I used to rush home from school to watch Railway Roundabout with about half a dozen other boys much to my mums indignation..we were the only family in the street to have a tele !!!!
In the early 1960s, used to 'bunk" Saltley Shed regularly. Couldn't get in the main entrance as we had to go past the formans office. Me and my friend used to go along the canal towpath alongside side the shed and get through a hole in the fence. Some good 'cops' in the roundhouses.. Happy Days as kids.
I wish I could say that about myself, but I was born too late for a life on steam locomotives! We've read about problems with Berkley Stokers (wrong size coal jamming the screw). Was this true?
@@stephensmith799 The stokers where fitted to three of the class 92165/6/7 primarily for operating the longest single crewed Saltley freight working from Water Orton(Birmingham) to Carlisle via Derby,Leeds & the S&C. They were meant to be coaled from a seperate supply of crushed coal but often ended up with lumps in the mix. I fired many 9F's but not the stokers which had been sent elsewhere (Consett I think without checking?) and heard the stories of those who had to unblock the screw at usually the most difficult times or revert to hand firing via a restricted access. Basically they were fine if they worked well but a nightmare when they failed.
Thanks for the extra details. Making steam is a job and a half. You have my respect. I enjoy reading the memoires of footplate crew. Have you read 'Behind the Steam' which must be my favourite? It would be great to read of your exploits as one of the last steam crew... even if it only made a couple of articles in Steam World. Of course a whole book would be brilliant... maybe to include recollections by other surviving footplate men. Or maybe a TH-cam vid of you talking to camera. That stuff is priceless... Anything by real railwaymen is far better than stuff from enthusiasts (like myself).@@SYKAROST
@@stephensmith799 , You're in luck then. I didn't think I could produce a book but I did create this Facebook page a few years ago which might go some way to meeting your suggestion. you might like to subscribe to my channel where you will find plenty of steam interest including footplate videos. Regards, Brian. facebook.com/footplatememories/
Hah! I have being trying to avoid Facebook as I struggle to keep up with my straight e-mail accounts! But I am tempted now. I was thinking just now about what must have been the toughest steam turn in the UK... taking an express from Paddington to Shrewsbury and return, with a GW King on the same day. Talk about a fireman-killer! How does the 'human frame' manage that?!
My late father Sidney George Pearson was a driver at Saltley before, during and after WW2 and would have been there in 1959. I was an engineering apprentice at Metro Cammell just down the road.
Terry Essery''s combined volume of his memoirs "Saltley Firing Days" is a very detailed and readable account of his progress "through the links" at this shed, culminating in the firing of the overnight express fitted freight trains from Water Orton to Carlisle over the "Long Drag", and a typical BR Management fiasco with the experimental introduction of mechanical stoker-fitted 9F''s on this working, not to save the fireman's labour, but to use a cheaper grade of coal.
@Alexander Challis I recall reading an article in the 1980's in tyhe Steam Railway press saying that during restoration, it was discovered that the ashpan assembly fitted to 71000 in BR service was not allowing the coal to combust efficiently, giving it the reputation of a "poor steamer". This was rectified in it's rebuilding, and it now performs more efficiently. Terry Essery specifically states in "Saltley Firing Days " that the purpose of trialling the 9F's with the mechanical stokers was to explore the use of cheaper grades of coal. The "small coal" already being used on the mechanically fired Heysham ferries, was to be used for the trial, but that didn't arrive at Saltley in time, and so the trial was carried out using the same grade of coal as was used by the 8F's usually allocated to this Express Goods duty, which was unscreened, of many different shapes and sizes, and so caused problems by for the firemen by regularly blocking the working of the Berkeley apparatus. Conversely, after the 9F"test" was finished, and the 8F's restored to the duty, the Heysham "small coal" arrived and was used for manual firing, which brought it's own problems. One cannot imagine that BR at this time had any purpose in fitting the 9F's with this apparatus other than trying to effect fuel economy. It certainly wasn't an altruistic desire to "save the fireman's back!"
@@bigglesbiggles4999 I agree with you to some extent. What we had instead was expensive dieselisation with many poor designs that got scrapped after a few years. Politicians have always intervened to stop electrification from happening right back to grouping days. Grayling is one of a long line of such saboteurs
@@bigglesbiggles4999 We will leave Isochest to clean out the fireboxes and the rest of the crap, breathe in the smoke and die of cancer early as a result. So many died whose deaths are undocumented.
@@IsochestClass 37 was a good design. But steam locos and diesels must be scrapped now in favour of non fossil fuel burning technology which does not cause climate change.
They were certainly good to cut for scrap. Plenty of copper in those boilers. Fireboxes were tedious to dismantle. But once you'd cut the boiler and fire box, frames and running gear were despatched very fast in that class.
