ROD_Terminal 1

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RAILWAY OPERATING DEPARTMENT

TERMINAL 1

2010 DEPARTURES

THE VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE

As described in the article on Terminal 1's resident aircraft, the blue and silver stairs seen in the model pictures above and below were made using the long step and side wall components from the Ratio Concrete Footbridge kit ( number 222 ) held up to the correct height using a strip of plastic card and with triangles of thinner plastic card to fill in the sides.

The figures at the top of the steps are from the Bachmann Businessmen set and thanks to Nick Gilpin of Rural Railways a Fleetline model (N118) of a 1960 vintage Rolls Royce Silver Cloud has now been acquired, as has a scratchbuilt paint-on-transparent-plastic red carpet and some Preiser press photographers ( set 79059 ). However, neither Preiser,Noch or Bachmann have yet produced any airmen with blanco'd rifles standing to attention!

The figures at the top of the steps are from the Bachmann Businessmen set and thanks to Nick Gilpin of Rural Railways a Fleetline model (N118) of a 1960 vintage Rolls Royce Silver Cloud has now been acquired, as has a scratchbuilt paint-on-transparent-plastic red carpet and some Preiser press photographers ( set 7905). However, neither Preiser,Noch or Bachmann have yet produced any airmen with blanco'd rifles standing to attention!

The 1960 model Silver Cloud II marked an innovation in the long and distinguished heritage of Rolls Royce motor cars with the replacement of the 4.88 litre straight-six engine of the Silver Cloud I with an all-aluminium 6.23 litre V8 engine that was still being used forty years later. This pushed up the weight of the Silver Cloud II to 2.11 tons but enhanced the car's speed, torque and acceleration. It has been said that the Silver Cloud II's V8 prime mover was inspired by the OHV engine introduced by Cadillac in 1949.

2 418 Silver Cloud IIs - with automatic transmission as standard - were produced from 1959 to 1962 and were very popular in the United States, giving rise to David Ogilvy's famous advertising slogan " At 60 mph the loudest noise in the new Rolls Royce is the ticking of the electric clock."

Replacing the Silver Dawn in 1955, the Silver Cloud range were the last separate welded-chassis and body cars built by Rolls Royce in Crewe and featured an all-new streamlined pressed-steel body designed by J.P. Blatchley.

Most examples featured an automatic gearbox and the rear brakes were combined hydraulic and mechanical with the existing Rolls Royce gearbox-driven servo. Front suspension was by unequal length wishbones and coil springs with rear semi-elliptic electrically controlled dampers and a top speed of 106 mph was possible.

The Silver Cloud III of 1962 featured a lower bonnet line and twin headlamps as well as 15% extra engine power giving a top speed of 117 mph. The compression ratio was also increased with 1" SU carburettors superceded by 2" units.

The Silver Cloud was replaced by the monocoque bodied Silver Shadow in 1966, a 1971 version of which was owned by comedy legend Eric Morecambe until 1974. Bearing the registration EM100, this particular Silver Shadow was specially commissioned by the partner of "Little Ernie" Wise with a dashboard mounted ashtray for his cigars and leather inserts in the carpet to prevent Eric getting his Rolls Royce muddy after a day out birdwatching. In 2009 the one-time EM100 was rescued from a scrapyard for restoration by Peter Yates, who runs a wedding car business in Carnforth and also owns the 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom I which was John Steed's car in the TV series "The Avengers".

GWR 0-4-2T 1420 AND AUTOCOACH

Moving from the airside to rail module of Terminal 1, 2010 should see further appearances by the Dapol model of Swindon built GWR tank engine 1420 and its matching chocolate and cream auto coach 187 forming an enthusiasts special.

Not only is sister locomotive 4800 the long serving "mascot" of the Cheltenham GWR Modellers but within the context of Terminal 1 this type of push-pull train forms an evolutionary link between the Great Western Railway "B "set of carriages, steam rail motors, diesel railcars and the kind of train operated today by Wrexham and Shropshire Railways, as seen below.

Locomotives were fitted for auto train working by means of mechanical linkages which allowed the train to be driven either from the footplate in the usual manner or from a cab at the far end of the auto coach. When driven from the coach, the - usually very experienced - fireman remained in the locomotive cab to attend the fire while the driver issued instructions through use of bell codes and whistle for the operation of the brake, reversing and sanding gear. This method of train operation was ideal for branch lines as it avoided the need for the locomotive to run round at terminal stations. The time thus saved made branch and secondary services more competitive with the new electric tramways of the early 20th Century.

