Heritage Railway 201 2015-04 - PDF Free Download (2024)

FIRST PICTURES

GER Y14 ON PASSENGER TRIPS

ISSUE 201

■ SEVERN VALLEY AND WEST SOMERSET GALA STUNNERS

■ THE CHURCHILL SECRETS OF A LMS SPECIAL SALOON

BETTON GRANGE: BOILER APPEAL LAUNCHED

No. 201

£4.30

April 9 – May 6, 2015

OPINION

LNER K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 TheGreatMarquess passes the Edinburgh 200 miles sign on the East Coast Main Line at Beningbrough north of York with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Wensleydale & Durham Coast’ tour on March 21. ROBIN PATRICK EDITORIAL

Editor Robin Jones 01507 529305 [emailprotected] Deputy editor Brian Sharpe [emailprotected] Publisher Tim Hartley Senior contributing writers Geoff Courtney, Cedric Johns Contributors Fred Kerr, Roger Melton Designer Tim Pipes Reprographics Simon Duncan Editorial address Heritage Railway magazine, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ Website www.heritagerailway.co.uk

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ISSN No 1466-3560

Published Every four weeks on a Thursday Advert deadline April 23, 2015 Next issue on sale May 7, 2015

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The steel wheels cycle of spring

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INCE time immemorial, spring has been that gloriously green season where we celebrate rebirth after death. Our Easter tradition was grafted on to ancient pagan traditions which rejoice in the renewal of life, and which survive in festivities such as Padstow’s ’Obby ’Oss, Helston’s Flora Day, dancing around the maypole and many other manifestations. Our sector is no stranger to this cycle. In this issue, we look at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s special event which marked the 50th anniversary of the line’s closure under BR, which in turn prompted its rebirth. Also this spring, we recall the day when a group of enthusiasts met in the otherwise unremarkable Carpenter’s Arms pub in Kidderminster and sowed the seeds that blossomed into the mighty oak that is the Severn Valley Railway. That pub is now boarded up and is unlikely to be here in 50 years’ time. Not so the Severn Valley: look at its magnificent achievements that none of the preservation pioneers in 1965 would have dreamed possible, least of all the movement’s first purpose-built diesel depot being built and a ground-breaking apprenticeship scheme which will ensure that steam era skills will never die. Spring is the time to discard the dufflecoat and get out to photograph our railways in their finest hour, and there are many magnificent views to be had, from the early daffodils blooming alongside the Talyllyn and the superb glint shots taken by the 30742 Charters mob with the backdrop of the rich green riverside pastures of the Severn Valley, as highlighted in Headline News, pages 8-9, to the absolutely gorgeous cherry blossom scenes from Japan and Korea that those countries’ Facebook followers post on Heritage Railway’s site this time of year. Reborn after many years in the shed and sidings are the GER Y14 at Sheringham and Maunsell Q No. 30541 at Sheffield Park, while Bulleid West

Country Pacific Taw Valley will soon follow, and we are all eagerly awaiting the imminent return of Tornado’s boiler from Meiningen for its spring comeback main line runs. For me, most captivating of all is the April 13 public comeback of Quarry Hunslet Winifred on the Bala Lake Railway, a grand old lady which last turned a wheel under its own steam at Penrhyn Quarry in the early Sixties and then spent more than four decades in exile in the USA, much in cold storage. Out of the darkness and into the light: green shoots aplenty indeed! Elsewhere, I have the utmost respect for the grandsons of Sir Nigel Gresley and can understand why the trust named in his honour acceded to the family’s request to discard a mallard duck from the proposed King’s Cross statue, on the grounds that they thought that it would make him look ridiculous, as reported in News, page 22. However, while I must respect their views, I cannot see how this or anything else can ever turn a monumental engineering genius who produced the world’s fastest steam locomotive among an encyclopaedia of other remarkable achievements into an object of ridicule. London is littered with statues of the great, good and often forgotten: this symbolic addition would have made this particular one memorable and a talking point for passers-by of all ages. I recall the great golden all-conquering take-noprisoners eagle which stood atop the swastika on the motif of the nation which took the world speed record in 1936, reaching 124mph on a VIP trip for Nazi top brass, with some fairly unpleasant people on board. Two years later, a locomotive named after a harmless unassuming commonplace duck snatched that speed record and kept it forever. That itself is so wonderfully British. Love a duck – especially that one! Robin Jones Editor Heritage Railway 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 201 April 9 - May 6

News

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headliNe NeWS

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Lottery grant will fund resteaming of Canadian Pacific in £1.5m ‘holiday trains’ scheme; GER Y14 hauls first North Norfolk train; Betton Grange boiler appeal launched; ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ starts three fires on Shap, British ambassador helps bid to save Wolsztyn steam and race to save GCR Woodford Halse yard.

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NeWS

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Pete Waterman seeks home for four standard gauge locomotives; Quarry Hunslet Winifred set for April 13 Bala Lake debut; trailer collapses while taking tank engine to gala; Rother Valley main line connection completed; Duke of Kent opens Buckfastleigh workshop extension; ‘Brighton Belle’ on the main line in 2015’ gala action from West Somerset, North Norfolk and Steel, Steam & Stars; Taw Valley resteaming imminent; Epping Ongar extends to within 100 yards of Epping; North Yorkshire Moors marks 50th anniversary of closure.

Regulars

Features

Centre spread

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Main line tours

66

Railwayana

76

Platform

82

off the Shelf

90

the demise of the classic British pre-grouping express engine.

up & Running

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Some of Britain’s favourite steam engines have now retired for the second, third or fourth, but now almost certainly the last, time. Brian Sharpe looks at the story of Britain’s classic steam engines and their active retirement.

Galatea with steam on downhill at Smardale by Joseph Jenner.

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MaiNliNe

Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

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Eighty steam trains over new Borders Railways; Abellio announces first dates for Scottish steam trips; Tangmere in SPAD investigation; UK’s youngest steam driver passes out on Clan Line, Mayflower misses Bluebell trip debut and Steam Dreams plans a second Irish tour.

With Full RegulatoR 62

Don Benn looks further at locomotive performance on Shap and the Settle & Carlisle.

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Geoff Courtney’s regular column. Where your views matter most. The latest book releases.

Guide to railways running in April.

the Month ahead

Upcoming galas and events.

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CONTENTS: BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 and SR Bulleid West Country Pacific No. 34092 Wells make an unusual doubleheader at Garthydwr during the Betton Grange Group’s Steel, Steam & Stars gala on the Llangollen Railway. NICK GILLIAM COVER: It only happened for three minutes! LMS Jubilee No. 45690 Leander has just reversed its stock into the platform at Carlisle on March 21 as LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46115 ScotsGuardsmanwaits in the opposite platform for a diesel pilot to be added. TIM EASTER

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While the National Railway Museum in York is deservedly world famous, John Titlow recalls its rather smaller, but nonetheless groundbreaking predecessor, Britain’s first railway museum, established in Queen Street by the LNER in 1926, following the Stockton & Darlington Railway centenary celebrations.

A coach with a history

SVR 50 Spring Gala cracker The first big event of the Severn Valley Railway’s star-studded 50th anniversary year was the March 20-22 spring steam gala, which proved to be a soaraway success, writes Paul Appleton.

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York’s Railway Museums 72

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The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust has in its collection Special Saloon No. 45000. PRCLT patron & volunteer David Hipkiss is one of a small team involved in the – nearly complete – internal restoration of this coach and has discovered evidence that it was used by Winston Churchill prior to the D-Day landings.

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See page 32

Where the sun shines every day

In mid-February Dave Collier went to Colorado to take part in the Durango & Silverton Railroad’s annual winter photographers’ charter to witness steam in the snow. What he found was unexpected but nevertheless very rewarding. Heritage Railway 5

HEADLINE NEWS

Lottery grant enables green light for £1.5m CanPac scheme By Robin Jones

BULLEID Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35005 Canadian Pacific is to be returned to steam following the award of a £895,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The award is around 60% of the cost of a £1.5 million scheme by owner the Mid Hants Railway to tell the story of the Southern Railway’s holiday trains to the South and West of England. It will also fund the restoration of a rake of pre-Nationalisation Southern Railway wooden-bodied coaches, which together with No. 35005, will make up a representative train. Much of the project, titled Canadian Pacific – Engineering a Future From the Past, will be carried out in the railway’s workshops at Ropley and its offices at Alresford. No. 35005 will be dismantled and reassembled at Eastleigh Works where it was originally built in 1941, and where the National Railway Museum’s Schools 4-4-0 No. 925 Cheltenham was restored by a team of skilled volunteers, with the assistance of the staff of Arlington Fleet Services Ltd. The new project will provide employment for nine new members of staff, six of whom will be apprentices who will gain two years training in engineering skills.

from Southampton Docks. Memories of working with, or travelling by, steam trains will be recorded. Canadian Pacific, which had been rebuilt in rebuilt May 1959, was withdrawn from 82F Weymouth shed in October 1965 and sent to Barry scrapyard, from where it was bought in March 1973 for the former Steamtown Museum at Carnforth. It restoration began there, and in 1989 No. 35005 was sold to Andrew Naish, who took it to the Great Central Railway where it steamed in November 1990. While visiting the Mid Hants Railway in 1996, Naish raised eyebrows by repainting Canadian Pacific into the short-lived British Railways’ express passenger blue livery, which the class never carried in the rebuilt form. It carried this livery when it returned to the main line in 1998, operating out of Tyseley Locomotive Works, from where it hauled the summer Sunday ‘Shakespeare Express’. In January 2001, No. 35005 was bought by Steam Dreams’ supremo, Marcus Robertson, and repainted into BR green, becoming a mainstay of ‘Cathedrals Express’ trips. Its darkest hour, however, came on October 19, 2002, when, during an unscheduled stop at Paddock Wood station on a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from London to Canterbury, one of its small tubes near the firebox crown burst, which immediately filled the cab with steam. The footplate crew shut off the steam before they were forced to evacuate the cab, but VIP guest Richard Bowker from the Strategic Rail Authority, was scalded. The boiler damage left Canadian Pacific out of service for two and a half years. No. 35005 was sold to the Mid Hants railway in 2006, and ran there until it boiler certificate expired in May 2008. It was moved to Eastleigh Works in 2011 to be stored under cover and

“The new project will provide employment for nine new members of staff, six of whom will be apprentices...”

Community activities

The scheme also aims to increase the number of people engaged in Mid Hants Railway activities. It will provide work experience opportunities for unemployed youngsters and engineering students at Eastleigh, plus a range of other community outreach activities, education and information benefits for visitors to the railway. The project aims to fully explain the role of the railways in the last decades of steam trains, including passenger trains to the West Country and to and

Canadian Pacific in action on the Watercress Line. MaTT allen/MHR

CanadianPacific awaiting restoration. MHR work to strip it in order to evaluate the scope and cost of the overhaul began in 2013. The wooden-framed carriages were also designed by Bulleid, and are the oldest carriages on the Watercress Line.

Birthday present

Mid Hants Railway Preservation Society chairman, Mrs Steve Crowther, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given this huge vote of confidence in the ability of the Mid Hants Railway’s staff and volunteers to complete projects on time and on budget. With the railway celebrating its 150th anniversary in

2015 this is a tremendous birthday present for us and we look forward with great anticipation to seeing the project come to fruition. It offers many opportunities to enhance our railway. Stuart McLeod, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East, said: “The exciting plans to restore Canadian Pacific and the Bulleid coaches to their former glory will help conserve this important heritage for generations to come, and through the enhanced visitor experience and extensive volunteering and training opportunities, more people will be able to learn about the social, political and economic significance of our historic railways.”

Last-ditch bid to save GCR Woodford Halse yard IT’S A RACE against time to stop the former Great Central Railway yard in the company’s hub of Woodford Halse from being sold off for development. The 21-acre parcel of land off Byfield Road is to be offered for sale by auctioneers Howkins and Harrison on April 28 with a guide price of £175,000 to £200,000, and is described as having “development potential”. However, the Woodford Halse Railway Heritage Society wants to acquire the site and use part of it to establish a working railway museum

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to reflect the village’s past importance. The society has set up a Facebook page and was set to launch an 11th-hour appeal to raise money to buy the site. Society chairman, Paul Denison, was talking to the landowner to get the site removed from the auction until sufficient funds can be raised to purchase the land. He said: “We have been staggered by the support of people in the village. Our next steps are to consolidate the official trust and get the funds raised. “This land is a crucial part of Woodford Halse’s history. It would be

a crying shame if it was lost.” What had been a purely rural, sparsely popular and isolated community found itself on a major trunk route; the Great Central Railway’s London Extension in 1899. The station was situated near Woodford Halse North Curve Junction linking the GCR with the Stratfordupon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway, and to the south lay Culworth Junction, from where a 81⁄4-mile line ran to join the GWR at Banbury. To the north of the station stood a shed housing up to 30 locomotives. Wagon and sheet repair shops, along

with extensive marshalling yard, were also sited at Woodford Halse, where several roads containing 136 terraced dwellings to house the railway workers were built on the east side of the embankment, together with a street of shops. Eventually, the population of the GCR’s ‘Crewe’ soared to more than 2000. The marshalling yards were closed on April 5, 1965, five months before most of the GCR itself. The auction was scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, 6.30pm at the Kilworth Springs Golf Club in North Kilworth, Leicestershire.

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‘CME’ starts three fires on Shap trip By Cedric Johns

GER Y14 0-6-0 No. 564 runs round its train at Sheringham on March 28. BRIAN SHARPE

It’s back! Y14 hauls first passenger trains By Brian Sharpe THE sight of a Great Eastern Railway blue-liveried steam engine working a passenger train became a reality again on March 28 for the first time since 1969. The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society purchased GER J15 ‘Little Black Goods’ 0-6-0 No. 65462 from BR and moved it to Sheringham in 1967 for service on what was to become the North Norfolk Railway. It was returned to steam and worked occasional members’ trains on the railway in GER blue livery for two years. After the railway opened to the

public, the J15 has seen regular service and has been through several major overhauls, appearing in GER grey as No. 564, LNER black as No. 7564 and BR black as No. 65462. The opportunity has been taken at its latest overhaul, to return the engine to as-built GER condition, as a Y14, its original GER classification.

Three round trips

Overhauled at Buckley Wells by Riley & Son Engineering, and painted in GER ultramarine blue livery by Heritage Painting, No. 564 was not quite completed in time for the NNR’s March 6-8 steam gala, but was delivered to Sheringham in mid-March, with a

launch into service scheduled for March 28. The engine was to work three round trips in between the line’s two-train service, hauling four Mk.1 coaches and the line’s teak LNER pigeon van, for supporters and society members. Unfortunately, No. 564 developed a leak from one of its cylinders, and its first run from Sheringham to Holt took an hour. On the second trip, No. 564 stalled on the approach to Weybourne; the crew having to resort to hand sanding the rails to get into the station where the train was terminated. For the third trip, the precaution was taken of providing rear-end assistance in the form of Class 37 diesel D6732.

THE problem of lineside fires began early this year, as the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ passed Tebay and Shap, en route to Carlisle on Saturday, March 21. The ‘CME’ was diesel-hauled as far as Carnforth where 4-6-0 No. 46115 Scots Guardsman took over for the run to Carlisle via Shap. A lineside fire was reported at Beckfoot, near Low Gill and a second fire was logged by Network Rail at Tebay. A third fire was reported at Shap Wells. The local fire brigade attended the scene, although the fire at Tebay was reported as having burned itself out. Although minor in nature, delays inevitably occurred to other services, while the fire brigade ensured the fires were out. Unaware of the fires, the crew of Scots Guardsman continued to make for Carlisle. When train operator West Coast Railways learned of events, a diesel was sent to Carlisle to pilot the 4-6-0 via the Settle & Carlisle line to Hellifield where the diesel took charge for the homeward run back to London. That same day a lineside fire happened to another Railway Touring Company train on the East Coast Main Line, the ‘Wensleydale & Durham Coast’, a top-and-tail operation featuring K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 and K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess. Network Rail said that a fire was reported at Otterington, approaching Northallerton. North Yorkshire fire service attended, which resulted in minor delays to three timetabled service trains.

New NYMR head of operations

The GER blue 0-6-0 heads its inaugural passenger train since its overhaul, approaching Holt on March 28. BRIAN SHARPE Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway has appointed former Tyne & Wear Metro head of safety and compliance, Elizabeth Parkes, as its new head of operations. A chartered member of the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health, she worked for DB Regio Tyne & Wear Ltd for two years. Before that, she was safety standards manager at Edinburgh Trams and commercial and production manager with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. She started her career as a traffic management trainee with British Rail but in more recent times she has been working as a freelance consultant offering advice and support on safety, health, quality and the environment, specialising in public transport operations. She takes up her new post on June 15. Heritage Railway 7

HEADLINE NEws

Betton Grange £225K boiler appeal launched FOLLOWING the successful appeal to raise £20,000 to complete the manufacture of two new cylinders for its locomotive, No. 6880 Betton Grange, the Betton Grange Society has now launched what will be its biggest appeal of all – that for the refurbishment of its boiler. It is estimated that £225,000 will be needed to refurbish the boiler in its possession that came from ‘Barry 10’ Modified Hall 4-6-0 No. 7927 Willington Hall. The boiler is of the same Swindon No. 1 type used by the ‘Granges’ and is ideal for use with Betton Grange. The society received its new cylinders at the end of February following the successful appeal for funds, launched in Heritage Railway, which comfortably passed its target, allowing the motion brackets to be made as well. The cylinders were trial fitted on the locomotive’s frames ready for inspection at last month’s highly successful Steel, Steam & Stars IV event at the Llangollen Railway. Now the society is entering the final straight of the locomotive’s construction with a target date set for steaming in 2018 – provided sufficient funds can be raised to place the contract this summer. The ‘225 Boiler Club’ was launched at Steel, Steam & Stars IV (see gala report, News, pages 44-45), so called because coincidentally the working pressure of the Granges was 225lb as well as £225,000 being the prescribed target for fund raising. Heritage Railway was first to put its hand in its pocket taking up the No. 1 certificate to support the appeal. Editor, Robin Jones, said: “I have a

Waiting for the boiler: the chassis of No. 6880 BettonGrange complete with cylinders in the Llangollen workshop. 6880 personal interest in the Granges because, according to my Ian Allan ABC book, which we rediscovered decades later, my elder brother Stewart and I spotted most of them on the Birmingham Snow Hill to Leamington line. “This is a robust and superbly managed scheme which has generated a contrast stream of essential funds throughout, not least of all through its spectacular galas. Now the final straight lies ahead.” It is not clear yet where the boiler will be repaired as quotations are still being sought, but the boiler is thought to be in remarkably good condition, having been made new in 1960 and never having had a heavy general

➜ Details outlining the appeal and the various benefits can be found at www.6880.co.uk or see the advertisem*nt and leaflet in this issue. you can also email the group’s boiler appeal co-ordinator, Lynn moore, at [emailprotected] or telephone 07932 797791/01253 884218, or you can write with cheques to: 6880 betton Grange boiler appeal, 224 staining road, blackpool, Lancashire fy3 0DL. cheques should be made payable to 6880 betton Grange (society) Ltd. all donations and correspondence will be acknowledged.

repair. To speed things up, the society intends to place its boiler from No. 5952 Cogan Hall into No. 6880’s frames later this year so that pipework and fittings can be prepared ready for when the Willington Hall boiler returns to Llangollen. The appeal welcomes donations of any amount and they will be personally acknowledged by the project’s engineering director, Chris Moore. The 225 Club is for donations of £225, which attracts a range of benefits including a special certificate of appreciation, a mounted Jonathan Clay print of 6880 Betton Grange, inclusion on the 6880 Roll of Honour and regular email updates on progress. Two further levels of membership are also on offer, including the ‘Premier 225 Boiler Club’ for donations of £1000 or more, which as well as the above benefits also brings donors their name on a plaque

on the locomotive’s footplate, a special day with No. 6880 in steam and priority booking options on its first main line train. The Exclusive 225 Boiler Club for donations of £2250 and above includes all of the above, plus a personal invitation to an exclusive luncheon boiler club day celebration with the 6880 project’s directors. The appeal got off to a flying start at Steel, Steam & Stars IV with donations and pledges worth more than £5000. Group spokesman, Paul Appleton, told Heritage Railway: “We hope that Heritage Railway’s readers will help us to reach the red line. We have recalibrated a boiler gauge in pounds sterling rather than pounds (lbs) pressure and so far we have got the needle to the five marker. Now we need to press on and build a good head of steam!”

No. 30541 back iN steam after 22 years Maunsell Q 0-6-0 No. 30541 has returned to steam on the Bluebell Railway after an absence of 22 years, although it will be a few more weeks before it is ready to enter regular service. The 1939-built ex-Barry scrapyard locomotive ran on the line from 1983-93, but resteamed on March 4, shunted in the loco yard a week later and is pictured again moving under its own power on March 13. Three days later, it made its firstever visit to Kingscote, running over a length of line that was not open when it was last in traffic. JOHN SANDYS

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WD Austerity 2-8-0 No. 90733 passes Severn Lodge with a photo charter engineer’s train.

When the Worth Valley ‘Dub-dee’ turned to gold

By Martin Creese

OnE FASCInATInG aspect of nostalgia is how with the passage of time the ordinary becomes truly extraordinary. The WD, a class of 733 engines, many of which saw service in Europe at the end of the Second World War, settled down to a life of hard graft shifting huge tonnages of minerals and goods across British Railways. Seemingly unloved and frequently unkempt their passage would be marked by a recognisable clanking from the motion that stays with many from that era. The last was withdrawn in September 1967 leaving the class extinct in the UK. Thankfully, WD no. 79257 was among 184 examples acquired by nederlandse Spoorwegen for use in Holland before becoming one of two acquired by Swedish State Railways, from where it was bought for preservation in 1972. It ran initially in its Swedish guise on the Keighley & Worth Valley and, following an overhaul completed in 2007, was restored to UK guise and took the next number in the BR sequence. no. 90733 became one of the stars of the Severn Valley Railway spring steam gala (see feature, pages 67-71) and brought to a conclusion the post-gala

charter week with an event for 30742 Charters. An engineer’s train was assembled with the newly restored Gane A wagon and six ballast hoppers plus two brake vans for the participants to travel in. Thankfully, sometimes the forecasters get it wrong , and sunshine was the very much the order of the day.

The locomotive in the capable hands of SVR footplate crew Adrian Hassell and Gary Williams, aided by owners’ representative, Andrew Simkins, sounded and looked the part at the head of its rake, with just the right amount of WD noise to satisfy those who remember them. Although cleaned for the gala, the engine had

attracted a patina of dirt to add to the illusion. I don’t think they ever ran on the SVR although certainly did through Kidderminster on the main line so the engine looked at home in the Worcestershire countryside. Our day ended with the setting sun turning our humble WD gold; a truly an extraordinary engine.

No. 90733 climbs towards Foley Park tunnel at sunset.

British ambassador visit boosts Wolsztyn Experience steam hopes THE British ambassador to Poland, Robin Barnett, CMG, has spoken out in favour of retaining Europe’s last working ‘real’ steam depot at Wolsztyn. Mr Barnett made his supportive comments during a visit to the famous steam shed on March 17 – at the end of which he took the controls of 2-6-2 down the yard, under the watchful eye of Howard Jones of the British-led Wolsztyn Experience and driver Andrzej Macur. His visit has revived hopes for the continued presence of steam after more than a year of fraught negotiations over future subsidies. For nine months, a group of Anglo-Polish enthusiasts had been asking the embassy to get involved. It had been feared that because of local authorities’ reluctance to chip in with subsidies to operator PKP Cargo to keep the steam operation, Wolsztyn’s annual parade of steam locomotives would not take place this year.

The ambassador was formally invited by Wolsztyn mayor Wojtek Lis, a railway photographer since his student days. He was given a guided tour of the shed by Wolsztyn driver Dariusz Guliwarty after which he gave a short speech. He said that when he worked first in Poland during its Iron Curtain years, one of his hobbies was to travel to the south of the country to ride on steam trains and take illegal photographs. The ambassador said that Wolsztyn depot and steam trains not only a wonderful Polish asset with huge potential to attract tourists but are also important in the European context. He said that he hoped that talks between PKP Cargo and the other parties involved would soon reach a satisfactory conclusion. His visit was recorded by Polish TV’s TeleExpress. Towards the end of the visit, PKP Cargo announced that the 22nd annual Wolsztyn steam parade will go ahead after all, on May 2.

Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Miniature railway ‘sabotaged’ as coach overturns at Poole

THE owner of the Poole Park Railway has claimed it was deliberately sabotaged after a carriage overturned leading to a passenger being taken to hospital. The Borough of Poole immediately suspended the 10¼in gauge railway’s operations and launched an investigation following the incident on Monday, March 23. Three passengers were travelling in one carriage of a three-coach train that tipped over on to its side. One passenger was taken to hospital as a precaution but was discharged after being checked over. Chris Bullen said: “We are 99.9 per cent sure after the second run on the day somebody actually jammed a big piece of wood in the points. As the train went across by the little bridge, it derailed the rear carriage.” The 700-yard railway dates back to 1949. Heritage Railway 9

News Appeal launch after ‘last pub’ railway blaze FUNDS have been pouring in to help revive a miniature railway which was destroyed by a fire and ravaged its pub base. Locomotive, carriages, the engine shed and other infrastructure of the 7¼in-gauge Fancott Miniature Railway were destroyed in a fire which tore through parts of the Fancott pub in Chalton, Bedfordshire, on March 3. The fire broke out in an outbuilding at the back of the pub at around 3.40pm. It was said that the fire started in a dustbin, possibly caused by a cigarette end. The pub is expected to be closed for about two months. Since then, nearly £2000 has been raised from well wishers who want to see the return of what is marketed as Britain’s last pub railway. Ron Stanbridge, 62, who manages the railway on behalf of the pub, said: “Hopefully we will get back up and running, but we have to get a new engine shed and that costs about £5,000.” The railway dates back to 1975 when the original 10¼in-gauge Fancott Light Railway was opened. It closed in 1986, but 10 years later, a new 1000-yard 7¼in line was opened by the son of the pub’s owner.

Whitechapel moves to Ongar?

THE Epping Ongar Railway has been offered the booking hall from Whitechapel station, which is being redeveloped to accommodate Crossrail. Whitechapel was opened in 1876 by the East London Railway and expanded in 1884 and 1902. The London Overground section of the station was closed between 2007 and April 27, 2010. The EOR has been looking at the possibility of integrating the booking hall into Ongar station. Spokesman Dean Walton said: “It would be a fantastic thing to have, but we have to be sure that we have the right location to house this structure.”

We hit 60,000!

HERITAGE RAIlwAy’s Facebook page has passed the 60,000 likes mark, making it one of the most popular enthusiast sites of its kind in the world. Our page is by no means restricted to the preservation sector, as it covers all items of railway news and stunning pictures from around the globe, updated on a regular basis. If it’s on steel wheels, there is every likelihood it will be there. The page can be accessed at facebook.com/heritage railway. Like us today!

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The old lady of the hills steams again By Robin Jones

ONE hundred and thirty years after it was built, the hills of Snowdonia again reverberated to the sounds of Quarry Hunslet winifred, the locomotive brought home after more than four decades exiled in the USA. It was on March 17 that an overhaul lasting nearly three years at the Bala Lake Railway reached the stage where No. 364 of 1885 was ready for a test run, which was passed with flying colours. The stage is set for the former Penrhyn Quarry locomotive’s triumphant public debut on April 13, when it will be rededicated to mark its 130th birthday, still in its original quarry paintwork. The ceremony will be followed by a special service from Llanuwchllyn at 11am and Bala at 11.35am for invited guests only. Departing Llanuwchllyn at 12.45pm, winifred will then haul its first public passenger train, again 130 years to the day that it was delivered new to the quarry. A special fare of £15 for adults and £5 for children will apply to this historic train. Passengers will receive a souvenir commemorative ticket on this service. Quarry Hunslets Alice and Maid Marian will be in steam as well. winifred was bought for shunting duties at Port Penrhyn, following the earlier purchase of sisters Gwynedd and lillian. It was used for sorting wagons of slate ready for loading onto ships for transport all over the world, and remained at the port until 1955 when a diesel locomotive took over and winifred was transferred to the quarries.

Norfolk, Virginia

It worked on the William Parry gallery until 1964 when it was withdrawn from service. On January 4, 1965, the BBC’s Tonight show featured a report by Fyfe Robertson from Penrhyn Quarry on the demise of it steam locomotives. American antique dealer CB Arnette was in the UK buying stock and saw the programme. Spotting a business opportunity, he raced to Penrhyn and bought winifred along with five other quarry locomotives – Nesta, Marchlyn, Cegin, Ogwen, and Glyder for export back to the states. They were shipped on the ss Manchester Progress to Norfolk, Virginia, on July 31 that year, and auctioned in Murfreesboro in Tennessee on September 14. Anton Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 race, bought winifred along with Glyder and Ogwen, aiming to display them in a new museum in his home town of Terre Haute. However, only winifred was exhibited and that was only for a few years before the museum closed. Returned to Indianapolis, in 1992 it

Steaminginthesunset:March17markedanewdawnfor130-year-oldWinifred. BLR was put into a new warehouse within the grounds of the racetrack, kept in a climate-controlled environment. Over the years, several inquiries were made about the possibility of returning one or more of the locomotives to the UK, but were rebuffed. However, in January 2012, the directors of the Motor Speedway Museum agreed a deal with UK preservation powerhouse Julian Birley and industrial locomotive restorer Graham Morris for the repatriation of winifred, Ogwen and Glyder. Locomotive dealer Martyn Ashworth has also been involved in protracted negotiations with the directors. Loading of the engines began on March 27, and winifred arrived in Southampton on April 21 that year. A week later, winifred arrived at Llanuwchllyn, where the overhaul began the following winter, the wheelsets being regauged at the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge works. Barclay 0-4-0WT No. 1994 of 1931 Glyder and Avonside 0-4-0ST No. 2066 of 1933 Ogwen, arrived separately at Thamesport in Essex on May 1 and were taken to their new home at

Beamish Museum. Prior to working at Penrhyn Quarry, they operated on the County Durham Water Board’s Burnhope Reservoir railway system, near Weardale.

Ran faultlessly

On March 17, winifred was signed off by the boiler inspector, who commended chief mechanical engineer Rob Houghton for his work in overhauling the locomotive. Two hours later, Rob took winifred on its first run in 51 years. It ran faultlessly. A special winifred gala will be held from August 28-31. It will be the last chance to ride behind winifred in its authentic ex-quarry paintwork. It will be joined by all the other available steam engines for a busy timetable, including double-headed trains, while a vintage bus will be running between Bala town centre and the line’s current Bala station. ➜ For details of Winifred’s relaunch and advance purchasing of commemorative tickets, see www.bala-lake-railway.co.uk

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Talyllyn Railway 0-4-2ST No. 1 Talyllyn in its sparkling new red livery at Rhydyronen on a photo-charter working on March 18. ROBERT FALCONER

NRM visitors fall after Mallard 75 effect VISITOR numbers at the National Railway Museum in 2014 fell by nearly a quarter after the end of the awardwinning Mallard 75 celebrations. The York venue’s attendance figure of 715,370 visitors was a 23.2% fall on the 931,000 in 2013, when it held two Great Gatherings of all six surviving Gresley A4 Pacifics. Museum director Paul Kirkman said: “Our base level of visitors is still increasing, and we are anticipating our creative collaboration with York Theatre Royal over the coming months and the return of The Railway Children will lead to a sizeable increase of visitor numbers over the summer.” The British Museum in London continued to be the most popular visitor attraction in the UK, with 6.7 million visitors last year. Meanwhile, former NRM director

Manchester museum to lose rail link – official

The Canadian Railway Historical Association’s Special Achievement Award to former National Railway Museum Steve Davies. CRHA Steve Davies, the man who masterminded the preparations for Mallard 75, including the deal to temporarily repatriate the two exiled A4s in North America, has been bestowed with a further honour for his achievement. He has been awarded the Canadian

Railway Historical Association’s Special Achievement Award for including No. 4489/60010 Dominion of Canada in the Mallard 75 celebrations. Steve is now overseeing the development of an inland surfing resort at Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley.

New Patriot: boiler barrel sections completed NEW boiler barrel sections for LMS Patriot 4-6-0 No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior were completed at Deepdale Engineering in Dudley during the beginning of March. The front section has a 5ft 3 ⁄ in diameter and the rear section has a 5ft 51⁄8 in diameter; the two will be 11

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Pic credit: LMSPATRIOT PROJECT

riveted together to form the 14ft-long barrel of the locomotive. The sections were rolled from steel plate and then welded along the joint, before being subjected to the necessary testing processes. LMS-Patriot Project chairman David Bradshaw said: “The completion of the boiler barrels is another step towards completing the new boiler for The Unknown Warrior. “This is the first all-new large standard gauge boiler to be

constructed in the UK since the 1960s and demonstrates further progress towards the completion of the new Patriot 4-6-0 national memorial engine in time for the 100th anniversary Armistice commemorations in 2018.” The boiler barrel sections were taken to LNWR Heritage at Crewe, where the all-new boiler for The Unknown Warrior is being constructed. The new boiler is expected to be steamed during 2017, before being fitted to the frames.

➜ The LMS-Patriot Project is appealing for donations to help fund the Boiler Barrel. More info is available from www.lms-patriot.org.uk or donations can be posted to The LMS-Patriot Company Ltd, The Hub, 17 Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ.

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A RAIL link which will sever the main line tracks leading into Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry has been approved by approved by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin. Once the Ordsall Chord and its viaduct have been built, trains will no longer be able to access Liverpool Road Station, the original eastern terminus of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, the world’s first inter-city line. Linking Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria stations, the chord is part of the multi-million pound Northern Hub upgrade for rail services. Network Rail said it will ease a rail bottleneck south of Piccadilly and allow an extra two fast trains each hour between Manchester and Liverpool and Leeds and Manchester, along with a direct service to the airport. MOSI director Sally MacDonald said: “The construction of the chord is a reflection of the same kind of world-changing idea that first brought the railway to Manchester.”

Bagnall on way back THE boiler of Bagnall Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 2766 has been steamed for the first time in more than 40 years at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway. Over the last few months its boiler has been hydraulically tested at Bodmin General, then steamed with the safety valves lifting. Finally, on March 10, the boiler was lifted into the frames in what proved to be a very simple operation and a perfect fit. The locomotive is being restored by the Cornish Steam Locomotive Preservation Society. Heritage Railway 11

news in brief ➜ THE Great Central Railway Torksey Viaduct in Lincolnshire, a Grade II* listed structure on English Heritage’s 2014 Heritage at Risk Register, is to be upgraded for pedestrian use over the River Trent, as part of the Trent Valley Way footpath, by Sustrans’ Railway Paths Ltd, after planning approval was given by West Lindsey District Council. ➜ WEST Somerset Railway plc has made temporary arrangements to cope with the absence of chairman John Irven due to ill health. Vicechairman David Baker has become acting chairman, supported by acting vice-chairmen and board members Steve Williams and Humphrey Davies. ➜ THE Hilary Awdry Charitable Trust has given a grant of £10,000 to the Bluebell Railway towards the completion of BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73082 Camelot. Hilary Awdry was the daughter of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who wrote the Thomas the Tank Engine books. ➜ THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways Trust has appointed Heritage Railway Association vice-chairman and West Somerset Railway plc director Mark Smith as a trustee for five years. He succeeds Robert Riddick, who is retiring for health reasons. ➜ PEPPERCORN A2 Pacific No. 60532 Blue Peter was moved to Jeremy Hosking’s LNWR workshops at Crewe from Barrow Hill on March 18, after eight years on display in the roundhouse. As previously reported, it will be overhauled to main line condition. ➜ THE overhauled boiler of WR 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall and the locomotive’s new ashpan arrived at the Great Central Railway from Tyseley Locomotive Works on March 24. ➜ VINTAGE Trains’ trip from Tyseley to Liverpool in April has been cancelled due to gauging complications at Edge Hill and pathing difficulties. It has been replaced by a ‘White Rose’ trip to York the same day, with new pickups being Coleshill, Tamworth, Burton-on-Trent and Derby.

GWR 4-6-0 No. 6960 RaveninghamHall accelerates away from Minehead. JOHN STORER

South Wales steam crosses the Channel! By Robin Jones TEN locomotives were in steam as the West Somerset Railway held its March 26-30 gala on the theme of steam in South Wales. A late guest was the Furness Railway Trust’s GWR 0-6-2T No. 5643, a substitution for the Swanage Railway-based sister locomotive No. 6695, which was damaged en route to the gala (see separate story). Stealing the show was BR Pacific No. 70000 Britannia, which took on the identity of scrapped sister No. 70021 Morning Star, a former Cardiff-based engine. It was joined by fellow visitors Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521 from the Great Central Railway and GWR 2-8-0T

No. 4270 from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. In action from the home fleet were GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 Kinlet Hall, WR No. 6960 Raveningham Hall, GWR 2-8-0T No. 3850, GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Odney Manor, prairie No. 4160, and Peckett 0-4-0ST No. 1788 of 1929 Kilmersdon shunting at Washford. A total of 4556 passengers travelled during the four days, but gales and heavy rain on the Sunday kept many people away, and the overall figure was 170 down on last year’s event. ➜ Britannia will also appear at the Swanage Railway’s April 17-19 spring steam gala, when it will run alongside Schools 4-4-0 No. 925 Cheltenham from the National Collection, visiting from the Mid Hants Railway.

➜ SENTINEL 0-4-0DH No. 10077 has arrived at the Plym Valley Railway from the Wensleydale Railway after being privately purchased. There are plans to vacuum fit the locomotive for use on passenger trains over the coming months. ➜ THE original Barry Railway signalbox at Barry was demolished by Network Rail on March 27.

