Norman Hindle’s album of 1930s photographs of the Midland Railway’s Leeds to Carlisle main line allows Andrew Wilson to examine the work of the Johnson/Deeley/Fowler Compounds in their prime.
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Norman Hindle’s 1930s phot0s of the Leeds to Carlisle line allows Andrew Wilson to examine the work of the Midland/LMS Compounds.
The January 2021 issue of Steam Days included some of the photographic work of Norman Hindle, illustrating the varied motive power in use on the former Midland Railway route between Leeds,
Skipton and Hellifield, the section beyond Skipton being the so-called ‘Little North Western’ line. In this latest dip into his album we are able to return to early London,
Midland & Scottish Railway days when the Compounds were still on top link duties north of Leeds.
The first two Compounds, Nos 2631 and 2632, emerged from Derby Works in January 1902 with 7ft driving wheels and all three cylinders driving the leading axle. The highpressure inside cylinder was placed beneath the smokebox, with the two outside lowpressure cylinders in line. All the cylinders had a stroke of 26in, with the high-pressure cylinder of 19in diameter and the low-pressure cylinders 21in. The boiler was pressed to 195psi. With their parallel boilers, Belpaire fireboxes and bogie tenders, the two Compounds were handsome locomotives and proved to be a free steaming, powerful and remarkably economic. On an up service train No 2632 was recorded passing Settle Junction at 92mph.
Three more Compounds were built in 1903 – Nos 2633-35 – but it was left to Johnson’s successor, R M Deeley, to expand the class when Nos 1000-09 were constructed in 1905. The Deeley locomotives had a plainer appearance and the boiler pressure was raised to 220psi. A further 20 locomotives were turned out from Derby Works between March and December 1906, Nos 1010-29, and these were followed by ten more between November 1908 and March 1909. Before these entered traffic, Nos 2631-35 were renumbered in 1907 as Nos 1000-04, with the Deeley Compounds becoming Nos 1005-44. Until 1914 the Compounds were allocated to Kentish Town, Manchester Trafford Park and Leeds Holbeck sheds. They worked the principal expresses between London (St Pancras) and Manchester, London and Leeds, and the Anglo-Scottish services over the Settle & Carlisle line from Leeds to Carlisle. Only later did Carlisle receive a small number of the class.
Deeley resigned in 1909 and was succeeded by Henry Fowler, who in 1913 began superheating the Compounds with No 1040, a task not completed until well after the grouping. With Fowler confirmed as chief mechanical engineer of the LMS, the die was cast to make the Compound a standard LMS design, along with the Midland ‘2P’ class 4-4-0s. After a series of comparative trials between Compounds, the Deeley ‘999’ class 4-4-0, a London & North Western Railway ‘Prince of Wales’ class 4-6-0 and ‘Claughton’ four-cylinder class 4-6-0, and a Caledonian Railway Pickersgill 4-4-0 it was decided to standardise the Compound, despite it being a typical Midland small engine.
In June 1923 an order was placed for 20 new superheated Compounds with 6ft 9in driving wheels, and by the time William Stanier became the company’s CME in 1932 no less than 195 LMS Compounds had been built, which with the 45 Midland Compounds meant 240 were in traffic. So when Norman Hindle was out and about with his camera in the late 1920s and 1930s, he was able to record both the original Midland and the LMS Compounds between Leeds, Skipton, Hellifield and Carlisle.
The first years of the grouping saw the Midland Compounds remain the top link motive power between London (St Pancras), Leeds and Carlisle, and what better place to start our journey through Norman Hindle’s photographs than the Midland’s Leeds terminal station at Wellington Road. LMS No 1012 of Leeds shed, which started life in December 1905 as MR No 1007 and was superheated in July 1921, is seen in the carriage sidings while waiting to take over an express. Owing to it being laid out as a terminus, both north and southbound workings had to change engines and reverse at Wellington Road. Judging from the size of the coal in the tender, the fireman has a lot of breaking up to do before feeding his fire.
Completed at Derby Works in December 1905 as Midland Railway No 1004, renumbered in 1907 and superheated in November 1922, Deeley Compound No 1009 waits to depart from Leeds (Wellington Street) station with an express. Another of the Leeds allocation, in 1920 Leeds had 13 of the Compounds, including rebuilt Johnson pioneer No 1000 (originally No 2631). The Midland signal box in view is of a non-standard design, with the cabin raised high enough to provide the signalmen with a clear overall view of the station and its carriage and goods sidings. The narrow pedestal enclosing the control room and associated frames was necessary due to the constraints of the site. The pictured 4-4-0 would eventually be withdrawn as British Railways No 41009 in December 1951.
