Archive Issue 112

From: Meaford A & B Power Stations Meaford A, now operational with its two cooling towers and two chimneys plus, in the foreground, the two Bagnall 0-4-0 saddle tanks Anne and Muriel, named after the NWMJEA’s Engineer and Manager’s daughters. The locomotives were despatched from the Castle Engine Works at Stafford on the 6th November 1945 and the 5th April 1946, respectively.

From: In the Showroom The 3 Litre as depicted in this publicity photograph was planned as being the flagship of the Austin range to succeed a lineage which included the Sheerline and Westminster. Its conception dates from the early 1960s, by which time the second generation Austin Westminster, the A110, was scheduled in no more than a mild facelift along with marginally more power to supersede the A99. By the time the 3 Litre was nearing its official debut in 1967, the A110 Mk II, which had been introduced in 1964 and again demonstrated a gentle makeover, was nearing the end of production. Instead of devising a completely new luxury car, developing the 3 Litre under the codename ADO61 was compromised from the very beginning through cost-cutting measures and the sharing of the body structure with the proposed mid-size Austin 1800. The outcome was a muddled approach which was shown in the car’s arguably undistinguished styling. It did, nevertheless have a spacious if somewhat lacklustre interior, while the excellent handling and ride quality was aided by the Hydrolastic suspension combined with self-levelling at the rear. Wheelspin Automedia