigning supreme ever since on our national railway network, and so August 4th was a landmark not only in railway terms, but the date was also to become embedded in British history. There's even a domino theory that the end of steam marked the end of our previous industrial society. Without the railways to supply, the strength of the coal industry was considerably weakened. The railwaymen and the miners had always stood shoulder to shoulder, but the bond of mutual dependence had gone. Ever since British Railways had announced their “Modernisation Plan” in 1955, a ceaseless march towards total dieselisation/electrification had gradually ensued. The re-vamped ‘British Rail’ coined the term ‘Inter-City’ and painted all its carriages blue and white in an early attempt to present the ‘corporate image’… that never quite succeeded. Naturally, steam engines had no place in this vision; they were too obviously mechanical and possessed embarrassing and allegedly unhealthy emissions. Yet some of these were still barely 10 years old (the very last of the lineage being built as late as 1960) and with careful maintenance the majority could probably have lasted another 50 years, or even longer. It was all a shocking waste. Even die-hard steam fans accepted that steam engines had to go one day - but not so hurriedly and with such a disgraceful lack of gratitude as was being shown. The indecent haste in which most of them came to be disposed of was a sad reflection upon the state of our emerging society. For those who did take the time to reflect upon such things, there was a sadness felt that reflected an acceptance that the life as we knew it was soon to change, perhaps for the better, perhaps not, but certainly a realisation that changes were inevitable and counted as progress, a move forward which would engulf everybody and ultimately change the pattern of our lives. Furthermore, the infamous Dr Beeching had also chopped the railways in size by a third and, if he had had entirely his own way, it was also a fact that there would have been no railways whatsoever, for example, north of Edinburgh, or west of Plymouth. The scale of the change can be gauged from the fact that the 20,000 or more steam engines in service up until the late 1950s came to be replaced with a mere 5000 diesels and electrics. By 1964, in large parts of the country, steam had, indeed, already become a thing of the past. For those of us living in the North West, however, for a little longer than most, we found ourselves fortunate enough to be able to experience those magical sights and sounds of everyday ‘matter-of-fact’ steam hard at work, in its natural environment. The writer was particularly lucky in that respect, for I lived within walking distance of one of the three very last bastions of steam, namely ‘10D’, the Motive Power Depot at Lostock Hall, just south of Preston. (The other two surviving depots being located at Rose Grove (Burnley) and, of course, Carnforth.) By the early 1960s, the decay had become clearly evident to all, particularly in the unkempt state that most locomotives remaining in service were now running. A steam loco is a notoriously difficult item of machinery to keep clean anyway, but an element of decrepitude had crept in which had never been so apparent in earlier times. It wasn’t so much that no-one possessed any pride in the job, or even that no-one cared any more, because many definitely still did, but more so that engine cleaners (the first rung of the ladder in the years and years of training necessary to become a driver) were no longer being employed by the railway, or at very least that none could actually be sourced to agree to undertake such menial tasks. There were far less dirty and far better-paid jobs going begging just about anywhere else in industry. It was at this time that a small number of enthusiasts including myself started to make our own personal contribution towards ensuring that the finale of steam would occur with at least some dignity. Therefore, at various depots around the country - and mainly at weekends when ‘management’ was elsewhere - we would pop up, quite unannounced and often in the middle of the night, to polish up those neglected locomotives ourselves. There was, of course, an ulterior motive in such apparently foolhardy endeavours – we wanted to photograph them at work and, clearly, a clean engine (or at least one where the number at least could be read through all the grime!) always made for a far better picture. Essentially, that task might have meant that a locomotive was cleaned on one side only, that side that the sun was likely to be on at the pre-determined photo location the following day ….. but even that was far better than doing nothing at all! Through our meeting up with enginemen (and the occasional ‘friendly’ foreman) along with the cadging of numerous footplate rides, a few of us did come to know the staff at some engine sheds quite well. We used to talk with these gentlemen about their travels and experiences……To listen to the, often sad, frequently humorous, recollections from the heady days of steam, and to hear repeatedly the dispelling of the popular notion that life on the railways in the old days was all fun and romance. We learnt of the early risers - often lads straight from school starting their lifetime careers on the railways - who would start work at four in the morning, cleaning out the burnt ashes from yesterday’s engines, crawling through the bowels of the locomotive to oil inaccessible points and to check and repair worn boiler tubes. We heard of the several hours' preparation needed on cold winter mornings in order to raise steam and, naturally, of the skill of the driver…. 