1000 Midland Compound : Final restoration, test run and tours 1959-1961

I have added a collection of photos featuring Johnsons Midland Compound 1000

Final restoration, test run and tours



Looking ready for a paint job

1000 under final restoration Derby 14th June 1959



https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-SLgZV9W

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-XjhRWMw



1000 on the return test run Derby to Leicester and return 13th August 1959

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-m7xZFvh

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-LKKfGhL





1000 SLS railtour Doncaster 16th July 1961 (Tony Gillett)

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-kdxvsPX

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-Kbd3k93

https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/LMSSteam/Samuel-W-Johnson-Midland-Locom/Johnson-1000-Midland-Compound-/1000-1004-Pre-1968/i-Dpq4Vkg





Neil

 

Pity she cant be put back into service again

 

What is broken?

 

Nothing but they won’t do it

 

The NRM bank account.

 

A new build engine will come soon or later I guess

 

Has anyone ever put a serious proposal to the NRM to make it run? It's alright moaning about the NRM, but if you don't ask, you don't get.

Tim

 

The thing is, back in the 1980s when this loco last ran, the NRM used to fund and restore their own locos in house, then it went to with Green Arrow, someone else funding it but them still doing most of the physical work. Now it is someone else fund it and someone else do the work on it, so consequently they don't get to be runners again.

Few people have got the money to say, okay NRM here is £500k go and restore loco X (and find a contractor to do it). I doubt it will ever run again.

I would love to have seen that run in February 1983 (see below) when it ran over the Settle and Carlisle line double heading with Leander also in LMS crimson.

 

The only unusual locos I ever had a trip behind back in the day were Compound 1000 and City of Truro on the Ian Allan special to Doncaster Works on 20/4/1960 (see Six Bells). The compound ran the 75 miles from Fletton Jct back to KX in 80 mins unassisted after 3440 overheated. Anyone got any photos of that one?

 

Again a far more interesting machine and of course the real thing compared with a 'New Build'

 

Nice for a Xmas card.

 

Not my picture. You can see the original at this link here https://www.flickr.com/photos/66247864@N03/40390647120

Found also a couple of videos of the same runs see here :-

 

My neck of the woods, precisely fourteen years before my sister was born Wonder how many of the brickyard workers stopped and looked as it passed? Wonder if my great-uncle saw it, who worked at New England during the War?

 

I photted the northbound run on 05/02/1983 .The weather was so bad on the S and C none of my photo's where worth saving .However I manage one of the compound at Apperley Jns running light from York to Hellifield. 12/02/1983 was more successful ,I road on the train and photo stops were normal at that time ,and run past. Three photos attached ,Apperley Jnc as mentioned ,run past at Apperley ,water stop at Garsdale,on the return.

 

I too went out for this pair of trains in 1983. On the northbound trip (5th February) the train was so late due to frozen hydrant at Hellifield that a snowstorm started at Horton forcing my friends and me to shelter behind a dry-stone wall then watch it pass in a blizzard; the return to Settle was in a convoy led by a tractor clearing a path through the snow-covered road. As an indication of the weather conditions it was reported at the time that the sudden change in weather on the day had resulted in 8 people walking between Horton and Helvellyn losing their lives on that day.
The following weekend was also cold - so cold that 1 of my 2 cameras froze; sadly the one with colour film hence my 5 shots from the day being on B/W film. Despite the cold the lineside had many photographers out and the effort was felt worth it to see the Crimson duo in action.

 

Certainly not a day for the non ferrous metal monkeys Fred. I froze on the hill above Ribblehead for an hour an a half to take a shot in a blizzard. No RTT back then and virtually no mobile phones

 

I was out both days too, at Helwith Bridge for the northbound where we were leaving when we saw the approaching train, not knowing what was going on I remember going up to Garsdale after the train passed, only to find no steam and news that the WCML trains were diverted to the S&C as the wires were down.
On the 12th I drove up to Appleby, then back to Ais Gill and on to Ribblehead. I don't remember the roads being imapassable on either day, just needing to take care.
My best shot from the two trips was this one at Hangmans Bridge, memorable for me for finding myself in the company of W J V Anderson.

Last I saw of 1000 was a few years ago when it was on loan to the museum at Bo'ness -- there was still some coal in the tender. I did wonder if it had been there since it was last steamed.

 

The curse of the S&C at work. On the Southbound run I drove my friends and between Ribblehead Viaduct and Hawes we noted 8 changes of weather !! If you appreciate that number of changes in such a short space of time, then you can understand why the S&C can be totally unpredictable at any time of the year.

A more recent experience concerned 46115 in November 2008 when it left Hellifield in frosty sunlight with clear skies; this occurred in a small gap of approximately 4 square miles whilst the rest of the county was shrouded in freezing fog with visibility down to yards. I returned to Southport in such fog and few believed that I had managed to get sunshine - let alone photograph a steam locomotive in such conditions.

 

I photographed the southbound run at Ais Gill and can confirm that the road was blocked by snow at Dent station bridge. As a result we had to backtrack and go the long way around to get to Ais Gill but well worth it despite the cold.
Ray.

 

I went to see the Northbound run, and after crossing the "snow line" the roads got progressively worse but managed to get up to Dent station in the snow (just!). The train was considerably late and we had only one other car for company in all that time. My gloved fingers were nearly too cold to press the shutter, and the result of an over 300 mile round trip was one under-exposed shot of the pair passing the remains of Dent signal box!