With an axle load of only 14 tons and often considered to be perfect branch line locomotives, these 0-4-2Ts were designed by Charles Baker Collett and 75 examples were introduced from 1932 as a direct replacement for the very similar 1868 vintage Armstrong designed 517 Class of the same wheel size and arrangement built at the GWR's Stafford Road Works, Wolverhampton. However, the Collett machines - built to GWR Diagram M - featured a large enclosed cab with large fore and aft windows, Belpaire firebox and valve motion including a new form of crosshead with three slide bars.

Originally numbered in the 4800-4874 series, these locomotives with their Swindon Group 7 SS domed 165 psi boilers only became known as 1400 Class in 1946 when their previous 48xx identities were re-assigned to ‘28xx’ Class 2-8-0 locomotives which had been converted to oil burning. Only a few of these 2-8-0s were actually modified for liquid fuel and oil firing itself was to be a short-lived venture. While the 2-8-0s engines returned to coal combustion and thus received their old numbers back the erstwhile 4800 class retained their new numbers to the end of their working lives.

Locomotives 4800 - 4809 were built in 1932 and 4810 - 4829 in 1933 to Swindon Works Lot 279 with 4830 - 9 built in 1934 and 4840 - 4859 in 1935 as Lot 288. Locomotives 4860 -4874 were built in 1936 as Lot 287.

A further 20 locomotives with two 16" x 24" cylinders were produced in 1933 - also as part of Lot 279 - identical to the initial 75 except that they were fitted for neither auto train working or with the Great Western's Automatic Train Control safety equipment. These were numbered 5800 - 5819 and only ten of these engines were ultimately converted to push / pull working with auto coaches between 1936 and 1938. However, some examples were eventually fitted with ATC.

No.	FIRST SHED	DATE	1947	LAST SHED	WDN
5800	Swindon	01/1933	Swindon	Swindon	07/1958
5801	Swindon	01/1933	Brecon	Machynlleth	09/1958
5802	Swindon	01/1933	Swindon	Swindon	12/1958
5803	Swindon	01/1933	Bristol Bath Road	Penmaenpool	07/1957
5804	Swindon	01/1933	Swindon	Swindon	06/1959
5805	Swindon	01/1933	Tetbury	Swindon	03/1958
5806	Swindon	01/1933	Llanfyllin	Oswestry	06/1957
5807	Swindon	01/1933	Leominster	Leominster	06/1957
5808	Swindon	01/1933	Kington	Oxford	02/1957
5809	Swindon	02/1933	Bristol Bath Road	Machynlleth	08/1959
5810	Llanelly	08/1933	Bala	Croes Newyddd	01/1959
5811	Wellington	08/1933	Bala	Oxford	05/1957
5812	Tiverton Jcn	08/1933	Taunton	Oswestry	06/1957
5813	Ludlow	08/1933	Bristol Bath Road	Leamington	11/1957
5814	Worcester	08/1933	Kington	Kington	06/1957
5815	Worcester	08/1933	Worcester	Swindon	04/1961
5816	Llanfyllin	08/1933	Worcester	Oxford	07/1957
5817	Ebbw Jcn	08/1933	Leominster	Leominster	06/1957
5818	Ebbw Jcn	08/1933	Pontrilas	Oxford	09/1959
5819	Llandovery	08/1933	Newcastle Emlyn	Carmarthen	06/1957

The 48xx / 14xx locomotives weighed a little over 40 tons with a water capacity of 800 gallons and a bunker for just 2 tons of coal. However, with a Great Western specified haulage capacity of 168 tons ( Or 4 auto coaches, two on either side of the engine ) their diminutive size belied their power and the locomotives - with 5' 2" driving and 3' 8" trailing wheels - were capable of 70 mph.

One example of this was The Chalford Flyer auto train which linked Chalford Halt on the line between Stroud and Kemble with Gloucester Central until 1964. Between Standish Junction and Tuffley Junction, the Great Western lines ran parallel to those of the LMS and the 14xx motive power would easily keep up with - if not overtake - northbound expresses hauled by "Jubilee" 4-6-0s!

1400 Class 0-4-2Ts could be found on the majority of Great Western Railway's branch lines and continued to work for British Railways Western Region after Nationalisation in 1948. Indeed, long time Gloucester Horton Road locomotive 1401 was featured in the 1953 Ealing Technicolour comedy "The Titfield Thunderbolt" along with classmate 1462 while Rodborough resident the Reverend Wilbert Awdry introduced a Great Western 0-4-2T called Oliver ( numbered 1436 ) as a colleague of Thomas The Tank Engine on the Island of Sodor in his Railway Series of books.

