Images from the SLS Library (Stanford Jacobs Collection) (Page last updated 25 June 2009)
About the collector (Stanford Jacobs) | About the collection | Sample of images from the collection | Page top
About the collector (Stanford Jacobs)
S L Jacobs, ‘Jake’ to his contemporaries, was born in Kidderminster where he went to King Charles I Grammar School. He was the son of a West Midlands optician. Having worked for a short while in the LNER, and during WW2 as an RAF wireless operator, he later combined his expertise in optics with computer science, and for many years lived in Swinford, near Rugby.
SLJ had encyclopedic knowledge of the GWR, particularly of its operations in the South Wales valleys, where he was a well-known and respected figure. He published occasionally on the subject, for example on the Barry Island holiday traffic. He passed away in 1996, aged 75. His widow, Annette generously presented the Midlands Area of the SLS with his photographic collection. The Midlanders, in turn, presented this to the main SLS Library, retaining some copies for their own use.
SLJ’s interests were many; like many a railwayist, he was a knowledgeable musician, his tastes running from Mozart, through Bruckner to Jazz. But, most of he will be remembered as a GWR and South Wales Valleys expert, his enormous knowledge of these subjects matched only by his generosity in sharing it.
About the collection
This collection is a fascinating archive of historic, and rare, photographs covering mainly the Midlands and South Wales. Work is progressing on making of digital copies prior to creation of a presentation for showing at various Centre meeetings in due course. Many of the images were annotated but others were not and the three images below were featured in the What, When, Where? page.
Thank you's go to Andrew, David Colley, Richard Pearson, Chris Krupa, Jez Kirkwood and Simon Moore, SteveK, PLD, R A Hennessey and Stationmaster for the information supplied either directly or through on-line fora. The three photographs shown below have a common link as between building and their current locations all ran at the Dudley Zoo miniature railway.
A sample selection from the collection's images.
Image name jacobs_4.jpg. - From the pencilled note on the back in Stanford Jacob's own hand it was taken in August 1954 at Dudley and is on the Dudley Zoo Railway. The locomotive is 5751 was built by Guest/Twining in 1950 as a 4-6-0, to 15” gauge based on the LMS Class 5 design and named "Prince Charles". It ran at Dudley Zoo until 1957. More background information here.
Image name jacobs_5.jpg The original print has no annotation. However our own detective work suggested it to be the Hastings Miniature Railway at the Fish Market end and the locomotive is No 2943 Hampton Court. 2943 survived the changes at Hastings and is now based at Stapleford. More background information here.
Image name jacobs_6.jpg The print is stamped with a name G A Barlow and it has also been endorsed by hand (probably by Stanford Jacob) as SLJ Littlestone Miniature Railway, Lt Col R B Turrell (81) at the regulator. With cruel enlargement of a scan the name plate is sufficiently legible to confirm the locomotive is Sir A Montgomery, There is a code entry also on the back of 1851 - 25/3/1956 and whether this is the acquisition date of the print by by SJ or a taking date we don't know but it does give a latest possible date for the image. More background information here.
To contact the Society
This site uses a Java based email generator to reduce spam. If you are seeing this message either enable Java on your PC or make the obvious changes to the following email address = stephenson_at_stephensonloco_dot_org_dot_uk';
How to join
SLS Library (Membership service)
SLS Resources (Free service)
The Society's YouTube channel
Meetings calendar
About us / Contacts
Links to other sites
Links to other railway sites (Off-site link)