The tall boiler mountings identify No 1012 as a Midland-built Deeley engine as it runs towards Keighley Station South signal box with the driver having shut off steam to take the right-hand curve through the main line platforms with a down (northbound) service. The junction station is the main line connection for the Worth Valley branch to Oakworth, Haworth and Oxenhope. No 1012 ran as No 1007 from new in December 1905 until the MR renumbering scheme of 1907, was superheated in July 1921 and would serve until January 1951. Behind the Compound is one of the heavy industrial parts of Keighley that stretched from Thwaites and Marley Junction to the station and was dominated by textile, engineering and foundry factories. Just in view on the far left, the line joining the up main serves the Keighley bay platform used by the frequent push-pull workings to and from Bradford (Forster Square) station.
Recorded near Steeton & Silsden on
21 May 1938, Vulcan Foundry-built Compound No 931 is seen in charge of a Morecambe residential express to either Leeds or Bradford. The residential trains were an important feature of the ex-Little North Western Railway lines as many of the Bradford and Leeds mill owners and managers lived by the sea at Morecombe, thereby avoiding the heavily polluted airs of the two cities. Some residential trains divided at Skipton, with the train engine working through to Leeds and another engine coming on to work the Bradford portion, while others ran direct to Bradford (Forster Square) or Leeds (Wellington Street). Completed in May 1927, No 931 was one of the Compounds fitted with exhaust injectors by the LMS – the pipe seen running from the smokebox is the steam feed. This locomotive would remain in traffic until November 1958, so ultimately served for about 31½ years, its final home being Lancaster (Green Ayre).
No 1071 was one of the LMS Fowler Compounds built at Derby Works and was released to traffic in September 1924. The LMS Compounds were a post-grouping development of the Midland design with 6ft 9in coupled wheels, reduced boiler mountings and a nominal tractive effort of 22,650lbs, an increase over the 21,840lbs of the Midland engines with their 7ft coupled wheels. Alongside in the carriage sidings is one of the Fowler ‘483’ class renewals of the Johnson ‘slim boilered’ 4-4-0s that became known as the ‘2P’ class. Returning to No 1071, apart from the running number, the reduced height of the chimney and dome covers of the LMS Compounds was the easiest way of quickly identifying a Midland-built Compound from it LMS cousin.
No 1138 is in charge of the down ‘ThamesForth Express’ near Kildwick on 29 February 1936. Loaded to just six coaches, all early period LMS designs with destination boards, the duty is well within the capacity of the class ‘4’ Compound. The normal winter loading for this service was five coaches, so on this occasion it has been strengthened by the addition of an extra vehicle from the carriage sidings at Wellington Street. No 1138 was one of 25 LMS Compounds built by the North British Locomotive Co in Glasgow, being completed in July 1925 as Works No 23232. As British Railways No 41138 it would be withdrawn in December 1954.
Fowler LMS Compound No 929 makes the most of the level section of track between Kildwick and Cononley as it works a Leeds and Bradford excursion to Morecambe on Friday, 9 May 1930. The May 1927-built 4-4-0 is working the usual mix of coaching stock used for excursion work, ranging from clerestory coaches to low-roof pre-grouping vehicles and early LMS stock. As was generally the case at this time, No 929 looks resplendent, the Holbeck Compounds being kept in fine external and mechanical condition. Judging from the exhaust, No 929 is being worked in compounding mode and the fireman will probably be firing with the ‘little and often’ technique to keep the fire bright.
Compound No 1141 makes a fine sight while heading the down ‘Thames-Forth Express’ near Cononley on 1 May 1937, with the train made up mainly of middle period LMS coaches. The North British Locomotive Co-built Compounds (Nos 1135-59 of Lot No 18) all carried a works plate on the leading driving wheel splasher and No 1141’s will show the engine to be Works No 23235 and built in July 1925; its withdrawal would come in September 1954 from Carlisle (Kingmoor). The Midland and LMS Compounds were the largest class of Compounds to run in the United Kingdom and when handled properly were very efficient, although unfortunately they were only rated ‘4P’ by the LMS and British Railways.
