INDUSTRIAL RAILWAYS IN COLOUR

BY MICHAEL POULTER

Enthusiasts Club and the Birmingham Locomotive Club-Industrial Locomotive Information Section fuelled the explorations. Other locations rapidly followed in the same year. The enchantment of visits to the Millwall and Royal Docks, Dagenham Dock, Beckton and Purfleet spread to Barrington and Wissington, the ironstone country of the East Midlands and the Lancashire Coalfield. In the ensuing years most corners of the United Kingdom were covered. It was in 1960 that I switched from black and white film to colour. However I later returned to pursue the craft of using black and white alongside colour film. London has a particular appeal as my city of birth. In the sixties the capital was still affectionately known as 'The Smoke' and with good reason. Amidst the close knit housing of East London; gas works, power stations, chemical and tanning works still gave freely of their toxic vapours. Most of the industry was concentrated along the Thames which still provided an economic means of transport despite the advent of railways. Confluent with the Thames are the Medway and the Lea whose banks were also home to heavy industry. Taking the Docklands Light Railway through a panorama of familiar names like Custom House and Gallions Reach it was hard to recognize remnants of the past. The dismal marshes at Beckton were a reminder that this terrain was originally purchased for the sprawl of Beckton Gas Works. Nowadays with the countrywide shrinkage of sites boasting industrial locomotives there is only a sprinkling to be found in Greater London. Nevertheless, on a visit to Ford's of Dagenham in August, 2009 it was heartening to enjoy their diesel locomotives still bedecked with the Ford logo and royal blue livery reminiscent of steam days. The focus of the book is on the old County of London and the Home Counties with an excursion into Hampshire and a cross border visit into Cambridgeshire from Hertfordshire.

THIS TITLE TO BE PUBLISHED AUGUST 2009

This portrait of industrial railways in North East England is very much a personal view of the scene during the first half of 1968 and is certainly not comprehensive. For example, one of the places I did not visit was the well known and extensive National Coal Board system at Ashington, probably because the engines were relatively modern and the photographic possibilities not particularly outstanding. At the beginning of the year over sixty NCB and private industrial sites in Northumberland and Durham had steam engines, although in some cases they were stored out of use. Almost a third of these locations are featured here. Overall, the North East's industrial railways presented a wonderful array of machines in very varied settings. Engines ranged in age from the 1863 Lewin 0-4-0ST at Seaham Harbour to a 1957 Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0ST at Burradon. They also came in various sizes, from a diminutive vertical-boiler Head Wrightson 0-4-0 at Stockton to the magnificent 0-6-2T locos at Philadelphia. There were also unusual specimens, such as the 'long-boiler' at Derwenthaugh, the well-tank at Wallsend Slipway and crane tanks at Doxford's shipyard in Sunderland. In marked contrast to BR's then corporate blue and grey livery, the engines were variously adorned in green, red, blue, black and yellow.

My interest in this long-vanished aspect of the life and character of so many parts of Northumberland and Durham started towards the end of a geography degree course at Durham University from 1965 to 1968. Between lectures, tutorials, essays and the like, together with plenty of socialising with fellow students from Van Mildert and other colleges, it was very enjoyable to explore the North East. Trips by train and bus included investigating the residue of BR steam in the area. Fond memories of J27s and Q6s at Tyne Dock, WDs at Sunderland and K1s at Blyth will last forever. With this scene about to vanish for good, I came across a booklet entitled 'Tyneside Steam 1967' and purchased the subsequent edition which appeared early in 1968. Together, they opened up a whole new world of industrial locos. Some illustrations of my ensuing adventures are reproduced here. One of my intentions at the time was to portray the engines in their natural environment wherever possible. Hopefully, the varied settings including colliery yards, back lanes, shipyard machinery, riverside vistas and rural valleys will add to the enjoyment. I am indebted to Mick Hubbard for scanning my slides and the hospitality of Phil, Steve and Daphne was essential while I was writing this book. Matt deserves special thanks for rescuing my work when the computer blew up!

Paul Anderson, Leicester.

Trawling through old dusty notebooks and pursuing background research in preparation for this book has revived many memories of travels to South Wales in pursuit of industrial railways. It has given an opportunity to reflect on why it was my favourite region. Perhaps a combination of geomorphology, infrastructure and people. The dominant local scenery of steep sided valleys cut down through the Pennant Sandstone formation renders the region unique in these Isles. Mines, foundries and housing jostled with each other for space in these crowded valleys, intertwined with road, river and rail. Fences appeared to be an idea that had yet to arrive. Paradoxically this close 'connectedness' gave a sense of openness to the visitor which was mirrored in the local folk. A warm welcome from gaffers who recounted local railway anecdotes over tea dispensed from grimy mugs was commonplace. A treasured piece of railwayana would be unwrapped from a greasy cupboard and displayed proudly and possibly presented as a gift. A marked contrast to these days when railwayana is expensive spoil. With the passing of the mines and foundries so has this tactile and collective culture gone for ever. The more sterile information and consumer age has created light industry and supermarkets on the burial grounds of the mines. 'Lived in' overalls have been replaced by high visibility vests, hard hats and safety boots. Permission to view the remaining sites worth visiting can be fraught with bureaucratic difficulty in contrast to the welcoming open access that was once widespread in South Wales.

In this context of change I hope my images will convey some sense of the lost character of the region. It has a special place in my memories and this opportunity to express them in pictures and words has given me much pleasure. The images are set in a general chronological order except when grouped according to location (Brynlliw, Maerdy, Marine, Mountain Ash, Pontardulais and Talywain).

Thanks are due to life-long friend Anthony Janes (who accompanied me on forays in the 1960s) for his encouragement as well as his wife, Glenys, for suggesting textual amendments. I am indebted to Bob Darvill of the Industrial Railway Society for cracking some industrial locomotive history puzzlers. Last but not least I am grateful for the support of my partner, Sundar Walker.

Michael Poulter, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria