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Back in 1902 the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) Stephenson of the Midland Railway Co. was asked to design an express locomotive capable of competing with other rail companies. The 4-4-0 engine design was already established so after consultation with marine sources the Midland 4-4-0 Compound  engine was the result with  5 prototypes being  built, with 2 ‘low pressure’ outside cylinders and a 3rd.‘high pressure’  cylinder inside the frame Despite some starting problems these 5 proved so good his successor  CME Deeley corrected the starting regulator problem and ordered 40 more and these 45 engines, numbered 1000-1044 proved their worth.  Particularly during the first world war frequently hauling 12-14 coach troop trains, and continued  in service even after the Midland Rly’s. 1923 merger, to become the London Midland & Scottish (LMS),  until the early 1950s. Not a bad record!
After the 1923 merger, to become the London, Midland & Scottish Rly. (LMS), CME Fowler was so impressed with the performance and economy of these engines he ordered a further 190 to be built, Nos.1045-1199 (?) then 900-939 There is some confusion whether he had the driving wheels reduced from 7ft. to 6ft.9in. for this order or if it came later when, after 40 (100?) had been built, he made a major design change by moving the Driver and all his controls from the right  to the left side of the engine. If he was so impressed with the Compounds it seems a costly change to make, these engines in fact, remained the LMS express engines until the early 1930’s.when CME Stanier was appointed. He immediately made his mark with first the Class 8 freight engine then the 2 cylinder mixed traffic ‘Black 5’ and then the 3 & 4 cylinder ‘Jubilee and Princess’ express engines. As good as these Stanier engines were the Compounds although usually relegated to ‘assisting or local duties’ were kept “in service” until about 1960 before being withdrawn and scrapped. Only this, the first one, Midland Compound No. 1000, being preserved Comp1038.jpg

No. 1000 still working a ‘local’ passenger train in 1952 and after restoration in 1956.

 

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Read somewhere that the compounds were considered the way to go as they used the steam twice so two bites of the cherry - in theory. It also mentioned the starting problems, but I've also read some ordinary puffers, especially the two cylinder jobs also had trouble starting, my cousin who's a driver at Midland Railway at Butterley has a good chunter when the won't start. I presume the three & four cylinder jobs were easier to start as less chance of stopping on a dead spot...    

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  • 2 weeks later...

   One of the LMS Compounds working a 'local' passenger train, probably to Newark & Lincoln whilst alongside is a Stanier designed 'Jubilee' leaving for London.

                             8748383596-0964f7d445-b.jpg               

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  • 6 months later...
On 9/21/2021 at 7:34 PM, albert smith said:

   One of the LMS Compounds working a 'local' passenger train, probably to Newark & Lincoln whilst alongside is a Stanier designed 'Jubilee' leaving for London.

                             8748383596-0964f7d445-b.jpg               

 

Only just seen this Albert.... forgive me for saying but surely if the Compound's going to Lincoln and the 
Jubilee to London, one of them is facing the wrong way?

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1 hour ago, notty ash said:

Trains from Nottingham to London used to leave Nottingham in either direction - the current route or over Lady Bay bridge and via Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Corby and on via Kettering

Thanks....I'd completely forgotten about the Melton route.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry Scriv I can't put a date to the photo or the closing of the Melton branch, I do think the fireman should be making sure the train is leaving the platform in a 'safe and orderly manner'! I describe leaving a station and firing on that class of work in my 'blog, My Best trip' I've probably posted it before but new members might like it.                                                                                    

                                                                         My Best Trip

On Friday evenings back in the days of steam it was usual for the 18.40 St.Pancras=Bradford express to have extra coaches added and an extra engine manned by a Nottingham crew to assist.
One Friday in August 1960 with Dvr. Charlie Stuart we arrived at Kentish Town Loco.to find we had not only been allocated a rather scruffy old Midland Compound engine, not to assist but  to work a duplicate train 10 minutes before him. I found this a bit daunting as I’d never worked out of St.Pancras with a compound before but one thing you could count on at K.Town was top quality steam coal so it was up to me to make the best use of it. Coupled to the 18.40 engine down to St.Pancras we separated, he onto his 9 coaches and us on to 8 coaches in the next platform. I had been building up a good bed of fire during the past hour and as 18.29 ticked by I put a good 10 shovels of coal  round  the firebox to keep it in place in case of a wheel slip on starting off blowing it out of the chimney! So with a sarcastic shout  across the platform of “keep out of our way” we were off with a very welcome ‘push start’ out of the platform  from the class 4 tank engine that had brought our train down from Cricklewood sidings, a practice frowned on by station staff due to the noise & smoke in the station.