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LMS Ivatt 2-6-0 No. 46521 tackles Washford bank on March 26, top-and-tailed with GWR 0-6-2T No. 5643. CLASSIC TRACTION

GWR 2-8-0 No. 3850 passes Woolston Farm with the 2pm from Minehead on March 26. CLASSIC TRACTION

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BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 running as No. 70021 MorningStarpasses Nornvis Bridge with the 3.55pm from Norton Fitzwarren. CLASSIC TRACTION

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News

First steam test for Taw Valley By Paul Appleton WITH the return to steam of Bulleid West Country light Pacific No. 34027 Taw Valley imminent, the locomotive has vacated the boiler shop for final fitting of pipework and fettling in the Severn Valley Railway’s main locomotive shed/workshop at Bridgnorth. Taw Valley was set to have its first steam test in the week commencing March 30. This move has led to a reshuffle in the boiler shop with work on stripping the fittings from BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75069 for re-use on the new boiler that is being made for it. As much material will be retrieved as possible for re-use, such as the dome and associated fittings, but the boiler barrel sections are beyond economic repair. GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor is now the current focus of attention with boiler work to be completed shortly. Only the foundation ring – also currently under extensive repair – remains to be refitted before the completion of riveting, staying and

Above: Taw Valley in Bridgnorth works. A return to steam is imminent. BRIAN SHARPE

Right: The bunker of new-build BR Standard 2MT 2-6-2T No. 82045 is fitted to the frames. PAUL APPLETON tubing can take place. Meanwhile work is under way again on the boiler for GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714, which was sidelined while work was concentrated on Taw Valley’s boiler. On the contract work front, the boiler for the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway’s No. 10 Sir Drefaldwyn is waiting for a final steam test before returning to Welshpool, and the boiler for Isle of Man Railway No. 11 Maitland is close to having its barrel refitted. The newly constructed bunker for new-build Riddles 3MT 2-6-2T No. 82045 was recently delivered from Boston Lodge on the Ffestiniog Railway and fitted to the locomotive’s frames in the yard at Bridgnorth in time for the spring steam gala. Work continues on preparing the cylinders

for fitting to the frames. Visitors to the gala (see feature, pages 68-71) will have noticed the appearance of a blue Sentinel 4wVB locomotive in the headshunt at Bridgnorth. This is works No. 9387 of

1948 and is at the railway for cosmetic restoration only as it just a shell and has no boiler or steam fittings. It is destined for Sandford Station Railway Heritage Ltd’s restored station in Somerset.

Frames ordered for new B17 THE B17 Steam Locomotive Trust has ordered the frames for its new-build 4-6-0 No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham. The frames have been ordered from Tata Steel and will be rolled at its Sc*nthorpe plant and transferred to the Wednesfield plant for profiling. They will then be finish machined by the Boro Foundry at Lye. From there, they will be delivered to the Llangollen Railway workshops for assembly and display, hopefully by early summer. The assembled frames and bufferbeam will take their place alongside the other new builds at the Llangollen under the control of chief engineer, David Owen, and his team. During the past two years, the trust

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has been busy on two parallel paths identifying the historical design material, predominantly from the National Railway Museum’s collection, and fundraising. The fundraising has provided the money for the Computer Aided Design definition for the mainframes in readiness for manufacture. More details on how to support the project can be found at b17steamloco.com Elsewhere, progress is being made on the North British Locomotive Preservation Group’s £1.8 million project to recreate B17 ‘Footballer’ class No. 61662 Manchester United. The project is based at the Woking

The CAD drawings for the mainframes as seen from above and below. B17SLT Miniature Railway site at the Mizens Railway in Knaphill, where a new track panel for the project was delivered in March. Already the project’s full-size LNER tender, rediscovered in a

Doncaster scrapyard where it had been hidden under old lorries and cars for more than 20 years, is on site. Visit www.engine61662appeal.co.uk to find out more.

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The plaque unveiled by preservation pioneer by Bill Trinder’s daughter, Cynthia Turner. TRPS

Celebrating preservation’s birth – in Banbury THE Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society and Banbury Civic Society teamed up to commemorate the birth of railway preservation, celebrating its roots in a small radio and gramophone shop owned by local businessman Bill Trinder. It was at 84 High Street, Banbury, that transport author Tom Rolt and Bill met regularly for discussions. Tom was then involved in the establishment of the Inland Waterways Association, but their discussions included the fate of a small narrow gauge railway in Wales; the Talyllyn. Tom had discovered this line during the war, and when in 1948 he noted it was not going to be part of the upcoming nationalisation of Britain’s railways, he became concerned about its future. As a result of these discussions Tom and Bill, along with another friend, Jim Russell, travelled to Wales at the end of March 1948, when Bill and Jim saw the railway for the first time. As a result they resolved to try to save the line. After more discussions and correspondence a meeting was held

at the Imperial Hotel in Birmingham in October 1950, leading to the establishment of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society. Bill was appointed the society’s first chairman and Tom became manager of the railway during its first two seasons.

The two societies To commemorate this a jointly commissioned commemorative plaque was mounted on the site of the old shop, now occupied by The Men’s Room hairdressers. It was unveiled on Saturday, March 28 by Bill’s daughter, Mrs Cynthia Turner. Also present was the president of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, David Mitchell, who mentioned Bill’s involvement with the Liberal Party and the Methodist church, which formed a key link in discussions with the railway’s owner Sir Henry Haydn Jones.

Nene Valley river bridge £30,000 appeal launched THE Nene Valley Railway has launched an SOS appeal for £30,000 to fund vital repairs to a bridge. The money is needed to purchase hardwood waybeams for the Lynch bridge, which spans the River Nene, between Castor and Ferry Meadows. There is a speed restriction for trains

over the bridge owing to restricted clearances for continental rolling stock. The railway said that the need for funds is “desperate” if work is to go ahead this year. ➜Anyone who wishes to help is invited to visit www.nvr.org.uk

Military Railfest off – again

THE Long Marston Military Railway Railfest which was due to be moved to the Nene Valley on May 8-10 has been cancelled because of the ill health of organiser Neil Howard. The event had originally be pencilled in for the former Royal Engineers depot at Long Marston

near Stratford-upon-Avon. Also, USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 3278, which was being rebuilt, would not be ready in time. The LMMR has now changed its name to Military Railway Heritage and will continue to seek to preserve Army railways.

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News

Trailer collapses taking a tank engine to spring gala By Robin Jones

A GUEST locomotive for the West Somerset Railway’s spring steam gala found itself grounded when a low loader taking it from Swanage collapsed en route. GWR 0-6-2T No. 6695 was damaged when the Reid Freight low-loader collapsed on Bere Road in Wareham Forest between Wareham and Bere Regis shortly after midday on March 18. The collapse left a 40ft rut gouged in the road surface around 200 yards from the Silent Woman Inn. The 65 tonne locomotive broke free of the chains and winches holding it in position and travelled forwards before colliding with the back of the tractor unit. It was transferred to a replacement trailer and continued its journey to West Somerset.

Withdrawn hire to WSR

On arrival there, it was found to be damaged, and the Swanage Railway, which has the locomotive on loan from the 6695 Locomotive Company, subsequently withdrew its hire to the WSR. The ex-Barry scrapyard locomotive is due to come out of traffic in December for its 10-yearly overhaul. Swanage Railway chairman Peter Sills

The stricken low-loader carrying GWR 0-6-2T No. 6695 in Bere Road. ANDREW P M WRIGHT

A police officer inspects the damage to the trailer. BOURNEMOUTH ECHO

said: “Reid Freight is our approved contractor and was contracted by the WSR to move No. 6695 from Norden. “Bere Road is an approved route by the Department of Transport and Dorset County Council for heavy loads. The trailer fractured and impacted on the road.” Neighbour Win Sowry said that she and her husband heard the loud crash as the chassis of the truck broke. Reid Freight was carrying out an

Conibeare commented: “Thanks go to the Furness Railway Trust for making No. 5643 available to us for the spring steam gala and to chief mechanical engineer Andrew Forster for obtaining the locomotive at short notice. “A tribute to the steam railway age in South Wales would not seem right without a 56XX, given their 40 years’ service on both passenger and freight trains in the valleys”.

Could locomotive’s diesel fuel have been tampered with...? QUESTIONS about the reliability of the Isle of Man Steam Railway’s new USbuilt diesel locomotive have been raised in the island’s parliament. Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne told the House of Keys that contaminated fuel was suspected for some of the latest breakdowns of the £417,571 locomotive, No. 21 in the railway’s fleet – and foul play may have been involved. Onchan member Peter Karran said the diesel, supplied by Motive Power & Equipment Solutions Inc. of Greenville, South Carolina, had been a “disastrous purchase” that had needed to be rescued by steam locomotives on several occasions.

The minister said: “We are obviously looking into that to see what’s happening – whether there’s something in the tank or whether there’s some malicious element to it.” The diesel arrived in December 2013, and after suffering engine problems, a new one had to be fitted at the manufacturer’s expense, and it was only last July that it entered service. In February, it was rescued by Beyer Peaco*ck 2-4-0T No. 4 Loch after failing while heading a Valentine’s Massacre Murder Mystery train. Director of Public Transport Ian Longworth said it was “a possibility” that the fuel could have been deliberately contaminated..

investigation into how the trailer broke as we closed for press. The WSR wasted no time in hiring a replacement 0-6-2T also appropriate for its Steam in South Wales March 2629 gala theme.

Short notice

Ribble Steam Railway-based sister locomotive GWR No. 5643 was loaned by the Furness Railway Trust. WSR general manager Paul

New Lyn ‘to steam in December’

THE builders of replica Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Baldwin 2-4-2T Lyn are placing the final orders for components which are needed to finish the locomotive by the end of 2015. The 762 Club has announced that the design work to construct the new version of Lyn is now complete Among the last assemblies will be the brake system and frames, both of which will be manufactured within the next three months to allow assembly to begin in July at the works of Alan Keef & Sons in Ross-on-Wye. Around 80% of the locomotive is already complete in component form, including the recent

addition of the valve gear and motion, most of which was constructed by a variety of North Devon machining companies. If the timetable and funding continue as predicted, a semifinished Lyn will be available to view at Alan Keef’s open day in September, with the finishing touches being added during the winter for a December first steaming date. There are still memberships available to purchase either as a lump sum of £762 or through monthly instalments over 30 months. For further details contact Peter Best on 07703 200442 or [emailprotected]

Severn Valley needs £50k for its academy scheme next step THE Severn Valley Railway has launched an appeal to raise £50,000 for the next round of its Heritage Skills Training Academy apprenticeship scheme. Funded by the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust, the academy aims to arrest the decline in heritage engineering skills, ensuring that the future of the railway is protected for generations to come. Since its launch, the academy has

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taken on eight young apprentices, teaching them the traditional skills involved in the maintenance and restoration of the line’s fleet of rolling stock, historic buildings and infrastructure, including locomotive fitting, boiler-making and carriage joinery. Eight students have joined the academy to date: Alan Brookes, 19, from Stourbridge; Tom Hubble, 20, from Birmingham; Dean Parkin, 17,

and Ryan Parsons, 21, who moved all the way from Cornwall and Dorset to take their places on the scheme; Max Green, 18, from Dormston; Chris Bird, 19, from Stone; James Lewis, 19, from Swindon; and, finally, as previously reported, the SVR’s first ever female apprentice, 18-year-old Emma Harrison from Wolverhampton. The SVR Charitable Trust now needs to raise £50,000 to take on two

new apprentices and is looking for donations to help it reach its target. Anyone who would like to help is invited to visit www.svrtrust.org.uk and click the ‘Donate Now’ button. Donations can be made through JustGiving or by calling 01562 757940 and asking for information. Alan Brookes, who joined the academy in 2014, said: “The railway has enriched my life so much and I feel like I am contributing to society.”

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The steamy solar eclipse! By Robin Jones BRITAIN ground to a halt at around 9.30am on Friday, March 20, as people everywhere clamoured to glimpse the solar eclipse. However, with much of the country covered by cloud, there was not much to see for millions of sky gazers. So what was the chance of taking a photograph depicting both the eclipse and a working steam locomotive on a day very much out of season for most railways? The centre of the country was, by comparison with other parts, remarkably cloud free at the right moment. At Rocks by Rail, the Cottesmore venue formerly known as Rutland Railway Museum, a photo charter featuring visiting Barclay 0-6-0ST No. 2139 of 1942 Salmon from the Royal Deeside Railway and former Stourport Power Station 0-4-0ST No. 2088 of 1940 Sir Thomas Royden was under way beneath clear skies. Regular Heritage Railway correspondent Alistair Grieve captured both the eclipse and the locomotives in action, using the exhausts from both engines as an impromptu sun screen. “It was a beautiful clear morning so we had to improvise for pictures of the eclipse,” he said. “Glad

LNWR Webb Coal Tank No. 1054 coasts round the Safari Park curve on the Severn Valley Railway during the partial solar eclipse on March 20. JED BENNETT it worked as it’s a long wait to try it again!” Around 90 miles to the west, the first day of the Severn Valley Railway’s spring steam gala was under way, and Jed Bennett caught visiting LNWR Coal

Tank 0-6-2T No. 1054 as it passed the West Midlands Safari Park. It was the last solar eclipse visible in Europe until August 12, 2026. London experienced an 85% partial solar eclipse, while the longest duration of

totality was two minutes and 47 seconds off the coast of the Faroe Islands. Indeed, the only populated places reachable by public land travel from which the totality could be seen were the Faroe Islands and Svalbard.

The eclipse as viewed through the exhaust of visiting Barclay Salmonwhich along with resident SirThomas Royden was in action during a photographic charter at Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum, on March 20. ALISTAIR GRIEVE.

Network Rail Harbury landslip could boost the campaign for a Stratford link

STRATFORD-upon-Avon could see the return of a southern rail link because of the recent disruption to the network caused by the Harbury landslip. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway was formed with the original aim of relinking Stratford to Cheltenham, a goal which has remained a very much long-term ambition. Network Rail may now beat the heritage line to it following the

landslip on January 31 when £350,000 tons of rock and soil slipped down the embankment at Harbury Cutting, blocking the Leamington to Banbury line. Stratford was left without any direct trains to London as a result. Network Rail has now told its strategy team to review the potential reinstatement of the line south of Stratford as part of a West Midlands and Chilterns route study. The estimated cost of rebuilding

the Stratford to Heybourne line has been placed at £76 million. Long-time local rail campaigner Fraser Pithie was told of Network Rail’s fresh approach after writing to its chief executive Mark Carne in the wake of the landslip. Network Rail’s reply said that it now needed to reconsider the Stratford to Honeybourne route in view of the landslip. In 2012, a feasibility study into reinstating the line through

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Stratford was carried out on behalf of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Network Rail, Centro (West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority), First Great Western and London Midland, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire county councils, and St Modwen Properties, owner of the former MoD site at Long Marston. However, up to now Network Rail has stated that there was no business case. Heritage Railway 17

NEWS

Waterman seeks home for four locos By Geoff Courtney POP impresario Pete Waterman has pledged to keep steam alive by using the proceeds of his eagerly awaited railway models sale towards the overhaul of four steam locomotives – and when the job is done he will be looking for a home for the quartet. The auction of his collection, comprising 55 Gauge I and larger models, will take place in central London on April 16 and is expected to raise in excess of £1 million, with the top model, GWR No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle in 7¼in gauge live steam, estimated at up to £150,000. The four locomotives Pete plans to return to steam are three GWR engines he owns through the Waterman Railway Heritage Trust – 2-8-0T No. 5224, 2-6-2T No. 5553 and 0-6-2T No. 6634 – and the National Railway Museum’s ‘Super D’ 0-8-0 No. 49395, of which the trust is custodian. He also expects to overhaul a fifth locomotive, 2ft gauge former South African Railways G16 class BeyerGarratt 2-6-2+2-6-2 No. 109, which is also owned by the trust.

Based at a single site

All five are out of ticket, Nos. 5224 and 5553 at Crewe Heritage Centre, No. 6634 at the Severn Valley Railway, the ‘Super D’ at Locomotion in Shildon, and the Beyer-Garratt in storage on the Welsh Highland Railway. Pete told Heritage Railway he hoped the four standard gauge locomotives would be based at a single site once their overhauls had been completed, adding: “I would want to see them out steaming around Britain for the public to enjoy.” He also spoke of his love of steam, and his determination to see it continue – a determination that has led to him forging a partnership with Crewe-based rail signalling and engineering company OSL Global for the training of apprentices. “I want steam engines to still be in operation in 50 years. They are very expensive to maintain, but I don’t want people to say they are too expensive to

Super loco: The National Railway Museum’s LNWR Class 7F 0-8-0 No. 49395 looks pristine at Cheddleton on the Churnet Valley Railway in 2006, having recently returned to steam after an overhaul sponsored by Pete Waterman, who is raising funds at auction to once again bring the now out-of-ticket locomotive back into service. BRIAN SHARPE travel on, which is the way it is going now. Volunteer labour won’t be able to cope, and there has to be clarity and common sense. “We need to be training apprentices, and my joint venture with OSL, the Royal Exchange Training Academy, will be up and running at Crewe by June, offering 30 to 40 four-year engineering apprenticeships. “I have spent 30 years preserving steam engines and had a fantastic time, but I have got to leave a legacy. If we do not train people there will be no steam engines for the public to enjoy.” Pete said he would be prepared to listen to offers for another of his locomotives, GWR No. 7027 Thornbury Castle, which is currently in parts at Crewe, but warned: “It would have to be a very big cheque.” The auction of Pete’s collection on April 16 is being handled by Dreweatts & Bloomsbury at Ely House, Dover Street, Mayfair, starting at 6pm, and will be followed by a sale of a further selection of railway models.

NRM to join Stockton & Darlington 200 festivities THE National Railway Museum is to take part in major celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the world’s first public steam railway in 2025, aiming to attract tourists from overseas. Darlington Borough, Stockton Borough and County Durham councils each have a section of the original Stockton & Darlington Railway running through their areas. Representatives of all three were joined by NRM director Paul Kirkman at a press conference held in Darlington’s Head of Steam Museum in March. Coun Nick Wallis, Darlington’s cabinet member for culture, said that there would be “a substantial celebration” for which forward planning is now taking place. “This won’t just be done locally, regionally or even nationally – it has the potential to be an international event,” he said. Paul said: “The NRM’s entire mission is to celebrate the way the railways have changed the world. “We couldn’t not be involved in this.”

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Prairie at Anchor: GWR No. 5553, seen at Blue Anchor station on the West Somerset Railway, is one of the Pete Waterman-owned locomotives that is set to be overhauled thanks to the pop impresario selling his acclaimed collection of Gauge I models. The 2-6-2T was the last engine to leave Woodham Brothers’ scrapyard at Barry in January 1990. JOHN SIMMS

Farewell to Mid Hants Railway benefactor MLV THE Mid Hants Railway has been in mourning following the death of long-standing member, shareholder and benefactor Michael Vout at the age of 76. Known to many as MLV, he died in the early hours of March 27 at Bath’s Royal United Hospital following a severe stroke which he suffered in mid-February this year. Michael had his own ex-Barry scrapyard Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34058 Sir Frederick Pile, which he gifted to the Mid Hants Railway Preservation Society in 2012. A statement from the railway said: “He had led the restoration efforts on this project, and others, for many years since the mid-1980s, and during this time he personally constructed many new components to the highest of standards, and all employing traditional engineering methods and practices. “Michael made an amazing contribution to

preservation in general. He was a unique character and touched the lives of many people with his sense of humour, willingness to assist on noble causes, and his passionate desire to see his beloved heavy engineering live on through the development of youngsters and the progression of the preservation scene in general. “Those of us who knew him well were deeply saddened by the seriousness of his condition in recent weeks which had cruelly robbed a highly intelligent and articulate man of the majority of his physical abilities and capacity to communicate. “However, it is safe to say that he will live on in both the work he did on the locomotives and in our minds, which are full of his amusing stories and anecdotes, a lamentably small fraction of his engineering knowledge and his unique outlook on life.” Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

NEWS

RVR goes main line in £4½ million rebuilding project By Geoff Courtney OFFICIALS and volunteers at two heritage lines are celebrating the installation of a connection to the national network as part of a £4½ million project which is on course to transform one of the railways into a preservation steam centre and the other into a 14 mile line. The main line link is at Robertsbridge in East Sussex, home to the Rother Valley Railway, where the privatelyfunded project, comprising a new station with five-coach platform, carriage shed, two-road loco depot, water tower and crane, is well advanced. The link was completed on March 20 in a joint training exercise between engineers from Network Rail and London Underground in tandem with the track gang from the nearby Kent & East Sussex Railway working as RVR volunteers.

Great achievement

The RVR funded and installed the new point required for the connection while NR supplied the new track, which runs into the disused bay platform at Robertsbridge station that was used by the Kent & East Sussex line to Tenterden and Headcorn until its closure by BR to passengers in 1954. After surveying the newly-completed connection, RVR chairman Gardner Crawley said: “It was a great achievement in three working days. The professional way everyone performed in safety, quality and productivity was a credit to the volunteers, and their achievements would put some sectors of track

replacement to shame.” Praise too, came from Mike Smith, NR’s south east route enhancement manager, who commented: “That looks fantastic.” The new link is a prime example of cooperation between the heritage railway sector and Network Rail, as it will enable NR to access Rother Valley Railway sidings for the assembly and testing of equipment to be used during the frequent major engineering works on the London-Hastings line which serves Robertsbridge station. “It means NR will be able to run its equipment directly onto the main line as soon as it has line possession, thus saving a great deal of time,” said Gardner. Despite the absence of plans to use the connection for railtours – it has been installed purely for the interchange of rolling stock, including locomotives – the neighbouring Kent & East Sussex Railway will have watched its installation with more than passing interest. The heritage line currently runs regular trains 10½ miles from Tenterden to Bodiam, and also occasionally uses a mile extension beyond there to Junction Road, while the RVR has half a mile of track from Robertsbridge to Northbridge Street, resulting in a gap of just two miles between the two railways. And that is a gap many within both railways are determined to plug, so restoring the line between Robertsbridge and Tenterden, a distance of 14 miles. There are obstacles to this plan, not least the rather formidable hurdle of crossing the busy A21 Robertsbridge bypass, but enough negotiations and discussions are going on behind the

Making headway: The Rother Valley Railway’s main line connection is completed on March 20. The track nearest the camera sweeping away from the newly-installed link towards Northbridge Street is part of the RVR, while the London Charing CrossHastings line, upper right, leads into Robertsbridge station in the distance. The RVR site, where a five-coach platform is close to completion, is centre background. Within three years that site will be transformed by a new station, two-road engine depot, carriage shed, and water tower and crane – and, if plans are approved, steam trains from Tenterden. PETER BROWN scenes for those who support linking the railways to believe it will happen.

Three level crossings

A decision by Rother District Council on the RVR planning application to restore the line over the two miles between Northbridge Street and Junction Road is expected in June. This application includes plans for three level crossings, one over the A21 and two over minor roads. Gardner said it was hoped to open the RVR site at Robertsbridge to the public by the summer, once the station

platform had been completed and a picnic site improved, while a provisional completion date for the entire project, including the station building and loco and carriage sheds, was 2018. Thus, 64 years after BR withdrew the passenger service between Robertsbridge and Tenterden, steam trains may return – and to double the joy for enthusiasts, locomotives pulling those heritage trains could be the very same Class A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0Ts that were the motive power all those years ago.

Timetogo:ThefiremanofA1X ‘Terrier’0-6-0TNo.2678,stillcarrying SouthernRailwayidentificationand yettowearitsnewBRNo.32678, waitsforthegreenflagat Robertsbridgestationwithamixed Kent&EastSussexlinetrainto Headcornin1948,whilean unidentifiedlocomotive,probablyan N1orU1class2-6-0,simmersatthe adjacentplatform.Thepassenger train’ssinglecoachisanex-LSWR internalcorridorfour-compartment brakethirdbuiltin1904forthe prestigiouswestofEnglandservices butexperiencingarathermore leisurelylifeinitstwilightyearsafter beingacquiredbytheKESRin1943. Thegoodsshedintheyardsurvives todayasagardenmachinery business,butnotthecattledockon theleft,whichisnowthesiteofthe RotherValleyRailwaythatiscurrently beingtransformedbya£4½million project.Aspartofthisdevelopment, therailwaywasconnectedtothe London-Hastingsmainlinethat servesRobertsbridgeonMarch20. No.32678ispreservedontheKESR andmayyetreturntoRobertsbridge attheheadofapassengertrain. B T COOKE/ COLONEL STEPHENS MUSEUM ARCHIVE

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‘Brighton Belle’ back on the main line in 2015 By Neil Marshall AS WE approach the 6th anniversary of the launch of the £5 million ‘Brighton Belle’ project – the biggest heritage rail restoration project currently underway in Britain – the 5BEL Trust has confirmed that the train will be undergoing main line proving trials before the end of the year. The ‘Brighton Belle’ was the flagship of Herbert Walker’s massive electrification programme, kick-started in 1929 by Chancellor Winston Churchill’s attempts to boost employment in post Wall Street Crash Britain. For the Southern, the removal of tax on first class fares was the spur to introduce the 660v DC third rail system across its network of lines south of London. The target was a significant reduction in operating costs and a hike of 6% in passenger revenues. In the end, Walker saw an uplift in revenues of one fifth in the first alone from the 160 miles of converted track with its improved signalling equipment. In its quest for greater efficiency, the Southern had wisely opted to employ new multiple units. These offered the company the flexibility to match changes in demand across the working day by operating longer or shorter trains, eliminated the need to detach and re-attach locomotives at the end of each journey and maximised the utilisation of platform space.

Express electric units

Much of the initial operating stock was formed of converted locomotivehauled coaches, but orders were placed for new build six-car express electric units. Walker’s stroke of genius was to give a further order to Metropolitan-Cammell for three allPullman five car units to operate the Southern Belle service which commenced service on New Year’s Day, 1933. Rebadged the ‘Brighton Belle’ a year later, these Pullman units were technically advanced with their allsteel construction, a feature that would open the door to a return

to the main line 82 years later; but the passenger would remember only the sumptuous art deco interiors with elaborate hand-finished marquetry, silver anodised metal fittings and deep upholstered seats. The luxury was such that the Belle frequently operated as a Royal Train. After British Rail removed the Belle from service in 1972, the motor thirds were quickly stripped of their electrical equipment at Selhurst Depot, which would later have a profound impact on any attempt to restore the train. First takers for the cars were the breweries, who recognised the potential of Pullman carriages as cheap bolt-on restaurants, but these duties were short-lived, with the exception of First Class Car Hazel, which was operated as a popular (and well maintained) Yorkshire restaurant until 2103. With just 14 cars extant when the ‘Brighton Belle’ project was launched in 2009, that the 5BEL Trust was able to acquire five original cars to form a complete unit in just three years – and, a year later, a sixth (Hazel) after a mammoth two years of negotiations) – was a major achievement. But the greater challenge was an engineering one, with no source of traction motors and a requirement to run beyond their design speed. The trust finally settled on a traditional ‘Southern’ strategy, replacing the bogies with 60s stock Southern items which were wellproven, capable of running at 90mph and would deliver a radically improved ride quality. The difficult and expensive challenge was to graft large sections of 4CIG underframe underneath each car; to replace the solebars with larger section items to cope with increased traction and braking forces from the mandated buckeye couplings; and to massively reinforce crash protection around the cab. Externally, few would spot any difference from when the cars left the Saltley Works, other than the obligatory running lights that are being subtly grafted on the front of the cabs. There is even optimism that, when excursions commence in the first

Air tanks and control gear refitted to Car 88. 5BEL TRUST

View of Car 88’s revised underframe. 5BEL TRUST quarter of 2016, the regulations covering the visibility of the frontal area will have been relaxed, permitting the return of the much-loved and iconic Pullman crest and full lining-out. Internally, the traditional skills of craftsmen carpenters and upholsterers are returning the interiors to their original Art Deco period style. For the first three cars alone, Wheathills of Derby employed 12 craftsmen full time for six months to restore the rare veneers of the interior panels, stripping away decades of degradation by sunlight and poor storage.

Main line testing

For the next 30, those who travel and dine on the ‘Belle’ may not look much beyond the elegance of the marquetry, rich moquette fabrics and silvered brightwork. Yet it is the intelligent application of more modern technologies that will allow this iconic and wonderful train to carry passengers on the main line once again.

A TPWS system has been fitted; automatic lifting shoe gear will facilitate running off the third rail; disabled passengers can be comfortably accommodated and the lavatory system is built around retention tanks. Main line testing and proving trials will run through the fourth quarter of 2015, utilising a ‘short’ three car unit. First Class Car Hazel will be added for the 2016 excursion programme on the third rail from April 2016, with the other two cars progressively introduced into service afterwards. The superb engineering skills of the Rampart Engineering team have resolved the many difficult challenges to return the world’s most famous Pullman train to the main line, while creating a national centre of excellence for heritage rail restoration at Barrow Hill. The project cost is high, but the legacy for future generations is continued access to one of the 20th century’s great design icons – back on the main line where it belongs.

Fitting of electrical cabinets under Car 88. 5BEL TRUST

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Heritage Railway 21

NEWS LNER K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 is seen near Newton-le-Willows on the Wensleydale Railway with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Wensleydale & Durham Coast’ tour on March 21. STUART BROWN

1918 veteran tops SVR mileage charts By Paul Appleton THE Severn Valley Railway’s steam fleet notched up an impressive 55,591 miles for the season which ended on January 4, with the diesel fleet contributing a further estimated 5000 miles. Top of the 2014 mileage chart was one of the railway’s oldest locomotives, 1918-built GWR Churchward 2-8-0 No. 2857. With 10,477, it was not only the highest mileage for the year, but also contributed 1117 miles in December alone working the SVR’s busy preChristmas Santa trains and the festive holiday programme. Almost neck and neck, but just edging into second place, were Ivatt

4MT 2-6-0 No. 43106 with 9597 and the Erlestoke Manor Fund’s GWR 4-6-0 No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor with 9329 miles. Completing the line’s big engine front line effort was Southern Locomotive’s Bulleid light Pacific No. 34053 Sir Keith Park, which amassed a total of 8220 miles. The second highest total on the Christmas period trains came from visiting 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 from the Great Central Railway, which was drafted in to strengthen the fleet at a time when reliability is paramount and up to six engines are needed in traffic. It ran a total of 97 miles during a trouble-free visit, with 18 booked turns completed. Other visitors making a contribution were BR Standard 5MT

No. 73129 from the Midland RailwayButterley, which completed a total of 3550 miles during its summer stint, and GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 Kinlet Hall, which ran for 507 miles before it moved on to the West Somerset Railway in the spring. Of the smaller locomotives, Hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501 added 5128 miles, while GWR small ‘Prairie’ No. 4566 accounted for 5775, much of which was on dining trains, covering most of those operated in December. The six coach dining formation was much more suitable for the Class 4 tank than the service and Santa trains which load up to eight or nine bogies. GWR auto-fitted 0-4-2T No. 1450 managed 2100 miles but is largely limited to galas, charter work and

driver experience turns due to its limited haulage capacity. It is to stay on the SVR for at least a further year. With the imminent completion of a second Bulleid light Pacific, West Country No. 34027 Taw Valley, and the Erlestoke Manor Fund’s other locomotive, No. 7802 Bradley Manor, expected back in the summer, the railway does not anticipate the need to hire in steam locomotives during 2015. As well as these two, the railway expects to welcome back two other locomotives during this 50th anniversary year in the shape of former Port Talbot Railway/GWR 0-6-0ST No. 813 (see separate story) and GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714, work on which will intensify once Taw Valley comes out of the boiler shop.

Mallard duck on King’s Cross Gresley statue ‘ridiculous’ says his grandson SIR Nigel Gresley’s grandson Tim Godfrey has criticised the design of a bronze statue which featured a mallard duck standing next to the world record-breaking engineer as “ridiculous”. Tim and his brother Ben’s opposition to the inclusion of the duck in the statue pencilled in for King’s Cross, for which a £90,000 appeal is under way, led to the Gresley Society Trust’s council modifying the design to exclude it because they said it demeaned their grandfather The decision in March sparked an immediate controversy and led to three of the trust’s senior members resigning over the issue. Former National Railway Museum head and trust vice-chairman Andrew Dow, press officer Dennis Butler and Nigel Dant, who came up with the idea of honouring the LNER chief mechanical engineer on the 75th anniversary of his death next April, claimed that there was almost total support from the public for the statue to include the duck after which his

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record-breaking A4 No. 4468 was named. It was designed by awardwinning Brighton-based portrait sculptor Hazel Reeves, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. The three issued a statement which read: “The Sculpture Group of the Gresley Society Trust, which has been working for the last year on the design, permissions and other aspects of a proposal for a statue of Sir Nigel Gresley at King’s Cross station, is dismayed to learn that the council has decided to modify this project significantly. “This has occurred because the two grandsons of Sir Nigel Gresley have objected to the inclusion in the statute of a mallard. The mallard, an allusion to the design of one of Sir Nigel’s most famous locomotives, was included specifically for the purpose of attracting viewers, especially younger, uninformed viewers, and drawing their attention to the QR code on the accompanying plaque. The QR code would offer immediate access to the Gresley Society Trust’s new website,

where full information about Sir Nigel and his unique achievements could be found. “The Sculpture Group believes that the many thousands of views expressed through the press and social media, along with the views of the very many people who have contributed financially towards the cost of the statue, should take precedence over the views of a tiny, if significant, minority.” The views expressed to the council came after the picture of the artist’s 12in maquette were published. Tim said that he thought the statue of his grandfather was superb – but did not want the duck to be there. “I find the duck ridiculous, and many other people think so too,” he said. “In my opinion, Flying Scotsman is just as famous as Mallard in his story.” Dennis said: “I have trawled through numerous websites and social media including Heritage Railway’s Facebook page and 95% of people want the mallard included. We have not seen a single negative comment about it.”

The 12in maquette of Sir Nigel Gresley and Mallard, included to symbolise what many see as his finest hour.

The statue has planning permission and its erection will still go ahead minus the mallard. Anyone who wants to donate is asked to visit www.gresley.org Sir Nigel Gresley had mallards and other waterfowl on a moat at his home, Salisbury Hall near St Albans, and named many of the A4s after different species.

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NEWS

Fifty years since Beeching Axe began the ‘way back’ By Robin Jones and Roger Melton

TWO major events in March marked the cycle of closure and rebirth of the steam era. On Friday, March 6, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway – Britain’s and indeed the world’s most popular heritage line in terms of passenger numbers – commemorated 50 years since the Grosmont to Pickering and Melton route was axed by Beeching in 1965. Elsewhere, the Severn Valley Railway, which annually records the second-highest number of heritage-era passengers, held its spring steam gala (featured on pages 66-71), marking 50 years since a group of enthusiasts met in the Cooper’s Arms pub in the Kidderminster suburb of Habberley to form the preservation society, which five years later opened the first section of today’s line.

Resounding success

The NYMR’s 50th-anniversary-ofclosure event, which saw the re-creation of the famous SLS ‘Whitby Moors’ railtour that took place on the exact anniversary of the closure day, proved to be a resounding success. The event kicked off with a Pullman special hauled by the same two engines used back in 1965 on the railtour – Gresley K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess (albeit already preserved and running as LNER No. 3442 in 1965) and Thompson K1 No. 62005. TheGreatMarquessdeparts from Goathland on March 7. ALAN WEAVER

On March 8 – the final day of the successful gala – No. 61994TheGreatMarquess pilots K1 No. 62005, just as it did 50 years earlier, round the curve at Darnholm with the 11.45am Whitby to Pickering. MAURICE BURNS Before the VIP trip set off from Pickering for Whitby, a photographic exhibition – Last Train to York – in the Learning Centre on Platform 2 was officially opened by 89-year-old retired signal inspector Frank Dean, who witnessed the 1965 railtour that was jointly organised by the by the Stephenson Locomotive Society and Manchester Railway Society to run

from Manchester over to North Yorkshire. The photographs were taken on the day the line closed by 18-year-old teenager Maurice Burns, now 68, an NYMR member and regular Heritage Railway correspondent. The exhibition runs until October 1. After the train reached Whitby, a ceremony to officially open the

NYMR’s Platform 2 was conducted by BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration. The platform was completed last August and earned the line the Heritage Railway Association’s Railway of the Year Award 2014. The next two days comprised a weekend of mixed traction, reflecting the engines seen when the line closed. Other locomotives in use included A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley and newly overhauled BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76079.

Winter maintenance

A three-car Class 101 unit, representative of those used on the line in its final years before closure, was made up from the two power cars of visiting unit Daisy, from the Midland Railway-Butterley, and the centre car of the NYMR’s own Class 101, whose power cars are withdrawn for body overhaul. Just to complicate the mixture, some of the bogies on Daisy had tyres in poor condition and have been exchanged with those from the NYMR’s unit! Sadly, one engine that didn’t make the event was B1 No. 61264, as a representative of a class that ran over the line often in BR days; having run 12,000 miles on the NYMR in 2014 it was still receiving well-deserved winter maintenance. The railway recorded around £35,000 of takings over the course of the three-day event, welcome income at a time of year that would otherwise be quiet. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the most spectacular section of the NYMR, the deviation route from Grosmont to Goathland Summit, which opened for traffic on July 1, 1865.

24 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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LNER K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 TheGreatMarquesspasses under Larpool viaduct at Whitby during the 50th-anniversary-of-closure gala on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on March 7. MICHAEL ANDERSON

Now for the spring steam gala...and first vist for KinletHall The NYMR’s spring steam gala, which runs on April 17-19 and 24-26, has GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 Kinlet Hall making its first visit. It is expected to arrive on April 13 and stay for up to six weeks. Joining it for the gala will be Ian Riley’s ‘Black Fives’ Nos. 45407 and 44871; it is understood that No. 62005 should also be still on the line, along with, possibly, No. 61994. The home fleet of ‘Black Five’

No. 45428, BR Standard 4MTs Nos. 76079 and 75029, No. 61264, Q6 No. 63395 and No. 60007 are also rostered. ‘Black Five’ No. 44806 will probably miss the gala as it is likely to be still undergoing winter maintenance that includes an all-new tender tank. The gala is likely to include demonstration freights and some running on the Esk Valley line to Battersby.

In addition, the Fight for Vera fund, which is fundraising to kickstart the overhaul of WD 2-10-0 No. 3672 Dame Vera Lynn, will again be running a ‘pie and pea’ special and rail ale service on Friday, April 24. The next day, a breakfast bap service departs Pickering at 9.00am; there will be a choice of bacon or sausage baps. The ‘Vera’ team will also be on board serving real ales.

