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The honourable slipper boy - Part 3


Mikkel

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This is the third and final part of a story based on a real incident on the Great Western at the turn of the century. It draws on the transcripts of a court case at Old Bailey. The story is narrated by Dennis Watts, a slipper boy in the employment of the GWR. The story began here.

 


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Having produced their damning evidence, Detective Benton and constable Walmsley rounded up the four thieves and took them to court. I was the star witness at the trial, and made sure to tell the story well. Based on my testimony, Woods and Lawson were convicted and put away.

 


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Unfortunately Fraser and Marsh - the two other slipper boys - got off free. I hadn’t counted on that. After the trial they returned to work and cornered me.

 

 

 

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I ran off, but they chased me…

 

 

 

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…all over…

 

 

 

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…the goods depot.

 


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In the end I had to call for help…

 

 

 

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…and soon we were four against two.

 

 

 

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We quickly overcame the two villains, tied them up, and…

 

 

 

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…packed them in a couple of tea crates. They were forwarded that night on the 2AM goods, labelled for Thurso.

 


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Because you see, dear reader, I haven’t been quite honest with you…

 

 

 

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I’ve got a gang of my own, and we didn’t want those amateurs intruding on our turf. Not that they were any competition, really. We’re a pretty organised bunch. My uncle the goods checker is on board, and Watts the GWR copper. Handy people, if you’re into goods scams. You see, we don’t deal in petty theft. We aim much higher than that: We have ways…

 

 

 

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…of making whole trucks…

 

 

 

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….disappear.

 

 

 

*****************************************

 


Editor’s notes:

 

You may be wondering how much of this actually happened. The story roughly follows the real events recorded in the proceedings from Old Bailey up to the point of the trial (albeit in a simplified form, and with the names altered). The original theft of the satins and silks, and the clever detective work of matching the pieces of wrapping did thus in fact happen. The appearance of our “hero” the slipper boy as the star witness at the trial is also true, as is the fact that two of the thieves were released after the trial.

 

From there on, the story is fiction. Or is it? A closer reading of the court proceedings leave certain questions unanswered, and it is these “loose ends” that inspired the rest of the story. As for making whole wagons disappear, I refer to “GWR Goods Wagons” by Atkins, Beard and Tourret (1998 edition) which in the preface states that 3 wagons were added to the condemned list in 1908 because “they had not been heard of for 10 years” (sic).

 

PS: I’m using the term “truck” rather than “van” or "wagon", as that is the word used by all the staff in the testimonies of the court case at Old Bailey. I’ve always thought the words van and wagon were used at the time – perhaps that was the official terminology, and "trucks" was everyday slang?

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Mikkel, excellent work, it's good to see something a little different. I recently wrote about this, you have created a scene that was very common but rarely modelled and would certainly attract a lot of interest at an exhibition. I do like seeing recreations of early railways when they were at their zenith. I must have a look at your other blogs but the one about GWR wagon red caught my eye. Early liveries are difficult to research but have you had a look at Great Western Way? It says that grey was introduced at the end of the 1870's with brake vans going grey first with the others following soon after. The livery details given in the book are more comprehensive than other publications I have seen.

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Thanks very much, I realize that this is an acquired taste and that some won't consider it "a proper model railway" - so it's good to know that there are others who find it entertaining/interesting.

 

On the issue of GWR red and Great Western Way: In early editions, Slinn stated that the changeover from red to grey happened before the turn of the century, and this was the established view for a long time. However, the research of John  Lewis and other experts suggested that there are good arguments for a later changeover date - perhaps even in 1904. This is the cutting-off point that I use. I don't have the latest version of GW Way, but as far as I understand that research has now been incorporated into the book.

 

If you look in the comments to this post:  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/75/entry-12025-in-the-red-gwr-1900s-wagons/.... you'll see some interesting points being made, including one about the possibility that red might fade to grey for various reasons! 

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Thanks very much, I realize that this is an acquired taste and that some won't consider it "a proper model railway" - so it's good to know that there are others who find it entertaining/interesting.

 

On the issue of GWR red and Great Western Way: In early editions, Slinn stated that the changeover from red to grey happened before the turn of the century, and this was the established view for a long time. However, the research of John  Lewis and other experts suggested that there are good arguments for a later changeover date - perhaps even in 1904. This is the cutting-off point that I use. I don't have the latest version of GW Way, but as far as I understand that research has now been incorporated into the book.

 

If you look in the comments to this post:  http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/75/entry-12025-in-the-red-gwr-1900s-wagons/.... you'll see some interesting points being made, including one about the possibility that red might fade to grey for various reasons! 

Mikkel, I've been reading a few publications that I have concerning liveries and it's interesting just how many opinions there are on the subject of the red wagons. I suppose that until, or rather if, someone finds definitive instructions issued by Swindon then dates will be conjecture. I think though I might get a few kits for early wagons and paint them red as I can see that in 1902, the year Blagdon opened using 1384, red wagons would certainly have been used, even if by that time Swindon was painting them grey. Fortunately goods traffic at Blagdon was always light so, apart from the PO coal wagons used to supply the pumping station which I already have, I only need to get a couple of opens and maybe a mink. I'll have to fit these in with the new set of four wheel coaches in lake livery I hope to build using Mainly Trains underframes and Shire Scenes etched sides. BTW, great photography.

John

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............. I think though I might get a few kits for early wagons and paint them red ..........

Good to see another convert to red wagons )

 

FWIW,  I gave my thoughts on the colour in my blog post at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1405/entry-12835-trial-of-the-reds/

 

I feel that a mix of Vermillion (China Red) and Lead Oxide is a plausible recipe for the 'light red' that is often described, since both pigments were in the GWR inventory.

 

Mike

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Good to see another convert to red wagons )

 

FWIW,  I gave my thoughts on the colour in my blog post at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1405/entry-12835-trial-of-the-reds/

 

I feel that a mix of Vermillion (China Red) and Lead Oxide is a plausible recipe for the 'light red' that is often described, since both pigments were in the GWR inventory.

 

Mike

Mike,

 

Yes it will be a change to see wagons painted in something other than that dull and boring dark grey. Thanks also for your tips on the colour. I can see though that one problem with early GW wagons is going to be the cast numberplates though I have two sets that had thoughtfully been provided in a Coopercraft kit.

 

All I have to do now is find a few kits, it seems that some of the manufacturers I have used in the past have either disappeared or been subsumed into other concerns. At first glance only the Ratio Iron Mink is readily available. I particularly liked ABS, Coopercraft and Great Western Wagons but to find these needs a little digging on the internet, if they are still around. The internet is good but so was your friendly model shop, now very rare in our neck of the woods.

 

Unfortunately work on the coaches and wagons is being delayed due to some painting but this time it's Dulux Desert Wind applied with a roller!

 

John

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Pardon me for asking, but what or who is a slipper boy?

 

Julie

Before reading Mikkel's story, the only references to 'slipper boys' I had seen were in Janet Russell's book 'Great Western Horse Power'. 

 

In the chapter on Shunting Horses, she states that "By the late 1880s 115 horses were owned by the Company for shunting purposes........Ninety one drivers together with 44 slipper or chain boys were needed to work these horses.

 

In the rules governing this work, it is stated that "Drivers without slipper boys must at all times have hold of the horse's head" and "Shunting horse driver responsible for seeing that slipper boy is in his place at all times"

 

From all this, I conclude that the slipper boy looked after the chain coupling the horse to the wagon, while the driver stayed with the horse at all times.  I suspect it was a term specific to the GWR because I haven't come across it anywhere else.

 

Mike

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Mike,

 

Yes it will be a change to see wagons painted in something other than that dull and boring dark grey. Thanks also for your tips on the colour. I can see though that one problem with early GW wagons is going to be the cast numberplates though I have two sets that had thoughtfully been provided in a Coopercraft kit.

 

All I have to do now is find a few kits, it seems that some of the manufacturers I have used in the past have either disappeared or been subsumed into other concerns. At first glance only the Ratio Iron Mink is readily available. I particularly liked ABS, Coopercraft and Great Western Wagons but to find these needs a little digging on the internet, if they are still around. The internet is good but so was your friendly model shop, now very rare in our neck of the woods.

 

Unfortunately work on the coaches and wagons is being delayed due to some painting but this time it's Dulux Desert Wind applied with a roller!

 

John

 

John, it does look as if the Coopercraft range won't return, so until someone else does new versions of the popular GWR Opens (surely a good market opportunity there?) it seems as if ebay and the odd leftover kits in modelling stores are the best options. I can imagine prices will go up on the auction sites quite quickly, so maybe a good idea to get them now.

 

For the numberplates, I have not come across any other 4mm versions than those in the Coopercraft 4-plank kit, but there could an etch out there I haven't heard of. Can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but note that my plates may be wrong, I currently have grey plates on red wagons and it has been pointed out to me that this does not seem logical, ie if used on red wagons the plates would also have been red.

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John, it does look as if the Coopercraft range won't return, so until someone else does new versions of the popular GWR Opens (surely a good market opportunity there?) it does look as if ebay and the odd leftover kits in modelling stores are the best options. I can imagine prices will go up on the auction sites quite quickly, so maybe a good idea to get them now.

 

For the numberplates, I have not come across any other 4mm versions than those in the Coopercraft 4-plank kit, but there could an etch out there I haven't heard of. Can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but note that my plates may be wrong, I currently have grey plates on red wagons and it has been pointed out to me that this does not seem logical, ie if used on red wagons the plates would also have been red.

