H

Hackworth, Timothy, 1786-1850

Trained as a colliery engineer and blacksmith, Hackworth was working as foreman blacksmith at Wylam Colliery in 1813 when William Hedley started work on his three locomotives, including the famous Puffing Billy. After helping Hedley, Hackworth was recruited by George Stephenson to manage his locomotive workshops in Newcastle. Stephenson offered Hackworth a partnership, which was turned down, but instead became resident engineer on the Stockton & Darlington Railway where he remained until 1840, developing the company’s Shildon Works. The early steam locomotives were incapable of the longer journeys and at one time, even on the SDR, replacement by horses was considered. Hackworth’s contribution was to improve the performance of these primitive locomotives by improving the blast pipe and inventing a return flue boiler, thus improving the fire and increasing the heating surface without sacrificing economy.

Hackworth put his developments into a locomotive, the Sans Pareil, which performed well at the Rainhill trials in 1829, but even so was still beaten by Stephenson’s Rocket. The weakness of Sans Pareil was that it retained a vertical cylinder which hindered higher speed running, but it was sold to the Bolton & Leigh Railway and saw several years’ service. Hackworth next started to use multi-tube boilers, and also developed his own Soho Works near Shildon, but despite his own success at improving the steam locomotive, his designs steadily fell behind those of the rising generation of engineers.

Hammersmith & City Railway

Opened in 1864, the Hammersmith & City Railway initially ran from Green Lane Junction (later re-named Westbourne Park) via Shepherd’s Bush to Hammersmith, a distance of three miles. At Latimer Road, there was a connection to the West London Railway. The line was built mainly on viaduct and until 1868-1869, it was mixed gauge. In 1867, the line was acquired jointly by the Great Western Railway and the Metropolitan Railway, with both companies providing locomotives and rolling stock until the line was electrified during 1906-07, when new jointly-owned rolling stock was provided. That the line was a success was despite the fact that the two shareholders had suffered severe differences when the original Metropolitan Railway had been built, but by 1867 relations had improved considerably.

Meanwhile, under the joint owners, Hammersmith & City Railway trains were extended eastwards in stages using the Inner Circle Line and then over the East London Line to reach New Cross in 1884. Although through electric working between Hammersmith and New Cross began in 1914, it was discontinued in 1941, never to resume.

When the London Passenger Transport Board was established in 1933, it took the Metropolitan Railway interest in what became the Hammersmith & City Line, but not that of the Great Western Railway, which in retrospect seems strange. The line continued to be operated jointly and did not pass completely into London Transport control until railway nationalisation in 1948.

Hampstead Line/Hampstead & Highgate – see Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway

Harrison, Sir Frederick, 1844-1914

Originally joining the London & North Western Railway as a clerk at Shrewsbury, Harrison was identified by Sir George Findlay, the then general manager, as having potential and by 1875, he was appointed assistant superintendent of the line. He became assistant goods manager in 1884, goods manager in 1876, and when Findlay died in 1893, he became general manager.

He inherited a policy of continual modernisation from Findlay, and paid particular attention to the needs of the travelling public. He completely rebuilt both the station and the junction at Crewe and improved train services and rolling stock. On retirement in 1909, he was deputy chairman of the South Eastern & Chatham Managing Committee for a while, and remained a board member until his death.

Hawksworth, Frederick

Hawksworth spent his entire working life on the Great Western Railway, starting during the Churchward era when he worked in the drawing office, and became chief draughtsman under Collett. His drawings were used for the Great Bear, the GWR Pacific locomotive, and he supervised all of the design work for the King-class locomotives.

Taking over from Collett in 1941, he kept the GWR rolling stock on the move in wartime when stations, works and lines were subjected to intense enemy aerial attack, while locomotives had to struggle to haul trains of extended length often while using inferior quality coal. Later, despite resenting the interference of the British Transport Commission and the loss of much autonomy, he adapted the GWR’s locomotives and practice to meet the new conditions, and introduced higher degrees of superheating to improve performance. Hawksworth conducted successful trials on oil-firing of steam locomotives and also was responsible for the introduction of the first gas turbine locomotive to operate in the UK.

Headcodes

Growth in traffic meant that it became necessary to identifying different classes of train and different routings by using head-codes. Initially, this was done by varying the position of the headlamps, and often by using different coloured lights, while in daytime large white discs occupied the positions of the lamps. In 1905, the Railway Clearing House started to establish a standard set of headcodes and coloured lights were dropped, but local variations on head-codes remained until 1950.

The system underwent changes with the introduction of electric trains, with localised headcodes giving signalmen and waiting passengers the route and sometimes the stopping pattern of a train using either illuminated letters or numbers. The Great Western between the wars introduced head-codes that gave an approximation of the route, and whether the trains was the first or second portion of a major express, operated in portions during a busy summer Saturday.

