Book Of The Warships

[Rugd1022]

'Book Of The Warships' by John Jennison, from Irwell Press ISBN 978-1-906919-11-5.

 

In a word - brilliant!

 

Covers in extraordinary detail the D600 and D800 Warships of Classes 41, 42 and 43 from design and build right through to withdrawal and preservation, 344 pages of diesel-hydraulic bliss, with the usual 'Book Of...' ingredient of individual loco histories. The photos for the most part are previously unpublished but the few that have been seen before do help to illustrate the Warships story, particularly when it comes to the minefield of livery variations. All of the variations are covered in each individual loco history with the appropriate dates - great news for modellers with a certain affliction . A mention should also go to Martin Street and Mark Alden of The Diesel Traction Group who have put a huge effort into the book!

 

Thoroughly recommended plus there is the 'Book Of The Westerns' to look forward too.

 

Cheers,

 

Nidge.

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

Quite agree Nidge, it really is an excellent job and for once (as it should be) 'the blue period' does not hold centre stage.

[westernglory]

......Plus there is the 'Book Of The Westerns' to look forward too.

 

Cheers,

 

Nidge.

 

Absolutely agree Nidge, 30 intriguing pages down, 300+ to go !

 

Hope you're right about the Westerns.......

[Peter Kazmierczak]

A brilliant book; have only managed to dip into it at the moment.

 

However, in my copy at least, I have found many of the illustrations rather grainy and flat. I've seen them reproduced better elsewhere, for example the current issue of "Rail Express" has four pages of illustrations from the book reproduced to a higher standard.

[28ten]

I had a copy for christmas, I havent really sat down to read it yet, but just skimming a few sections, i does look to be a good read.

I think it is a fair point about the illustrations, they could be better reproduced.

[Rugd1022]

Stationmaster - I see what you mean regarding 'the blue period', I think John, Martin and Mark have got the balance right, unearthing some fantastic early period shots into the bargain. There has been a fair amount of coverage of the blue era in the past probably because of the amount of appropriate material available at the time, personally I love all of the blue livery variations, that's what makes it so hard to pick one specific period and model it though!

 

Western Glory - there's a mention in the text about a forthcoming 'Book Of The Westerns' so fingers crossed..... plus I wouldn't be surprised to see a 'Book Of The Hymeks' somewhere down the line (we live in hope eh ).

 

Dr.K & 28ten - The print quality has been noted on the WRDHL yahoo forum as well, my copy is the same but it hasn't spoilt the enjoyment for me.

 

Have to say these Irwell Press 'Books of...' are a joy to own, I think whether or not you're a modeller they are so absorbing in their own right. I have a few of the steam titles and once you get stuck into them, whole days can disappear!

 

In the Warship book there's a particular photo which stands out to me, the contents of which are just begging to be modelled.... page 159, D819 GOLIATH in BFYE livery on a parcels train at Gloucester Central on 9th October 1969....the first vehicle behind the loco is a BR CCT four wheeler in lined maroon livery but with 'blue era' coroporate 'Rail Express Parcels' branding...... a real gem of a pic. [in Parkins Mk1 coaching stock bible there's a colour shot of a BR GUV in similar livery with the corporate branding in yellow, but I have a feeling the branding on the CCT might be in white].

 

Not surprisingly, there are quite a few classic Norman Preedy loco portraits taken at Gloucester in this book..... top stuff

[allknowing]

too expensive, all black and white, littered with errors. Poor reproduction on many pictures. Hope the Westerns book is better but I understand there maybe two coming out plus a Warship Liveries book in full colour, although the latter two not from irwell. Talks already ongoing between a certain publisher and two senior dtg people about a Westerns and Warship book to rival anything from irwell, ask where one of them is today and tomorrow. It's going to be a great year for hydraulic books. Lots of stuff around not used in the irwell warship book including three blue/maintenance files, D817 for one, plus loads more works dates/info/pictures. Too many blue and green livery pics in the irwell warship book, not enough on the maroon livery era - shame the people in association with JJ didn't have an input into pics. Much has already been done on the design in the Warship Dawn book - a liveries book would have been much better, cheaper and in colour.

[Phill Dyson (onslaught832)]

too expensive, all black and white, littered with errors. Poor reproduction on many pictures. Hope the Westerns book is better but I understand there maybe two coming out plus a Warship Liveries book in full colour, although the latter two not from irwell. Talks already ongoing between a certain publisher and two senior dtg people about a Westerns and Warship book to rival anything from irwell, ask where one of them is today and tomorrow. It's going to be a great year for hydraulic books. Lots of stuff around not used in the irwell warship book including three blue/maintenance files, D817 for one, plus loads more works dates/info/pictures. Too many blue and green livery pics in the irwell warship book, not enough on the maroon livery era - shame the people in association with JJ didn't have an input into pics. Much has already been done on the design in the Warship Dawn book - a liveries book would have been much better, cheaper and in colour.

 

Must admit I picked it up & put it back down, poor reproduction & too expensive IMO. I got the "Looking Back at Hydraulics book" instead

[Gwiwer]

I looked, I thought and I put it back on the shelf.

 

I allowed for the fact that while high-quality colour images are the norm today they were not for much of the era covered and only really became so long after the Warships had gone. But there are some great colour images out there including of the D600 type. I was aware before looking that there wasn't a colour shot in the book. Having seen it I believe that the inclusion of perhaps 25% colour images would have made a big difference.

 

For the historian the content is acceptable, for the modeller perhaps just about so. An illustrated work on a single theme (almost a single class for visual purposes) is probably not aimed at a general interest readership. But the lack of colour means the livery variations are almost irrelevant, the shades of colour in vegetation in the fields and of lineside structures cannot be determined and we are deprived of a significant part of the scene as it then was.