BBCLookNorthpresenterHarryGration cutsthetapeofficiallyopeningWhitby’s Platform2. ROBIN JONES

AviewfromthefootplateoftheK4. CarryingtheSLS/MLS‘WhitbyMoors Railtour’headboarditapproaches Goathlandstationwiththe14.00Whitby toPickeringonMarch7. MAURICE BURNS Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

TheGreatMarquess and No. 62005 stand side by side at Whitby on March 6. ROBIN JONES Heritage Railway 25

News

Fresh hopes for the Colne Valley Railway’s survival By Robin Jones

HOPES are high that the Colne Valley Railway can be saved, despite its Australian property developer landlord giving notice that it must cease operations on December 31. The Castle Hedingham-based outfit was told of the decision by Christopher Young in late March, even though the line is midway through a £1.65 million bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund which would have helped buy it. Made aware of Mr Young’s decision to try to get planning permission to develop the site, the Lottery has told CVR officials to hold off until November. Then it is likely to have made a decision about the grant application, and the situation regarding the possibility of the landowner being granted planning permission for development in a conservation area will be clearer. In the meantime, the railway has drawn up a shortlist of 25 sites for possible relocation should all avenues to stay where it is become exhausted. Six of them are also on the former Colne Valley & Halstead Railway

formation, and talks with landowners are taking place. The Lottery is already supporting the bid, which will not only cover part of the purchase price of the freehold – the remainder to be sourced by matched funding – but also create a skills ‘centre of excellence’ to restore and overhaul rolling stock as well as an interactive museum detailing the history of the line. In late January, the Lottery awarded the Colne Valley Railway Preservation Society a Stage One pass, which came with a £66,000 grant which will be used to draw up proposals with architects and surveyors over the following two years. If the Lottery is pleased with the proposals, the full £1.65 million could be awarded.

Slightly higher offer

The Lottery offered to come to the aid of the railway 10 years ago when founders Dick and Jane Hymas placed it on the market. In late 2005, a grant of nearly £1 million was awarded to the supporting Colne Valley and Halstead Railway Trust to help buy it. However, just as the trust was set to

conclude a £1.5 million deal to buy the line, in stepped the Young family with a slightly higher offer. On March 28, 2006, the line was sold to the family, complete with one locomotive, unrestored Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No. 3715 of 1928, two Pullman carriages used for the line’s dining train, various wagons and other coaches and 7.5 hectares of land with two stations with platforms, two signalboxes, a crossing keeper’s hut and visitor facilities. Despite fears at the time that the land could be used for development, the Young family offered to lease the line to the society for two years at a reasonable rent, and said that they would plough money into the venue to make it more attractive as a visitor destination. However, after the latest bombshell was dropped at the society’s annual general meeting on March 22, a statement was issued by the society saying that 2015 would be its last operating season on its current site. Society chairman Paul Lemon said: “We are extremely disappointed at this turn of events but fully

understand the landowner’s position. We have the equipment, artefacts and skills to develop a first class attraction and we are optimistic we can find a site as good as or better than the site at Castle Hedingham in as short a time as possible. We trust all our customers will bear with us during this transition”. As we closed for press, Paul said: “The Lottery has told us to hold off until November to see if the Australian owner changes his mind. “We think he has been led to believe that if the railway leaves the site, it will be redesignated as brownfield and he will be able to redevelop it. “We have since held talks with local councils and it seems he will have difficulty in getting planning permission. If that is the case, he may reconsider.” Paul said that the line will close on December 31, but has been given next year to move its stock. He added that most of the society’s members come from south Essex and it was hoped to relocate as near to the present base as possible. In the meantime, the society has been contracted to sell Mr Young’s rolling stock.

Restoration groups

On September 24, 2004, GER J15 0-6-0 No. 65462 (now a Y14 again) is seen at Castle Hedingham in its BR guise, during a Sentimental Journeys photo charter. GEOFF SILco*ck

26 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Mr Young has separate deals with locomotive restoration groups on the site, including 45163 Ltd, which owns ex-Barry ‘Black Five’ No. 45163, and the British Enginemen Steam Preservation Society, which is rebuilding sister engine No. 45293 and Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35010 Blue Star. It was unclear whether they too had been given notice. The original Colne Valley & Halstead Railway was built in the 1850s and funded by public subscription led by local industries. Halstead was a textile production base with the line providing transport to Colchester Docks, and the line was also used by the local brickmaking industry. It was closed in the 1960s and fell into disrepair before being bought for preservation in 1972, and the Colne Valley Railway Co Ltd was set up two years later. Epping Ongar Railway business development manager Dean Walton said: “We were sorry to hear that this will be the final season for the CVR, which thankfully does not appear to have come from a lack of interest in heritage railways. It must be especially upsetting for the volunteers and staff of the CVR coming on the back of a successful first stage bid to the HLF for the ultimate purchase of the railway from the present owner. “Like other railways, should it actually come to the stage whereby the assets of the CVR come to the market, we will look at those with interest. In addition we will also consider any offers from owners with rolling stock at the CVR who wish to bring them to EOR.”

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Heritage Railway 27

news

Bulleid trio to star in GWR’s bank holiday steam festival THREE Bulleid Pacifics will be the stars of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s Cotswold Festival of Steam over the May 23-25 bank holiday weekend. West Country 4-6-2s No. 34007 Wadebridge and No. 34092 Wells have been confirmed for the big event, which again is sponsored by Heritage Railway. The pair, whose light axle loading made them eminently suitable for the Southern lines in the west, will be lined up alongside Toddington-based Merchant Navy No. 35006 Peninsular and Oriental SN Co, which hopefully will be in light steam. The plan is for it to be exhibited and available for footplate visits in the bay at Winchcombe station on each day of the gala. All three were at various times residents of Salisbury (72B) shed. A further visitor was being confirmed as we closed for press.

in brief ➜ THECorrisRailwaywillfeaturein thisyear’sMachynllethComedy FestivalovertheMay1-3bank holidayweekend.ASaturday morninggigonMay2willtakeplace inthecarriageshedatMaespoeth Junction,featuringfouractsfromthe event.Asthereisnopublicaccess, organisershaveonceagainarranged thataspecialsteamtrainwith suitableheadboardwilloperateto taketheaudiencetoandfromthegig witharoadcoachconnection betweenMachynllethandCorris station. ➜ THE new cylinder and steam chest castings for the rebuild of the Ffestiniog Railway’s large England 0-4-0STTWelshPonyhave been delivered to Boston Lodge. With the saddle tank and cab repaired and painted, the motion stripped and the new frames available, these are most of the key components needed for the loco’s return to steam in time for its 150th birthday in 2017. ➜ HARROGATEGasWorksThomas Green0-6-2STBarberwillmakeits SouthTynedaleRailwaydebut duringaspecialMay2-5gala.Itwill bethefirsttimeithasbeenused since1949,followingitsrestoration byAlanKeef. ➜ RAF aerobatic team the Red Arrows will take part in the Barry Tourist Railway’s Barry at War weekend on June 20 and 21. They will be joined by the Second World War Avro Lancaster Bomber from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. ➜ ChichesterandDistrictSocietyof ModelEngineerswillbeholdingits nextSteamonSundayopen afternoononSunday,June21, between2-5pm,atit*sitein BlackberryLane,offBognorRoad.

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The railway hopes to present seven locomotives operating an intensive service over the full length of the Cheltenham Racecourse to Laverton line. The event will include the railway’s home fleet, which includes GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor, from a class associated with trains to the west coast of Wales seaside resorts, over the Cambrian line to Aberystwyth and to Barmouth and Pwllheli, in particular the ‘Cambrian Coast Express’. Other resident locomotives include small prairie No. 5542, a representative of a class which was a familiar sight on Cornish GW branch lines, again taking seaside travellers on the last leg of their holiday journey. Also in steam will be centenarian GW 2-8-0 No. 2807 and 2-8-0T No. 4270, representative of freight classes which could be pressed into handling passenger traffic at peak periods. There will be opportunities to book

footplate rides on some services. More information can be found at: http://www.gwsr.com The railway will also once again be running a freight train and offering brakevan rides, which have proved to be a popular option for many visitors. Tickets will be available on the day at Toddington, from where the North Gloucestershire Railway’s 2ft-gauge line will be in operation. Before then, the railway will be running its extremely popular Wartime in the Cotswolds event over the weekend of April 25-26. Steam trains will be packed with military personnel, perhaps on leave or involved in an exercise along the line; ‘civvies’ going about their daily routine; the odd ‘spiv’ trying to flog ill-gotten silk stockings, cigarettes or watches; to say nothing of the odd German spy caught by the military police. Toddington, Gotherington and

Winchcombe stations will be filled with period military hardware, re-enactment groups, cars, road transport, and a US-built Sherman tank. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight has confirmed a Spitfire low-level fly past for the event, at about 3.25pm on the Sunday, making flights over Toddington . There will be big band singers and entertainers and even a 1940s wedding celebration. Visitors will be able to watch movements in the RAF plotting room, and on Sunday take part in a short Act of Remembrance, led by a military padre. At Toddington, there will be a period hairdresser and beauty salon. At Gotherington, the Gloucester Royal Regiment and the Home Guard will be there, with visitors able to find out about Violette Szabo, a British spy murdered by the Nazis. Gotherington station grounds will be opened by its private owner.

P2 Prince of Wales: third of funds raised A THIRD of the £5 million funding needed to build the seventh Gresley P2 2-8-2 is now in place. Pledges for donations to No. 2007 Prince of Wales have reached £1.7 million in just a year from the project’s ‘P2 for the price of a pint of beer a week’ (£10 per month) regular donation – or covenant – scheme after more than 650 supporters signed up to it. In addition to this core scheme, funds have been raised through the Founders Club (more than 360 people have donated £1000 each – target 100 people, now closed), the Boiler Club (over 60 people have pledged £2000 each - target of 300 people) and dedicated donations (£100,000 from existing supporters sponsoring a variety of components). At the same time, the first boiler components have been delivered. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, builder of A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado, is building No. 2007 over seven years at an estimated cost of £5 million through its P2 Steam Locomotive Company subsidiary. The project will demonstrate how the design can be fully realised through use of modern computer design and modelling techniques, enabling the new locomotive to deliver its full potential hauling passenger trains at high speed across today’s national network. Construction progress to date includes the frame plates for engine and tender rolled and profiled, the frames erected at Darlington Locomotive Works, all 20 wheels for

The frame assembly of the new Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 PrinceofWales. A1SLT the engine and tender cast, eight 6ft 2in driving wheels proof machined and all major engine frame stays, brackets and horn blocks cast and machined. A further 16 axlebox and buffer castings are under way. In addition, the bearings for all engine and tender wheelsets and engine tyres, axles and crank pins are ordered, along with 1000 fitted and driven bolts. Preliminary discussions have been held with boiler manufacturers and forged foundation ring corners manufactured and machined. A study into ride and suspension is completed and the Finite Element Analysis of crank axle to ensure the locomotive complies with modern standards is under way. A notified body has been appointed to oversee certification and the nameplates have been delivered and chime whistle ordered. Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley to haul 600 ton trains on the arduous Edinburgh to Aberdeen route, the P2

design was never fully developed and the class members were rebuilt in 1943/44 and scrapped by 1961. Trust chairman Mark Allatt said: “We are hopeful that we will have completed the rolling chassis for No. 2007 Prince of Wales next winter and we remain on track for completion of the new locomotive in 2021. However, to maintain this rate of progress we need to continue to raise in excess of £700,000 per year, which given the nature of the regular donation scheme becomes more challenging as each year passes. “I would encourage all steam enthusiasts who haven’t yet contributed to this exciting project to help us to meet these deadlines by becoming a monthly covenantor or joining the Boiler Club. ➜ For details of how to help visit www.p2steam.com, email [emailprotected] or call 01325 460163.

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GWR 4-6-0 No. 5972OltonHallin the guise of Hogwarts Castle in the Harry Potter theme park at Leavesden, Hertfordshire on March 12. JACK BOSKETT

The world’s oldest tunnel now has protected status WHAT is believed to be the world’s oldest railway tunnel, which was rediscovered two years ago, has now been given protected status as an ancient monument. Fritchley Tunnel was built in 1793 as part of the Butterley Gangroad, a horse-drawn tramway linking Derbyshire’s Cromford Canal with quarries at Crich. Engineered by Benjamin Outram, it was modernised in the 1840s to accommodate a narrow gauge railway. The line continued to be used by steam engines until 1933. Sealed up in 1977 when a previous landowner built a rockery over it, the tunnel was excavated by archaeologists in 2013. A £17,900 Heritage Lottery Fund-backed investigation found parts of the tunnel are as old as the line. English Heritage spokesman Tony Calladine said that Outram was “an

important figure who greatly influenced the development of railways in Derbyshire and across England”. He said: “He was one of the first to recognise the potential of railways to provide a nationwide transport system which would bind the country together. And the Butterley Gangroad was where he first developed the ideas.” In November 1813, Scottish engineer William Brunton trialled a locomotive which was built at the Butterley works in Ripley on the tramway. It was the first steam locomotive to operate in the East Midlands.” Crawshaw Woods Bridge, near Leeds, designed by Scottish engineer James Walker and one of the earliest cast iron bridges still in situ over a working railway, has also been given Grade II-listed status.

Skipton heritage plans discussed before parliamentary committee EMBSAY & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway officials have held talks with Government ministers in London to further their aim of linking the heritage line to Skipton. A delegation from the line made a presentation to members of the parliamentary committee on heritage railways in which they outlined their £2.6 million plans. Embsay business manager Stephen Walker said: “From our point of view it was a very successful meeting. We are very optimistic that we can get the cash to go ahead.”

It is 23 years since a feasibility study into the long-term development of the line included a reconnection to Skipton, which the railway believes will further boost the local economy by millions of pounds every year. It was to be completed only after the line was extended to Bolton Abbey and engineering facilities developed at Embsay, both of which have now been finished. A recent feasibility study by Network Rail has shown that connecting the line to Skipton is practical.

‘Rare’ diesels at Barrow Hill BARROW Hill is to hold a Rarities Diesel Gala on April 18-19. The event, supported by rail freight companies DRS, GBRF, DB Schenker and Colas Rail, will feature classes of diesel locomotives rarely seen at the roundhouse. Operating trains will be a DRS Class 68, a GBRF Class 66, a DB Schenker Class 60, a Colas Class 60 (Saturday only), Class 42 Warship D832 Onslaught from the West Somerset Railway, Class 35 Hymek D7076 from

the East Lancashire Railway and Class 27 No. 27066. Baby Deltic D5910, currently being created by the Baby Deltic project at the roundhouse, will be on display on the turntable. There will be a free shuttle bus service from Chesterfield station running throughout both days. There is plenty of free on-site parking for those travelling to the event by car. Advance tickets are now on sale from www.seetickets.com

Inspection pledge for tunnel Fritchley Tunnel in the 1940s. It was used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War. RAILWAY CANAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PLANS by the Rhondda Tunnel Society to reopen Wales’ longest tunnel – the 3443-yard Rhondda & Swansea Bay Railway Tunnel – as a tourist attraction have been boosted by a decision by the Highways Agency to inspect it. The tunnel runs from Blaencwm in the

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Rhondda to Blaengwynfi in the Afan Valley. Construction and engineering company Hammond ECS of Aberdare has been contracted to undertake the inspection alongside the Mines Rescue Service. It is hoped to reopen the tunnel to walkers. Heritage Railway 29

News

Duke of Kent opens Buckfastleigh

Words by Robin Jones Photographs by Sarah Anne Harvey

PRINCE Edward, Duke of Kent, visited the South Devon Railway on Thursday, March 19 and opened the £200,000 workshop extension at Buckfastleigh. Arriving via helicopter, he met many staff and volunteers including the engineering, running shed, carriage and wagon personnel and footplate crews, museum and gardens workers, catering and retail staff and permanent way and cutting back teams. He made a short trip from Buckfastleigh to Staverton on the footplate of GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6412, star of the TV series The Flockton Flyer and recently returned to service following an extensive overhaul. He was shown how the engine works by veteran SDR driver Dave Knowling, who is believed to be the longest serving steam engineman in the country with 61 continuous years of service.

Excellent day

No. 6412, complete with the correct Royal Train headcode, also hauled a three-coach train of VIP guests and dignitaries plus railway and supporting association directors. In a direct link with his family’s past, one of the vehicles, GWR first class super saloon No. 9111 King George V, carried the duke’s mother and father, the Duke and duch*ess of Kent, on their honeymoon from Paddington to Birmingham on November 29, 1934. SDR spokesman Dick Wood said: “It was an excellent day for the railway and we put on a really good show for the duke who enjoyed the visit and

Three guests for mixed traction WSR June gala THE West Somerset Railway’s June 5-7 mixed traction weekend will feature three guest diesel electric locomotives. Barrow Hill-based Class 37 No. 37057 and Class 45 Peak No. 45060 Sherwood Forester will join Leicester-based Class 56 No. 56006. They will be moved to Minehead by Class 59 59003. No. 56006 will be the first of its type to operate WSR public services in the history of the heritage line, previous appearances class members being at the head of charter trains which have worked through to Minehead. The Williton-based home fleet of the Diesel and Electric Preservation Group will be represented by Class 47 D1661 North Star and Class 33 D6575. Western Region diesel-hydraulic power will be provided by Class 42 Warship D832 Onslaught and Class 35 Hymek D7017. There will be a steam diagram on the Saturday and Sunday. The Friday evening schedule will include a real ale and fish and chip special, made up of 11 coaches. There will be services between Bishops Lydeard and Norton Fitzwarren, using the WSR’s DMU on Friday and a top-and-tailed coaching set on the Saturday and Sunday.

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Bearing the correct Royal Train headcode (four white lamps) the South Devon Railway’s own Royal Train hauled by GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6412, with the duke on the footplate and VIPs in the Super Saloon coaches, runs into Staverton station. was fascinated by the various engineering processes he saw before officially opening our new workshop extension. He also enjoyed driving the steam loco and train from Buckfastleigh to Staverton. “Everyone involved at the SDR entered into the spirit of the event and he met nearly 60 people in just an

hour-long visit, so was kept busy.” At the time of his birth on October 9, 1935, the duke was sixth in the line of succession to the throne of his grandfather King George V, behind the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, his cousins Elizabeth and Margaret and his father. He has held his title since 1942.

As of the birth of Zara Phillips’s first child, the Queen’s fourth greatgrandchild, on January 17, 2014, the Duke of Kent is 33rd in line. With the death of the 7th Earl of Harewood in 2011, he became the Queen’s eldest living paternal cousin, although he is nine years younger than the Queen herself.

All three Rheidol classics in the works! A FIRST has been achieved at the Vale of Rheidol Railway, with all three of the iconic Swindon-built 2-6-2Ts undergoing maintenance in the Aberystwyth workshop simultaneously. “We think this is the first time that this has happened,” said spokesman Rob Gambrill. “Previously when British Rail operated the line, locomotives were sent to Swindon Works for repairs as the Vale of Rheidol lacked its facilities for heavy maintenance. “We have photographic evidence of two locomotives being in the works together, but never all three. We now have a narrow gauge version of the famous A Shop which is able to restore not only our own locomotives and rolling stock, but also takes on outside contract work. The three locomotives are lined up on adjacent roads.” Previously, engineering works took place in the former GWR shed at Aberystwyth. However, the new shed boasts all the modern facilities required for a 21st century steam workshop and additional machinery has been acquired using a grant from the Coastal Communities Fund. Repairs have taken place on the frames of No. 7 Owain Glyndŵr; the cylinders have been removed for

reboring and the frames have been shot blasted and painted. A full overhaul programme is currently being drawn up so that it can steam again for the first time since 1998. No. 8 Llywelyn has had a full bottom end overhaul, having run more than 50000 miles since its last major overhaul eight years ago. The wheels have been reprofiled and the driving wheels were sent to the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge works for turning.

No. 9 Prince of Wales has also had its annual boiler maintenance completed ready for the season ahead. While in the works, the opportunity has been taken to modify the cladding around the smokebox, returning the locomotive to the same condition as delivered. The cladding was modified during an overhaul at the Brecon Mountain Railway in 1990. Both No. 8 and No. 9 have received new chimney liners and modifications to the air pump exhausts.

The GWR Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2Ts inside the new Aberystwyth workshop. VOR Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

workshop extension

The Duke of Kent pauses to look at a direct link with his family’s past. GWR 60ft Super Saloon King George V No. 9111 carried his mother and father from Paddington to Birmingham on November 29, 1934.

SouthDevonRailwayengineeringdirectorRichard Elliotshowstheduketheprocessforretyring locomotiveandtrainwheelsandexplainsthatexternal contractworkiscarriedoutforotherrailways.

Driver Dave Knowling, with 61 years’ continuous steam locomotive driving experience, and the duke bring the train safely into Staverton station.

The duke unveils the commemorative plaque to celebrate the opening of the new extension of the SDRE workshop.

Princess Anne to visit Lynton Cliff Railway for a second time PRINCESS Anne is to visit two heritage railways in the space of five days. As we reported in issue 200, the Princess Royal will visit the Severn Valley Railway for the first time on Monday, April 13. A party of local dignitaries and SVR representatives will welcome her and her escort, the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, at Bewdley where she will also meet young volunteers. She will then be invited to take a footplate ride on a steam locomotive to Kidderminster or ride in an observation saloon. Five days later, on April 17, she will ride on the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway to mark its 125th anniversary. Arriving mid-morning, she will start the visit at the Lynmouth base station, where she will be welcomed by staff and volunteers. She will unveil a plaque recognising the history of the water-powered railway, which last year received the Engineering Heritage Award. She will travel on the cliff railway up to Lynton to be greeted by flag-waving children from primary schools in Lynton, Parracombe and Kentisbury. Traders from the town will line the streets with stalls. From there, she will meet more volunteers in Lynton Town Hall. Andrew Ireland, chairman of the Lynmouth and Lynton Lift Company, said: “About 10 years ago she visited the railway – we had no notice at all. “It was an obvious move for us to celebrate our 125th anniversary by asking if she was prepared to come again. Her support is absolutely marvellous.” All trips on the cliff railway on April 17 will be free, with donations to Help for Heroes, Children’s Hospice South West and Tall Ships Youth Trust requested.

Councillor who breached code over West Somerset sale quits A SENIOR politician accused of “cosying up” to one of two groups bidding to buy the freehold of the West Somerset Railway has resigned as a county council cabinet member. Conservative David Huxtable was given the responsibility of signing off the sale of the line, for which West Somerset Railway plc and its supporting West Somerset Railway Association were bidding. Eyebrows were raised when the association launched its own bid to buy the freehold against the railway. An acrimonious rift developed within the ranks of railway supporters. Somerset County Council announced last May that it decided not to sell the freehold. The impartiality of Coun Huxtable was questioned after a Freedom of Information request released emails that he shared with the association’s Roger Bush. After the emails were made public, their relationship was described as “cosy” by fellow councillor Mike Rigby, an independent. An investigation that was subsequently launched into Coun Huxtable’s actions found that he

breached the authority’s code of conduct. A standards committee hearing panel ruled that he had used his position improperly to give another person an advantage, and conducted himself in a manner which could bring the council into disrepute.

Code of conduct

He was also found to have failed to comply with the code of conduct which states that members should avoid doing anything which compromises or is likely to compromise the impartiality of those who work for, or on behalf of, the council; and should not disclose information given in confidence by anyone, or information acquired which is believed to be of a confidential nature. Among the statements contained in the emails were: “I would have thought Mike Rigby would be making a big mistake if he made too much of this proposed transfer of

freehold. Perhaps that needs pointing out to him. The quieter this is kept, the better, and making a fuss could be construed as damaging for the railway.” “I think I might open my ‘media campaign’ which will point out that it is not in the public interest for the plc to hold the freehold.” In a statement, county council leader John Osman said: “This is obviously a devastating outcome for a councillor who has devoted more than 30 years to public service.” Regarding Coun Huxtable’s resignation from the cabinet, Coun Osman said: “This is the honourable step to take and nothing less than I expected of a councillor whose three decades of dedication to public service include 26 years with SCC – six as a cabinet member. “I know that he will continue to represent residents in his division to the very best of his abilities. I’d like to thank the Standards Panel for its work on this matter.

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“I can announce that I will take on the cabinet resources brief temporarily.”

Massive distraction

David Baker, acting chairman of West Somerset Railway plc, said: “The bid by the West Somerset Railway Association for the freehold of the railway, and the subsequent investigation into the conduct of Coun Huxtable, has been a massive distraction for all those involved in the railway. “We now need to look to the future. We will be discussing with the county council an extension to our current lease in order to provide the solid foundation we need to develop our facilities and encourage even more visitors to our railway. “We are confident that the county council will engage with the plc on matters affecting the future of the railway in a proper and constructive manner. The partnership development group which we have established with the county council, the two district councils and the support groups on the railway provides the basis for working together for the future.” Heritage Railway 31

News

Tracklifting row threatens future of steam to Stranraer By Hugh Dougherty A ROW over the future of heritage steam trains and the reintroduction of rail freight to and from Stranraer has erupted after Network Rail lifted track in the former Town station goods yard in mid-March. Network Rail had declared the yard as surplus to requirements in 2011, but the Stranraer Ayr Line Support Association (SAYLSA), the community rail partnership for Carrick and Wigtownshire, had been given assurances by the Office of Rail Regulation that Network Rail would protect an adjacent strategic freight site, known as Stockton Haulage Yard, for future use, and that access to that section of the yard would be maintained. SAYLSA also received assurances from Network Rail that space for a turntable for steam locomotives would be retained.

Long term future

Now the partnership believes that the future of heritage steam trains and a rail freight revival, both of which SAYLSA regards as vital for the longterm future of the railway, has been seriously compromised by the severing of the connection to the Stranraer-Ayr main line.

Special train to mark Ffestiniog deviation

THE Ffestiniog Railway is to run a special train to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of work on one of the heritage sector’s greatest achievements. In January 1965 a small group of men and women gathered on a bleak hillside next to Dduallt station for the ceremonial cutting of the first sod of the Llyn Ystradau deviation. The project included the cutting of a new line for the railway and the creation of a spiral loop, unique in Britain, to bypass the CEGB’s hydroelectric scheme the Llyn Ystradau reservoir. Much of the work involved cutting a new formation through solid rock, but was largely done by hand. It took 13 years to complete the deviation. On Saturday, June 20, there will be a special train and a celebratory meal at Tan y Bwlch for “deviationists” who helped build the line. Anyone who helped out on the project and who would like to ride on the train is invited to email [emailprotected]

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The lifted track at the Town goods yard – end of a steam dream, or not? HUGH DOUGHERTY But Network Rail has insisted that the removal of the track, last used with the ending of rail freight in 1993, is simply ‘good housekeeping’, and denies that it is a permanent alteration to the national rail network. A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We are not breaching the assurances given by the Office of Rail Regulation to SAYLSA, as if an operator of heritage steam trains or rail freight comes to us with a viable business case, we would reinstate the track work to allow trains to operate.” He also pointed out that rails and fixtures only had been

removed, with contractors leaving sleepers in place. But SAYLSA claims that the removal of the track has dealt a major blow to its ambitions, as any heritage or freight operator considering running trains regularly to Stranraer would want to run a trial before committing to regular services.

No steam or freight trains

“That is now impossible with the removal of the track,” said a SAYLSA spokesman. “We presume that Network Rail would not relay the lines

to allow a trial to take place, so no track for a trial would mean no steam or freight trains. “We are at a loss to understand why track costing nothing to maintain was lifted unless it is part of a long-term strategy to run the railway down. It is all the more stark as 2015, the very year that the Borders Railway opens with all its planned-for benefits including regular heritage steam trains, also marks the 50th anniversary of the closure of the direct Stranraer to Dumfries line.” SALYSA chairman, Dr Aileen McLeod, said: “There was no need to remove the track from this facility. It was an inexplicable act by an organisation that should be promoting the railway, not reducing the network. There was no consultation on this whatsoever. Perhaps the Office of the Rail Regulator should obligate Network Rail to reinstate the lifted track.” The news of the track lifting came as Abelio took over the Scotrail franchise with the new operator promising to recognise the scenic Galloway line as a tourism railway. It has said that it will investigate the running of steam trains to Stranraer as part of its package of line improvements, but has not commented on the track lifting issue.

Is it Sputnik? No, it’s an express steam loco By Geoff Courtney IT MAY look like Sputnik, but it’s something far more down to earth. The object providing an interesting backdrop to this group photograph is the nosecone of preserved steam locomotive C38 class No. 3801, which is currently enveloped in controversy due to problems with a brand-new boiler built by DB Meiningen of Germany. The photograph, posted on the Facebook page of Transport Heritage New South Wales – one of the Government bodies involved with the £1.25 million restoration of the iconic Australian Pacific – shows the organisation’s senior management. They are, from left: Bruce Rankin (fleet engineer), Phil Davis (workshop manager), Peter Lowry (chairman), Howard Collins (director), Andrew Killingsworth (chief executive officer), directors Nev Nichols and Rod Caldwell and Transport for NSW programme manager Barry Lovat. Bruce Rankin is central to the crisish*t overhaul, as he is currently carrying out an engineering assessment of the old boiler that was previously fitted to No. 3801 but was removed at the start of the current overhaul in 2007. The project was being overseen at the time by the now defunct NSW Office of Rail Heritage, which decided to discard the old boiler and instead order the new £600,000 boiler that has become the

subject of fierce debate within the state government corridors of powers. The boiler has entered the political arena due to No. 3801 being owned by the state government, which means the restoration, which was originally expected to take about four years but is now in its ninth year, is being funded by local taxpayers. Officials are claiming that the old boiler is being assessed to determine whether it would be suitable as a spare, but many within NSW heritage railway circles believe it may be overhauled and fitted to the streamlined Pacific instead of the new DB Meiningen boiler, which after delivery to Sydney in 2010 was

returned to Germany for rectification having been declared “not fit for purpose”. As one seasoned observer asked Heritage Railway: “Is there enough PR spin in the world if the final resolution is to repair the original boiler?” No. 3801 entered service for NSW Government Railways in 1943, was withdrawn for preservation in 1962, and has become such a high-profile locomotive that it is now protected as a “heritage icon”. Enthusiasts around the world can only hope that this flagship Pacific will survive its foray into politics and once again steam on the main line, be it with old boiler or new.

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Resplendent in GWR livery, No. 813 is matched with appropriately liveried goods wagons, some of which also owned by the GWR Preservation Fund during its previous period of operation at the SVR, and is seen here leaving Bewdley. BRIAN EASTER

Last push appeal for Severn Valley ‘roving ambassador’ By Paul Appleton A £17,000 APPEAL has been launched for the completion of Severn Valley Railway-based unique Port Talbot Railway survivor GWR 0-6-0St No. 813. Following withdrawal from service with firebox problems after the autumn 2009 SVR gala, No. 813 has been the subject of a comprehensive overhaul at the Bridgnorth workshops. Central to the programme of works has been an extensive renovation of the boiler including the provision of a new inner firebox constructed jointly by the South Devon Railway and SVR. Much of the lower part of the outer firebox has also been replaced with new sections and the foundation ring and other areas of the boiler refurbished. Mechanical work has encompassed repairs to a cracked hornblock and adjoining portion of the frame and overhaul of the valve gear and pistons (including the provision of new slide valves and slide bars, piston heads and a replacement piston rod and cylinder cover). Also included has been the overhaul of the regulator valve and all other boiler valves and fittings and refurbishment of the motion.

Life expired

Before the start of the overhaul it was expected that the locomotive’s coupling rods would need to be replaced and this need has been confirmed. The existing rods are thought to have been acquired from a North Eastern Railway tank locomotive during No. 813’s sojourn at Backworth Colliery, Northumberland, and are now life expired. They will be replaced by a new set made from forged blanks produced by Somers Forge of Halesowen. These blanks are being

Seen in ex-National Coal Board condition shortly after arrival at Bridgnorth, No. 813 was NCB No. 11 at Backworth Colliery before being acquired by the 813 Preservation Fund in November 1967. 813 COLLECTION profiled using water jet technology by Techmat Ltd of Macclesfield, with final machining to be undertaken by Boro Foundry Ltd of Lye and the SVR. The current overhaul programme is the second such exercise since No. 813 was purchased for preservation from the National Coal Board in 1967. The locomotive was built in 1901 by Hudswell Clarke as one of nine similar tank engines supplied to the Port Talbot Railway & Docks Co of which six were supplied by that builder and three by Robert Stephenson & Co of Newcastle. As PTR No. 26, the locomotive was taken into GWR stock in 1908 but not renumbered 813 until the Grouping in 1923. From 1908 it was progressively ‘Swindonised’ through the provision of many standard GWR parts and fittings. In common with many non-standard ‘absorbed’ locomotives rendered redundant in the depression of the 1920s and early 1930s, No. 813 was

withdrawn from GWR stock in 1934 but was sold via Robert Stephenson & Co for industrial service at Backworth. As Backworth No. 12 (and, later, NCB No. 11) it remained exiled in the North East for 33 years employed at the collieries on the Backworth system and hauling mineral trains to and from the coal staithes on the River Tyne. Rendered redundant for a second time in 1967, No. 813 was acquired in the same year from the NCB for preservation on the fledgling SVR.

Serious mechanical problems

Subsequent restoration to 1920s/30s condition, and full working order, proved to be a long and drawn out exercise. Following static exhibition at the Rail 150 Exhibition at Shildon in 1975, a return to steam in 1976, and again in 1985, both proved to be shortlived following the emergence of serious mechanical problems. Full restoration to good working

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order was only achieved in 2000 after an intensive four-year overhaul at the Bridgnorth workshops on the SVR. Immediately after its return to service, No. 813 enjoyed a moment of rare glory by coming to the rescue of the SVR in the wake of the serious shortage of motive power caused by the ‘leaking boiler crisis’ in August of that year. Although subsequent use on the SVR has been largely limited to appearances at galas and other special events, No. 813 became a popular roving ambassador for that railway over the following nine years, visiting some 27 different heritage lines and centres during that period. Unfortunately, the current overhaul programme is proving far more expensive than was forecast, largely on account of the cost of providing the new inner firebox and replacement coupling rods. Total costs are likely to exceed £170,000, half as much again as originally envisaged. The overhaul is being financed entirely by the GWR 813 Preservation Fund and contributions to help the fund meet the costs involved would be welcomed from supporters who would like to see the locomotive returned to service by the end of this year. ➜ Donations, all of which will be acknowledged, should be sent to the Fund, c/o Mr P Goss, 23 Hatchmere, Thornbury, Bristol BS35 2EU (cheques made payable to GWR 813 Fund). Any enquiries may be addressed by email to [emailprotected] ➜ Further information on No. 813 and the Fund will be found on the website www.813.org Heritage Railway 35

News

Budget boost for Lewes to Uckfield reopening plans By Robin Jones

CHANCELLOR, George Osborne, has awarded £100,000 funding for another feasibility study into reopening the 10mile Lewes to Uckfield line. The funding was announced in the Budget on March 20, and was immediately welcomed in the locality. However, such a reinstatement would mean the end of the Lavender Line, which runs over a mile of the formation from Isfield. Lewes Liberal Democrat MP, Norman Baker, said: “It has become clearer than ever in recent weeks that there is a need for an alternative line from the Sussex coast to London. “A reopened Lewes-Uckfield line would provide exactly that, enabling through trains to run from Seaford and Newhaven via Uckfield, and also freeing up space on the Brighton main line for more Brighton trains. “It would also strengthen the resilience of the railway, which at the

moment is very vulnerable to problems, with either the Balcombe Tunnel or Balcombe Viaduct. “I will be discussing the terms of reference of the study with the transport secretary shortly.” George Osborne said: “Maria Caulfield has made a strong case for this study as the prospective Conservative MP for Lewes. “Investing in infrastructure is a key part of our long-term economic plan, and this new study into this rail line is great news.”

Stood in the way

In 1964, transport minister, Ernest Marples, approved the Lewes Relief Road scheme, which included a new Phoenix Causeway bridge, but an embankment carrying the Lewes to Uckfield line stood in the way. BR asked the Government for £95,000 to rebuild an earlier alignment, abandoned in 1868 to accommodate a deviated line. The

application was turned down, and so, seeing no further use for the line, BR applied to abandon it. A notice of closure for the route was published in September 1966. East Sussex County Council objected the following February, pointing out that closure would affect an area in which the population was likely to almost double by 1981. Nearly 3000 objections were received and a public inquiry was held by the South Eastern Transport Users Consultative Committee in April 1967. The TUCC recommended against closure of the line, pointing out the “very severe hardship” suffered by London-bound passengers. Labour transport minister Barbara Castle’s successor, Richard Marsh, took a second look at the line and decided that the section from Hurst Green junction to Uckfield was within the London commuter area and could be kept open. However, the line south of Uckfield could close on condition that

five additional bus services from Lewes and two from Uckfield were provided. After much wrangling over bus services, the Lewes-Uckfield line finally closed on May 6, 1969. The existing line from Uckfield to London is now marketed as the Oxted Line.

Sold at auction

The intermediate Isfield station and a length of trackbed were sold at auction in 1983 to Dave and Gwen Milham, who rebuilt it as the Lavender Line, recalling A E Lavender & Sons, the local coal merchant which had operated from the station yard. Ownership of the station passed from the Milham family in 1991 and the venue is run by the Lavender Line Preservation Society. It was unclear as to what would happen to the heritage line if LewesUckfield is reinstated, and whether it would be given sufficient compensation to relocate elsewhere.

Ahoy there captain! THE overhaul of a unique Birds Eye container wagon has been completed on the North Norfolk Railway recently. The wagon is just the latest in a string of restorations funded by the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s Joint Heritage Coach Fund, which restores carriages and wagons with unique East Anglian history to working order. Conflat wagon No. B502824 carrying British Railways AF container No. AF65970B (bought from the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre last year) was launched over the North Norfolk Railway’s spring steam gala (pages 40-41) and will now be a permanent addition to the line’s demonstration freight train.

Rich local history

A decision was made to paint the container in Birds Eye colours because of the rich local history that it represents. Millions of tons of fish were transported by rail overnight from the ports of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft to markets in London and further afield. Birds Eye still operates a factory at Ness Point in Lowestoft.