Unfortunately the restructuring of the railway under Dr Beeching's proposals saw the closure of many branch lines on whose very existence the 1400 Class depended. Withdrawals began in 1956 and although the 5800 class were extinct by 1961, four of the 1400s lasted right to the end of WR steam. The very last of the class, 1450 and 1442, ironically found themselves working out their final days on the former LSWR branch to Lyme Regis after the venerable Adams '0415' 4-4-2 radial tank engines were withdrawn. This was despite a trial on the branch a few years earlier when they were not considered a success. A shortage of diesel multiple units ensured their survival, working from Exmouth Junction shed, until 1965.

All of the 1400 Class was declared withdrawn by the week ending 10 May 1965. However, locomotive numbers 1420, 1442, 1450 and1466 were preserved.

No.	FIRST SHED	DATE	1947	LAST SHED	WDN
4800	Gloucester	08/1932	Swindon	Swindon	06/1957
4801	Cheltenham	08/1932	Croes Newydd	Cheltenham	11/1958
4802	Gloucester	08/1932	Cheltenham	Bristol Bath Rd	10/1956
4803	Chalford	09/1932	Weymouth	Weymouth	11/1957
4804	Gloucester	09/1932	Ross on Wye	Lydney	02/1956
4805	Exeter	09/1932	Exeter	Exeter	09/1958
4806	Tiverton Jcn	09/1932	Gloucester	Southall	03/1958
4807	Exeter	09/1932	Reading	Reading	06/1960
4808	Exeter	09/1932	Worcester	Laira	03/1958
4809	Exeter	10/1932	Lydney	Gloucester Barnwood	10/1963
4810	Stourbridge	03/1933	Stourbridge	Radyr	06/1961
4811	Birkenhead	03/1933	Croes Newydd	Slough	10/1956
4812	Oswestry	03/1933	Oswestry	Bristol Bath Road	06/1960
4813	Gloucester	04/1933	Gloucester	Gloucester	03/1956
4814	Banbury	04/1933	Stourbridge	Stourbridge	04/1957
4815	Oswestry	04/1933	Yatton	Southall	02/1957
4816	Kidderminster	04/1933	Croes Newydd	Croes Newydd	10/1956
4817	Cheltenham	04/1933	Oswestry	Swindon	02/1959
4818	Gloucester	04/1933	Worcester	Weymouth	10/1958
4819	Exeter	04/1933	Goodwick	St Blazey	04/1961
4820	Pontypool	11/1933	Cathays	Gloucester	11/1964
4821	Pontypool	11/1933	Ebbw Junction	Gloucester Barnwood	12/1963
4822	Pontypool	11/1933	Pontypool	Swindon	06/1957
4823	Pontypool	11/1933	Goodwick	Oswestry	01/1959
4824	Goodwick	11/1933	Gloucester	Gloucester	12/1963
4825	Southall	11/1933	Cathays	Oxford	02/1956
4826	Southall	11/1933	Aylesbury	Gloucester Barnwood	04/1962
4827	Reading	11/1933	Newton Abbot	Cheltenham	06/1960
4828	Reading	11/1933	Croes Newydd	Gloucester	06/1959
4829	Swindon	11/1933	Ashburton	Newton Abbot	03/1959
4830	Aylesbury	07/1934	Bristol Bath Road	Lydney	09/1958
4831	Ebbw Jcn	07/1934	Goodwick	Lydney	04/1961
4832	Tiverton Jcn	07/1934	Oswestry	Oswestry	07/1963
4833	Swindon	07/1934	Chippenham	Cheltenham	01/1961
4834	Penmaenpool	07/1934	Machynlleth	Exeter	07/1962
4835	Stourbridge	08/1934	Tiverton Junction	Oxford	01/1962
4836	Swindon	08/1934	Swindon	Southall	10/1958
4837	Aberayon	08/1934	Slough	Oxford	02/1959
4838	Reading	08/1934	Stourbridge	Oswestry	11/1962
4839	Neath	08/1934	Newton Abbot	Newton Abbot	08/1957
4840	Exeter	03/1935	Exeter	Gloucester	12/1963
4841	Gloucester	04/1935	Chalford	Gloucester	06/1960
4842	Staines	04/1935	Marlow	Exmouth Junction	05/1965
4843	Southall	04/1935	Staines	Southall	06/1957
4844	Reading	04/1935	Reading	Gloucester	10/1964
4845	Kidderminster	04/1935	Ross-on-Wye	Gloucester	09/1964
4846	Cheltenham	04/1935	Swindon	Southall	09/1956
4847	Southall	04/1935	Reading	Hereford	03/1964
4848	Southall	04/1935	Abingdon	Slough	06/1960
4849	Exeter	04/1935	Tiverton Junction	Oswestry	06/1960
4850	Oxford	07/1935	Oxford	Exmouth Junction	05/1965
4851	Exeter	07/1935	Exeter	Gloucester	07/1964
4852	Goodwick	07/1935	Goodwick	Newton Abbot	06/1960
4853	Stourbridge	07/1935	Chippenham	Gloucester	11/1964
4854	Bristol St Ph M	07/1935	Weymouth	Gloucester	12/1960
4855	Yatton	07/1935	Leominster	Gloucester	05/1964
4856	Croes Newydd	07/1935	Lydney	Gloucester	02/1959
4857	Stourbridge	08/1935	Croes Newydd	Oswestry	02/1959
4858	Stourbridge	08/1935	Banbury	Hereford	11/1964
4859	Oswestry	08/1935	Oswestry	Weymouth	09/1958
4860	Goodwick	02/1936	Leominster	Leominster	02/1956
4861	Merthyr	02/1936	Abercynon	Worcester	05/1958
4862	Reading	02/1936	Staines	Exeter	09/1962
4863	Gloucester	02/1936	Yatton	Gloucester	04/1961
4864	Gloucester	02/1936	Gloucester	Swindon	06/1960
4865	Ashburton	02/1936	Penmaenpool	Croes Newydd	09/1958
4866	Newton Abbot	02/1936	Newton Abbot	Taunton	12/1963
4867	Landore	02/1936	Weymouth	Cheltenham	04/1959
4868	Newton Abbot	02/1936	Exeter	St Blazey	03/1962
4869	Exeter	02/1936	Exeter	Exeter	09/1958
4870	Newton Abbot	04/1936	Newton Abbot	Exeter	10/1962
4871	Llantrisant	04/1936	Llantrisant	Exeter	10/1963
4872	Danygraig	04/1936	Carmarthen	Gloucester	11/1964
4873	Chippenham	04/1936	Banbury	Gloucester	11/1964
4874	Brecon	04/1936	Aberayron	Gloucester	08/1962