Hedley, William, 1779-1843

Trained as a Northumberland colliery manager, he nevertheless moved into locomotive design and construction, combining the work of Trevithick and George Stephenson. He moved to Wylam Colliery in 1805, finding that a locomotive had been ordered from Trevithick, but this could not run on the wooden rails laid in the colliery. When Trevithick refused to supply another locomotive after the colliery lines had been laid with iron plate rails, Hedley, with the assistance of Timothy Hackworth, built three successful steam locomotives. He later modified these as eight-wheelers to reduce the wear on the track.

High Speed Trains

From the earliest days, speed was an important factor in railway operation, and from the beginning, high speed and speed records made the news. Speed was predominantly a characteristic of passenger expresses, but not exclusively so. While the railways marked a massive change in the speed at which people travelled, and in the beginning this was an increased from the 12mph or so of a stage coach to more than 30mph, it also affected some types of freight, including newspaper traffic and, of course, the mails. Overnight fast goods trains sped perishable produce, especially milk, from the country to the towns, and fresh fish traffic from the ports also became important. The opening up of a through route from Aberdeen and Peterhead to the markets of London and other major cities with the bridging of the Forth and the Tay had an important bearing on the prosperity of the fishing trade.

The famous Rainhill trials were intended to satisfy the directors of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway over whether steam or horse traction would be most suitable, but while speeds of around 30mph were achieved, even better was the 36mph achieved by Rocket on the opening day, speeding the injured George Huskisson to Eccles in a vain attempt to save his life.

In theory, the Great Western Railway should have offered the highest speeds given the greater stability not just of its broad gauge, but of the gentler curves that were a result of widening the gauge. While the Gauge Commission did indeed find that average speeds of 54.6mph were achieved on the GWR between Paddington and Didcot, it was also the case that the company did not exploit this advantage to the fullest extent, especially in later years, just as it failed to make the most of the greater carriage widths that the broad gauge made possible. In any event, speeds for normal passenger trains were given a boost not on the GWR but on the rival East and West Coast Main Lines during the races to Scotland during the late 1880s.

One problem in assessing the early speed records was that the recorders used stop watches for many years, and this was a far from accurate means of measurement, even though it became popular with enthusiasts riding on trains and observing the mile posts. While Brunel and Gooch experimented with what was known as a ‘measuring van’, the twentieth century saw the introduction of the dynamometer car for precise recording of speeds, and this became the most important carriage in the race behind a record-setting locomotive.

The lack of precise measurement meant that the first locomotive to exceed 100mph, the GWR’s City of Truro, set an unofficial speed record in 1904. Nevertheless, the claim that the locomotive was the first to reach 100mph, and in fact may have achieved 102.3mph, has been borne out by later analysis to the extent that she certainly did exceed 100mph. That was the same year that the GWR introduced a 7 hr timing between Paddington and Penzance, a distant of 312 miles, which proved that speed was a commercial asset.

Generally, speed records belonged to special trains that were specially prepared, not least because they were ‘short-formed’, that is that they had less than the usual number of carriages. Nevertheless, there were serious attempts to produce fast, regular, passenger trains that offered a speed record of a different kind; that is the fastest regular scheduled run. Unofficially known as the ‘Cheltenham Flyer’, and first introduced in 1923, the GWR ensured that its afternoon express from Cheltenham to Paddington was the fastest express in Britain, and after successive accelerations, the train eventually managed the world’s first 70mph timings, albeit only between Swindon and Paddington, and on one occasion achieved a record of 81.6mph. The accolade was short-lived, as for prestige Nazi Germany ensured that the Berlin-Hamburg express, the ‘Flying Hamburger’, became the world’s fastest.

Prestige streamlined trains on the East and West Coast Main Lines also vied for records. The London & North Eastern Railway ran trials that achieved 100 mph and then 108mph, before introducing the ‘Silver Jubilee’ in 1935 with an average 70.4mph between Darlington and London, but on the press launch of the service, it managed to exceed 100mph for twenty-five miles and twice reached 112mph. Not to be outdone, the London, Midland & Scottish Railway also managed an average 70mph between Glasgow and London non-stop that year. In June 1937, the press launch of the first Princess-class locomotive set a new record of 113mph. All of this has been overlooked because, in 1938, the Gresley A4 Pacific Mallard set an unbeaten speed record for steam of 126mph running down Stoke Bank on the ECML. This was a greater achievement than generally realised, not just because it has never been beaten anywhere, but because far from being specially prepared, Mallard had worn valves and was driven hard by a driver known for thrashing his locomotives. Had she been properly prepared and all valve clearances correct, the record might have been set even higher.