Mikkel,

 

Thanks your reply. Yes I've read about Coopercraft, a great shame that the kits are not available as they produced good models of a wide range of wagons. I have scoured the internet with no success and viewing other comments in RM Web don't feel happy about going the direct route. One particularly good manufacturer is Great Western Wagons who make some of the very old types but again I'm not sure whether these are still available. David Geen's website doesn't look as though it has been updated for a while. I picked up a white GWW metal kit of an old O/F mink at Expo EM which I'm now thinking about repainting red. They also did some curved end opens which look particularly attractive. Sadly it does seem that in the last few years the range of accurate kits for rolling stock is diminishing rather than increasing, I suppose the availability of excellent ready to run models from the likes of Bachman may be the reason for this but that's no help to those modelling earlier periods. We don't all have the time to scratch build and these kits were a quick and cheap way to build up a stock of period wagons.

 

Thanks you for comments. I'm afraid it's back to the paint roller rather than the modelling paintbrush tomorrow!

 

John

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Pardon me for asking, but what or who is a slipper boy?

 

Julie

 

Hi Julie,

 

I'm surprised that so few have asked! To add a little to Mike's excellent explanation. In the actual trial proceedings, the slipper boy says:

 

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So apart from handling the chains, slipper boys seem to have scotched wagons, which I understand as using a wedge to stop a wheel from slipping.

 

A Danish website on railway terminology has (oddly) the english word "slipper boy" included and describes it as "a young labourer who uncouples horses from railway wagons".

 

A few other references from the web:

 

"The youngest son was lucky enough to go into a 'uniformed' job, firstly as a 'Lad Porter' then as a 'Slipper Boy'."

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ENG-WIL-SWINDON/2011-08/1313583661

 

 

Udklip2.JPG

http://tcqdev.edina.ac.uk/search/location/17962-Droitwich/document/132856

 

 

Frederick T.J. Cattle was a slipper boy in the goods department at Bridgwater. In WW1 he joined the 17th Battalion of the King's Royal Rifles. He was killed November 18, 1917. 

http://www.nrm.org.uk/NRM/RailwayStories/~/media/Files/NRM/PDF/research/Railway-workers-WW1.pdf

 

RIP Frederick.

 

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Mikkel,

 

Thanks your reply. Yes I've read about Coopercraft, a great shame that the kits are not available as they produced good models of a wide range of wagons. I have scoured the internet with no success and viewing other comments in RM Web don't feel happy about going the direct route. One particularly good manufacturer is Great Western Wagons who make some of the very old types but again I'm not sure whether these are still available. David Geen's website doesn't look as though it has been updated for a while. I picked up a white GWW metal kit of an old O/F mink at Expo EM which I'm now thinking about repainting red. They also did some curved end opens which look particularly attractive. Sadly it does seem that in the last few years the range of accurate kits for rolling stock is diminishing rather than increasing, I suppose the availability of excellent ready to run models from the likes of Bachman may be the reason for this but that's no help to those modelling earlier periods. We don't all have the time to scratch build and these kits were a quick and cheap way to build up a stock of period wagons.

 

Thanks you for comments. I'm afraid it's back to the paint roller rather than the modelling paintbrush tomorrow!

 

John

 

John, the GW Wagons range is long gone I'm afraid. I have a feeling they were incorporated in another range, but not sure which.

 

David Geen is still trading but best contacted by phone, in my experience. It's been a while since I called but as far as I remember this is the number I used: 01429 269600. Have you seen this thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/73867-contacting-david-geen/page-2

 

- and here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96826-david-geen-kits-positive-announcement-of-future-kits/

 

Good luck with the paint roller :-)

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Now that we know there are slipper boys at Farthing, we need to see the rest of the team in action, horse shunting :)

 

Mike

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Now that we know there are slipper boys at Farthing, we need to see the rest of the team in action, horse shunting :)

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike, I was thinking of doing a permanent cameo showing that on my next layout. The trick is to get the chains looking right, I think - but you've solved that in your shunting scene, so I will copy that!

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Having caught up I'm sad that the tale has ended as I enjoyed it so much. As usual your modelling and photography are exquisite. Keep up the great work - looking forward to the next story.

Cheers John

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Thanks very much John! I'm going to take a break from the stories though, I need a break from 4mm figures, if I see another one I'll scream :-)

 

Seeing the wonderful buildings and landscaping on your Studley layout is a great inspiration to move on!

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Having also photographed figures I can vouch for how difficult it can be.  I am sure they move, and my camera tells me they blink!  Very interesting end to the story, and very interesting pictures at the end.  The layout look brilliant as usual.

 

I will have to look out for GWR wagons as a fair few will make it up the line to Traeth Mawr.  Another thing to research.

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Hi Chris, glad you liked the end of the story. As for GWR wagons, it might be a good idea not to wait too long. For years we've been used to GWR wagon kits of all sorts being easily available, but it may not continue. The Coopercraft range looks to be out of the picture, and access to some of the other smaller ranges is also increasingly dodgy.

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