During their life the 1400 Class remained practically unaltered except for the fitting of a top feed to the boilers of some locomotives when they returned to Swindon for overhaul. The locomotive modelled by Dapol has an original boiler - as carried by preserved example 1450 although 1420 - like 1442 and 1466, seen above at Swindon in February 1957 - was eventually to receive a top feed boiler. The top-feed device introduced water into the boiler through the steam to minimise total heat loss, with the feed water descending into existing heated water as a mist by way of numerous trays.

Some 14xx locomotives also received reconditioned 517 Class boilers - underlining Swindon's skill at standardising its locomotives.

1420 is the oldest survivor of the 1400 Class being built at Swindon in November 1933 as 4820 and being first allocated to Ponypool. 1420 was allocated to Cathays, Cardiff, shed in 1947 and to Oxford shed by 1956 when the 0-4-2T had the distinction of working the Royal Train for the Queen's visit to Abingdon. It also spent some time at Southall working local parcels trains to Paddington before joining Plymouth Laira in 1959.

However, among its last duties was moving small numbers of freight wagons on the branch line from Leominster to Kington in Herefordshire. This branch, part of which once formed a secondary route from Leominster to Eardisley via Titley Junction, also featured a "twig" from Titley Junction to Presteign, and 1420 hauled the last train from there to Leominster on Thursday 24 October 1964.

Withdrawn from B.R. service in late October 1964 at Gloucester Horton Road and stored or a month, 1420 was acquired by the Dart Valley Railway and delivered to Buckfastleigh on 17 October 1965 by means of the Stephenson Locomotive Society's "Great Western Cavalcade" railtour from Birmingham Snow Hill.

On the day, 1420 piloted 0-6-0PT 6435 as far south as the south junction of the Gloucester avoiding line ( pictured below ) where 7029 "Clun Castle" took its place for the journey to Bristol with 1420 following the special as a light engine working. At Bristol 7029 "Clun Castle" - which would haul Western Regon's "Farewell to Steam" railtour on 17 November 1965 - hauled the SLS special back to Birmingham via Gloucester Eastgate station while the two tank engines to run south west together to their new life in preservation.