36 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Above: Flashback: a train of Birds Eye wagons on the former Great Yarmouth Dock branch. MGNJRS Right: North Norfolk Railway volunteer Biz Bizzel dressed up as Captain Birds Eye to launch the wagon into traffic. MGNJRS Nigel Scarlett, who spearheaded the project, said: “We ended up making the container entirely from scratch, using as many salvaged bits from the original as possible.” Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Main line memorial future is secured By Geoff Courtney A FORGOTTEN lineside memorial erected nearly 65 years ago to a railway enthusiast who died at the age of 23 is to be saved for future generations after its case was highlighted by Heritage Railway. In addition, the magazine’s publisher has offered to pay for its restoration, so returning this decaying poignant reminder of a short life to its original condition. The memorial, beside the East Coast Main Line near milepost 89, remembers Brian Carter, who was born with a heart defect which sadly ended his life in September 1950. It was his ambition as a youngster to join the railways, but this was not possible because of his medical condition. Instead, Brian watched steam trains firstly at Carmarthen in West Wales, where he lived, and subsequently beside the ECML, after his family moved to Lincolnshire. After his death his father’s former colleagues at a Carmarthen dairy paid for a memorial stone, which British Railways agreed could be sited at his regular trainwatching spot, beside the main line near Essendine, north of Peterborough.

Suffered a little

Research by Heritage Railway revealed that the small memorial survives, having suffered a little from the elements but still visible to the train crews and thousands of passengers who pass every day, although few would even notice it, let alone realise why it is there. In 1994, Brian’s 99-year-old widowed mother, May, visited the memorial for the first time in more than 40 years and for the last time ever. It was a story about her visit in a book published last year and a subsequent article in Heritage Railway, that has led to the memorial being given protected status and the offer of Mortons Media Group, the Heritage

Gresley duo: LNER A4 No. 60015 Quicksilverpauses at Peterborough North’s platform 3 with a northbound express from King’s Cross on June 12, 1961. Within 13 miles the Pacific will be passing the memorial to Brian Carter, which was erected in 1950 and has now had its future safeguarded. In the background is another Gresley design, a non-corridor teak coach, while a fine array of telegraph poles adds a contemporary touch to a steam-era East Midlands’ scene. NORMAN PREEDY ARCHIVE Railway’s publisher, to restore it. The visit by May Carter was organised by Mike Lamport, who was at the time a public affairs manager with Network SouthEast. The book and ensuing article brought back memories of that emotional visit, and Mike, now retired, was so delighted to learn that the memorial had survived that he resolved to make its future even more secure. He is a member of a forum that alerts the Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board of artefacts worth preserving, and he put forward the Brian Carter memorial for consideration. And to his delight, he learned on March 9 that the board, a sub-committee of the Science Museum, had agreed to it being designated, so ensuring its future is safeguarded. “I am absolutely delighted that this unique memorial has been safeguarded, thanks to both the board and Heritage Railway,” said Mike, who is 66 and lives in Ely. “I look forward to seeing it on my journeys on the East Coast Main Line for many years to come.” Tim Hartley, group production editor for Mortons Media, said: “The story of the memorial, and May Carter’s last visit to see it, is very moving. Brian’s life may have been short but he obviously touched a lot of people, and I think it was splendid of British Railways 65

Saved: The Brian Carter memorial (main picture and inset) as it is today, 65 years after it was erected bedside the ECML in memory of a dedicated steam enthusiast. years ago to allow him to be remembered in the way it did.

Future is assured

“It was also enormously pleasing to learn that the research by my colleagues on Heritage Railway showed the memorial had survived in situ after all those years, and it is heart-warming to know that its future is assured. Our funding of its restoration would be a small gesture to an enthusiast who obviously loved steam locomotives, as

did so many of his generation.” Robin Jones, editor of Heritage Railway, said: “A memorial is intended to be exactly that – a permanent reminder of someone who meant so much, and we are only too delighted to help as it is virtually on our doorstep. “It is a wonderful and poignant reminder of a special person who was so typical of the schoolboy trainspotting generation, and placed near where Mallard claimed the world speed record for Britain in 1938.”

Martello restoration fund launched at Bressingham

The boiler of No. 662 lifted at Bressingham on March 10. BSS

BRESSINGHAM Steam Museum has launched an appeal to help fund the restoration of its LBSCR A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 662 Martello. The locomotive visited many heritage lines before it was stopped with boiler problems four years ago. Supported by the museum, the Bressingham Steam Society has launched a plan to return the 140-yearold to steam by 2016, in Southern Railway green. The main work involves a boiler lift and full replacement of the tubes and refurbishment of the chassis. The only major renewal needed is the side tanks, which are now life expired.

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An appeal based around an incentivised scheme offering footplate rides and driver experiences has been launched, at prices ranging from £100 to £500. The boiler overhaul itself will become a working exhibit within the museum. The locomotive will remain predominantly at Bressingham and will make use again of the museum’s standard gauge demonstration track, which had been out of action for some years owing to a lack of motive power. It is planned to have the society’s LMS brakevan restored at the same time so it can carry visitors behind No. 662. Heritage Railway 37

NEWS ‘Double your money’ bid for new Leighton Buzzard station THE Leighton Buzzard Railway has launched an urgent appeal to raise £50,000 in three months so that it can give the go-ahead to build a brand new station at Pages Park. A railway supporter has offered to ‘match fund’ every pound that the railway can raise within three months up to a maximum of £50,000 to provide a ‘museum gateway’ to the historic 2ft gauge industrial line. Chairman Terry Bendall said: “This is a hugely generous offer. If we can raise the full £50,000, we double our money and will have enough to demolish the existing dilapidated station and erect the new building.”

Community use

The proposed new building will echo the designs of the LNWR, which built the town’s original main line station. The new station will not only provide new facilities for the railway and its passengers, but it will also have space available for community use. Already more than £40,000 has been pledged to the appeal. However, a further £100,000 will be needed to complete the interior of the new station. ➜Donations can be made via the railway’s website at www.buzzrail.co.uk or to the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society Limited, Pages Park Station, Billington Road, Leighton Buzzard LU7 4TN.

New forge for Churnet Valley THE Churnet Valley Railway is to set up its own traditional forge at Cheddleton station. Operator, The North Staffordshire Railway Company, has been awarded a £1725 grant from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s Partnership Board to buy historical hammer and forge tools from the closed Thomas Bolton copper works in Froghall. The hammer will be housed at the station in a new building between the engine and carriage sheds alongside a forge which has been donated. A forgemaster and apprentice currently based at the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton, Cheshire, will take up posts there once the forge and hammer are refurnished and operational. They will make replacement parts for locomotives and railway infrastructure, while the working hammer will become an attraction it itself.

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On-loan GWR prairie No. 4141 heads a goods train on March 28 during the Battlefield Line’s spring steam gala. SIMON WEBB

Ongar railway to reach Epping… very nearly

By Robin Jones

THE award-winning Epping Ongar Railway is to extend its running line to within 110 yards of its boundary with London Underground at Epping. The long-held dream of revivalists of 1 the 6 ⁄2 mile line is to run into Epping station, but up to now there have been problems with access. On April 18, the EOR will extend its running line by 900 yards from its present western stopping point, in time for both the April 18-19 spring diesel gala and the 150th anniversary celebrations which take place on April 24-26. The railway has changed the name of its present stopping point to Epping Forest in its 2015 timetable. EOR managing director Roger Wright said: “When we resumed train operations in May 2012, the western boundary of our railway was Coopersale Common. This has since been extended to our current stop board at Stonards Hill and it is now very exciting to be able to take our passengers this close to Epping station.”

Far more passengers

This ‘new’ section of the line was the subject of a substantial amount of engineering work last year in preparation for the railway’s End of Tube event, which saw the restored tube train that had operated on the line until the withdrawal of Central Line services on the branch on September 30, 1994, brought in by rail from Epping. Since January, much work has been done, including sleeper renewal, cutting back vegetation and dropping ballast, in partnership with the railway apprenticeship schemes provided by Arc Academy UK Ltd, Intertrain Ltd, in addition to the line’s own volunteers. EOR business development manager Dean Walton said: “The railway has

The boundary between London Underground and the Epping Ongar Railway. EOR seen an increase in passenger numbers every year since 2012. However, the establishment of a direct link with London Underground at Epping would be expected to deliver far more passengers and therefore business for the local tourist economy. We would become the only heritage railway directly accessible from the Tube network and that prospect is very exciting.” Guest locomotives for the anniversary event listed as we closed for press were: GNR N2 0-6-2T No. 1744, which missed its scheduled appearance at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway’s gala to be replaced by Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521, also from the Great Central Railway; LNER Y7 0-4-0T No.985 from the North Norfolk Railway and J72 0-6-0T No. 69023, owned by the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group. At its Loughborough base, a new big end brass has been fitted to the right side of the N2, while the left side is having a new piston rod, as two winters ago both rods were bent due

to the freeze-up. The right was changed at the time but the left has soldiered on consuming piston glands at an alarming rate. Once it is sorted, the N2 can be released for its spring and summer visits. It is scheduled to remain on the EOR for the rest of the season.

GER territory

The diesel gala will feature Old Oak Common-based First Great Western Class 08 No. 08483, fresh from overhaul. It is the first time an 08 has visited the railway. It will run alongside the home fleet which are Nos. 03119, 03170, 31438, 37029 and 47635. Looking ahead to June 5-7, although the EOR was once part of GER territory, the railway will be holding a Great Western steam extravaganza, with GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor visiting from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. It will run alongside home-based prairie No. 4141, and talks are under way to bring in further GWR guests.

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Heritage Railway 39

NEWS

Boost for steam railway as top brass supports campaign EXCLUSIVE By Geoff Courtney BRITISH preservationists who are spearheading a campaign to reopen an iconic European steam railway have received a major boost following support from a top UK diplomat. The group has set its sights on bringing back steam this year to a stretch of a 2ft 6in gauge line that ran from Sibiu to Agnita in central Romania. The railway opened in 1910 and closed in 2001, but the Sibiu to Agnita Railway UK Supporters’ Group (SARUK) is working with its counterparts in the eastern European country to restore a 4½ mile section midway along the original 38 mile route prior to its long-term aim of reopening the entire line.

Top-level meeting

Central to the campaign is gaining support from local and national politicians in Romania, and in a major step forward a delegation from the UK sat down with influential officials in Bucharest on February 25 at a top-level meeting which was organised by Paul Brummell, Britain’s ambassador to the country. The delegation from Britain included David Morgan, president of the European Federation of Museum & Tourist Railways, Neil McGregor, a British solicitor who practises in Bucharest, and SARUK chairman David

Meeting of minds: David Morgan in Bucharest before his top-level meeting with representatives of the Romanian government on February 25. Behind him is Calugareni, the oldest surviving steam locomotive in Romania, a 2-4-0 built by Thomas Brassey of Birkenhead in 1869 which, despite being a 146-year-old veteran, is still in working order. MIHAI BLOTOR Allan; while high-powered attendees from Romania included Ioan Rus, the country’s transport minister, and Macarie Moldovan, general director of Romania’s state railway CFR. Others sitting round the table included the ambassador and Mihai Blotor, chairman of the Romanian preservation group working with SARUK to reopen the line. Ioan Rus told the meeting that a draft transport master plan recently adopted by the Romanian government contained no fewer than six tourist railways, of which the SibiuAgnita line was top of the list, and this was being sent to the EU Commission for a funding assessment. A stumbling block over the reopening plans is the administration of the line, and David Morgan urged that serious consideration be given to

a proposal that it be transferred to a consortium of local authorities, which would open the door for other sources of funding. However, there are legal problems, but officials at the meeting indicated that if necessary they would ask the Romanian parliament for powers to enable such a transfer.

Economic benefits

Paul Brummell, who took up his post last September, spoke at the meeting of the strength of the UK heritage railway sector and the economic benefits it brought to regions, especially with tourism, and also emphasised the interest in the UK in the Sibiu-Agnita line proposals. David Allan said of the meeting: “In general it was very positive, and if nothing else the pressure has catapulted the tourist potential of the

line, and indeed other lines, into the forefront of the government. “The transport master plan is the first time there has been any official recognition of the possibility of restoring the line as a tourist railway, and the line is now well and truly on the political map. We await developments from Brussels.” Meanwhile, the UK and Romanian preservationists are working towards the landmark of returning steam to the 4½ mile midway stretch of the line between Cornatel and Hosman in a steam festival over the weekend of September 26-27. A SARUK working party is travelling to Romania in May to restore the track and carry out other tasks ahead of the event; and, in a major boost, both the British ambassador and the head of the Romanian state railway have said they hoped to attend the festival. In addition, the European Federation of Museum & Tourist Railways is to hold its autumn meeting in Sibiu over that weekend to show support for the proposals for the line, and local businessman and railway enthusiast George Hocevar has agreed to provide a steam locomotive for the festival. “These are exciting times for this iconic line, now a designated national monument, and our progress is testimony to the hard work of a number of people both in the UK and Romania,” said David Allan. “There is a long way to go, but the festival will be a major step forward.”

Somerset’s ‘secret’ heritage railway enhanced

THE small band of volunteers at Westonzoyland Pumping Station, the museum of steam power and land drainage on the Somerset Levels which has its own little-known 2ft gauge industrial railway, has been extremely active over the winter. Some jobs like installing an underground broadband and new telephone connection (01278 691595) provide no visible evidence of the work undertaken. But an extension to the main building with enhanced visitor facilities and the relaying of the railway, typical of lines which were once used in peat works on the levels, are more noticeable. The old track has been replaced by 35lb/yard rail laid on metal trough sleepers and neatly ballasted for much of its length. Sections where people and vehicles cross the rails have been set into the ground and grassed over. Two points have been installed on the running line to form a passing loop. One of the points was brought all the way south from the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway and completely refurbished before installation. The loop is still to be completed as further finance is having to be raised to buy more track fixings. The railway

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conveys scrap timber from a stockpile by the entrance the length of the site to the static Marshall portable boiler which powers the museum’s large collection of working steam engines. It is therefore in use during every monthly steam day and provides a rare opportunity for visitors to observe a genuine industrial narrow gauge railway in operation. The new track has been installed to increase the scope of operations by accepting heavier, visiting locos in future, hopefully to include steam. The line is normally operated with a Lister and a Motor Rail diesel. It is hoped to have the track completed for the museum’s main annual event, Steam on the Levels, on May 16-17. This increasingly popular event attracts stationary engines, steam and diesel, vintage tractors, commercials, classic cars and motorcycles, traction engines and visiting narrow gauge locomotives, as well as trade and craft stands. The site is open every Sunday for viewing throughout the year, 1-5pm, with free admission. There is an admission charge for in-steam and special events which are held regularly from April to October. For further details see website www.wzlet.org

The first train to run over the new point (acquired from the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway) and the newly laid and ballasted track on March 18 comprises Lister No. 34758 – which originates from the Fisons (Eclipse) peat works on the Somerset Levels – and a National Coal Board long-wheelbase fourwheel manrider which arrived at Westonzoyland two days previously having been acquired from the Bala Lake Railway where it is believed to have lain out of use for about 25 years. It is hoped that it can be rebuilt to form the first passenger carriage for the railway. On the left is the short, demonstration incline worked by a steam winch which was used by the dairy at Hemyock to pull milk tank wagons from the end of the GWR branch and into the dairy. PETER NICHOLSON Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

SR Maunsell S15 4-6-0 No. 847 heads a train of Maunsell coaches up Freshfield Bank on the Bluebell Railway during a Jon Bowers photo charter on March 11. KARL HEATH

Kent & East Sussex returns to wartime Britain By Geoff Courtney TWO of the most poignant anniversaries of the 20th century will be remembered at the Kent & East Sussex Railway over the bank holiday weekend of May 2-4, when the clock will be turned back to the sight and sound of 1940s Britain. The gala will mark two major Second World War events – the Dunkirk evacuation of Allied soldiers which started 75 years ago, on May 27, 1940, and the surrender of Germany that ended the conflict in Europe, on May 8, 1945, almost exactly 70 years ago.

A vast exercise

The KESR has a particular affiliation with the Dunkirk operation, as many of the troops who were evacuated were transported by rail through Kent after their return to Britain. More than 200,000 troops passed through Dover alone, and the Southern Railway mounted a vast exercise, running 327 special trains from the port in the nine days of the evacuation, using not only their own steam locomotives and carriages but some borrowed from the GWR and LMS. Headcorn station, at that time the northern terminus of the KESR, also played its part as a feeding station for the tired and hungry troops. Such was the success of the entire operation that one general commented: “I wish the Army could operate with as few written instructions as the Southern Railway does in an emergency.” At least four steam locomotives will be operating over the three-day event, with eight trains running from the

line’s Tenterden base to Bodiam at 45 minute intervals, the first at 10.45am. Each day will also feature civilian and military vehicle displays at Tenterden and Bodiam stations, and there will be music and dancing from the era at Tenterden while Bodiam will be transformed into a 1940s village and will also put on contemporary cookery demonstrations. Another highlight will be a re-created Second World War Anderson air raid shelter at Tenterden that will doubtless bring back memories for older visitors. Memories of the First World War will also be evoked by the restored Cavell van on display at Bodiam. This fourwheeled vehicle was built as a luggage van by the South Eastern & Chatham Railway at Ashford works in 1919. It was almost immediately thrown into the spotlight when it carried the bodies of three war heroes from Dover to London – nurse Edith Cavell in May 1919, Captain Charles Fryatt two months later, and lastly, in November 1920, the unknown warrior. Although the line-up for the gala has yet to be confirmed, locomotives expected to be available are USA 0-6-0T No. 65 (BR No. 30065), a brace of venerable LBSCR A1X ‘Terriers’ 0-6-0Ts, including No. 32678, LSWR M7 0-4-4T No. 30053, 2-6-0 No. 376 Norwegian and Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Charwelton. No. 30053 is on short-term loan from the Swanage Railway, and No. 376, the only tender locomotive on the line, was built for the Norwegian State Railway in 1919 and arrived on the KESR in 1971. Event manager Jemma Hosmer said:

Vintageset:No.32678,whichcelebratesits135thbirthdayinJuly,issettobeoneof thestarsoftheKent&EastSussexRailway1940sgalaonMay2-4.The A1X0-6-0T, seenhereclimbingthebanktowardsTenterdenstationonJune30,2014,workedthe finalKESRpassengertrainforBRonJanuary2,1954,andwaswithdrawninOctober 1963afteranimpressivecareermileageof1,411,436. HUGH NIGHTINGALE “Our theme will be to commemorate the vital role played by railways transporting thousands of troops through Kent following the Dunkirk evacuation.”

Two high-profile vacancies

Meanwhile, the railway has announced the resignation of chairman Geoff Crouch on February 28. In a brief statement, company secretary Nick Pallant said Geoff, who became chairman in 2010, would

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continue to be a member of both the board and finance committee and would also continue to assist Carol Mitchell in her management coordination role, while deputy chairman Ian Legg would chair board meetings for the immediate future. Geoff’s resignation means the railway now has two high-profile vacancies, as general manager Graham Baldwin took early retirement last July after nearly 10 years at the helm and has yet to be replaced. Heritage Railway 41

News

Morayshire in Norfolk

By Brian Sharpe UNDOUBTED star of the show at the North Norfolk Railway’s spring steam gala on March 6-8 was LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire, owned by National Museums of Scotland and based on the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, which drew large crowds to the three-day event.

The Gresley-designed D49s were exclusively based on the North Eastern and Scottish regions and were rarely, if ever, seen in East Anglia in steam days. The other visiting engine was the well-travelled Severn Valley-based WR 0-6-0PT No. 1501, which joined the three residents: BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92203 Black Prince, BR Standard

4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084 and the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572. Another M&GN Society engine, Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Wissington, had returned home for a short visit from long-term loan to the MidSuffolk Light Railway and hauled vintage train shuttles from Weybourne to Holt consisting of the

Wisbech & Upwell Tramway coach, GER No. 7, M&GN four wheeler No. 129 and the LNER pigeon van. NER Y7 0-4-0T No. 985 had also returned from loan to Beamish Museum and acted as Weybourne yard pilot. However, unfortunately another M&GN Society engine, GER Y14 0-6-0 No. 564, under overhaul at Riley’s at Bury, could not be

In a combination which might just conceivably have occasionally happened in Scotland, visiting LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire joins forces with resident LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572.

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HudswellClarke0-6-0STWissingtondepartsfromWeybournewiththevintagetrain.

LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire heads the Gresley Quad-Art set along the coast away from Sheringham. completed in time to attend. Morayshire returned to Bo’ness afterwards via Barrow Hill Roundhouse where it took part in a one day event on March 14 followed by a private evening photo charter. It will not be making any more visits away from home before its boiler certificate expires and it is withdrawn for overhaul later this year.

LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572 climbs towards Kelling Heath just before sunset on March 7. WR 0-6-0PT No. 1501 passes ‘The Lobster’ near Sheringham.

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Heritage Railway 43

NEWS

Steel, Steam & Stars lifts winter AS the last few weeks of winter’s short and cold days were drawing to a close, the Heritage Railway-sponsored Steel, Steam & Stars IV gala at the Llangollen Railway provided enthusiasts and visitors with a taste of the spring ahead as the sun shone on a highly successful event. Running earlier than usual owing to

the LR’s own anniversary events also being held in the spring, SSSIV was held over two long weekends in March, 6-8 and 13-15. The first of the two weekends was better weather in that the sun shone for two of the three days. Photographers were treated to some superb conditions in which to capture the line-up of guest and

resident locomotives working in multiple and in some cases on some unusual formations.

Broken main steam pipe

Unfortunately one of the ‘stars’, Bert Hitchen’s ‘Black Five’ No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester, failed late on the Saturday with a broken main steam

SRBulleidWestCountryPacificNo.34092WellsandGWR2-8-0No.3802doubleheadthegoodstrainonMarch7. MATTHEW TOMS

pipe and temporarily blocked the line while it was gingerly recovered to Deeside loop. This failure trapped two later trains down the line, delaying services for up to two hours, causing some longer distance visitors to miss onward connections at Ruabon station. A bus was hurriedly arranged to collect stranded passengers, but many of them were happy to stay with their train, especially those who were staying locally. “A handful of passengers asked for a refund and one gentleman who was trying to get home to Brighton had to be found a B&B,” spokesman Paul Appleton said, “but most people understood that these things can happen with machinery that is over 75 years old.” Otherwise, apart from some late running, all trains ran as advertised and apart from the ‘Black Five’ all locomotives fulfilled their allocation of turns, although the locomotive roster had to be adjusted on the second weekend to make up for No. 45231’s absence. The irony was that this locomotive was itself a late substitute for the LR’s own ‘Black Five’ No. 45337 which had failed a few weeks before the gala with piston and valve problems. The other visiting locomotives included Jeremy Hosking’s heavy freight 2-8-0T No. 4270 which had only returned to steam for the first time at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway less than a year ago. Collett

GWR Collett 0-6-0 No. 3205 forms an early afternoon service heading towards Llangollen on March 7. MATTHEW TOMS

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blues Goods 0-6-0 No. 3205 was visiting from the South Devon Railway and looked especially good when operating the three-coach suburban coach set. Trains were top and tailed each day along the newly opened extension to Corwen East where there was a marquee with society stands and the local townsfolk had put on a small ‘fair’ with local products and businesses being showcased.

Locomotives performed well

The new museum at Capel Coch on Corwen’s High Street was open and had a strong railway presence displaying some interesting artefacts and photographs depicting local industrial narrow gauge railways as well as the Ruabon-Barmouth line and the story of the LR’s return to the town. The weather wasn’t as bright on the second weekend, but remained mostly dry. All trains ran as planned and locomotives performed well. Visiting ex-GWR 0-4-2T No. 1450 was used both weekends on autotrains, but also got involved in double heading and working other trains. At the larger end of the scale and undisputed star of the show, No. 34092 Wells was busy on all six days and put on one or two trademark ‘volcanic’ displays for photographers. Another late substitute was BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 ‘Central Star’, the green 9F standing in for the original booked 9F, No. 92212, which had failed two weeks before the gala at the Mid Hants Railway. Its appearance helped to maintain

LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45231 The SherwoodForester Seen at Garth-y-dwr before it broke down on the Saturday of the event, March 7. MARTYN TATTAM the Somerset & Dorset theme of the gala, being particularly reminiscent of No. 92220 Evening Star in its lined BR passenger green livery. Berwyn station was given a Midford makeover and the staff put on a special display of photographs from the former S&D route. Unfortunately revenue from the event was about 40% down on the previous SSS event in 2012, with advance bookings down by 50%, although this could be attributed to the earlier dates and a lack of confidence in the weather. Also, the gala ran on six days rather than the previous nine and the late setting of the dates may have had an impact.

Even so, revenue is expected to have exceeded £110,000 which equates to around 5000 passengers, with a lower spend per head than has been previously experienced.

Flying start

A surplus of around £20,000 will go towards the organising group’s project, the construction of No. 6880 Betton Grange. Paul said: “Although on the face of it this may seem disappointing to some, we are quite happy with it. On top of this the new boiler appeal was launched at the event and raised around £5000 which gives us a flying start. “Also, you can’t measure the

goodwill and publicity. We just need everyone to go out and buy the superb new DVD produced for us by Bellhurst Productions.” Transport for visiting locomotives was sponsored by Andrew Goodman’s Moveright International, saving the Betton Grange Society thousands of pounds in the process. “It is a sobering thought that without Andrew’s generous sponsorship the event would probably have lost money,” concluded Paul. For details on how to order the SSSIV DVD go to www.6880.co.uk

Last-minute replacement BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 makes light work of its train, the 2.52pm Llangollen – Corwen, along the 1000 yard straight near Garth-y-dwr on Saturday, March 7. DUNCAN LANGTREE

Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Heritage Railway 45

NEWS

Yet another restoration miracle has been worked at the Statfold Barn Railway. When Davenport 0-4-0 No. 1586 of 1917 at the Raiyam Sugar Company in Bihar, eastern India, was repatriated, it looked as if a tree had grown up through it while it had stood out of use. Now it has been restored to as-new condition, and appeared at the private line’s March 28 invitation-only open day. It is seen running with Krauss No. 4045 of 1899 0-4-2T SragiNo.1. GAVIN MORRISON

KGV back in Swindon for Brunel works celebration By Robin Jones MAJOR celebrations are being planned in Swindon to mark the 175th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s GWR workshops – with preservation icon GWR 4-6-0 No. 6000 King George V returning to the town. It was on February 25, 1841, that the GWR directors chose a flat site at the bottom of the hill half a mile from the small market town as the site for their locomotive works. The ‘swine town’ lay at the junction of two Roman roads, and began to take off with the arrival of the Wilts & Berks Canal in 1810 and the North Wilts Canal in 1819. A letter written to Brunel on September 13, 1840, by Daniel Gooch, the newly appointed GWR locomotive superintendent who had been ordered to select a site for the company’s workshops where

locomotives, carriages and wagons would be built and maintained, recommended Swindon, which lay at the highest point on the London to Bristol line. It lay at the junction of the GWR main line and the branch railway to Cheltenham, and was also considered suitable because the canals could supply coal and co*ke from the Somerset coalfield at a moderate price, as well as water for the locomotives, while building materials for the workshops could also be brought in by barge. A somewhat different story claims that while surveying a valley to the north of Swindon, Brunel either threw a stone or dropped a sandwich from a picnic lunch and declared that spot to be the new location of the works. With the railway passing through town in early 1841, the Goddard Arms public house was used as a railway booking office in the absence of a

station. Tickets bought there included the fare for a horse-drawn carriage to the line at the bottom of the hill. Construction of Swindon Works began in spring that year. Garry Perkins, the Swindon councillor responsible for STEAM, said: “The railway works gave Swindon an identity and proved to be a pivotal point in the town’s history. “I am therefore extremely pleased we will mark this significant period with a number of celebrations that everyone can enjoy.” One of the focal points will be the return of King George V to STEAM – Museum of the GWR Railway, which occupies part of the works. The first of the flagship class, it was built in June 1927 and two months later was shipped to the USA to star in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s centenary celebrations, during which it was presented with a bell and a plaque carried to this day. This led to

it being affectionately known as ‘The Bell’. Withdrawn in December 1962 after covering 1,910,424 miles, it was officially preserved and based at the former Bulmer’s Railway Centre in Hereford. In 1971, it made heritage era history by becoming the first locomotive to break BR’s post-1968 main line steam ban. Now a static exhibit, in recent years it has been on display in the National Railway Museum at York. “The return of King George V will be a particular highlight and it will be great to welcome home a part of Swindon’s heritage,” added Garry. A limited edition commemorative pocket watch designed by Old Town jewellers Deacons and a special ale brewed by Arkells are also being produced for the celebrations. Swindon Borough Council also wants to hear from any organisations who would like to get involved.

Plans for commuter service could ‘destroy’ heritage line THE East Lancashire Railway would be “destroyed” as a heritage line if proposals to introduce a commuter service over part of it ever get the green light. Electrical engineer Roger Humphreys has proposed using part of the line from Rawtenstall to accommodate a 37-minute rush-hour commuter service to Manchester Victoria. He said the scheme, which would involve upgrading signalling and raising the speed limit above the present light railway maximum of 25mph, could cost as little as £10.5 million. ELR chairman Peter Duncan said: “It is quite clear that the railway’s heritage operations would be marginalised by

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any such operation, bringing its financial viability into serious question. “The operating company, preservation society and working membership have all expressed the view that a commuter service would destroy the railway we have all worked so hard to develop.” He said that if the plan went ahead, many officials and volunteers would walk away from the ELR. Roger, however, said that heritage services could run in between the rush-hour services and at weekends, and that his plan would involve using a second line at Rawtenstall. Rossendale Borough Council may carry out a feasibility study with North Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

Work continues apace at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s new Broadway terminus, preparing the way for track to be laid and the trains that it will carry. The most significant feature – apart from the two platforms which are now just about complete and will be able to accommodate eight-coach length trains – is the signalbox on Platform 2 which now has a roof and will have a topping-out ceremony in the near future. The adjacent platform here will incorporate some of the oldest remaining GWR bricks, which came from the turntable at Paddington uncovered last year as part of the Crossrail project. JOE ROESEN Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

news focus special

Demise oftheclassic

pre-grouping expresssteamengine Some of Britain’s favourite steam engines have now retired for the second, third or fourth, but now almost certainly the last, time. Brian Sharpe looks at the story of Britain’s classic steam engines and their active retirement.

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Pre-Groupingexpresslocomotivesinpreservationat1960 GWR4-4-0No.3440CityofTruro GWR4-6-0No.4003LodeStar SECRDclass4-4-0No.737 LBSCR0-4-2No.214Gladstone LSWRT34-4-0No.563 LNWR2-4-0No.790Hardwicke MR4-2-2No.673 MRCompound4-4-0No.1000 LTSR4-4-2TNo.80Thundersley CR4-2-2No.123 HR4-6-0No.103 GNR4-2-2No.1 GNR4-4-2No.990HenryOakley GNR4-4-2No.251 NER2-4-0No.910 NER2-4-0No.1463 NERMclass4-4-0No.1621 NBRKclass4-4-0No.256GlenDouglas GNSRFclass4-4-0No.49GordonHighlander

steamed1957-62,1985-92,2002-09

steamed1975-81 steamed1980/1 steamed1959-61,1975-83 steamed1956 steamed1959-65 steamed1959-65 steamed1938,1981/82 steamed1953,1975-77 steamed1953/54

steamed1959-64 steamed1959-65

Pre-Groupingexpresslocomotivesnominatedforpreservationin1960

LSWRT94-4-0No.120 GERT262-4-0No.490 GCRD114-4-0No.506Butler-Henderson

Above: The LNER, its constituents and successors, played a leading role in early steam preservation, with apple green very much to the fore. GNR 4-4-2 No. 990 HenryOakleyreturned to steam in 1953 and is seen departing from Oakworth on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway during its second brief return to service in 1978. DAVE RODGERS Left: GNR 4-2-2 No. 1 was steamed in 1938 by the LNER and again by the National Railway Museum in 1981. It is seen in action on the Great Central Railway in May 1982. BRIAN SHARPE

B

RITISh express passenger steam locomotive design fell into four basic categories over the 150 years that steam ruled the country’s rails. In the first half of the 19th century, the locomotives were still fairly primitive, and little more than enlarged versions of Stephenson’s Rocket, which was the first real passenger locomotive, built for speed as opposed to haulage capacity. While a few of these early locomotives have survived and one or two new-build projects have seen others re-created, ranging from the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Planet 2-2-0 to an LNWR Bloomer 2-2-2, they tended to be early withdrawals or heavily rebuilt as locomotive design moved into its second phase. And as they did not survive into even early BR days, they tend not to be locos which today’s enthusiasts readily identify with. For many, the golden age of steam locomotive design was the period from 1870 to 1920 when the pre-Grouping railways were at their peak; the appearance of their locomotives, in many cases, was almost as important as their performance, and their looks were enhanced by the frequently ornate liveries they were turned out in. Many of these classic late 19th/early 20th century types proved very long-lived, though obviously demoted from their top-link duties, and became enthusiasts’ favourites as they steamed on to the end of the 1950s and even into the 1960s, still looking the part in BR lined out black livery. Around the time of the Grouping, in 1923, trains were getting heavier and steam

steamed1961-63,1983-93,2010

steamed1983-93

GNR large Atlantic No. 251 was also steamed in 1953, but has been a static exhibit since 1954. No. 251 pilots GCR D11 4-4-0 No. 62663 PrinceAlbert into Basingstoke with the ‘Farnborough Flyer’ from Leeds on September 12 ,1954. L ELSEY/RAILWAY MAGAZINE

locomotive design went through another transformation with, typically, 4-4-0s giving way to 4-6-0s and Pacifics. Much larger boilers became the norm and in many cases the new generation of express passenger locos were functional rather than handsome. There were exceptions of course: Collett’s Castle 4-6-0s retained the earlier GWR style and Nigel Gresley’s A1 Pacifics continued the GNR tradition, which was started by Stirling and continued by Ivatt. Maunsell’s Lord Nelson and Fowler’s Royal Scot 4-6-0s, though, were not in quite the same league in terms of style.