Post-war, it took time to get the railway back into shape for high speed operations. The emphasis switched from steam to diesel and electric propulsion, but it was not until the arrival of the English Electric ‘Deltic’ diesel-electric locomotives on the East Coast Main Line that speeds once again matched the best of those achieved pre-war. By 1977, infrastructure improvements and the Deltics combined to produce a 5hr 27min schedule between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, compared with that of 6hr before the war. To be fair, the 1977 schedule included a stop at Newcastle rather than a non-stop run. Many timings showed averages over 80mph in the years that followed, and this became even more commonplace once the West Coast Main Line was electrified.

Truly high speeds required specially built railways with few stops, generous curves and easy gradients, and these were being built in Europe, with the French leading the way. In an attempt to avoid this cost and upheaval, as well as delay, British Railways looked at the trains themselves. The experimental Advanced Passenger Train, APT, used tilt to enable it to operate at high speeds on existing track, and in 1979 set a British record of 162.2mph. Despite running between Euston and Glasgow in 1984 at an average of 103.4mph, problems with passenger comfort and the tilting mechanism meant that the project was cancelled. Had development continued until the problems were ironed out, Britain could have truly high speed trains many years earlier and not have had to import Italian Pendolinos for its West Coast modernisation early in the twenty-first century.

Anticipating the need for an interim diesel-electric while further electrification and the APT arrived; BR developed the train known variously as the High Speed Train, HST, or the Inter-City 125, IC125, meaning a service speed of 125mph. In 1973, a prototype set a world record for diesel traction of 143.2mph between York and Darlington, and a number of service trains managed speeds in excess of 100mph. In 1983, an HST set a new diesel record of 144mph, which was later raised to 148.5mph during trials of bogies for the HST’s electrified successor, the ‘Electra’ or IC225 (which referred not to miles per hour, but kilometers per hour, so the new trains were really IC140s!). Even so, the new InterCity 225s managed a new British speed record pf 161.7mph on test, but in service were limited to 125mph due to problems with the track, but on the press launch, Edinburgh was reached in September 1991 in 3 hr 29 min from King’s Cross, an average of 112.5mph.

These speeds have been exceeded by the trains on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between the tunnel and St Pancras, but this is a continental-style special line, built for high speed.

Highland Railway

Formed in 1865 from the merger of the Aberdeen & Perth Junction Railway with the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway, initially with main lines to Keith, opened in 1858, and Dunkeld, 1863. A line was built north, reaching Wick and Thurso in 1874, albeit taking an extremely circuitous route around the Beauly Firth via Dingwall, while another went to Kyle of Lochalsh, reached in 1897. These lines included steep gradients of as much as 1 in 70, while there was a swing bridge over the Caledonian Canal at Clachnaharry, and viaduct over the Kyle of Sutherland between Culrain and Invershin. It acquired the Duke of Sutherland’s Railway in 1884. A plan for a direct Inverness-Glasgow line through the Great Glen, promoted in 1883, proved fruitless, but a direct line was opened to Aviemore in 1898.

The HR planned a number of branch lines, but by this time road transport was emerging as a serious competitor, especially in remote areas. Nevertheless, the North British-sponsored West Highland Railway, 1894, and the Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway, 1903, threatened the HR’s position.

Most of the network was single track, with passing loops and a double section between Clachnaharry and Clunes providing the total of 47 miles of double track, but efficiency improved when train staff and tablet instruments were introduced during the 1890s. The problems of heavy snowfall on isolated stretches of line led William Stroudley, the HR’s first locomotive superintendent to design a range of snow ploughs. His successor, David Jones, designed Britain’s first 4-6-0 locomotive.

The HR did much for the fishing industry, especially with fast goods trains running from Buckie on the Moray coast to Liverpool and Manchester, and from Wick and Thurso south. There were also significant movements of beef cattle and whisky distilleries were sited close to the railway. The company also attempted to boost tourism, even building a branch to the spa town of Strathpeffer in 1885 and building a hotel there in 1911. Nevertheless, given the low population, mixed trains were commonplace, and carriages could be behind loose-coupled goods wagons, but after a number of accidents, the Railway Regulation Act 1889 demanded continuous braking for passenger trains, although the HR was given an extended period until 1897 to adapt.

The system came under sustained heavy use during the First World War, with the famous ‘Jellicoe Specials’ carrying men and coal to Thurso for the fleet at Scapa Flow, while Invergordon was another major naval base along its route. Later in the war, Kyle of Lochalsh also became important, with mines for the Northern Barrage and also US naval personnel.

On grouping, the HR became a constituent company of the London, Midland & Scottish.

Historical Model Railway Society

Formed in 1950, this society caters mainly for those interested in Britain’s railways prior to nationalisation. Amongst its assets is a superb collection of old railway photographs, ideal for modellers to work from.

