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London North Western
Railway:
Midland
Railway:
Stratford
Midland Junction Railway
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E&WJR and SMJ - Locomotives and Rolling Stock
In normal circumstances, an overview of the livery of a
railway's locomotives and rolling stock operating in Warwickshire would not
justify inclusion on this website as they were operating in other counties too.
However as the E&WJR, and later the SMJ, were the only railways to have
their headquarters within the county we felt it was appropriate despite the
latter operating further a field. We would like to thank Matthew Cadbury, Simon
Dunkley and Barry Taylor for their permission to use their material resulting
from research undertaken over many years.
The French Connection
An overview of the two locomotives 'La Savoie' and
'Ceres'
by Matthew Cadbury
JM Dunn's original book on the SMJ states that there were
two French locomotives designed by Buddicom, an 0-6-0 called 'La Savoie' and a
2-4-0 called 'Ceres', which were bought from railway contractor Thomas Brassey
& Sons. He goes on to say that the 0-6-0 was one of 5 locomotives built by
Andre Koechlin for the Rhone et Loire railway and sold to contractors in 1858.
However the Rhone et Loire didn't have any locomotives that meet this
description. More recent research by Barry Taylor in The Railway Archive
unearthed details of a legal case involving the E&WJR being sued by an
insurance company which believed that sparks thrown by 'La Savoie' had been
responsible for a house fire. The evidence in the case confirmed that 'Savoy',
as the engine was described, had been designed by Buddicom and that it had been
"running on two" meaning that only two sets of wheels were coupled together at
the time. This points towards a Buddicom 0-6-0 design that was used on the
Ouest and Nord railways in France. The rear coupled wheels on this locomotive
carried little of the weight and were quickly uncoupled to give an informal
0-4-2 arrangement.
Subsequently these locomotives were either rebuilt as
proper 0-4-2s with a trailing truck or converted into tank engines. 'La Savoie'
was converted into an 0-6-0 tank engine in 1880, returned to Thomas Brassey,
and ended up as No 32 of the Cardiff Railway. Cardiff Railway records state
that it had 4' 9" wheels and 18" by 24" cylinders, whilst the original
dimensions were 5' wheels and 15½" by 24" cylinders. Changes to cylinder
and wheel diameter seems possible over the long working life of this locomotive
and it seems likely that 'La Savoie' was indeed from the Ouest railway. There
is nothing else to identify 'Ceres', but the Ouest railway also had a Buddicom
designed 2-4-0. My guess is that Brassey bought both these engines off the
Ouest railway and used them on a contract for the Rhone et Loire before
bringing them back to the UK. There was a major financial crash in 1873, which
would have affected the railway contracting business, and the East and West
Junction Railway may have been the only railway desperate enough to hire these
old french engines. The drawings of these engines were made by the late Admiral
Eynaud and sent to me by the late Marc Neyret (who made many beautiful brass
models of French locomotives).
Matthew is building an early East & West Junction
Railway model layout featuring models of the locomotives seen below. We hope to
showcase them when available.
Railway Archive SMJ related Articles
by Barry Taylor, Railway Archive, published by Black Dwarf
Lightmoor, Witney, Oxfordshire. Email info@lightmoor.co.uk
Barry is also the author of 'The Stratford-upon-Avon
& Midland Junction Railway - Volume 1 – The years before the S&MJR
– 1866 to 1909 – The Constituent Companies' published by Black
Dwarf Lightmoor, Witney, Oxfordshire.
Barry has kindly allowed us to reproduce three of his
articles originally published in the periodal Railway Archive. These are:
| Issue No 29 – pages 25 to 30 - 'A French farce
in West Northamptonshire – new light on an early E&WJR locomotive'.
