Page 22 - link magazine

Swindon Wide
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Get fit for summer with Early railway pioneers struggle with engines
Padders and Blaylocks
Railway historian Steve Wakefield continues his
reflections on the 175th year of the Great Western
Railway and considers the choice of rolling stock for
the new railway line.
Super soft, wide fitting ladies leather sandals
Brunel had thought through his re- a gauge of 5ft 6ins,
NuTmeg - Black or beige leather & quirements for locomotives to haul converted to broad
honey/mustard nubuck £44.99 the trains along the GWR mainline gauge when the
as early as 1836 by making enquir- American scheme
COAST - Navy or beige leather ies from constructors of locomotives collapsed, and de-
& honey nubuck £49.99 and he issued clear ideas for the livered by boat to
most suitable locomotive that would Maidenhead from
BLAYLOCKS work on his railway. Newcastle: ‘We
He wrote: ‘It is not to exceed have a splendid
Bath Road Corner, Old Town 10½ tons exclusive of tender and if engine of Stephen-
Tel: 534271 above 8 tons is to be carried upon 6 son’s it would have Steve as Mayor of Swindon in 2008, see story right
wheels. The width in clear between been a beautiful ornament in the engaged up to the end of May in
the rails is 7ft 0” and the height of most elegant drawing room.’ getting all ready for the opening of
the chimney as usual… and for It was the North Star that saved the portion from London to Maid-
the purpose of improvement to be the day. The others from Vulcan enhead… On 4th June the service
similar to the same parts of the best Foundry were built by a subsidi- opened to the public and my difficul-
engines now used on the Liverpool ary of Stephenson. To resolve the ties with the engines began.
and Manchester Railway.’ performance issues and ensure that ‘The North Star and the six from
Brunel ordered 20 locomotives the locomotives could maintain the the Vulcan Foundry Company were
from different makers and some of service between stations as they the only ones I could depend on. I
these did not perform as expected. opened, Brunel appointed Daniel spent weeks in the engine house at
Though he was without a doubt Gooch, who, though young at only Paddington in a carriage as repairs
an accomplished engineer his 20 years old, was an experienced had to be done at night, to get them
specified locomotives had proved engineer and had travelled abroad to do their work next day, the North
inadequate for the job on the GWR, as well as worked in an iron foun- Star being the most powerful one
soon to be referred to despairingly dry. He personally knew the great and my chief reliance.’
as ‘Freaks.’ railway pioneers, the Stephenson’s As the railway pushed west the
Brunel said of Stephenson’s George and Robert, Timothy Hack- GWR realised there was a des-
North Star, which had originally worth and Joseph Armstrong. perate need for a depot located
been built for an American railway at Gooch found that he had been centrally to repair and maintain
thrown in at the deep end but it is locomotives and rolling stock. In
clear using his own words he hit 1840 Brunel gave Gooch the task
the ground running. ‘I was much of finding a suitable location.

History of the GWR
to help orphanage in Nepal
Railway historian and charity fund-raiser Rosa Matheson has just published
her fourth book entitled The GWR Story which presents the fascinating
history of Swindon’s most famous founding company.
“It has lots of pictures, and
little-known facts about GWR’s
record-breaking history, includ-
ing an insight into the com-
pany’s recycling ethos, long
before anyone understood what
it is to be ‘green’,” said Rosa.
“All profits from the book will
go towards Angel’s Orphanage
in Nepal,” said Rosa, who has
been leading the campaign to
raise funds for the charity since
May last year.
Rosa’s other railway history
titles are also just going into
their second edition, including The All Rosa’s books are published
Fair Sex: Women and the Great through History Press and are
Western Railway and Railway available from Rosa. For a signed
Voices. copy of The GWR Story, priced
“It’s particularly gratifying to see £8.99, call her on 764979 or mail:
The Fair Sex go to its second print, [email protected]
because one publisher told me once • Toothill Primary School help
that nobody would buy it,” said Rosa. Angel’s Orphanage - see page 46.
Win a copy of The GWR Story by answering the question:
who was responsible for bringing the railway to Swindon?
Send your answers to the address on page 4.

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