Stephen rabone Editor tel: 07794 773697 e-mail: steverabone@hotmail.com editorial postal address: 120 Churchill Road, Middlesbrough TS6 9NS

Regular Contributors: colin boocock paul a. Lunn

The fiftieth anniversary celebrations of the ‘Deltics’ at the National Railway Museum and also on the East Lancashire Railway at Bury have obviously struck a chord with readers of TRACTION. My email inbox was groaning under the weight of ‘Deltic’ images! Sadly, most of these photographs won’t make it into print, but I’m sure the memories will stay with those who were there for a long time.

Talking of memories, the anniversary celebrations brought back a personal one when I heard my first ‘Deltic’ in August 1961. Note that I write “heard”. My father had taken me to York for a day’s train spotting but, as well as being a railway enthusiast, he was also a keen observer of church architecture. I’m sure I don’t have to tell readers that York is full of medieval churches and that my father wanted to see, or so it seemed to a nine year old, all of them.

In summer 1961 the ‘Deltics’ had just started to haul the ‘Flying Scotsman’ services. My father promised me that we would be back at the station in time to see both the north and southbound trains, which passed just north of York at about one o’clock. But he timed our return to the station badly. As we walked across Lendal Bridge over the River Ouse we heard the northbound train. Worse was to come as, just as we arrived on the station’s outer concourse, the roar of a ‘Deltic’ filled the station as the southbound train passed through.

To say I was upset would be an understatement; living in Lancashire the chances to see ‘Deltics’ were limited. It was only when we went to stay with my aunt and uncle in Harrogate that we ventured east of the Pennines. So I’d been looking forward to bragging to my school friends that I’d seen a ‘Deltic’. Admittedly, the sight of a ‘Britannia’, 70002 Geoffrey Chaucer, arriving on the Colchester to Newcastle express did something to cheer me up. It was to be another two years before I saw my first of the big Napier diesels, although by the end of 1964 I’d seen all of them.

One of the big mysteries of railway preservation is why, when the list of locomotives to be preserved officially was drawn up, the first main line diesel, 10000, was excluded. Today, it’s hard to believe that this wasn’t considered as important an example to save for the future as the final steam locomotive, 92220. I remember on a tour of Derby Works in 1966 seeing 10000, together with the S.R. diesels 10201-3, languishing in a line withdrawn and awaiting disposal. 10000 had been withdrawn in 1963 but 10001 survived in traffic until 1966. Sadly, both locomotives were cut up in early 1968, when the enthusiast world was concerned only with the dying days of steam.

News that the Ivatt Diesel Recreation Society has been formed with the intention of constructing a replica of this type has recently been announced and we at TRACTION wish them every success. It seems an enormous task but, given the success of other ‘new builds’ in steam preservation, we can only hope the group will succeed.

This issue’s content is, as usual, varied and thought provoking. Colin Boocock puts forward the idea that the ‘Westerns’ were more reliable and efficient than often suggested, and that BR should have moved them to work heavy freight trains on the Eastern Region. Garry Morris relates his experiences with the same type of locomotive when he became a second man based in Exeter.

J. Crosse, with the help of a superb collection of photographs from Colour-Rail, describes the momentous changes that took place on Britain’s railways in 1962. The Editor looks back to the time when he discovered just what went on the hours of darkness at Carlisle station in the 1970s and 1980s. Both of these articles are in two parts, with the second instalments being scheduled for publication in TRACTION 202.

For our Scottish readers, Martin Axford visits Inverness in 1986 in the days when it wasn’t just the trains themselves that were of interest, but the variety of semaphore signals. Heading for Wales Garry Stroud charts the changing face of motive power on the Llandudno branch.

Andrew Turner was determined to photograph every member of the Ruston & Hornsby departmental shunting locomotives numbered in the PWM series and shows us the results of his efforts. David King won a competition to drive 37254 on the Spa Valley Railway and tells us just what it’s like to be behind the controls of one of Britain’s favourite diesel locomotives.

