THE WESTERN REGION DIESEL HYDRAULICS - A Pictorial Observation

[Brian Kirby]

Just appearing in shops now, this is a refreshing new look at the erstwhile WR hydraulic fleet, by RMwebber Robert Carroll,

covering all types including Classes 14,22 and 41, which are overlooked in some publications.

Not only are these mostly newly-sourced photographs, but every image is reproduced in glorious colour,

containing none of those dreary old black and white shots, and no old favourites popping up from other books.

As this "bookazine" is part of a general railway series, there is an introduction by fellow RMwebber Tony Wright, he

then hands over to Robert Carroll, who supplies some very interesting background information, by way

of the extended captions for each image. These are clearly written by someone who knows his subject,

as well as much more on the make-up of the trains behind the locomotives.

There are some rare images included in this volume, like D810 COCKADE climbing Dainton Bank in

green with full yellow fronts (one of only two in this short-lived livery variant), D801 VANGUARD in maroon,

and rarest of all, D802 FORMIDABLE in blue with full yellow ends, which it only carried for a year until

early withdrawal in October 1968. Other mouth-watering images are Hymek D7001 (without roof horns) on a mixed

freight climbing through Chalford, D7030 at Tiverton Junction, and D847 STRONGBOW on a substitute Bristol

Pullman in 1964.

This volume has been very well put together, I guarantee you will read it at least three times, from

cover-to-cover, and it will be cherished on your bookshelves, as a very worthy record. At £10.99 (Irwell Press) this is very good

value, I highly recommend it, I urge you to add this to your collection. (My score = 10/10 full marks)

Cheers, Brian.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Brian Kirby

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Thanks for the review - now on my 'to buy' list for the Mrs to get me for xmas,

[Enterprisingwestern]

Thanks for the review - now on my 'to buy' list for the Mrs to get me for xmas,

 

You can wait that long???!!!

 

Mike.

[robertcwp]

Thanks for the comments.

 

I'm not sure when it will hit the shops. My author's copies only arrived on Thursday and Brian was referring to the one I sent him in his review above.

 

I believe it is a WHSmith exclusive but has been seen on Waterstones' site as one you can pre-order (I couldn't find the page). I understand that it only goes into some High Street WHSmith branches and not those at railway stations. Previous bookazines have appeared in the Holborn Circus branch, which is close to where I work, but not always in my local branch (unless they had all be bought before I saw them). They have also been available direct from Irwell Press, but this one is not yet on their website.

 

If you are a fan of blue Westerns in their final years, look away now. Westerns were given the lowest priority, in particular their final years, not because I don't like them but because there are loads of books full of images of blue Westerns. I like Warships, hence why I have so many slides.

 

I think the image count is 30 Westerns, 63 D800 Warships, 3 D600 Warships, 25 Hymeks, 4 Class 14s and 17 Class 22s, plus one V200. Determined mostly by what was available.

 

I only have one colour shot of a D600 so the other two are the only black and white images in the publication. 

 

Most of the images are from my collection, which is on Flickr, but some are from Colour Rail and others from Rail-Online, who very helpfully supplied some Class 22 images late on in the process, as well as various others. Tony Wright also contributed some of his slides.

 

The livery coverage is not complete, the main gap being a maroon with full yellow ends Western, as I only have one not very good image in my collection. Also no green with full yellow ends Hymek as the only slide in my collection is too dark to be printable and my only decent blue with small yellow panels and blue cab window frames Hymek has already appeared in another book (as have several other Hymek images). Most of the 'train' shots are passenger workings, reflecting my interest. 

 

No South Wales shots, which I find disappointing, but I have no colour ones of Hydraulics there in my collection. 

 

ISBN: 978-1-911262-21-3

 

Credit is due to Tony Wright, for getting me involved and to Martin Street and others in the Diesel Traction group for providing so many useful comments on photos in my Flickr collection, which I have incorporated into the captions.

 

By the way, don't expect loads more books or bookazines from me, not until I retire anyway.

[Downendian]

As a fellow collector of WR hydraulic slides and negatives I will not be without this book, and will be buying it. In the old days on eBay you could see the identity of fellow bidders during the auction. Robert outbid me on many occasions for some classic hydraulic images (e.g. That of D810 Brian mentions). I know the cost and patience it takes to build a collection of this quality.

It is great to see Robert has been very open with sharing them, and has one of the finest collections on Flickr and now to see it in print.

It's imperative that we do not lose track of an important period of our railway history, and these images should be recorded for posterity, especially for modellers of this era.

Neil

[Tony Wright]

Thanks for the comments.

