The Railway Magazine – July 2019

Having run round, No. L48 prepares

to shunt the train from the Down

platform to the Up, ready for the

return to to the capital.

Wet and damp weather spoils the day as passengers mill around the train which has just arrived with the

empty stock at Quainton Road for the return working.

Railway and had retired from serving London

Transport the previous day.
Arrival at Quainton Road was at 3.55pm,
just five minutes down on schedule. The
station had been decorated with flags to
welcome them all, and a couple of hundred
locals had made the trip down from the village,
despite the heavy rain. Surprisingly, only 20
minutes was allowed for the passengers to
detrain while No. L48 ran round and shunted
the stock into the Up platform. A longer
stop of around 40 minutes would be made at
Aylesbury on the return to allow everyone the

chance to obtain some refreshments.

There then followed what was possibly

the highlight of the journey, certainly from

the point of view of those who were enjoying

the rare opportunity of timing a run with

an ‘E’ class tank engine. TheMailexcitedly

wrote that the train timers “whooped with

joy” as the train achieved 60mph through

Chorleywood. The firebox door was said
to be glowing red hot. “Any faster and the
firebox will melt”, an enthusiast was reported
as saying. It was certainly quite a feat for an
engine more accustomed to working at slower
speeds on engineers’ trains.
After the last water stop at Rickmansworth,
a final burst of 58mph was achieved at Preston

Road. An enjoyable afternoon’s outing for all
then came to an end at Baker Street, where
the special was terminated, four minutes late.
At least one ‘A3’ Pacific, a ‘B1’ and
a ‘V2’ were passed on the main line during
the journey, serving as a reminder the Great

Central was still very much a principal route
in the mid-1950s. Several other members of

London Transport’s fleet of steam locomotives
(0-4-4Ts and 0-6-2Ts) were noted out in

traffic on the Underground network working

permanent way trains, all seemingly very well

cared for. There was clearly a lot of pride

among the London Transport staff who

maintained them.

In fact, it seemed as though there was a

flavour of the ‘Titfield Thunderbolt’ about the

trip, the film having been released the previous

year. If Stanley Holloway had travelled with

them, it would have been rather fitting.

Driver Kettle borrowed his wife’s alarm

clock for the day and hung it in the cab

to help him keep an eye on the schedule

• perhaps wrist watches weren’t taken for
  granted in those days. Another newspaper said
  on arrival back at Baker Street, the driver was
  rewarded for his heroics by a kiss from pin-up

“20-year old model Miss Gwenda Davies”.

It wasn’t stated whether this was specially

arranged byRailway Worldor indeed whether

traces of lipstick remained from the encounter,

but it can only be hoped Mrs Kettle got her

alarm clock back in working order! ■

■This feature is based on notes and photographs in the

archives of The Transport Treasury, which has acquired the

collections of many well-known railway photographers, but

also want to share transport pictures of the past to a wider

audience.

If you’ve enjoyed this nostalgic look back and want to

share your memories and photographs of past railtours with

RM readers, please contact the editor with details.

52 •The Railway Magazine• July 2019

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