On the day, 1420 piloted 0-6-0PT 6435 as far south as the south junction of the Gloucester avoiding line ( pictured below ) where 7029 "Clun Castle" took its place for the journey to Bristol with 1420 following the special as a light engine working. At Bristol 7029 "Clun Castle" - which would haul Western Regon's "Farewell to Steam" railtour on 17 November 1965 - hauled the SLS special back to Birmingham via Gloucester Eastgate station while the two tank engines to run south west together to their new life in Preservation.

1442 meanwhile was purchased by Viscount Amory from British Railways in 1965 and presented to the town of Tiverton where it now resides in the local museum. Prior to that 1442 had been built by the Great Western Railway in 1934 at Swindon and hauled trains on the Exe Valley line from Exeter St.David's to Dulverton, and the Culm Valley line from Tiverton Junction to Hemyock. between The locomotive was also associated with the "Tivvy Bumper" service Tiverton and Tiverton Junction at Willand and 1442 hauled the last train to Tiverton in October 1965.

1450 was a long serving locomotive on the "Marlow Donkey" plying between Marlow and Bourne End although most of its 30 year career was spent in Oxfordshire. It was originally delivered new as 4850 in early 1935 and - along with 1442 - 1450 was one of the last two of the Class in active service. The Dart Valley Railway acquired 1450 in 1966 and it was bought by its present owners in 1994.

1466 was acquired from British Railways in March 1964 for £750 by the newly formed Great Western Society based at Didcot. Built in 1936, 1466 had the unfortunate experience in its GWR days of being rammed by a "Hall" Class locomotive while waiting at Newton Abbot and running free without its driver until a derailment halted its progress. With the closure of the Kingsbridge branch in September 1963, 1466 was re-allocated to Taunton and officially withdrawn by the year end.

When running autocoach first - as is the case with vehicle 187, pictured above - the driver could warn of the train's approach using a large mechanical gong, prominently mounted high on the cab end of the autocoach, which was operated by stamping on a pedal on the floor of the cab.

Internally, the passenger section of the coach was divided into two open saloons – originally for 'smoking' and 'non-smoking' – with a lobby in the middle separating the two. There was usually a small guard's and luggage compartment at the 'loco' (non-driving) end of the coach. The seating layout was similar to the lower deck of a modern-day bus, with a mixture of transverse seating and inwards-facing bench seats.

Passengers accessed the auto coach via the lobby and the vehicle was equipped with retractable steps, which could be extended if the train stoped at rural halts with either low or non-existent platforms and which folded in tight against the coach underframe to keep them clear of lineside obstructions when the train was moving. These steps were controlled by the guard using levers in the lobby.

However, it will be noted that both Dapol ready to run and P & D Marsh kit versions of the N gauge GWR auto coach are modelled in post 1937 condition. Up till this date they had windows on the non-driving ends similar in size and shape to those at the driving ends.

In 1935 it was decided to paint these windows black as locomotive crews complained about being distracted by reflections. The non driving end windows were also likely to be smashed during locomotive coaling whilst the auto coach was still attached at this end, despite a thin white horizontal stripe being painted over them as a warning during the early 1930s.

As a result, in 1937, it was decided to plate the luggage end windows over and consequently the correct GWR livery for these modified vehicles would include the "shirtbutton" logo - as seen on the side tanks of the Dapol model of 1420 pictured above - rather than the traditional crest as used. Although of a design built in 1912, the 70' panelled auto coach represented in the N Gauge Langley kit also has a windowless luggage end and so demands a "shirtbutton" logo to be historically correct. However, as I am claiming my auto train as a preserved example such an inconsistency could be excused.

As inferred earlier in this article, GWR auto coaches were used over a long period of time. As such, some vehicles were converted from steam railcars ( steam rail motors being phased out from 1921 ) and even the new wooden framed steel panelled builds - the first of which left Swindon in 1928 and the last in 1954 - were not identical.

In the Grouping of 1922 / 3 the Great Western Railway also absorbed many smaller rural railways and inherited a number of wooden trailer type coaches. These were invariably modified and used after the takeover

The table below explores these difference by reviewing the auto coaches currently preserved and some contrasting ones that are no longer with us. Locations may vary with time and in the Seats column the first number refers to fixed seats and the last to tip up seats in the luggage area.

More specifically, auto coach 212 was originally steam railmotor 93 of 1908, DW150375 / Test Car 1 is now preserved at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley while auto coach 216 was originally steam railmotor 64 of April 1906, converted in December 1935 andcondemned in September 1957.

Auto coach 190 is the basis for the ex-Airfix 00 gauge ready to run model. However, this model has been criticised for being an amalgamation of two separate diagrams as A28 specifies 7' wheelbase bogies, recessed glazing and flush driver's doors but Diagram A30 has 9' wheelbase bogies, flush glazing and recessed driver's doors. Given this data, too, Dapol's model of auto coach 187 would seem to be based on Diagram A30.