This dealt with the “la Savoie” court case and also “Ceres”
(see below!) and other early locos |
| Issue No 35 – pages 45 to 51 – 'A
Northamptonshire locomotive mystery - early days on the N&BJR'. This was
all to do with the auctions of the N&BJR locos, and their possible
identities |
| Issue No 43 – pages 49 to 57 – 'Fairlie
controversial - or a little local difficulty at Blisworth in 1875'. This dealt
with the problems between the N&BJR and E&WJR over the use of the
Fairlie patent 0-6-6-0, which went to the Railway Commissioners for
arbitration |
Barry writes, 'in the newspaper report that sparked off
the last article, there was a reference to the E&WJR having obtained the
use of the mighty 'Fairlie', owing to …..brave 'Wellington' and the 'Gers
of 'Rouen' being found wanting on their goods trains. Wellington we know was a
locomotive hired from Isaac Watt Boulton, but 'Gers' is obviously a reference
to what we have so far known as “Ceres”. On balance I feel that
'Gers' is a far more likely name for 'La Savoie’s' partner – both
'Gers' and 'La Savoie' are Departements of France, and a consistent naming
policy like that seems quite likely. I think that 'Ceres' is probably a
corruption of the real name, and I have so far been unable to prove
'Ceres' in any way. I’ve no idea where the first mention of that name came
from, and it has probably just been handed down over the years, probably
handwritten, and somewhere transcribed incorrectly. However, newspaper reports
should also be taken with caution, but they did get Rouen right,
so…….?'
The Early Years
by Simon Dunkley of 'The Erratic and Wandering Journey' -
see www.ewjr.org
The locomotive history of the E&WJR is dependent on a
lot of deduction, interpolation and extrapolation, although luckily this has
been done already, mostly by Richard Allen who provided the information for the
revised edition of JM Dunn’s Oakwood Press book. Dunn and Jordan tie up
with historical sources, such as photographs and Beyer Peacock drawings,
whereas Riley and Simpson have some deviations from these, but do provide other
information such as liveries. Like a lot of minor railways, locomotives were
ordered but could not be paid for as the costs of constructing the railway were
woefully underestimated, and of course 'raising the necessary' was a
perennial problem for the E&WJR. Be that as it may, there are some clear
facts, and some slightly murkier facts which can be reported.
There is a photo of a small Manning Wardle loco arriving at
Kineton, claimed to be of the first train. The engine
concerned belonged to TR Crampton, the contractor and a shareholder of the
railway. The locomotive seems to have popped up regularly, eventually being
taken into stock cira 1895 and was the fourth and last engine to carry the No 1
running number – ironic considering it was the first to run. It was
rebuilt about then, and reputedly withdrawn in 1908, and then sold on to become
Morous under Colonel Stephen’s ownership. If it was withdrawn in 1908, the
photo below can be dated as being no later than that
year.
No 1 at Stratford, 1905-1908
To start the services in 1873, three 2-4-0 tank locomotives
(No 4, No 5 and No 6) for passenger work and three 0-6-0 tender locomotives (No
1, No 2 and No 3) for freight work were ordered from Beyer Peacock of
Manchester. These were completed in February 1873, but there is no evidence
that they were actually delivered. In May 1875, they were purchased by the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Both were based on designs for Sewdish
customers, the tanks being similar to Wroxall on the Isle of Wight Railway
– these were in all probability stock designs for the period on the part
of Beyer Peacock. Two old French locomotives, probably of the
Buddicom/Allen/Crewe type were either hired or purchased from Thomas Brassey.
'Ceres' was a 2-4-0 and 'La Savoie' an 0-6-0. 'Ceres' was
worn out by 1880 and scrapped at Stratford upon Avon, 'La Savoie' became
a saddle tank and moved on to Birkenhead for Brassey, being sold 5 years later
to the Bute Trustees and was finally scrapped in 1908 as Cardiff Railway No
32.
