Bulleid Light Pacifics

I have added 4 new photos of Bulleids Light Pacifics
This collection features 34009-34014 built 1945
34009 Lyme Regis at Millbrooke with the 10.54am Waterloo to Swanage service 16th July 1960
https://tinyurl.com/2acyu6uw
34010 Sidmouth unknown location
https://tinyurl.com/uhk9npjj
34013 Okehampton Branksome 19th February 1967
https://tinyurl.com/3cvp498y
34013 Okehampton unknown location
https://tinyurl.com/rhn8c4s2

Neil

 

I have added a lot of new photos of Bulleids Light Pacifics
This collection features 34001-34008 built 1945
Including this photo of
34006 Bude + 34057 Biggin Hill at Chilcompton with the L.C.G.B. 'Somerset & Dorset Rail Tour' 5th March 1966
https://tinyurl.com/ph7mn4uy
Full collection of 21 new photos starts here
34001-34005
https://tinyurl.com/4t6a9nns
34006-34008
https://tinyurl.com/js5j49nk

Neil

 

To start the gap filling exercise
18/156 34006 between Vauxhall and Waterloo, near Lambeth Bridge Road,
22/156 34005 Tonbridge
55/156 34006 Eastleigh
71/156 34008 Basingstoke
77/156 34008 Eastleigh Stoneham Sdgs
89/156 34002 Eastleigh Depot
98/156 3401 Southampton Central
130/156 34007 Chapel Crossing Southampton
131/156 34008 duplicate of 93/156
148/156 34005 Weymouth passing Jersey Sidings.
156/156 34004 Southampton Central

Cheers, Neil

 

I have added some new photos of Bulleids Light Pacifics
This collection features 34015-34020 built 1945
Including this view of
34015 Exeter in Bournemouth Central station with 3 diesels also in view
https://tinyurl.com/efpf4zze

New photos start here with
34015 Exmouth at Exmouth Jct
https://tinyurl.com/ba45v5ux
to
34019 Bideford at Weymouth
https://tinyurl.com/2kr4kjz4

Neil

 

I have added some new photos of Bulleids Light Pacifics
This collection features 34021-34024 built 1946
Including this photo of
34021 in filthy condition minus Dartmoor nameplates unknown location
https://tinyurl.com/3wau9be2
New photos start here with
34021 Dartmoor at Bournemouth
https://tinyurl.com/tj4t47u6

Neil

 

I have added 4 new photos of Bulleids Light Pacifics
This collection features 34029-34036 built 1946
Including this photo of
34035 Shaftsbury looks to have a different profile to other light pacifics Eastleigh 3rd September 1960
https://tinyurl.com/4j6vy654
34031 Torrington still in S.R. livery at Bickley with 'The Thanet Belle'
https://tinyurl.com/nd6h89at
34034 with Honiton nameplate removed Poole Park July 1956
https://tinyurl.com/592jz6k
34036 minus number plate and Westwood Ho namplate unknown location
https://tinyurl.com/8bwz4asd

Neil

 

Exactly what was the reasoning behind letting the appearance of main line steam locomotives deteriorate so badly. did it start at the top? Certainly didn't give the public much confidence in the organisation one would think! TBH as a railway enthusiast i find this whole scenario appalling. Yes we knew that steam was on the way out. Did it have to go out in such a wretched, neglected manner?

 

Not just steam i'm afraid, the newly arriving diesel loco's received exactly the same cleaning regime.

 

I lived in Leicester in the 60's and all the Midland locomotives that I saw were always filthy! I did go to Nine Elms and most there were grubby, however on a visit to Salisbury I did see a couple of clean Pacifics and Aberdeen looked after their A4s well. The problem was that young people (Lads) could get more money doing engineering apprenticeships and if they wanted to work on steam engines, they rapidly went onto firing turns as they were short staffed, cleaning was totally neglected (couldn't be staffed) in many sheds.

 

Simply availability of labour. As far as I am aware, by the 1960s, standards of cleaning held up better in more rural outposts where jobs were comparatively scarce, and declined most in big cities where there were plenty of easier ways to earn money.

In Pete Smith's book about the S&DJR, he notes that each engine was allotted ten man-hours per day of cleaning (typically four boys doing a quarter each). Even with that being done by the most junior staff, it's a pretty big cost of operation.

Tom

 

The cost of not keeping equipment clean especially Passenger stock and locomotives resulted in the public casting a very jaundiced eye at its publicly owned system, obviously thinking that this must be the tip of the iceberg. As noted above even the incoming diesels were given the same treatment or rather lack of,signs of a deeper rot than "labour shortages" TBH The Tories(Beeching,Marples and co.) basically wanted the Railways gone or reduced to a dirty shadow.and to tie in with another thread, how many bridge strikes,other than by double deckers, were there in the 50/60s. Very few to my memory, and given the massive amount of pre-war infrastructure still extant why was the road lobby able to increase the size and loads of its vehicles to a point where they have now become a national menace.?