“Historic locomotives had been put aside by the Big Four companies so these effectively chose themselves...” Fortunately, William Stanier took Swindon’s well-established sense of style with him to Crewe and the LMS designs of the 1930s were much more attractive engines despite their increasing size. The peak of Big Four locomotive design was probably reached with Gresley’s A4s and Stanier’s streamlined Princess Coronations, but then war broke out. Post Second World War, and particularly post Nationalisation, steam locomotive design moved into its fourth and final phase when

functionalism and economy took priority over other considerations. Thompson’s and Peppercorn’s LNER Pacifics did not have the same style as Gresley’s; Bulleid’s Pacifics were a surprisingly functional design despite their appearance; the GWR produced the County 4-6-0, which was never in the same league as a Castle; the LMS designed no further express engines; and Ivatt’s various mixed traffic engines were widely regarded as some of the ugliest ever built in Britain. Ivatt’s designs clearly influenced BR’s Standard designs, but some of the purely functional aspects were toned down a bit by Riddles and many, though not all, consider the BR Standard range to be attractive engines, though very different to 1930s steam designs. Fortunately perhaps, not enough Standards were built to totally replace the classic 4-4-0s, which still soldiered on, using secondary routes around the country. The publication of the list of locomotives selected for official preservation as the National Collection in 1960 included a representative of the classic express engine from virtually all of the main pre-Grouping companies, although by then several company’s express designs were extinct. In most cases, historic locomotives had been put aside by the Big Four companies so these effectively chose themselves, with just three or four additions, which just about remained in service at the time. While 4-4-0s tend to predominate, there are a number of 2-4-0s, an 0-4-2, some single-wheelers, an express tank, two Atlantics and two 4-6-0s, one of which is, strictly speaking, a goods engine Heritage Railway 49

GWR 4-4-0 No. 3440CityofTruro returned to steam in 1957, 1985 and again in 2004, but its future would now appear to be as a permanent static exhibit. NBR K class 4-4-0 No. 256 GlenDouglas is seen at Garelochhead with J37 No. 64632 while working the Scottish Locomotive Preservation Fund’s ‘Jacobite’ from Glasgow to Mallaig on June 1, 1963. GAVIN MORRISON

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MR Compound 4-4-0 No. 1000 was steamed by BR in 1959 and again by the NRM in 1975, but retired again in 1983. In MR crimson lake livery, it is seen under the coaling tower at Steamtown Carnforth on May 5, 1980. BRIAN SHARPE

Four historic Scottish engines were used in railtour service between 1959 and 1965. Caledonian 4-2-2 No. 123 + NBR 4-4-0 No. 256 GlenDouglas are seen at Oban in May 1962. COLOUR-RAIL.COM

The main companies not represented here are the smaller LMS constituents as the LMS had pursued a policy of standardisation which had seen Lancashire & Yorkshire, Furness and Glasgow & South Western express engines rendered extinct very quickly with no thought of preservation. The growth of private steam preservation in the mid-1960s unfortunately came a little late for further pre-Grouping express engines to enter preservation. There was such a good representative selection already preserved that private preservation found itself concentrating on older goods and mixed traffic designs, which lasted a little longer in main line service than their passenger counterparts. Consequently, there are just four 4-4-0s in private preservation today, all of post-Grouping design. The powers-that-be must be congratulated for the number of the officially preserved pre-Grouping express locomotives which have seen a return to steam over the years; no less than 14 out of 22, and in many cases taking charge of main line trains once again. The first preserved pre-Grouping express engine to be steamed and to work public passenger trains was GNR Stirling Single No. 1 in 1938, as part of the LNER’s publicity for its new streamlined trains, but it also headed a few public railtours, even reaching Liverpool. The war then intervened, but two more GNR express engines came out of retirement in 1953, when Atlantics Nos. 990 Henry Oakley and 251 headed for Doncaster with Alan Pegler’s ‘Plant Centenarian’. No. 990 did no more, but No. 251 was well-travelled for a couple of years. In 1956, London Tilbury & Southend Railway 4-4-2T No. 41946 was restored to original livery as No. 80 Thundersley for the LTSR centenary, and

LTSR 4-4-2T No. 80 Thundersleyin steam in 1956, restored to original livery for the LTSR centenary. COLOUR-RAIL.COM

Highland Railway 4-6-0 No. 103 was designed as a goods engine and preserved by the LMS on withdrawal in 1935 as it was the first 4-6-0 to work in Britain. The Scottish veterans were based at Dawsholm shed in Glasgow, where No. 103 is seen with CR No. 123 and GNSR 4-4-0 No. 49 GordonHighlander. No. 103 incorrectly carries Stroudley’s golden ochre livery, which should be HR green. PB WHITEHOUSE

this was to result in its preservation. More significant, perhaps, was another York museum engine – GWR record breaker No. 3440 City of Truro, which returned to service for a few years of not only railtour service from 1957, but was even use on timetabled services. In 1959, City of Truro joined four Scottish veterans for runs to Aberdeen for a trade fair. Caledonian 4-2-2 No. 123 and Highland Railway 4-6-0 No. 103 had been preserved by the LMS in the 1930s, but rarely seen in public. Great North of Scotland Railway 4-4-0 No. 49 Gordon Highlander and North British Railway 4-4-0

No. 256 Glen Douglas were recent withdrawals by BR and were also restored to original livery. All four saw further railtour service until 1964/65 before going on display in Glasgow museum. In England, Midland Compound No. 1000, which had been retained by BR on withdrawal in 1951, was restored at Derby and saw a short period of railtour service, before going into the Museum of British Transport at Clapham, while LSWR T9 4-4-0 No. 120 saw a slightly longer period of active main line service in 1961/62, until going into storage. With the retirement of the Scottish quartet, no

GNSR F class 4-4-0 No. 49 GordonHighlander at Turriff on the GNSR branch to Macduff on June 13, 1960. TB OWEN/COLOUR-RAIL.COM Heritage Railway 51

GCR 11F 4-4-0 No. 506 Butler-Henderson heads past Swithland on the then single track Great Central Railway on November 25, 1990. The engine retired from active service in 1993. BRIAN SHARPE

LSWR T9 4-4-0 No. 120 was used by BR for railtour service from March 1962 to October 1963 in LSWR green livery, and is seen with the ‘Victory Blue Belle’, heading from Victoria to the Bluebell Railway on October 21, 1962. COLOUR-RAIL.COM

LNWR 2-4-0 No. 790 Hardwicke and MR Compound 4-4-0 No. 1000 depart from Poppleton with a York to Carnforth via Harrogate and Leeds railtour on April 24,1976. BRIAN SHARPE

MR 4-2-2 No. 673 in steam at the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley on May 28 1978. BRIAN SHARPE

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pre-Grouping express engines were seen in steam for nearly 10 years, but 1974 saw the closure of Clapham museum, and several historic engines were on the move for the first time in years. The following year saw the Rail 150 Stockton & Darlington celebrations, immediately followed by the opening of the National Railway Museum at York. Two Clapham residents – LNWR 2-4-0 No. 790 Hardwicke and MR No. 1000 – returned to steam, at Carnforth and York, respectively, took part in the Shildon cavalcade and saw a short period of railtour service, now under very different circ*mstances, steam having ended on BR seven years earlier. Another engine steamed at York was GNR No. 990 Henry Oakley, which ran at Shildon, and went on loan to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, where unfortunately it only steamed a couple of times before its final retirement. Nos. 790 and 1000 also steamed at the Liverpool & Manchester Rocket 150 cavalcade at Rainhill in 1980 and were joined by MR Johnson Single No. 673, which had been steamed at Butterley. This engine, preserved by the LMS in 1928, made it to Rainhill under its own steam, returned to Butterley, and steamed on to the NRM in 1978 but sadly never hauled a passenger train and has never steamed since. The LTSR 4-4-2T also returned to steam in the early 1970s, at Bressingham, but never hauled a train. By 1980, the only preserved pre-Grouping

express steam engines to have hauled passenger trains on heritage lines were sporadic appearances by GNR No. 990 on the KWVR and LNWR No. 790 on the Derwent Valley Railway. However, in late 1981, the GNR Stirling Single No. 1 was seen at the head of trains on the Great Central Railway, followed by two more weekends in the spring of 1982, and just a year later the railway had returned on-loan GCR 4-4-0 No. 506 Butler-Henderson to steam. The latter had been loaned by the NRM on closure of Clapham museum and had a busy 10-year period working on the railway, its one time home turf, but retired in 1993. Also loaned by the NRM for a return to steam was the LSWR T9 No. 120, which appeared on the Mid-Hants Railway in 1983 in BR livery as No. 30120, and having proved a bit underpowered for the Mid-Hants’ gradients, worked later on the Swanage Railway between 1990 and 1993. GWR 4-4-0 No. 3440 City of Truro was returned to steam in 1985 on the Severn Valley Railway for the GW150 celebrations, and worked not only on that line but on a number of main line railtours for a few years, latterly based at the NRM. 2004 saw City of Truro back in steam for the centenary of its record-breaking run down Wellington bank, and this was followed by a third busy period of main line service in preservation, also visiting many heritage lines. A surprise third return to steam in preservation was the T9 in August 2010 on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway. The engine had

spent some time on the Bluebell Railway, but it had not been felt practicable to steam it, and it was the intervention of Bill Parker which saw it moved to his Flour Mill workshops in the Forest of Dean, where repairs were undertaken. However, in many cases, preserved pre-Grouping express engines have not actually steamed since the 1950s and most quickly returned to their roles as static exhibits. There is now just one pre-Grouping express steam engine in active service, and that carries BR livery. Butler-Henderson retired more than 20 years ago in 1993, and with the withdrawal of City of Truro in 2009, only T9 4-4-0 No. 30120 still steams on. Many of today’s enthusiasts have never seen a pre-Grouping express engine in service hauling passenger trains in the full glory of the pre-1923 liveries. None of these surviving engines is currently under overhaul and there are no plans for any to return to steam in the foreseeable future. However, the same situation was true in 1965 and there is one light at the end of the tunnel. The new-build Brighton Atlantic No. 32424 Beachy Head is steadily taking shape at Sheffield Park on the Bluebell Railway. Will this be the start of a new trend towards newbuild pre-Grouping express steam designs? It will take a long time, but could future generations enjoy the spectacle of a new stud of such designs, with not just an LBSCR 4-4-2, but an LNWR George V 4-4-0, a GER Claud Hamilton 4-4-0 and perhaps others….

Currently the only, and looking likely to be the last-ever, working pre-Grouping express engine, BR-liveried LSWR T9 4-4-0 No. 30120 is seen crossing Corfe Common on the Swanage Railway. BRIAN SHARPE Heritage Railway 53

Lucky in more ways than one! LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galatea keeps steam on downhill over Smardale viaduct and emerges into the sunshine with Compass by West Coast’s ‘Pendle Dalesman’ to Carlisle on March 25. JOSEPH JENNER

MAIN LINE NEWS

COMPILED BY CEDRIC JOHNS

Eighty steam-hauled trains over new Borders Railway? UP TO 80 steam-hauled charters a year could use use the newly rebuilt northern section of the Waverley Line, research has indicated Many of the trains will originate from English cities, with Edinburgh currently being the most popular destination. An extension of these trains to the Borders would bring an entirely new set of visitors to its abbeys – Melrose and Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford bringing around £500,000 of ‘newspend’ money to the Borders’ economy, according to a study undertaken by members of Campaign for Borders Rail and the Waverley Route Trust. Since the completion of tracklaying along the entire length of the 30 miles reclaimed from remains of the old Waverly route from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, Network Rail engineers have been making steady progress

towards the opening of the line on September 6. Currently completing the infrastructure, Network Rail said it was so confident of finishing the job – including a platform extension at Tweedbank to accommodate 12coach trains in time for the official opening – that the availability of firstday tickets has been announced, with bookings open through National Rail enquiries as from June 14. To assess the public’s interest in steam-hauled trains in 2016, the line’s first full season, a steam train experience timetable is to be

“We are very keen to see Scottish Borders Council mounting a major feasibility study to a proposal to extend the line...”

Duke of Gloucester requires £50,000 starter THE plan to begin work overhauling unique BR three-cylinder 4-6-2 No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester this summer is now a strong possibility. Negotiations with LNWR, which was previously awarded the contract, reached agreement whereby the overhaul would begin when £100,000 had been raised to start the project. The owning group’s chairman Trevor Tuckley said that so far £50,000 had been raised. Nevertheless he said that he and his management committee are still appealing to anyone interested in steam to help raise the money required as a starter for the historic Duke’s extensive overhaul. The recent issue of £50 shares has attracted the attention of enthusiasts and is open to members of the general public. “They – the shares – would make an ideal birthday or anniversary present,” said Trevor. A new information document, Prospectus for the Duke, which includes a forward written by two eminent railway authors, is planned to be released in March and explains why the Duke’s restoration to main line standard is considered so important. One extract reads: “One strength of the Duke seldom touched upon is the high superheat. Under typical working conditions the steam temperature is around 50° to 60°F degrees higher than for a duch*ess. All things considered, and the steam rate of 30,000 lb/hr, the drawbar horsepower advantage to

56 Heritagerailway.co.uk

published showing a number of departures after the Borders Railway’s official opening. Network Rail has three months left to complete construction before driver training begins. Communications masts are already installed and the railway’s signalling system is up and running. Parallel to that, track welding and stabilisation tests are taking place and top ballast laid and tamped. Other work includes the erection of fencing along the railway to restrict access, which is scheduled to be completed before the line becomes

the Duke at 70mph is about 60, roughly equivalent to the proverbial ‘extra coach’. “There have been many great Duke performances benefiting from this, and after making record climbs over Whiteball, Dainton, Rattery and Hemerdon in the spring of 2007 the late Mike Notley commented that it was another day to go down in steam history. The phoenix has risen and how! “There are, however, still ways to move the design forward. Reliability is crucial in today’s fast-moving modern railway, plus the need to deliver top power in less favourable circ*mstances. “Modern safety requirements for traction are also needed to be met with more sensors helping to deliver consistently reliable outputs. “The areas of draughting efficiency, superheat and mechanical integrity are subjects for review. The rebuild aims to create a Duke which fulfils all its designer’s intentions in terms of performance and reliability, and will incorporate new practices needed for the 21st century main line.” Equal to those aims, said Trevor, is the group’s quest for experienced people with commercial, financial or engineering backgrounds to come on board to assist the ongoing management of the project and beyond. More information can be found on www.theduke.uk.com or by reading the prospectus included in this issue of Heritage Railway.

operational. The chairman of the Campaign for Borders Rail, Simon Walton, said: “We’re looking forward to the results of the current Transport ScotlandScottish Borders Council study of further enhancements at Tweedbank, such as a run-round loop or turntable, to enable steam locomotives to be turned. We are anticipating the success of the new ScotRail services for commuting, leisure and tourist traffic.” “We are very keen to see Scottish Borders Council mounting a major feasibility study to a proposal to extend the line, initially to Hawick, a town which suffered most when the Waverley Route was closed in 1969, and of course eventually to Carlisle.” Subject to confirmation, steam movements over the line and its approaches will be operated by West Coast Railways.

Railway Touring Company heading for big mountain adventure in 2015 NOT content with running its ‘Great Britain VIII’ tour around the UK on April 28-May 6, the Railway Touring Company is living up to its name by following its nine-day flagship tour with a series of alternative trips The first of these, a six-day ‘co*ck O’ North’ excursion from London to Kyle of Lochalsh, takes in in the Strathspey Railway, Keith & Dufftown Railway, and the West Highland Extension between Fort William and Mallaig. Motive power provided is a mixture of steam, diesel and public service trains. Departing King’s Cross on the ‘Highland Chieftain’ on Thursday, May 14, tourists are taken direct to Inverness for the first night stop. On Thursday, May 21, RTC’s ‘Far North & Orkney’ tour starts out from King’s Cross for a nine-day land tour, which in effect begins after an overnight stop in Aberdeen.

‘Summer Highlander’

Steam is included in the itinerary with visits to the Royal Deeside Railway and later, an eight-mile round trip on a chartered train on the Caledonian Railway. Later in the tour, passengers visit the Strathspey Railway and the Cairngorm Mountain Railway. The ‘Summer Highlander’ features a six-day tour of the Scottish Highlands. Departing

King’s Cross on board the ‘Highland Chieftain’ the ‘Highlander’ heads for its first night stop at Fort William. During time spent in the Highlands, passengers travel from Fort William to Mallaig on a ‘Jacobite’ departure and later ride on the Strathspey and Dufftown railways. Another nine-day tour leaves King’s Cross on Tuesday, June 9 when ‘The Western Isles’ heads for Stirling and a night stop on the banks of Loch Lomond. Most of this tour is by road, but includes a trip from Fort William to Mallaig by steam.

Cruising the Lakes

On Thursday, June 25, a six-day tour of the Lake District begins at Euston where passengers join a Virgin Pendolino service to Oxenholme and a night stop at Windermere. In addition to cruising the lakes, visits include the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway and the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. RTC’s six-day tour of Snowdonia and the Northern Fells starts from Liverpool, with passengers travelling on the ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ to Carlisle, returning to Liverpool via the Settle and Carlisle line on Saturday, July 18. From then on, trips include the ‘North Wales Coast Express’, the Snowdon Mountain, Welsh Highland Ffestiniog, Fairbourne, Talyllyn Railways, the Vale of Rheidol and Welshpool & Llanfair railways.

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LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower passes Thetford with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Easterling’ from King’s Cross on March 8. BRIAN SHARPE

‘Forester’ will miss ‘Jacobite’ start CALLED up to replace resident ‘Black Five’ No. 45337, which had failed prior to the Steel, Steam and Stars IV gala at Llangollen, Bert Hitchen’s sister engine, No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester, suffered a similar fate. Bert explained that his 4-6-0 failed on its second round trip because he discovered that water had found its way into the locomotive’s cylinders. His engine had arrived back at Carnforth by road on March 19 and he began investigating the problem. Bert subsequently revealed that the steam pipe had perforated at the point it passed through a five-eighths ring leading into the tubeplate. He said that the time to effect a repair depended on how quickly he could obtain a new pipe. Would he be taking the 4-6-0 to Fort William next month for its usual ‘Jacobite’ duties? “No,” Bert said. “I have been asked to remain at Carnforth as part of the West Coast pool of steam locomotives in readiness for the summer season

‘The Easterling’ was notable as the first steam train on two new sections of track; the Ipswich ‘Bacon Factory curve’ and the Hitchin flyover, as seen here. NEVILLE WELLINGS

SirNigelGresleyheads south for main line finale before major overhaul A4 4-6-2 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley will be heading south to begin a short series of main line bookings before the engine returns to Grosmont for heavy overhaul. Currently being fettled in preparation for its final year of operation, the A4 moves south on Thursday, May 21 working the return leg of Steam Dream’s King’s Cross-York-Scarborough ‘Cathedrals Express’. This is a positioning move for the

A4 which, after leaving Grosmont, makes a servicing stop at York en route to Scarborough. On arrival in London that evening, the 4-6-2 will bed down at Southall, its temporary home until Sunday, July 5 when the 4-6-2 carries out its last main line duty, taking a ‘Cathedrals Express’ on a three-day trip to Edinburgh. The next day, passengers are offered the choice of a day at leisure or riding over the Forth Bridge on a

luncheon train with the A4 taking the Fife Circle route before returning to Waverley. Returning the train to York on Tuesday, July 7 the world’s secondfastest A4 will uncouple and head on to Grosmont, where it will possibly play out the final months of its ticket on North Yorkshire Moors Railway. But before all of that, and once based at Southall, Sir Nigel Gresley’s first trip down south involves a

London Victoria to Minehead visit on Thursday, May 28. Roger Barker recently retired as managing director of the A4 Locomotive Society Limited – now renamed Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Company Limited – on the grounds of ill health. Roger, who has been associated with 4-6-2 for 38 years, remains a director of the newly constituted company and he will continue to be involved with the A4 as a volunteer. Heritage Railway 57

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Britain’s ‘youngest’ steam driver ‘passed’ on Clan Line THOUGHT to be the youngest heritage-era engineman to become a qualified main line driver, 33-year-old Jim Clarke celebrated his move across the footplate by driving Merchant Navy 4-6-2 No. 35028 Clan Line out of London Victoria on Saturday, March 21. Signed on duty to work the ‘Belmond British Pullman’ luncheon train around the Surrey Hills route Jim said that he had gained knowledge – and interest – by watching, listening and learning from his father, Don Clarke, a former Nine Elms man who had spent 49 years working on railways. Before Saturday’s departure, Jim said: “Before driving you have to be passed out as a fireman, work your time, be put forward for driving, go through the training and hopefully pass the driver’s exam.” In the latter stages of three years’ training, he learned how to handle the

regulator under the experienced eye of another Nine Elms man, Colin Kerswill, and fellow DB Schenker traction inspectors. On the day, Jim – a DBS diesel driver – was passed by Gareth Jones who had travelled down from Bescot for the occasion. His father, now retired, said: “We are proud of him. It’s something he’s always wanted to do”. Explaining why he had enjoyed driving steam trains he continued by saying: “You feel part of the machine and it’s sheer physical effort of what you put in to get power out of the locomotive. “It’s quite satisfying if you’ve had a good run.” Jim is believed to be the youngest person to achieve the main line qualification since 1968. Looking ahead, Jim and his DBS footplate colleagues will no doubt be

anticipating opportunities to get the feel of A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado after Clan Line heads a one way trip to Crewe and heavy overhaul in June.

Britain’s youngest main line steam driver, Jim Clarke with ClanLine at Victoria on March 21. PRESS ASSOCIATION

Mayflower misses out on Bluebell ‘Cathedrals’ debut MAIN line newcomer B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower missed the opportunity to work the first railtour starting from the Bluebell Railway when it failed a fitness-to-run exam. Given an inspection at Southall on Thursday, March 19, the 4-6-0 was failed with leaking superheater elements. Determined to keep the engine on the road, the B1’s support crew put in a notable shift overnight in an effort to overcome the problem with time to spare. While the work was in progress on the Friday, a West Coast Railways class 47 diesel moved the empty ‘Cathedrals Express’ passenger stock to Horsted Keynes, its Saturday starting point for the trip to Cambridge and Ely. Working nonstop, Mayflower’s support crew succeeded in repairing the leak and the B1 was given a second fitness-to-run inspection. The engine was passed but time had run out, nullifying the support crew’s best efforts. Being Friday afternoon, Network Rail was unable to find a light engine path from Southall to East Grinstead or alternatively, revise the train’s timetable to allow the 4-6-0 to join the ‘Express’ in west London at such short notice. In the event, Mayflower missed its Bluebell debut but it wasn’t for the want of trying. So, instead of steam powering the ‘Express’ to Cambridge and Ely, the Class 47 completed the job. That said, passengers enjoyed a whiff of steam courtesy of Bluebell officials who gave the ‘Express’ a friendly start by arranging for the railway’s S15 4-6-0 No. 847 to head the train complete with diesel, as far as East Grinstead. Steam Dreams’ Marcus Robertson said that passengers had been advised

58 Heritagerailway.co.uk

SR S15 4-6-0 No. 847 pilots Class 47 No. 47580 CountyofEssex at Kingscote on the Bluebell Railway on March 21. The steam engine went as far as East Grinstead. JAMES HAMILTON

on the Friday that steam haulage was doubtful. “Only one passenger decided not to travel,” he added. As it turned out the day was blessed with good weather, the train running

to schedule. Meanwhile the B1’s owner, David Buck was away chasing the eclipse on a ship somewhere near the Faroes, so he missed his engine’s missing its

debut on the Bluebell. That said, he was quick to acknowledge the tremendous efforts put in through the night by his support crew who successfully restored the B1 to health.

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SPAD stops Tangmere at Wootton Bassett PASSENGER services were delayed between Swindon, Chippenham and Bath when Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34067 Tangmere, hauling a ‘Cathedrals Express’, ran through a signal at red at Wootton Bassett. The incident occurred when the 4-6-2 was working the return leg of Steam Dreams’ Southend-Bristol excursion on Saturday, March 7. Following the SPAD, Network Rail issued the following interim statement: “1Z67 (the) 16.35 Bristol Temple Meads-Southend East, formed by steam locomotive 98767 (34067 Tangmere ) and 13 passenger vehicles passed SN45 at red by approximately 700 yards coming to a stand on the junction. “Signal SN45 was at red to protect the route set from the Up Badminton line to the Up main line for 1L36 15.28 Swansea-London Paddington to proceed.” The statement added the note that the Swindon signaller advised that SN45 was at danger due to 1L76 passing through the junction ahead of

SR Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34067 Tangmere brings the empty stock for the return ‘Cathedrals Express’ to Southend into Bristol Temple Meads on March 7. HENRY THOMAS 1Z67 (allowing the Swansea) coming off the Up Badminton line. Categorised as an ‘A’ SPAD, the incident is being investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation Board in conjunction with the Rail Safety Standards Board. A relief driver took the train on to Swindon where a new West Coast Railways driver joined the train and took it as far as Southall. RAIB issued a preliminary report which said that

examination has shown that around 17.24 hours train 1Z67 was approaching signal SN43 at 59mph when it passed over the TSR temporary magnet. This created both an audible and visual warning in the cab. However, as the driver (of Tangmere) did not acknowledge this warning within 2.7 seconds the AWS system on the locomotive automatically applied the brakes.

Cromwellmisses VE Day trains through retyring

HAVING taken part in the Great Central Railway’s January gala, BR 7P 4-6-2 No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell was ‘stopped’ for what appears to be substantial winter maintenance at Loughborough. Work on the ‘Brit’ started with the replacement of a number of tubes which were not changed out last year, boiler inspection and subsequent remedial action. Following a valve and piston examination and steam test, the 4-6-2 – less tender – is due to head off by road to Swanwick where Cromwell’s drivers are due to be released on the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s lifting jacks. This accomplished, the wheels will be sent to a selected contractor for new tyres to be sweated on. Considering tyres come from South Africa these days it is hoped that they are already in situ to effect a speedy completion of the work. As a result of the 4-6-2 maintenance schedule Cromwell has been withdrawn from Steam Dreams’ VE Day celebratory train duty on May 8. In many respects, the work

schedule on the ‘Brit’ is reminiscent of last year’s maintenance regime which kept the 4-6-2 sidelined until June. As advertised, No. 70013 was down to head a luncheon train making a two-way journey over the Surrey Hills route on May 8, but with Cromwell ‘stopped’, it is likely that replacement engine, 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower will break new ground by working the trip. Probably the first time that a luncheon train has run over the Surrey Hills route in both directions on the same day, rarely used pick up stations including Twickenham, Egham, Addlestone and Shalford are incorporated in the itinerary which begins and finished its run at London Victoria. Providing the original plan is adhered to, BR 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia will head the second train, an early evening departure from Victoria calling at Bromley South, Bat & Ball-a first- and Tonbridge en route for Canterbury, Deal, Martin Mill bank, Dover and the White Cliffs before returning to London.

Harbury line reopened early following landslip THE reopening of the GW main line between Leamington Spa and Banbury on March 13, three weeks ahead of Network Rail’s predicted April 6 completion date, was a welcome boost for passengers, freight operators and railtour promoters. The line had been blocked at Harbury by a 350,000-ton landslip on January 31. The situation was so serious that a planned weekend closure of the West Coast Main Line at Watford was cancelled to enable Network Rail engineers to concentrate on clearing the tracks leading into Harbury Tunnel. The slip was also the reason that

a Vintage Trains St Valentine’s Day luncheon special was rerouted on its homeward journey. The closure of the line brought chaos to passengers using Chiltern Railways’ LondonBirmingham trains, Cross Country Voyager services between Reading and the Midlands and freight services running between Southampton docks and the north. In total it is estimated that around 150 passenger trains and 50 freight trains use the route on a normal weekday. Freightliner services were rerouted via Lincoln, Yate, or the Cotswold Line via Worcester.

This brake application should have resulted in the train being brought to stand. In these circ*mstances the rule book requires that the driver immediately contacts the signaller. On March 7 a temporary speed restriction (TSR) of 85mph was in place on the approach to signal SN45. A temporary magnet has been placed on approach to signal SN43 to warn drivers of the TSR.

‘New’ Crewe works to stage open day THE newly-rebuilt Crewe diesel depot, now part of the Jeremy Hosking railway empire and nearing completion is set to stage a public open day on Saturday, May 9. Having invested considerable sums of money on the building, including the installation of a new roof, the newly created locomotive works will operate in parallel with LNWR’s engineering facilities to accommodate the Hosking steam powered collection for repair and overhaul. It is possible that the first locomotive to be moved inside will be A1 4-6-2 No. 60532 Blue Peter which was transferred from Barrow Hill to Crewe on Wednesday, March 18. As reported earlier by Main Line News work on the A1 will begin as soon as 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot rebuild is completed and moved to a selected heritage line for a period of time sufficient to carry out a comprehensive running in programme before being based at Southall. The return of the ‘Scot’ to traffic – and Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34046 Braunton to Southall – is provisionally targeted for June. Locomotive Services’ Peter Greenwood was asked about the question of a name for the building. He said: “We cannot go on calling it the old diesel depot – I’ll look into that matter that further.” In terms of active motive power ,the only engine currently available is Southall based BR 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia. Booked to run engine and coach to the West Somerset Railway via Swindon and Bristol on Friday, March 20, the ‘Brit’ will stay until the end of the month. Departing Bishop Lydeard, Britannia is then due to appear on the Swanage Railway prior to joining day one of the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain VIII’ tour at Exeter on Tuesday, April 28, running from there to Par double heading with train engine No. 34067 Tangmere. The following morning the two engines are booked to head ‘GB VIII’ back from Penzance to Bristol. No further details of the ‘Brit’s movements were available as we closed for press although man in charge, Bob Allen, did say that he thought that No. 70000 was down for five trips with the Bristol-Kingswear ‘Torbay Express’, the first of which is due to depart Temple Meads on Sunday, May 24. Heritage Railway 59

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Second Steam Dreams Irish tour planned

SUCH has been the interest in Steam Dreams’ first ever ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’ which departs London Victoria on Wednesday, June 17, that the decision to run a second trip, in 2016, has been already been taken. The tour promoter’s chairman, Marcus Robertson, disclosed that agreements have been reached with the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland giving Steam Dreams the option of running tours for three years. “Almost everyone who originally expressed an interest in going to Ireland has either ended up booking or said that they can’t make it this year but asked if we can do it again next year,” he said.

Relaxing place

“Most of those who have booked have never been to Ireland and I am sure that they will be bowled over by not just the country and its railways but more importantly its people. It really is a most extraordinary and relaxing place. “Everyone we have worked with on the railways planning this trip has been very easy to work with both within the RPSI and Irish Rail.” Marcus said that next year’s ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’ is likely to

visit several new places with Wexford, Cork, and the north-west of the Irish Republic all on the list, as well as Dublin. The 2016 tour will also have the option to include the beautiful northern Irish line between Londonderry and Belfast, taking in a visit to the Giant’s Causeway.

Almost sold out

Marcus said that a date for the nineday tour will likely be brought forward in to May or early June. Prices are expected to be the same as this year with some of Ireland’s four and fivestar hotels being used by Pullman and premier dining passengers, He said that Steam Dreams was already receiving expressions of interest for next year but bookings would not be accepted until after the completion of this year’s ‘Explorer’ which returns to London via Holyhead on June 25. “This year’s trip has almost sold out - fewer than 30 seats across three classes remain - and we think it only fair to give those who travelled this year the first option to book again,” he said. Engines in steam on the Irish 5ft 3in gauge routes this year are expected to include 2-6-0 No. 461 and 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin.

LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45407 pilots Jubilee No. 45690 Leander past Hett, Co Durham with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Hadrian from Hellifield to York via Carlisle on March 7. DAVE HEWITT

SEE CLASSIC TRACTION ON THE NATIONAL NETWORK By Fred Kerr FOCUS this issue centres on the Caledonian Sleeper service which began on April 1, although the trunk haul between Edinburgh/ Glasgow and London will start from the previous night’s departures. The main interest is in the provision of motive power, which has been contracted to GB Railfreight (GBRf) which intends to use a fleet of six Class 92 locomotives for the trunk haul and six Class 73/9s for the runs to Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness. The interest is whether these locomotives can be described as “heritage”.

Stored for lengthy periods

The Class 92 fleet was introduced between 1993-96 and was intended to work Channel Tunnel services, including the Regional Passenger services and the anticipated high volume of freight. When the Regional service was cancelled and freight failed to reach the predicted levels, many class members were stored for lengthy periods while others were sold to new operators including GB Railfreight which has

60 Heritagerailway.co.uk

bought 16. Of these, four have been identified for the new contract (92014/18/23/33) while a further three (92010/32/44) are under consideration to join the pool. The 11 Class 73/9s are being created from selected members of Classes 73/0, 73/1 and 73/2; these were introduced between 1962-67 and as originally built are clearly ‘heritage’ traction but the rebuilding includes stripping locomotives to the bare bodyshell and installing modern equipment including a 1600hp engine to replace the previous 650hp unit. GBRf describes them as “virtually a new locomotive” and I leave the example of the gardener’s shovel as a basis for discussing whether to consider the rebuilds as ‘new’ or ‘heritage’. The shakedown trials of the first pair took longer than expected and, with the first five conversions allocated to Network Rail duties in south-east England, the six locomotives for the sleeper contract are not expected to be available until October. In the interim, GBRf sought to continue the hire of the current Class 67

pool but that was initially refused. GBRf then turned to the Harry Needle Railroad Company for the hire of ETH-fitted Class 47s but DB Schenker appeared to relent and allow the continuation of the current hire arrangements leading to the repaint of Class 67 No. 67004 in the Caledonian Sleeper turquoise livery without branding and the naming of the locomotive as Cairn Gorm on March 23. GBRf is also using heritage traction for the Euston services, with its hire of Class 86 Nos. 86101/401 and Class 87 No. 87002 from the AC Locomotive Group to haul the empty coaching stock movements between Euston and Wembley. This has led the ACLG to confirm that the hire income will be used to fund the restoration of its unique Class 89 No. 89001 to main line standard with the prospect of it returning to the main line at some future date. The changing situation has, however, confirmed that GBRf will continue to base Class 47 traction at Doncaster, for use principally with the Middleton Towers sand traffic and Drax gypsum services,

while its continued use of Class 08, 09, 20, 73 and 92 traction totals 57 locomotives to provide an interesting variety of motive power.

Flask and casual duties

The other major operator of heritage traction remains DRS which, despite the increasing use of its new Class 68 fleet, still finds work for its Class 20, 37, 47 and 57 fleet on a variety of flask and casual duties. This is expected to change with the May timetable when DRS will start operating locomotive-hauled services between Carlisle and Barrow; timetable times have yet to be published but they are reported to be geared to the shift pattern of workers at Sellafield as these will be the major source of traffic for the trains. Finally the growing presence of West Coast Railways, especially since taking over Compass Tours earlier this year, sees a steady stream of work for the company’s Class 47 and 57/3 locomotives on both charter work and the stock transfers between the Carnforth and Southall sites.

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Abellio ready to steam in Scotland

New ScotRail franchise holder Abellio Group – which takes control of Scottish rail services this month (April) – has taken its first steps towards promoting steam hauled tourist trains. “we are aware of the popularity rail travel by steam trains in Scotland,” said chief executive Jeff Hoogesteger. “we aim to build on plans (the then) First Minister, Alex Salmond, announced for Borders Railway last year.” Tours under consideration by the off shoot of Dutch National Railways include edinburgh-Inverness, Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh and around Fife. The group has earmarked May 23 as the starting date for its plans – a circular rail tour is listed departing Carlisle running via the west Coast main Line through Bellshill and Paisley to Troon and Dumfries and return. Further trips mooted are Stirling to Inverness via Perth, June 21; Inverness to Stirling via Perth, June 22; and Polmont to Fort william, September 5. Abellio has acknowledged that its plans have to be fitted in with the public service timetable, especially on single-track routes and that Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain VIII’ tour and a number of other RTC extended tours have already been planned and given paths in Scotland.

Vintage Trains unveils summer steam schedule GwR 4-6-0 No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe makes a notable first visit to Poole with Vintage Trains’ ‘Jurassic Steamer’ on Saturday, May 16, and then heads for Llandudno via Chester with the ‘Seaside Flyer’ on Saturday, May 23. The month closes with a diesel-hauled trip to Brighton when the ‘South Coaster’ begins its journey south from Solihull on Saturday, May 30, calling at warwick, Banbury and Oxford. VT’s summer programme opens on Saturday, June 13 with a repeat of last year’s Tyseley-Minehead trip with the ‘whistling Ghost III’, providing another turn for No. 5043. Starting from warwick Road, the train picks up at Moor Street, Stourbridge , worcester Shrub Hill and Temple Meads. Next up, the ‘welsh Dragon’ destined for Llandudno Junction and Holyhead, runs on Saturday, June 20. Another warwick Road departure – the ‘Dragon’ – stops en route at New Street, wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe. Choice of motive power has yet to be confirmed. Tyseley’s traditional summer open day takes place the following

weekend, June 27-28, when it is hoped that 4-6-0 No.7029 Clun Castle – currently under extensive overhaul – might be on display. Guest engine, LMS Princess Coronation 4-6-2 No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland, is down to head VT’s ‘welsh Marches’, which after starting out from warwick Road on Saturday, July 4, calls at Snow Hill, before proceeding via Old Hill bank, through Cheltenham, Gloucester, Lydney and Chepstow to Newport (Maindee Junction), where the train swings right for the taxing route up through Cwmbran, Pontypool and Abergavenny to Hereford. The return takes in Craven Arms, Shrewsbury (pass), wolverhampton, Smethwick and Snow Hill. On bank holiday weekend Saturday, August 29, VT breaks new ground with its ‘Seaside express’ destined for one of england’s traditional ‘bucket and spade’ resorts, weston-super-Mare. Starting from warwick Road the ‘express’ picks up at Snow Hill and worcester Shrub Hill reaching the coast via Bristol. Motive power has yet to be decided for this trip, an educated guess suggests it could be a Hall or Castle. Heritage Railway 61

MAIN LINE NEWS

LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander heads south towards Shap past Little Strickland, with Vintage Trains’ ‘Cumbrian Jubilee’ on March 21. BRIAN SHARPE

WITH FULL REGULATOR

LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW

By Don Benn

ONE night in July 1965 I caught the 9.05pm St Pancras to Glasgow with the aims of getting haulage by a Jubilee 4-6-0 over the Settle and Carlisle line, some steam hauled trains in Scotland, and a run on the 2pm Glasgow to Carlisle. The day actually ended unexpectedly with a run behind No. 46115 Scots Guardsman on a

Liverpool to Glasgow relief train from Carlisle to Carstairs (see my column in HR 195). I got my run with the Jubilee, but the train was so crowded and I wasn’t well placed for timing so all I got was some outline times, though No. 45593 Kolhapur did well with a maximum speed of 83mph over the River Eden at Ormside. In August 1966, I repeated the trip, but No. 45675 Hardy was in poor condition and did less well, as we shall

see later. So when I saw that Vintage Trains was advertising a northbound trip over the Settle and Carlisle line with a Jubilee, No. 45690 Leander, I knew that I had to book even if this meant a long drive to Tyseley and a departure from home in the middle of the night. The alternative would have been to drive to Watford Junction or Milton Keynes and trust Virgin West Coast to save me an hour overall. But with a

TABLEONE:HELLIFIELDTODENT Date Train Loco

Driver Fireman Recorder Position Weather

Saturday, March 21, 2015 Cumbrian Jubilee Class 5XP 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander 11 coaches, 386½ tons tare, 420 tons gross Steve Chipperfield Chris Holmes Don Benn 10 of 11 Sunny spells, cold NE wind

Hellifield Long Preston Settle Junction Settle Stainforth Sidings Stainforth Tunnel Milepost 240 Helwith Bridge Milepost 241 Milepost 242 Horton in Ribblesdale Milepost 244 Selside Milepost 246 Ribblehead Blea Moor Blea Moor Tunnel Milepost 252 Dent

miles 0.00 1.23 3.25 5.21 6.97 7.40 8.72 9.22 9.72 10.72 11.26 12.72 13.52 14.72 15.92 17.21 18.04 20.72 22.12

Load

sched 0.00 9.00

25.00

37.00 41.00 48.00

mins 00 03 06 08 11 12 16 17 18 20 21 24 25 28 31 35 38 42 44

Time to pass Dent *brakes or speed restriction

62 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Saturday, February 21, 1981 Cumbrian Mountain Express Black Five 4-6-0 No. 4767 George Stephenson 11 coaches, 395 tons tare, 425 tons gross unknown unknown Don Benn 3 of 11 Sunny spells secs 00 41 04 21 44 54 31 54 59 52 50 31 57 42 49 44 12 04 21

speed sched 0.00 40½ 59½ 5.00 43 22½ 21½ 22 24½ 32 31½ 32 33½/35 30 26½ *23 tsr *17½ 38.00 22 52½ tsr *28 53.00

mins 00 04 06 09 11 12 14 15 16 18 19 22 23 26 28 31 33 37 41

secs 00 14 39 00 49 35 57 49 45 32 31 11 52 20 58 41 47 48 28

Time to stop at Dent *brakes or speed restriction

Saturday, November 5, 1983 Cumbrian Mountain Express BR Sulzer Type 2 Bo-Bo No.25.035 plus BR Brush Type 2 A1A-A1A No. 31.102 11 coaches . 376½ tons tare, 395 tons gross unknown unknown Don Benn 3 of 11 Fine, sunny and mild speed sched 0.00 sigs*/48 56½ 3.30 45 34½ 33 31 33½ 36½ 35 34 32½ 29 27 29 24 21.30 23 46 27.00

mins 00 01 03 05 07 08 09 11 11 12 13 14 15 17 19 21 22 25 26

secs 00 20 22 36 51 23 55 08 44 23 02 51 58 27 07 24 42 37 58

speed 59 58 61 53 49 48½ 47½ 48 51 49 49 48 46 45½ tsr *30 36 40 64 63

Times and speeds are pass to pass Hellifield to Dent *brakes or speed restriction

tight connection at Crewe in the morning discretion won and so we found ourselves at a very cold Tyseley Warwick Road in plenty of time, waiting for the gate to open so we could access the warmth and facilities of our train, the 6.26am Vintage Trains ‘Cumbrian Jubilee’ to Carlisle. Vintage Trains have told me: “We are horribly aware that we need to make site improvements at Tyseley for the passengers and we are investigating the availability of grant funding to provide facilities and cover the platforms.’’ We were soon on our way on time with Vintage’s own Class 47 No. 47773 (or D1755 in old money) on 10 coaches, comprising a mixed set of Pullman, Mk1 and Mk2 stock, mainly in chocolate & cream and weighing 352 tons tare. The 47 did well enough on a morning when the West Coast Main Line was behaving itself, and brought us into Hellifield on time after no higher speed than 89 at Balshaw Lane.

