Colonnade News

  No. 158  

December 2016  

                          Gosport Railway Society

      .London’s Lost Suspension Railway at Kings Cross

A full twenty years before steam trains started arriving at the new station of King’s Cross, a small suspension railway had operated on the opposite side of the road. Not only was it an early form of suspension railway – it was also human powered – by a man spinning a wheel at the front of each carriage.

In use for barely two years, it has been seemingly lost to common knowledge – this was the Suspension Railway at the Royal Panarmonion Gardens.

King’s Cross station stands on what was at the time a Smallpox Hospital, and opposite it sat a great “dust heap” of rubble and burnt cinders from the coal fires. There also appears to have been another unrelated dust heap sited behind the hospital as well.

In fact, a contemporary report suggests the area at the time as having several “huge cinder-hills that formed a small alpine range”. The site is described as being at 277 Gray’s Inn Road, and bounded to the west by Argyle Street, was sold in 1826 for £15,000 to the Panarmonion Company.

A guide to Marylebone and St Pancras by George Clinch, published in 1890 also makes mention of nursery grounds belonging to, or occupied by a Mr Collins. It would seem that the whole area bought by the company comprised of some 10 acres of land. This company, largely promoted by Professor Gesualdo Lanza, described as a master of elocution who aimed to raise £20,000 in £100 shares to provide “extensively ornamented gardens which will be judiciously planted and pleasingly interspersed with Fountains, Cascades, Temples, etc. and an elegant Theatre, plus a Botanical Bazaar, Bathing Rooms and even an Hotel.” It would seem that of the buildings, only the Theatre was built.

The gardens were laid out, as they were the premier attraction, and Thorrington’s Suspension Railway – described in a magazine as half a mile in length only hints of its existence the only physical item surviving of the railway being the illustrated handbills that were handed out.

The prospectus cited by Clinch noted that “The amusements in the Gardens, independent of the ingenious Railway already constructed, will comprehend Concerts, Reading Rooms,” etc. It is worth noting that at this time, the railway already existed and was presumably pulling in enough visitors to make the rest of the Pleasure Garden development seem viable.

The railway seems to have consisted of suspending a boat-shaped car from a substantial level bar, along which it travelled upon small wheels. The motive power was supplied from the car by means of a wheel which was worked by hand, and by which means the rate of progression was regulated. “No one can believe,” says a contemporary account, “that this Car travels with such ease and rapidity without being a witness of the fact. The idea is a very ingenious one, and does great credit to Mr. H. Thorrington, who is the inventor.”

The gardens opened on the 4th March, 1830, and entry cost One Shilling, which included a ride in the railway.

Above: Advert in The Morning Post on 20th July 1830

The Morning Post of the previous day stated that ”in this tasteful erection, the proprietors have substituted an elegantly decorated boat or car, capable of containing eight persons, for the chair, which was intended for only two. The person who manages the crank is concealed under a cover in the stern of the car, and when going at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour, it slides gracefully along without any visible propelling power, and produces a very agreeable effect.”

I would presume that the illustration given at the top of this article is possibly a slightly earlier version, between the small 2-person chair and the version described with the man hidden behind the carriage. Certainly to sit at the front of the carriage and to be propelled along without noise or discomfort must have been a wondrous sight to Victorian visitors. However, despite much admiration, the Gardens were not a commercial success. On the 28th February, 1832, a notice was published announcing the sale of the assets of the Garden, and their demolition followed within a few weeks. A brief note in the Bury and Norwich Post of December 1831 notes that many London Theatres are to be shut down due to censorship of their plays. That may have also played a part in the demise of the whole project.

The area was divided up into streets, or more accurately, side streets that lead to the gardens were extended into the land. A Victorian garden square was laid out, and genteel houses built around it.

Above: Map showing the location of the Gardens.

The houses still exist, as does Argyll Square Gardens, but there is no record of the remarkable railway on the site. But as can be seen from the following picture the end of Argyll Street formed part of the outdoor setting for the Ealing black comedy film ‘The Ladykillers’.

