HOW TO BECOME A GUARD ON THE SEVERN VALLEY!
ISSUE 226 March 10 – April 6, 2017
British India Line
A NEW STAR IS BORN
90MPH STEAM RUNNING: THE CASE ■ STANDARD 4 IN MAIN LINE CHARTER DEBUT ■ LYNTON & BARNSTAPLE TURNS MAJOR OBSTACLE INTO PROFIT
OPINION
Lancashire & Yorkshire A class 0-6-0 No. 52322 has been repainted in BR black livery and emerges from Nuttall Tunnel on the East Lancashire Railway on February 25. PHIL JONES EDITORIAL
Editor Robin Jones 01507 529305 [emailprotected] Deputy editor Brian Sharpe [emailprotected] Senior contributing writers Geoff Courtney, Cedric Johns Contributors Fred Kerr, Roger Melton Designer Tim Pipes Reprographics Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production editors Sarah Palmer, Sarah Wilkinson Publisher Tim Hartley Editorial address Heritage Railway magazine, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ Website www.heritagerailway.co.uk
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Published Every four weeks on a Friday. Advert deadline March 23, 2017 Next issue on sale April 7, 2017
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An Indian summer for main line steam?
F
EBRUARY’S main line charter debut of BR Standard 2-6-0 No. 76084 cannot be but heartily welcomed, along with the John Coiley award that its owning group has been presented with by the Heritage Railway Association. Now David Smith’s Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35018 British India Line, restored from Barry scrapyard condition, will shortly be returning to the main line in the year of the 50th anniversary of the end of steam on the Southern Region. Having seen the nearly-finished locomotive close up at its Carnforth base, if it runs as good as it looks, and to me it appears magnificent, undoubtedly it will take the network by storm. With running-in tests and proving runs still to be undertaken as we closed for press, there is every indication that it will write another page or two, or three, in the heritage era history of main line steam. But – how many more chapters are left to write? John Cameron has already talked about taking his A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa and K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess off the network and placing them on static display in a museum when their tickets next run out. And while the Great Western Society still intends to run repatriated 4-6-0 No. 4079 Pendennis Castle and ex-Barry hulk No. 6023 King Edward II on the main line, it seems to have had second thoughts about new Saint No. 2999 Lady of Legend. Recent gauging issues and the cost of installing modern safety equipment such as ETMRS may well see the locomotive consigned to a working life on heritage railways, even though it has been built to main line standards. The question now remains – how many more‘new’ main line steam engines – as opposed to overhauled locomotives that have already run on the network in the heritage era – are we now ever likely to see? Regarding the other new builds, it seems certain
that LMS Patriot No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior, GWR 4-6-0 No. 6880 Betton Grange, and anything thatThe A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust decides to build, the next in line being P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales, will be there. There has also been talk of GNR N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 becoming registered for the main line, although tank engines are limited to comparatively light payloads and much shorter distances. But how many more Barry wrecks, or other locomotives based on heritage lines, have a realistic chance of‘graduating’to the main line in the future? The cost of restoration itself is colossal, and then there is the additional equipment needed to run in today’s more exacting than ever before railway environment. Unless you are a multi-millionaire lover of steam, the business case may well not even approach stacking up. And will there be enough support crews to go round the locomotives that are approved for main line running in years to come? So in the year that British India Line makes its debut, are we now living in an Indian summer for main line steam?Yes, there will be newcomers, but by no means at the rate we witnessed following the relaxing of the BR steam ban in 1971. Steam on the main line is a brilliant advertisem*nt for the rail industry, and works wonders for the tourist sector too, especially with 500 passengers decanting into a destination out of season. Yet I fear that more locomotives will drop off the register as the years roll on, and steam where it was meant to be will become an increasing rarity. So with the likes of No. 76084 and British India joining the heritage fleet, and Flying Scotsman enchanting a new generation of admirers, let’s all enjoy it while we still can. Robin Jones Editor Heritagerailway.co.uk 3
CONTENTS ISSUE 226
March 10 – April 6, 2017
News
6
Headline News
6
David Smith’s Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35018 British India Line to become next main line star; Lynton & Barnstaple turn a major obstruction into profit; ‘Great Britain X’ line-up revised; Carnforth’s iconic Brief Encounter clock stops following a ‘race row’ and Bala Lake gets its first foothold in Bala.
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News
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New Saint Lady of Legend ‘unlikely to go main line’; Farewell to West Somerset’s ‘No.1’ John Pearce; Great Central ‘Black Five’ booked for big Toddington festival; Dormans opens door for Flying Scotsman’s Easter Bluebell Railway visit; Beattie well tank returns ‘home’ to South Devon Railway; North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group and North Norfolk Railway share top Heritage Railway Association award; Bo’ness bid for £2 million steam facility; hurdles tumble as Llangollen marches into central Corwen; and go-ahead for Elsecar level crossings.
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Regulars Railwayana
46
Centre
54
Main Line Itinerary
67
Platform
84
Off the Shelf
90
Up & Running
94
Geoff Courtney’s regular column.
