Locomotive Performance

Review: The smaller Western Locos
 
Here we deal with everything between the Manor class 4-6-0, and the diminutive 0-4-2 class 1400 tank engines. And we cover the "British Rail" period between 1955 and 1967, the "Main Line Steam" period from 1978 onwards, and the "Heritage Railways" from the late 1970's to the present time. I have to declare that I have derived as much pleasure in recording the work of the smaller engines, as I have in recording their larger and more glamorous partners.

So below you will find a selection of performance logs covering the Manor class 4-6-0, the Churchward 4300 class 2-6-0, City of Truro and the Dukedog 4-4-0 class, The Collet Goods class 0-6-0, Prarie 2-6-2 tanks, of both the large and small categories, a 5600 class 0-6-2 tank, a variety of Pannier 0-6-0 tanks, the 1400 0-4-2 tanks. And even a couple of  Railcars.

And we visit the Torbay Steam Railway (now the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway), the Llangollen Railway, the Severn Valley Railway, the West Somerset Railway, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and the Worth Valley Railway. On all of these lines, the "Second division" locomotives work hard for their living.
 
  MANOR  CLASS 4-6-0:  
24th August 1957: 7818 Granville Manor: Birmingham Snow Hill to Dovey Junction on the Saturday 7.55am Birmingham to Aberystwyth   [view log of 7818] 

27th June 1959: 7817 Garsington Manor & 6367 from Wolverhampton to Welshpool on the Saturday 10.50am down Cambrian Coast Express  [view log of 7817 & 6367]
9th August 1987: 7819 Hinton Manor: Machynlleth to Pwllheli & return   [view log of 7819] and 16th August 1987 Machynlleth to Aberystwyth & Barmouth & return  [view log of 7819]  These B.R sponsored Cambrian Coast excursions ran on six Sundays in the summer of 1987, three ran from Machynlleth to Pwllheli and return, and three ran from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth, back to Dovey Junction, then up the coast to Barmouth. And then the whole circuit in reverrse. 
20th June 1987: 7827 Lydham Manor on the Torbay Steam Railway [view log of 7827]
1st June 1991: 7822 Foxcote Manor on the Llangollen Railway [view log of 7822]
 
   4300  CLASS 2-6-0:  
29th August 1957: 4377 Towyn to Portmadoc on the 5.40pm from Machynlleth to Pwllheli stopping service on 29th August 1957 [view log of 4377]  
16th August 1958: 4377 Machylleth to Wolverhampton on the Saturday 12.30pm Aberystwyth to Birmingham Snow Hill  [view log of 4377]
16th August 1958: 5369 Birmingham Snow Hill to Welshpool on the Saturday 7.55am Birmingham to Aberystwyth  [view log of 5369]
27th September 1992: 7325 (as 9303) on the Severn Valley [view log of 7325]
 
   CITY  CLASS 4-4-0:  
20th October 1985: 3440 City of Truro: Following a major overhaul at Bridgnorth, 3440's inaugural Main Line run was a return trip from Gloucester to Newport [view log of 3440] The locomotive subsequently had a spell operating scheduled services on the Severn Valley Railway. 1st April 1986 [view 1st log of 3440] and 3rd April 1986 [view 2nd log of 3440]  
Click here for Sound Recording of City of Truro on the Severn Valley Railway in 1986 
 
   9000 DUKEDOG  CLASS 4-4-0:  

29th August 1957: 9021 Penychain to Towyn on the 9.30am Pwllheli to Paddington, the Cambrian Coast Express. At Dovey Junction, the train would be combined with the Aberystwyth portion  [view log of 9021] 

31st August 1957: 9004 & 2296 double heading Penychain to Ruabon on the Saturday 7.20am Pwllheli to Paddington service, which ran via Dolgelly, Bala Junction and Corwen:  [view log of 9004 & 2296]
 