About three miles out from Skipton, beautifully turned out LMS Compound No 926, its lined-out crimson lake livery polished to perfection, works the up ‘Thames-Forth Express’ near Cononley on Saturday, 5 March 1938. The ‘Thames-Forth Express’ was a joint LMS and LNER train that ran between Edinburgh (Waverley) and London (St Pancras) between 26 September 1927 and 9 September 1939, and post-war it was finally reintroduced by British Railways (London Midland Region) as ‘The Waverley’ in 1957. No 926 entered traffic in May 1927 from the Vulcan Foundry (Works No 4024) and, like No 931 already seen, it is recorded after the LMS fitting of exhaust injectors. This 4-4-0 would finally be withdrawn from Crewe North shed as British Railways No 40926 in August 1957.
LMS Compound No 1073 runs into Skipton station at the head of the down Scotch Express that departed London (St Pancras) at 11.45am on Saturday, 2 July 1932, this 4-4-0 having come on to the train at Leeds (Wellington Street) station. The original Leeds & Bradford Railway station buildings can be seen behind the first five coaches and are on a site that is now occupied by a Tesco supermarket, and the signal box has also long since been demolished. Although closely following the valley of the River Aire from Leeds to Skipton, the gradients for down trains are mostly against the collar or level and only after Bell Busk summit is there respite for the locomotive as the line falls to Settle Junction and the beginning of the ‘Long Drag’ to Blea Moor and Ais Gill.
Even after drafting in a batch of ex-L&NWR ‘Claughton’ class 4-6-0s with ROD tenders and the introduction of the Fowler ‘Patriot’ and Stanier ‘Jubilee’ class 4-6-0s between Leeds and Carlisle there were still occasions when single or double-headed Compounds worked the principal Anglo-Scottish expresses between Leeds and Carlisle. On 5 March 1938, Holbeck shed, Leeds must have been short of 4-6-0s and so Nos 930 and 932 were booked to work the down ‘Thames-Clyde Express’, which is seen near Cononley. These Compounds were both built by the Vulcan Foundry, being completed in May and June 1927 respectively (Works
Nos 4028 and 4030) – No 930 would be withdrawn in April 1957 and No 932 in May 1956. Apart from a short 1 in 229 gradient for down trains into Cononley, this was a 3½ mile stretch of level track that offered a respite for the fireman before the 1 in 719/213 climb into Skipton.
The Fowler LMS Compounds were not only used between Leeds and Carlisle but also allocated to Scottish area sheds such as Polmadie, where they were disliked for being under powered, but when used on the services to the Ayr coast from Carlisle they did much good work. Another of the North British Locomotive Cobuilt examples, the well turned out No 1145 was seen by Norman Hindle at Carlisle having arrived with a local service from Glasgow (Central) via Beattock in April 1930. NBL Works No 23239, this 4-4-0 entered traffic in July 1925 and was withdrawn in October 1953 from Carstairs shed. The plates ahead of the bogie wheels were needed when doubleheading to prevent water from troughs entering the bearings.
On 21 September 1938, Midland Railway-built Deeley Compound No 1018 runs into Hellifield station and past the South Junction signal box as a Fowler ‘2P’ class 4-4-0 waits in the south bay platform with a local passenger train for the former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway route to Blackburn and Manchester; the ex-Midland and ex-L&YR goods yards were located either side of the line to Blackburn. The driver of No 1018 has shut off steam on the downhill gradient from Bell Busk to observe the speed restriction over the junction and into the platforms. No 1018 was released from Derby Works in April 1906 as MR No 1013 and was superheated in December 1926. Its withdrawal would come about in July 1948 from Kentish Town shed.
Steam Days would like to thank Mrs Sheila Dennis for allowing us to use the album of photographs taken by her father.
LMS Vulcan Foundry-built Compound No 932 runs under the Carleton New Road overbridge and past Skipton North signal box as it enters the station on Saturday, 20 September 1930 while in charge of the up ‘Thames-Clyde Express’ and running non-stop to Leeds. To the right of the locomotive is part of the underpass that linked the platforms at Skipton and is still in use today. Once past Bell Busk, up trains generally have gradients in their favour, apart from short climbs to Keighley and Armley, but congestion on the Aire Valley lines usually precluded any fast running when trying to recover time from delays experienced earlier in the journey from Carlisle.