Gleaming black coat

We ran in past Jubilee No. 45690 Leander waiting to take us forward to Carlisle after a long wait to allow the 9.47am Leeds-Carlisle service train to precede us, as booked. The Jubilee looked very fine in its gleaming black coat on a bright, sunny, but cold morning, with a stiff north-east wind blowing. Driver Steve Chipperfield and fireman Chris Holmes were in charge, with the load now increased to 11 with the support coach, a total of around 420 tons, which would test Leander on the 1-in-100 climb into the Fells. I have set out the first part of this run as far as Dent in Table One, alongside two runs from the 1980s, one with ‘Black Five’ No. 44767 George Stephenson, running as LMS No. 4767, in 1981 with an almost identical load, and one with a very unusual combination of Class 25 and Class 31 diesels in 1983 on the northbound run Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

TABLETWO:HELLIFIELDTOCARLISLE Date Train Loco Load

Saturday, August 19, 1967 10.17 am Leeds to Carlisle Class 5XP 4-6-0 No. 45562 Alberta 8 coaches, 246½ tons tare, 260 tons gross Pawson, Holbeck Bryan Benn

Saturday, August 20, 1966 9.20 pm St Pancras to Glasgow Class 5XP 4-6-0 No. 45675 Hardy 8 coaches, 248 tons tare, 265 tons gross unknown Don Benn 2 of 8 Damp and cool

Hellifield Long Preston Settle Junction Settle Stainforth Sidings Milepost 239 Helwith Bridge Milepost 242 Horton in Ribblesdale Milepost 244 Selside Milepost 246 Ribblehead Milepost 248 Blea Moor Blea Moor Tunnel Dent Garsdale Ais Gill Mallerstang Kirkby Stephen Smardale Viaduct Crosby Garrett Griseburn Ormside Appleby

miles 0.00 1.23 3.25 5.21 6.97 7.72 9.22 10.72 11.26 12.72 13.52 14.72 15.92 16.72 17.21 18.04 22.12 25.40 28.47 31.97 35.30 37.40 38.47 40.64 43.52 46.00

speed 57 63/67 sigs*26/32 sigs *16 32 33 40/41 39½ 40/38½ 39 37 36 39½ 39 38 37½ 60/63½ 53 44½ 64/*56 63½ 71½ 64½ 68 75½/sigs*24

mins 00 01 03 05 08 09 11 14 15 17 19 21 23 25 26 27 33 37 41 45 48 50 51 53 56 58

secs 00 24 32 46 02 10 54 08 00 39 10 32 48 18 10 45 28 21 05 02 13 13 18 27 03 44

speed 50 54½ 60½ 48 43 38 35 40 35½ 33 30 31½ 30 34½ 33 30 51½/48 56 45½ 63/60 66½/62½ 67 60 62½ 68/70½ 51

Long Marton New Biggin Culgaith Langwathby Little Salkeld Lazonby Milepost 295 Armathwaite Low House Crossing Cotehill Cumwhinton Scotby

61 65 67 70 72 74 77 80 81 83 86 87 sigs stop 93 97

58 49 13 45 06 47 14 16 45 16 10 30

Petteril Bridge Jct. Carlisle

61/*42 56½ 63 75/74 82½ 76 65/75 70/74 60 68½ 72/*50 67 sigs *20

58/50 56½ 63 60 68 62 53 64/66½ 57½ 60 63 59 *0 22

Driver Recorder Position Weather

The crew of No. 45690 prior to departure from Carlisle. DON BENN on the day that No. 46229 duch*ess of Hamilton brought 14 coaches southbound, as described in Heritage Railway No. 200. Steve Chipperfield got Leander away well and we were up to just under 60mph past Settle Junction before hitting the nearly 15 miles of 1-in-100 to Blea Moor tunnel. At first, speed dropped rapidly until after the short easing of gradient for a quarter of a mile after Helwith Bridge. At Stainforth, where speed had dropped to a labouring 21.5mph, I began to wonder if all was well up front as I could hear nothing much in the way of exhaust noise, though we were 10 coaches back. At this point, ‘Black Five’ No. 4767 was doing much better at 31mph but then both engines began to accelerate their trains, with No. 45690 in particular carrying on the increased effort up the climb almost to Selside, touching 35mph before easing for the Ribblehead slack. Over the three miles from Mileposts 241 to 244 the times were very close, the ‘Black Five’ being just six seconds faster. I calculate that No. 45690 was exerting about 1,315 equivalent drawbar horsepower (EDBH) over this section and No. 4767 about 1,200 EDBH which is close to the maximum I have ever recorded with a ‘Five’. (See Heritage Railway 199). After Selside the rest of the climb with No. 45690 was interrupted by the restricted speed over Batty Moss viaduct and on past Blea Moor signalbox, and No. 4767 carried on well, but with slightly less effort, perhaps being a little winded, falling to a minimum of 27mph before a slight acceleration past Ribblehead on the short stretch of 1-in-176, before easing for Blea Moor and then on to the photo stop at Dent. The double-headed diesels need little comment, running well with speed in the late Forties until a speed restriction at Ribblehead intervened. With a substantial load of just under

400 tons the theoretical 2,720 BHP available was all needed on this climb. On the ‘Cumbrian Jubilee’, Leander had been keeping time easily and we were more than five minutes early past Blea Moor, prior to a rapid descent downhill to the water stop at Appleby, reached in 70 minutes 37 seconds from Hellifield, more than seven minutes better than scheduled. We enjoyed the quiet ambience of Appleby longer than expected owing to the tardy appearance of the water tanker and so were away 16 minutes late for the final stretch to Carlisle. I haven’t tabulated this section even though it was a very fast time overall as there was little of interest from a performance viewpoint. However, there was a liberal but safe interpretation of the overall line limit to ensure an arrival close to the pathing window. The overall time was 38 minutes 21 seconds, against a schedule of 47 minutes, and this included three moderate temporary speed restrictions and a commendably unchecked run into Carlisle, just seven minutes late. Overall, this was a good competent performance on a beautiful, if cold, day in the Fells, still showing a capping of snow in places.

“Downhill speeds were uninhibited, touching 75½ before the Appleby stop.”

Holbeck Jubilees

For comparison purposes I have looked out two runs over the Settle and Carlisle line in the 1960s when Holbeck Jubilees dominated locomotive performance on the remaining steam-hauled, semi-fast trains. Table Two shows two such runs, the first with No. 45675 Hardy on the 9.20pm St Pancras to Glasgow, which I alluded to last time. With the standard eight-coach 265- ton load the engine struggled and was clearly not in very good condition. Despite this, a big effort was made from Settle Junction to Blea Moor, keeping speed above 30mph the whole way up. Downhill speeds were

48.93 52.08 53.44 57.00 58.43 61.33 63.72 66.86 68.42 69.82 72.88 74.08

mins 00 01 04 09 13 14 17 19 20 22 23 25 27 29 29 31 35 39 42 46 49 51 52 54 57 61 62 67 70 72 75 76 78 80 83 84 85 88 89

secs 00 15 51 42 18 38 59 37 15 38 59 50 55 02 50 08 46 04 43 38 57 57 54 45 05 36 51 21 43 05 15 22 32 34 09 36 58 40 47

75.88 76.78

94

40

Times from passing Hellifield at 57 mph *brakes or speed restriction equivalent net time non stop 82 minutes

moderate peaking at just over 70mph over the River Eden at Ormside. Overall our net time from Hellifield to Carlisle was 95 minutes for the 76.78 miles. We had been 33 minutes late from Skipton and arrived in Carlisle 46 late so had lost time on the schedule. Next to this run from 1966 is a much better effort from 1967 timed by brother Bryan (Wedgie) Benn on the famous 10.17am Leeds-Carlisle behind No. 45562 Alberta, also on eight coaches, for 260 tons. This train had an Appleby stop included in its schedule and I calculate that the overall net time non-stop would have been around 82 minutes, an excellent performance. Up the long drag driver Pawson kept Alberta going well with a minimum of 37½ mph at Blea Moor. Downhill speeds were uninhibited, touching 75½ before the Appleby stop and 82½ afterwards. After nearly 50 years I still cannot understand why I didn’t get off

40 32

Times from passing Hellifield at 50 mph *brakes or speed restriction net time 95 minutes

my train at Carlisle and return to Skipton to pick up the 10.17am, which that day was hauled by No. 45593 Kolhapur and arrived in Carlisle 12 minutes early after reaching 88mph on the way. I could only stand and listen to my more sensible colleagues describing the run after I had returned from Glasgow, diesel hauled.

Diesel pilot

Back to 2015 and as we were finishing lunch we discovered from Real Time Trains that the 2.40pm ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ departure south still hadn’t left and so returned to the station to find that No. 46115 Scots Guardsman had caused a lineside fire near Tebay, which meant that Network Rail had insisted on a diesel pilot for the return trip. Not good for those on board, but a photographic bonus for us as to see Heritage Railway 63

MAIN LINE NEWS

TABLETHREE:CARLISLETOCARNFORTH Date Train Loco Load Driver Fireman Recorder Position Weather Carlisle Upperby Junction Milepost 66 Milepost 65 Wreay Milepost 63 Southwaite Milepost 60 Calthwaite Milepost 58 Plumpton UGL Milepost 53½ Milepost 52 Penrith Milepost 50 Clifton Milepost 46 Milepost 45 Milepost 44 Thrimby Grange Milepost 42 Milepost 41 Milepost 40 Shap Old Station Shap Summit Scout Green Tebay Dillicar Low Gill Grayrigg UGL Lambrigg Hay Fell Oxenholme Hincaster Junction Milnthorpe Burton & Holme Milepost 9½ Milepost 8 Carnforth DGL

Saturday, March 21, 2015 Cumbrian Jubilee Class 5XP 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander 11 coaches, 386½ tons tare, 420 tons gross Gordon Hodgson Steve McMannus Don Benn 3 of 11 Sunny spells, cold NE wind miles 0.00 1.34 3.10 4.10 4.93 6.10 7.40 9.10 10.80 11.10 12.83 0.00 2.77 4.27 4.82 6.27 9.27 10.27 11.27 12.27 13.27 14.27 15.27 16.27 16.55 18.52 21.12 24.06 26.27 28.27

sched 0.00

30.14 0.00 1.88 3.63 6.99 10.63 12.59 15.38 16.63 18.13

35.00 0.00

20.27

23.00

23.00 0.00 8.00

26.00

8.00

mins 00 04 08 10 11 14 16 18 20 21 25 00 05 07 08 09 12 14 15 17 18 20 22 23 24 27 29 32 34 36 sigs stop 43 00 04 06 09 13 14 16 17 19 sigs 25

*brakes or speed restriction

64 Heritagerailway.co.uk

secs 00 38 26 23 56 01 00 24 53 20 16 00 34 35 25 45 58 18 43 16 55 35 15 48 12 00 43 05 36 47 56 00 36 04 35 00 34 48 54 11 08

speed 25½ 30 31½ 33 35 42 43½ 41 40 38½ 51½ 55 59 49 44½ 41 37½ 35½ 36 37½/38½ 37½ 43½ 40½ 74/76½ *70 tsr*50 55/58½ *0 sigs *15/58 68½/76 sigs *46 74½ 77½ 72 67½ 73 *10

Leander climbs away from Blea Moor towards the tunnel with the ‘Cumbrian Jubilee’ on March 21. BEN COLLIER two steam engines together at Carlisle is quite rare and took me back once again to the 1960s. I had a sudden panic as the thought crossed my mind that a blanket steam ban may have been imposed, but a quick word with the crew of No. 45690 confirmed that this wasn’t the case and that we would be diesel free until Carnforth. Our schedule south over Shap wasn’t one to result in any records as we had two pathing stops, at Plumpton and Grayrigg goods loops, in order to fit into the busy afternoon procession of southbound trains. This illustrates exactly what I discussed last time, which is the difficulty of finding a path for a 75mph steam-hauled train on a busy 125mph railway. There was also a Freightliner to fit into the equation, which had left Carlisle just in front of us, but which we passed in the Eden Valley loop. The ‘Jub’ was being worked hard but accelerating a 420-ton train uphill takes time and of course the overall 75mph limit doesn’t help. A bit of leeway on this when timings are tight would help. Anyway, we were away just over two minutes late to a steady start with the ever reliable and consistent Gordon Hodgson in charge.

Sternest test of the day

The first section of 1-in-131 to Wreay was topped at 33mph and we then increased speed steadily to 43½mph on the easier 1-in-184/228 grades to Milepost 60 after Southwaite, before falling to 40 on the 1-in-172 to Calthwaite and easing into the Plumpton goods loop having lost just over two minutes on the tight timing from Carlisle. Here, we had barely come to a halt before the 3.09pm Glasgow-Manchester dashed past, running on time. Now came the sternest test of the day as we had to cover the 30 miles to Grayrigg in just 35 minutes, including the near 20-mile climb to Shap with its eight miles at 1-in-125. Impossible, of course, but Gordon Hodgson and Leander gave it a good try without flogging the engine too hard. The start was good and speed was up to 38½mph at the top of the initial 1-in-186, before rising nicely to 59 after Penrith, accompanied by some lovely stack talk, which was audible as we were now three coaches from the front. Speed was still 49mph at Clifton after two miles of the 1-in-125 and had fallen to 35½ by Thrimby

Grange when the decibel level rose as No. 45690 was given a bit more steam and speed then settled down to a steady 37-38 mph to the top of the main climb at Milepost 40. On this last section Leander was producing around 1,250 EDBH, excellent going after 15 minutes of heavy gradients and showing the mastery of work on the footplate. We dashed down to Tebay at a maximum of 76½ mph, but were then checked to 50mph for reasons unknown, but possibly connected to the earlier lineside fire. A stop before gaining the loop at Grayrigg ensured that we had lost eight minutes on this section, which would be held against the engine, but in reality the fault was in scheduling too tight for the circ*mstances. Once again we had not long been at a stand when the 3.40pm Glasgow-Euston came past running eight minutes late, having been timed to pass our train only 90 seconds after our arrival in the loop: simply too tight to be practical. This train ended up more than an hour late into London for reasons unconnected to events far away in the Fells. Then came our final sprint downhill to Carnforth with a maximum of 77.3mph at Milnthorpe, but rather spoilt as we caught the 3.40pm Glasgow at the start and again while it was getting away from its Oxenholme stop. Without that we would have kept the very tight 23 minute schedule for the 20.27 miles. It took an age to remove Leander from the train and replace it with No. 47773 for the run back to Tyseley – I believe that this was caused by signalling problems. Whatever the cause we were held for the late-running 4.40pm Glasgow, which then delayed us, and with further interruptions due to being out of our path we finally got back to Tyseley 43 minutes late. It had, though, been an excellent day and No. 45690 had performed faultlessly. I sympathise with the train planners trying to perform miracles finding the right schedules for trains such as the ‘Cumbrian Jubilee’ but sometimes wonder if a bit more awareness of the limitations of a 75mph steam engine hauling a heavy load would help. I would have thought that there would be similarities with timing Freightliner trains. Next time we will be looking at a very different area. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

TOURS

GWR4-6-0No.4965RoodAshtonHallpassesEastUskyardatNewportwithVintageTrains’‘RedDragon’returningfromCardifftoTyseleyonMarch7.ANDREW BELL

April SAT 11: ‘City of New Orleans’

Tyseley, Trent Jct and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT

SAT 11: ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’

Euston, Shap, Carlisle and return via Settle. Steam hauled: Carnforth, Carlisle, Farington Junction. Loco: No. 46115 Scots Guardsman RTC

SAT 11: ‘Chester Experience’ Lincoln, Derby, Chester and return. Steam hauled: Derby, Chester and return. Loco: No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland PMRT

SAT 11: ‘Cumbrian Coast’

Bridlington, Leeds, Carlisle and return via Whitehaven. Steam hauled: Carlisle, Carnforth. Loco: No. 45690 Leander, 45699 Galatea or 46115 Scots Guardsman. WCR

FRI 17: ‘Surrey Hills Luncheon’ Victoria, Guildford, Redhill, Victoria. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 35028 Clan Line. BEL

SAT 18: ‘Buxton Spa Express’

Preston, Buxton, Sheffield and return via Rochdale. Steam hauled: Manchester, Buxton, Sheffield, Manchester. Loco: No. 61994 The Great Marquess. RTC

SAT 18: ‘Coastal Express’

Tyseley, Shap, Carlisle and return via Workington. Steam hauled: Carnforth, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT

SUN 19: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Paddington, Kingswear and return.

66 www.heritagerailway.co.uk

Steam hauled: Westbury, Kingswear and return. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

SAT 25: ‘Heart of Wales’

Chesterfield, Llandrindod Wells, Cardiff and return. Steam hauled: Shrewsbury, Llandrindod Wells, Pengam. Locos: Nos. 44871 and 45407. RTC

SAT 25: ‘White Rose’

Tyseley, York and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT

SUN 26: ‘Fife Circle’

Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Dunfermline, Edinburgh (x2). Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland. SRPS

TUES 28: ‘Cathedrals Express’ Horsham, Leatherhead, Bristol and return. Steam hauled: Leatherhead, Bristol, Willesden. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

TUES 28: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day one: Victoria, Slough, Newbury, Par. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 34067 Tangmere and 70000 Britannia (from Exeter). RTC

WED 29: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day two: Penzance, Bristol. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 34067 Tangmere and 70000 Britannia. RTC

THUR 30: ‘Great Britain VIII’ Day three: Bristol, Hereford, Chester, Grange-over-Sands. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 44871 and 45407. RTC

May FRI 1: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day four: Grange-over-Sands, Workington, Carlisle, Edinburgh. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 46115 Scots Guardsman. RTC

SAT 2: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day five: Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland. RTC

SAT 2: ‘Surrey Hills Luncheon’

Victoria, Guildford, Redhill, Victoria. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 35028 Clan Line. BEL

SAT 2: ‘Golden Arrow Statesman’

Birmingham International, Hanwell, Tonbridge, Canterbury and return via Dover. Steam hauled: Hanwell, Canterbury and return. Loco: No. 34067 Tangmere. SMR

SUN 3: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day six: Inverness, Kyle of Lochalsh and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 45407. RTC

MON 4: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day seven: Inverness, Wick and return. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 45407 + 44871. RTC

TUES 5: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day eight: Inverness, Carlisle, Oxenholme. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland. RTC

WED 6: ‘Great Britain VIII’

Day nine: Oxenholme, Manchester, Chesterfield, Nottingham, King’s Cross.

Steam hauled throughout. Locos: No. 45690 Leander and No. 61306 Mayflower. RTC

Regular steam TUES May 5 - August 27: ‘Dalesman’

York, Carlisle and return. Steam hauled: Hellifield, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 45690 Leander, 45699 Galatea or 46115 Scots Guardsman. WCR

The information in this list was correct at the time of going to press. We strongly advise that you confirm details of a particular trip with the promoter concerned. BEL PMRT RTC SD SMR SRPS VT WCR

Belmond British Pullman 0845 077 2222 Princess Margaret Rose Tours 01773 743986 Railway Touring Company 01553 661500 Steam Dreams 01483 209888, 0845 310458 Statesman Rail 0845 310 2458 SRPS Railtours 0131 202 1033 Vintage Trains 0121 708 4960 West Coast Railways 0845 850 4685

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Heritage Railway 67

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL

SVR 50

SPRING

GALA CRACKER The first big event of the Severn Valley Railway’s star-studded 50th anniversary year was the March 20-22 spring steam gala, which proved to be a soaraway success, writes Paul Appleton.

H

aving suffered some disappointing results at its spring galas in recent years due to adverse weather, the Severn Valley Railway enjoyed a stunning three days of weather for its 50th anniversary year spring gala over the weekend of March 20-22. Passenger numbers were up by 11%, a 436 increase on 2014, with 4313 passengers carried. Guest locomotives included the first-ever visit of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s WD 2-8-0 No. 90773 and Jeremy Hosking’s 2-8-0T No. 4270 on its way back to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway from the Steel, Steam & Stars IV gala at Llangollen, it too making its debut at the SVR. The other guest locomotives were both returnees; 127-year-old LNWR Webb Coal Tank No. 1054 was making its third visit in recent years, but GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5786, in its latter-day London Transport maroon guise as L92, had not been seen on the SVR since it was one of the first arrivals there in the line’s formative days. Its owning Worcester Locomotive Society long since relocated to the South Devon Railway.

68 Heritagerailway.co.uk

The remainder of the cast was made up from the SVR’s resident fleet, with a total of nine locomotives in operation, with a further two in steam on stand-by, on an intensive and imaginative timetable. This saw the ‘Dub-Dee’, No. 2857, LT92 and No. 4270 on full line trains, with the Coal Tank Nos. 1450, 4566, 1501 – and intriguingly Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34053 Sir Keith Park – on local trains, while a freight train also operated each day. Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 Nos. 43106 and GWR 4-6-0 No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor were the spare engines. SVR boiler shop and locomotive hire manager Duncan Ballard told Heritage Railway: “There were absolutely no problems with the locomotives, all ran 100% as planned.” No. 90773 and L92 were staying at the railway for a further week for booked photographic charters before returning to their respective home railways. The railway is now preparing for the visit of Princess Anne on Monday, April 13, the next chapter in a busy year of 50th anniversary events for the Severn Valley Railway.

London Transport-liveried GWR 0-6-0PT L92 rounds the curve towards Foley Park tunnel on March 20. ALAN WEAVER

LNWR Webb Coal Tank No. 1054 works along the Tenbury branch junction wall north of Bewdley with a local service on March 22. JED BENNETT

GWR 2-8-0T No. 4270 tackles Eardington bank on March 22. BRIAN SHARPE Heritage Railway 69

Resident SR Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34053 SirKeithPark crosses Oldbury viaduct on March 22. BRIAN SHARPE

Severn Valley at war

Visiting from the KWVR, WD Austerity 2-8-0 No. 90733 leaves past Bewdley South box with the very last train of the SVR spring gala, the 6pm BridgnorthKidderminster, on Sunday, March 22. (Taken with full permission and knowledge of crews and operating staff). DUNCAN LANGTREE

70 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Among the biggest events of the 50th anniversary year will be the ever-popular Step Back to the 1940s weekends, with a more action-packed schedule than ever before. This year’s events, which again offer a colourful snapshot of wartime Britain, will be held on June 27-28 and July 4-5. There will be an intensive service of ‘evacuation trains’ complete with groups of evacuees during both weekends. Back by popular demand, the battle at Highley returns this year, with the action taking place outside the Engine House on all four days. Visitors will be transported back to two days after the D-Day landings; paratroopers have been dropped behind enemy lines with the mission to attack an enemy ammunition train. New to the schedule, there will be a Battle of Britain memorial flypast by a Dakota on Sunday, June 28. A host of costumed re-enactors will be greeting visitors at all of

the railway’s six stations as well as on its trains, and there will be replica air-raid shelters, a replica 1940s house with resident family, musical performers, a 1940s wedding and displays of historic civilian and military vehicles. Among the many evacuees, soldiers and German intelligence officers, there will be some famous faces, including Sir Winston Churchill and King George VI. An evening dining service will run on June 27 and July 4, and this year’s evening Big Band Shows at Kidderminster on June 27 and July 4 at 7.30pm (additional charge applies) will be followed by an explosive display as enemy aircraft loom overhead. To mark its golden jubilee, the SVR has added even more to its packed schedule this year, including a Sounds of the 60s event in August, as well as a special Golden Ticket competition. Tickets are available to purchase at www.svr.co.uk

GWR 0-4-2T No. 1450 pilots 0-6-0PT L92 through Oldbury cutting as the sun is partially eclipsed on Friday March 20. MALCOLM RANIERI

L92 heads towards Kidderminster at sunset on March 22. KARL HEATH

Britannia is back!

With the excitement of the spring gala now over, thoughts are turning towards its autumn counterpart on September 17-20. Top of the guest list so far is former resident BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia. The first of 999 British Railways standard locomotives, the ‘Brit’ was purchased by a group of enthusiasts in 1969 following the engine’s withdrawal, and returned to steam in 1978 at Bridgnorth.

Then it was renamed by its designer Robert Riddles who was joined by five hostesses from Britannia Airways in a ceremony witnessed by over 300 people, one of the largest crowds ever seen at Bridgnorth in the early days. However, the 20 ton axle weight prevented its regular use, so the locomotive worked only between Kidderminster and Bewdley. In 2015, Britannia, now owned by Jeremy Hoskin and the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust, will not have the same problem

and will work over the whole length of line. All-night running returns for the 21st time alongside an intensive service of trains and other special attractions. The golden jubilee events recall 50 years since a group of enthusiasts held a public meeting at the Cooper’s Arms pub in Kidderminster’s Habberley suburb in a bid to emulate the success of the Bluebell Railway and set up a steam heritage operation for the West Midlands. Heritage Railway 71

preservation history

In total there are nine locomotive chimneys in view in the NRM at York on November 26, 1989.

YORK’S OLD & nEW

RAILWAY MUSEUMS While the National Railway Museum, which opened 40 years ago, is deservedly world famous, John Titlow recalls its smaller, but nonetheless groundbreaking predecessor.

F

ollowing on from the article about the Museum of British Transport at Clapham in issue 176, it seems appropriate to now delve a little deeper into the history of another railway museum in the UK, this time York. Today, we all think of the present National Railway Museum in Leeman Road as being the first, but you have to go back almost a century to when the LNER made the wise decision to open a museum inside the old Queen Street works just outside York station; a bit like Clapham this seems to have been forgotten and is hardly mentioned on the NRM website. During the late 19th century, the needs of preserving our railway heritage were given a greater push, especially after the opening of Norway’s museum in 1897 and Germany’s in 1899. Discussions for a similar museum in Britain took place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but to no avail. In the meantime it was the Patent Office Museum, latterly the Science Museum in London that started preserving railway history in 1862 by safeguarding what remained of Rocket for the nation. It was the centenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1925 that gave rise to an exhibition of railway items collected from 1880

72 Heritagerailway.co.uk

onwards by J B Harper, while working for the North Eastern Railway. This was to form the foundation for the future, with Queen Street works playing an important part. The works were built for the York and North Midland Railway in 1839 and started life as a small locomotive repair shop. In 1849 it

“York was chosen with it being a centre for railways with large sheds, central to the country, and a good tourist destination. This was to be the first national museum to be set up outside London. expanded, taking on more repairs and diversifying into the repair and construction of carriages and wagons. It was the LNER that saw the importance of preserving its heritage by opening a museum in York in 1927 with E M Bywell as the curator. Having taken over the Great Northern and North Eastern railways, it is no surprise to find

the majority of the collection came from these companies. For a railway enthusiast this must have been an amazing time because Gresley was busy designing and building Pacifics; the first GWR King 4-6-0, No. 6000 King George V, was built, and the ‘Big Four’ had just been created. Other railway companies were not so kind to their heritage; the LMS, GWR and the SR in the 1930s were slow in starting to preserve, but GWR 4-4-0 No. 3440 City of Truro, Grand Junction Railway 2-2-2 No. 49 Columbine, and LBSCR 0-4-2 No. 214 Gladstone were preserved, then exhibited in Queen Street. Trying to find what were the original locomotives exhibited in 1927 is not easy, so it would be interesting to find out (over to the readers). Apparently the locomotives were displayed on short lengths of track. Clement Attlee’s Labour government created the British Transport Commission (BTC) in 1948 when it nationalised public transport throughout the UK. The BTC inherited a very large historic transport collection and in January 1951 published a report with part of it recommending the retention of York’s Queen Street museum. By contrast, in 1963, Beeching recommended BR to give up its museums owing to losing money, but it was the Transport Act of

This view of the National Railway Museum on November 26, 1989 is full of atmosphere showing steam locomotives through the ages, most facing and cramped around the turntable, beams, pipes, lights, and particularly the smoke hoods, give the feel of an old shed. Lining up around the turntable are: NER 0-6-0 No. 1275, LBSCR 0-4-2 No. 214 Gladstone, LSWR 4-4-0 No. 563 and LNWR 2-4-0 No. 790 Hardwicke.

Parliament in 1968 that recommended the setting up of a National Railway Museum. BR was encouraged by the Act to work with the Science Museum to develop a National Railway Museum (NRM) to house the railway collection. This collection then became the responsibility of the Science Museum. Nine Elms station in Vauxhall, south London, was the first choice as a possible site for the NRM, but BR would not release the site; Clapham was the second choice, open from 1961 to 1973 as the Museum of British Transport. Eventually, York was chosen with it being a centre for railways with large sheds, central to the country and a good tourist destination. This was to be the first national museum to be set up outside London. The site used was York North shed, originally built in 1878 by the NER, a year after York station. The shed sustained substantial damage in 1942 during a Second World War air raid, ironically because of the German Baedeker tourist guide book to Britain! Called the Baedeker Blitz, the Luftwaffe bombed cities with three stars. A plaque placed by the Gresley Society marks the spot where A4 Pacific No. 4469 Sir Ralph Wedgwood and NER B16 4-6-0 No. 925 were destroyed.

Shoehorned into a corner at the rear of the old Queen Street museum on a short section of track in 1971 was NER 901 Class 2-4-0 No. 910. In those days it was possible to climb on other exhibits for a better photograph. Heritage Railway 73

In 1949 under British Railways, the shed was coded 50A and in 1954, roundhouses 1 and 2 were demolished to make way for a straight shed, which became a diesel depot and when that closed in 1983 it was taken over by the NRM. Also in 1954, roundhouses 3 and 4 were rebuilt. Eventually closing to steam in 1967, the shed was reincarnated as the NRM in 1975. The turntable from Queen Street shed has lived rather a charmed existence, because after removal in the late 60s/70s it went to Steamport, the L&Y steam shed at Southport (27C), that closed as a steam centre in 1999 and was demolished soon afterwards. It was then transferred to the Ribble Steam Railway’s site at Preston Docks, where it remained unused, but eventually it was transferred to Quorn and Woodhouse on the GCR ,where it now resides, and was returned to use in 2011. Clapham and York Queen Street museums both closed in 1973 with the majority of exhibits transferred to the new NRM. Clapham was demolished, but most of the buildings are still in existence on the Queen Street site, including the main erecting shops which are used for commercial purposes. Many good things are being done at York and the future of our railway heritage is secure, but personally, after the many facelifts, it is not my favourite; railway museums should have atmosphere, but sadly this is now lacking due to the removal of the smoke vents and the old roof. One plus is the wonderful website listing every stock item from the humble wagon to what must be the star of the show – LNER A4 Pacific No. 4468 Mallard.

GNR Stirling Single No. 1 in the old Queen Street museum. Little did we know that this loco would be returned to steam for a short time in 1982 at the Great Central, probably for the last time.

Grand Junction Railway 2-2-2 No. 49 Columbine on its short section of track. NER 1001 class 0-6-0 No. 1275 with No. 910 in the rear; it looks as if the museum bought a job lot of steps so visitors could see into the cabs!.

Above: A4 Pacific No. 60008DwightD.Eisenhoweron July 3, 2013 in the rebuilt NRM minus lights, hoods and atmosphere, some tenders facing the turntable. Left: GNR Large Atlantic No. 251was difficult to photograph in the old museum, but it was possible to climb into the open carriage nearby.

74 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Heritage Railway 75

RAILWAYANA

BY GEOFF COURTNEY

High-flying financier is on the money for Crewe sale

A NAMEPLATE from a small class of Great Central Railway 4-4-0 express locomotives will share the spotlight with a 17th century country house at David Lewis’s April 25 auction at Crewe Heritage Centre. It is Walter Burgh Gair, carried by No. 62654, built at Gorton in 1913 and withdrawn by BR in August 1953 from Trafford Park (9E). Classified 11E by the GCR and D10 by the LNER and also known as ‘directors’, all 10 survived into BR ownership, the last, No. 62653 Sir Edward Fraser, being withdrawn in October 1955. The class was to be supplemented by a further batch after the First World War, but due to modifications these later engines were classified 11F and known as ‘improved

directors,’ becoming LNER Class D11. All 35 of this class, numbered 6266094, also survived into the BR era. Walter Burgh Gair, the managing director of merchant bank Baring Bros, was born in 1854, elected a director of the GCR in 1906, and became an LNER director in the Grouping of 1923. His nameplate will share the limelight at Crewe with Cranmore Hall, from GWR No. 4914, built in February 1929 – the year in which no fewer than 65 members of the class were built at Swindon – and withdrawn from St Philip’s Marsh (82B) in December 1963. The hall, a 17th country house, is now

a day and boarding prep school. Star smokebox numberplate is 30796 from SR King Arthur Sir Dodinas le Savage, and handlamp collectors will have their eyes on a Furness Railway example from Windermere Lakeside station that closed to passengers in September 1965 and reopened as part of the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in 1973. With anything from the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway invariably creating interest, a station handbell and original wooden mount from Midsomer Norton is sure to attract admirers. The auction starts at 10.30am.

“I’m looking forward to it” says Pete the collector IT MAY not be the sale of the century, but to the ever-growing army of quality railway model collectors, the £1 million auction of the Pete Waterman collection in London on April 16 is being hailed as the sale of the decade. The pop impresario is selling a stunning collection of 55 models, the majority in Gauge 1 but four in 5in and 7¼in live steam, most of which are one-offs commissioned by Pete from top builders. LNWR enthusiasts will be the most spoiled with 24 Gauge 1 models, but the GWR isn’t far behind with 19, of which three are in 7¼in gauge. This trio includes No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle, an 8ft 4in long model that carries a top estimate of £150,000, while the two others are estimated at up to £120,000 each. Other companies represented are the LMS and GCR, BR by a pair of Class WD Austerities, and modern traction by D1048 Western Lady. Pete told me: “I am gobsmacked at the response and interest being shown since the auction was announced, although to be honest I am a little bemused that some of the articles written about the sale have referred to the models as ‘toy trains’. Most people, however, have accepted them for what they are – works of art. “The sale is being held in a lovely setting, and I am looking forward to it. We have interest from some serious collectors.” He said all the models carried reserves, adding: “If you want the best, you have to pay for it.” The sale, which is being handled by auction house Dreweatts & Bloomsbury, has attracted worldwide interest, and its 6pm starting time has been chosen to enable live bidding in the US. The venue is Ely House in Dover Street, Mayfair, the central London premises of antiques dealer Mallett, where all the models have been on display. After the auction, which is expected to end at about 7pm, Dreweatts will be holding a transport sale that will feature a quartet of live steam models. Three of these – Talyllyn Railway 0-4-0WT No. 2 Dolgoch, LSWR Beattie 2-4-0WT No. 314 and a Rainhill Trials 0-2-2 – are in 7¼in gauge and the fourth, of LMS Princess Coronation No. 6230 duch*ess of Buccleuch, in 3½in gauge. The model of Dolgoch was made by the late Marc White of Cardiff, and has a top estimate of £8000. The locomotive on which it is based was built by

76 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Model enthusiast: Pete Waterman in Ely House, Dover Street, London, with a 7¼in gauge live steam model of GWR No. 3440 CityofTruro that is estimated to sell at auction for up to £120,000. The model is one of 55 set to go under the hammer on April 16 in a sale that has attracted global interest. DREWEATTS Fletcher Jennings & Co in 1866 and is still on the 2ft 3in gauge Talyllyn today, making it one of the world’s oldest locomotives still in active service. Beattie 2-4-0WT No. 314 was one of three members of the LSWR 0298 class that famously saw service on the Wenford Bridge line in Cornwall until 1962, nearly 90 years after they had entered service. Renumbered 30585 by BR, it is now preserved at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. The model has a top estimate of £6000. Front of the queue: The model of GWR No. 4073 CaerphillyCastle that will be a star of the Pete Waterman collection sale in central London on April 16. It is estimated at up to £150,000, while two others going under the hammer are estimated at up to £120,000. DREWEATTS Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

BY GEOFF COURTNEY

Creative layout is a nostalgic treat FOR many railwayana collectors, model trains have a unique ability to evoke misty-eyed memories of an uncomplicated childhood that revolved around steam locomotives, filthy engine sheds, Ian Allan books, and the joy of saving enough pocket money for the latest Hornby Dublo release. Those of us for whom London and its environs was home territory enjoyed an additional ingredient in the mix – dashing from one Underground station to another in the quest to reach as many termini as possible before money ran out or hunger became impossible to ignore. So it was that one layout had all the elements of inducing nostalgia during my visit to the Milton Keynes Model Railway Society annual exhibition at the city’s Stantonbury Leisure Centre on February 14. There among a plethora of splendid displays was an OO-gauge layout which embraced the lot – a London scene, Underground trains, the Beatles (yes, really), and a backcloth of Routemaster buses. It was built by London Underground manager John Polley, and is of a fictional LU station in north-west London called Abbey Road (a name so familiar that you

Underground movement: The OO-gauge layout of ‘Abbey Road’ station in north-west London that captivated visitors to the 2015 Milton Keynes Model Railway Society exhibition. GEOFF COURTNEY tend to think there is genuinely such a station). It took 54-year-old John, of Welwyn Garden City, two years to construct, and even includes tiny versions of the ‘Fab Four’ walking across the famous pedestrian crossing outside the station entrance. What detail, what creativity, and what a treat.

The exhibition hall was packed, with the car park absolutely full and queues of young and old outside, eagerly anticipating the sight of more than 40 splendid layouts comprising 12 different scales, supported by a host of traders and organisations. Well done, one and all.

