Tuesday Treasures - April 2024

TUESDAY 30 APRIL

Children’s Education through Railway Publications - Part 6

In previous blogs on this subject we have recorded how the Great Western Railway produced children’s books and games that provided their image and gave varying degrees of educational content. The Great Western Trust collection, also holds a wide variety of that material of the British Railways era, both railway-produced and that of a contemporary publisher. Our Blog today focuses upon a series produced by the Daily Mail entitled ‘Young Britain Educational Series – Railways of Britain’ The price was one shilling and six pence (7½p in today’s money).

For a national newspaper this was quite an undertaking and not done lightly given the wide breadth of the subjects of interest to youngsters, beyond the railway edition featured today.

In fact the one we illustrate, quite naturally as it has a GWR King Loco on the cover, was No 2 of a series which began with the Southern Railway. It is an in depth study of the GWR right through to the very early years of Nationalisation extending to 32 pages. No doubt the then BR(WR) publicity department must have provided images and general information to ensure the contents were accurate. However, we can find no precise publication date but believe from its contents its around 1950. If readers of this Blog have editions other than Nos 1 & 2 which we hold, or know their publication date, we will be pleased to hear from them.

To prove our comment on the wide range of subjects this ‘Young Britain’ series covered, we illustrate the advert on the back cover of the GWR focused edition.

What chance of today’s newspapers producing such wide ranging subjects in a contemporary setting for our current ‘Young Britain’ ?

TUESDAY 23 APRIL

A Special Exhibition

From 10 am to 4 pm each day on Thursday and Friday 28 and 29 April 1960, some 64 years ago, BRWR held an exhibition of 3440 City of Truro together with ex Caledonian Railway loco No 123 at the Goods Yard in the ex LMS station at Rewley Road Oxford.

Today’s Tuesday Treasures illustrate the special handbill publicising the free entry event and photographs taken by a visitor, which are now in the Great Western Trust collection.

Tuesday Treasure readers may recall that in September 2023 we blogged about the special train pulled by City of Truro in September 1957 from Plymouth to Penzance, again organised by BRWR specifically for so called ‘Railway Enthusiasts’ just like this 1960 event.

The photos are a little soft focused, reflecting of their time the affordability of cameras and film and its development, far away from the smartphone of today, and involving an anxious wait for their return from the printers to see whether any were good, out of alignment or overexposed. No chance in those days of immediately checking the image!

An overall view of the LMS Rewley Road station in the 1940s or early 1950s. Carriages at the GWR station can be seen on the left

As illustrated, the handbill is helpfully double sided, to include key information about both locomotives. How many folk took the opportunity to visit the exhibition is a mystery, and it’s fair to consider the effort BRWR went to to event clear the yard and create the whole event, and why Oxford?

Rewley Road station decorated for the Festival of Britain in 1951

Of course whilst both locomotives are now in museums, the Rewley Road station building has itself been wonderfully saved, restored and is a central attraction at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. Perhaps by serendipity, that the exhibition event was held at Rewley Road drew sufficient focus on the imminent demise of the ex LMS Oxford Station that saving it was brought to the attention of the authorities?

TUESDAY 16 APRIL

Westbury Refreshment Rooms

A view of the rebuilt Westbury station when very new, with station staff lined up for the photographer. Photograph from the Jeffery Collection, Great Western Trust

Westbury (Wilts) was first served by the railway from Thingley Junction on the original Great Western Railway main line in 1848 when, on 2 September, a special train driven by Daniel Gooch and assisted by I K Brunel arrived there from Bath. The line opened to the public three days later and over the following decade Westbury became a railway crossroads served by trains from Bath and Chippenham to Salisbury and Weymouth.

Another early view of the 1900-built station, showing its four platforms. Photograph from the Jeffery Collection, Great Western Trust

In 1900 the opening by the GWR of the Stert & Westbury Railway placed Westbury firmly on the new short route from Paddington to Plymouth and its importance grew accordingly. Coincident with this the GWR built an impressive new station to cater for the increased traffic, consisting of four platform faces and much enlarged passenger and goods facilities.

This potted history of the railways around Westbury brings us to this week’s Treasure. When the station was modernised in the 1970s this superb stained glass mosaic window was rescued and donated to the Great Western Trust in 2003. It depicts the GWR coat of arms and although we are unsure of its exact location we know it came from the new (1900) Refreshment Rooms that were located at the London end of the down island platform.