 

I'm not sure when it will hit the shops. My author's copies only arrived on Thursday and Brian was referring to the one I sent him in his review above.

 

I believe it is a WHSmith exclusive but has been seen on Waterstones' site as one you can pre-order (I couldn't find the page). I understand that it only goes into some High Street WHSmith branches and not those at railway stations. Previous bookazines have appeared in the Holborn Circus branch, which is close to where I work, but not always in my local branch (unless they had all be bought before I saw them). They have also been available direct from Irwell Press, but this one is not yet on their website.

 

If you are a fan of blue Westerns in their final years, look away now. Westerns were given the lowest priority, in particular their final years, not because I don't like them but because there are loads of books full of images of blue Westerns. I like Warships, hence why I have so many slides.

 

I think the image count is 30 Westerns, 63 D800 Warships, 3 D600 Warships, 25 Hymeks, 4 Class 14s and 17 Class 22s, plus one V200. Determined mostly by what was available.

 

I only have one colour shot of a D600 so the other two are the only black and white images in the publication. 

 

Most of the images are from my collection, which is on Flickr, but some are from Colour Rail and others from Rail-Online, who very helpfully supplied some Class 22 images late on in the process, as well as various others. Tony Wright also contributed some of his slides.

 

The livery coverage is not complete, the main gap being a maroon with full yellow ends Western, as I only have one not very good image in my collection. Also no green with full yellow ends Hymek as the only slide in my collection is too dark to be printable and my only decent blue with small yellow panels and blue cab window frames Hymek has already appeared in another book (as have several other Hymek images). Most of the 'train' shots are passenger workings, reflecting my interest. 

 

No South Wales shots, which I find disappointing, but I have no colour ones of Hydraulics there in my collection. 

 

ISBN: 978-1-911262-21-3

 

Credit is due to Tony Wright, for getting me involved and to Martin Street and others in the Diesel Traction group for providing so many useful comments on photos in my Flickr collection, which I have incorporated into the captions.

 

By the way, don't expect loads more books or bookazines from me, not until I retire anyway.

I think you've done a splendid job, Robert (though, I admit, I have a vested interest).

 

I think we've got a bookazine on DMUs between us, don't you think? Irwell hope so!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[robertcwp]

I think you've done a splendid job, Robert (though, I admit, I have a vested interest).

 

I think we've got a bookazine on DMUs between us, don't you think? Irwell hope so!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I certainly don't have a bookazine's worth of good colour DMU material with a good enough spread but something might be possible by also using your images. Time is my enemy.

 

I'm also no fan of second-generation units - too modern for me.

Edited November 11, 2018 by robertcwp

[Covkid]

I think you've done a splendid job, Robert (though, I admit, I have a vested interest).

 

I think we've got a bookazine on DMUs between us, don't you think? Irwell hope so!

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

 

  

I certainly don't have a bookazine's worth of good colour DMU material with a good enough spread but something might be possible by also using your images. Time is my enemy.

 

I'm also no fan of second-generation units - too modern for me.

Loving the DMU idea but it really does need to be restricted to 1st gen (vaccy braked) EMUS as well as the odd SR DEMU I guess.

[PM47079]

I look forward to this. As one who has just started to take an interest in the hydraulic era,I am eager to find out more about it through books/magazines

[Covkid]

I look forward to this. As one who has just started to take an interest in the hydraulic era,I am eager to find out more about it through books/magazines

I did this few years ago and provided you are interested in the pukka Western Region there aren'the problems. For me however interested in the West Midlands, Black Country and South Staffs things are more tricky. Stafford Road (Wolverhampton) drivers needed to learn the D1000"Western" class locos for working the expresses to Paddington, so initially learned them on Wolverhampton-Stourbridge local trains via Priestfield and Dudley. There are a handful of published photos of these trains which probably only happened for a month at most.

 

A little while later the former Western Region routes transferred to the LMR so that places like Banbury, Tyseley, Oxley and Stourbridge became LMR depots. Despite this some hydraulics worked into and through.There was actually a diagram for a London Euston - Shrewsbury train to be hauled by an NBL Warship from Wolverhampton High Level.

['CHARD]

I can't wait for this to add to my collection - although I no longer work across the road from Holborn Circus WHSmiths, I'll be placing an order on payday next week! 

[The Stationmaster]

I'm lurking in our local WHS branch at more frequent intervals in anticipation of this one as it is likely to appear there judging by past form.  Just need to beat the crowd!

[robertcwp]

Apparently it's on sale today in Ian Allan's Birmingham shop.

[Steamport Southport]

If looking for them in WH Smiths, if you don't see them in the normal railway magazines section then have a look around.

