Search results for ""Author Fred Kerr""
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Virgin Trains: A Pictorial Tribute
When British Railways (BR) was privatised in April 1994 a series of passenger franchises was created that included services on both the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and competing West Coast Main Line (WCML) routes. The WCML franchise was won by Virgin Trains and it quickly set about improving service by introducing a range of standard trainsets to replace the variety of traction fleets that it had inherited. It also became a constant critic of Government policy which promised much but offered little as the company found itself battling to establish the standards of service that it had promised within its franchise agreement but found other bodies within the industry reluctant to support. Fred Kerr lives at Southport hence his nearness to the WCML and his book seeks to illustrate the period of changes that Virgin Trains initiated from the immediate application of a startling livery to the introduction of new trainsets and the problems of establishing a new timetable to make the most of the new trainsets. The operation of the WCML franchise identified problems with both the nature and structure of the franchise system which were exemplified when the company finally managed to win the ECML franchise although it surrendered the latter when major problems were identified by the company. The company subsequently lost the WCML franchise and hence its involvement with train operations within the United Kingdom and Fred Kerr's book seeks to explain the history of Virgin Trains involvement in train operations through a comprehensive collection of photographs showing the traction fleet that it inherited and the new fleets it introduced to service.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd BR Diesel Locomotives in Preservation
When British Railways (BR) initiated its Modernisation Plan in 1954 it had little experience of diesel locomotives thus initiated a Pilot Scheme to trial combinations of the three elements comprised within a locomotive the engine, transmission and body. The initial orders for 174 locomotives were placed in November 1955, but even before the first locomotive had been delivered, changes in Government policy led to bulk orders for most designs being trialled. It was only in 1968, once steam traction had been removed from the network, that BR was able to review the success, or otherwise, of its diesel fleet and decide which designs to withdraw from service. The nascent preservation movement of the time was concerned to preserve steam locomotives whilst only buying diesel shunting locomotives for support roles on heritage lines and it wasn t until 1977 that any effort was made to preserve main line diesels. Once it was confirmed that diesel locomotives had an appeal to enthusiasts, further purchases were made that resulted in examples of most of the BR diesel classes being represented within the preservation movement. Fred Kerr s book details those classes which are represented on heritage lines, identifies where possible their location as of December 2016, shows many of them at work and shows what is involved in the restoration, maintenance and operation of diesel locomotives by the volunteers whose efforts are vital but rarely acknowledged. Some of the preserved locomotives were bought for possible use on the national network and this was facilitated by the Railways Bill 1993\. A complementary album of preserved and heritage locomotives titled _Heritage Traction on the Main Line_ details the locomotive classes whose representatives are still in regular use on the national network as at December 2016 and follows a similar format to this album.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Class 66
When British Railways (BR) was privatised in April 1994 some of the freight companies were bought by English Welsh Scottish Railways (EWSR), which immediately reviewed the mixed locomotive fleet and led to the decision to purchase 250 locomotives from General Motors (USA), based on that company's earlier Class 59 design supplied to Foster Yeoman in 1985\. Delivered to Newport Docks each locomotive was lubricated, filled with fuel and water and released to traffic within hours of being craned onto the quayside. The early privatised freight market was geared to the heavy industries but the changes of Government policies to counteract global warming has seen consequent changes in freight operations whilst global trading has seen massive growth in the movement of containers between ports and inland distribution centres. This changing market has encouraged both existing and new operators to base operations on a reliable locomotive fleet which has been met by the Class 66 design. The expansion of the locomotive's operating area has been recorded within the book through a regional analysis noting both the freight services operated within the region and the companies providing them. This also notes changes of operators, both by exchange of locomotives and exchange of hauler as contracts are re-negotiated at regular intervals. Fred Kerr's book seeks to show, as at October 2019, the range of services that have been operated by class members, including the occasional passenger services despite the locomotives not being fitted with any heat generating equipment.
