New book: LOCOMOTIVES OF THE MIDLAND GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY (Jeremy Clements & Michael McMahon), Transport Treasury, 2026

[jhb171achill]

BOOK REVIEW

 

 

LOCOMOTIVES OF THE MIDLAND GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY

 

By Jeremy Clements & Michael McMahon

Published by Transport Treasury 2026

 

This is the third book in a series* by the two authors relating to locomotive history in Ireland, and will be a "must-read" for modellers of this system or any of its locomotives.

The first dealt with the locomotives of the Great Southern Railway, thus excluding types from any constituent companies which were long gone by 1925 when the GSR came into being. The second dealt with the locomotives of the largest constituent company, the Great Southern & Western Railway.

This latest book is a fitting addition to the written material related to the Midland Great Western Railway, arguably the most unique of the larger Irish railway companies for a number of reasons, not least their very individual locomotive history. It is this latter point which makes this a most valuable addition to Irish railway writings.

The authors have excelled themselves with this volume. The research has been very thorough, with depths plumbed within some of the obscurer archives both in Ireland and in Britain. In particular, the period from 1846 to the 1870s, aptly dubbed the “Dark Ages” by the authors on account of the dearth of available information, is extremely well covered – in fact, it occupies a chapter of some thirty pages with copious plans, photographs and tabular information from a variety of sources, much previously unpublished.

After the customary introduction, a broad account of the history of the MGWR follows with a chapter on early building of locomotives. Next, the system of identifying different classes follows. As in the previous volume on the GSWR, in order to make sense of earlier classification styles, instead of the official class designations used by the company concerned, the authors rely heavily on the more logical, but technically amateur, nomenclature devised and used by the late Bob Clements, probably the leading expert of Irish steam locomotives ever. Clements lived through the heyday of steam traction and made extensive notes on all classes of locomotives on most lines. While unfamiliar to most enthusiasts who would be more accustomed to the MGWR’s letter-based system, and the later GSR / CIE numerical system, Clements’ system of Roman numerals may be found to be more consistent to the academic student of locomotives, which is why the authors have used it.

There follows a list of locomotive types with building and withdrawal dates.

The authors have included much detail in this volume which often overlooked in other publications but is of great interest to read. The MGWR had a policy of naming most locomotives, and a table is given of all names ever used, plus the meanings of these names – some of which are obvious, but others a great deal more obscure.

Locomotive design is examined in detail in the next few chapters under the headings of the “Dark Ages”, already referred to, then the tenures of the three main locomotive engineers, Atock, Cusack and Morton. In each chapter, detailed information is given relating to their policies and the engines which resulted, as well as rebuilds of earlier types carried out under their watch. Appropriately the last class dealt with is the “Woolwich” 2.6.0s, acquired as kits of parts from the Woolwich Arsenal in London, with assembly at the MGWR’s Broadstone Works in Dublin during the company’s last months of independent existence.

The small four-wheeled railcar built for the Achill branch is dealt with as well.

What then follows is several chapters of highly detailed material relating to tenders. Much of this detail, like that of the locomotives earlier, will be invaluable to any modeller. Liveries are also given detailed attention, including the very short-lived blue livery which was only applied to a handful of main line locomotives in the very early 1900s.

The MGWR became just one constituent (albeit the second-biggest after the GSWR) of the newly-formed Great Southern Railways in 1925. Rather than simply state this fact, the authors have dealt with the background to the state of the railway industry as a whole at the time, thus placing the amalgamation which created the GSR into context. They continue to expound on the theme of how the GSR managed locomotive policy in the ensuing years. This in itself is a subject which, despite its importance, is not frequently covered in other writings.

Several appendices follow, again covering much detail in areas rarely covered adequately. We read of differing cab styles, industrial disputes, and a fascinating section relating to engineering patents attributable to a number of individuals within the MGWR’s successive locomotive staff.

Finally, some accident reports are included. These often give an interesting insight into driving conditions, locomotive performance and the general conditions of railway operation at the time they occurred.

In a work of this kind, it will be obvious to the reader that many sources were consulted during what was clearly long and painstaking research over a number of years. The authors have listed these in detail, and have drawn on first-hand accounts dating back to 1866.

In more modern times, the notes and research of a number of early 20^th century railway enthusiasts, some of whom were instrumental in the establishment of the Irish Railway Record Society, have been heavily relied on. Amongst these were Bob Clements (1910-1994), already referred to, and the late Harold Fayle and Kevin Murray. Other material in the IRRS archives has also been painstaking perused.

The book is copiously illustrated with much previously unpublished material. Photographs come from a variety of sources, but invaluable assistance has been provided to the authors in particular by Charles P Friel of Belfast, custodian of a vast archive of highly important historical photographic material.

A detailed index is provided.

Production quality is excellent. As this writer knows all too well, copies of many old photographs may not have survived in particularly good quality, so a publisher can have their work cut out to make such an image acceptable for inclusion in a book. It is evident that much has been done to address this issue with some of the more obscure pictures. Other illustrations include maps, diagrams and many locomotive drawings, especially the reproduction of some very obscure illustrations of early classes of locomotive.

All in all, this book is to be very highly recommended. Like the preceding two volumes, this will be the authoritative reference work on the subject covered.

 

JB

 

(*  “Locomotives of the GSR”, Colourpoint Press, 2008, and “Locomotives of the Great Southern & Western Railway” by the same authors plus Alan O’Rourke, Collon Publishing, 2020)

Edited 6 hours ago by jhb171achill