Midland Times is the new 80 page periodical covering the LMS, the pre-grouping constituent companies and their successors the London Midland Region. Each issue is packed with historic images and articles featuring both steam and other forms of motive power together with stations, depots and rolling stock, all illustrated in colour and black and white, wherever possible using previously unseen views.
In Coronation year we had to have an article on ‘Royal Connections’ and of course with it plenty of images of Pacifics. Then there is ‘Around Stratford in the later steam age’; with only a few overhead wires in sight – and plenty of mechanical signals. The railway behind the scenes is not forgotten either with an in-depth piece on Lord Stamp, Chairman of the LMS from 1926 until he was tragically killed in an air raid in 1941.
Earlier days are covered with discussion on the LNWR / LYR amalgamation of 1921 and for or those who favour locomotives we look at the resort named members of the Patriot class, whilst the Coronation class is recalled by Peter Tatlow, President of the LMS Society. We then move north of the border into Scotland and the Callander and Oban railway before returning south to talk on the LMS Beyer-Garratt class, and finally ‘Reorganisation at Crewe Works’. In fact something for everyone, as well as feedback on the first issue in ‘Platform End – Reader’s letters’