The next step was to hire locomotives from IW Boulton,
amongst which was a George England 2-4-0 ex-Somerset & Dorset Junction
Railway, and a couple of 0-6-0 saddle tanks. These were followed by the most
extraordinary pair of engines: an 0-6-6-0T double
Fairlie and an 0-4-4T single Fairlie, the
latter albeit briefly and reputedly was the same as that which ran on the
Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway. The 0-6-6-0T was the first locomotive
used on a British railway to have Walschearts valve gear – it predated the
0-4-4T by two years – and was amongst the most powerful engines in the
world at the time! It was built for use in Mexico, but the full order was not
taken up. Finally, in 1879 the E&WJR was in a position to start buying new
engines, and bought an 0-6-0ST from Beyer Peacock.
It was put to work on the line from Stratford upon Avon to Broom, its low water
capacity precluded its use anywhere else on the line. It was based on a design
first supplied to the Crewe Coal and Iron Company, and was very similar to the
London South Western Railway tank locomotives ascribed to Beattie. It was sold
in 1890 to the Rother Vale Collieries Company, eventually passing into the
hands of the National Coal Board, and was not scrapped until 1959 –
bearing the number '0'. It is a shame that the preservation movement had not
really got going at the time: it would have made an interesting historical
item, and was the last E&WJR locomotive in steam by nearly 30 years!
To complete the early years there is 'Hope', the Yorkshire Engine Company 2-4-0T. This little
locomotive had a lower water capacity than the saddle tank, which it replaced
on the roster and became yet another No 1! It was used again between Stratford
and Broom, and was sold on to the Cannock and Rugely Colliery via a dealer. It
was rebuilt into an 0-6-0T in 1916, and – named Harrison – lasted
until 1955 on the National Coal Board.
Number 2
When they could finally afford a new locomotive, what JM
Dunn described as that hopeful band, 'the proprietors of, and other people
interested in, the East and West Junction Railway' turned to Beyer Peacock
of Manchester and ordered locomotives from their standard range. The first such
locomotive, destined to be No 2 on the E&WJR and the SMJR (see below), was
a design originally produced for a Dutch Railway, being an outside-framed 0-6-0
tender locomotive thought have 4 foot 6 inch driving wheels and cylinders of 17
inches bore x 24 inches stroke with Allen straight link motion. It was
delivered with a round topped boiler, and square-with-round-corners windows. It
was not fitted with continuous brakes and was obviously intended for hauling
freight trains. According to Dick Riley and Bill Simpson, it was in brown,
lined yellow-black-yellow in 1903, and was probably delivered in this colour
scheme. In 1904 it was rebuilt, with a new cab and boiler and also vacuum
brakes. The boiler was odd, being not quite a Belpaire: the vacuum brakes were
fitted not to enable it to work passenger trains (the E&WJR was a
Westinghouse air-braked line) but to provide extra coverage for through freight
trains from the Midland Railway – the banana specials were vacuum braked.
In this condition the locomotive survived to be absorbed into LMS stock as No
2300 and it lasted until 1926. It appears to have retained the black livery,
lined green-yellow-green.
Numbers 3 and 4
Following the apparent success of No 2, the E&WJR
purchased two more six-coupled tender locomotives of a similar outline, but
with wheels of 5 foot diameter, and altered dimensions. Locomotive No 3, like
No 2 before it, was intended for freight traffic and was delivered without
continuous brakes, but No 4 had the Westinghouse air brake fitted from new,
suggesting it was intended for use on passenger trains. Locomotive No 4 served
as the 'template' later on for locomotives No 10, No 11 and No 12. In 1904, No
3 was reboilered with a Belpaire firebox, which also involved a new cab
spectacle plate and it was fitted with vacuum brakes. Both engines were put up
for sale in 1908, and No 3 was put on the 'duplicate' list as No 03 until 1913,
but despite this they both survived into LMS ownership as No 2301 and No 2302
(renumbered No 2397 in 1927). Locomotive No 2301 went in 1924, but No 2397 in
1929.
