LONDON NORTH EASTERN (LNER)

By Peter Coster

With the second book of the pair examining the engineering and operation of the GNR main line from Kings Cross to Doncaster over the years, we turn our attention away from the metropolis towards the countryside. I have not repeated the preface of Part One, but the comments apply equally to Part Two. This is not a detailed history of the GN main line, but an engineering and operational commentary.

However, it would not be possible nowadays to write a reflective account of this nature without acknowledging the enormous archive of historical material from the many authors who have already written on this subject and I am happy to do so. As I wrote in Part One, the definitive work was that of Charles H Grinling, "The History of the Great Northern Railway". Then there was the work of such as John Wrottesley, R A H (Bob) Weight, F A S Brown, E A J Neve, W A Tuplin and others, latterly Dr Ben Brooksbank. To all these I give my grateful thanks.

While my knowledge of the GN main line is good, it is not infallible, and where there is doubt over any issue or caption, I have said so. Anecdotes were part of the working railway at all levels and I have included a selection where it seemed apposite, as I recall them together with my own memories. Comments and clarification should be forwarded to Irwell Press in the usual way. My grateful thanks go to friends and colleagues over the years, particularly Ken Haysom, formerly Assistant Chief Civil Engineer on the Southern Region of BR and previously Divisional Engineer at Kings Cross.

This has been assembled for your interest, nostalgia and perhaps even amusement. This is my tribute to generations of "GN men and women" who built and ran a good railway that I remember with admiration and fondness.

By Peter Coster

The sum of all the books ever published on the Great Northern Railway from Kings Cross to Doncaster, its successors the LNER, then the Eastern Region of British Railways, and now including Railtrack and Network Rail, together with the engineers and their locomotives, if laid end to end, would take us well down the line itself, maybe even beyond it. And that's without the outpourings of the Internet.

This is different; a book about the GNR, of course, but from the engineering and operational perspective in particular, continuing from the last days of the GNR up to the present time. It is a description of the heritage that our predecessors created, their skill, experience and occasional mistakes, judged intelligently (it is to be hoped) with hindsight.

The two volumes describe the GNR main line in the form of a journey northwards to the centre of the universe for aficionados, Doncaster; Part One takes us as far as Welwyn Garden City. Inevitably, for one whose acquaintance with the 'GN', as we called it, started a quarter of a century after the company's demise, it is seen through the prisms of engineering knowledge and personal experience. It is illustrated with Ordnance Surveys of the period in most cases, although some post-date the 1922 Grouping, complemented with photographs.

It describes what would now be termed the 'infrastructure' of the GNR existing at the time of Grouping, describing the methods of construction used, the implications for subsequent maintenance and renewals and the methods used, over the decades up to the present. The commentary continues with subsequent events on the working railway up to more recent times, particularly methods on maintaining the working railway, with anecdotes from that working railway.

The story of the development of steam traction on the East Coast Route must be one of the best known and documented stories in steam locomotive history, if not the best. The rapid enlargement of steam locomotives under the leadership of Henry Ivatt was followed by the long tenure of Nigel Gresley, culminating in his magnificent Pacifics, Green Arrows and Mikados, and 126mph. In this book Peter Coster touches on the salient features of the story as they concern Gresley’s first Pacifics of Class A1 moving on to his Class A3. The narrative and illustrations deal with the long history of these splendid locomotives, to which the author makes his own comments as they seem appropriate. For many of us, these locomotives had a special place in our affections. Nigel Gresley built his Pacifics not just to look magnificent, but to work hard and efficiently. We start with his A1 Pacific No.1470, which was introduced in 1922, and move on to the A3, introduced in 1928. The work of these locomotives will be described and illustrated, up to the very last in service under British Railways. The author has used the appropriate locomotive numbers for the period, and names, but has used 24hr notation for times of day. He has also used the LNER classification rather than the GNR, to which it was very similar in principle, but different in detail. Peter Coster has written this short account of one of the most famous and well-loved steam locomotive designs as both a railway engineer and as a lifelong enthusiast. Although he has done many things in his professional career and in his leisure, he has not been fortunate enough to work with locomotives such as these. However, it was his good fortune to know as friends many who did, and has drawn much from what he learnt from them in this book. This account is written by an author who lived, as many did, at the south end of the East Coast main line, and therefore it is seen in that perspective. Although he has tried to cover events and situations overall, the stories and anecdotes lean towards the southern end of the line.