Bristol waterfront at night by Karl Heath. Steam and heritage diesel railtours.
Main Line News
56
Festive ‘Jacobite’ trains confirmed; Settle and Carlisle ‘Plandampf’ big hit with public; tour programme blitzed by cancellations and gauging issue forces Vintage Trains reshuffle.
With Full Regulator
64
Don Benn reports on performances by BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0s.
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Where your views matter most. Latest book and DVD releases.
Features It’s a guard’s life
48
Been thinking about whether to volunteer at your local preserved railway? Paul Appleton encourages you to step forward, just as he did at the Severn Valley Railway three years ago.
Guide to railways running in March and early April.
The Month Ahead
106 Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway
CONTENTS: LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado on a Northern Rail Skipton – Appleby service passes No. 66059 on southbound ballast empties at Selside on February 16. BRIAN SHARPE COVER: LSWR Beattie 2-4-0WT No. 30587 at Riverford on the South Devon Railway on February 23. ANDREW BELL
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See page 30 Why steam needs a 90mph limit
There has been considerable debate recently about raising the speed limit for main line steam to 90mph and Tornado is about to undertake some experimental runs. John Forman argues that it is time for a more realistic assessment of high speed steam performance on the main line.
Perfect for Snowdonia
Garratt articulated locomotives are the perfect choice to handle the heavy demands made on engines operating on the Welsh Highland Railway’s steep winding route through Snowdonia. Allan George outlines the history of the WHR fleet of Garratts.
Life on Mars
National Coal Board steam lingered on in the North East into the 1970s. Chris Gee reminisces about a trip to the remains of the Bowes Railway in 1971, illustrated by more recent photographs showing how the preserved section of line has changed little in the intervening years.
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Heritagerailway.co.uk 5
HEADLINE NEWS Lynton & Barnstaple removes blockage – and makes a profit! By Robin Jones NOT only has the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway removed one of the greatest obstacles to reviving more of the legendary line – but it has turned a profit in the process. As reported in HR issue 222, after 20 years of trying, the LBR Trust last year bought Fairview, a three-bedroom detached house which was built in 1911 next to Parracombe Halt. Long after the line closed in 1935, an extension to the house was built across the formation. The garden contained 200 yards of original trackbed. The trust bought the house after longstanding member Gerald Chandler left his Dorset home in his will to the railway. The money from the sale of Gerald’s house financed the Parracombe purchase.
Sufficient profit
After Fairview was bought, the trust split off the trackbed and placed the property back on the market. Not only did the trust recover its purchase price, but was left with sufficient profit to buy further pieces of trackbed between Parracombe and Blackmoor as and when they become available, ready for the extension of the railway to Blackmoor and Wistlandpound, said spokesman Tony Nicholson. The revivalists are now in possession of four original L&B stops – Woody Bay and Chelfham stations and Parracombe and Snapper halts. The railway is awaiting the decision of Exmoor National Park Authority on its planning application to rebuild the line from the current western terminus at Killington Lane through Parracombe to Blackmoor.
British India Line set to wow main line EXCLUSIVE By Robin Jones
FIFTY years after steam ended on the Southern Region, one of its classics is set to make a comeback to the main line. Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35018 British India Line – owned by West Coast Railways chairman David Smith – which steamed for the first time in the heritage era at the firm’s Carnforth base on November 29, has been outshopped in gleaming black livery. No rebuilt MN ever appeared in black livery; however, British India Line may be repainted once its tests, proving runs and certification are completed. As we closed for press, No. 35018 was set to undergo further tests within the depot limits, before undergoing a main line proving run, probably on the usual West Coast‘test’circuit to Hellifield, in the next few months. Although the completion of its 37-year journey back to steam since it was bought from Barry scrapyard is nearly over, ending months if not years of speculation, as we closed for press no bookings have yet been taken for it, in line with the West Coast policy of not making commitments until it has the means to fulfil them. However, as the latest locomotive to enter the main line registered pool, clearly it will be in demand by charter promoters and may steal some of the thunder of sister main line favourite, No.35028 Clan Line, which is also set for an imminent return to steam. Built as No. 21C18 at Eastleigh and outshopped in May 1945, No. 35018 British India Line was one of the first batch of 20 Merchant Navies to be built. It was allocated to Nine Elms shed and spent its entire working life there, apart
British India Line arrives on the Mid-Hants Railway in 1980 after being bought from Barry scrapyard the previous November. After 37 years, it is now ready to return to service and take the main line by storm. CLIVE WARNEFORD/CREATIVE COMMONS from two months at Bournemouth at the end of 1960. At first, British India Line was used on services from Waterloo to Basingstoke and Bournemouth West, including the first postwar Down all-Pullman ‘Bournemouth Belle’on October 7, 1946. Originally built with fabricated wheels, they were replaced with conventional cast wheels in 1947. It was selected to take part in the 1948 Locomotive Exchanges and worked trains between Waterloo and Exeter, in comparison with an A4, a Princess Coronation Pacific and a Royal Scot. Its proudest moment came in 1955, when it hauled an impromptu Royal Train. While heading the‘Bournemouth Belle’, it was stopped at Winchester to collect the Queen, following her visit to the city.