No 595's Triumph

The down ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ had failed at Woking with a burst steam pipe. The station pilot was No 595, one of the Adams 'Highflyers'. Decrepit, leaking from several firebox stays, far from clean and with pressure, nominally 175 psi  but lurking nearer 140 the outside cylinder 4-4-0 with her 7ft driving wheels was shunting vans in the yard.

When built in 1892, these locomotives had been the most powerful express passenger engines in the country so when the express ran in and stopped, with steam escaping from almost everywhere, everyone noticed two things. There was no other engine in the station and that No 595 was facing the South West. A conference took place, the London crew wanted to stay with their damaged engine and luckily the Woking crew knew the road to Salisbury. It would take about 20 minutes to summon anything from Guildford and it was decided that the Adams would have to be used.

The 'Nelson' limped off its train and 595 backed on and the crew were told that there were 13 on! The fireman, wild with excitement, worked desperately. The tender was a nearly full but the driver said `We'll never even get the brakes off. It took all of seven minutes to manage 18'/₂ in the vacuum at the rear end. But the guard said that was all it was ok and the seven minutes had been gainfully employed by the fireman. The pressure was about 167psi and she was seething to go. The inspector said that if 595 could get the train to Basingstoke, some 23 miles away, they would have an H15 or S15 available. The regulator was opened and the engine went to it. For an appreciable time nothing happened, then slowly the gap between the tender and first carriage moved slowly forward and sometime after that No 595 emitted her first tremendous beat. The road is very slightly uphill if not a bank. The engine struggled, shook, slipped, held and slipped. The crew took turns at the firing and the speed rose to 28mph. Once over the top things changed. The engine did splendidly speed rose to 46 mph then 52.

The driver said 'She'll get to Salisbury!' to which the reply had to be 'What? up the bank to Grateley?"Well, if we was going fast enough at Andover and had plenty of water in the glass, we'd make it". But he did say about Basingstoke —"If they give us the road, I'll go through!"

As they approached Basingstoke the distant was on, unable to bear it someone on the footplate, it was never established who, made an unauthorized reach for the whistle. The driver looked very disapproving and shook his head they were clearly meant to stop and then the distant cleared. The signalman must have thought it was a better engine than expected and so could go on. With the engine shaking with the effort, the loco foreman on the platform ready to supervise the engine change looked aghast with his mouth open.

It was quite a fight to get over the rise to Oakley but once they did, things were easier. But the engine had to be eased to get some pressure back, so through Overton and Hurstbourne, usually fast places, the speed was still not over 50 mph. But then with the downhill section to Andover Junction the crew really threw caution to the wind and with the motion clanking like a runaway engine 74 mph was reached. Through the station with everyone on the platform running for cover, or so it seemed.

The crew had to work very hard, in spite of the speed, to climb to Grateley; and there were smells and noises and speed at the top beyond Grateley had fallen below 20 mph and it was a question of whether 595 might become a failure. Pressure was very down and the bearings were hot but the rest of the way was downhill and they crept on, nursing the engine and virtually allowing the steam to do little more than take the weight of the motion off the big ends. But by not noticeably slowing at Salisbury Tunnel Junction they managed a splendid Atlantic Coast Express sweep into the platform, even though the white metal had mostly run out of the bearings. Possibly No 595 never ran again under her own steam. If that is true, it was a splendid death for an Adams 7ft `Highflyer.