 

In my experience they've been put in some odd places recently. Often in with the magazines with toy dinosaurs or bits of R2D2 on the cover. They might even be in a rack by the till.

 

 

 

Jason

[valleymodeller]

I first saw this on Facebook a few days ago. I tried the Irwell Press sit but no sign of it there. As stated above it looks like it's appeared in Ian Allan shops, but having lost our branch in Cardiff I'll have to wait until it appears in WHS. I hope this is soon. It looks a cracker of a book.

 

Tony

[PM47079]

I did this few years ago and provided you are interested in the pukka Western Region there aren'the problems. For me however interested in the West Midlands, Black Country and South Staffs things are more tricky. Stafford Road (Wolverhampton) drivers needed to learn the D1000"Western" class locos for working the expresses to Paddington, so initially learned them on Wolverhampton-Stourbridge local trains via Priestfield and Dudley. There are a handful of published photos of these trains which probably only happened for a month at most.

 

A little while later the former Western Region routes transferred to the LMR so that places like Banbury, Tyseley, Oxley and Stourbridge became LMR depots. Despite this some hydraulics worked into and through.There was actually a diagram for a London Euston - Shrewsbury train to be hauled by an NBL Warship from Wolverhampton High Level.

It's information like that that is useful to me, where they worked as far as etc.

[robertcwp]

It's information like that that is useful to me, where they worked as far as etc.

The bookazine isn't really intended for that though. A good source of information is the Facebook group on the hydraulics. There are several such groups. The best one is called BR Diesel Hydraulics 1957-1979 (& other BR era Hydraulics).

[robertcwp]

Now available to order direct from Irwell Press: http://www.irwellpress.com/acatalog/BOOKAZINE.html#a876

[Not Jeremy]

I have it stock in my shop too, well done Robert (and Tony)

 

http://titfield.co.uk/Book-shelves/Books-N1-det.htm#5088

 

I think it's great that you are prepared to share so widely the images that you have collected Robert, both on the web and in books too - thank you very much!

 

Simon

 

Here is a gratuitous picture of a model hydraulic out in the garden, Steve Harrod's very lovely 1/32 model of "Tiger" from a Fred Phipps kit.

 

[brushman47544]

Unfortunately postage from Irwell is more than the cost of the bookazine, so for the time being I will pass. Hopefully it will be able at some point from somewhere I can buy other things to bring the relative costs for postage down.

[charliepetty]

Unfortunately postage from Irwell is more than the cost of the bookazine, so for the time being I will pass. Hopefully it will be able at some point from somewhere I can buy other things to bring the relative costs for postage down.

DCKits have them, £1.50 postage of we visit shows!   Away at Wakefield this weekend but here Monday after 6pm

[PM47079]

Looks like another purchase...

[paulbb]

In the book it points out that the exhaust outlets on the class 42 Swindon locos were in the middle of the roof section,  saying that this 'explains' why they were not allowed under lines with catenary, such as the WCML. Is this true? there are several images of these locos at Crewe and even on China Clay trains through the Midlands. There are even incidences of them getting into the Merseyside area. Not meant as a criticism of this bookazine, which I enjoyed incidentally, just wondering if this was an official policy that was not always strictly adhered to...

[robertcwp]

In the book it points out that the exhaust outlets on the class 42 Swindon locos were in the middle of the roof section,  saying that this 'explains' why they were not allowed under lines with catenary, such as the WCML. Is this true? there are several images of these locos at Crewe and even on China Clay trains through the Midlands. There are even incidences of them getting into the Merseyside area. Not meant as a criticism of this bookazine, which I enjoyed incidentally, just wondering if this was an official policy that was not always strictly adhered to...

I can't remember exactly where I got that from as it was some years ago, but it came from a good source. I think the problem was that the Class 42 exhausts tended to put muck onto the wiring rather more than other types with offset exhausts. It might well have been something that was not applied consistently or was not even a consistent policy, ie the situation changed over time. 

[The Stationmaster]

There was no maximum height difference between any of the D8XX locos and in all cases the maximum height was 0.25" below the the 13ft 1" maximum allowed on certain 25kv electrified sections south of Crewe.  As far as clearances were concerned D8XX, as a total group of locos were permitted to work into Crewe.  So there was definitely no overall clearance restriction variation between the sub-varieties of D8XX (5 different diagram numbers) and maximum height was in ant case measured with the roof ventilators open

 

If there had been a separate restriction due to exhaust positions (which strikes me as logical) it would almost inevitably have been covered by letter rather than any other way and hence not at all unlikely that it might have been unevenly applied as tended to be the case in such circumstances.