On April 24, 1953, the crank axle on the central driving wheel of sister No. 35020 Bibby Line fractured while approaching Crewkerne station at speed.The incident resulted in the withdrawal of all Merchant Navies from service while the cause was ascertained, and led to a redesign and replacement of the crank axle. Following increasing problems of reliability, particularly with Bulleid’s more unconventional design features (most notably the chain-driven valve gear, which was enclosed in an oil bath), serious consideration was initially given to scrapping the whole class of 30 locomotives. However, British Railways decided instead to rebuild the entire class to a more conventional design adopting many features from its own Standard classes.The trademark
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Write to us at Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email [emailprotected]. No. 35018 British India Line stands at Nine Elms in May 1963, a year before its withdrawal. P H GROOM
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Above: The cab of the completed British India Line. ROBIN JONES Right: A new star is born: Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35018 British India Line, resplendent in gleaming black livery, stands outside the locomotive shed at Carnforth on February 22. ROBIN JONES air-smoothed casing was removed and replaced with conventional boiler cladding and the chain-driven valve gear was replaced with three separate sets of Walschaerts valve gear. The rebuilds were provided with a new cylindrical smokebox (although retaining the distinctive oval door), a new Lord Nelson-type chimney and ‘Britannia’-style smoke deflectors, which helped reduce the problem of smoke and steam obscuring the driver’s vision. British India Line had the distinction of being the first‘modified’Merchant Navy to be outshopped from Eastleigh in 1956 – the final example, No. 35028 Clan Line, being completed in 1960. As the first to be rebuilt, 35018 has a number of differing features from subsequent rebuilds, such as positioning of pipe runs, sandboxes and handrails, and some of these remain on the restored locomotive. British India Line was withdrawn from service in August 1964 and was sold to Dai Woodham’s Barry scrapyard. It was sold for preservation in November 1979 and the following March was moved to the Mid-Hants Railway – an appropriate location because it had often run over the route from Basingstoke to Winchester, when engineering works were taking place on the main line. Restoration was started at Ropley and had progressed slowly but steadily, before being moved, in 2003, to Barry Gambles’South Coast Steam workshops, on the Isle of Portland. In 2012 it was moved to Carnforth where it has been completed to main line standard, undertaking its first movements since restoration, on November 29, 2016. It will be the second new entrant to the main line market in recent months, the other, the award-winning BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 76084, having hauled its first train over Network Rail metals when it headed the North Norfolk Railway’s‘Norfolkman’dining train from Cromer to Sheringham on August 10 last year. It made its first full main line tour outings in February.
The afternoon sun catches the distinctive Bulleid outlines. ROBIN JONES
Front-on view of British India Line, prior to the fixing of its smokebox numberplate. ROBIN JONES
British India Line stands on the turntable at Carnforth on November 29, 2016, after undertaking its first movements under power since restoration. JAMES SHUTTLEWORTH
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HEADLINE NEWS
‘Great Britain X’ line-up revised By Cedric Johns THE RailwayTouring Company’s motive power line-up has changed for its April 29-May 7 ‘Great Britain X’nine-day tour because some the locomotives listed earlier will not be available for the trip. On day one, A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman departs King’s Cross forYork, where A4 No. 60009 Union ofSouth Africa takes over for the run to Edinburgh. Day two, April 30, sees No. 60009 paired with K1 2-6-0 No. 62005, working the train from Perth to Inverness. The following day, the tour departs Inverness for a visit to Kyle of Lochalsh with No. 62005 or a‘Black Five’– possibly No. 44871 – at the head of the train. On May 2 – day four – ‘GBX’travels from Inverness to Perth with K1 and the A4 taking the train as far as Perth, the A4
continuing to Glasgow. The next day the K1 and a‘Black Five’ are booked to head the train to Oban, the train returning diesel-hauled. Now moving south on day six, Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 duch*ess ofSutherland enters the scene, working the tour to Oxenholme via Beattock for a night stop. Heading on the following morning, LMS 4-6-0 No. 45690 Galatea takes the tour from Grange-over-Sands to Bristol – another night stop, then on day eight, No. 46100 RoyalScot andWest Country Pacific No. 34046 Brauntonhead south west viaWestbury,Taunton and Exeter to Par. On the final day,‘GBX’travels from Penzance to Paddington with the Scot and Bulleid in charge. Notable absentees from the final stages
are No. 70013 OliverCromwell and GWR 4-6-0s No. 5029 Nunney Castle and No. 6023King EdwardII. Having got away to an early start to the year by running trains during January and February, the RailwayTouring Company has posted another five main line trips in its build-up to the‘Great Britain X’. First up, the‘Bath & Bristol Steam Express’forms a cross-country trip from Three Bridges, the train travelling via Chichester, Fareham, Southampton. Eastleigh, Salisbury andWestbury with Braunton in charge, March 18. On the same day, RTC‘s‘Whitby Flyer’ departsYork for the fishing port via Darlington, with BR Standard 4MT No. 76084 and B1 No. 61264 topping and tailing. No. 46115 Scots Guardsman enters
the frame on March 25 with a‘Cumbrian Coast Express’. The train departs Euston with Class 86 electric No. 86259 Les Ross working the excursion to Carnforth, where the 4-6-0 takes over for the run over Shap to Carlisle, returning via the coast. RTC’s ‘RoyalWessex’unusually departs Haywards Heath for the Dorset coast running in a westerly direction via Chichester, Southampton, Brockenhurst and Bournemouth toWeymouth on April 8. On April 22, the first of this year’s ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’trips is booked to run over the reopened Settle and Carlisle line with steam, starting from Euston behind Class 86 traction as far as Carnforth, where steam will come on with a locomotive chosen from a group of three currently listed.
