Michael Clutterbuck
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RupertOwen | 1 andere bespreking | Apr 27, 2021 | Steaming into History: Footplate History of the Last Days of Western Steam by Michael Clutterbuck is the sequel to Steaming into the Firing Line. Both are historical fiction novels on the final years of steam powered engines in Britain.
Although this book stands well alone, it does pick up the story of Driver George Denton and Fireman Lance Hargreaves. The first book takes the reader through World War II and Lance’s early experiences. Steaming into History covers the years from 1946 through 1965. George is retiring and had done his best to pass all he knew to Lance. There is a definite father-son relationship between the two. George does his best to “raise” Lance to be a driver (engineer) which is quite a task. Lance is a little more than rough around the edges and faces several challenges in growing up.
Each story can stand by itself but collectively they cover a twenty-year history. What I like about the stories on an individual level is there seems to be a moral or lesson to be learned from each one. Whether it’s safety, life lessons, or doing a good deed, there is something deeper than the fall of the steam engine era. The writing, like the first book, seems to be from a different era. The reader will feel drawn into an almost black and white era with the arrival of the diesel engines as the color era. There is a historical feeling to the book and a feeling of change. Not only is the change in engine types but society.
One theme driving the change was the nationalization of the railroads in 1948. Nationalization was part of the downfall of the system. Unprofitable lines were shut down almost immediately, still by the mid-1950s the railroads were heavily in debt. A new plan was drawn up in 1955 to totally replace all steam engines with diesels, modern marshaling yards, and new freight and passenger cars. This where Lance finds himself and his career.
Lance becomes the main character in the book. This is the generation that a driver is being moved by a system to replace his beloved steam engines with diesels. Lance becomes a driver and experiences training his fireman and learning to be responsible on the job, and in life. New responsibilities challenge Lance’s old ways.
I can’t seem to get enough good train books. Although Clutterbuck says in the introduction this is the end of the line, maybe we can hear more about George’s days before World War II. Trains have had a long and proud history in most of the world. Some countries have modernized others like America have stagnated. Trains helped build the modern world, kept the industrialized world moving, and in many place now keep people moving more efficiently than automobiles. Although the steam era closed on George and Lance, modernization can bring a new era of love for trains. Read Steaming into History, visit and ride an historic train, and you will wonder how we let this era pass. Thank you for helping us remember.… (meer)
Although this book stands well alone, it does pick up the story of Driver George Denton and Fireman Lance Hargreaves. The first book takes the reader through World War II and Lance’s early experiences. Steaming into History covers the years from 1946 through 1965. George is retiring and had done his best to pass all he knew to Lance. There is a definite father-son relationship between the two. George does his best to “raise” Lance to be a driver (engineer) which is quite a task. Lance is a little more than rough around the edges and faces several challenges in growing up.
Each story can stand by itself but collectively they cover a twenty-year history. What I like about the stories on an individual level is there seems to be a moral or lesson to be learned from each one. Whether it’s safety, life lessons, or doing a good deed, there is something deeper than the fall of the steam engine era. The writing, like the first book, seems to be from a different era. The reader will feel drawn into an almost black and white era with the arrival of the diesel engines as the color era. There is a historical feeling to the book and a feeling of change. Not only is the change in engine types but society.
One theme driving the change was the nationalization of the railroads in 1948. Nationalization was part of the downfall of the system. Unprofitable lines were shut down almost immediately, still by the mid-1950s the railroads were heavily in debt. A new plan was drawn up in 1955 to totally replace all steam engines with diesels, modern marshaling yards, and new freight and passenger cars. This where Lance finds himself and his career.
Lance becomes the main character in the book. This is the generation that a driver is being moved by a system to replace his beloved steam engines with diesels. Lance becomes a driver and experiences training his fireman and learning to be responsible on the job, and in life. New responsibilities challenge Lance’s old ways.
I can’t seem to get enough good train books. Although Clutterbuck says in the introduction this is the end of the line, maybe we can hear more about George’s days before World War II. Trains have had a long and proud history in most of the world. Some countries have modernized others like America have stagnated. Trains helped build the modern world, kept the industrialized world moving, and in many place now keep people moving more efficiently than automobiles. Although the steam era closed on George and Lance, modernization can bring a new era of love for trains. Read Steaming into History, visit and ride an historic train, and you will wonder how we let this era pass. Thank you for helping us remember.… (meer)
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evil_cyclist | Mar 16, 2020 | http://www.authoralliance.net/book-review-steaming-into-the-firing-line-tales-of...
