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ON DVD, VIDEO AND BOOKS
THAT INCLUDE
LOCAL RAILWAY INTEREST.
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Anthony J. Robinson's book "DAD HAD AN ENGINE SHED"
illustrates his father's railway career that included his
employment at Llandudno Junction shed (then 7A) during the early years
1925 - 1945 and his
subsequent promotion to shed master
at Mold Junction (6B).
The front of the book is shown above and details are shown below.
The publication can be purchased for £12.95 through the Oakwood
website.
It can also be purchased at Waterstones, Llandudno and most good book shops.
This book obviously holds immense local railway
interest and would be a
great addition to any enthusiasts collection.
Railways were very much ‘in the blood’ John Eric Robinson (dad) was born in Crewe in 1902, the second child and the eldest son of John Robinson,
assistant chief electrical engineer to the London & North Western Railway. John Robinson was in turn the eldest son of the redoubtable (and famous) Ben
Robinson who had enjoyed the distinction of having driven the Royal train more frequently than any other man of his era and he was at the controls of
‘No.
790
Hardwicke
on
its record-breaking run
during the ‘Race to the North’ in 1895.
Around about 1910 John Robinson moved the family to Wembley following a promotion to the head office at Euston. On leaving school in 1919 J.E.
Robinson gained a position in the LNWR workshops which were part of Willesden sheds. It was the start of a career on the railway that was to span
more than 45 years. Most of those years were spent in North Wales on sheds associated with the Chester & Holyhead Railway. He moved to Llandudno
Junction in 1925 as a fitter and remained there for 20 years. In 1945 he was promoted to leading fitter at Rhyl and another promotion, in 1948, saw him
achieve the position of shedmaster at Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire. Keen to get back to North Wales, early in 1952 he applied for the
shedmaster’s job at Mold Junction. The importance of Mold Junction shed was essentially in its freight engine stud and what was for the area one of the finest
locomotive
handling
facilities
available.
Who today could image someone in charge of over 200 men and 60-odd locomotives living in a council house and going to work on a bicycle! Working
five full days a week plus Saturday and Sunday mornings and having to be on permanent standby day and night for breakdowns and, yes, for no extra pay
at that! It has been written elsewhere that a typical shedmaster had to have the powers of judgement of Solomon, the ingenuity of Trevithick, the
stubbornness
of
Stephenson,
the
leadership
skills
of Patton, the negotiating powers of
Kissinger and the memories of several elephants!
Well, J.E. Robinson would
probably have failed on the last one, so to
counteract this he meticulously kept a diary of all his work activities
from
1922 right through to 1965.
His selfless devotion to duty was
not unusual to men of his ilk, a job well done usually the only reward.
This
leadership by example imbibed similar qualities
in
others
responsible
for
the
smooth
running of the various departments within an
engine
shed.
To say that he was a hard working man would
be an understatement in the extreme!
A5
format,
184
pages
with
138
illustrations.
The book has a laminated card cover with a square-backed spine.
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LINESIDE AT
LLANGOLLEN
A new DVD from Daton Video.
This new 55 minute
programme is probably my favourite from the Daton Video series.
It tells the story of the Dee Valley line with some outstanding
photography.
The enthusiasm of narrator Dave Hunter shines through as he describes
the history of the
line which carried thousands of holidaymakers to the Cambrian Coast
resorts of
Barmouth , Harlech and the West Wales areas, up until closure in 1965.
Then the birth of the seven mile Llangollen Railway is featured with
some unique
amateur film showing "then and now" shots of track laying and the
re-building and
re-opening of the station at Carrog.
The programme is packed
with action shots of steam and diesel traction
amongst the breathtaking scenery of the Dee Valley.
A rear cab ride from a
Wickham railcar showing some stunning photography of a
snow covered Dee Valley is another highlight.
Numerous steam and diesel engines are featured including GWR icon
3440 "City of Truro", 7822 "Foxcote Manor" , visiting locomotive
"Metropolitan No 1" and the BR N7 tank, plus many others.
A pictorial history of
resident "Black 5" 44806 is another great highlight with video footage
of dedicated owner for over thirty years - the Late Ken Aldcroft on the
footplate.
This DVD has been
compiled with a lot of thought and feeling for this unique preserved
railway and is a fitting tribute to
the Llangollen Railway volunteers and workers.
I'm sure It will be a great addition to many enthusiasts railway DVD
collection.
A great value for money
DVD at £10.00 (inclusive of UK postage and packing)
Mail order only from:
DATON VIDEO
1 MAES OWEN
BODELWYDDEN
RHYL,
LL18 5TN.