The Portsmouth Direct in 1936

It was in April 1936 that R S Haines, (later the Revd), started to travel regularly, with the use of a season ticket, between Petersfield and Portsmouth. Big changes were afoot as the line was to be electrified in July of that year but luckily he kept a detailed log of all he saw on the line at this time. He states that Petersfield was 18.4 miles from Portsmouth but this distance was enough to judge the driver's capabilities. But it was not just the daily trip to the municipal college that was undertaken. There were also evening and weekend trips to say nothing of lunchtime runs to Havant and back, a distance of 7.2 miles often travelling on 12.30 Brighton train. He says that he got to know the L12 that was normally rostered for this duty very well. However, sometimes for a change, at lunchtime he would walk to the shed at Fratton and ride back to Portsmouth behind the visiting GWR locomotive. In the evenings there was always plenty to look at whilst travelling on the 17.56 non-stop Fratton to Petersfield. At first this was in the hands of the Portsmouth no. 1 Link with Schools class nos 924-933 and excellent times were set over the none too easy

.

Above: Havant Control Room under construction.

route which included a severe slack through Havant. From then on the 9.1 miles was more or less against the engine all the way including the 1 in 100 and the 1 in 80 at 1.75 miles. The best time over the 17.9 miles from Fratton to Petersfield, start to stop with a Schools was 26 min 11 sec; both 930 and 933 made this time on two different occasions and each time with a ten coach load. But one day — 15th September 1936 -the 17.46 rolled in headed by a D15 and he learnt of the change of engine working. 

From then on the Guildford shed was in charge of the train and it looked like the Fratton shed speed record would remain unchallenged but a Guildford driver had other ideas. On June 1937, D15 no. 463, the only D15 which had a hooter instead of a whistle, with Mr Haines invited onto the footplate and with nine carriages behind the drawbar, Havant (6.4 miles) was passed in 8 mm 55 sec, Rowlands Castle to Buriton Box (6 miles) in 8 min 56 sec and finally into Petersfield in an amazing 24 min 55 Sec.

There were also highlights whilst riding on lighter trains. One of the more interesting was the 21.32 from Portsmouth which usually consisted of two vans, two corridor coaches and invariably a King Arthur or Remembrance. This stopping train was worked by a top link crew from Nine Elms. Such excellent timings were achieved on these runs that not even the electrics could beat them. The well-known driver Harry Payne always used to reserve a special effort on this feather light train for the section from Rowlands Castle to Petersfield and one memorable night with no 776 Sir Galagars did the run in 10 mins 48 sec from start to stop. Later a second link driver from Portsmouth, driving no 927 Clifton, cut three seconds off this timing.

From time to time he also travelled to London on the 90 minute non-stop from Portsmouth which was usually hauled by a well performing Schools locomotive. One particularly fast run took place on 29th June 1937, the last week of steam on the line, the locomotive was again no 927, Fratton's spare engine, and the load was nine bogies. That evening 927 covered the 23.4 miles from Haslemere to Havant in 23 min 28 sec, a maximum of 87 mph was reached through Liss and the average between there and Petersfield was 76 mph. Indeed a fitting steam finale. It was during these last days that the Portsmouth Direct was still the domain of nos. 926, 927, 928, 929, 931 and 932 .

During term time, April 1936 to July 1937, Mr Haines covered over 25,000 miles solely between Petersfield and Portsmouth. A real train spotter’s delight.

Posed along Canal Walk date unknown.

Meet the Whitewash Train   (As reported in 1949)

Among the devices used by the railways to ensure that the track is true to line and shape is the " Whitewash Train." It is called by this name because when it is in operation it automatically throws whitewash onto the track wherever a bad place is encountered. Actually the "train" is a single vehicle, attached to the rear of certain passenger trains selected for the test. The operation of this special car is worked to a carefully drawn up programme, which covers systematic running over both the down and up main lines on all the routes tested. To the average traveller there is little external evidence to distinguish this vehicle from an ordinary passenger coach. The greater portion of the car is an open saloon, the sides and ends of which consist mainly of windows, enabling the Divisional Engineer or his assistant, who accompany each trip, to have an uninterrupted view of the track.

