rogerfarnworth

The December 1905 Railway Magazine focused on Shrewsbury Railway Station as the 34th location in its Notable Railway Stations series. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/22/shrewsbury-railway-station-in-1905/ [Quote]The Railway Magazine carried an article about the relatively newly refurbished Shrewsbury Railway Station which started by remarking on the debt Shrewsbury Station owed to the construction of the Severn Tunnel: “it is to the Severn Tunnel that Shrewsbury owes the position it claims as one of the most important distributing centers in the country if not the most. In telephonic language, it is a “switch board,” and those on the spot claim that more traffic is interchanged and redistributed at Shrewsbury than even at York.”[/Quote]

[b]Light Railways in the UK – the early years after the 1896 Act – The Railway Magazine, August 1905.[/b] … A note in the August 1905 edition of The Railway Magazine mentions a 1904 report from the Light Railway Commissioners and comments from the Board of Trade in 1905. The Regulation of Railways Act 1868 permitted the construction of light railways subject to '…such conditions and regulations as the Board of Trade may from time to time impose or make'; for such railways it specified a maximum permitted axle weight and stated that '…the regulations respecting the speed of trains shall not authorize a speed exceeding at any time twenty-five miles an hour'. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/17/light-railways-in-the-uk-the-early-years-after-the-1896-act-the-railway-magazine-august-1905/ "The Light Railways Act 1896 did not specify any exceptions or limitations that should apply to light railways; it did not even attempt to define a 'light railway'. However, it gave powers to a panel of three Light Railway Commissioners to include 'provisions for the safety of the public… as they think necessary for the proper construction and working of the railway' in any light railway order (LRO) granted under the act. hour (mph) often associated with the Light Railways Act 1896 is not specified in the act but was a product of the earlier Regulation of Railways Act 1868. … However, limits were particularly needed when lightly laid track and relatively modest bridges were used in order to keep costs down."

Much Wenlock Civic Society I completed the series about this line which ran from Wellington to Craven Arms via Much Wenlock just a couple of weeks ago. This was just in time to allow me to pull together a talk for Much Wenlock Civic Society on Tuesday 17th September 2024. That talk can be found by following the link below: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/04/much-wenlock-talk-17th-september-2024/ While asserting copyright, I have no objections to the file being downloaded and used. Hopefully you will feel something of the joy I found in drawing the photographs and the journey together.

'Demountable Flats' – The Railway Magazine – February 1922 – and developing methods of reducing freight handling costs in the 20th century. … The Railway Magazine of February 1922 introduced its readers to the advantages of 'demountable flats'. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/17/demountable-flats-the-railway-magazine-february-1922-and-developing-methods-of-reducing-freight-handling-costs-in-the-20th- century/

This article follows on from seven other articles earlier on this thread, which covered the Wellington to Severn Junction Railway and the Wenlock Branch from Buildwas to Harton Road Station. It is the final article in this series. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/17/the-wenlock-branch-from-harton-road-station-to-marsh-farm-junction-and-craven-arms/

I was reading (in August 2024) the July 1903 Railway Magazine and came across an article about the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. The article marked the opening of the line at the beginning of April 1903. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/17/welshpool-and-llanfair-light-railway-again-the-railway-magazine-april-1903/

I wrote the first article about this line a while back. After that first article a number of folks got in touch with their photos of the line and I have, decided to write an addendum and found other photographs which people have kindly allowed me to include in this additional article. There are a few embedded links to Flickr images as well. It was a joy pulling all these together. ... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/23/the-welshpool-llanfair-light-railway-an-addendum/