   2251 COLLETT GOODS  CLASS 0-6-0:  
29th July 1954: 3202 on The Pwllheli North Wales Land Cruise. Barmouth to Corwen, Rhyl, Bangor, Caernarvon, and Afon Wen [view log of 3202] 
24th August1957: 2295 on the 12.10pm Dovey Junction to Barmouth  [view log of 2295] 
24th August 1957: 2286 & 2264 double heading Barmouth to Penychain on the Saturday 11.00am Ruabon to Pwllheli  [view log of 2286 & 2264] 
27th March 1984: 3205 on the Severn Valley Railway  [view log of 3205]  also 27th March 1988 on the West Somerset Railway [view log of 3205] 
 
   5100 CLASS: LARGE PRARIE 2-6-2T:  
1st April 1955: 5192 Stratford on Avon to Tyseley on the 4.23pm Statford on Avon to Birmingham Moor Street stopping service  [view log of 5192]  
11th April 1959 4123 Cheltenham Spa to Kingham on the 12.15pm Cheltenham St James to Kingham   [view log of 4123]  
14th April 1984: 5164 on the Severn Valley Railway [view log of 5164] 
1st April 2000: 4141 on the Llangollen Railway [view log of 4141] 
 
   4500 CLASS: SMALL PRARIE 2-6-2T:  
7th August 1985: 4588 on the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway [view log of 4588]
28th April 1990: 4561 on the the West Somerset Railway [view log of 4561]
 
   5600 CLASS  0-6-2T:  
4th October 1986: 6619 on North York Moors Railway [view log of 6619]
 
   5700 & 9400 CLASSES: PANNIER TANKS 0-6-0PT:  
5th January 1956: 9438 Gloucester Central to Cheltenham Malvern Rd on the 9.05am Paddington to Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa [view log of 9438]

31st March 1959: 3775 Worcester Shrub Hill to Kidderminster on the Kidderminster portion of the 4.45pm Paddington to Worcester and Hereford  [view log of 3775]

19th August 1987: 7760 on the Severn Valley Railway [view log of 7760]
31st March 1990: 5775 on the Worth Valley Railway [view log of 5775]
19th March 1999: 9466 on the West Somerset Railway [view log of 9466]
30th September 1999: 9600 on a Vintage Trains Tyseley to Nuneaton return evening railtour [view log of 9600]
1st October 2000: 9600 & 7760 Vintage Trains Birmingham Suburban tour, which included Tyseley to Nuneaton, then on via Coventry  to Leamington Spa (reverse), then Stratford on Avon (reverse), then on to Stourbridge Junction via Henley in Arden, and Birmingham Snow Hill. The final section from Stourbridge Junction, after the final reversal,  was up Old Hill bank, then back through Snow Hill to Tyseley:  [view log of 9600 & 7760]
    1400 CLASS  0-4-2T:  

6th October 1954: 1414 on Stourbridge Town branch on the 12.48pm from Town to Stourbridge Junction. I calculate that I used this service over 400 times during the period 1950 to 1955. What better way was there of spending one's School lunch break. [view log of 1414]

4th September 1957: 1452 Paignton to Newton Abbot on the 10.05am service [view log of 1452]
23rd September 1995: 1466 on the Severn Valley Railway [view logs of 1466]
14th September 1996: 1450 on the West Somerset Railway [view logs of 1450]
 
  DIESEL RAILCARS:  
5th October 1955: W32 Kidderminster to Tenbury Wells & return, out on the 2.00pm service, and back on the 3.05pm from Tenbury Wells  [view log of W32]
20th May 1990: W20 on the Severn Valley Railway [view log of W20]
 
The HIGHLIGHTS were (1) the splendid running of 2-6-0 no 4377 on the Cambrian Coast and Main lines in 1957 and 1958. (2) Ditto by classmate 5369 also on the Cambrian lines. (3) Some hard work from 7819 Hinton Manor on the 1987 Sunday Cambrian Coast excursions. (4) The delights of the North Wales Land Cruise in 1954 and the 1957 4-4-0 plus 0-6-0 combination from Barmouth to Ruabon. (5) Lots of excellent running on the Heritage lines, involving a variety of the smaller GW classes.
 

 The Sound Recording of City of Truro comes from David Bailey's Steamsounds Website.