 

I'm not convinced about the cause and effect. Recruiting and retaining labour in a tight labour market* was difficult, when railway jobs offered limited prospects, heavy and dirty work, and anti-social hours; in the post war period, already very tired depots (think of those inter-war rebuilding projects) had suffered war damage and left sometimes very poor conditions which can't fail to have had an impact on staff's willingness to keep stock pristine. Once standards of presentation started to fall, they became the new normal, which then helped depress the impression of the railway. It's always been interesting how different depots have had reputations for good or bad presentation of their fleets, so for example on today's railway Salisbury has a good reputation for it's 159s, but Newton Heath has had a consistently poor reputation going back decades. That suggests deep rooted cultural factors are at work, rather than local factors.

I'd also observe that there are plenty of threads on this forum where the challenges of keeping stock clean on today's preserved railways are brought up - and that's with presumably more motivated workforces.

* - I see a modern parallel in the current HGV driver issues.

 

To illustrate the point here are two photographs taken in 1966 - guess which is at Salisbury....

 

I have added some new photos of Bulleid’s Light Pacifics
This collection features 34041-34048 built 1946
Including this photo of
34045 Ottery St. Mary near Creekmoor with the 12.26pm 3 coach Bournemouth West to Brockenhurst service 19th April 1964
https://tinyurl.com/yw9xvfa5
new photos start here with
34041 Wilton at Poole with the 5.30pm 3 coach Bournemouth West to Templecombe service
https://tinyurl.com/2nrky5bx
to
34042 Dorchester Eastleigh works and shed 6th June 1965
https://tinyurl.com/2rprjfby
to
34048 Crediton
https://tinyurl.com/9k3pyvrx

Neil

 

Hi Neil,

A few more locations and clarifications...

50/102 34048 I think this is Fareham West Jn with the Gosport line heading straight ahead. ( OK it's at the south eastern end of the station but the LSWR always deemed that the SB nearest to Waterloo was "East" SB.
86/102 34041 Oxford
100/102 34048 Weybridge

Cheers, Neil

 

I have added some new photos of Bulleid’s Light Pacifics
This collection features 34053-34070 built 1947
Including this colour photo of
34066 Spitfire Nine Elms 6th December 1965
https://tinyurl.com/2svrsmfh
over 60 new photos start here with
34053 Sir Keith Park at Basingstoke 1956
https://tinyurl.com/k5mb4fua
to
34057 Biggin Hill at Farnborough 10th September 1966
https://tinyurl.com/n6mrwj92
to
34062 17 Squadron at Salisbury
https://tinyurl.com/nhfd8ncr
to
34064 Fighter Command unknown location
https://tinyurl.com/ea25xn4c
to
34070 Manston near Ashford 31st March 1957
https://tinyurl.com/a7dhyanb

Neil

 

Hi Neil,

A few locations to fill in gaps.
109/183 34053 working the Bournemouth Belle at Deepcut between Pirbright Jn and Farnborough
120/183 34060 Oxford North duplicate of image 145/183
126/183 34053 Christchurch
153/183 34062 Eastleigh Depot exit lines. Post 1966 as the power control room is complete
179/183 34053 Worting Jn (Up direction)
181/183 34057 Winchfield
Cheers, Neil

 

I have added some new photos of Bulleid’s Light Pacifics
This collection features 34071-34078 built 1948
Including this photo of a ex works loco
34073 249 Squadron Bournemouth 8th July 1962
https://tinyurl.com/vhbnhm9n
20 new photos start here with
34071 601 Squadron
https://tinyurl.com/ywetea2n
to
34072 257 Squadron
https://tinyurl.com/4vtfwh9z
to
34077 minus 603 Squadron nameplates Eastleigh station 20th February 1965
https://tinyurl.com/3h8n3xbh

Neil

 

73/77 34077 Allbrook Jn north of Eastleigh

Cheers, Neil

 

I have added some new photos of Bulleid’s Light Pacifics
This collection features 34079-34089 built 1948
Including these 2 colour photos of
34087 145 Squadron + 34098 Templecombe unknown location
https://tinyurl.com/38cwnvue
34079 141 Squadron at Fareham with Home Counties Railway Society 'Eastleigh & Southampton Special' 6th December 1964
https://tinyurl.com/m8cya5zw
included are photos of now preserved 34081 92 Squadron in B.R. service
https://tinyurl.com/4cmd9d7w
over 50 new photos start here with
34079 141 Squadron stripped of all name and number plates Eastleigh shed
https://tinyurl.com/9ss4hcy3
to 34082 615 Squadron & 34056 Croydon Basingstoke
https://tinyurl.com/4wj2tckj
to 34084 253 Squadron with the down 'Man of Kent' passing Chelsfield 5th September 1957
https://tinyurl.com/4uf2py67
to 34087 145 Squadron backing out of Waterloo station
https://tinyurl.com/3k5hn9j5
to 34089 minus 602 Squadron nameplates Bournemouth shed 1967
https://tinyurl.com/xsd7tj2r

Neil