The stained glass GWR coat of arms from the Westbury Refreshment Room, now conserved and displayed in the Museum at Didcot Railway Centre

The window measures 19” x 21”, has been professionally conserved and mounted in an oak frame. It is backlit and is on display in the Trust Museum. Please visit us and see for yourself what a treasure it is.

A general view of Westbury Station from the road bridge at the north end of the station in the 1950s. Great Western Trust photograph

The Down side island platform in the 1950s. The Refreshment Room was located adjacent to the ‘Telegraph’ sign. The ‘Westbury’ running-in board is now a Western Region enamel sign. Great Western Trust photograph

The 1pm train from Salisbury to Bristol of just two coaches has paused at Westbury on 20 July 1963 behind No 6954 Lotherton Hall. The ‘Telegraph’ sign in the previous photo has been replaced by an enamel one reading ‘Telegrams’. Photograph by Ben Brooksbank

TUESDAY 9 APRIL

A Special Event

On Monday 11 April 1927, now 97 years ago, the Great Western Railway proudly held a very special ceremony to open ‘The New Station at Newton Abbot’ which is the title of the commemorative booklet they produced to mark that occasion, and on which we base today’s Blog.

The 24 page booklet is part of the Great Western Trust collection, and is a remarkable survivor in such splendid condition. This may well be because the GWR spared no expense in having it produced in quality soft Yapp covers and brown cloth binding, within which are sepia images of the new and the old station and a fold out plan of the old and the new station plans including the nearby engine repair shops. We illustrate its cover and the station plans.

The GWR staff magazine published a full article on this event and the VIPs who took part. Typical of those times past, the event included toasts to the King, proposed by Lord Mildmay of Flete (GWR Director), The Town and Trade of Newton Abbot, again proposed by Lord Mildmay of Flete with the Response by Mr J Dolbear Chairman of the Urban District Council and The Great Western Railway, proposed by Mr F S Clark Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Responded by Viscount Churchill (GWR Chairman).

The Newton Abbot station plans, old and new

Of course having mentioned Toasts, the event could not pass without a celebration dinner, the menu of which is included in the booklet and quite appropriately the main course was Devonshire Spring Lamb followed by a dessert of Meringues and Devonshire Cream!

The very informative booklet described the original Brunel building and the plans to upgrade and replace it in 1914, but delayed by the war. A more modern design was then tabled and work began in November 1924. The local townspeople were so supportive of this massive undertaking that they donated to it the electric clock in the pediment surmounting the building, as well as the clock in the booking hall and the central controlling clock!

One of the preserved South Devon Railway wrought iron screens, originally above the entrance doors to the station. Photograph Geoff Sheppard by Creative Commons

The upper storey contained the HQ offices of the South Devon Divisional Locomotive Superintendent. Conscious of their historic importance, the GWR had preserved the original SDR (South Devon Railway) wrought-iron scrolls which once adorned the old station entrances, giving one to the Newton Abbot Museum, another incorporated within the building over the ticket window in the Booking Hall and the third, placed with the GWR’s own historic relics, then at Paddington.

Of course, the other significant matter was the preservation on the platform of the Broad Gauge engine Tiny which itself is duly recorded in the booklet.

The South Devon Railway station building dating from 1848, photographed on 31 October 1923

Historically the town was once simply ‘Newton’ but with the spread of the UK railway network, that name duplicated other Newton stations, and the South Devon Railway had to add ‘Abbot’, and the town itself changed too, to Newton Abbot Urban District Council! Another example of the social impact of the railways upon our country!

Inside the original South Devon Railway train shed, photographed on 15 January 1925

The Great Western Railway Magazine included this report of the station reconstruction in its April 1927 edition:

Visitors this summer to the many charming South Devon seaside and moorland resorts which are reached through Newton Abbot will be impressed by the extensive improvements that have been carried out at that important station. The work, which was commenced in November, 1924, is nearing completion, and it is anticipated that the new premises will be formally opened for public use in the course of the current month.

The new station under construction on 14 October 1926, including the footbridge. The wooden structure on the opposite platform is a temporary refreshment room and gentlemen’s lavatory

The old station, which has been demolished, was one of the few remaining structures of the South Devon Railway Company, and except for minor improvements, had remained practically unaltered since it was built in 1846 from the plans, and under the supervision, of Brunel.

