UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT : J.E. McConnell Man of Wolverhampton

Unpublished, lost work by the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, the Reverend W Awdry. A devoted railway enthusiast and expert, it is well documented that Awdry began writing a biography on J.E. McConnell in the 1980s but no other copies have been located.

This substantial typed manuscript is corrected throughout in Awdry’s hand and tells the story of the engineer James E. McConnell, ‘a very remarkable man, an inventive genius’, the man in charge of the Wolverhampton locomotive works in the mid 19th century and Superintendent of the Birmingham and Bristol Line. McConnell was credited with the construction of a ‘truly gigantic’ locomotive he called ‘ Great Britain’.

DESCRIPTION: In very good condition, bound together using treasury tags within yellow card wrappers. The 72 pp. typed manuscript is annotated throughout in the Rev Awdry’s distinctive hand writing, many of the photographs within are attributed to the ‘author W.A’ and the foreword is signed off in type ‘Rev, W V Awdry’.

The manuscript is complete and meticulously researched comprising 5 chapters, fully referenced, listed illustrations, detailed appendices and circa 35 fully annotated photographs and illustrations.

Chapter 1: Early life of JE McConnell; Chapter 2: Accidents; Chapter 3: Bromsgrove; Chapter 4: Mainly Locomotives; Chapter 5: Early Days on the Lickey. Circa 25 000 words.