FROM BRIDGNORTH SHED TO CREWEWORKS VIA THE MAIN LINE
THE first time I met IanWalker was inside Bridgnorth shed on the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), where I was granted permission to photograph the works taking place on LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot and Bulleid West Country Light Pacific No. 34046 Braunton.
Ian was happy to answer my questions and clearly explained the work that was taking place on the locomotives, part of the Locomotive Services Limited (LSL) fleet.
At Bridgnorth, Ian was leading the team repairing Braunton’s little end after it had failed on a railtour. It needed its right-hand connecting rods removing before the various parts could be taken to the London and North Western Railway Heritage Co Ltd (LNWRH) works at Crewe, where replacements were fabricated and machined before returning them to Bridgnorth for fitting.
Meanwhile, the Scot was sent to Bridgnorth after oil was spotted turning grey in the leading drivers’ right-hand axlebox, a clear indication that something was about to go wrong. To facilitate the repair, its main connecting rods were removed and the front drivers dropped in the wheeldrop. As reported in issue 274, both locomotives were repaired and returned to Crewe.
During subsequent conversations with Ian, I mentioned readers would be interested in how he took this career path in view of the fact that in the 21st century, steam locomotive engineers are a comparative rarity in the UK. Accordingly, Ian invited me to visit him at LNWRH – too good an opportunity tomiss.
Ian’s official title is divisional manager mechanical steam for LNWRH. As it transpired, my visit turned out not to be a formal interview in the slightest, but a guided tour and chat about the