CHEQUES PAYABLE TO: D.HUNTER/SSV
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RHYL MINIATURE
RAILWAY DVD.
Daton Video have
released a new DVD which covers the story of the oldest remaining
working
miniature railway in the UK.
Rhyl miniature
railway was
established in 1911 and runs around
the 40 acre marine lake, pulled by several coal-fired steam locomotives.
As a resident of Colwyn Bay I am ashamed to admit that I was unaware
that we had such
an exciting and authentic steam railway on our doorstep and I will
definitely be
taking my young grandson for a trip next summer.
Dave Hunter, who produced this excellent DVD, has created a
comprehensive record of this
fantastic "little" railway along with it's archive film and photographs
it is a real nostalgic trip.
Dave also relates
his recollections from the 1950's when he hoped to
catch a glimpse
of one of the miniature trains running around the marine lake as he
passed on the main line
whilst traveling on the famous 'Welsh Dragon' steam hauled
shuttle train when he was
on one of his family holidays, as a young schoolboy, on the North Wales
coast.
As usual Daton Video
have produced a professional DVD which is of great interest to any rail
enthusiast,
and provides tremendous value at £10.00.
(inclusive of UK postage and packing)
Mail order only from:
DATON VIDEO
1 MAES OWEN
BODELWYDDEN
RHYL,
LL18 5TN.
CHEQUES PAYABLE TO: D.HUNTER/SSV
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This new "double programme" DVD
provides a look at Llandudno Junction station
and the three mile long Llandudno branch. The DVD recalls the stations
and
branch
past history and visits three signal boxes on the line, which I found
fascinating.
I also found the now and then shots very evocative.
In part two of the programme there
is a
visit to Llangollen Railway, for a look and salute
at diesel preservation - a great archive of modern image- with past
gala
events
and locomotives!
This hour long programme combines
the best
modern image action on the North Wales Coast main line,
and on one of
only two
branch lines that remain operational. With some nice
nostalgic recollections, it's a real contrast to the preserved motive
power
at the Llangollen Railway.
This amazing value for money
"double
bill" DVD is produced by DATON VIDEO
and is available by mail order only for £10.00 (including postage) from:
SSV / Daton Video
1 Maes Owen
Bodelwydden
Rhyl
LL18 5TN
Cheques made payable to:
D.Hunter-SSV
allow 7 working days for UK delivery.
I found the DVD provided a
great
insight into the areas railway past
and present. I think the price is a real bargain and I can recommend
this
product wholeheartedly.
I include below the narrator, Dave
Hunter's
reasons for compiling the DVD,
as I think it gives an insight into why it has been such a success.
The
idea
for
this
informal
look
at
one
of North Wales most important
stations
came about after a happy few hours pondering over some archive
photos
given to me by a rail enthusiast friend, and after spending several
hours
on
the platform at Llandudno Junction, where memories of my childhood
holidays
in North Wales all came flooding back. I recalled with affection, times
when my
eager
eyes scoured the shed site - the obligatory Ian Allen book clasped in
my hand!
I also recalled the many trips on the now infamous "Welsh Dragon"
.....
Mother ,Father and I travelled from Rhyl to Llandudno on the "shuttle
service"
at least twice on every visit to the area.... wonderful times !
In the program
we
recall a little of the coastal lines past,
most of the branch lines have long gone, only the Llandudno branch
and the Conwy Valley branch survive today.
We spend some
time
remembering better days on the Llandudno branch
and include some "then and now" reflections.
There's a great
variety
of stock and liveries to be seen on the branch
and on the main line, and we call in briefly to the three signal boxes
at Llandudno Junction, Deganwy and Llandudno.
Photographs are included from the Jim Fenton archive and also from
my late friend Granville Spencer - although the actual names of
photographers in a few cases, despite my enquiries remain unknown....
..........Dave Hunter...........
I think it's obvious why Dave has
made such
a success of this DVD as he
holds so much "feel" for the areas past. If you are interested in
the
railways in our area this DVD should be in your collection. (Geoff
Poole)
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Derek Williams has now published his eagerly awaited
book
dedicated to the men of 6G.
The book is titled:
The men of 7A and 6G loco shed
Llandudno Junction 1920s till 1966.
Gone but not forgotten.