Bala Lake Railway gets its first foothold in Bala town centre! By Robin Jones THE Bala Lake Railway has bought the first patch of land in Bala town centre for its proposed extension. On February 17, the Bala Lake RailwayTrust exchange of contracts took place for the first plot of land where the new BalaTown station is to be constructed. Trust chairman Julian Birley said:“Securing the first piece of land for the new BalaTown station is a hugely significant step towards the construction of the extension of the Bala Lake Railway. “The land has been paid for by the very generous donations of our supporters across the UK, showing how important the Red Dragon Project (Prosiect y Ddraig Goch) is and how it has captured peoples’ imaginations.The trust is indebted to the fantastic work of volunteer solicitor LisaWilliams, who has been instrumental in the purchase.” The diagram (left) shows the land that has been bought. It is the trust’s next intention to exercise its option to purchase the derelict warehouse (plot B on the
diagram), which, after site clearance, would allow a proper presence for the railway to be established in Bala with direct access from Heol Aran and the adjacent car park. As highlighted in Heritage Railway issue 198, the extension scheme is as much about regenerating the economic fortunes of Bala as revitalising the heritage railway’s fortunes. It is hoped that giving the railway a presence not only in the town centre for the first time, but one alongside the A494, a popular tourist route through mid-Wales, will not only boost visitor numbers to the railway from its current 20,000 each year, but also help maximise the true potential of business, increase local employment, and thus significantly contribute to the regeneration of the town itself. Julian intends that the 1312-yard extension from the BLR’s western terminus will mean that line will be no longer seen as a narrow/minimum gauge theme-parkstyle people mover laid on a vacant standard gauge trackbed, but as a major heritage railway in its own right.
‘Racism’ row stops Brief Encounter clock By Robin Jones THE iconic clock at Carnforth station – which was famously used for location filming of the 1945 classic romantic movie Brief Encounter – has remain frozen in time following a race row. Retired train driver JimWalker, 71, who helped track down and reinstall the clock at Carnforth station 13 years ago, has declined to continue with his voluntary duties of winding it twice weekly, after he was banned from the Carnforth Station Heritage Museum for an alleged racist conversation on the platform. A station visitor complained to museum officials about a private conversation he held with a former museum official about newspaper reports claiming that Syrian men were
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posing as child refugees to enter the UK. He was not spoken to about the allegation, but received a solicitor’s letter banning him from parts of the station under the jurisdiction of the museum. Jim, who in August 1968 was the last fireman on a steam locomotive out of Rose Grove shed, and claimed he contributed many items now on display in the museum, said:“I’ve no regrets.We are living in a country where political correctness has got out of hand.The first I knew about this was when a letter arrived at my house. It contained a diagram of the station with parts from which I had been banned outlined in red ink. “I’ve been tried and convicted of racism in my absence.Where’s the justice? Numerous people have told me they support me. I will not wind the clock up
again until this has been sorted out.” However, Peter Crowther, chairman of the Carnforth Station and Railway Trust, claimed that the conversation was conducted loudly and was also overheard by two museum volunteers, who were also shocked and disgusted by the terms that were used. He said that words which would have been considered unacceptable since the 1960s were loudly used. Peter said:“A visitor complained about insulting and racist comments. He said that if action wasn’t taken he would report the matter as a hate crime to the police. “We have not banned him from winding up to clock because we have no powers to do so because it is not our responsibility.We have just banned him
The iconic Carnforth station clock frozen in time. ROBIN JONES from parts of the museum.” The clock became an iconic image because of its repeated appearance in Brief Encounter, which starred Celia Johnson andTrevor Howard.