Collectors see the light as lamp lots shine at Newark COLLECTORS made light work of proceedings at Talisman’s March 7 sale at Newark, where handlamps and a carriage lamp achieved three of the top four realisations. Top lot was an Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway handlamp at £2100, with a Furness Railway carriage roof lamp close behind at £2000. The latter was from inspection saloon No. 1, built by Wright Bros of Birmingham in 1865 for FR general manager Sir James Ramsden (1822-96) which was kept in a private siding at Furness Abbey station close to his mansion home on the outskirts of Barrow. A 125-year-old Caledonian Railway longcase clock went under the hammer for £1650, followed at £1450 by the second handlamp, a Midland & Great Northern Joint example from Long

Sutton station that closed in 1959. Leading totem station sign was Clacton on Sea (£1400), nameplate Pen Green from Corby Steelworks 1903 Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST No. 3 went for £1150, and a cabside numberplate from South African Railways Class GB Beyer-Garratt 2-6-2+2-6-2 No. 2161 for £1100. Of the day’s events, Talisman’s Roger Phipps commented: “It went really well, with a fantastic turnout and lots of good prices.” The realisations quoted exclude buyer’s premium of 10%.

Shovel for £320 at second-tier event TOP of the tree in Great Central Railwayana’s sale at Bloxham on February 21 was a Great Northern Railway cast iron ‘Cross by subway’ sign, which realised £330, closely pursued by a BR fireman’s shovel at £320. In joint third place at £310 were a GWR drum clock – a perennial favourite among collectors – and an English Electric 1965 worksplate from a Class 73 electro-diesel, a

49-strong class of locomotives introduced in 1962 and originally numbered in the E6000 series. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10% (+ VAT). Great Central’s Bloxham auctions offer ‘second-tier’ items which are not deemed suitable for the company’s main Stoneleigh events. That on February 21 comprised 887 lots, every one of which sold from prices of £1 upwards.

RAILWAYANA

Motorways take their toll as trains go under the hammer A COLLECTION of more than 1500 model trains, vehicles, aircraft and ships amassed over 50 years by Raymond Hainsworth went under the hammer at a three-day Vectis sale at Thornaby on March 17-19. The top railway model price was £850 for a Hornby O-gauge LMS Princess Royal No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth, followed by three other O-gauge examples, of the everpopular No. 60103 Flying Scotsman in early BR blue by Bassett-Lowke (£660), a Hornby SR Schools class No. 900 Eton (£620), and kit-built LSWR Class M7 0-4-4T No. 59 (£460). Raymond, who is 78, started collecting when he and his wife Pat had twin boys. “Near our house in Heysham was a second-hand shop, and our first purchase was an OO-gauge Triang Princess Elizabeth and two GWR coaches. Building the collection has made us many friends. “We have fond memories of going down to Vectis when it was in Guildford, driving down the motorway at 4am, and also to Gloucester, queuing at the leisure centre for two hours to be in early, all to find a bargain. But I have decided that driving up and down motorways for toys is becoming hard work, and so we reluctantly decided to sell the collection.”

Comprehensive list

Four weeks earlier, on February 20, a ready-made 11ft x 5ft Hornby Dublo three-rail layout sold for £1600 at a Vectis railwayana and model train sale, also at Thornaby. Its comprehensive list of accessories included four stations, three engine sheds, five metal girder bridges, three signalboxes, a turntable, footbridge, level crossing, water pumps, advertising hoardings, platelayers’ huts, telegraph poles, 16 semaphore and colour signals, and assorted figures. All the buildings had internal lighting, and there were 78 switches and transformers. On the locomotive front, an O-gauge kit/scratchbuilt Caledonian Railway 4-4-0 went under the hammer for £480, a Wrenn OO-gauge A4 No. 4495 Great Snipe for £380, a collection of HOgauge continental steam and electric locomotives for £360, and Hornby O-gauge LMS Class 4P compound 4-4-0 No. 1185 for £340. Prices at both auctions exclude buyer’s premium of 20% (+ VAT).

Trains lead the way at toy auction

A VARIETY of model train manufacturers dominated their category in a toys sale held by Cheffins of Cambridge on February 21, with a selection of OO-gauge Hornby and Trix locomotives, rolling stock, track and accessories leading the way at £550. A Hornby Dublo collection of Class 28 D5702 and two electric motor coaches with rolling stock fetched £400, as did a collection of Hornby and Triang OO-gauge steam and diesel locos and rolling stock, while at £380 came a collection of 18 Hornby locomotives of the same gauge, including Class 9F No. 92220 Evening Star. Close behind was a realisation of £340 for 13 Bachmann OO-gauge steam locos, including five GWR Manor class 4-6-0s. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 19½% (+ VAT). Heritage Railway 77

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL

A COACH WITH A

HISTORY The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust has in its collection LMS Special Saloon No. 45000. PRCLT patron and volunteer David Hipkiss is one of a small team involved in the – nearly complete – internal restoration of this coach and has discovered evidence that it was used by Winston Churchill prior to the D-Day landings.

N

o. 45000 was built in 1920 for the chairman of the London & North Western Railway. Subsequently used by the LMS President, members of the royal family and many VIPs, there is tantalising anecdotal evidence that the coach was used by Winston Churchill, particularly in wartime, and that it may well have been one of the vehicles in his special train stabled at Droxford in Hampshire prior to D-Day. The author was interested in trying to find out more details of its fascinating history. Such an interest often leads you down interesting side tracks, such as the story of Churchill’s brief stay at Droxford. With the help of many of the good people of Droxford, the author has pieced together the following story. My research into Churchill’s D-Day train is ongoing, with the aim of determining if No. 45000 was part of that train. Whatever the outcome, it is a uniquely historic vehicle, and Churchill’s brief stay at Droxford a dramatic chapter in Second World War history.

Churchill and his train at Droxford

For three days in June 1944, Droxford – a quiet country station on a picturesque but sleepy Southern Railway minor line – was catapulted to centre stage in the world of wartime international politics and planning one of the greatest invasions in military history. Britain had been at war for nearly five years. A second front in Western Europe had been on the cards for over a year. Everyone – including the Germans – knew an invasion of France was going to take place, but where and when? In May 1944 a virtually 15 mile deep swathe of the whole of southern England became a huge military camp, with tens of thousands of Allied troops and equipment filling the fields, woods and lanes. Security was of the essence, with a vast deception under Operation Fortitude designed to convince the Germans that the invasion would be from Kent to the Pas de Calais. However D-Day was planned for June 5, with Operation Overlord taking place on the Normandy beaches.

78 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Allied generals hold meetings at Southwick House, the base HMS Dryad, a few miles south of Droxford. Montgomery had been based in Southwick’s grounds since April 27 (although his accommodation was at nearby Broomfield House). General Eisenhower – Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force – transferred from his Kingston HQ near London to Southwick House on the morning of June 2. Although meetings took place in the house, for security and safety reasons he stayed in a caravan in the woods, about a mile away – he called it his “circus trailer”. Churchill wanted to be near his commanders at this critical time – indeed, he wanted to be on the bridge of HMS Belfast (sailing from Weymouth Bay) to take part in the

“A uniquely historic vehicle, and Churchill’s brief stay at Droxford was a dramatic chapter in Second World War history.” bombardment, but after an exchange of correspondence with King George VI (who also wanted to be on HMS Belfast), both agreed to stay on terra firma (certainly a reluctant decision on Churchill’s part). Churchill’s decision was made while on the train. General Ismay – Churchill’s Chief of Staff – was relieved. His main concern over the plan was not so much for Churchill’s safety, but the difficulty of communicating with him at this critical time. So, to be near his commanders, Churchill decided to use his special train. Southern Railway area control officer Charles Anderson had identified Droxford as the best location to stable the train. The line was reasonably quiet in traffic terms; Droxford was a few miles from Southwick House; it had particularly long sidings; it was adjacent to a deep cutting into which the train could be shunted in the event of air attack. So, the stage was set…

No. 45000 and classic cars outside the PRCLT’s West Shed at Butterley in June 2014. J STILES

Friday, June 2, 1944

On the afternoon of June 2 1944, the train left London Waterloo station. Behind Lord Nelson 4-6-0 No. 859 Lord Hood were six carriages from the LMS Royal Train normally stabled at Wolverton (supposedly three LMS and three ex- LNWR – one of which could well have been No. 45000). On board were Prime Minister (of the wartime coalition) Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Jan Smuts (president of South Africa and a member of the British War Cabinet), and Churchill’s personal staff including General Ismay (Chief of Staff), Captain Pike Pim (in charge of secret maps) and Marion Holmes (one of Churchill’s favourite secretaries). Wartime Cabinet Labour and National Service Secretary Ernest Bevin was also believed to be on the train. Locomotives were probably changed at Alton (No. 859 being too heavy for the Meon Valley line), as the train arrived at Droxford behind two LSWR T9 4-4-0s (one being No. 119, a regular Southern Railway Royal Train locomotive). The train, however, did not meet with universal approval – General Montgomery only learnt of the plan the previous day, when meeting at Southwick House with US Generals. US General Patton’s diary recalls Montgomery complaining: “If Winnie comes, he’ll be a great bore, but may well attract undue attention here. Why in hell doesn’t he go and smoke his cigar at Dover Castle and be seen with the Lord Mayor? It would fix the Germans’ attention to Calais”. Eden (Foreign Secretary) described the train as “imaginative but uncomfortable”, and complained that “Churchill was always in the bath, and General Ismay always on the telephone – although we were physically nearer the battle it was almost impossible to conduct any business” (there only being one telephone and one bath on the train). General Alan Brooke, in his war diaries, stated: “Winston meanwhile has taken to his train and is touring the Portsmouth area and making a thorough pest of himself”. Duff Cooper (British representative to the French Committee of Liberation, later to arrive with de Gaulle) considered the train “a perfectly absurd scheme”. On arrival at Droxford the train drew into a siding south of the station – up siding No. 1,

extending to beyond Cutts Arch bridge, some 200 yards beyond the station. As much anecdotal evidence refers to there being just two carriages where Churchill was based, it is possible the train was split, with the principal saloons in one siding, and rest of the stock elsewhere. It’s not clear who did what on the evening of June 2. At some point Churchill wrote his reply to the King’s letter regarding HMS Belfast, which was taken by dispatch rider to Windsor Castle early on June 3. Over at Southwick, Eisenhower dined with Montgomery at Broomfield House, followed by a 9.30pm weather briefing. Montgomery never met with Churchill during the Droxford stay – Montgomery thought he was out of favour for trying to prevent Churchill coming down in his train. The weather was a major preoccupation, as the required combination of moonlight and tide state resulted in only two ‘windows of opportunity’ in June 1944 – 4-6 and 18-20. The local Home Guard, who were guarding railway structures, were initially unaware of the train (and its passengers). The youngest member of the Home Guard was John Moon, aged 17 in 1944. He was paid three shillings (15p today) a day. He recalls the scene… “On Friday, June 2, 1944, I was on duty to guard the railway bridge at Droxford station. We were based at the Station Hotel. I cycled there with my workmate to be on duty by 10pm. Unknown to me Mr Churchill and others had come down from London in a special train and been shunted into the goods yard for the night. “We did the first guard duty from 10pm hours to midnight. We were told to keep alert, but in our duty period we saw nobody and nothing moving. The next guard was from midnight to 2am. They moved to the top of the bridge (we had been under the bridge). This meant that the guard who went on duty at 2am had to walk through the station gates and walk up the line to the bridge to change the guard. “At 1.55am the Quarter Master’s Sergeant (QMS) and two guards marched on towards the station gates. A Canadian major inside the station gates approached and both the major and the QMS pulled their pistols and challenged “Halt! Who goes there?” at exactly the same

time. No one answered and the two privates became worried that the major would shoot them. Luckily the major broke the silence by asking what they were doing and was told they were guarding the bridge. “The major asked: “You are not guarding Mr Churchill?”, and the QMS replied: “No, only the bridge”. The major asked to be taken to the Home Guard’s officer – a very deaf 80-year-old colonel. The outcome was we were to carry on with what we were doing and keep out of their way as Mr Churchill had plenty of guards. We were happy to oblige and at 6am we went home.”

Saturday, June 3

Eden and Pierson Dixon (his PPS) had spent the

“Both the major and the QMS pulled their pistols and challenged “Halt! Who goes there?” No one answered and the two privates became worried that the major would shoot them.” night at Binderton House (Eden’s recently purchased country house in nearby Lavant), and drove to Droxford in the morning. Pierson Dixon noted CID men at the station. They then walked 200 yards along the track towards the train, where Churchill was audibly having a bath. Afterwards, he had a meeting with Eden and Pierson Dixon, at which it was confirmed that de Gaulle would come to England on June 4. They discussed how to handle Roosevelt’s reservations about de Gaulle. Eden and Pierson Dixon then left by car to attend a celebratory luncheon at Eton College (so much for D-Day planning!). Churchill worked on the train in the morning. Ismay commented: “Everybody seemed to be on edge, and there was chaos… the Prime Minister wanted to talk to all and sundry at one and the same moment… when I suggested in

desperation that it might be better to get back to civilisation, my head was bitten off. Were we not next door to Eisenhower and at the very centre of affairs?” In the afternoon, Churchill and party (including Smuts, Bevin and Ismay) drove to Southampton to see the embarkations under way. They met troops from 50th Durham Regiment – some recognised Bevin as the leader of their union, calling, “You’ll look after the missus and kids, won’t you Ernie?” Bevin’s eyes filled with tears… After a tour by launch of the Solent viewing the armada of ships and landing craft they returned to Portsmouth, returning with Eisenhower to Southwick, where they consumed most of the (albeit modest) supply of whisky. They then returned to Droxford. Eden and Pierson Dixon had returned from Eton, and Churchill, Smuts, Bevin and Ismay were joined by Geoffrey-Lloyd (Parliamentary Secretary for Fuel and Power), and Duncan Sandys (married to Churchill’s daughter Diana) for a convivial dinner in the Saloon. Also present was Commander ‘Tommy’ Thompson, one of Churchill’s closest aides – his main role being to organise Churchill’s journeys at home and abroad. Churchill had changed from his blue serge Trinity House uniform to the lighter cavalry twill of a colonel in the Hussars. Pierson Dixon described it as “a very pictorial scene”. The train staff laid on a fine dinner, accompanied by 1926 vintage champagne and good brandy out of balloon glasses (perhaps some of the fine South African brandy, a case of which Smuts had brought for Churchill when he came over for a conference in April?). During dinner Ismay was called on the telephone by Walter Bedell Smith (Eisenhower’s Chief of Staff), who advised that the weather was “most unpromising”, and that it would probably be necessary to postpone the landing for 24 hours. The decision would be taken at a conference at 4am on Sunday. Ismay repeated this grim message to the other diners – although the mood was sombre, Smuts rose to the occasion by relating accounts of the two most critical moments in his life – one back in the Boer War when he and Churchill were on Heritage Railway 79

opposing sides. Smuts had impressed on his colleagues that it was no use fighting on, and they should surrender to the British. Although branded a coward, he had won through, and peace was made at Vereeniging. The other episode was at the outbreak of the Second World War, when he had to cross the floor of his parliament to oppose his prime minister, who wanted South Africa to remain neutral. Bevin and Eden got on well together – so much so that Churchill commented that he was ready to give up the leadership to either or both of them at any time. Late in the evening Bevin and Eden did discuss the possibility of continuing the coalition should anything happen to Churchill. Bevin advised he would be happy to do this on one condition – that the coal mines be nationalised. Smuts – on being told of this conversation – commented it was a cheap price to pay. It was well after midnight that the party retired to bed (Eden and Pierson Dixon to Binderton, where they met the US ambassador – they were still trying to sort out British/US relations over the de Gaulle issue).

Sunday, June 4

As Ismay had work to do, he said he’d wait up for the result of the 4 am conference. Churchill advised Ismay he didn’t want to be woken for the call (“what could I do about it?”). Bedell Smith rang at “getting on for 5” and advised that Overlord had been postponed for 24 hours. He advised that he’d like to see Ismay at Southwick as soon as possible. Ismay advised he would go round after a couple of hours sleep. However, just as he was dropping off, a marine banged on his door, saying Churchill wanted him. Churchill states that – when advised of the postponement – he made no comment, but Ismay advised Churchill saying: “I suppose it never occurred to you to let me know at once. I suppose you think you are running this now?” Ismay gave up on sleep and went to Southwick House, where he managed “a full hour’s sleep” in Bedell Smith’s caravan. Meanwhile, de Gaulle was arriving in Britain. The central problem of relations with de Gaulle stemmed from US President Roosevelt’s distrust – viewing de Gaulle as a potential dictator. The situation was complicated by the weakness of the Free French security system, with their unsophisticated codes. Eden persuaded Churchill to invite de Gaulle to England for D-Day. De Gaulle, offended at not being invited for formal talks, and unaware that D-Day was about to happen, refused. Churchill did want de Gaulle to be closer to events, but Roosevelt wanted him ‘corralled’ until after D-Day. Eventually, after much pressure from Duff Cooper, de Gaulle changed his mind. Churchill sent two Avro York aircraft to Algiers to bring back de Gaulle and his party. They flew through the night of June 3-4, arriving at RAF Northolt (west London) at 6am. In spite of all the secrecy about the journey, they were greeted on arrival by a military band playing La Marseillaise! De Gaulle was handed the letter (written from the train) from Churchill inviting him for lunch on his train. He was offended by everything about the meeting – not least the presence of Smuts, who had previously made a speech in which he stated that France was finished as a great power. Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal Tedder (Eisenhower’s Deputy Supreme

80 Heritagerailway.co.uk

No. 45000’s dining room-cum-office in D-Day planning mode, June 2014. J STILES

ShouldyouwishtoseeNo.45000,pleasevisitthePRCLTWestShedMuseumattheMidlandRailwayCentreSwanwick site(nearRipleyinDerbyshire).GuidedtoursthroughNo.45000aregivenprovidedvolunteersareavailable.Anideal opportunitywillbeduringtheWestShed1940sweekendonJune20-21,2015.SaloonNo.45000willhavea‘starring role’withfrequentguidedtours.VisitthePRCLTwebsitewww.prclt.co.ukforfurtherinformation. Commander) came from Southwick to brief Churchill on the decision to delay D-Day. Churchill sent Roosevelt a telegram confirming his friendship and dependence on both the US and Roosevelt himself. Eden and Pierson Dixon returned to the train in the morning, coinciding with the arrival of de Gaulle and party. They walked down the track, to be greeted by Churchill with open arms. However, with de Gaulle in the mood he was, the gesture was not reciprocated. Roosevelt had told Churchill not to reveal any details of the D-Day plans to de Gaulle, but Churchill decided to do so anyway. He also encouraged Eisenhower to show de Gaulle the maps. All this, but no sign of thanks from de Gaulle. He felt he was there purely as a symbol. After a short meeting the assembled parties had lunch at 2.15pm – not a convivial occasion

“Churchill invited de Gaulle to have dinner with him and return to London by train, but de Gaulle refused and chose the slower car journey.” as much of the discussion centred on Roosevelt’s (somewhat negative) attitude towards de Gaulle. Churchill was increasingly exasperated with de Gaulle, and pronounced that – if it came to it – he would always side with the US in any disagreement with France. Eden and Bevin (the latter very vocally) disagreed with this stance, and tried to reassure de Gaulle. Eden considered the meeting “a failure”. After lunch Churchill took de Gaulle to Southwick to meet Eisenhower, who did his best to charm de Gaulle. There were still awkward topics, such as Eisenhower’s proposed proclamation to the French people on D-Day, which gave no recognition to de Gaulle’s Free French government. Churchill wanted Roosevelt to meet de Gaulle, but Roosevelt would only do this if de Gaulle requested it – to invite him

implied recognition, which Roosevelt was loathe to give. His view was that the Allies were not invading France to put de Gaulle in power. Ismay felt that – although a difficult person to deal with – de Gaulle was in a hideously difficult position. The army he had devoted his life to had collapsed; his beloved France had been enslaved; he had been condemned to death as a traitor by the government of his country… his proud spirit revolted at his dependence for practically everything the Free French required on the generosity of the British and US governments. However, de Gaulle’s bitterness about being denied proper recognition and authority in France confirmed an animosity towards Britain which persisted for the rest of his life, and was arguably behind his persistence in using his veto to prevent Britain’s attempts to join the Common Market (as it was then) in the 1950s and 60s. Churchill invited de Gaulle to have dinner with him and return to London by train, but de Gaulle refused and chose the slower car journey. After returning to by car to Droxford, the special train left at 6.58pm on its return journey to London. The 5.56pm Portsmouth to Woking train had been shunted into a siding at Tisted, to allow the special train to pass. Little did the unsuspecting passengers on that train realise that a crucial chapter in history was a blurred image from their windows. Droxford’s brief role on the international stage was over, and it returned to being a quiet country station.

Acknowledgements:

BrianRadford(PRCLTTrustee). LordBenStoneham;TimKing;JohnSymes(Friendsof DroxfordChurchandDroxfordresearchers). TonySimmonds(currentownerofDroxfordstation; FriendofDroxfordChurchandDroxfordresearcher). PamButtrey(authorAHistoryofDroxfordStation, NoodleBooks,ISBN978-1-906419-93-6). NRM archive;IWMarchive;NationalArchive; plusnumerouswartimebiographiesanddiaries.

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PLATFORM

READERS’ LETTERS AT THE HEART OF THE HERITAGE RAILWAY SCENE

TRACK TALK ➜ Chatham Dockyard’s 18 gauge locomotives I READ with interest your feature on the Chatham Dockyard in issue 200, but I feel that a few historical points need correcting. The standard gauge railway in the dockyard in use prior to the construction of the 1877 branch was used in connection with extension work on the dockyard rather than day-today work in connection with the normal running of the facility. Its Aveling & Porter locomotives appear to have remained under the control of the Royal Engineers rather than the Admiralty and at least one appears to have later seen service on the Chattenden & Upnor Railway in standard gauge days. Turning now to the 18in-gauge railway, the dockyard never acquired locomotives from Woolwich Arsenal: quite apart from anything else the drawbar heights were different (about 14in at Woolwich and 9 or 10in at Chatham). Ten (not 11) 18in-gauge locomotives were built for the dockyard, nine by Manning Wardle – Trafalgar (386 of 1871); Busy Bee (424 of 1872); Fidget (506 of 1874); Comet (910 of 1883); Khartum (sic) (1429 of 1899) , Prompt No.1 (1430 of 1899), Sunbeam (1604 of 1903), Shamrock (1636 of 1904), and Ready (1808 of 1913). The only ‘cuckoo in the nest’ was Thistle, a Dick Kerr product of 1912 (works number 26). Surviving evidence points to Comet being a relatively early ‘casualty’; six of the locomotives being sold for scrap in 1922 (a particularly bad year for 18in-gauge locomotives!) with Sunbeam, Thistle and Ready lingering on in the Dockyard until much of the 18in-gauge system was removed in 1949 when they would have been scrapped. The greatest tragedy in recent years is that Chatham Historic Dockyard from 1984 onwards effectively only recognised pre-1850 structures as being of significant historic interest and so there was no interest in reconstructing this important early narrow gauge railway. Even the mixed gauge weighbridge that featured in my 1993 book was later damaged beyond repair. Mark Smithers, email ➜ Happy 200th Congratulations on your 200 issues of Heritage Railway. The sceptics said that it would not last – you have proven them wrong. Paul Stratford, email

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STAR LETTER

Should we build a new LNER Green Arrow? WITH work on the new Gresley P2 Prince of Wales forging ahead and public enthusiasm right behind the project the question of what comes next springs to mind. The team which brought us the superb new-build Peppercorn A1 Tornado will be looking for a fresh challenge when the P2 is completed. I seem to recall reading that they had considered other Gresley designs at the time work on the P2 commenced – such as a V1/V3 suburban tank, a D49 or a K3 mogul. But these and some other current new-build schemes are in lower power ranges and couldn’t possibly be considered replacements for the ageing fleet of Class 7 and 8 superpower. The youngest designs of these latter are the two surviving Britannia Pacifics – Britannia itself and Oliver Cromwell are now of pensionable age. In just a few years time Flying Scotsman, hopefully available for main line duties soon, will qualify for a centenary telegram from Her Majesty. We can’t expect our elderly duch*esses, A4s, Rebuilt Scots, Kings, Castles and Bullied Pacifics etc to blast up to Shap or race along the East Coast Main Line at 75mph indefinitely. Within the past two years Bittern, a 70+-year-old locomotive, was pressed to more than 90mph on at least three occasions. Right now I understand two of the three operational A4s and duch*ess of Sutherland are all due for major overhauls and will be out of action for some time. Tornado isn’t yet back from its 10-year overhaul. Possibly, there are others in the same situation. This will put extra pressure on the superb, but less powerful, Jubilees, Class Fives and B1s, and smaller GWR 4-6-0s. When the time comes for the largest steam engines to gracefully

LNER 2-6-2 No. 60800 GreenArrowat Grosmont station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in March 2008, the day before it was retired with cylinder monobloc problems. DAVID TROUT retire to their plinths there will be little to replace them in the ‘Premier Division’. A recent correspondent to Heritage Railway suggested a new-build Gresley Hush-Hush high-pressure 4-6-4, but another correspondent correctly pointed out this was not a successful engine and spent much of its time mothballed, until rebuilt as an A4 look-alike. But the need for new engines from classic designs incorporating modern refinements will become urgent in a few years if the appetite for mainline steam excursions continues, and to my mind one design of locomotive with a proven pedigree would be an obvious and popular choice – the former LNER V2 2-6-2. Since Green Arrow was retired to face a future in a museum, this

powerful and extremely useful design has been absent from our main line specials. In my opinion a new V2 would be the best possible next new-build project – a locomotive in the Class 7 power range that was capable of, and often did, share express train duties with its Class 8 colleagues of classes A1, A2 and A4 on the former Eastern, North Eastern and Scottish regions. The closest relative to the V2 was the A3, also in power class 7, but like the V2s an equal working partner with their class 8 colleagues. I know it’s easy for armchair pundits to tell the experts what they should be planning, but my vote would be for a brand new V2, a type which proved its worth on the old LNER and on British Rail equally with heavy express trains and fast freight. David Trout, Durham

N15 at Waterloo signalbox ceremony THE accompanying photograph, which has been in our family for many years, is of my grandfather Lewis Smeeth, who worked for the Southern Railway as a signal engineer. It was taken at Waterloo in October 1936 and we thought it may be of interest to your readers. We were also wondering if anybody recognises anybody else in it. The N15 was pictured in the dock at Platform 11 after completion of the new signalbox which controlled just beyond Vauxhall station. This replaced Waterloo A, B and C and also the signalbox at Vauxhall. Sean Smeeth, email Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

TRACK TALK

EveningStar “step too far”

AM I alone in wondering what possible purpose is behind the plan to give No. 92212 the name and number of No. 92220 at the Great Central Railway in the near future. While I have never been a fan of the random renaming/ numbering/painting of locomotives, I will concede that it is a matter completely in the hands of the owners in deciding what they want for their hugely expensive charges... but this latest ‘gimmick’ is, for me, ‘a step too far’. Brian Hopwood, Blackburn

M Allard meets Mallard! Mark Allard, a working volunteer at the Engine House museum and visitor centre at Highley on the Severn Valley Railway, alongside world steam railway record holder A4 No. 4468 inside the Great Hall at the National Railway Museum.

Treating railway volunteers properly I SUSPECT that Neil O’Keeffe’s letter in issue 199 entitled ‘Lack of volunteers? Don’t give them all the boring jobs’ will provoke agreement and disagreement in almost equal numbers, which will only serve to strengthen his argument. My ‘take’ on this comes partly from my role as a volunteer on a heritage railway, but also from my position as a trustee of a charity which uses volunteers in a variety of roles. As a retired careers adviser, I also have a professional interest in the selection, retention and training of volunteers. This, it seems to me, lies at the heart of Neil O’Keeffe’s concerns: there are a lot of heritage operations looking for volunteers, but it sometimes feels as if they do not think about exactly what tasks they want volunteers to perform, and what skills they require from them. I recall one railway that had, in one edition of its magazine, no less than 14 requests for volunteers from different departments of the operation – this seems to indicate a lack of forward planning.

Jobs that need doing

Neil O’Keeffe refers to volunteers having to “scrub rusty pipes, or move piles of junk around”. The reality of the situation is that these are some of the jobs that need doing – and have to be done if the railway is to present an acceptable image to the paying public – because we cannot get away from the fact that heritage railways are not large train sets to be played with at will, but businesses and tourist attractions that take money off the public to provide an experience. As a qualified train despatcher, I am not wildly enthusiastic about being asked to pick up litter in the station car park, but I accept that this is all

part of presenting a pleasant ambience for the public, and if I only have one train an hour to despatch, I am hardly being overworked. I have no complaints about the railway with which I am involved. All volunteers are given the opportunity to choose those tasks that they are interested in, and training is properly structured, supervised and assessed. You cannot just pick up a green flag and despatch trains – the problem is, I think that some prospective volunteers don’t always realise that. I despatch trains – others are happy to work on the track, and would run a mile rather than do any job that involved contact with the public – and while I would like to drive an engine, I accept that my age now precludes me from ever being allowed to do so. I also accept that where a service to the public is being provided, volunteers may have to do jobs that they wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to undertake, which is why I don’t mind helping out with the less attractive jobs around the railway so long as I am still able to perform the duties for which I have trained. However, when wearing my charity director’s ‘hat’ I may have to take a slightly different approach: if we need someone to come into the office on a regular basis to, say, stuff envelopes for our regular mailings, it would be dishonest of us to ask them to clean the toilets, and they would be justified in taking themselves elsewhere. In the context of a heritage railway, we should identify those tasks that volunteers can do, and then recruit to meet those needs, while at the same time offer some kind of ‘career progression’ to enable volunteers to move from job to job: being stuck on

a shop counter for weeks on end can be just as unrewarding as “moving piles of junk around”. For those managing volunteers, the ‘trick’ is to ensure that those they manage are properly trained, are offered opportunities to train for different jobs, and are involved in discussions about the roles they want to play, and for their part, volunteers need to realise that part of the volunteering process may involve doing the less attractive tasks around the place.

‘Above the law’

Neil O’Keeffe complains about an element of ‘cliquey-ness’ and this is a fair point. I am not sure what can be done about this – again, it is the responsibility of management to ensure that this does not become a problem. No volunteer should consider themselves to be ‘above the law’ and railways should not allow a ‘two-tier’ volunteer structure to evolve. On one railway on which I once volunteered, my request for a rule book was dismissed with the remark that they were only given to “serious” volunteers, and the same person told me not to challenge a fellow volunteer over the mistake he had made on the grounds that he was “too important” a volunteer to risk alienating. Only last month, I was out for dinner with a group of people from ‘my’ railway, and the group included volunteers, permanent staff, and casual staff recruited only for the season, and there was no suggestion that we were a clique – although I fully accept that this can happen, even – dare I suggest – in your regular, paid, employment. Colin Marsh, Thurmaston, Leicester

Wadebridge ‘standing’ in Mid Hants Railway headshunt

ON PAGE 45 of issue 200 there is a photo of No. 34007 Wadebridge which is captioned ‘No. 34007 Wadebridge arrives at Ropley with the 3.10pm freight to Alresford passing No. 4464 Bittern’. No. 34007 is actually standing in the Ropley yard headshunt with the

freight. If you study the photo you will see the red tail light of a passenger train in the down platform waiting to depart to Alresford and the points leading to the track No. 34007 is pictured on are set against it. Unusually for a Mid Hants gala

the freight-only shuttled between Ropley and Alresford and always behind No. 34007. I think it was on a running-in turn and they did not want to over exert it ‘over the Alps’. This in no way detracted from your usual excellent read. Ian Lewis, email

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➜ The demise of Euston Arch I WELL remember the demise of the Euston Arch in the Sixties. Mr Valori, whose company eventually removed the portico, was so dismayed by the thought of its destruction that he offered to fund its dismantling and removal to any site of BR’s choice. Unhappily the Prime Minister of the day, Harold MacMillan, insisted on its demolition and permanent disposal on a spiteful whim – he had always disliked it, it was said. However, the good Mr Valori followed this up with a presentation to the Victorian Society of a silver replica of the arch; this was received by Lord Esher who gave a witty and sadly ironic speech at the expense of the perpetrators of such barbaric vandalism. Unfortunately even this memento also soon disappeared, a victim of petty theft. I would support the re-creation of the Euston Arch but, in my view, without the great hall and the shareholders’ meeting room of the original Euston (some of the finest architecture and furnishings of their day in all London in John Betjamin’s estimation), it would just be a forlorn anachronism. Martyn McGinty, Frome, Somerset ➜ Wrap unrestored historic vehicles in plastic WITH the Bluebell Railway’s Dash for Cover on the way, protecting a great deal of its rolling stock, there will no doubt be many more historical vehicle under tarpaulins sweating in a humid atmosphere where wood fungus can develop. This is no doubt the case for many other heritage railways where long-term storage will be required. This problem takes me back to the 1950s when Saunders-Roe needed to protect two of the Princess flying boats on the Isle of Wight, a mammoth task. Each was cocooned in a plastic envelope, spayed on to completely seal them and the interior was treated with a silica gel desiccant. A gauge meter was fitted against a window so that the humidity could be monitored from outside, the top of the plastic being sprayed silver to reflect the heat. Would this method not be a more efficient way to give a longer life to these precious carriages, while held in the preservation queue? Derrick Martin, Burnway, Hornchurch, Essex ➜ Why masquerade as Evening Star? I AM finding it difficult to share the enthusiasm for the conversion of 9F No. 92214 into Evening Star. It is surprising that the National Railway Museum’s should be party to such deceit, and what is the Great Central’s role in this exactly? It is one thing to temporarily disguise a locomotive as a long-deceased class mate for a railway gala or such, but quite another to take on the identity of one still in existence. The real Evening Star may not work again, and some people may not care to see it stuck in a museum, but hey, that’s the way it is! What next – convert one of the active A4s into Mallard? Phillip Crossland, Nafferton, Driffield, Heritage Railway 83

Durango & Silverton railroaD, ColoraDo

Where thesun shines every day

Departure from Durango features some street side running. No. 473 crosses 8th Street following the appropriately named Narrow Gauge Avenue on a service train to Cascade on February 13.

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In mid-February Dave Collier went to Colorado to take part in the Durango & Silverton Railroad’s annual winter photographers’ charter to witness steam in the snow. What he found was unexpected, but nevertheless very rewarding.

T

he spectacular Durango & Silverton Railroad will be familiar to many. A winding, 45-mile-long, high altitude, 3ft 0in-gauge line which climbs from 6520 feet above sea level at Durango to 9305 feet at the small town of Silverton, sitting at twice the altitude of the summit of the UK’s Ben Nevis. The line dates back to 1881 when it was constructed as part of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) to serve the gold and silver mines in the area. Amazingly, the rugged branch line to Silverton only took nine months to build. The line from Denver to Durango finally closed in late 1968 and a section of the line was subsequently saved through State purchase to become the present day steam heritage line known as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at Chama. The section of track between Chama and Durango was, alas, removed many decades ago. The branch line from Durango to Silverton continued to operate commercially. It experienced declining traffic during the first half of the 20th century, but a modest revival was experienced in the 1950s following a number of Hollywood films being made on the line. The daily mixed train to Silverton saw an increase in passenger traffic and gradually the line came to be dependent on tourist traffic. In 1981 it was sold to the newly formed Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. This now operates as a year-round, steam-hauled heritage railway. It has the distinction of having seen the continuous use of steam locomotives since 1881 through to the present day. Under the new ownership of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad improvements were made to the line and passenger traffic grew significantly. Today, the line carries 165,000 passengers a year and is still popular with film-makers.

K36 2-8-2s Nos. 480, 482 and 486 inside Durango roundhouse.

Durango & Silverton Railroad Photo Charter booklet Heritage Railway 85

K28 2-8-2 No. 473 passes the Shalona Lake rockface.

On the outskirts of Durango, working past the town’s former power station, near the Animas River bridge, No. 473 heads towards Cascade with a service train on February 14.

K28 2-8-2 No 473 heads the photo charter on the High Line across the Animas River bridge on February 15.

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Notable films featuring the line include How the West was Won (1963), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and The Claim (2000). The railroad employs 120 people and also attracts upwards of 150 volunteers. Locomotives used on the line are contemporary D&RG survivors. All are coal fired. Built during the 1920s they comprise 2-8-2 classes K28 & K36, with a tractive effort of 27,500 pounds and 36,200 pounds, respectively. The K28s were built by Alco in New York in 1923, while the K36s were built by Baldwin, in Pennsylvania, in 1925. Locomotives on the line are: K28 Nos. 473, 476 & 478 and K36 Nos. 480, 481, 482 & 486. With the exception of No. 476, which is on display in the railroad’s museum at Durango, all of these locomotives are operational. The line also owns K37 class 2-8-2s Nos. 493 & 498, which are not operational. The line has four centre cab-style diesel locomotives dating from the 1950s onwards and these are used for shunting at Durango and occasional runs on the main line to Silverton. The railroad operates a steam service three days a week during mid-winter, running as far as the Cascade wye, a distance of 26 miles, due to the risk of avalanches between there and Silverton. From May to October it operates over the full route to Silverton.

Twice a year the railroad operates a photographers’ special charter train – mid-February when there is usually deep snow, and late September for the autumn colours. The line’s operational base is at Durango (all trains start from there), a former railway town which now depends on tourism. It is a pleasant mid-sized town with a good selection of hotels, restaurants and brew pubs. It is home to the appropriately named ‘Steamworks Brewery’ and pub. Durango boasts 300 days a year of sunshine and that was certainly borne out during mid-February. Silverton is quite small and charming and has the feel of a frontier town. In early January my wife and I decided to travel on the winter charter and at the time of booking the line had a good covering of snow. Clear instructions were given by the railroad on the need for very warm clothing and protection for severe conditions. So we prepared for snow and extreme cold conditions and planned to stop off in New York for a few days on the way back, where it was expected to be cool but milder. Laden with the heavy warm gear we arrived in Durango to find temperatures of +16°C and all the snow gone apart from patches near the summit. This was not at all what was expected! It was very sunny though with clear blue skies on many occasions and superb clear

Steam, snow, water & clag – No. 473 heads along the Animas River near Cascade. This location is difficult to access other than by train. Heritage Railway 87

light with no wind. Ironically on our New York stopover, it was suffering from the effects of a polar vortex with lunchtime temperatures of –17°C on a couple of days. Prior to the charter, three days were spent photographing the service train. The locomotive in use was K28 No. 473, which also operated the charter. Departing from Durango at 9.45am it was usually just above freezing at that time, but reaching +16°C by lunchtime. The line runs through the San Juan National Forest along the Animas River. After several miles of level running it climbs sharply after Hermosa through to the summit at Rockwood, a distance of seven miles. After turning, on the return run there is a steep climb from Animas River bridge along what is called the High Line as far as Rockwood, a distance of two twisting miles high above a deep gorge.