No	Diag	Lot	Date	Length	Width	Bogie wbse	Seats	Weight	Notes
1	A			59' 6"
7- 8	C			59' 6"
29-34	L			70'0"
38 (36-41)	N	1126	1907	59' 6"					Telford
42-47	L			70'0"
49-52	P			70'0"
53-70	L			70'0"
75-80	T	1190	1911	70'0"			70
92 (81-92)	U	1198	1912	70'0"					GWS Didcot
93-98
99-104	Z			59' 6"
105-106	A6			57'0"					ex-Steam Rail Motors Diagrams A & A1
107-112	A7			59' 6"					ex steam rail motor Diagrams D & D1
113-124	A9			59' 6"
125	A10			59' 6"
126	A13
127	A14
128-133	A10			59' 6"
138-140	A19			70'0"
146	A23			70'0"
147	A24			59' 6"					Ex steam rail motor Diagram L
160	A27	1394	1929	59' 6"	9' 0"	7' 0"	64+8	30 t	SVR (part body)
163	A27	1394	1928	59' 6"	9' 0"	7' 0"	64+8	30 t	Appleby
167	A27	1394	1929	59' 6"	9' 0"	7' 0"	64+8	30 t	DFR / Llangollen
169	A27	1394	1929	59' 6"	9' 0"	7' 0"	64+8	30 t	WSR Williton
174	A28	1410	1930	62' 8"	9' 0"	9' 0"	64+8	30 t	Swindon&Cricklade
178	A28	1410	1933	62' 8"	9' 0"	9' 0"	64+8	30 t	WSR Minehead
190	A30	1480	1933	62' 8"	9' 0"	9' 0"	64+8	30 t	GWS Didcot
197-198	A23			70'0"
202-205	A31			59' 6"
207-209	A31			59' 6"
211-219	A31			59' 6"
212	A26	1542	1936						GWS Didcot
216	A29		1935	70'0"			77
225	A38	1736	1951	70'0"					SDR Buckfastleigh
228	A38	1736	1951	70'0"					SDR Buckfastleigh
231	A38	1736	1951	70'0"					GWS Didcot
232	A38	1736	1951	70'0"					DVR Paignton (diner)
233	A38	1736	1951	70'0"					DW150375/Test Car 1
238	A43	1766	1954	70'0"					DVR Paignton
240	A43	1766	1954	70'0"

The final 25 auto trailers to be built were designed by F.W. Hawksworth to Diagrams A38/39/40/43. Despite being introduced in 1951 they were completely Great Western in design and control equipment.

The body shell was identical for all four diagrams, the only difference being in the interior layout. Several worked the Clevedon branch from new until the end of steam working and they could also be seen on the Abingdon, Marlow, and Calne Branches as well as between Chalford and Gloucester, Cardiff and Pontypridd, Leominster and Ludlow, Ledbury Junction and Worcester and on the Exe. W220 and W221, named 'Thrush' and 'Wren' respectively, worked the Ealing-Greenford route. Almost all the vehicles
survived in revenue service until well after 1961.

As built, the first Lot to A38 carried BR crimson and cream while the second Lot to A43 should have carried plain crimson but there are reports of some being painted in lined maroon.

Running numbers of 1951 vintage Diagram A38 vehicles were W220 - W234 but W220 "Thrush" was given a new seating plan upon naming in 1952 and technically became A39 while W221 "Wren" was given another new seating plan upon naming in 1952 and technically became Diagram A40. The lettering for the two named coaches was the same as that for contemporary catering vehicles.

The Diagram A43 vehicles were built in 1954 and numbered W235 - W224.

If more than one autocoach was used in a train, the locomotive would usually be marshalled between the coaches, as 'play' in the control linkages could otherwise make operation difficult. It was also possible for an auto train such as the model one pictured above to haul a tail load of vans and wagons although it would not normally propel these goods vehicles.

As well as the branch and Gloucester-Chalford services already mentioned, auto trains could also be found on some London inner-suburban services out of Paddington, where they were usually powered by the faster and more powerful 5400 Class 0-6-0 pannier tanks. Similarly, auto-trains on the steeply-graded routes in the South Wales valleys often used the smaller-wheeled 6400 Class engines.

South Wales was also the stamping ground for the 15 4575 Class 2-6-2Ts auto-fitted from 1953. In most cases it appears that B-set coaches built in the 1930s were altered to work with them - windowsbeing put in the luggage end for the driver.