Charlie was soon able to wind back the gear lever and go to ‘Compound’ mode by opening the regulator to its full extent, this opened the main valve in that dome shaped bit on the top of the boiler which directed steam into a third high pressure cylinder between the engine frames before exhausting the once used steam into the two outside cylinders to be used again. An economical system much used on steam ships but not developed or used elsewhere on the UK’s   railways. This action gives a curious ‘feel’ on the footplate, almost as if the engine is being retarded but the sequence soon sorts itself out  and ‘Big Brother ‘ in the middle soon shows his power, not bad for a 4=4=0..


Now into our stride, back past K. Town, West Hampstead passing in & out of those short but almost continuous   tunnels that must have made  for poor living conditions above with the smoke puthering out all day. Little & often with no lumps of coal bigger than two clenched fists was the rule when on this class of traffic, 6-10 shovels per charge delivered as fast as possible and the firebox doors closed again as air drawn in through the ash pan was better for combustion than ‘cold air’ through the doors. Clear of the tunnels we were soon passing the Police College at Hendon in 10 minutes, one minute late but with the engine (& myself) nicely warmed up those 7ft. Driving wheels were really covering the miles on that undulating stretch of railroad thro’ Mill Hill-Boreham Wood-Radlett etc. to St. Albans  Passing the  aptly named “Heath & Heather” ware-house of Sam Ryder, seed merchant  who  started his business life selling ‘penny’ packets of seeds to the workers  and later following a chance meeting with some American golfers he founded the “Ryder Cup” Golf match between the USA  & Europe. Nearby is a raised plinth with the Roman name for St. Albans “Verulam”, then on through Harpendon to Luton with the ‘lost’ minute being well recovered. A few extra shovels full along here ready for the climb up thro’ Leagrave and on up to Sundon where motorists on  the nearby M1 compete with us ,anyone beating us is breaking the speed limit before they veer away from the  line towards Toddington services. No break for us as with regulator open for economy of steam but maximum speed down the long descent towards Bedford we ‘fly’ through Harlington-Fliwick-Amptil-& Millbroook so fast there’s no time to count the chimneys at the London Bick Works! The noise of speeding steel wheels on steel rails together with the beat of those 3 cylinders is tremendous with hand signals or shouting the only means of communication, if noise equals speed  we have to be doing over 90 miles an hour!


The small unusually named signal box ”Houghton Conquest” (2 names put together, village is about 3 miles away and worth a ‘Google’) is just before Bedford, the station itself  is off the Main Line on the Up side so with a blast on the whistle we rattle over the junctions at Bedford South & North Boxes as we speed past.
The ‘drop down flap’ covering the lower third of the firebox opening has been raised from the start, not only firing over the top of it but building up the fire so that the last shovel or two almost fill the opening, the first shovel of the next charge scattering it around the box together with the fresh coal, now even this was increased as north of Bedford we not only have quite a gradient to climb, heavy enough for most freight trains to be routed  a longer but easier route via Wimmington before rejoining this 4 track railroad at Wellingboro’, but halfway up it levels  out to allow us to take on water on Oakley troughs. I have to close the tender door to operate the scoop handle, a little care is needed as it’s quite easy to get the scoop blade so deep in the trough the pressure keeps it therewith the excess water being ejected through the top tank opening and washing down the first coach! Experience teaches you to turn the scoop down  fully then back 2-3 turns to leave a gap in the hinged elbow beneath the tender making it easier to control the amount of water taken on, no problem this time (big head) so on thro’ Sharnbrook and the ‘top of the hill’ and aptly named signal box ”Souldrop”. Back up to speed again past Higham Ferrers then, as there is no speedometer on the engine the driver has to use his judgement for the 65mph W’boro junction onwards passing Neilsons sidings, the halfway point for all that Leen Valley coal we bring  in trains from Beeston, then Finedon and a sniff of ‘Weetabix’ at  Burton Latimer as Charlie gives 1 long & 2 short blasts on the whistle to let the signalman know we want to turn right at Kettering (straight on for Mkt. Harborough & Leicester) then hard braking for the 20mph crossover at the platform end gives us a very heavy climb up to Glendon South junction, past the isolated box at Geddington  whilst ahead is the heavy pall of steam & smoke from the massive steel works of Stewart& Lloyds at Corby (now long gone!) Leaving the ‘smoke’ we dive into the 1300 yard long wet darkness of Corby Tunnel, no slipping downhill as we emerge following the contours of the Welland valley.

