Journal 60 — Winter 2015

Table of Contents

  • Foreigners / By Ian Howard
  • The Story Of Burton And Ashby Light Railways Car No. 14: A Fairy Tale With A Happy Ending
  • The Midland And The Irish Sea: Part 2 / By David Hunt
  • 0–4–4T No. 1222 Passing Through A Station On A Goods Working
  • Mail On The Midland Railway And Its Constituents, 1840–1875: Part 3 / By John Soer
  • Query Corner
  • Comments on Items in Previous Journals
  • Midland Take-over Fever
  • Front cover

    Front cover

    This interesting photograph was taken on the south quay, probably in the summer of 1905, with Londonderry alongside the Belfast goods shed. The group on the quayside were presumably passengers about to board Londonderry and it is noteworthy how close to the railway wagons and travelling cranes they were allowed to go without any apparent restriction — not something that would be countenanced today. The rail wagons were to D271 and were designed to carry four of the ship’s coal containers seen on them here that could be transferred by the cranes directly into the ships’ bunkers. On Londonderry herself it can be seen that the bridge was open to the elements with just a small wheelhouse in case of extremely inclement weather; in 1906 the bridge was moved about thirty feet aft of the position shown. Note also the small, furled foresail carried at that time, the only evidence of one ever being used being in photographs of the ships undergoing sea trials.

    [Roy F. Burrows Midland Collection Trust, No. 06480: Midland Railway Study Centre]

  • Rear cover

    Rear cover

    This is one of the letters in a bundle of 31 that your Editor bought many years ago from a second hand bookshop in Sheffield. All the letters are to Frederick Swanwick, one of the engineers with a major influence on the form and structure of the early Midland Railway. I hope to include an article on Swanwick in one of the future MRS Journals.

    This letter was sent to Swanwick on 25th January 1850 by G.N. Browne from Leicester Station. It is on behalf of John Ellis, who had taken over the Chairmanship of the Midland Railway from George Hudson following the exposure of Hudson’s very questionably business methods and financial dealings. Ellis was very concerned about the precarious financial state of the Midland at the time, and he needed from Swanwick a clear and accurate statement of the state of affairs on the five recently constructed lines mentioned in the letter.

    The text written in the left hand margin says ‘I thank you for your letter upon the subject of Taylor’s claim’.

    [Ian Howard collection]