Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Not 4-4-2T but the GER had five classes of 2-4-2T which seems excessive

obviously a Crystal Palace fan

 

Sorry, but I cannot see what all of this has to do with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

 

I am intrigued by what the various companies spent money on and where they economised. For example a ''Brighton'' guard was well in the ''fourpenny rabbit'' class with well cut frock coat, wing collar and leather bandolier. His excellent American Waltham watch would have a solid silver case to match a lengthy chain with every link hallmarked. By contrast, L.S.W.R. guards had to make do with a nickel plated watch.

 

I think the Chatham probably only provided their guards with egg timers - but did at least provide the loco department with an exemplary fleet of capable, efficient locomotives

Tom

 

It’s thread drift, occasioned from discussion of some of the locomotive policies that led to certain classes being sent across the Solent.


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Things out of Brighton favouring style over substance? - somethings never change.

It always shocks me about how the companies had to be forced to give their staff watches. The Scottish lines always seem exceptionally cheap when it came to looking after staff.

 

Reading Vallance on the GNSR, I can possibly see why!


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Actually, the Chatham used Waltham watches as well but, hardly surprisingly, not with silver cases. L.B.S.C.R. ones appear to predominate where silver cased railway watches are concerned. A number made their way to the I.OW. One was deemed fit for re-issue when 50 years old in1939. It remains in working order as part of the IOWSR collection.

(Hopefully, this has lessened thread drift a tiny bit! P.H.)

 

At the cost of taking the thread drift even further, I mention that, years ago, in the days when my London Underground station had only three trains an hour (yes, I know many stations elsewhere had a much worse service), I complained to LU about trains departing before the advertised time, only to wait time at the next station. I suggested that perhaps drivers might use watches. My suggestion was rejected.

 

This was still a problem only eight years ago when I worked for LU. My suggestion of having a 'common system time' displayed on the train radio (and thus in every cab) didn't take off.

I'm just reading a book about American railways though, and this particular one required the drivers and conductors not only to buy their own watches to an approved pattern, but to have them examined for accuracy four times a year and hand the certificate to the company each time - all at their cost!

 

In the past though clocks and watches were expensive, hence the requirement for railway stations to have one

 

We tend to laugh at things like this but it is quite usual for craftsmen to buy and maintain their own tools and equipment. In reality, a watch is one of a drivers and guards tools that is needed to do the job.

 

A

The IOW system was always idiosyncratic about timepieces . Despite the introduction of daily
time signals by telegraph, new expensive and complicated ''regulators'' continued to be installed until 1880 or later. Pier Head still has its 1880 example whilst the somewhat earlier instrument from Ventnor is now at Havenstreet. "Graham's Deadbeat Escapement'' or ''Harrison's Maintaining Power'' will mean little to most but were part of high end clockmaking for the Victorians.

 

Absolutely, especially for the Americans who covered vast distances on time-based Train Orders

 

Seeing if I can drag it back to the Isle of Wight, is there any news yet on the E1? Probably not as I'm sure would have been announced...

 

Maybe it’s gone to Carnforth

 

I doubt she be much good on the Jacobite...

(not that I wouldn't stop her trying...)

 

I seem to remember that a new bigger loco workshop was to be built to provide the facilities for overhauling the E1. No sign of that being built yet for whatever reason, but I believe funding for it was bequeathed to the railway.

 

On the subject of going without things. Unless I am reading this accident report wrong (it was posted yesterday on Railways Archive) but it appears the loco was sent out without a pressure gauge with predictable results.

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=3924

 

For once I think that would been better in its own thread...