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Marking 50 years since the end of Southern Region steam, SR Bulleid Pacifics Nos. 34081 92 Squadron and 34053 Sir Keith Park at Wansford during the Nene Valley Railway Bulleid 50 gala on February 25. On May 6, No. 34081 is set to be named by the current OC 92 Squadron RAF at Wansford. There will be a Spitfire display by a Battle of Britain Locomotive Society member who flies for the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar and a flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Fund, which is painting one of its Spitfires in 92 Squadron markings. JOHN HENNIS
Rare Princess Royal class nameplate goes under the hammer on April 1 By Geoff Courtney A NAMEPLATE from one of the smallest express classes to operate in the BR steam era is to go under the hammer at a GW Railwayana auction on April 1. It is duch*ess of Kent, from LMS Princess Royal No. 46212, a William Stanierdesigned class of which just 13 were built. The Pacific was the last to be built, emerging to traffic from Crewe works in October 1935. It was withdrawn from Crewe North (5A) in October 1961 after a service life that also included spells at Camden (1B) in London and Liverpool’s Edge Hill (8A), and cut up at Crewe in April 1962. London trainspotters became used to the sight of these majestic locomotives at Euston on such expresses as‘The Red Rose’, many of them totally unaware that in 1952 a member of the class had been involved in one of the country’s worst train crashes, at Harrow & Wealdstone station in the north-west suburbs of the capital. On October 8 that year, three trains were in collision at the station, resulting in the deaths of 112 people and 340 injuries. One of the trains was a heavy 15-coach Euston-Liverpool express double headed by Princess Royal No. 46202 Princess Anne and Jubilee No. 45637 Windward Islands, both of which were so badly damaged that they were scrapped. GW Railwayana director and auctioneer Simon Turner, who estimated the duch*ess of Kent plate
Royal progress: LMS Princess Royal No. 46212 duch*ess of Kent heads a Down express at Harrow on June 10, 1960. The Stanierdesigned Pacific, which was withdrawn from Crewe North the following year, is near the location of one of the country’s worst rail crashes, in which 112 people lost their lives after a three-train collision at Harrow & Wealdstone station on October 8, 1952. A nameplate from the 1935-built locomotive will be going under the hammer at a GW Railwayana auction on April 1. COLOURRAIL/MJ READE/92417 may fetch five figures, said it was only the fourth time that a nameplate from a Princess Royal had come up for auction. At 40,285lb-ft tractive effort the locomotive was one of the most powerful express steam classes to operate on the UK network. Other than No. 46202, the entire
class was withdrawn in1961/62, and two survive in preservation, Nos. 6201 Princess Elizabeth and 46203 Princess Margaret Rose. Another late nameplate entry in the auction is Western Vanguard from Class 52 diesel-hydraulic D1069, which is being sold with its cabside
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numberplate, and joins the nameplate from Warship D811 Daring in the modern heritage category. The sale is being held at Pershore High School and starts at 10am. ➜ Further details of the auction are in Geoff Courtney’s railwayana column on page 47. Heritagerailway.co.uk 9
NEWS
Saturday night out in Bristol By Martin Creese DOWN by the waterfront probably conjures up the idea of a nice meal out or drinks in one of the many bars in the city, but for a group of railway photographers the attraction was the other side of the water, by MShed, which many readers may be more familiar with as the Bristol Industrial Museum. The event, the first of 2017 for‘30742 Charters’, featured Bristol-built 0-6-0ST Portbury on a short rake of wagons floodlit under the cranes with various cameos being created. Portbury was built by Avonside as
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works number 1764, part of an order for nine engines for the War Office and the Inland Waterways and Docks Board (IW&DB) whose grey livery it now carries. It was delivered in 1917 to help with construction of Portbury shipyard near Bristol. It was acquired by the Bristol Corporation Docks Committee (which became the Port of Bristol Authority) in 1919 and spent its working life at Avonmouth and Portbury docks. At the end of its working life it was donated to Bristol’s museum and technology collection. Its most recent overhaul saw a return to service in 2013 and in 2016 it spent the season at
Beamish museum, a rather long way from its native Bristol. What we now know as the Bristol Harbour Railway was built by the Great Western Railway in partnership with Bristol Corporation.The line leaves the Portishead branch at Ashton Junction, and crosses the River Avon over Ashton swing bridge before running alongside the Avon on the new cut, underneath Cumberland Road and onto the dockside. Sadly the preserved Bristol Harbour Railway ceased running over the swing bridge some years ago and that is now becoming part of the new bus route. Even the section along the new cut is
currently restricted as the retaining wall needs attention. Despite the ongoing development of the harbour area, the quayside retains much of its historic charm and that is what the photoshoot sought to capture. With thanks to the staff of the Bristol Harbour Railway, the quayside was fenced off allowing us clear access.The museum’s eight-wheeled lorry was also brought out to pose alongside for us and fortuitously MV Balmoral, itself dating from 1949, is moored up while its owners endeavour to raise funds to return it to sailing condition, so Portbury posing alongside became one of our scenes.