Steaming into the Firing Line: Tales of the Footplate in Wartime Britain by Michael Clutterbuck is a collection of short stories about the lives of railway workers during WWII. Clutterbuck is the son of a Chester railway man and he, much like myself, spent many childhood hours spotting trains. He currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.
For some, trains are more than just machines to move people and goods. There is a mystique with trains, much like biplanes and old motorcycles, and steam engines hold a special place. In America, they helped build the West. Steam engines connected the coasts of America and every school kid has seen the picture of the driving of the golden spike linking the coasts by rail. Trains made America. Today our rail system is neglected and far below the standards of the rest of the developed world. In Europe trains still live on and are considered a part of everyday life. The connection to the rails still exists.
Steaming follows the lives of driver (engineer) George Denton and fireman Lance Hargreaves. George is the conservative, professional, father figure to the young fireman Lance. Lance is young and a bit rough around the edges. His actions at times make him an example for others rather than an example to others. He tries his best and has promise to be promoted to driver. George does his best to guide him along.
The book spans years and the beginning at the dawn of the second world war. Thoughts of the war being over by Christmas are quickly crushed by the previously unimaginable bombings of England. Railroads take on an important role in the war effort. From hauling wounded from the evacuation of Dunkirk to hospitals in the interior of England to carrying war supplies military bases, the railroad workers were the unsung heroes of the war. Working the rails was by no means safe, in fact trailways were prime targets for the Luftwaffe bombing raids.
The setting and storytelling is superb. Reading the book felt very much like watching an old 1940s movie: A little gritty, maybe a bit over acted to make the point, and characters that are very familiar. There was almost the feeling I was reading in black and white instead of color. The characters make real life choices and get caught up in real life dilemmas. You feel the pain of the war and at the same time comfort of a pot of tea boiled over the engine’s fire. There are slightly humorous stories such as being mistaken for a spy and some very serious stories too. The stories are important too in that they give a picture of wartime England.
“Get your facts right” shows how quick people were to make judgments. People were losing their sons and spouses in the war and then see railroad drivers and firemen living in the “safe” civilian world while ours died. Firemen and drivers were protected positions; they could not even volunteer for combat because they were so badly needed at home to support the war. England did not have enough drivers and the training was long. There was a formal apprenticeship program that took years to for a person to move to the position of driver. War accelerated the process, but there still remained a shortage of drivers.
Trains, of course, make up the other part of the story and the casual reader will learn a few things about the steam engines and maybe a bit of English geography too. There is an appendix that will help the readers with the railroad terminology. For Americans reading the book, your Kindle dictionary and Wikipedia will help with the English slang of the 1940s. For those not familiar with steam engines, there is also a helpful guide to explain the number strings like 2-4-0 or 0-6-0. Once you understand the engines they are very easy to visualize.
Steaming is a combination of of steam engines, World War II, great characters, and very good story telling that link a collection of short stories into a fine novel. A great book for fans of steam engines and the home front of WWII.
Steaming into the Firing Line: Tales of the Footplate in Wartime Britain Book Review by Joseph Spuckler/4 Stars
… (meer)
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evil_cyclist | 1 andere bespreking | Mar 16, 2020 | Statistieken
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There are some memorable moments in the book which is an indication of a good story teller, each chapter follows the timeline from 1939 to 1945, and concludes in a one off chapter when British Rail began to take its steam engines off the tracks in the 1960s. The types of locomotives featured are not so much characters in themselves but rather esteemed colleagues (Pardon the pun) of the men who ran them, and we learn about each type of engine through the dialogue of the railway men and what duties they perform in each chapter.
Michael states that there are minor details within the stories that have a basis of truth, and having known the author I am slightly amused at the thought of him hurling snow balls at passing locomotives. I remember as a child wanting to be a train driver, my friend and I used to watch the electric trains. One time when a train pulled up to the platform we raced along and caught the driver's attention, we asked if we could ride with him in the driver's compartment, but he said no. I think that ended the desire but for a short time there we were dead keen on being train drivers.
I think the era of steam still beats strong in the hearts of many, and it is encouraging to find recollections and homages to this particular age of transportation. If you are a railway buff or simply curious to learn about a unique period of history, then Steaming into the Firing Line is a jolly nice light read that will provide both pleasure and substance.… (meer)