Numbers 5 and 6
With the recommencement of passenger services between
Stratford and Blisworth in 1884, the E&WJR found itself in need of suitable
locomotives to haul the trains. It turned again to Beyer, Peacock who just
happened to have two tank locomotives immediately available! The Swindon,
Marlborough and Andover Railway had ordered three 2-4-0T tanks locomotives to
be No 8, No 9 and No 10, but could only afford one of them: 9 and 10 remained
in Manchester, but not before 'No 10' was the subject of a maker's photograph,
which has led to much historical confusion! Let's be clear and honest about
these locomotives: they were not ideal for the railway, having a large overhang
at the rear which made them unsteady when running in reverse on the indifferent
E&WJR permanent way. More tender locomotives would probably have been
preferable. Beyer Peacock twice (1894 and 1906) drew up plans for converting
them to 2-4-2 tank locomotives, a scheme which was never followed but sounds
interesting. However they gave steady service for nearly 30 years. As it was,
bunker first running was only permitted in an emergency, and not at all between
Broom and Stratford!
Apart from the numbers, the locomotives were identical
– which is pretty much a record on the E&WJR prior to 1895 –
having 5 foot 6 inch drivers and cylinders matching those in No 2, No 3 and No
4, of 17 inch bore and 24 inch stroke. As delivered they had large spectacles
on the cab front and an ornate dome, looking rather attractive to my admittedly
biased eye, but in the early 1900s, a new cab spectacle plate was fitted with
smaller windows, but the dome and safety valves were retained. When new boilers
were required in 1907 after an unsuccessful attempt to sell the pair and to
replace them with new stock, the safety valves were changed and a plain dome
was fitted. Eventually, the pair were sold to the War Department in 1916
(despite being listed as withdrawn in 1917 and 1913 respectively!) and went to
Catterick Camp as Military Camp Railway No 94 (No 5) and Longmoor Camp as MCR
No 95 (No 6). The latter was listed as for sale as late as 1921, but apart from
a rumour that one of them ended up in China (!) there is no record of their
final fate.
Numbers 7 to 9
With the opening of the through route to the Midland
Railway at Olney, between Northampton and Bedford, via the Easton Neston
Minerals, Towcester, Roade and Olney Junction Railway (yes, really!) the
E&WJR was able to offer the facility to the Midland of a short cut for
freight traffic from Bristol docks to London. This was particularly useful for
the perishable traffic of bananas. Trains arrived from Bristol at Broom
Junction, where they were reversed over the E&WJR. Initially Midland
locomotives were used, but they were too heavy for the track and the East and
West needed to provide its own power. However, the banana trains used stock
fitted with the automatic vacuum brake, and the E&WJR had no suitable
locomotives. An approach was made to the LNWR, who were selling some of their
famed DX goods locomotives, and three were bought at the end of 1892. One, LNWR
No 1891 (formerly No 648 until 1887), had the vacuum brake fitted and was
therefore technically an SDX – S standing for 'special': it became
E&WJR No 7 . The other two, LNWR No 1945 (No 809 until 1889) and No 1966
(No 825 until 1890) were not fitted with power brakes, and became general
freight locomotives No 8 and No 9. The working timetables had three paths
allocated for banana trains, but the existence of the vacuum brake on No 7 only
suggests that at first, only one train ran this way. The DX goods locomotives
bought had been fitted with new fireboxes and boilers under Webb, but these
three appear to have had them built to the Ramsbottom pattern and dimensions
(shorter firebox, larger boiler at a lower pitch – modellers beware!)
which also had a top hinged smokebox door. It is somehow typical of the
E&WJR that they managed to buy three examples of one of the most numerous
and famously standardised locomotive classes built in the UK, and all three
were different!
One of the last two locomotives was fitted with cast-iron
wheels with 12 spokes of H-section instead of the usual 15 spoke variety. This
was fairly uncommon, and they were nick-named as 'duckfoot DXs'. Locomotives No
7 and No 8 had been rebuilt by the LNWR in 1878 and 1880 respectively, but No 9
was not rebuilt, suggesting (to me, at least!) that it was No 9 which was the
Duckfoot locomotive as delivered. In 1903, No 8 was reported as having worn out
wheels, and No 9 as being worn out apart from the wheels, so the obvious
solution was to put the wheels from No 9 under No 8. Although I have been able
to track down a photo of No 8 with duckfoot wheels, I do not have the date, so
whether this is after the swap, or before it, I do not know for sure but I
suspect the latter as the locomotive has acquired brakes on the locomotive, not
just the tender, and appears to have had a vacuum ejector fitted –
something not, so far, documented elsewhere, and which I surmise was added when
it was rebuilt. This suggests that No 8 had some substantial work carried out
in 1903, to make one working locomotive out of two that were getting worn.