'Any idiot can start a locomotive; it's stopping it in the right place that matters'. And, for the fireman, his skills extended far beyond simply shovelling coal all day. That back-breaking work was an art born of years of training and experience. Having wielded a shovel myself on many a mainline run, I can conclusively confirm just how difficult it was to maintain that steam pressure gauge needle at just below the red line, whilst at the same time making sure that there was still always enough water in the boiler to make the steam! To coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the End of Steam, I am currently in the process of collecting together material which I can, hopefully, collate to form the basis of an article, or series of articles, that I should like to publish in one of the leading steam enthusiast periodicals. If provided with sufficient material, the ultimate intention would be to utilise this to form the basis of a book about these 3 Lancashire engine sheds. I am attempting to talk to any former railwaymen who worked at, or in the vicinity of, one or other of the particular aforementioned three loco sheds. I should be very pleased to receive any interesting personal reminiscences or anecdotes, newspaper cuttings or photographs, from any period during the existence of these establishments. Information the histories of the depots (dates of construction/rebuilding, locomotive allocations and workings) would also be especially welcome. Currently, I am particularly keen to obtain information about the actual workings during the last weeks of steam and the names of any of the men involved. Photocopies of any previously published articles in the press would also be appreciated, as I may well not have seen these and, naturally, all letters will be acknowledged and all material loaned will be returned. Please do write to me at: Alan Castle, 2 Alderley Drive, Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 2PN, or e-mail me at: shedforemansoffice(at)ntlworld.com The first weekend in May 1968 marks the 40th Anniversary of the end of steam haulage (by Carnforth engines) on the "Belfast Boat Express" - the 06-15hrs Heysham Harbour to Manchester Victoria and the 20-55 Manchester Victoria to Heysham Harbour. This train, in actual fact, was the last daily steam hauled passenger train on British Railways. Metrovick Co-Bo diesels were used regularly in 1965, but their failure rate got out of hand and steam locos later made a welcome reappearance in order to ensure reliability. That was a considerable victory for the steam engine in an age of ever-encroaching dieselisation. After Lancaster (10J) shed had closed in late 1965, Carnforth (10A) came to provide the engines. The 1968 New Year brought with it renewed fears that the train would revert, finally, to diesel haulage, because of new diagrams being introduced to eliminate steam-hauled passenger trains, but, remarkably, steam working continued until the beginning of May of that year. It is not surprising therefore that enthusiasts turned up in ever-increasing numbers to travel on the 'Belfast Boat Express' during the first four months of '68. Because the inwards and outwards workings of the train ran mostly in darkness, they were neglected by but a few diehards of a select regular travelling group of enthusiasts known as the "20-55 Club". Naturally, the main interest of these fans lay in the locomotive performance and there are some fine logs of high-speed runs on record, especially on the racing stretch between Lancaster and Preston. On the weekend 3rd/4th May 1968, Carnforth's gleaming "Black 5" 4-6-0s Nos 45025 and 45342 had been specially cleaned overnight by a group of steam photographers known as the "M.N.A.", and these 2 engines proceeded to play to the audience with the last rites of steam over the course of the final 2 days. With the amount of attention this event produced, it was an amazing fact that, probably, most passengers alighting on the platform at Heysham Harbour that weekend never even saw the quayside - they had come to Heysham merely for the steam engines! Overshadowed in the days of steam by its more-celebrated sister train, the fabled "Ulster Express" (which, connecting with the same Heysham - Belfast sailings, provided passengers with an express service direct to London Euston), information about the Manchester train is scant and little has ever been published about it. I am attempting to redress that balance with a special commemorative feature, hopefully to appear in the railway press in May 2008. I should be very pleased to receive any interesting personal reminiscences or anecdotes, newspaper cuttings or photographs. All letters will be acknowledged and all material loaned will be returned. Please do write to me at: Alan Castle, 2 Alderley Drive, Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 2PN, or e-mail me at: LostockHall10D(at)hotmail.co.uk[ Top ]
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