 

As we pass Gretton we catch a glimpse of one of those massive Victorian masterpieces and the largest brick built structure in the UK, Harringworth  Viaduct.  Around a long bend and there it is, over a mile of dead straight track across the top of the 60ft. high & 82 arches viaduct.                                                 
So flat out now for the climb out of the valley up through Seaton & Glaston tunnels- Wing and Manton (the junction southbound for Stamford & Peterboro’) then into the ½ mile long Manton tunnel  and top of the hill so back up to speed again enough to rattle the crossing gates at Oakham-Langham, noted for its all the year display of geraniums and fuschias, Ashwell with the ? hunt kennels alongside so a quick blast on the whistle sets all the hounds yelping! Wissendine and then the long deer fence around Stapleford Park hopefully keeping the deer off the track.- Saxby and extra shovels full again as I close the tender door ready for another tank fill up on Brentingby troughs,  a bit more care here as the troughs are quite close to a crossover. Melton Mowbray, noted for its “Pork Pies”, is passed with the brakes hard on for the 40mph curve towards Nottingham,(straight on for Syston etc,)Heavy climbing again as we pass Holwell, where another steel works has ‘disappeard,’ Gretton soon follows and then into into the gloom of Old Dalby tunnel (I once picked a 1lb.of ‘Bluebuttons’ in  30 mins. in the field above)almost done now, top of the hill at Upper Broughton, station long gone but lots of left over flowers, especially in spring when the sides of the cutting are covered in Primroses.

 

Coming to the long straight down through Widmerpool and the ¾ mile long Stanton tunnel so time to think of the ‘shed’ staff so get the rake down of the tender rack and give the fire a good rake over and levelling off but still firing enough to maintain pressure and maximum speed through Plumtree and Edwalton and then the ‘distant signal’ for London Rd, junction tells us we are clear into the station. So braking hard on what is now Lady Bay Bridge we coast beneath London Rd. and into No.6 platform. Coming to a stop I get off the engine and walk along the platform to change the headlamp code to ‘light engine’ when returning I was met with a wall of passengers hurrying for the exit. I stopped halfway along the engine and noticed the builders nameplate on the wheel splasher, it read at the top “Midland Rly. Co.”, at the bottom “Built at Derby Rly. Works” and in the centre the date year”1924”! 4 years before I was born and this 36 year old engine had just worked the 125 miles from St. Pancras, London to Nottingham in 120 minutes, an average of over 60 mph and do you know Folks not one of those 300 or more passengers noticed, they didn’t even notice we were 10 minutes before time!
Putting the tail lamp on I climbed back into the cab and Thanked Charlie for the  best trip I’d had even if I had shovelled away nearly 4 tons of coal and used over 7000 gallons of water. “Yes” he replied “we did that 6 days a week before the war and put the engine away afterwards”! He meant WW 2 when 10 hour shifts were worked!

 

Only the original Midland Railway Compound No’ 1000 out of the 240 that were built survived the end of the steam era and is usually on display at York Railway Nuseum.

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I’ve walked along part of that route, even quite recently.

 

After Widmerpool and Plumtree, the line went through Edwalton and West Bridgford and much of that route is still public paths and walkways.  And of course you can now walk - and drive - over Lady Bay Bridge.

 

I posted a few photos of the area several years ago. I don't suppose Albert would recognise the view but this is part of the route he describes in his piece.

 

https://nottstalgia.com/forums/topic/12006-walking-the-old-railway-lines-after-closure/?page=6&tab=comments#comment-372412

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Thanks for the memory. I lived near the railway track next to Old Dalby station and sidings, with a view along the railway embankment over to Upper Broughton.

Apart from the loss of the old station very little of the surrounding countryside appears to have changed, apart from the closure of the Ordnance Depot and adjacent REME/RAOC camp, the test track development and the closure of the through services in the sixties to Melton and Nottingham.

Another, once pleasant, railway history lost and demolished.

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