Welcome to British Railways Illustrated Volume 4 No.9. There is plenty of freight around this issue - and all rather as it should be, you may say, lor the steam railway of old was choc a bloc with every commodity, comestible, mineral and fuel that made up the living economy. The old phrase 'arteries of the Nation’ really did encapsulate the ceaseless activity, as trains threaded the country over and over. Thudding and heavy when full, bouncing and jostling each other when empty, endless wagons - containers, vans and opens, in every possible form and configuration rattled by. unnoticed, into oblivion. Even the speciality traffics were legion, distinguished by originating in a relatively few places - certain (often small) towns rather than districts or counties, and notable amongst them was fish. A place for such traffic was Grimsby and Teatime Fish recalls something of the last days of these workings. When a fish train went by, there was no mistaking it, for its passing lingered in the air...
The Somerset and Dorset 2-8-0s, like many aspects of our railway past, enjoy a prominence and attention far beyond anything warranted, logically, by their meagre numbers. Freight engines they were, elevated famously to passenger status through the highly particular idiosyncrasies of the line. Over the Hills is the story of these exceptional machines, and duly takes its place in the burgeoning literature of a remarkable line.
More yards and more wagons for the next instalment in our diesel shunter story. When Diesels had Proper Numbers Part Two takes us back to their anonymous mode of existence - they were, really, just there and two or three, a half dozen maybe, seemed a small t hing when even a modest shed on a Saturday afternoon might boast forty odd locos. If only railway Operations still needed a couple of thousand diesel shunters - what a different prospect the whole show would be...
There is more specialised freight, china clay, in a Bodmin Afternoon, strange contraptions in the Highlands with Henderson’s Piano, the beady eye of the Inspector in Motive Power: some Procedure and Practice and a very personal War Report even takes British Railways Illustrated to Europe, at the end of the War.
No Price Rise. Readers of our little information panel in issue 4.6. reflecting on BRILL’S uniquely stable price (so far. though several fingers are in the dyke) and the pricing of paper products in general, expressed some pleasure and appreciation at being kept informed of such (dismal but vital) background intelligence. To continue the update on goings-on in the febrile world of railway publishing and its costs - as this issue goes to press comes the fascinating news that EC ‘Agents’ (Dick Barton stuff this) have ‘raided’ forty newsprint companies within the EC. following complaints of price fixing. Is this Brussels to the rescue? If rates come down, will magazines reverse their price rises? It’s something to look forward to...
No gaudy advertising, ‘we’re best’ slogans, cheap promotions, games or puzzles, tacky free gifts, balloons or whiz bangs. British Railways Illustrated - Britain’s cheapest, while admirably true, might be open to uncharitable misrepresentation; how about Britain’s nicest railway magazine? Best wishes to all readers.