The abandoned length through the town of Welshpool ... Those involved with the creation of the preservation line always intended to include the part of the line which ran through the center of Welshpool. Sadly that was not to be. The local authorities were concerned about the effect of the railway traffic on road traffic in and around the town. Pretty much all that remains of that length of the line are photographs, short bits of film and memories. Road improvements and building clearance have changed parts of the old town. Elements of the original route are difficult to identify. This is composed by OS Mapping. The 1949 6" Ordnance Survey, which should have provided a definitive map of the town center, seems to have used the route of an old tramroad to define the route of the line rather than undertaking a local survey of the line. It also seems to have left the Seven Stars pub in place when it was actually demolished to make room for the railway. The result of these things being a rather unrealistic mapped route of the line through parts of the town. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/24/the-welshpool-llanfair-light-railway/ For some time I'd thought about looking at the lost length of the line. I was reminded of this when my wife decided that it would be good for us to visit the preservation line. After that journey, my interest was rekindled. The linked article above is the result....

[b]Railway Statistics – The Railway Magazine, July 1903 and a brief look at modern figures. … [/b] J. Holt Schooling produced a series of articles in The Railway Magazine after the turn of the 20th century. I came across the third of these in the July 1903 edition of the magazine. Elsewhere in the same magazine, there was a short note which highlighted the total net receipts of all Britain's railways companies with the figures tabulated. The figures show a small but significant increase between 1901 and 1902. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/17/railway-statistics-the-railway-magazine-july-1903-and-a-brief-look-at-modern-figures/ Holt Schooling's article looked at some detailed statistics relating to British railways, with some comparisons made with statistics relating to the railways of the USA. …

Part 1 At the end of August 2024, we visited Kielder Water Reservoir, passing through Bellingham on the way. We noticed a disused railway for which a good number of structures and embankments/cuttings remained in place. This was the Border Counties Railway (BCR), a line connecting Hexham in Northumberland, with Riccarton Junction on the Waverley Route in Roxburghshire. The BCR was also known as the North Tyne Railway as it ran beside the River North Tyne for much of its length. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/16/the-border-counties-railway-part-1-hexham-to-chollerton/ The line between Kielder and Falstone is now under the waters of the Kielder Water Reservoir.

Further posts about articles from this magazine include: The Lough Swilly Railway http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/14/the-llsr-once-again-a-perspective-from-the-19th-century-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ New Zealand Railways 1899 http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/16/new-zealand-railways-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ The Oxford and Aylesbury Tram Road http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/16/the-oxford-and-aylesbury-tram-road-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/

One of the delightful things about reading early copies of The Railway Magazine is the perspective from which articles are written. In this particular case the existence of the Great Central Railway is a welcome novelty! http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/16/the-oxford-and-aylesbury-tram-road-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ [Quote]This article begins: “Quainton Road is a name which has of late become familiar to the railway public owing to its being the converging point of the lines of the Great Central Railway's recently-opened extension to London with those of the Metropolitan. It is situated in Buckinghamshire, at a distance of 45 miles from London” [/Quote]

New Zealand Railways – The Railway Magazine, November 1899. The November 1899 issue of The Railway Magazine carried the first of a short series of articles about the railways of New Zealand. As you will discover if you choose to read on, the author does not hold back on offering his personal opinions about the state of the railways and choices made by the government of the day for the country’s railways. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/16/new-zealand-railways-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ [Quote]It is a pity that I do not have access to the subsequent article(s) about New Zealand’s Railways nor to any debate that the article may have provoked. It might be interesting to hear some present day reflections on the comments the author makes! The article is also of interest for an introduction to the rather unusual decisions taken by the Southland government about its first railway.[/Quote]

The L&LSR once again - a perspective from the 19th century! - The Railway Magazine, November 1899. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/1...h-century-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ The November 1899 edition of The Railway Magazine carried a short article about the L&LSR which was not heavy on technical detail. It mostly reads as though it were a holiday brochure rather than an article in a railway journal. None-the-less, the article is still of interest, particularly for the fact that it was written during the period when the L&LSR was expanding.

