Cygnet Magazines

A superb feature on Bow ended carriages, Newbury goods yard, part 6 of Snow Hill, part 4 of Castles in traffic, labelling passengertrains, Blunsdon Road Crossing in pictures and letters - it will be missed!

Feedback and appreciation from readers regarding the impending "closure" dominate the editorial, which preceeds the fabulous final part of the Snow Hill series of articles, this covering operations and traffic after the Second World War. Other articles feature 4259 in close up at Wolverhampton, more beautiful and detailed views of St Ives station, passenger train operations at Newbury and "Lad Porter at Yelverton" from an interview of Larry Crozier by Chris Turner. Finally a letters section featuring a brilliant and illustrated piece on coachboards from reader Colin Jenkins in South Africa. There is no doubt that the old Great Western was a very fine institution, with Snow Hill arguably its greatest triumph, and this issue does it full justice from beginning to end.

Part two of Castles in traffic and the fourth part of traffic at Snow Hill are the major articles in this issue, in addition to John Lewis on the manufacture of gas for coach lighting. Two other delightful articles are Chris Turner recounting the story of Bob Ashton and his family at Brittania Crossing on the Kingswear Branch and Richard Watts recalling schoolboy memories of the Abingdon branch, featuring a shotgun, hot dogs, bangers and pagodas.

Part 2 of Worcester Shed and part 3 of goods operations Banbury continue from earlier issues while Stourport on Severn, banana traffic at Avonmouth and wartime on Hatton bank are new subjects.

Four main features in this issue, two delightful explorations of Liskeard and Newbury, junction stations set in very different locations, Tyesley Locomotives and their work in the Birmingham district and a third part of ROD locomotives in traffic. As my life passes by and the more I look at pictures such as those in this issue of Great Western Railway Journal, the more I find myself thinking of Adrian Vaughan's assertion; "end of steam, end of civilisation". Overly pessimistic for sure and I expect that the two are unconnected, but it makes you wonder...

Nice and rural(ish), the "Westbury Top Job" by the late Gerry Parkins describes operating the Weymouth line, including some lovely pictures of the small stations along the route. Tyesley locomotive depot, the working of Moreton Cutting sidings, an article on the ROD locomotives in traffic and a page of Great Western nameplate lettering.

The final part of operations at Paddington, extending up to the diesel era and even including some views showing the "Blue Pullman", the final part of the series on horseboxes and the "Bulldogs" in their last years, plus three "bonus" views of Honeybourne in the 1950s.

Reading goods, 44XXs in traffic and the wonder that was Honeybourne, an absolutely enormous installation that has been rationalised almost beyond recognition. Actually it has recently undergone a miraculous rennaissance as part of the Cotswold re-doubling project, but is still a shadow of what was.

Passenger pilot operations at Reading, part five of the ongoing Paddington article together with a lovely colour photo feature on Thame Station and Iver in the snow.