 

Again it is true that many photographers at the time were using monochrome but a good number were using colour even by the early 60's. My memory is in colour; it is therefore a pity that none of this work lives up to the expectations of memory. But as a pictorial record it stands as a competent production within its price range.

 

As well the D600 type were never "Class 41" whilst they existed. WR staff and documents always referred to them, much as they had referred to steam locos not very much before, as either "D600 type" or simply "Six hundreds" The same was true of the "D800" or "Eight hundreds" though the nickname "Warship" was quickly applied by enthusiasts because of their names and these did become officially classified as 42 / 43 though only on paper. In any case the 41xxx, 42xxx and 43xxx number series have been used by HST trailers making the retrospective application of TOPS numbers to the Warships irrelevant.

[RANGERS]

Had a look at this yesterday and was very impressed by the content but distinctly unimpressed by the quality of print, reproduction of some of the pics and poor binding. The ??28 price tag isn't out of order for the content but it's to be expected that the production of the book should be up to scratch, and this isn't. Saved ??28!

[br2975]

I must be easily please - or lack knowledge of the subject.

.

But then I was a failure compared to many that are knowledgeable, I never saw all of the Warships - I missed out on 828 Magnificent.

.

At least someone else made the effort to put pen to paper.

 

Brian R

[The Stationmaster]

 

As well the D600 type were never "Class 41" whilst they existed. WR staff and documents always referred to them, much as they had referred to steam locos not very much before, as either "D600 type" or simply "Six hundreds" The same was true of the "D800" or "Eight hundreds" though the nickname "Warship" was quickly applied by enthusiasts because of their names and these did become officially classified as 42 / 43 though only on paper.

 

Well not quite - the official, and widely used, WR designation was D6XX/D8XX etc (although the NBL Type 2s were noted by painted number blocks because of technical differences within the D63XX series) and in some instances the NBL series of D8XX were referred to as 'D833' class because of technical differences from the Swindon locos (many enginemen also referred to them as a separate group as well because of their particular problems).

 

Generally enginemen and others did - as you say - refer to the classes as 'six hundreds' or 'eight hundreds' etc and this sort of thing generally stuck after the official Class designations changed in 1968, after all we were still referring to Class 52 locos as 'thousands' right up to their withdrawal and 'Hymeks' were always 'Hymeks' to many of us.

 

The D6XX were - as is well known - allocated a Class number (41) in the BR standard classification but as is equally well known were withdrawn a matter of months before it would have started to be widely used in official operating documentation although (from the timescales involved) it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was used in some documents although possibly only on drafts?

 

As for the others of course all the surviving diesel hydraulic locos carried (or should have carried) details of their standard class identity from some time in 1968 until withdrawal.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I had a word with George at Irwell Press and he fully understands the quality issues with some of "The Book of the Warships" illustrations. Hopefully they won't arise again.

 

Rgards,

Peter

[Pennine MC]

. Talks already ongoing between a certain publisher and two senior dtg people about a Westerns and Warship book to rival anything from irwell, ask where one of them is today and tomorrow.

 

OK then. "Where is one of them today and tomorrow?" And are we now talking about yesterday (Saturday) and today?

 

Lots of stuff around not used in the irwell warship book including three blue/maintenance files, D817 for one, plus loads more works dates/info/pictures.

 

Brilliant, mate. My model of D817 will be greatly enhanced by knowing when it last had its transmission oil changed

 

But the lack of colour means the livery variations are almost irrelevant, the shades of colour in vegetation in the fields and of lineside structures cannot be determined and we are deprived of a significant part of the scene as it then was.

 

Grass is green, bricks are red - there are plenty of other books in my library that show such things. You said yourself it's specifically a Warship book, so I think that's rather an odd criticism to make.

 

Liveries irrelevant? Again, I know what blue, green and maroon look like and B/W shots can still be very useful for determining details like placement of numbers and arrows - those are the *real* variations in my view, not just the basic shade of paint

 

The same was true of the "D800" or "Eight hundreds" though the nickname "Warship" was quickly applied by enthusiasts because of their names and these did become officially classified as 42 / 43 though only on paper.

 

 

... this sort of thing generally stuck after the official Class designations changed in 1968,

 

As for the others of course all the surviving diesel hydraulic locos carried (or should have carried) details of their standard class identity from some time in 1968 until withdrawal.

 

I assume there you mean the cabside data panels, Mike; like you I think it's debatable whether that makes it a 'paper designation'. TOPS classifications are widely enough accepted amongst enthusiasts for other classes in the 1968-73 period, so why not the hydraulics.

 

Thought - if I rip all the badges off my car, does that mean it's only a Ford 'on paper'

[Pete Piszczek]

I held off on a copy, it was a bit pricey, with the conversion to dollars, plus shipping across the pond it adds up fast.

 

Found a copy from an Amazon seller for 24 GBP last week, with very reasonable shipping, so the price is coming down...

[Baby Deltic]

I purchased a copy for the collection, even though I'm not a big fan of classes 42 and 43. I do like the class 41 D600's. I thought the book was a bit pricey, but, then again, many railway books quickly vanish out of print and become hard to obtain very quickly.

[brushman47544]

'Book Of The Warships' by John Jennison, from Irwell Press ISBN 978-1-906919-11-5.

 

Thoroughly recommended plus there is the 'Book Of The Westerns' to look forward too.

 

Cheers,

 

Nidge.

 

Reading this thread four years later, has anyone any news on the "Book of the Westerns"? Is it still coming as I can't see it on the Irwell Press website.