Further posts about articles from this issue of The Railway Magazine appear on other threads, including: Through Norway by Rail The Severn and Wye Joint Railway Is a post on the thread below (posted on 17th September 2024 @ 16.16 hours)

The Railway Magazine, 1899 Through Norway by Rail E.E. Speight tells of his own experiences traveling by rail in Norway at the end of the 19th century. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/12/through-norway-by-rail-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ In an article which is primarily a travelogue rather than a technical piece. He fails to mention the gauges of the different railways that he travels along. The matter of the differing gauges of railways in Norway is covered in some paragraphs on the linked article. In 1899, Norway had around 1,300 miles of railway. The main elements were lines running: • from Christiania South towards Sweden reaching the border at Kornsjo (169 km – the Smaalensbanen); • from Christiania East towards Sweden reaching the border beyond Kongsvinger; • from Christiania to Trondhjem (562 km) with branches to Lillehamer, Otta and from Elverum to Kongsvinger; • from Trondhjem to Storlien (108 km) to meet the line in Sweden from Stockholm; • from Christiania South to Drammen, Laurvik and Skien (204 km) with branches to Randsfjord, Kongsberg and Kroderen, Horten and Brevik. • between Christiansand and Byglandsfjord (Saetersdal); Stavanger and Ekersund (Jaederbanen); and Bergen to Vosse (108 km).

The Purton Viaduct and the Purton Steam Carriage Road. .... On the road between Purton and Etloe on the Northwest side of the Severn Estuary there is a railway viaduct. Seemingly it sits remote from any former railway. Although you might just be forgiven for thinking that it is a remnant of the Forest of Dean Central Railway which ran through Blakeney, or even associated with the Severn & Wye Railway which ran close to, but to the South of, the hamlet of Purton. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/09/10/the-purton-viaduct-and-the-purton-steam-carriage-road/

I continue to find tramways and railways in the Forest of Dean of great interest. For this next post we return to Mr Brain's Tramway which primarily served Trafalgar Colliery in the Forest. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/06/26/brains-tramway-forest-of-dean Further research has been published in a bit more information about the locomotives that worked on the Tramway. ...

Humphrey Household included a short chapter about the Forest in his 1984 book about the railways of Gloucestershire in the 1920s http://rogerfarnworth.com/2021/09/17/the-forest-of-dean-tramways-and-railways-an-addendum While on holiday in the Forest of Dean in September 2021, I picked up a secondhand copy of "Gloucestershire Railways in the Twenties" by Humphrey Household. It consists of a review of the development of the railways in Gloucestershire supported by a series of photographs which were predominantly taken in the 1920s by Humphrey Household. The photos are a significant resource. The text of the book is well-written. Its final two chapters were of real interest to me.

The Severn & Wye Joint Railway and its Locomotives – The Railway Magazine, November 1899. Reading the November 1899 edition of The Railway Magazine, I came across an article about railways and tramways in the Forest of Dean … ‘The Severn & Wye Joint Railway’ by E.A. Clark. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/10/the-severn-wye-joint-railway-and-its-locomotives-the-railway-magazine-november-1899 The article from 1899 adds something to the series of posts already made about the Forest and its tramways/railways Clark says that “it was in the year 1809 that the initiative of the Severn and Wye took place. It had long been felt that there was great commercial scope in the Forest of Dean, and in this year Parliament sanctioned the construction of a tram road through the district. The undertaking was incorporated by the name of the Lydney and Lydbrook Railway Company, ‘for the purpose of making a railway or tramway from the River Wye at Lydbrook to the River Severn at Lydney, with various branches to serve the collieries in the Forest of Dean’. The Company finding their undertaking not complete, owing to there not being proper accommodation at Lydney for the export of coal, etc., in the following year (1810) obtained power by an Act of Parliament for the construction of a canal (over one mile in length) and docks or basins at Lydney to communicate with the River Severn, and the name of the Com- pany was changed by the same Act to the Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company.” ...

