Peter Townend - Top Man from Top Shed.
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- This video is dedicated to the memory of railwayman Peter Norman Townend who passed away in October 2023 at the age of 98. Born in 1925 Peter became a “premium” apprentice at the London and North Eastern Railway’s Doncaster works where many of the famous “Pacific” locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley had been built. As a child Peter witnessed the A1s, A3s, and A4s running at high speed through Doncaster as they hauled express trains like the Flying Scotsman, Silver Jubilee, Coronation and West Riding Limited. Later, from 1956 to 1963, the pinnacle of his career came as shedmaster at King’s Cross in charge of many of those same locomotives and the hundreds of men who cleaned, drove and fired them. After he retired Peter wrote “Top Shed” about the depot’s history and his experiences of running it. In April 2011 he was invited to travel from his home in the West Country to the Southall loco shed, the main base for steam hauled excursions from London. The visit was to meet engineer Roland Kennington and his team of volunteers who were busy putting the final touches to the “rebranding” of A4 Bittern as 4492 Dominion of New Zealand, one of the five “Empire” engines created for the L.N.E.R. Coronation train in 1937. As high speed diesel trains passed by Peter was happy to give this interview recalling his childhood and career.
He is a man who will know what he is talking about,unlike the ones you get today.Great to see this on u-tube to enjoy over and over, especially as I'm ex footplate.
What a lovely video about Peter, especially interview him. He was a true gentleman and legend. A LNER man through and through. RIP Peter
What a wonderful tribute to a great railway man. His books on the time he ran the Kings Cross are essential reading for those who wanted to know how post-war steam thrived. Peter was the person that single-handily kept the A4's at the front of the fastest trains when diesels are first introduced. He proved that the Peaks and others couldn't do the job: the Deltics were the only loco that matched the A4 for power, and it was 1962 before they replaced the A4's on the Scottish/Newcastle services. He kept the A4s working many fast diagrams for a long time afterward. Hat's off and RIP, Peter Townend.
He may have led a team that kept the A4s at the front of the fastest trains, but he didn't do it single-handily as claimed.
The man was a legend. I had the honour to meet and chat with him for a minute many years ago. I am glad that his life is well documented.
I also had the privilege to meet him at Grosmont when I was firing 60007. Such an interesting gentleman.
I was 6, it was 1959 and my big brother of 10 took me trains spotting at Hornsey, I always loved the Gresley locos but one Saturday afternoon a fitted good train on the down main came through, it was a streak and non other than Mallard, what stuck im my mind was how spotless the loco was, it shone and was farcbetter than the bans it was pulling.
Later on I got to see A3s with German smoke deflectors and the gn coal rail tenders
I loved them
Yes, I remember just wandering up to Mallard at the head of an afternoon train at 'The Cross'. No crowds no other watchers and N2s toiling up from 'the Drain' past Kings X down suburban. Being only born in '48 I do recall A4 Seagull in BR blue on a football special at Denham with, I think, still coaches in teak probably 'teak' painted steel carriages by then.
@@johnjephcote7636 ah the drain I loved it.
The N2 were off Suburban duties in 59 and Cravens DMUs took over.
I loved and remember the quadarrt sets pulled by type 2 sulzers till around 1966 but normally boring Brush 2s.
Nothing was better than a Sulzer pulling an 8 car Quad set up the steeply graded hotel curve into platform 16.
Happy days now all history.
I was 9 in 1959 ,I was a little bit further north at New Southgate,loved the A3with Jerry Blinker
Jerry blinker ,GNR railed tender top and double chimney ,up to Grantham ,off to depot ,return south ,coal taken at Kings x Station loco depot and off up to Grantham ,Fantastic happy days ,can smell it now,
Cecil J Allen was on a northbound express but that train was (as he put it) "parked" in the Down Yard at Newark for the down Jubilee to pass.