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Avonside 0-6-0ST Portbury runs along the quayside at Bristol under the Stother & Pitt cranes. KARL HEATH
Reflections on the Bristol Harbour Railway. KARL HEATH
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the event was going up on to one of the magnificent Stothert & Pitt cranes, where from a high vantage point a superb view of the harbourside was gained. A number of runpasts with both Portbury and the lorry brought the whole scene to life. My thanks to Chris Ecclestone and all involved at Bristol for a superb evening, the money raised going towards the overhaul of 0-6-0ST Henbury. Portbury itself operates train rides from MShed down to the SS Great Britain and details can be found at www.bristolmuseums. org.uk/m-shed/whats-on/train-rides/
MShed’s preserved eight-wheel lorry poses alongside Portbury. MARTIN CREESE
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NEWS
New Saint ‘unlikely to go main line’ By Robin Jones WHILE the GreatWestern Society has built its new Saint 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady ofLegend to main line standard, it may never see action on the national network. It was in 1974 that No. 4942 Maindy Hall– a representative of the class that was developed from George Jackson Churchward’s Saint 4-6-0s – was acquired with the aim of back-converting it to become a Saint. LadyofLegend is now six to eight months away from its first steaming at Didcot Railway Centre, said GWS chairman Richard Croucher. However, it seems it is destined for a career on heritage railways. “One of the reasons why we may not run the Saint on the main line is because of the current concern about two-cylinder locomotives and gauging issues,” said Richard. “It’s probably likely that it will go out to hire on heritage lines,” he said. “We would like people to come and enjoy it and the best places are the lines in GW territory. “It has been built to main line standard, but we have no plans to fit ETRMS equipment to the Saint at the moment.” He said that ETRMS has been fitted to GWR 4-6-0 No. 6023 King EdwardII, and
GWR Saint 4-6-0 No. 2902 Lady of the Lake powers through Acton with a Birmingham express as depicted on an Edwardian hand-coloured postcard. It now seems that its modern-day sister, No. 2999 Lady of Legend, will not be having similar exploits on the main line. GWS that No. 4079 PendennisCastle will be similarly equipped. It is now more than 63 years since No. 2920 Saint David, the last GWR 29XX Saint, was withdrawn, in October 1953. At the time many people felt it was a travesty it was not preserved, as it was the last example of Churchward’s thenrevolutionary two-cylinder 4-6-0 that influenced all British two-cylinder 4-6-0 designs up to the end of steam.
Churchward’s successor, Charles Benjamin Collett, was ordered to build an all-round locomotive to replace Churchward’s 43XX 2-6-0s, and in 1924 he decided to rebuild a Saint, No. 2925 SaintMartin, as an experimental locomotive, with smaller 6ft diameter driving wheels and a more enclosed cab. This rebuild, numbered 4900, formed the prototype of the hugely-successful Hall class locomotives, brilliant do-anything
versatile mixed-traffic 4-6-0s, of which a total of 259 were built from 1928. Richard said that the long-awaited resteaming of Pendennis Castle will probably be“a year or so”after Lady ofLegend steams. The locomotive was sold by SirWilliam McAlpine in 1977 to Hamersley Iron, one of the largest iron ore producers in Australia, which intended to run it on its 240-mile ore-carrying Hamersley Railway inWestern Australia. No. 4079 had been laid up for several years before Hamersley Iron’s parent company, RioTinto, decided to find a secure home for it in 1999. Nick Pigott, former editor of HeritageRailway’s sister title TheRailwayMagazine, helped broker a deal for the locomotive to be donated to the GWS. It arrived at Bristol’s Portbury docks on April 24, 2000, and was taken to Didcot. Restoration began in 2005, with the original intention that a return to main line service would take place in 2008. There were plans to run PendennisCastle on an excursion trip with preserved sister No. 7029 ClunCastle to mark the 50th anniversary of the use of the two restored locomotives to haul railtours marking the end of Paddington – Birkenhead expresses in March 1967, but they were dropped when it became clear that the repatriated locomotive would not be ready in time.
NYMR goes back to its roots THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railway is in negotiations with the Middleton Railway to bring back the first steam locomotive to run on what became Britain’s most popular heritage line. The NYMR wants Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST No. 1882 of 1955 Mirvale on long-term loan. The intention is mainly to use it as a self-propelled carriage warming boiler for use on Santa specials and Christmas and NewYear services, but it will also provide a facility for testing steam heating pipework on the railway’s carriage fleet. However, it will be available for
steaming on special occasions, such as gala weekends, or perhaps evening brakevan trips to Levisham. Although the engine needs an overhaul, it is thought to require relatively little work, and with a potential gap in the NELPG overhaul programme looming at its HopetownWorks, negotiations are taking place for it to be restored to working order there. The NYMR is also mindful that 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Mirvale making the first movement on the nascent NYMR, when it ran under its own steam from Pickering to Goathland, three years after the line was closed by BR.
GCR’s‘Black Five’booked to star at Cotswold Festival of Steam GREAT Central Railway-based ‘Black Five’4-6-0 No. 45305 will be a star guest at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s annual Cotswold Festival of Steam on May 27-29. This year’s event will have the theme Workhorses of Steam. Ray O’Hara, chairman of the organising committee, said: “We’re thrilled that No. 45305 is coming to the railway – in fact,
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it is only the second time that a ‘Black Five’has visited our line in preservation, although they did traverse the route in later BR steam days. “With the home fleet as well, we expect to field at least eight locomotives in steam!” A free classic bus service will link the Network Rail’s Cheltenham Spa station with the G/WR’s Cheltenham Racecourse station.