In TRACTION MODELLING Paul Lunn looks at the Cambrian Coast and Blaenau Ffestiniog branches and shows how a knowledge of the prototype operations will help create an interesting layout. We have also included a little Welsh in this article; is this a first for a British railway magazine? Needless to say we’ve had the translation done by a native Welsh speaker! Paul also looks in detail at signal boxes and the tremendous variety that exists in these mundane structures.

Don't forget that TRACTION now has a website at www.atlanticpublishers.com. Here you will find my Editor's blog and more information about the magazine.

Finally, on behalf of all at Atlantic Publishers, I would like to wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and a successful 2012.

Carlisle – ‘The Night Shift’ _Page 18

The ‘night shift’ is about to start, as a Class 47/4 stands in Platform 1

waiting to go forward with the 16:05 Nottingham to Glasgow.

Summer 1981. Steve Harper

The PWM shunting locomotives _Page 42

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All rights reserved. Material is only accepted on the understanding that there are no copyright restrictions. Although every care will be taken, all materials submitted are at the owner’s risk and Atlantic Publishers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage however caused. Copyright on all materials in this magazine remains vested in the Authors and Atlantic Publishers. Reproduction of the whole or any part is forbidden without the relevant permissions. Atlantic Publishers and the Editor cannot be held responsible for any error that might occur in text or advertisements. Reliance placed upon the contents of the magazine is entirely at the reader’s own risk.

©atlantic publishers Ltd. 2011 Going Loco to Llandudno _Page 28

Model Box _Page 53

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Publisher: Trevor Ridley editor: Stephen Rabone

Design & Production: Juliet Arthur

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Distribution: News Trade, Warners Distribution – Tel: 01778 392417 Model Trade, Warners Trade Sales – Tel: 01778 392404

Printed by: Warners Midlands plc

Contents news

Current mainline and heritage traction developments

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the ‘Westerns’: should they have stayed?

Colin Boocock asks whether keeping the class in service could have saved BR buying

70 new locomotives

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Western experience Garry Morris tells us about his first week working as a second man on ‘Westerns’

15

Carlisle – ‘the night shift’

Part 1

Stephen Rabone finds himself fascinated by night operations at

Carlisle in the 1970s

18

44

Cover Operated by Transrail for ScotRail, green liveried 37403 Ben Cruachan passes Aonach Mor near Fort William with a train from Glasgow on the 7th April 1994. Douglas Young

TRACTION is published bi-monthly by Atlantic Publishers.

next Issue MAR/APR 202 on sale 3rd FEB 2012

ISSN: 1354-2680

tPo Your letters and photos to the editor

37s, 47s and semaphores at Inverness Martin Axford spends time at

Inverness in 1986

24

46

Going Loco to Llandudno

Gary Stroud looks back at locomotive haulage on the

Llandudno branch

28

48

Diesel Driver experience Day

32

David King tells us about the day he won the chance to drive a class 37

1962 Review of the Year –

Part 1

J Crosse looks back 50 years at progress on the BR

Modernisation Plan

34

54

58

the PWM shunting locomotives

Andrew Turner decided to hunt down these departmental shunting locomotives before they were scrapped

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Reviews The latest books and DVDs tRACtIon MoDeLLInG

Rhyfeddodau Cymru – Welsh Wonders Paul Lunn puts forward a suggestion for a combined homebased and exhibition layout

Model Box Paul Lunn looks at the detailing possibilities that signal boxes present

Heljan Class 55 in o scale Jeff Nicholls reviews this magnificent model

Contributions to tRACtIon We are always interested in receiving contributions for TRACTION to allow us to make the magazine even more interesting. If you can write about your experiences as a member of the railway’s staff, or as an enthusiast, we’d really like to hear from you. We need interesting articles on any subject related to the diesel and electric traction, as well as features for those interested in model railways. Text can be in typed or digital formats. We can accept photographs in colour or black and white, and in any format; prints, negatives, slides or digital.

www.atlanticpublishers.com

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