Search results for ""Author David Maidment""

After tackling the GW pannier tanks in his Locomotive Portfolios' for Pen & Sword, author David Maidment seeks out descriptions and photographs of the GW 0-6-2 tank engines, the majority of which were built by the Rhymney, Taff Vale, Barry and other Welsh railways from the last decade or so of the nineteenth century onwards. The engines of eight different companies, absorbed by the GWR in 1922, are described and illustrated, and the way in which many were modernised and rebuilt at Swindon or Caerphilly Works in the 1920s. Charles Collett was, however, faced with a motive power crisis in the mining valleys at the Grouping, as many of the companies had economised on essential maintenance as the GW's take-over drew near, and he had to hurriedly design a standard 0-6-2T to complement and bolster their work as the powerful GW 2-8-0Ts were too heavy and wide for many of the Cardiff valleys. These engines, the 56XX & 66XX classes, became part of the South Wales scene between 1925 and 1964, mainly running the coal traffic between pits and docks, although they dominated Cardiff Valley passenger services until the influx of BR 3MT 2-6-2Ts and GW 41XX 2-6-2Ts in 1954/5\. The book has nearly 40,000 words of text and around 300 black & white photographs.

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Churchward proposed a 5ft 8in wheeled 4-6-0 for mixed traffic duties in 1901 and it was seriously considered in 1905, but it took until 1936 before his successor, Charles Collett, realised the plan by persuading the GWR Board to replace many of the 43XX moguls with modern standard mixed traffic engines that bore a remarkable likeness to the Churchward proposal. David Maidment has written another in his series of Locomotive Portfolios' for Pen & Sword to coincide with the construction of a new Grange' at Llangollen from GW standard parts to fill the gap left by the total withdrawal and scrapping of one of that railway's most popular classes - to their crews at the very least. As well as covering the type's design and construction, the author deals comprehensively with the allocation and operation of the eighty locomotives and in particular has researched their performance and illustrated it with many examples of recorded logs from the 1930s as well as in more recent times. As in previous volumes, the author has added his own personal experiences with the engines and has sourced more than 250 photos, over 40 of which are in colour.

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Built by Collett in 1927 after pressure to restore the GWR's pre-eminence in motive power and cope with increasing traffic post-war to the Devon and Cornwall holiday resorts, the thirty Kings were the final development of the Churchward Stars and the 1923 Castles and remained on top-link main line duty until their final replacement by the Western' class 52 diesel hydraulics in 1962\. The book includes an insight into the thinking of some of Collett's senior staff at the end of the 1930s and the eventual transformation in the latter years with redraughting and double chimneys. As well as describing their design and construction, the book covers comprehensively their operation and performance backed up by many recorded logs on all main GW/WR routes over which they were permitted. The author had close experience of the class when working at Old Oak Common between 1957 and 1962 and includes a chapter of his experiences with them including many footplate trips (as a management trainee, he was greeted with glee by many firemen who would hand him the shovel). The book includes over 300 photographs of which 100 are in colour.

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L N E R 4-6-0 Tender Mixed Traffic Locomotives covers the design, construction, operation and performance of all 4-6-0 locomotives that ran on the London & North Eastern Railway between 1923 and 1947 and the LNER designed engines that ran on BR's Eastern Region until the end of BR steam in 1968\. This includes the former Great Central 4-6-0s of classes B1 - B9 (the B1 and B2 later reclassified B18 & B19); the North Eastern Railway B13 - B16s; the Great Eastern B12s; and the LNER B17s, the Thompson B1s and rebuilds (B2 and B3/3). The book has over 60,000 words and 400 black and white and coloured photographs, many previously unpublished from the archives of the Manchester Locomotive Society at Stockport. It will be of particular interest to railway modellers and enthusiasts of locomotive running and performance as well as those seeking more general locomotive history. The book is designed and written in the same style as David Maidment's previous Locomotive Portfolio books on engines of the Great Western and Southern Railways, and includes where possible his own experiences, seeing and travelling behind engines of these classes in the 1950s and early 1960s, especially the B1s, B12s and B17 'Sandringhams'.

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This third volume in the series on the Great Western Castle class locomotives focuses on the eight that have been preserved and goes into depth on the reconstruction of three of them, the two Tyseley ones, 5043 and 7029 described by Bob Meanley and Didcot's 4079 recounted by David Maidment from the records of the Great Western Society, including the full story of 4079's prolonged stay in Western Australia, its return to the UK and subsequent restoration. The history of all eight is covered and copiously illustrated, including over 100 colour photographs, with many during the restoration work by Bob Meanley and in operation by David Maidment. The book includes records of their operation and performance since restoration when some of the most remarkable performances of these locomotives were achieved.