Despite this, it was listed as 'recently withdrawn' in 1908. As a modeller, I
can choose which version suits me until I find out more, and even then it will
require nothing more than a renumbering if I have things wrong as the
locomotives were otherwise identical. Locomotive No 7 was placed onto the
duplicate list in 1908, renumbered as No 07, and scheduled for scrapping but No
10 was in a worse state and No 7 was renovated and fitted with a new boiler of
standard Webb pattern from the LNWR in 1914 and taken back into capital stock
as No 7, lasting until 1920.
The second No 7
Finding itself short of reliable motive power and in need
of an 0-6-0, the SMJR made the dubious purchase of an engine from the London
Brighton South Coast Railway. Dubious, as despite being 36 years old with over
750,000 miles on the book, it cost £3,000 (expensive even allowing for
wartime inflation) and it had no injectors, requiring movement to power the
axle driven pump to put water into the boiler. On a line such as the SMJR, with
a sedate if not leisurely progress this was not a good idea and the purchase
was not popular with the crews. The engine lasted under the LMS until November
1924, carrying the allotted No 2303 and a Midland chimney!
Numbers 10 to 12
In 1895, the E&WJR was in a position to order a new
0-6-0 locomotive from Beyer Peacock and returned to the successful pattern of
No 4, albeit now fitted with the automatic vacuum brake as well as the
Westinghouse airbrake (all of the railways which connected to the E&WJR
used the automatic vacuum brake). The new locomotive became No 10, and
interestingly had a number plate which included a statement of ownership. Two
more locomotives, No 11 and No 12, followed in 1896 and 1900 respectively. The
boiler barrels were slightly shorter and had fewer tubes, the wheels had
thicker tyres, but apart from the vacuum ejector and pipes, the trio looked the
same as No 4. This is the first real degree of standardisation seen on the
E&WJR; once No 4 was dual fitted later on in its life, there were four all
but identical locomotives in operation. Indications are that they were
delivered in crimson lake lined as per the Midland Railway, and repainted into
standard SMJR black upon the merger, or in the years leading up to it.
Locomotive No 10 must have seen some heavy use, as it was
laid aside in 1914, but the money raised from the sale of No 5 and No 6 meant
that a new boiler, cylinders and wheels could be purchased – under wartime
government control of the railways, a new locomotive was unlikely to be
forthcoming. Locomotive No 10 returned to traffic in 1917, having been omitted
from the stock returns for the previous three years. Under the LMS, they were
allocated No 2304, No 2305 and No 2036, No 11 being the first SMJR engine to be
renumbered (September 1923) during an overhaul at Derby when slight
modifications were made to allow for the fitting of standard MR parts where
possible. Locomotive No 10 was condemned in April 1924 (must have been a
popular locomotive and worked into the ground!) without receiving its LMS
number, and provided spare parts for locomotives No 2, 3, 4, 11 and 12.
Locomotive No 11 and No 12, as LMS No 2305 and No 2306, were renumbered as No
2398 and No 2399 in 1927, and both lasted until 1930.
