Ipswich and District Historical Transport Society
Snippets:
ARTHUR CAGE - THE CROMER EXPRESS SPEED KING Mervyn Russen
Arthur Cage, in common with many, came from a family of railway folk. His father, Thomas Cage, was born in the village of Whitton in 1826. Thomas is listed in the 1851 census as an engine driver and is married to Elizabeth, three years his junior. The couple at that time lived in Bell Lane near Great Whip Street, 'Over Stoke'. This was five years after the railway had reached Ipswich and so Thomas was probably one of the pioneers of the fledgling Eastern Union Railway which, as part of the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), became the Great Eastern Railway in 1862.
By 1861 the Cage family had grown to include five children, the second youngest of whom was Arthur Benjamin - born in 1859. At that time Thomas is recorded as being a steamboat engineer and the family lived in Bright Street. It is interesting to note that the railway at that time maintained a coal yard in Bright Street from which their steamboats were bunkered. It may be that living near that yard had encouraged Thomas to join the steamboat crews.
By 1881 census records describe Thomas as a steamboat engine driver, his son, Arthur was a locomotive fireman and Arthur's younger brother; Charles, was an engine turner. Thomas eventually died in 1892 and Elizabeth followed him in 1902.
Thomas' son Arthur is first documented in the Ipswich Journal of 13 August 1878 when he was called as a defence witness at Ipswich Magistrates' Court. William Barnard, a fireman on the GER, was convicted of assaulting a police officer, Frederick Catchpole, in Tacket Street on a rowdy Saturday evening. Arthur was 19 at the time and was described in the report as a labourer on the GER. Interestingly, Barnard went on to become a respected driver and was killed in 1913 when he was involved in a collision at Colchester. He was driving a brand new S69 class 4-6-0 number 1506 and he was the second in his family killed whilst on railway duty. His father,John Barnard, also a driver, was killed in 1900 by a boiler explosion on board his Y14 0-6-0 locomotive at Westerfield.
In those days the rise in seniority from fireman to driver took many years. Arthur was only in his early forties in 1901 when he was recorded in the census as being an engine driver. He was quite a young man therefore since most firemen were promoted to drivers when they were past their physical prime. By then he was married to Laura and living at 30 Wherstead Road. They had three children at that time: Florence, Arthur and John.
We next meet Arthur Cage in the railway literature in the 1908-1911 period when the legendary Cecil J Allen (CJ) recorded three runs on the Norfolk Coast Express in some detail with Arthur at the regulator. The latter gentleman was described by Allen as stocky with a 'Captain Kettle' beard. Arthur was known to all his colleagues as 'Chuffy' Cage. Drivers on this premier express train were a carefully chosen elite group of men and there was much competition between crews at Norwich (Harry Nudd being a prominent example there) and Ipswich.
CJ was aboard Arthur's train on two recorded occasions on the up Cromer Express (as it was always known to railway crews) from North Walsham to Liverpool Street and one trip in the down direction. The first journey took place in the down direction in the summer of 1908.
CJ climbed aboard the gleaming blue liveried Claud Hamilton 4-4-0 number 1871 in order to show Arthur his footplate pass. The load behind the engine consisted of varnished teak coaches weighing in at 335 tons (317 tons tare). The locomotive must have made a stirring sight simmering at the platform end at Liverpool Street.
At the last moment before departure a waggish platform inspector ran up to the engine and called out to the driver, 'Hold on a minute Arthur - there's a horse-box coming over from East London'. Cage greeted this with a look expressing both incredulity and scorn as he would at anyone who held up his train.
Eventually 1871 stormed out of London at the start of her non stop 138 mile journey. She was from a batch of Clauds built in 1902 and entered traffic in April of that year. 1871 was built with the larger forward facing cab windows - curved to follow the line of the firebox which was of the early round topped variety. She had had her last general overhaul in 1909 and at one stage in her career worked Royal trains. She was an exceptionally long lived engine being finally withdrawn in August 1958 as 62522.
During the run to North Walsham CJ noted that Cage showed little respect for speed restrictions and passed through Colchester at close on a mile per minute. CJ had almost fallen through the gap between the engine and its tender when they struck the straight in the middle of the platform. He managed to save himself by grabbing a handrail just in time. After the Wensum swingbridge at Norwich, Arthur shouted 'Hold on!' as they bucketed round the curve at Whittingham junction. They finally arrived at North Walsham dead on time.
Another trip was worked in the up direction in 1911. this time Cage was driving Belpaire Claud; number 1809. She was a newer engine than 1871 and was less than a year old having entered service in November 1910. Arthur was accompanied by his fireman; C W Cross on the footplate. Cross was no novice having attained footplate grade in August 1897. He needed all his experience when firing to Mr Cage.
1809 raced down Brentwood bank achieving a speed of 76mph and Colchester was passed at 55mph. The train ran intro the terminus at Liverpool Street one and a half minutes ahead of schedule. This was a superb performance when one considers that Clauds were of modest proportions and the train consisted of 14 bogies - a load of 400 tons gross.
CJ's final recorded run was again in the up direction with Arthur. This time 1809 was the train engine on a double headed working of a very heavy train of 16 bogies. It arrived at Liverpool Street on time and the train was so long that the tail of it projected beyond the end of platform 11 when it came to rest.
1809 went on to complete a 38 year long career and she was scrapped in June 1948 as 2600 at Stratford. She never received her BR number prefixed by a six.
During the period of these runs Arthur's wife, Laura, was taken ill with terminal cancer of the uterus. She died with Arthur present at her bedside at 30 Wherstead Road on 19 April 1912.
Arthur spent his final years driving on the Aldeburgh branch-line. A faded photograph survives showing Arthur posing with Acting Fireman Frank Cocksedge and other staff by the signal box at Aldeburgh in 1916. Frank Cocksedge obtained his footplate status in September 1914. He is remembered as a very dapper man who later became a toplink driver at Ipswich.
Arthur Cage retired circa 1924 and died on 17 December 1935 at the age of 76 at his home at 36 Leiston Road, Aldeburgh. His daughter Florence was present at his bedside.
Arthur Cage was a legend on the Great Eastern Railway where engine drivers were an elite group in a different world. He was a worthy predecessor to the great footplate men to come at the Ipswich depot such as Horrie and Fred Smith, Ernie Payne, Frank Cocksedge, the Pinkneys and legions more including three mayors of Ipswich - men who were proud of their calling.
Editorial Note:
Frank Cocksedge was a member of the IDHTS until the time of his death. 'Transport Topics' published by the IDHTS in 1970 included an article 'Great Eastern Reminiscences' by Frank Cocksedge.
Extracted from Transport Matters, no 227 March 2010
ISSN 0306.0187