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This is the tenth book by David Maidment in the ‘Locomotive Portfolio’ series and covers the large number of designs from 1860 onwards of 0-6-0 saddle tanks built for both the Great Western Railway and the independent railway companies in South Wales, most of which were converted to pannier tanks in the Churchward and Collett eras as they were reboilered with raised Belpaire fireboxes between the early 1900s and the late 1920s. As well as the Armstrong and Dean engines, the book goes on to describe the design, construction and operation of the largest class of steam engines built in the UK in the last century – Collett’s familiar 57XX class, examples of which were still being built after nationalisation. Collett also designed pannier tank engines for branch passenger and freight work – the 54,64 & 74XX series, and Hawksworth continued the GW tradition with a tapered boiler version, the 94XX, after the Second World War as well as the light 16XX and the outside cylinder Walschaerts valve geared 15XX. This is a very comprehensive book covering so many classes, valuable for the modeller, and has over 400 photographs, and a full colour section.

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The author's second volume about the Great Western's classic express locomotives covers their final six years in British Railways service. In 1960 the Castles, many now modernised with double chimneys and 4-row superheaters, were still in charge of most of the Western Region's expresses, but by the summer of 1963 their regular express work was limited to the London - Worcester route. Their declining numbers in the last couple of years covered special summer and relief trains, parcels and freight work, deputising for failed or unavailable diesels and a flurry of excursions and railtours where their prowess could still be demonstrated. The author worked and lived alongside them in these years and the book includes much of his own personal experience on the footplate, on their trains and on shed. The book recaps briefly their first 25 years and covers their history, operation and performance in their final years and is copiously illustrated including over 100 colour photographs.

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This book covers the design, construction, operation and performance of Sir William Stanier's masterpiece, the Princess Coronation pacific locomotives, better known as the Duchesses'. Included are pen portraits of the LMS engineers, a chapter on the express locomotives of the early LMS period that preceded their introduction and the internal rivalries and politics that Stanier was brought in to resolve. Chapters and photographs cover the streamline era, the war years and aftermath, the early years of nationalisation including the 1948 locomotive exchanges and the recovery of performance in the mid-1950s. The author includes some of his own experiences and photographs. The book includes 200 photographs including a few in colour from the LMS era, and an appendix with weight diagrams, and statistics of the locomotive construction and withdrawal, names, liveries, allocations and mileages.

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This book in Pen & Sword's Gallery' series starts with a brief history of the Cambrian Railways' early years, followed by a magnificent comprehensive set of early photographs of Cambrian engines and Oswestry Works made available by the former Chairman of the Manchester Locomotive Society and the National Library of Wales. A tour of the sumptuous scenery of mid Wales follows - the trains in the landscape taken from Andrew Dyke's collection and a few so expertly colourised' by him that most find it difficult to distinguish these from the many genuine colour photographs, the Welsh countryside deserving the rich and varied hues. The book is jointly authored by David Maidment and Paul Carpenter, the latter bringing the story of the Cambrian up to date and persuading a number of former railwaymen who worked on the Cambrian system to share their memories and experiences. The book finishes with a description to restore part of the closed section of the line through the efforts of members of the Cambrian Heritage Railways. The book has over 25,000 words of text, and more than 250 photographs, including over 40 in colour.

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This book is a comprehensive history of all the 0-6-0 tender locomotives built by the Great Western Railway or by railways absorbed by the GWR from the very earliest broad gauge engines designed by Daniel Gooch to the Collett 2251 class of the 1930s some of which were still under construction at nationalisation. It includes the Joseph Armstrong Standard Goods' and the famous Dean Goods, many of which served overseas in the two world wars. The text of 40,000 words describes the design, construction and operation of eight GW and five Absorbed' broad gauge classes, and thirteen GW and thirteen Absorbed' standard gauge classes. The book has over 250 black and white and 30 colour photos, weight diagrams and drawings.

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David Maidment has unravelled the complex history of the Johnson, Deeley and Fowler 4-4-0 locomotives of the Midland Railway and its LMS successor, covering their design, construction, operation and performance in this book with over 400 black and white photographs. It recounts their working on the Midland main lines from St Pancras to Derby, Manchester, Leeds and Carlisle, the latter via the celebrated Settle & Carlisle line, and the later work of the Fowler LMS engines on the West Coast main line. The book also describes the history of the Midland 4-4-0s built for the Somerset & Dorset and Midland & Great Northern Railways. The book covers the period from the first Midland 4-4-0 built in 1876 to the last LMS 2P withdrawn in 1962 and includes performance logs, weight diagrams and dimensions and statistical details of each locomotive.