No. 473 crosses the Animas River bridge. JACKIE FISHER

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Most locations visited were on these sections with some energetic walks to access positions on the High Line. The scenery on these sections is stunning and in deep snow one would be restricted in being able to access some locations. The warm weather meant some less accessible positions could be reached. The charter itself was highly organised. An excellent illustrated booklet was given out on the train, describing the line and with cameo photos of the locations we would be stopping at for run pasts – about 12 runpasts during the day as there was no other traffic on the line. It ran from 8am to 5pm and had about 60 participants spread over three coaches at the rear of a mixed freight train. There were volunteers as marshals in each coach keeping folk informed. The day was led by

a woman who worked as a manager with the line and who is also a photographer. She had detailed knowledge of the positions. There was more direction given to photographers than on UK charters; namely people were advised where they could stand at the lineside and positions were marked out in advance with red tape. Photo galleries were set up and it was expected that everyone would join them. I did manage to escape the gallery at times for more varied spots, but always mindful of not wandering too far away. One or two locations were photographing into the sun, which proved difficult, but most were ‘right side’ for the sun. Unusually there was a short pause in proceedings while a guy crouched down on the rails in front of the loco to propose to his girlfriend. There was a round of applause. Around half the participants appeared to be

dedicated ‘railfans’ while the other half were interested in landscape type photography with the train as a feature. Compared with the UK it was good to see a significant number of female participants on the charter, jostling for lineside positions with their cameras. In the evening there was a ‘night photo shoot’ at the Durango roundhouse with No. 473 posed in different positions around and on the turntable. Overall it was a good charter with spirited run pasts. It was well organised and enabled participants to get to locations not easily accessible on foot. The next photographers’ charter is a two-day event on September 26-27, when it runs through to Silverton. In mid-February 2016 the12th annual winter photographers’ charter is planned – maybe with the snow we had expected for our trip!

Another view of No. 473 running along the Animas River near Cascade Creek.

No. 473 heads along the banks of the Animas River, near Cascade, with its mixed train on February 15.

The night shoot: No 473 poses on the turntable in front of the Durango roundhouse. Heritage Railway 89

REVIEWS

British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas & Gazetteer/Pre-Grouping Atlas and Junction Diagrams (Hardback, Ian Allan, 104pp, 192pp, £20/£30, ISBN 978 0 7110 3817 2/978 0 7110 3810 3) DESCRIBED as one of the most popular railway atlases of all time, the Pre-Grouping Atlas & Gazetteer was first published in 1958. However, it has not been given a thorough revision since 1967. The sixth edition will, for many, be the best of them all. Revised an enlarged, it is now published in A4 rather than A5 format. That itself is a godsend for older readers who may nowadays have difficulty in reading the smaller print of old, both on the maps and in the index and gazetteer too. This atlas has been an ever-present on Heritage Railway’s bookshelf since the first edition, and unless you have a photographic memory combined with an encyclopaedic knowledge of every corner of the network, it is indispensable. Without it, how would you untangle the mish-mash of GNR, Midland and GCR lines around Nottingham or the Yorkshire conurbations, for instance, or work out which lines were GWR, LNWR or otherwise independent in the labyrinthine network that covered the South Wales

ABC Rail Guide

By Colin J Marsden (hardback, Ian Allan, 312pp, £20, ISBN 978 0 7110 3806). ANOTHER definitive volume from Ian Allan is the Annual Rail Guide, described as the ultimate ABC Combined Volume for the modern traction scene. Bang up to date at the time of going to press, it lists all locomotives, multiple units, coaches and track machines by operator, with colour pictures to illustrate each type. Stock owners and hirers are broken down into freight-operating companies, Eurotunnel,

infrastructure and train-engineering companies, reconditioned locomotive suppliers and so on. There are chapters on off-lease rolling stock, preserved motive power and TOPS-numbered preserved traction, and one on former BR industrial locomotives. In addition to the national network, separate sections cover metro and tram systems such as the Docklands Light Railway and Blackpool Tramway. The rear is taken up by exhaustive railway data tables. Data? It seems that there is more in here than on your average home PC, and if you need to know about the modern railway, this is the place to start. FACTS AT FINGERTIPS

In the Footsteps of IK Brunel

By Jonathan Falconer (softback, Ian Allan, 160pp, £20, ISBN 978 0 7110 3798 4)

EDITOR’S CHOICES valleys? This edition, for the first time, includes steam-era routes that were not built at the time of the Grouping, such as the North Devon & Cornwall Junction Light Railway route from Halwill Junction to Torrington, which is clearly marked as having been built after 1922. The purpose is to place these routes in their historical context. This book is a classic that has now broadened its appeal, and is worth every penny: a reference work to last a lifetime. Going one better is the same publisher’s version of the atlas with coloured Railway Clearing House junction diagrams interwoven between the map spreads. The big advantage with this new ‘deluxe’ version is that details of which companies controlled which parts of key junctions are outlined. It really is a masterstroke, and is easily worth the extra tenner. CLASSIC RAILWAY CARTOGRAPHY

WE NEVER tire of Brunel, and it seems that his works come to be regarded with higher esteem with the passage of each year. The electrification of the GWR main line has seen steps taken to preserve his works along the route with listed building status, for instance. At first glance this volume seems a tad pricey for a paperback, but it is a bargain if you’re searching for places where you can see Brunel artefacts large and small. It looks at his railways including, of course, the Great Western, Bristol & Exeter and the South Devon, famous for one of

Midland Main Lines: Wellingborough to Leicester and its routes to Northampton and Rugby By Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (hardback, Middleton Press, 96pp, £17.95, ISBN 978 1 908174 73 4). A HAIRNET of mainly Midland Railway lines once covered the ironstone country between Northampton, Leicester, Stamford and Wansford. Not only were they built in the expectation of rich dividends from the great quarries, many of which had their own internal rail systems (we see a Sentinel shunter in 1936 at Kettering that was built for the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway seven years earlier), but also linked up many hitherto isolated towns and villages. When was the last time anyone caught a train to East Langton, Theddingworth or

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Kibworth? The volume follows the timehonoured MP format of using archive black-and-white photographs, track plans and Ordnance Survey largescale plans to explain every station, halt and otherwise notable feature on the lines. Traction pictured ranges from a Beyer Garrett 2-6-6-2Ts to Fell experimental diesel No. 10100 to modern day HSTs, in addition to the bog-standard diesel locomotive classes which regularly worked these lines. Overall, this part of the East Midlands has been, by comparison, given far less attention than more illustrious adjacent routes such as the GCR and the East Coast Main Line.

Therefore, this volume, typically packed from cover to cover with essential information, is a very welcome gapfiller for local historians. UNFOLDING A COMPLEX REGION

his rare failures, atmospheric propulsion. Spectacular bridges, docks, transatlantic sea travel – if it was made by Brunel, it’s all in here, along with a gazetteer of everything that survives. The author traces the Brunel legacy that is still a vibrant part of today’s technology, as Crossrail follows in the footsteps of the Thames Tunnel, which was the first to burrow beneath London’s river. A huge subject is condensed into a fact-packed glossy volume which is well illustrated by colour and archive pictures. COMPREHENSIVE, CONCISE SURVEY

Eastern Main Lines: Nottingham to Boston via Sleaford

By Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (hardback, Middleton Press, 96pp, £17.95, ISBN 978 1 908174 70 3). FOLLOWING the same format as described left, this volume follows the stage-bystage completion of a route which bisects the East Midlands to link a substantial manufacturing city to a North Sea port. From Nottingham Victoria to Hubberts Bridge, stations massive to miniscule are featured with a history given of each. Traction ranges from the steam locomotives of Edwardian times to the East Midlands Trains services which regularly ply their trade over the route today. ESSENTIAL LOCAL HISTORY

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REVIEWS Swindon Works Through Time

By Andy Binks and Peter Timms (softback, Amberley Publishing, 96pp, £14.99, ISBN 978 1 4456 4261 1). THIS is a timely publication in view of the 175th anniversary of Brunel’s great workshops, which is only a year away, and as reported in our News section, major celebrations are being planned in the town. This is really a grab-bag of archive colour and black-and-white photograph showing various departments of the works and staff in action, with each explained by extended captions. Many of them compare and contrast scenes from yesterday with those from today, such as those of the interior of workshops in 1986 when the plant closed, with the same view inside the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Village shopping malls today. Not a definitive volume by any means, but many of the pictures are scarce or previously unpublished, so will be welcomed by GWR aficionados. PLEASING BROWSE

Britain’s Industrial Heritage: A Handbook and Gazetteer

By John Hannavy (hardback, Halsgrove Publishing, 144pp, £9.99, ISBN 978 0 85710, 093 1) IF YOU’RE interested in heritage railways, the chances are that you want to visit other historic sites from Britain’s industrial past, or have an interest in other forms of transport. This book is right up your street, with a sackful of ideas of choice places to see Canals, ships, factories, iron and steelworks, mines, wind and water mills, and yes, railways: different chapters provide an overview of each subject enhanced by coloured photographs and lists the choice sites to visit. This volume is not only a bargain but of a handy size that would readily fit inside a glovebox or camera bag. Take it with you next time you visit a railway, and see what else there is of interest in the locality at a glance. MINE OF IDEAS

London Midland & Scottish: Britain’s Greatest Railway

by Bill Horsfall (softback, 380pp, £15.95, Authorhouse, ISBN 978 1 4969 8178 3) THE London Midland & Scottish Railway was Great Britain’s largest railway company from 1923-1947, and has been extensively chronicled, but the author sets out to produce a long-overdue update. This unique publication combines detailed information gleaned from books and magazines published over several decades, into a concise overview of what the company was about, and how it worked. Its analyses of locomotives and rolling stock provide a further insight into the company’s methods of operation. The LMS’s pioneering work in steam and almost uniquely in diesel traction, plus that in other fields, puts it ahead of Britain’s other three Big Four railways, and for this it is here accorded the recognition it deserves. Fascinating anecdotes give an insight into the staff’s work ethic and into contemporary social conditions. Key decisions by the LMS Executive to overcome the rivalry of its two largest constituents; the MR and LNWR,

eventually resulted in the appointment of William Stanier from the GWR, an engineer who would create, not only modern, efficient locomotives and rollingstock, but also an effective and unified design team which would actually outlive the company and make a significant contribution to the nationalised railway system from 1948. A black-and-white photographic section towards the end covers a variety of views from LMS, BR and preservation eras. MUST FOR MIDLANDERS!

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UP & RUNNING

Visiting Barclay 0-6-0ST Salmon at Rocks By Rail during a DIG IT driver experience (Dig it, Shunt it, Fire it, Drive it) on March 7. The engine remained for the Stanton and Staveley Remembered event on March 15. ALISTAIR GRIEVE

BRIAN SHARPE’S FULL LISTING OF OPERATIONAL LINES AND MUSEUM VENUES SOUTH EAST Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre

Narrow gauge, ¼ mile, Arundel, West Sussex. Tel: 01798 831370. Running: Wed-Sun + May 4.

Lavender Line

Tel: 01837 55164. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Mid Hants Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, wine and dine, Paignton, Devon. Tel: 01803 555872. Engines: 7827, 5239, 4277. Running: Daily.

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine and dine, Isfield, East Sussex. Tel: 01825 750515. Running: Suns + B/H.

Bentley Miniature Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Alresford, Hants SO24 9JG. Tel: 01962 733810. Engines: 34007, 850, 925, 45379, 92212. Running: W/Es + Apr 13-17, May 2-7.

Bluebell Railway

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, East Sussex. Running: Suns. Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Engines: 263, 1638, 178, B473, 323, 592, 30541. Running: Daily.

East Kent Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Shepherdswell, Dover. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Apr 11, 12, 19, 26, May 3, 4.

Eastleigh Lakeside Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¼ miles, footplate experience. Running: W/Es + Sch Hols.

Hastings Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, 600 yards, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, East Sussex. Running: W/Es + Sch Hols.

Hayling Seaside Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Hayling Island, Hants. Running: W/Es + Weds.

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight. Tel: 01983 882204. Engines: 8, 11, 24, 41298. Running: Suns, Tues-Thurs + Apr 10, 11, May 2, 4.

Kent & East Sussex Railway

Standard gauge, 10½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Tenterden, Kent. Tel: 01580 765155. Engines: 65, 3,32678, 1638. Running: W/Es, Wed, Thur + Apr 14, May 4.

92 Heritage Railway

Narrow gauge, 13½ miles, footplate experience, New Romney. Tel: 01797 362353. Running: Daily.

Royal Victoria Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Netley, Southampton. Tel: 02380 456246. Running: W/Es + Sch Hols.

Sittingbourne & Kemsley Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¾ miles, Sittingbourne, Kent. Tel: 01795 424899. Running: Suns + May 4.

Spa Valley Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Tel: 01892 537715. Running: W/Es + Apr 16, 17, May 4.

SOUTH WEST Avon Valley Railway

Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bitton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 932 7296. Running: Apr 1-10, 18, 19, 25, 26, May 2-4.

Bodmin & Wenford Railway

Standard gauge, 6½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bodmin, Cornwall. Tel: 01208 73666. Engines: 6435, 4247, 4612, 30587, 30120. Running: Daily except Apr Mon, Fri.

Dartmoor Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, Okehampton, Devon.

Swindon & Cricklade Railway

Dartmouth Steam Railway

Devon Railway Centre

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Bickleigh, Devon. Tel: 01884 855671. Running: W/Es + May 4, 6-8.

East Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Cranmore, Somerset. Tel: 01749 880417. Engine: 46447. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Helston Railway

Standard gauge, Helston, Cornwall. Tel: 07875 481380. Running: Thurs, Sun + B/H.

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Woody Bay, north Devon. Tel: 01598 763487. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues-Thurs.

Moors Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Ringwood, Hants. Tel: 01425 471415. Running: Suns.

Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, Blunsdon, Wiltshire. Tel: 01793 771615. Running: W/Es + B/H.

West Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, 20 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BG. Tel: 01643 704996. Engines: 3850, 4160, 7828, 6960, 5541. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues-Thurs.

EAST ANGLIA Bressingham Steam Museum

Narrow gauge, one mile, Diss, Norfolk. Tel: 01379 686900. Running: Daily.

Bure Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, nine miles, footplate experience, Aylsham, Norfolk. Tel: 01263 733858. Running: Daily.

Colne Valley Railway

Seaton Tramway

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine & dine, Castle Hedingham, Essex. Tel: 01787 461174. Running: Apr 11, 12, 18, 19, 26, May 2-4.

South Devon Railway

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Wakes Colne, Essex. Tel: 01206 242524. Open: W/Es. Running May 3, 4.

Plym Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Marsh Mills, Plymouth. Running: Apr 19, May 6.

Narrow gauge, three miles, Harbour Road, Seaton, Devon. 01297 20375. Running: Daily. Standard gauge, seven miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Buckfastleigh, Devon. Engines: L92, 3205, 5542, 6412. Running: Daily.

Swanage Railway

Standard gauge, six miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Swanage, Dorset. Tel: 01929 425800. Engines: 30053, 6695, 31806, 925, 70000. Running: Daily.

East Anglian Railway Museum

Mangapps Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, near Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. Tel: 01621 784898. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Mid-Norfolk Railway

Standard gauge, 11½ miles, footplate experience, Dereham, Norfolk. Tel: 01362 690633. Running: W/Es, B/H + Weds.

For more details when planning your day out, visit the HRA website: http://heritagerailways.com Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

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Heritage Railway 93

UP & RUNNING

LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire in Barrow Hill. Roundhouse during a Timeline Events night shoot on March 14. JOHN JAMES EWART

Mid-Suffolk Light Railway

Standard gauge, 1⁄4 mile, Brockford, Suffolk. Running: May 3, 4.

Nene Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Wansford, Peterborough, Cambs. Tel: 01780 784444. . Running: W/Es + May 4-6.

North Norfolk Railway

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, footplate experience, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8RA. Tel: 01263 820800. Engines: 564, 8572, 92203, 76084. Running: Daily.

Wells & Walsingham Railway

Narrow gauge, four miles, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. Tel: 01328 711630 Running: Daily.

Whitwell & Reepham Railway Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Reepham, Norfolk. Tel: 01603 871694. Running: W/Es + B/H, steam Apr 11, 12, May 3.

HOME COUNTIES Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, footplate experience, Quainton Road, Bucks. Tel: 01296 655720. Engines: 30585, Met 1. Open: Tues-Thurs. Running: Suns + May 4.

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, Chinnor, Oxon. Tel: 01844 353535. Engine: 1369. Running: Suns + May 4.

94 Heritage Railway

Cholsey & Wallingford Railway

Standard gauge, 2½ miles, Wallingford, Oxon. Tel: 01491 835067. Running: May 2-4.

Didcot Railway Centre

Standard gauge, footplate experience, Didcot, Oxon. Tel: 01235 817200. Engines: 93, 3650, 5322, 6023, 4144. Running: W/Es + B/H

Epping Ongar Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Ongar, Essex. Tel: 01277 365200. Engines: 4141, 69023, 1744, 985. Running: W/Es + Apr 24, May 4.

Leighton Buzzard Railway

Narrow gauge, 2¾ miles, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Tel: 01525 373888. Running: Suns + B/H

MIDLANDS Amerton Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffs. Tel: 01785 850965. Running: Suns + B/H.

Apedale Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Apedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. Tel: 0845 094 1953. Running: Sats + Apr 12, May 3, 4.

Barrow Hill Roundhouse

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Tel: 01246 472450. Open: W/Es.

Battlefield Line Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Shackerstone, Leics. Tel: 01827 880754. Engine: 3803. Running: W/es + B/H.

Chasewater Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Walsall,

West Midlands. Tel: 01543 452623. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Churnet Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 5¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Cheddleton, Staffs. Tel: 01538 750755. Engine: 69621. Running: Suns, B/H + Apr 25.

Dean Forest Railway

Standard gauge, 4¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Norchard, Lydney, Glos. Tel: 01594 845840. Engine: 5541. Running: Suns, Weds + Apr 11, May 2, 4.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

Standard gauge, eight miles, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. 01629 823076. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues, Thurs.

Evesham Vale Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¼ mile, A46 north of Evesham, Worcs. Tel: 01386 422282. Running: W/Es + B/H.

footplate experience, wine and dine, Ripley, Derbyshire. Tel: 01773 570140. Engines: 23, 73129. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Northampton & Lamport Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Pitsford, Northants. Tel: 01604 820327. Running: Suns + B/H.

Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre

Standard gauge, four miles, Ruddington, Notts. Tel: 0115 940 570. Engine: 8274 Running: Suns + Apr 11, 18, May 2, 4.

Peak Rail

Standard gauge, four miles, Matlock, Derbyshire. Tel: 01629 580381. Running: W/Es + B/H + Tues, Weds.

Perrygrove Railway

Foxfield Railway

Narrow gauge, B4228, Coleford, Glos. Tel: 01594 834991. Running: W/Es + Tues + B/H.

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Cottesmore, Rutland. Open: Tues, Thur, Sun. Running: Third Sun.

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, Blythe Bridge, Staffs. Running: Suns + B/H.

Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Toddington, Glos. Tel: 01242 621405. Engines: 2807, 7820, 4270. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues.

Great Central Railway

Standard gauge, eight miles, Loughborough, Leics LE11 1RW. Tel: 01509 632323. Engines: 48624, 47406, 46521, 777, 92214, 70013, 45305. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Midland Railway-Butterley

Standard gauge, 3½ miles,

Rocks By Rail

Rudyard Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, 1½ miles, Leek, Staffs. Tel: 01995 672280. Running: W/Es, B/H + Apr 13-17.

Rushden Transport Museum

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Rushden, Northants. Open: Weekends.

Severn Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 16 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bewdley, Worcs DY12 1BG. Tel: 01299 403816. Engines: 1501, 4566, 7812, 2857, 43106, 1450, 34053. Running: Apr W/Es. Daily from May 2.

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GALAS

Heritage Railway 95

UP & RUNNING

The unique 1863-built Lewin 0-4-0ST takes part in a photo charter at Beamish museum on March 23. HENRY ELLIOTT

Steeple Grange Light Railway

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, footplate experience, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Running: Suns + B/H.

Telford Steam Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, Telford, Shropshire. Email [emailprotected] Tel: 01952 503880. Running: Suns + B/H Mon.

NORTH WEST East Lancashire Railway

Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, Bury, Lancs. Tel: 01617 647790. Engines: 80080, 13065, 12322. Running: Wed-Sun + May 4, 5.

Eden Valley Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Warcop, off A66 Cumbria CA16 6PR 017683 42309. www.evr-cumbria.org.uk Running: Suns + May 4.

Heaton Park Tramway

Standard gauge, half mile, Manchester. Running: Suns pm.

Isle Of Man Steam Railway Narrow gauge, 15½ miles, Douglas, Isle of Man. Tel: 01624 662525. Running: Daily.

Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway Standard gauge, 3½ miles, near Ulverston, Cumbria. Tel: 01539 531594. Engines: 42073, 42085. Running: Daily.

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

Narrow gauge, seven miles, Ravenglass, Cumbria. Tel: 01229 717171. Running: Daily.

Ribble Steam Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Preston, Lancs. Tel: 01772 728800. Engine: 5643 Running: Suns + B/H.

96 Heritage Railway

Stainmore Railway

Standard gauge, ½ mile, Kirkby Stephen East Station, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4LA. Running: May 2, 3 (diesel).

West Lancashire Light Railway

Narrow gauge, Hesketh Bank, Lancs. Tel: 01772 815881. Running: Suns + B/H.

NORTH EAST Aln Valley Railway

Standard gauge, half miles Running: Suns + May 4.

Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society

Standard gauge, 15 miles, Tata Steelworks, Sc*nthorpe. Tel: 01652 657053. Running: May 23.

Bowes Railway

Tanfield Railway

West Yorks BD22 8NJ. Tel: 01535 645214. Engines: 43924, 90733, 1054, 5820, 34092, 75078. Running: W/Es, Weds + B/H.

Kirklees Light Railway Narrow gauge, four miles, Huddersfield, West Yorks. Tel: 01484 865727. Running: W/Es, B/H + Apr 9-17.

Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Ludborough, Lincolnshire. Tel: 01507 363881. Engine: 1744. Running: Apr 19, May 3, 4.

Middleton Railway Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Hunslet, Leeds. Tel: 0113 271 0320.

Standard gauge, one mile, Springwell, Tyne & Wear. Tel: 01914 161847. Running: TBA.

Running: W/Es + B/H.

Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

Standard gauge, two miles. North Shields.

Narrow gauge, two miles, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Tel: 01472 604657. Running: Daily.

Derwent Valley Railway

Standard gauge, ½ mile, Murton Park, Layerthorpe, York. Tel: 01904 489966. Running: Suns + B/H.

Elsecar Railway

Engine: 1310.

North Tyneside Railway

Open: W/Es, B/H + sch hols. Running: Suns + B/H.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

WALES Bala Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, 4½ miles, Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01678 540666. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues-Thurs.

Brecon Mountain Railway

Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Tel: 01685 722988. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues-Thurs.

Cambrian Heritage Railways

Grosmont, North Yorks.

Narrow gauge, ¾ mile, Corris, Machynlleth. Tel: 01654 761303. Running: May 2-4.

Tel: 01751 472508.

Fairbourne Railway

Standard gauge, 18 miles, wine and dine,

Running: Daily. Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Alston, Cumbria.

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Keighley,

Standard gauge, 22 miles, Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire. Tel: 0845 450 5474. Engine: 69023. Running: W/Es, Weds + B/H.

Corris Railway

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

Wensleydale Railway

Standard gauge, ¾ mile, Llynclys station & Oswestry station. Tel: 07527 107592. Running: (Llynclys) W/Es + B/H. (Oswestry) May 2-4.

Tel: 0191 200 7146.

Standard gauge, one mile, Elsecar, South Yorks. Footplate experience. Tel: 01226 746746. Open: Daily. Running: Suns + May 1, 2, 4.

Standard gauge, five miles, Embsay, Yorks.. Running: W/Es, Tues + B/H.

Standard gauge, three miles, near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Tel: 01913 887545. Running: Suns + Apr 18, May 4.

Engines: 60007, 45428, 75029, 61264, 63395, 76079, 4936, 44871, 45407.

South Tynedale Railway Tel: 01434 382828/381696. Running: W/Es + B/H + Tues, Thurs.

Narrow gauge, two miles, Fairbourne, Gwynedd. Tel: 01341 250362. Running: W/Es, B/H + Tues-Thurs.

Ffestiniog Railway

Narrow gauge, 15 miles, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Daily.

For more details when planning your day out, visit the HRA website: http://heritagerailways.com Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

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Heritage Railway 97

UP & RUNNING Gwili Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthenshire. Tel: 01267 238213. Running: Apr 1-16, 19, 21-23, 24, 26, 28-30, May 2-4, 6, 7.

Llanberis Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, three miles, Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870549. Running: Daily except Apr 18, 25.

Llangollen Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Llangollen, Denbighshire. Tel: 01978 860979. Engines: 3802, 45337, 5199. Running: Daily.

Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Blaenavon, Torfaen. Tel: 01495 792263. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Rhyl Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, Rhyl, North Wales. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Snowdon Mountain Railway

Narrow gauge, 4½ miles, Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870223. Running: Daily.

Talyllyn Railway

Narrow gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Tywyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01654 710472. Running: Daily.

Vale Of Rheidol Railway

Narrow gauge, 11¾ miles, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Tel: 01970 625819. Engines, 8, 9. Running: Daily.

Welsh Highland Heritage Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 513402. Running: Daily except Apr Mon, Fri.

Welsh Highland Railway

Narrow gauge, 26 miles, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Daily except Apr 17, 20, 24, May 1, 8.

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway Narrow gauge, eight miles, Llanfair Caereinion, mid-Wales. Tel: 01938 810441. Engines: 822, 823. Running: W/Es + B/H.

SCOTLAND Almond Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, ¼ mile, Livingston, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 414957.

Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Bo’ness, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 822298. Engine: 62712. Running: W/Es + Apr 14-16, 28, May 4.

Caledonian Railway

Standard gauge, four miles, Brechin, Angus. Tel: 01356 622992. Running: May 31.

Keith & Dufftown Railway

Standard gauge, 11 miles, Dufftown, Banffshire. Running: W/Es + Apr 30, May 1.

Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Leadhills, South Lanarkshire. Tel: 0141 556 1061. Running: W/Es.

Royal Deeside Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Milton of Crathes. Kincardineshire. Running: W/Es.

Scottish Industrial Railway Centre

Standard gauge, 1⁄3 mile, Dunaskin, Dalmellington Road (A713), Waterside, Ayrshire. Running: Apr 24, 25.

Strathspey Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, Aviemore, Inverness-shire. Tel: 01479 810725. Engines: 46512, 828. Running: W/Es, Wed, Thur + May 4.

Barclay 0-4-0ST No.6 at Fisherman’s Crossing during the Ribble Steam Railway gala weekend on March 22. BRIAN DOBBS

Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway

IRELAND Cavan & Leitrim Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Dromod, County Leitrim.

Narrow gauge, two miles, Bushmills, County Antrim. Tel: 0282 073 2844. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Waterford & Suir Valley Railway

Tel: 00353 71 9638599. Running: TBA.

Downpatrick & County Down Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Kilmeadan, County Waterford. Running: Daily from May 1.

Standard gauge, four miles,

West Clare Railway

Downpatrick, County Down.

Narrow gauge, Moyasta Junction, Co Clare. Running: Daily from Easter.

Running: TBA.

Railway Museums Beamish

County Durham. The Living Museum of the North. Open: W/Es, Tues-Thurs.

Cambrian Railways Museum

Oswestry station. Open: Tues-Suns. Tel: 01691 688763.

Col Stephens Railway Museum

Tenterden Station, Kent. Open: W/Es. Tel: 01580 765155.

Conwy Valley Railway Museum

Betws-y-coed, Conwy. Open: Daily. Tel: 01690 710568.

Crewe Heritage Centre

Vernon Way, Crewe. Open: W/Es + B/H. Tel: 01270 212130.

Head of Steam

North Road Station, Darlington. Open: Wed-Sun. Tel: 01325 460532.

98 Heritage Railway

Museum Of Scottish Railways Bo’ness. Open: Daily Apr-Oct. Tel: 01506 825855.

Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Near Wellingborough, Northants. Open: Suns. Tel: 01604 675368.

Kidderminster Railway Museum

Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Open: SVR operating days. Tel: 01562 825316.

Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon Co Durham. Open: Daily. Tel: 01388 777999.

London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza. Open: Sun-Thurs. Tel: 0207 379 6344.

Manchester Museum of Science & Industry

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust

Castlefield, Manchester. Open: Daily. Tel: 0161 832 2244.

Washford, Somerset. Open: Weekends. Tel: 01984 640869.

Midsomer Norton

STEAM – Museum of the GWR

Silver Street, Midsomer Norton. Open: Suns/Mons. Tel: 01761 411221.

Swindon, Wilts. Open: Daily. Tel: 01793 466646.

Monkwearmouth Station Museum

St Albans South Signalbox & Museum

National Railway Museum

Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

Sunderland, County Durham. Open: Daily. Tel: 01915 677075.

Leeman Road, York. Open: Daily. Tel: 01904 621261.

Penrhyn Castle Industrial Railway Museum Bangor, Gwynedd. Open: Daily except Tues.

Shillingstone Station Shillingstone, Dorset. Open: Sat, Sun and Wed. Tel: 01258 860696.

St Albans City station. Tel: 01727 863131.

Cultra, Co Down. Open: Tues-Sun.

Vintage Carriage Museum Ingrow, West Yorks. Open: Daily. Tel: 01535 680425.

Yeovil Railway Centre

Yeovil Junction, Somerset. Open: Certain Sundays and special events.

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

GALAS

Heritage Railway 99

WEB WATCH

Heritage Railway 101

STAY A WHILE

Bayleaf Guest House

The Bayleaf Guest House is a charming Victorian licensed guest house, centrally located for all amenities and seafront, yet quietly situated, which will take care of your short or long term holiday. All bedrooms, including two on the ground floor, are en suite, with easy access for those guests that find stairs difficult. Each room has remote control colour television, with beverage tray and complimentary toiletries. There is access to the bedrooms at all times. Sheringham is situated on the North Norfolk coast in a designated scenic area of outstanding natural beauty. There is a fine stretch of golden sand bathed by sea of the highest quality –

the town holds the much coveted European Blue Flag. Sheringham has a wonderful selection of shops, restaurants and inns, a very popular theatre and a splash fun pool and leisure centre, while the nearby marshes, heathland and wooded hills are a haven for bird watchers, ramblers and naturalists. But best of all for steam enthusiasts is the North Norfolk Railway, running to Holt along the old Midland & Great Northern Joint Line.

Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8QY www.bayleafbandb.co.uk

CARMARTHENSHIRE

CORNWALL

01263 823779

CUMBRIA

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LLANGOLLEN

LLANGOLLEN

MID HANTS

STAY A WHILE

Cromdale Station

Camping Coach The body of a 100-year-old railway carriage now provides an ideal self-catering base for exploring railways in the Scottish Highlands. This Great North of Scotland Third Composite Brake Carriage has been completely re-skinned, and converted to provide comfortable accommodation for four people. Built in Inverurie works during the First World War the six-wheel carriage body is located at Cromdale Station just outside Grantown on Spey. The original GNSR Speyside Branch ran between Craigellachie and Boat of Garten. Although closed in the 1960s many of the station buildings survive to be explored along what is now the Speyside Way. Heritage railways within easy reach include the Keith & Dufftown Railway and the Strathspey Railway at Aviemore, to which visitors

from the south can travel on the Sleeper Service. The camping coach accommodation includes a double bedroom and room with two bunk beds, both with access to a toilet and showers. The guards van which still has some of the original fittings, provides a very well equipped kitchenette with a TV and heating stove for comfort in addition to electric heating throughout. A large sun deck leads out on to a fenced-in garden with a self-weighted rowing machine for those wanting to keep fit. The Camping Coach is open all year round and is available for single night booking.

Grantown on Spey, PH26 3LQ

01479 873488

www.cromdalestation.co.uk

MID SUFFOLK

SCOTLAND

NORTH NORFOLK

WEST SOMERSET

BRIDGE COTTAGES

• Very comfortable cottages • Beside NNR • Quiet rural location • Holt Station 5 mins • Short breaks • Open all year

www.bridge-cottage-holidays.co.uk

Tel: 01263 577847

NORTH NORFOLK

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SHROPSHIRE

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SU N FIEL D

Spacious bungalow on beach by Blue Anchor Station. Two bedrooms, sleeps 4. Fully equipped kitchen, TV, patio, BBQ.

Sm a ll f a m ily run GuestHouse close to W SR Sta tion . A ll en -suite room sf rom £ 30.00 f orB&B

01984 634242 www.blueanchor-beach-bungalow.co.uk

Tel: 01 64 3 703565 w w w .su n field m in ehea d .c o .u k

Deadline for the next issue of Heritage Railway is Friday April 24 On Sale Thursday May 7

M in eh ea d

WORTH VALLEY

Bronte Hotel Haworth

YTB ★★★

Short walk to K&WVR line, ample free parking. Comfortable lounges and restaurant.

Double rooms from £45, Singles from £25, En-suite available.

Tel: 01535 644112

email [emailprotected] www.bronte-hotel.co.uk

Heritage Railway 103

CLASSIFIED EXPRESS GOODS

Contact Helen Martin on 01507 529310 • [emailprotected]

BOOKS

FOR SALE

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BARRY JONES

PHOTOGRAPHY

Specialist in the sale and purchase of secondhand railway and steam road transport literature.

Railway timetables, posters, maps, publicity photographs and official items. Model railway and railway collectables always sought.

28 Marine Crescent, Worthing BN12 4JF

Tel: 01903 244655 Email: [emailprotected]

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THE MONTH AHEAD

Recently returned to service on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76079 climbs past Beckhole on March 21. MICHAEL ANDERSON

Steaming on into late spring

The early Spring gala season tends to fade a little after Easter. Nevertheless the Swanage Railway steam boasts Britannia and Cheltenham; the North Yorkshire Moors Railway plans a two weekend spectacular and both the Ffestiniog and Epping Ongar lines have major 150th anniversaries to celebrate.

SPECIAL EVENTS April

11, 12: Dean Forest Railway: Mixed Traction Weekend 11, 12: Nene Valley Railway: Diesel Gala ■ 11, 12: Whitwell & Reepham Station: 1940s Weekend 12: West Lancashire Light Railway: Friendly Engines Day ■ 17-19: North Yorkshire Moors Railway: Spring Steam Gala ■ This event over two weekends will see the first visit of GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 Kinlet Hall along with LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s No. 45407 and No. 44871 with another guest engine still to be announced. The home fleet should include LNER A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, ‘Black Five’ No. 45428, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76079 and 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75029 and LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61264.

Issue 202 is out on May 7, 2015 Catch up with the latest news, views and great features every four weeks.

17-19: Swanage Railway: Spring Steam Gala This event will feature the first ever visit to Swanage of a SR Schools 4-4-0; No. 925 Cheltenham, normally based on the Mid Hants Railway, and No. 70000 Britannia. An intensive timetable of passenger and freight trains will be operated, also featuring M7 0-4-4T No. 30053 and U 2-6-0 No. 31806.

18: Ffestiniog Railway: The Snowdonian 18, 19: Barrow Hill Roundhouse: Rarities Diesel Gala ■ 18, 19: Bluebell Railway: Diesel Gala ■ 18, 19: Didcot Railway Centre: Railcar 22’s Birthday 18, 19: East Lancashire Railway: Small Engines Weekend 18, 19: Llangollen Railway: Days Out with Thomas ■ 19: Lincolnshire Wolds Railway: GNR Heritage Day 24-26: Epping Ongar Railway: 150th Anniversary ■ Visiting for this event will be GNR N2 0-6-2T No. 1744, NER J72 0-6-0T No. 69023 and Y7 0-4-0T No. 985. Brakevan rides will be available between Ongar and North Weald behind the Y7, using the newly restored Shark brakevan.

24-26: North Yorkshire Moors Railway: Spring Steam Gala KEY ■ Major or featured galas

106 Heritagerailway.co.uk

25, 26: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway: Wartime in the Cotswolds 25, 26: London Underground: Acton Depot Open Weekend 26: Amberley Museum: Spring Industrial Trains Day 26: Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway: Spring Steam & Diesel Gala ■ 26: Evesham Vale Railway: Diesel Day ■

May

1-4: Ffestiniog Railway: 150 Years of Passenger Trains ■

In 1865, passenger trains were introduced for quarry workers. Victorian holidaymakers soon followed and the company responded with some beautiful carriages to convey them. Many of these carriages have been lovingly restored and the early years of the railway will be celebrated on Friday and Saturday.

2, 3: Moors Valley Railway: Tank Engine Rally 2-4: Bodmin & Wenford Railway: Spring Steam Gala

The railway’s first steam gala of the year, will feature an intensive timetable with locomotives from the GWR and LSWR.

2-4: Cholsey & Wallingford Railway: Doubleheaded Steam 2-4: Dean Forest Railway: Days Out with Thomas ■ 2-4: Didcot Railway Centre: 50th Anniversary of Closure Steam Gala

■ Diesel and/or electric galas

2-4: East Lancashire Railway: Days Out with Thomas ■ 2-4: Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Rocks & Rails 2-4: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: Railway Children Weekend 2-4: Kent & East Sussex Railway: Steaming Back to the Forties 2-4: Midland Railway – Butterley: Vintage Train Event 2-4: North Norfolk Railway: Days Out with Thomas ■ 2-4: Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway: Mixed Traction Weekend 2-4: Ribble Steam Railway: Friendly Engines Weekend 2-4: Steeple Grange Light Railway: Rocks & Rails 2-4: Talyllyn Railway: Quarryman Experience 3, 4: Buckinghamshire Railway Centre: Steam Gala 3, 4: Colne Valley Railway: Peppa Pig ■ 3, 4: Locomotion Shildon: Spring Gala

RAILWAYANA 11: GW RAILWAYANA, Pershore 25: DAVID LEWIS, Crewe Heritage Centre

■ Thomas and family events Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway