August 2019 - The MrT Podcast Studio

Autumn Steam Gala (2)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:02 — 14.7MB)

Episode 20 – Life on the Watercress Line – Autumn Steam Gala (2)

Welcome to the Autumn Steam Gala (2). The Steam Gala features Guest locomotives as well as Watercress Line regulars. There is a Steam Gala each Spring and Autumn.

This episode features Schools Class ‘Cheltenham’, Class 9F No. 92212 and Class 2MT No. 41312.

4-4-0 Schools Class locomotive No. 925 Cheltenham

The Schools class were the most powerful 4-4-0 type locomotives to operate in Britain. They were a very successful design, used for passenger and freight duties. The first were named after the public schools within the area served by the Southern Railway. This was a publicity masterstroke given the popularity of train spotting with schoolboys at the time.

The class was designed by Richard Maunsell, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway. The ‘Schools Class’ was the last 4-4-0 locomotive to be designed in Britain and was the most powerful ever produced in Europe. Cheltenham was built in 1934 at the Eastleigh works.

Cheltenham is owned by the NRM in York and had its last overhaul in 2012.

2-10-0 Class 9F No: 92212

Robert Riddles designed Class 9F for British Railways. It was the last of the standardised locomotive classes designed for British Railways during the 1950s. It was intended for use on fast, long distance, heavy freight trains. The class was one of the most powerful steam locomotive types ever constructed in Britain, and successfully performed its intended duties. They were nicknamed ‘Spaceships’ due to their size and shape.

Although they were designed for heavy freight traffic they also successfully worked passenger trains. No. 92220 Evening Star was the last steam locomotive to be built by BR in 1960. The locomotives were withdrawn from 1964 and the final locomotives retired 1968. A number are preserved, in varying states of repair, including Evening Star which is at the NRM.

2-6-2 Ivatt Class 2MT No. 41312

The Class 2MT was introduced between 1946 and 1952. The design was based on the LMS Stanier 2-6-2 T. The LMS built 10. BR built a further 120. Most were built at Crewe but the last ten were built at Derby. Fifty of the engines were fitted with push-pull equipment.

In addition to the locomotives I travelled on the ‘light railway’ from Ropley ‘High Level’ station and I spoke with a member of the Canadian Pacific Restoration team.

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

To visit the Watercress Line website please follow this link Watercress Line.

The next episode of Life on the Watercress Line is in two weeks.

This podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.

The theme and incidental music, Steam Railway, used in this podcast is licensed from AKM Music.

Backplate, licensed from Joseph McDade, is used for background music in this episode.

Marconi (1)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:19 — 40.6MB)

Season 2018 / 2019 – Talk 13 a – Marconi (1)

Please note: This talk is in two parts and Marconi (1) is the first part. Please scroll down to the second part after listening to this one. I regret that the sound quality varies during the recording due to issues with the PA system.

Alan Freeland tells us about the life of Marconi starting with his childhood and then his first experiments in Italy. He then move to Britain, after being ignored by the Italian Government as he felt it would be easier to raise the funds for his work.

William Preece, Chief Electrical Engineer of the Post Office, became interested in his work and supported him. Preece introduced Marconi’s work to the public through lectures in London.

After working from the Isle of Wight, Marconi set up an experimental base at the Haven Hotel in Sandbanks by Poole Harbour in Dorset. Marconi also visited the United States. At the invitation of the New York Herald he provided the equipment used to send reports to the paper about the America’s Cup.

Alan continues with Marconi’s work to transmit across the Atlantic in order to break the power of the cable companies. By 1912 he had even invented an early form of GPS!

I have converted the presentation used at the talk into a series of images as it is too large to load. I have had to change or remove a number of the images in the presentation because of copyright reasons.

Please click on one of the images as you listen to the talk to open the gallery.

The Farnham U3A site is at Farnham U3A Home Page.

The title music is Media Magazine and is licensed from AKM Music.

Marconi (2)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:54 — 31.0MB)

Season 2018 / 2019 – Talk 13 b – Marconi (2)

Please note: This talk is in two parts and Marconi (2) is the second part. I regret that the sound quality varies during the recording due to issues with the PA system.

Alan Freeland continues to tell us about the life of Marconi. This episode, Marconi (2), starts with the technology that Marconi brought to the world. Alan also looks at a technology timeline between 1830 and 1900.

The talk looks at the start of the wireless service 2LO which, in 1922, became the BBC. Wireless was just one of the many innovations that came from Marconi and his company. It was in 1914 that he predicted the mobile telephone!

Alan continues with his talk taking a look at Marconi’s ladies. Although Marconi was married, he enjoyed the company of ladies – particularly on his transatlantic voyages.

On ships the radio operator was a Marconi employee, using Marconi equipment. This was all hired to the shipping line.

Towards the end of the talk Alan tells us about Marconi’s increasing feelings for Italy. These feelings included an unfortunate association with Mussolini.

Please note: the language used in some material published during Marconi’s life, mentioned in this talk, would not be acceptable if published today.

Please click on one of the images as you listen to the talk to open the gallery.