The progress on the restoration from ex-Barry scrapyard condition of BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73156 at Loughborough shed is racing ahead, with the intention of a late summer steaming date. The Great Central Railway has pencilled in the locomotive’s debut for the October 5-8 autumn steam gala. The first two (rear) sections of the high running plates have been fitted and the front panels are being fixed around the cylinders. ROBIN JONES
More in-house tours for Tornado AS we closed for press,The A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust announced extra tours to its main line itinerary for No. 60163 Tornado. The Peppercorn A1 will haul‘The Easterling’on Monday, August 28, from King’s Cross to GreatYarmouth, picking up at Potters Bar and Stevenage, for an old fashioned day at the seaside. ‘The Border Raider’will run on Saturday, September 16, from Birmingham to Carlisle, picking up atTame Bridge Parkway, Birmingham New Street,
Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe. Steam-hauled throughout, the return trip will be over the Settle and Carlisle line. ‘TheTess-Tyne Express’on Saturday, October 7, will run from Dorridge toYork, Durham and Newcastle, picking up at Solihull,Tamworth, Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield. A Class 67 diesel locomotive will haul the train as far as Derby, where Tornado will continue the journey north. For further information, visit www.uk railtours.com or telephone 01438 715050.
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GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714 crosses Bewdley Viaduct during a photo charter on the Severn Valley Railway on February 27. JACK BOSKETT
Farewell to West Somerset’s ‘No.1’ John Pearce THEWest Somerset Railway is in mourning following the death of John Pearce, described as its“longest-serving and greatest supporter”. John, 79, one of the line’s founding fathers, died in a nursing home on the evening of February 16. After receiving a letter from Douglas Fear, chairman of the then-newWest Somerset Railway Company, in 1971, asking if he would consider setting up a volunteer support group, John called a meeting of like-minded individuals, a number from theTaunton Group, of GreatWestern Society. John often told the story of how he would have liked to have been No.1 of the newly-formed association, but was so busy signing on members, he couldn’t complete his form until around No. 30! Eventually, volunteers were allowed by BR to undertake weeding and general clearance of the closed Minehead branch, so in addition to monthly members’ meetings, working-parties got under way.The sale of the line to Somerset County Council, which leased it back to theWSR Company, was completed and work could progress, culminating in the partial reopening in March 1976. John was very much involved in all aspects of this progress, until leaving to live in Southampton. On his return during the 1980s, John was dismayed to find the line in perilous circ*mstances and, together with others, was determined to save it. He did much to restore the railway’s credibility and creditworthiness that, at the time, were at rock bottom.
John Pearce, a guiding inspiration for Britain’s longest standard gauge heritage line. WSR John became chairman of the association for several years. He was instrumental in getting the company to accept three association representatives on its board, reciprocating with the company’s managing director becoming an ex-officio association committee member, thus ensuring close liaison between both main parties. He was very interested and successful in fundraising of sales of railway-related items and others, selling orange squash to passengers on Bishops Lydeard platform until the acquisition of a Mk.1 coach, which was gutted to become the association’s first shop. Through John’s expertise, increasing sales confirmed the need for larger and more permanent premises and with help from colleagues, he was the guiding light in the 1990s in the building of the Bishop Lydeard shop and café as exists now.
The need soon arose for a full-time sales manager, John being tailor-made for the job (and affectionately known by all as Arkwright!). Being an employee meant he had to leave the association’s board of directors, but he kept fully in touch with regular sales reports.This period, the 1990s to early 2000s, were really good times, Association and Company working together in close liaison for the benefit of theWest Somerset Railway, and John playing a full and positive part. Time passes and retirement loomed, John increasingly (but reluctantly) accepting this as reality, and, ensuring the shop was set up for a good future, he retired, his achievements noted with the grateful thanks of all those at the railway, who would miss him in many ways. It was a demanding time, having to adjust to life‘outside’the‘WSR family’, while he did appear at times, he was never backward in providing suggestions! Regrettably, his health deteriorated, necessitating in a move to a care home, while hospital visits increased and a serious urinary infection eventually claimed him. John’s funeral was arranged for Taunton Deane Crematorium in New Wellington Road,Taunton at 1pm on Tuesday, March 7. There will be no after-service gathering, as through the assistance and kindness of theWest Somerset Railway plc, the family will be able to hire one, possibly two, coaches of one of the services during April, as a‘MemorialTrain’for John, a fitting tribute to a man, who wasWest Somerset Railway through and through.