An imposing, three-storey block of buildings has been erected on the main Newton Abbot to Torquay road, facing the town park. The structure is of Portland stone and red Somerset bricks. A conspicuous feature of a pleasing façade is a handsome clock, placed in the centre pediment, which is the gift of the townspeople of Newton Abbot. Further evidence of the local appreciation of the work which has been undertaken by the Company is supplied by the Town Council having allowed some of their property to be encroached upon for the purpose of giving an excellent open frontage and spacious road access to the new station.

The station entrance building under construction on 14 October 1926

The three small platforms which formerly served the station have been replaced by two wide island platforms, each having a length of 1,375 ft., of which 570 ft. is veranda-covered. A separate bay platform of 320 ft. has been provided to meet the increasing traffic over the Moretonhampstead branch, which serves the eastern fringe of Dartmoor, a favourite summer resort. This will facilitate a quick and regular service of trains to the stations served by the branch.

This group with Tiny includes Viscount Churchill (Chairman), Sir S Ernest Palmer (Deputy Chairman), Lord Mildmay of Flete (Director), Mr H L Younger (Director), Sir Felix Pole (General Manager), Mr J C Lloyd (Chief Engineer) and Mr E Ford (Chief Goods Manager). Photograph published in Great Western Railway Magazine, May 1927

Important line alterations, when completed, will considerably increase the accommodation for dealing with trains, as there will be six lines through the station, with scissors crossings to give maximum freedom of movement. These are through, main, and relief lines, in each direction. Four lines, arranged on the parallel system, have been provided as far as Aller Junction. Two new manual signal boxes have been constructed at the east and west ends of the station, in place of the three previously existing, and it is of interest to note that one of them contains 206 levers, and is therefore the second largest manual box on the system.

As a measure of civic pride in the new railway station, a Newton Abbot confectioner, Harold Phillips, modelled a gigantic cake, weighing several hundredweight, on the station building under construction. It took six men to carry the cake from the bakehouse to the shop window where it was exhibited for a weight-guessing competition during the 1926 Christmas season. Photograph published in Great Western Railway Magazine, January 1927

The accommodation provided for passengers is fully abreast of modern requirements. At street level there are booking and parcels offices, a spacious booking hall, and cloak room. Commodious refreshment rooms are available on each platform, also centrally-placed waiting rooms, and attractive bookstalls. The station is lighted by electricity, and all the buildings are centrally heated. On the first floor is a dining and tea room, 66 ft. by 19 ft. This room will be available for social functions, and has a separate entrance with staircase, which gives direct access to and from the street. There is a new telegraph office, and improved accommodation has been provided for the station master, inspectors, and other staff.

Newton Abbot railway station, photographed on 2 July 1965

The Company consider they have fully met the needs of Newton Abbot, and it is gratifying to know that the extensive work that has been done is thoroughly appreciated by the townspeople. There is small room for doubt, moreover, that visitors to the West Country, to the number of three-quarters of a million, who use the station each year, will be equally appreciative of the handsome manner in which their needs and comforts have been provided for.

TUESDAY 2 APRIL

Axle Box Syphon

Some heavy metal this week as we look at a syphon used for extracting water from locomotive axle boxes, shown here against the bogie of King class No. 6023. Water ingress would have been a problem in steam days and it was a critical task to ensure that the bearing had sufficient uncontaminated oil to prevent it running hot during a journey of perhaps two hundred miles or more.

Stratford-upon-Avon engine shed photographed on 8 September 1957 by A R Gault. The shed had been built in 1910 and closed in September 1962

Some twenty four inches long and made of brass this item is beautifully finished, the two end caps and the handle being machined to improve grip whilst undertaking what was inevitably a slippery job. What makes this piece particularly interesting is that it has provenance. A brass plate stamped with the legend STRATFORD_ON_AVON. LOCO G.W.R. has been carefully rolled and soldered to the body of the syphon in case somebody tried to ‘borrow’ it. The photos of Stratford-upon-Avon engine shed show where the syphon would have been used.

Stratford-upon-Avon engine shed photographed on 27 August 1961 by Mike Hale. The shed was brick built, and the coal stage on right had a steel frame clad in wood

Even mundane, everyday objects have a story to tell and add as much to the Great Western Trust collection as more eye-catching items such as china, glass and silverware.

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