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This is a book that looks at the 0-6-0 tender goods locomotives of the Southern Railway, from the steam locomotive classes taken over at the railway grouping in 1923, through to the two classes introduced during Southern Railway days, that of the Q and Q1 classes. The Southern Railway had a rich and varied number of 0-6-0 tender goods classes, originating from all three former main line pre grouping companies, many of them lasted until the late 1950s and early 1960s. Many of the older Victorian and Edwardian classes of locomotive taken over in 1923, did not last very long with the new company, but are covered here for historical and modelling interest.

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This book is a comprehensive history of the four coupled tank engines absorbed by the Great Western Railway - locomotives of nine Broad Gauge companies, nineteen Standard Gauge companies, mainly in the South West which became part of the GWR between the 1870s and 1914, and a further eighteen companies, mainly in South Wales absorbed by the GWR in 1922 and 1923 at the formation of the Big Four' Grouping. The locomotives described and illustrated range from the 4-4-0 Broad Gauge saddle tanks of the South Devon and Bristol & Exeter Railways to the large 4-4-4 tank locomotives of the Midland & South Western Junction Railway, not forgetting the numerous and varied 0-4-0 pug saddle tanks of the Swansea Harbour Trust and the Powlesland & Mason company. The book includes thirty-two weight diagrams and nearly 200 photographs, many of exotic and rare locomotives.

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This book is a comprehensive history of all twenty-six classes of four coupled tank engines commissioned by the Great Western Railway or built at their Wolverhampton and Swindon Works, from the Broad Gauge 2-4-0 and 4-4-0 tanks of the 1840s and 1850s to the well known Collett 0-4-2 branch line engines of classes 48XX (later renumbered 14XX) and 58XX of the 1930s. As well as the Broad Gauge engines, the strange looking Covertibles' of William Dean, a number of experimental one-off' designs, the numerous Wolverhampton 0-4-2Ts of the 517' class and the Swindon built 2-4-0 Metro Tanks' are described with - where known - their allocation and operation. The book includes twenty weight diagrams and nearly 300 photographs, over 50 in colour. The four-coupled tank engines absorbed by the Great Western from other companies at or before 1923 will be featured in a separate volume to follow.

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This book follows on from the author's book on the Princess Coronation pacific locomotives from their construction in 1937 to their operation in 1956\. It picks up from the story in 1957 with their operation and performance on the Caledonian', Royal Scot' and Midday Scot' accelerated services of the late 1950s, their continuing heavy work as dieselisation of the West Coast mainline is implemented and the sudden withdrawal of the remaining examples at the end of the 1964 summer timetable. Included are the author's personal experiences and photographs and the descriptions by three Crewe men who fired these engines on the heavy overnight Crewe - Perth sleeper services in the late 1950s, two of whom, Les Jackson and Bill Andrew, drove 6229 and 6233 in the preservation era. As well as their stories of their experiences in BR days, they describe runs with the preserved locomotives and have included photographs from their personal collections. Crewe Works fitter, Keith Collier includes his experiences of their maintenance and the author in conclusion compares them with the finest steam locomotives of France, Germany and the USA.

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The Great Western Castles were one of the most successful locomotive designs of the twentieth century in terms of both performance and efficiency. Designed by Charles Collett in 1923, based on the 1907 Churchward Star' class, 155 were constructed almost continuously, apart from the war years, between 1923 and 1950, in addition to fifteen rebuilt Stars' and one rebuilt from the Great Bear pacific. Many were modernised with increased superheat and double-chimneys in the late 1950s and the class continued to be the mainstay of all Western Region express passenger services to the West Country, South Wales, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands until replaced by the WR diesel hydraulic fleet in the early 1960s. This book covers their design in a chapter written by Bob Meanley, who masterminded the restoration at Tyseley Works of the Castles Earl of Mount Edgcumbe and Clun Castle, and their history, operation and performance from the high speed of the 1930s through to their rejuvenation in the 1950s, leaving experience of their last years and preservation to another volume. David Maidment had close experience of the class when working at Old Oak Common between 1957 and 1962 and includes his personal experiences there and on the road from his first encounter with one as a six-year old boy. The book includes 350 photographs, some 40 in colour, and 23 detailed Swindon technical drawings.

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