In the centre of the saloon is fixed the Hallade track-recording apparatus, and at the front end is mounted the whitewash tank with the operating equipment. At the back of the saloon are two conspicuous speedometers visible to all taking part. On the front end is an electric horn which sounds every time whitewash is deposited. At the other end of the coach there are two ordinary compartments for the use of members of the staff when not engaged on the test. During the journey each permanent way inspector goes to the back of the coach to obtain a better view of the track and the automatic recorder, while his own district is being run over. The car is in charge of the Chief Mechanical Engineer's representatives, as the design and development of the apparatus used was the work of his Department. The whitewashing is effected by sudden movements or lurches of the bogie undercarriage relative to the main frame of the vehicle resulting from faults in the alignment of the track. By casual inspection, a railway line, with its shining metals curving away into the distance, looks very strong and solid enough to carry the heavy loads imposed upon it by modern locomotives.

Yet, in spite of its seemingly robust construction, it is constantly on the move and under the incessant pounding to which it is subjected it requires constant adjust­ment to retain correct line and level. Owing to the cushioning effect of the springs and the momentum of its much greater weight the bodywork of a vehicle is not subject to the same movements as the bogies. But the wheels must follow closely the path afforded by the rails and any irregularity in the track causes the bogies to lurch or oscillate relatively to the coach frame carrying the bodywork. In the whitewash car this lurching effect is utilized to generate electrical impulses by the sliding of one coil inside another.

The primary coil is attached to the bogie bolster, and in it the field strength is kept constant. The secondary coil slides within the primary under the action of the bogie frame. Hence, the current induced in the former is directly proportional to the rate of movement between the two. The electrical impulses generated are therefore greatest with violent transverse oscillation, while a gentle movement causes little effect. These impulses are boosted through relays, until the more powerful of them will operate the whitewash flap. So this ingenious device ensures the auto­matic deposit of whitewash on to the track whenever severe irregularities, are encountered by the train. ut a quart of whitewash is dropped in the " four-foot" every time the flap-valve is operated. It is fed down from a reservoir inside the vehicle through a 4-inch pipe which ends 8 inches above the level of the rails. As the whitewash strikes the ground, it trails out in a splash from 100 to 200 ft. long. There is a lag of nearly a second between the passage of the bogie over a track defect and the time the whitewash actually strikes the ballast, which means that at normal speeds the splash begins about 60 ft. ahead of the originating disturbance. The ganger walking his length after the passage of the train, keeps a watchful eye for signs of whitewash. If he is unfortunate enough to find any, he then searches for the fault which has caused it. It must not be assumed that thedefects located in this manner are obvious. Even with the aid of the whitewash it takes a practised eye to trace them. This track marking is supplementary to the daily inspection and normal routine maintenance of the track.

There are several factors that influence the way in which a coach rides along the track. Apart from the condition of the permanent way the engine creates a source of disturbance to the adjoining vehicles, just merely by operating also every coach possesses its own individual idiosyncrasies. Some coaches ride more roughly than others, while their position in the train can govern their behavior patterns. The last coach is always more subject to lateral oscillation.

Quite apart from speed all these different factors affect the overall riding qualities. In addition, and totally independent of it, there is the Hallade Recorder. This sensitive instrument automatically compiles a continuous record of the condition of the track. The recorder consists of three separate sets of pendulums, each of which is free to move only in fixed plane, longitudin­ally, laterally or vertically. It is by these movements that track faults are indicated. The top of each pendulum operates a style which runs over a slowly moving chart. Thus, the records obtained afford an indication of the condition of the track. In this way a systematic record of track irregularities is compiled, and enables any deterioration in the track to be quickly noted and attended to before it becomes excessive. This check is achieved by comparing each fresh record with its predecessor. During this process the presence or otherwise of low joints, bad alignment and other features are noted at the same time a copy of this record is sent to every permanent way inspector over whose district the test has been made, so that he may "do something about it."

Mallard in the Garden

 Brian Childs, keeps a framed photo of the Mallard in his kitchen and one day he decided to reproduce it in a privet. The shape of the hedge lends itself to a train. It includes a step for people to stand on and also a nameplate. Children love it,  one boy steps into the gap while wearing a cap and pretends to be driving. 

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