b] Uniformity of Gauge in Australia. .....[/b] The Railway Magazine of November 1899 started a three part series looking at the need for a uniform gauge across the Commonwealth of Australia once federation had occurred ..... http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/10/uniformity-of-gauge-in-australia-a-case-for-3ft-6in-gauge-queensland-the-railway-magazine-november-1899/ [Quote]Victoria’s and South Australia’s railways were 5ft 3in broad gauge. New South Wales’ railways were standard-gauge, Queensland’s were 3ft 6in gauge. And, as of 1899, the authorities were in no sense inclined to yield up their gauge to progress. Perhaps we need a review of the historical context. Wikipedia provides a narrative which aids in understanding why Australia ended up with three different railway gauges. “In 1845, a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges in the United Kingdom was formed to report on the desirability for a uniform gauge. As a result, the Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846 was passed which prescribed the use of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) in England, Scotland and Wales (with the exception of the Great Western Railway) and 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) in Ireland. … In 1846, Australian newspapers discussed the break of gauge problem in the United Kingdom, especially for defence [and] in 1847, South Australia adopted the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in gauge as law.”[/Quote]

Adverts This is the earliest Railway Magazine that I have so far been able to view and it takes us back into the 19th century. ...A rather tatty copy with both front two and at least the back two pages missing. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/09/07/the-railway-magazine-november-1899-adverts/

The August 1905 edition of the Railway Magazine was the 98th issue. In preparation for its 100th edition, it carried an advert for its 'centenary' of issues. ... The Railway Magazine had been established for over 8 years! http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/08/11/the-railway-magazine-august-1905-advertising/

A series of interesting items from the Railway Magazine of January 1934. ... https://wordpress.com/post/rogerfarnworth.com/53679 Water Pick-Up Troughs Some superb diagrams showing the operation of water troughs were included on page 4 of the January 1934 edition of The Railway Magazine. The GWR Capital Programme The Railway Magazine noted, "A special programme of extensions and improvements, involving a cost of over £8,000,000, was put in hand by the GWR under the Development (Loan Guarantees and Grants) Act, 1929, in anticipation of its future requirements, for the purpose of assisting in the relief of unemployment. ... The Railway Gazette, issued on [8th December 1933] a profusely illustrated Special Supplement dealing comprehensively with these works. A notable feature of this supplement is the wealth of drawings, including a double-page map of the G.W.R. system, with inset detail plans of the new works." The Campbeltown & Machrihanish Light Railway The Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway was one of only four 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) narrow gauge railways in the UK. The other three were/are in Wales: the Corris Railway, the short-lived Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway and the Talyllyn Railway. The Welsh Highland Railway The Railway Magazine reported that the "Joint Committee representing the local authorities with investments in the Welsh Highland Railway has decided to ask the debenture-holders to close down the line. Carnarvonshire County Council has £15,000 in the venture, Portmadoc Urban District Council £5,000, and the Gwyrfai, Glaslyn and Deudraeth Rural District Councils £3,000 each. At a recent meeting of the Portmadoc Council, Mr. Oswald Thomas said it was important that if the railway were closed, the rails should not be taken up, particularly between Portmadoc and Croesor Bridge, as it was hoped before long to see quarries in the district working again. Captain Richard Jones said it might be arranged for the Portmadoc Council to take over that part of the railway." West Monkseaton Railway Station Waiting Shelter The Railway Magazine picked a rather modest platform building at West Monkseaton for praise. Check Rails and Ramps By 1934, it was common practice "to provide safety devices at viaducts and other important bridges to reduce to a minimum the risk of vehicles, which may have become derailed, falling over the edge. Special guard rails, fixed either inside or outside the running rails and usually at a slightly higher level, are laid across the viaduct, with some splayed arrangement at both ends to direct derailed vehicles from the edge toward the rails. An ingenious elaboration of this is shown in the accompanying illustration. It consists of converging rails with a steel ramp between them rising to rail level. Any derailed wheels would run up this and should automatically become re-railed at the top."

An article in The Railway Magazine, August 1905 discussed the use of 'Railway' and 'Railroad' in different jurisdictions around the world at the turn of the 20th century. As the linked article suggests, there was considerable uncertainty over the use of the two terms. http://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/08/14/railway-or-railroad/