Kind of interesting the fact that when the railways were privately owned and run ...engine and coaches were immaculately kept, but with nationalisation they weren't l
As a youngster, early 1950's I had an elderly ex Great Central/LNER driver neighbour and he said before WW2 crews were often allocated a pool of just a few loco's in a shed, they were proud of their engines and would often do a bit of cleaning themselves during slack times. I imagine the bean counters were around from early BR days which might have taken away such pride in the job.
at 1:40 what was the name of the valve gear. AND do they ever use them on models? What little I saw of it, they looked complicated. Great vid BTW. Thanks for sharing. ;-)
Actually, you only had a one fifty-eight-millionth share of it. I checked the records and your part was of eight inches of track on the down fast line just south of Hitchin, three cylinders of a class 31 engine and, bizarrely, one of the urinals at Edinburgh Haymarket.
Correct, No1 was between 2 & 3 with no access of it's own so loco's entered & left via either using two turntables. No3 had the largest table which could just about accomodate 9F's very finely balanced.
I used to work at cutting steam locos at Cashmore's in the late 60's. How we laughed as we ripped into another boiler and chopped out the tubes, meaning another polluting loco would not run again A few days later we were cutting the dregs of the wheels and frames, clearing the tracks for the next loco demolition.
Just reliving the glory days when we cut these nasty things, highdownmartin. Unfortunately there's not much footage of it on You Tube. It was actually dirty dangerous work, but we did the nation a great service.
So ? I heard you cashmore lot were keeping a GWR saddle tank engine for the use of a steam crane and kept it until 1965 when it was replaced by a hunslet saddle tank so ha !
I only know of one loco that escaped cashmores 71000 Duke of Gloucester coz of a mix up as it was meant for Woodhams were any others saved or were they cut up as fast as they entered Cashmores?
I was a fireman at Saltley sheds in 1959 great days and I did the 9f freight train to Carlisle once it was hard work
Apparently the mechanical stokers on the 9f weren't very good, but they were fantastic machines.
Wish I could wander round those locos today !
Same here!
I used to rush home from school to watch Railway Roundabout with about half a dozen other boys much to my mums indignation..we were the only family in the street to have a tele !!!!
In the early 1960s, used to 'bunk" Saltley Shed regularly. Couldn't get in the main entrance as we had to go past the formans office. Me and my friend used to go along the canal towpath alongside side the shed and get through a hole in the fence. Some good 'cops' in the roundhouses.. Happy Days as kids.
I was a fireman on many of the 9f engine's, some with the Berkley stoker
I wish I could say that about myself, but I was born too late for a life on steam locomotives! We've read about problems with Berkley Stokers (wrong size coal jamming the screw). Was this true?
@@stephensmith799 The stokers where fitted to three of the class 92165/6/7 primarily for operating the longest single crewed Saltley freight working from Water Orton(Birmingham) to Carlisle via Derby,Leeds & the S&C. They were meant to be coaled from a seperate supply of crushed coal but often ended up with lumps in the mix. I fired many 9F's but not the stokers which had been sent elsewhere (Consett I think without checking?) and heard the stories of those who had to unblock the screw at usually the most difficult times or revert to hand firing via a restricted access. Basically they were fine if they worked well but a nightmare when they failed.
Thanks for the extra details. Making steam is a job and a half. You have my respect. I enjoy reading the memoires of footplate crew. Have you read 'Behind the Steam' which must be my favourite? It would be great to read of your exploits as one of the last steam crew... even if it only made a couple of articles in Steam World. Of course a whole book would be brilliant... maybe to include recollections by other surviving footplate men. Or maybe a TH-cam vid of you talking to camera. That stuff is priceless... Anything by real railwaymen is far better than stuff from enthusiasts (like myself).@@SYKAROST
@@stephensmith799 , You're in luck then. I didn't think I could produce a book but I did create this Facebook page a few years ago which might go some way to meeting your suggestion. you might like to subscribe to my channel where you will find plenty of steam interest including footplate videos. Regards, Brian. facebook.com/footplatememories/
Hah! I have being trying to avoid Facebook as I struggle to keep up with my straight e-mail accounts! But I am tempted now. I was thinking just now about what must have been the toughest steam turn in the UK... taking an express from Paddington to Shrewsbury and return, with a GW King on the same day. Talk about a fireman-killer! How does the 'human frame' manage that?!
My late father Sidney George Pearson was a driver at Saltley before, during and after WW2 and would have been there in 1959. I was an engineering apprentice at Metro Cammell just down the road.
Terry Essery''s combined volume of his memoirs "Saltley Firing Days" is a very detailed and readable account of his progress "through the links" at this shed, culminating in the firing of the overnight express fitted freight trains from Water Orton to Carlisle over the "Long Drag", and a typical BR Management fiasco with the experimental introduction of mechanical stoker-fitted 9F''s on this working, not to save the fireman's labour, but to use a cheaper grade of coal.
@Alexander Challis I recall reading an article in the 1980's in tyhe Steam Railway press saying that during restoration, it was discovered that the ashpan assembly fitted to 71000 in BR service was not allowing the coal to combust efficiently, giving it the reputation of a "poor steamer". This was rectified in it's rebuilding, and it now performs more efficiently.
Terry Essery specifically states in "Saltley Firing Days " that the purpose of trialling the 9F's with the mechanical stokers was to explore the use of cheaper grades of coal. The "small coal" already being used on the mechanically fired Heysham ferries, was to be used for the trial, but that didn't arrive at Saltley in time, and so the trial was carried out using the same grade of coal as was used by the 8F's usually allocated to this Express Goods duty, which was unscreened, of many different shapes and sizes, and so caused problems by for the firemen by regularly blocking the working of the Berkeley apparatus.