Number 13
In 1903, the E&WJR took delivery of a new locomotive for
'express passenger' work, a 2-4-0 with 6 foot driving wheels and a very
pleasing outline. Despite the 2-4-0T locomotives already in service and the
0-6-0s locomotives No 10, No 11 and No 12 being delivered in lined red, this
engine arrived in blue! It was, by all accounts, the most free-running
locomotive the railway had, and popular with the men, but truth be told the
0-6-0s were perfectly capable of handling all of the traffic and far more
versatile, so it became a singleton and was not repeated. The design was
basically that by William Kirtley for the Hull and Barnsley (itself derived
from LCDR practice) fitted with a Belpaire boiler: no general arrangement was
produced for the alterations. It introduced Stephenson link motion to the
railway. Only two more 2-4-0s were built for a British railway company after
this, both for the North Staffordshire Railway: the E&WJR even managed to
miss out on being last at something! Although allocated LMS No 290, No 13 was
withdrawn due to its boiler condition in 1924 without being renumbered: the
valve gear and cylinders were suitable as spares for locomotives No 14, No 15
and No 16.
Numbers 14-16
Being in a position to order more motive power, the
E&WJR again returned to Beyer Peacock for outside framed 0-6-0s in 1903,
1905 and 1906. The engines delivered were an updated version of those which
went before, but with Belpaire fireboxes, straight footplates and 4 foot 9 inch
wheels. Following on from No 13, these were also delivered in blue. Cylinders
and motion were the same as for the 2-4-0, as was for the most part the boiler
and firebox. These locomotives were not fitted with air brakes, being vacuum
only, and allowed the displacement of the DX goods on through goods trains: at
least on paper. (I suspect that No 10, No 11 and No 12 had already taken a
share of this!). Locomotive No 16 ran for nine years from 1910 with Isaacson
valve gear (see locomotives No 17 and No 18) but was returned to Stephenson's
link four years before the Grouping. All three passed to the LMS, being
allocated 2307-9, and lasted until 1926, 1924 and 1926 respectively. Although
there is no photographic proof (yet!) that 15 was renumbered, it was quoted as
No 2308 in LMS instructions from October 1923: No 10 and No 13 were not so
quoted. The photographs of No 14 (in image 'smjsa374') and No 15 (in image 'smjsa375') are from my collection and were taken on the
same day in 1922 by an unknown photographer, and fortunately from opposite
sides.
Numbers 17 and 18
The last two new locomotives ordered by the E&WJR
caused a little embarrassment, as the E&WJR found itself unable to pay for
them! However, the financial reconstruction of the E&WJR in 1908 to
incorporate the Evesham, Redditch and Stratford-upon-Avon Junction
Railway and the Stratford-upon-Avon, Towcester and Midland Junction
Railway (all three companies were predominantly owned by the same people)
into a new company called the Stratford and Midland Junction Railway
enabled the SMJR to pay in full in January 1909, and the locomotives entered
straight into SMJR stock. They were similar to No 14, No 15 and No 16, but
differed in having Isaacson’s valve gear, larger cylinders and a larger
boiler – thus denying the SMJR the benefits of 5 locomotives of identical
design! Not only that, but there was trouble with the valve gear initially, but
after attention from the makers, it was possible to claim a 15% saving of coal.
They were delivered in the new livery of black, lined yellow-green-yellow. Both
engines lasted into LMS days, being withdrawn in 1925 as 2310 and 1927 as 2311
respectively. Locomotive No 18 was photographed by the LMS at Saltney, along
with No 13, and appeared on a Frank Moore postcard: locomotive No 18 and locomotive
No 13.
E&WJR & SMJ Goods Vehicles, Coaches and Passenger
Rated Rolling stock
Much of the information and or photographs provided on this
and other linked pages has been derived from books written by: Arthur Jordon
The Stratford upon Avon and Midland Junction Railway published by OPC;
JM Dunn's The Stratford upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway
published by The Oakwood Press; RC Riley and Bill Simpson in their book A
History of the Stratford-Upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway published
by Lamplight Publications; David Blasgrove in his book 'Warwickshire's Lost
Railways' published by Stenlake Publishing which has a brief illustrated
overview of some of the stations; and finally Geoffrey Kingscott's Lost
Railways of Warwickshire published by Countryside Books which has a section
dedicated to the SMJR with 'Now and Then' photographs. We would like to express
our thanks to the members of the SMJ Society (www.smj.me) for use of their
information and images, in particular the late John Jennings whose contribution
can be seen on many of our SMJ pages.