Derek has written this book with a
great
pride and feeling for his fellow workers
at the unique steam locomotive depot that boasts a website dedicated to
it plus
a road in it's memory named Ffordd 6G and now a book. Derek worked in
many areas
of the depot and knew all of the men who worked there and consequently
this made
it a very emotional experience for him
having to recall these memories especially when he realized that many
of the men
he was writing about were no longer with us. This fascinating insight
into this
special depot is written with such warmth by Derek and makes the book a
very
special work for anyone with an interest in local railway history. The
book is
packed with stories by Derek and other workers plus hundreds of
photographs some
never published before making this book tremendous value for money.
It is published by Gwasg Carreg
Gwalch,
6 lard Yr Orsaf, Llanrwst, Gwynedd.
PHONE: 01492 642031.
The book is on sale at most local
book
sellers at £9.00.
Signed copies can also be obtained from the author
Derek Williams on 01492 572217
at £9.00 plus £2.00 P&P.
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A VHS video by Stirling Video titled Main Line Steam Routes,
Steam in the 1960s Volume two. filmed by Richard J Willis
originated on 16mm colour film. Running time 50 minutes.This video is very professionally produced with plenty of nostalgia showing various steam routes on the Southern , Great Western and London Midland regions, with many steam engines on their everyday workings.
Local interest starts at Chester. We are now firmly in London Midland country. This was the start of the principle branch of the West Coast Main Line. The Chester and Holyhead Railway was fully opened by 1850 and formed a major artery for Anglo-Irish traffic, particularly the Irish Mail.
The video proceeds to Holyhead station with it's unique layout - the up and down platforms being separated by the harbour used by Irish ferries. The berthing of such a ferry holds your attention as you move with the passengers to the railway station, noting the "London-Holyhead" and "Irish Mail" carriage boards borne by
immaculate maroon stock.The Chester and Holyhead possessed amongst it's many assets a station with the longest name in the country, commonly abbreviated by the railway "Llanfair P.G."
The video shows the incredible station name-board as a Black Five
45307 pulls into the station.The castellated portals of Robert Stephenson's Conway tubular bridge
are seen to effect as we watch the passage
of two Black Fives from below,
and after an energetic
climb, high up from the castle battlements.Stanier Class 3, 2-6-2 Ts were rarely captured on film and we have to move back
to the 1950s to catch 40133 running along the banks of the River Conway on it's way from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llandudno Junction.
Llandudno itself was, as we know, served by a short branch ending in a characteristic LNWR terminus. Our visit coincides with a "grimy" Britannia 70051 "Firth of Forth" backing empty coaches out after her arrival from Crewe.Back on the main line between Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction,
Black Five 45380 races by before we move to a vantage point
above the line at Colwyn Bay.Once relocated we watch a Stanier 8F slogging uphill towards
Llysfaen with a heavy freight.Although the local shots are relatively short on this video it is still a very interesting piece of nostalgia that sadly is very rare. Although we have many stills of our area to view,
film of working steam is very much in short supply. For this reason I feel that this video
even at the published price of £22.95 is still a worthwhile acquisition.**********************************************************************************************************
North Wales Steam (1927-1968) by
E.N.Kneale.
North Wales Steam Volume Two. by E.N.Kneale.
The two books by Norman Kneale are
a superb
photographic record
of the railways of North Wales.
Norman has provided many photo's for this website but in the pages of
these
two books are many photographs of our region by himself and other
photographers including H.A.Coulter, Harry Rodgers Jones and Norman's
friend
and colleague B.A.Wynne.
The intention of these two volumes
is to
portray, in a pictorial manner
the atmosphere and character of this main line in North Wales,
and some
of it's branches during the golden days of steam.
The period covered is from the late
twenties
to what is now generally considered
the premature demise of the steam engine in the late sixties.
Few of us will deny the dignity of
the most
human-like of machines, whether it be a
humble L&Y 0-6-0 coming to rest on Rhyl shed after a days work, or
the
stirring sight of a "Scot" leaning to the curve as it passes through
the arch of the castle walls at Conway heading an up "Irish Mail".
All these once familiar sights, so much taken for granted, are alas no longer with us.
Today the Journey between Chester
and
Holyhead is so much less interesting
since the disappearance of the steam engine, which to sympathetic eyes
seemed to enhance the natural beauty of the sea coast
mountains and valleys
Norman's sincere hope is that those who turn the pages of his
books will
pleasurably recall memories of a more colourful and less hurried era.
The two books are packed with superb memories of when steam ruled the
lines.
NORTH WALES STEAM 1927-1968
£12.95
NORTH WALES STEAM Volume Two. £ 12.95
Published by:
Oxford Publishing Company
Link House, West Street, Poole, Dorset.
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