A fuller list of auto-capable GWR locomotives is tabulated below, but only the 14xx is available ready to run in N gauge in 2010. Dapol have produced a fine model of a 4575 prairie tank but numbered 5532 rather than one of the auto fitted machines mentioned below

CLASS	WHEEL ARR	DATE	NOTES
455	2-4-0T	1869	About 40 examples auto fitted after 1905
517	0-4-2T	1868	86 examples auto fitted after 1905
1076	0-6-0ST / PT	1870	21 examples auto fitted after 1905
4575	2-6-2T	1927	15 examples auto fitted from 1953: 4578, 4581, 4589, 5511, 5524, 5529, 5534, 5545, 5555, 5549 Examples a fitted in Preservation include 5526, 5541,5542, 5572 ( cab end only )
4800/1400	0-4--2T	1932	see above
5400	0-6-0PT	1930	All 25 in class auto fitted, none preserved
6400	0-6-0PT	1932	Smaller wheel version of 5400 Class. All 40 auto fitted. 6412, 6430, 6432 are preserved

WREXHAM AND SHROPSHIRE RAILWAYS

Since the heyday of the Great Western auto train, diesel push-pull services have included those worked by Class 33/1 and 4-TC coach sets between Bournemouth and Weymouth and the 47/7 and Driving Brake Second Open combinations operating between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

My own take on this - Inter City Swallow Trains PLC - has been described on other pages but when the opportunity came in October 2009 to invest in a Dapol "book set" of a locomotive and 3 carriages in the latest silver Wrexham and Shropshire livery it was impossible to resist for such a dedicated push-pull and diesel multiple unit arena as the station at Terminal 1.

In April 2008 Renaissance Trains, in a joint venture with Laing Rail and Deutsche Bahn, launched The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company, the UK’s third open access rail operator after Hull Trains and Sunderland based Grand Central. Renaissance Trains Shareholders own 36% of the shares in Wrexham & Shropshire. Deutsche Bahn acquired 50% of the company in early 2008, with Laing Rail retaining 14% as an investment opportunity.

Renaissance Trains promotes and invests in "open access" passenger and freight rail businesses, as well as promoting and investing in rail industry innovation. Its aim is always to create rail businesses that attract new customers – rather than abstracting them from existing rail businesses – stimulate the market, deliver excellent customer service and offer outstanding investment returns.

Open access operators do not receive subsidy. As a result they plan the level of capacity provided to meet demand and use an up to date approach to sales channels that ensure most capacity is sold in advance. Their experience demonstrates that utilisation will be over 80% of the seats provided on a given point to point service.

However, potential new open access operators first have to show the Rail Regulator and Network Rail that there is an unsatisfied need for passenger - or freight - services in a given area and that the route involved is not already being fully exploited by an existing franchise holder. They also have to prove that they will not simply siphon off existing passengers from the franchise holder, that their business plan is viable and that they can provide their own motive power and rolling stock.

Traditionally, rail franchise holders are dominated by large transport groups motivated soley by profit, perhaps to the neglect of less profitable routes. They are awarded their franchises by proving to Government that they are the best organisations to run a reliable service in the area involved.

Wrexham & Shropshire operates up to five direct passenger services daily from Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Telford, Tame Bridge Parkway (in the West Midlands) and Banbury to London and so serves a population of more than 750 000 people along the route. Fares are good value, and tickets are available from all National Rail outlets as well as online. Trains in smart liveries feature on-board catering, first and standard class accommodation, and staff who take care of passengers throughout their journeys.

Or as Jonathan Guthrie reported in the Financial Times reported on 11 April 2009:

Tiny rail group has Virgin in retreat

The biter has been bitten. Sir Richard branson, who virtually owns the "plucky underdog" brand, has retreated from a battle with a tiny railway company that Virgin Trains had threatened to squash. On Thursday Virgin Trains capitulated, cancelling plans for new services on a sleepy route between North Wales and London that would have killed off fledgling operator Wrexham and Shropshire.

"Mr Branson has got enough money already" opined 72 year old Welsh grandmother Violet Benson, travelling down to London that day to see her grandchildren on a thrifty £35.00 return ticket.

This was a commercial battle that Virgin Rail would easily have won. The company, which received £ 35 million in state subsidies in 2008, intended to start two new services a day between Euston and Shrewsbury with connections through to Wrexham. But it only revived the plans, shelved earlier this decade, after W&S started up last April to fill a gap in the market. For years inhabitants of North Wales and Shropshire had been asking big train operators to run more trains to London.