Tables and drawings of E&WJR Locomotives and Rolling
stock
The LMS Ro-Railer
Stratford upon Avon Transport Notes -Volume 02/04 by J R
Jennings, SMJR line archivist.
The LMS “Ro-Railer” I have been researching and
lecturing on the Stratford upon Avon and Midland Junction Railway for over
forty years. It is incredible how many times I am asked about the 'Ro-Railer'.
This vehicle only served in revenue service for a few weeks yet it has taken on
almost mythical status and although it deserves a place in history, its main
contribution to Stratford is that it put the station at Old Town and the LMS
railway as an alternative route clearly in front of a much wider public than it
had ever previously enjoyed. Not since the days of the “Harvard”
special trains in the pre-Great War era did so many people crowd onto the
'other' Stratford station as on the morning of 23rd April 1932. I estimate that
more photos were taken of the Ro-Railer (and certainly more survive) than of
any other ex-SMJR line subject. If only the unique Fairlie engine had enjoyed
similar status! This short volume has been edited over the years as new data
has come to light. It draws together information that appears in many sources
elsewhere.
The Stratford upon Avon and Midland Junction Railway and the
LMS Railway that took it over in 1923 made various attempts over the years to
offer a through connection between Stratford and London. The rival GWR route
with a change at Leamington Spa was longer than either the Stratford -
Marylebone or Stratford - Euston possibilities that existed using the SMJ
route. In the early 1900s a through service was provided by a coach that was
worked over the SMJ line before being attached to a Great Central Railway
London service at Woodford. This involved the coach being 'trip worked' from
Byfield to Woodford and back. Its progress over the SMJ line to Stratford was
slow because it was attached to a normal all stations stopping train. The
Railway 'grouping' of 1923 put the Great Central Railway in the LNER camp with
the SMJ becoming part of the LMSR. This really ended any future cooperation on
through coaches via Woodford. The 'gateway' from the SMJ line to London had
always been via Woodford because when the GCR London extension was built the
need to generate traffic was paramount and the layout at Woodford took account
of interchange traffic with the SMJR. The LMS could direct traffic to its West
Coast Main Line at either Blisworth or Roade. The connection at Roade had never
been fully utilized even for freight but the interchange at Blisworth was one
of the better used parts of the ex SMJ system and although passengers would
need to walk through to the main p latforms a reasonable connection to the
capital could be achieved. The authors of the vario us books on the SMJ have
never effectively explored why the Roade connection was not developed for
passenger through traffic. In mileage terms it was very attractive but the most
plausible explanation is that the LMS (and LNWR before it) did not want to stop
express trains at a relatively unimportant station to attach/detach through
coaches of dubious commercial benefit to them. Some authors have suggested that
the track layout at Roade dating from the 1840’s and the lack of a
shunting engine at all times were also considerations.
During the 1920s competition from road transport was
becoming a big problem for all of the railway companies and they explored ways
of cutting costs and developing new traffic on loss making lines. The LMS were
aware that Stratford upon Avon was an increasingly important destination with
the attractions of the 'new' theatre and their own investment in the Welcombe
Hotel. Ways of providing a passenger service of reasonable journey time were
considered and it was decided to trial a new concept of vehicle that could run
on both rail and road. If successful this would have great potential to win
traffic for lightly used lines. In the case of the Stratford service it would
be possible to convey passengers and their luggage directly to and from the
Welcombe Hotel via the SMJ line as far as Blisworth where with just one change
of train they would be conveyed directly to Euston. The journey time would be
enhanced by the vehicle running non-stop from Blisworth to Stratford although
the constraints of a difficult single track line often meant waits at Towcester
and Kineton.