Conversely, after the 9F"test" was finished, and the 8F's restored to the duty, the Heysham "small coal" arrived and was used for manual firing, which brought it's own problems.
One cannot imagine that BR at this time had any purpose in fitting the 9F's with this apparatus other than trying to effect fuel economy. It certainly wasn't an altruistic desire to "save the fireman's back!"
Did Saltley Shed in the snowy winter of 1963. Great Shed.
I was a fireman at Saltley during that horrendous winter!!
My Grandad Jack Randall was there.
was it common for late br crests and early br crests to be together?
3:23 The commentator appears to have totally forgotten the Crosti-boilered variant?
very good - thanks
Steam Should have been with us in the mid 1980s and beyond.
No is shouldn't, it was inefficient, and far more polluting than the alternative that should have been adopted nationally and that's electrification
@@bigglesbiggles4999 I agree with you to some extent. What we had instead was expensive dieselisation with many poor designs that got scrapped after a few years. Politicians have always intervened to stop electrification from happening right back to grouping days. Grayling is one of a long line of such saboteurs
@@bigglesbiggles4999 We will leave Isochest to clean out the fireboxes and the rest of the crap, breathe in the smoke and die of cancer early as a result. So many died whose deaths are undocumented.
@@IsochestClass 37 was a good design. But steam locos and diesels must be scrapped now in favour of non fossil fuel burning technology which does not cause climate change.
The 9Fs were a beautiful looking engine. Where they good to drive?
They were certainly good to cut for scrap. Plenty of copper in those boilers. Fireboxes were tedious to dismantle. But once you'd cut the boiler and fire box, frames and running gear were despatched very fast in that class.
I think they were very nice engines
The steam ban killed off steam. Otherwise it would have lasted into the seventies like it did in Northern Ireland and the continent.
No it wouldn't because all the locos were mostly cut up and made into washing machines and tin cans.
Kind of interesting the fact that when the railways were privately owned and run ...engine and coaches were immaculately kept, but with nationalisation they weren't l
Freight locos were never cleaned like passenger locos as they were out of the eye of the public (except enthusiasts)
It was more of a case in later times of not enough cleaners available owing to covering fireing turns, or difficulty recruiting.
As a youngster, early 1950's I had an elderly ex Great Central/LNER driver neighbour and he said before WW2 crews were often allocated a pool of just a few loco's in a shed, they were proud of their engines and would often do a bit of cleaning themselves during slack times. I imagine the bean counters were around from early BR days which might have taken away such pride in the job.
at 1:40 what was the name of the valve gear. AND do they ever use them on models? What little I saw of it, they looked complicated. Great vid BTW. Thanks for sharing. ;-)
Hi, Caprotti valve gear, DJH produce a BR Std 5 kit.
the 3f and the 4f are the lookalike difference between the two
I see James and Murdoch in the first part
0:36 James real engine
me too
Nah, he had a leading set of wheels
@@boop-oop-a-doop9293 I'm 90% sure James' real counterpart doesn't have the front set of wheels
@@boop-oop-a-doop9293 100% Not in real life
Actually, you only had a one fifty-eight-millionth share of it. I checked the records and your part was of eight inches of track on the down fast line just south of Hitchin, three cylinders of a class 31 engine and, bizarrely, one of the urinals at Edinburgh Haymarket.
You won`t find any of this now. Mosques and curry houses etc you will find aplenty.
Why were 9F steam locos called spaceships?
Because of the gap between the boiler and the frames, which to some make the boiler look as though it's hovering, like a space ship.
My first firing turn was on a 0-6-0
No it was not. The only thing you "fired" was a piece of Silly Putty, thinking it was pottery clay.
They never check the tire pressure on these things.
2:58 look it's Murdoch
It's a faceless engine
saltley had 3 roundhouses
Correct, No1 was between 2 & 3 with no access of it's own so loco's entered & left via either using two turntables. No3 had the largest table which could just about accomodate 9F's very finely balanced.
I used to work at cutting steam locos at Cashmore's in the late 60's. How we laughed as we ripped into another boiler and chopped out the tubes, meaning another polluting loco would not run again
A few days later we were cutting the dregs of the wheels and frames, clearing the tracks for the next loco demolition.
pmonkeygeezer pmonkeygeezer for someone who relishes torching engines, you're watching too many of them and posting a bit too much, me thinks
Just reliving the glory days when we cut these nasty things, highdownmartin. Unfortunately there's not much footage of it on You Tube. It was actually dirty dangerous work, but we did the nation a great service.
Excellent work, yes it is a shame there is not more footage available, I love a good steam loco torching!
So ? I heard you cashmore lot were keeping a GWR saddle tank engine for the use of a steam crane and kept it until 1965 when it was replaced by a hunslet saddle tank so ha !
I only know of one loco that escaped cashmores 71000 Duke of Gloucester coz of a mix up as it was meant for Woodhams were any others saved or were they cut up as fast as they entered Cashmores?