As a very small boy Peter Coster could remember a little of his first railway book. It had a title something like The Boy’s Book of Trains and, like his contemporaries, he would pore over the pages of British, European and transatlantic trains, becoming almost word perfect. One illustration stood out, which he later learnt was staged by the LNER Publicity Department at Waterworks Sidings at Wood Green, which he had seen repeated many times since. It showed three A4s, each at the head of a rake of coaching stock, in echelon, with towering exhausts, with an A3 farthest away from the main line, accelerating away. It left a small boy impressed but bewildered. It was a very impressive sight, but if the A4 was the best of the LNER’s express locomotives, why wasn ‘t it called an A1? Didn’t A1 mean the best, the absolutely top quality? Find out more in this definitive book on the A4 pacifics. If you thought you knew everything there was to know about A4s and you thought you had seen every photo; think again.

The ever-expanding ‘Book Of’ locomotive series from Irwell Press now has a burgeoning paperback series to supplement the various titles the Photographic Accompaniments. Following the success of the Coronation Pacific Accompaniments 1 and 2 and Accompaniments also to the Britannia Pacifics and the Lord Nelsons, it’s a thrill to announce two more: The Book of the A4 Pacifics, A Photographic Accompaniment:1 The Book of the A4 Pacifics, A Photographic Accompaniment:2 Every single A4, twice over! With a third to follow very soon!

The ever-expanding ‘Book Of’ locomotive series from Irwell Press now has a burgeoning paperback series to supplement the various titles the Photographic Accompaniments. Following the success of the Coronation Pacific Accompaniments 1 and 2 and Accompaniments also to the Britannia Pacifics and the Lord Nelsons, it’s a thrill to announce two more: The Book of the A4 Pacifics, A Photographic Accompaniment:1 The Book of the A4 Pacifics, A Photographic Accompaniment:2 Every single A4, twice over! With a third to follow very soon!

This is our third collection of photographs of the 35 A4 Pacifics and the W1 4-6-2-2. With The Book of the A4 Pacifics and the previous two Accompaniments, a considerable portfolio has been built up. Of course it is not quite as we would have wished, for (as ever) there are too few of pre-war days and rather more of their latter days, which gives a false impression to those not lucky enough to see the engines in their prime. We would have liked to include the work of famous names such as Cyril Herbert, who specialised in the pre-war LNER and the Bishop of Railway Photography, Eric Treacy, to name but two and perhaps this might be possible in a future Accompaniment.

A lot of photographs were taken on shed, which cramps one's style when trying to depict the engines working hard, or at speed. It is easy to forget how slow emulsions were half a century ago, and how expensive good cameras with large apertures were. Not every day was sunny and not many engines were clean, taxing the ingenuity of the photographer and his light meter, and often calling for a longer exposure than was practicable just in order to get a decent shot of an elusive engine. - Peter Coster

Final volume in Peter Coster’s monumental survey of the LNER Gresley, Thompson and Peppercorn ‘big engines’. Completes the ‘set’ and is sure to be much sought after. Begins with the usual authoritative ‘man on the spot’ account of their construction and running followed by illustrations of individual locomotives. Familiar format with hundreds of first class photographs, performance appendices and all the rest.

The first of this author's many books and articles for Irwell Press was Railways of Lincolnshire, first published in 1992. Fortunately it proved popular and was reprinted twice, although it has not been available for some years. The book looked at Lincolnshire's railways from a largely historical point of view and used photographs from nearly fifty sources. Although Paul was more than eager to comply with the publishers' request to write a further book on the area, he had to sideline the idea simply because of the lack of available photographs. However, there was a subsequent development which not only made this book possible, but determined its style. Using the photographs and reminiscences of the late Jack Cupit, the author has put together another exciting and evocative look at Lincolnshire in the 1950s. Order now!

The Collected Reminiscences of Shed Life both on and off the Footplate

Life in the days of BR steam at one of the most renowned locomotive depots in Scotland, the celebrated Haymarket, 64B. A well-written worm's eye view from a Cleaner/Office Boy/Fireman who before he moved on to (much) higher things on the railway experienced every facet of locomotive life at Haymarket. This meant work in and around the Scottish capital and out to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle and the Waverley route. Star studded cast of LNER Pacifics, from SPEARMINT and MERLIN to AULD REEKIE, BONNIE DUNDEE and all the rest. Breathtaking collection of unseen photographs.