The LMS Ro-Railer UR7924 was ordered by the LMS carriage
division at Wolverton in Feb 1931. The supplier Karrier Motors of Huddersfield
was a surprise to some as they were running down their bus production having
earned a poor reputation for reliability in the 1920's. The chassis was a
standard Karrier Chaser powered by a 6 cylinder engine with a maximum rating of
120hp. The Chaser was the last serious bus design by Karrier. The body was
built by Cravens to their B26C design and featured 14 front facing seats in the
forward vestibule and 12 longitudinal seats in the rear smoking saloon. Luggage
space was provided on the roof or by folding up some of the seats in the rear
vestibule. It weighed 7tons 2cwt and was fitted with railway sanding gear, lamp
irons and emergency drawgear for locomotive haulage. Loco haulage was limited
to 20mph although apart from the presumed rescue on its demise there is no
record of loco haulage taking place. The pneumatic road wheels and traditional
flanged rail wheels were mounted on a manually set eccentric arrangement and
could be switched from road to rail in under five minutes by one man whilst the
vehicle stood over a sleepered crossing. The technical arrangements are dealt
with fairly comprehensively in most of the books that have been published about
the ex-SMJR line.
After delivery and acceptance at Wolverton it was put on
trial on the Hemel Hemstead – Harpenden branch where it was photographed
in late 1931 by H C Casserley. In an attempt to gain publicity the LMS decided
to allocate this first experimental vehicle to the ex SMJ section and the
service was launched at Stratford upon Avon on 23rd April 1932. This is an
important day for the town as it is the birthday of William Shakespeare and
there would be many influential people and pressmen around on the day. As
previously mentioned the LMS had converted a mansion at Welcombe into a Hotel
and the Ro-Railer was charged with conveying passengers directly to it without
the need to transfer themselves or their luggage at the railway station. There
was a minor skirmish with an omnibus company who held the local carriage
license and objected to the LMS in effect providing a service on their
territory although they did not offer a route from Stratford LMS t o the
Welcombe hotel! This was resolved by the LMS agreeing to charge a flat rate
fare of sixpence (6d) for any intermediate fare stage if passengers were picked
up in the town. There were few takers.
The Ro-Railer suffered from the same problems as many early
road bus conversions to rail in that it was too light for efficient rail
adhesion particularly on a line like the ex SMJ which had the gradient profile
of a switchback. It struggled to maintain progress uphill and was then driven
hard on the downhill to compensate. (The author experienced a very similar
vehicle still in use in Chile in 1993 and the ride qualities were not for the
faint hearted!) The lack of effective suspension and springing meant that the
hammer blow from rail joints and crossings was transmitted to both machinery
and occupants. Early failure of some vital part was inevitable and after a few
weeks of operation the Ro-Railer broke a front axle component whilst in service
near Byfield. It was removed to Wolverton and never used again as a rail
vehicle although the fact that its road registration was renewed for a number
of years after suggests disposal for use as a road vehicle. The LMS did have
plans to order more including goods/passenger convertible versions for branch
line use. These plans were abandoned by virtue of a short minute at an LMS
board meeting in late 1932.
In view of its novelty and the launch on 23rd April there
is a wealth of photographic material of the vehicle. In addition to the railway
coverage the odd shot of it on the streets of Stratford keeps coming to light
as residents come forward with a photograph taken by a relative of this
'unusual vehicle' as the local paper had described it. Apart from Casserley's
efforts not too many photos of it exist outside of the Stratford area or in any
other SMJ l ine station. The launch of the service drew a large gathering of
contemporary railway enthusiasts many of who can be seen in the photographs
that have been well published over the years. Some cine films of the vehicle
have survived and at least one copy is held in the archive collection
administered by Rob Foxon of Leicester.
One Ro-Railer story that has recently surfaced was that it
was alleged to have been sent out to substitute for an unavailable loco and
coach on the Stratford - Broom Junction scheduled service one day. The
turntable at Broom was unavailable (the East to West connection forming a
triangle was 10 years in the future) so the Ro-Railer returned backwards!
The Ro-Railer being presented by Lord Stamp
The Ro-Railer being tested on road and rail
The Ro-Railer's wheel change and technical information
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