I needed to know why they couldn’t dig a tunnel and do an extension for most of the mainline Trains so that they could extend the unused abandoned underground train stations. Why couldn’t they use the part D78 Stock train doors on the sides and also restructure the front face of the A60 and A62 stock which will include the class 507, class 508, class 313, class 314 and class 315 remix and make them all together and also redesign all of them into an overhead wire line trains and also make most of them into Five carriages per units and also having three Disabled Toilets on those Five cars per units A60 and A62 stock trains and also convert the A60 and A62 stock trains into a Gardner 6LXC, Cummins M11, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Scania N112, Gardner LG1200 and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Engines and also put the Loud 7-Speed Voith Gearboxes even Loud 10-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Gearboxes in the A60 and A62 stock, class 507, class 508, class 313, class 314, and class 315 and also modernise the A60 and A62 stock and make it into 11 carriages per unit so it could have fewer doors, more tables, computers and mobile phone chargers? A Stock Train and 8 Disabled Toilets on those A stock trains. why couldn’t we refurbish and modernise the waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel and make it even much more Larger and extend it to the bank station, making it into a Triple-Track Railway Line so those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden to convert the waterloo and city line Triple-Track Railway tunnel into a High-Speed Railway lines? The Third Euro tunnel Triple-Track Railway line to make it 11 times better for passengers so they could go from A to B. Then put the modernised 11 carriages per unit A Stock and put them on a bigger modernised Waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel so it could go to bank station to those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. The modernised refurbished 11 carriages per unit A stock could be a High Speed The Third Triple-Track Euro Tunnel Train So it is promising and 47 times a lot more possible to do this kind of project if that will be OK for London Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. oh by the way, could they also tunnel the Triple-Track Railway Line so it will stop from Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex so that the Passengers will go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden and also extend the Triple-Track Railway Line from the Bank to Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex Stations so that more people from there could go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden more Easily. Why couldn't they extend the Piccadilly Line and also build brand-new underground train stations so it could go even further right up to Clapton, Wood Street can they also make another brand new underground train station in Chingford and could they extend the Piccadilly Line and the DLR right up to Chingford? All of the classes 150, 155, 154, 117, 114, 105, and 106, will be replaced by all of the Gardner 6LXC, Cummins M11, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Scania N112, Gardner LG1200 and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Five carriages three disabled toilets are air conditioning trains including Highams Park for extended roots which is the Piccadilly line and the DLR trains. Could you also convert all of the 1973 stock trains into an air-conditioned maximum speed 78 km/hours (48 MPH) re-refurbished and make it into a 8 cars per unit if that will be alright, and also extend all of the Piccadilly train stations to make more space for all of the extended 8 car per unit 1973 stock air condition trains and can you also build another Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive Companies and can they order Every 87 Octagon and Every 48 Hexagon shape LNER diagram unique small no.13 and unique small no.11 Boilers from those Countries such as Greece, Italy, Poland, and Sweden, can they make Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive speeds by up to 147MPH so you can try and test it on the Original Mainline so it will be much more safer for the Passengers to enjoy the 147MPH speed Limit only for HS2 and Channel Tunnel mainline services, if they needed 16 Carriages Per units, can they use those class 55’s, class 44’s, class 40’s and class 43HST Diesel Locomotive’s right at the Back of those 18 Carriages Per Units so they can take over at the Back to let those Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s have a rest for those interesting Journeys Please!!!!!!!!!!!!, oh can you make all of those 18 Tonne Boxes of Coal for all of those 147MPH Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s so the Companies will Understand us PASSENGER’S!!!! So please make sure that the Builders can do as they are told!!!!!! And PLEASE do something about these very very important Professional ideas Please? Prime Minister of England, Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister of Germany, Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister of Poland and that Includes the Mayor of London.
I dont know much about the guy but he seems super stoked to see 4492 back in its old livery its a shame they never put the chime whistle we sent them from the GVR for this engine great video none the less
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