Midland Times Issue 4: March 2024

Midland Times Issue 4: March 2024

Midland Times is the 80 page periodical covering the LMS, the pre-grouping constituent companies and their successors the London Midland Region. Each issue is packed with historic images and articles featuring both steam and other forms of motive power together with stations, depots and rolling stock, all illustrated in colour and black and white, wherever possible using previously unseen views.

Welcome to the fourth edition of Midland Times, where again we have a variety of articles for you accompanied by captivating photographs to further enhance the reader’s understanding of past railway eras. ‘Bushey Water Troughs’ by Peter Tatlow reminisces about his time spent near the LMS West Coast main line. He vividly describes the location of Bushey’s water troughs. We then look at the introduction of steam turbines as an alternative propulsion method, beginning by contrasting traditional piston-driven locomotives with turbine-driven ones, explaining the principles behind each system. The LMS experimented with this propulsion method in the late 1920s and early 1930s leading to the creation of a revolutionary turbine-powered locomotive, Turbomotive. The article ’Steam at Perth – The Final Decade’ by David Anderson provides a detailed historical overview of strategically located Perth’s significance in the realm of steam locomotives during the final years of their operation. Trainspotting was the choice hobby for many young lads and lasses. Geoff Courtney’s article provides a vivid glimpse into the hobby and railway history, offering detailed accounts of the author’s experiences at various stations and on specific trains during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Two predominantly photographic articles follow in the shape of ‘The Down Postal Special’ and a look around Stamford Town. In Ian Lamb’s ‘The Granite City’, the text delves into the historical context of railway operations, discussing the routes, schedules, and technical aspects of train travel during that era, in addition to his personal anecdotes. ‘The Leeds New Line’ by Philip Hellawell provides a detailed historical account of the construction, operation, and eventual closure of a significant railway route in England. The line was built by the LNWR to alleviate traffic congestion and expand track capacity between Huddersfield and Leeds in the late 19th century. ‘Odd Corners of the Midland’, provides glimpses into Alan Postlethwaite’s experiences and observations related to Midland Railway routes during the early 1960s, before we finish this issue with some photos – that we believe have not been seen before – of ‘The Last Dasher’, a local service that like many, was withdrawn in the early 1960s. The final day of running is captured in colour, a fitting finale to this issue.