Monday, 21 April 2014

200-206 Gladstone Bag.

200. There Once Was an Ugly Duckling - here seen in working condition, London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley B1 Class 0-4-2 No. 214, Gladstone, the first of the 'Gladstone' class of 36 express passenger engines.  Preserved today in the National Railway Museum, York with a preservation story going back to the 1927 when it was withdrawn for restoration and preservation by the Stephenson Locomotive Society.  It had the number 618 from 1911 when four engines were scrapped (215-220). The three survivors became 618-620 to make way for a new class, but the war intervened, the engines didn't materialise, and the original numbers were restored.
In this photograph, circulated by O J Morris) it has the painted number and name typical of the early 1920s

201. But a touch of make-up goes a long way... The following (except for 203) appear to be a set of five on unmarked postcards. Photograph appears to be W J Reynolds (see comment below).  Geoff: 201 : J.N. Maskelyne (left), on Saturday 21st May 1927 during an SLS visit to Battersea. 

202. As preserved and presented in 1927. (W J Reynolds) Geoff: 202 : Headcode No 69 Victoria and Brighton, via Crystal Palace (Specials only), which went out of use in June 1910 - so, just for decoration.

203. The livery seems to be a different colour, a film distortion (F Moore/Locomotive Publishing Co)

204. Gladstone with fellow Class B1 LBSC No 197. (W J Reynolds).  If it is 1927, then it still has its abbreviated LBSC lettering on the tender, typical of the early 1920s. It has no name (historically it bore the name Jonas Levy) but has a brass number cartouch on the cab unlike picture 200. It has a crude number painted on the tender, in the Southern tradition. We know that this engine did receive the Southern livery (a photograph appears on SEmG). It was withdrawn August 1932.
From Geoff: 204 : "An F. Moore photograph of the great day, 23 May 1927, when Gladstone was hauled out of one of the Battersea shed roundhouses by fellow class member No 197 (once named Jonas Levy) and still appropriately with LBSC on its tender."   Quoted from The Brighton Circular Winter 2009. But: see note to 201. F. Moore is the photograph distributor (later known as The Locomotive Publishing Co.) rather than the photographer. 

This photo (below) is actually the F Moore photo - notice the effect of different film on the livery, which makes sense of this series of photos (see also Moore's picture at 203). Moore's vantage point is closer and slightly different, judging by the semaphore signals in the background. The number on 197's tender is not so easily visible.

205. Photo by W J Reynolds.  Geoff: 205 : Appears to be Nine Elms, so on or about 14th May 1927 when she was exhibited at Waterloo with E850.

206. Photo by W J Reynolds.

11 comments:

  1. 204 : "An F. Moore photograph of the great day, 23 May 1927, when Gladstone was hauled out of one of the Battersea shed roundhouses by fellow class member No 197 (once named Jonas Levy) and still appropriately with LBSC on its tender."
    Quoted from The Brighton Circular Winter 2009.

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  2. 202 : Headcode No 69 Victoria and Brighton, via Crystal Palace (Specials only), which went out of use in June 1910 - so, just for decoration.

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  3. 205 : Appears to be Nine Elms, so on or about 14th May 1927 when she was exhibited at Waterloo with E850.

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  4. Thanks Geoff, as ever. This was a set of five cards with two additions, as noted above.

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  5. 201 : J.N. Maskelyne (left), probably on 21st May 1927 during an SLS visit to Battersea.

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    1. Which rather contradicts the 23rd May attributed to 204.

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  6. My life is full of such contradictions. Thanks again. NB also F Moore was the Photograph distributor and not photographer. Same address as The Locomotive Publishing Co., 3 Amen Corner.

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  7. I have just added 204B, which you will find interesting Geoff.

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  8. Just as well I was only quoting, but it was corrected in the Summer 2010 Circular :
    "The ... photograph ... was taken by W J Reynolds. (Reynolds took at least fourteen photographs of Gladstone in May 1927 at either Nine Elms, including views posed with No. E850 Lord Nelson or Battersea). A very similar view was taken by H C Casserley but he found a viewpoint where the lamppost and factory type chimney behind No.197 were less prominent. Casserley's photograph is dated 21 May 1927 not 23 May as stated in the caption."
    There were at least a dozen SLS members there that day (whichever it was).

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  9. I doubt if my 204B is Casserley - his photos generally carry his name and I don't know he contributed to Moore's Locomotive Publishing Co. But my set of five would seem to be W J Reynolds photos, thanks)

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    1. Agreed. I'm sure he wouldn't have sold prints through Loco Pub.
      His prints, that I know of, are all dated 21st May, which was a Saturday, so that seems to be the correct date of the SLS visit.

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