£27.00
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The English Electric Class 37/4 Diesel Locomotives
In the prelude to the privatisation of BR the Provincial Sector (later Regional Railways) became responsible for local / secondary train services and initiated the refurbishment of 31 Class 37 locomotives, fitted with train heating equipment - hence designated Class 37/4 - to support the shortfall of DMU trainsets. Their initial task was to work services on Scottish lines radiating from Inverness to points north and Glasgow to service the West Highland Line with a small batch based in South Wales to service Cambrian Line services and services from Cardiff traversing the Marches Line to serve Liverpool. These services were soon replaced by Sprinter trainsets thus releasing the fleet to other duties including freight operators hence, at privatisation in April 1994, the fleet became owned by freight companies who subsequently hired locomotives to both other freight companies and passenger operators. Throughout their working life the fleet members have proved invaluable and capable of powering a variety of services whose history confirms both the locomotives' adaptability and prowess in handling the duties allocated to them. Fred Kerr's book seeks to show this adaptability by detailing the reason for their initial creation and the tasks successfully undertaken once released from their initial roles as support for the shortage of DMU trainsets. The advent of privatisation saw an increased demand for their go-anywhere do anything' ability which is also displayed by the range of photographs that illustrate the wide range of duties performed by class members. Once withdrawn from service some class members were purchased for preservation and - such was their adaptability - that preserved examples were hired by train operators to cover duties that no other class of diesel locomotive was capable of achieving.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Western Diesel Hydraulics in Preservation
When British Railways initiated its Modernisation Plan in 1955, its Western Region elected to trial locomotive designs with hydraulic transmission whilst BR encouraged designs with electric transmission. The Western Region felt that the lighter weight of 78 tons for a diesel hydraulic locomotive producing 2000 hp, compared to an equivalent weight of 132 tons for a diesel electric locomotive producing 2000 hp, would better meet BR's requirement for a modern locomotive. BR's failure to follow up with its declared policy of having all freight vehicles fitted with brakes saw operators preferring the heavier diesel electric designs which proved more able to operate trains without through brakes at higher speed. The greatest concern was with operating costs whereby the Western Region policy of replacing components at the depot then transferring them to Swindon for repair incurred heavy costs that were reflected in the maintenance cost per locomotive. Given the smaller number of diesel hydraulic locomotives and the larger number of diesel electric locomotives it was little surprise that by the mid-1960s a cost comparison showed that the build and operation of diesel electric locomotives was increasingly cheaper over the long term. Furthermore the increased availability of diesel electric locomotives released by a combination of factors provided an opportunity to replace the diesel hydraulic fleet, which was withdrawn from service during the 1970s. The preservation of redundant locomotives was slow but once it was confirmed, by the preservation of Hymek' Class 35 D7017 in 1975, that public appeals could quickly fund the preservation of withdrawn examples further public appeals followed. In a short space of time 31 locomotives from a mixed fleet of 358 locomotives entered preservation to remind both enthusiasts and the public of a concept (i.e. hydraulic transmission) that had had much to offer but had been dismissed on questionable financial grounds.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Pacer Family: End of an Era
In the 1980s British Railways sought a cheap replacement for the ailing Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trainsets which saw the introduction of the Class 14x trainsets that became known as Pacers. These proved to be cheap to operate hence popular with the operators but less popular with the travelling public who found the rigid 4-wheel chassis provided a basic and uncomfortable ride. Fred Kerr, a life-long rail enthusiast and well-known railway photographer, became familiar with these trainsets when the Class 141 trainsets passed near to his parent's house in Corby whilst being trialled between Derby and Bedford and, later, when the Class 142 trainsets appeared in his home town of Southport as part of the driver training programme for Wigan crews prior to working local services to Manchester. He has continued taking photographs of the Pacer trainsets, which he sees as part of the evolving traction changes, hence has a collection of images from the various stages of the Pacer history that forms the basis of this album. The images cover a wide variety of locations and, surprisingly, reveal little known facets of their life; the rarity of Class 141 trainsets initially provided with Workington Blue livery, the unusual operation of Newcastle-based trainsets on the Windermere branch and the wide variety of trainsets that have operated in his home county of Lancashire. The Pacer trainsets were introduced in the mid-1980s and will be withdrawn by 2020, due to their failure to meet the requirements of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Interoperable Rail System) Regulation 2008. Fred Kerr's book chronicles their contribution, during their years of service, to the operation of railway services, many of which would otherwise have been closed without the availability of the �cheap and cheerful� Pacer trainsets. As they enter their final years of service, this album celebrates the many services that have been operated, the builders who supplied them and the operators who have used them on their services throughout the years.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd British Railways Diesel Electric Classes 44 to 46: The Mighty Peaks of the Midland Main Line
Derby Works introduced the first mainline Diesel to UK service with the production of LMS 10000 in 1947, although mainline diesels had previously been tested on post-Grouping main lines prior to being exported. When British Railways' Modernisation Plan of 1955 was initiated by a Pilot Scheme to identify the best features for a future standard diesel fleet, Derby Works upgraded the design to produce its Type 4 - later Class 44 - locomotive that ultimately spawned 193 locomotives encompassing 3 variants which powered trains throughout the UK network. Fred Kerr lived close to the Midland Main Line in Northamptonshire and observed the class from their introduction in May 1959 to their final withdrawal in the 1980s and has amassed a collection of images showing them working both freight and passenger duties throughout the UK but particularly on the Midland Main Line where the Class 45 variant held sway for nearly 25 years. This album contains images from his extensive collection and, supported by a brief text, reflects the history of the 3 variants by showing the variety of services which they powered and the wide range of locations where class members were to be found.
£22.50
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The Southern Region (B R) Class 73 and 74 Locomotives: A Pictorial Overview
The Southern Region of British Railways had long sought to design a locomotive capable of working on electrified lines and non-electrified station yards and sidings. In 1959 British Railways approved a design, designated Class HA, later British Railways Class 73, which combined the electrical equipment of the latest EMU design with the standard English Electric diesel engine in one bodyshell. An initial order was placed for six locomotives but allocated to Eastleigh Carriage and Wagon Works because the design used stock components normally found on the multiple unit fleet. The locomotives were released to traffic during February 1962 and were allocated to Stewarts Lane depot from where they powered the mundane duties of freight, parcels and empty stock services. They also tested the principle of high-speed propulsion of passenger trains prior to the adoption of the principle for the electrification of the Waterloo – Weymouth line as far as Poole. Included in this scheme was the ordering of a further 43 improved Class 73 locomotives which were built by English Electric. The locomotives proved a useful design but when British Railways was privatised in 1994 the new operator considered them surplus and sold them out of service. The original 6 locomotives had already been transferred north to Merseyside to work on the local electric network. Although initially considered unsuitable by the original operator they were highly regarded by many companies hence were sold on to continue working on the national network. Some were converted for special purposes thus were formed into sub-classes hence as at December 2022 30 of the 49 fleet still remain active in mainline service.
£22.25