Holborn Viaduct

By 1870, the congestion at Ludgate Hill was such that it was clear that another station needed to be built, and although the London, Chatham & Dover Railway (see South Eastern & Chatham Railway) was still in Chancery, the sale of its telegraph system to the Post Office for £100,000 provided the necessary funding, although to avoid possible problems with creditors, a front company, the Holborn Viaduct Station Company, was formed to raise the rest of the money. The use of small companies to achieve extensions to the railway network or to cover new projects such as termini or bridges, was not in any case uncommon at this time. Holborn Viaduct was reached by a 264yd spur of the through line and was intended for mainline trains, with just four short platforms, each of 400ft, serving six roads, with the idea being that all trains would be half length as they would have been split en route into City and West End portions. Sometimes described as a ‘mini-terminus’ Holborn Viaduct opened on 2 March 1874. It was used by boat trains for Dover and Sheerness, the latter having a service to Flushing, as well as trains to Maidstone and Ashford.

A few local trains used Holborn Viaduct, but most were relegated to a low level station with two platforms used by trains running through to Farringdon, and known initially when it opened on 1 August 1874 as Snow Hill, but changed to Holborn Viaduct (Low Level) on 1 May 1912.

Despite the cramped accommodation, a hotel was built and leased to the LCDR’s caterers, Spiers & Pond, for 6 per cent of its capital cost and 10 per cent of its profits. The hotel was requisitioned by the government during the First World War, afterwards becoming offices, and never being reinstated as a hotel. It was destroyed during the blitz in 1941.

Holborn Viaduct was not a popular station for the City, being criticised by the Corporation as ‘the great useless station called Holborn Viaduct’ at a time when Ludgate Hill was also suffering criticism as being dangerous for the great number of people using it. It was not until 1907 that reconstruction of Ludgate Hill was started, removing the main line island platform, whose trains now used Holborn Viaduct, and slewing the tracks to provide a much larger platform for local trains. The staircases were also widened to help passengers clear the platforms more quickly. This took until 1912 to complete, by which time the local traffic had slumped dramatically as passengers switched to electric trams and to the developing network of underground services. Even before work had really started in 1907, the Great Northern Railway removed its trains, and the Midland Railway followed in 1908. Wartime demands on the only north-south link through the centre of London meant that SECR trains stopped running through to Moorgate and Farringdon in April, 1916.

Electrification came to Holborn Viaduct in 1925 with services to Shortlands and Orpington via Herne Hill, but because of the constraints on space, only two platforms, 4 and 5, could be lengthened to take eight-car trains. Further electrification followed up to 2 July 1939, when services to Gillingham and Maidstone were electrified. The old hotel building was bombed on 26 October 1940. Services were badly affected following the collapse of the bridge over Southwark Street during the heavy raid on the night of 16/17 April 1941, and while services were reinstated when a temporary bridge was erected, more was to follow. On the night of 10/11 May, the old hotel building was hit again, and completely gutted by fire, with the damage to the station itself so extensive that it could not be used by trains until 1 June, and a temporary booking office had to be provided.

Post-war, the services withdrawn as wartime austerity measures were gradually reinstated, but the station remained a gutted mess for many years after nationalisation. It was not until the late 1950s that rebuilding started, and completed in 1963.

Horncastle Railway

Opened in 1855 between Horncastle and Kirkstead Junction, the line was worked by the Great Northern Railway and under grouping was incorporated into the London & North Eastern Railway.

Hudson, George (1800-1871)

George Hudson was born in 1800 in the small Yorkshire village of Howsham, he moved to York, working in a draper’s shop, marrying the owner’s daughter and later, in 1827, received the then considerable inheritance of £30,000 (about £1.38 million today), from a distant relative. The inheritance enabled him to become active in local politics, becoming Mayor of York three times, and also to invest in local railway schemes. In 1836, he was elected chairman of the York & North Midland Railway, linking his adopted city with London, albeit by a circuitous route via Derby and Rugby, taking 217 miles, but offering four through trains a day, with the journey from York to London taking ten hours as against around 20 hours by stage coach. The company leased and then later absorbed adjoining lines, as well as building a number of extensions itself. Hudson pressed for a major trunk route up the East Coast to Scotland, but the line being built by the North of England Railway from York to Newcastle was in difficulties and by 1841, it had exhausted its capital, but still had only managed to reach as far north as Darlington. Hudson was dismayed by this situation, as not only was his vision of a line to Newcastle and beyond compromised, but the Board of Trade had finally started to take an interest in creating strategic routes, and wanting to link London with Scotland, had opted for a route from Carlisle to Edinburgh using a competing route that had already reached as far north as Lancaster. It was left to Hudson to bring the various assorted railway interests involved together.

Believing that the finance needed was unlikely to be raised on the open market, Hudson suggested that each of the companies present should offer shares in the proposed line to their own shareholders with a guaranteed dividend of 6 per cent. A new company was formed, the Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway, with Hudson as chairman. It was not until 1842 that the necessary legislation was passed through Parliament, undoubtedly a factor in Hudson deciding to become an MP.