Virgin began to take a hammering in bad publicity. The buccaneering balloonist was morphing into a bearded bully in the eyes ofthe public. Newspaper editorials blasted Virgin with salvoes against anti-competitive behaviour. The Virgin empire has 47 000 staff and is run by a man who owns a Caribbean island and a space airline. Wrexham and Shropshire is managed by a six person office in Shrewsbury and employes 65 staff.

A Virgin official said " We had to be realistic. The reaction [ to our plans ] was that we were being predatory and that we could put [ W & S ] out of business."

Hostile media coverage was "froth" he said, but the company could not be seen "to have blood on its hands".

Wrexham & Shropshire's style of operation harks back to the days before Dr Beeching took an axe to branch lines in the 1960s. Its little trains meander along at speeds that, at times,
a well maintained milk float could better. Passengers can stretch their legs in comfort in the 40 year old carriages - something that only an Oompa-Loompa could manage on a Vigin Pendolino.

Reservations are not displayed via failure-prone LED screens above the seats; instead, they are printed on cards attached to the headrests. No onboard computer announces the stations as on some other cross-country train services - that job is handled byanice lady called Jane in a smart black and claret uniform.

Nostalgic poet Sir John Betjeman would have revelled in halts with names such as Chirk and Ruabon, complete with pretty sandstone station buildings. But is this heartwarming tale of an entrepreneurial David besting a corporate Goliath as good as it seems? As Virgin Trains pointed out, Deutsche Bahn, the German state rail company, is the key backer of W&S. is the tiny business just a foot in the door of the UK rail industry for the Teutonic monolith, which also owns Chiltern Railways?

Andy Hamilton, managing director of W&S, said that 36 per cent of the business still belonged to the four british private investors that set it up.

"Investment from Deutsche Bahn is in the for of a loan that has to be paid back." he said, adding that W&S needed to break even in its third year to stay in business.

Mr Hamilton was "delighted" by Virgin's retreat. But, he added, W&S was still threatened by a "predatory" expansion of the services of Arriva Trains Wales. These plans were however, termed "complementary" by the larger operator.

"That is what competition is all about" said John Wylde, a retired bus company owner, riding the W&S service to Marylebone last week.

"Mrs Thatcher thought you should get companies at each other's throats. But in the end the big boys always win."

W&S has re-opened a cafe that closed 41 years ago at the Edwardian architectural gem that is Wrexham General station. There are two tables, a tea urn and a vase of fresh freesias. There is no station cat.

But it is still early days for W&S. Besides, the company first needs to acquire a wicker hamper for the cat to fall asleep on top of. Following Virgin's volte face, such long term capital investment is more justifiable.

The moral of the tale is that no one messes with Welsh grannies. Not even Sir Richard Branson.

Although W&S initially used the 1960s vintage British Rail blue and grey livery for its intermediate carriages, the Dapol book set represents the latest silver markings applied to Standard Class Mark 3A Open Standard vehicles 12145 and 12127. Both were built at BREL Derby between 1975 and 1977 as part of Lot 30877 to Diagram AC2G, weight 34.3 tonnes, ride on BT10 bogies, seat 76 passengers and were formerly used by Virgin Trains. They are owned by DB Schenker / DB Regio and were refurbished at the Marcroft, Stoke, works of Turners / DB Axiom Rail. As such, the W&S train is more egalitarian and offers more seats but less luggage space than the comparable Inter City Swallow Trains PLC rake.

Mechanically identical to Inter City Swallow Driving Brake Van 82132, 82304 - pictured below and formerly numbered 82130 - is also German owned and based along with sister vehicles in the 82301 - 82305 range at Crewe International Depot. These five DVTs have been modified to operate push-pull W&S trains with matching Class 67 locomotives 67 012 -15 and overall silver 67 029 "Royal Diamond".

All the dedicated W&S Class 67s are also based at Crewe International and are owned by Angel Trains. Applied to the General Motors powered Alstom assembled 3200 bhp locomotives within Pool Code WAWN are the names

"A Shropshire Lad" ( 67 012 ) inspired by the works of poet A.E. Housman

"Dyfrbont Pontcysyllte" ( 67 013 pictured above ) aka Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, carrying the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee. This name was applied on 9 July 2008 with Welsh and English versions on either side but the Shawplan etched plates supplied with the book set only have the Welsh version.

"Thomas Telford" ( 67 014 ) named after the Nineteenth Century civil engineer.

"David J. Lloyd" ( 67 015 ) applied on 15 July 2008

All the dedicated W&S Class 67s are also based at Crewe International and are owned by Angel Trains.