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IN BRIEF ➜ THE eagerly-awaited debut of replica Lynton & Barnstaple Baldwin 2-4-2T Lyn has been delayed by five months. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway had hoped to launch the new Lyn into service at Woody Bay during the May 13-14 spring gala. However, the locomotive will not be completed by then, so the new plan is to launch it at the September 30-October 1 autumn gala. ➜ ABERDEEN’S Ferryhill Railway Heritage Trust suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage after vandals smashed windows on a Ruston diesel shunter – the venue’s only operation locomotive – and a carriage. The raiders, who struck between February 23 and 25, also ripped a dummy CCTV camera off the wall. Trust member Gary Thorley-Smith said: “The windows in the Ruston loco are almost irreplaceable. They’re going to have to be specially cut.” He said vandalism had been an ongoing problem since the trust moved in eight years ago. Police were investigating. ➜ LONG-STANDING volunteer John Fearn has been appointed as senior stationmaster at Loughborough Central. He has worked at both Loughborough and Quorn & Woodhouse during more than 30 years with the Great Central Railway. Heritagerailway.co.uk 13
NEWS Severn Valley launches bid to raise £75k in four months
THE Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust has issued an SOS appeal to its supporters around the country to help it meet a Lottery“double your money”target. The Heritage Lottery Fund has agreed to double the amount pound-for-pound raised by the trust for its endowment fund if it can raise £500,000. The trust, which has 1700 volunteer members, has so far raised £425,000 – but it wants to make it a million and it must raise another £75,000 by the Lottery deadline in June. Trust chairman Hugh McQuade said:“When we were awarded this opportunity by HLF in 2014 it was an amazing boost to our charitable trust, which had only been founded the previous year. We’ve been humbled by the fantastic way in which our nearest and dearest supporters have rallied round to help secure the long-term future of the SVR. “But now we want to make a direct appeal to the wider movement of heritage rail enthusiasts, many of whom will be very familiar with the outstanding experience the SVR offers. “We hope that you’ll understand why we need your investment in the SVR, one of the UK’s leading heritage railways. “We welcome donations of all sizes, and we’re urging heritage rail enthusiasts to act quickly so they can benefit from the generous Heritage Lottery Fund money-doubling opportunity.” The trust raises additional funds to maintain the railway’s infrastructure and rolling stock. To double your money when you donate to the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust’s endowment fund, you can visit svrtrust.org.uk or telephone 01562 757940.
Dormans opens door for Easter Scotsman By Cedric Johns and Geoff Courtney
EARLIERTHISYEAR Network Rail said it was working hard to clear gauging issues at Dormans station to allow the planned visit of FlyingScotsman to the Bluebell Railway over the Easter weekend. On February 10 a spokesman said: “Work is still in progress and extensive efforts were made on the weekend of February 4/5 to speed clearances with other work required before the route is finally cleared.” Fast-forward to February 20 and Network Rail said:“FlyingScotsman is a railway icon and we know many people are looking forward to seeing it on the historic Bluebell Railway.
Team of 40
“We are carrying out work at a number of stations to make sure the route is clear for the engine – which is taller and wider than today’s trains, most notably at Dormans station, where a team of 40 worked over the weekend to alter the platform. “Work also needs to be carried out at Oxted and Lingfield. Once this is done
we’ll be ready for FlyingScotsman to make its journey.” As we closed for press, the line had been cleared allowing the Bluebell Railway to go ahead with its plans to celebrate the arrival of the A3 via the main line connection at East Grinstead. The online sale of tickets for services hauled by No. 60103 started on February with nearly two thirds of more than 8000 available seats being sold on the first day alone. By mid-February, fewer than 100 tickets remained. Tickets for other service trains to be operated on the line over the seven-day Easter period, but hauled by the Bluebell’s own motive power, went on sale, also via ticketsource.co.uk/bluebell-railway on February 27. Seats on the Pullman breakfast and dining train were snapped up quickly and sold out. In addition to the dining trains, the A3 will operate on April 13-19 with a rake of seven carriages, plus the Great Northern Railway engineers saloon, seats on which are being exclusively offered to the corporate sector. Roger Garman, the Bluebell’s
communications director commented: “This event will be an excellent opportunity for the railway to showcase itself to a wider audience.”
Lego models
Meanwhile, over the county border, the Kent & East Sussex Railway has announced that Flying Scotsman will be visiting the line over Easter. But – and yes, there’s a but – it won’t be the world-famous Pacific, but a 26ft-long model made from Lego bricks. The model, with three Pullman coaches, has been made by Bright Bricks, a Hampshire-based company that specialises in building Lego models. It will be the centrepiece of an exhibition at the KESRTenterden station of 30 Lego models that chart the history of Britain, from Stonehenge to Concorde. Titled Bricks Britannia, the exhibition opens on April 1 and runs until May 4 with certain exceptions, and will be free to KESR passengers. For an additional £10 when booking online, passengers young and old alike will be able to join workshops to build their own Lego steam locomotive and Pullman carriage.
Old timetable tells all about the Talyllyn ON February 19, 1867, two months after the first public passenger trains ran on theTalyllyn Railway, a new timetable was issued. It made the first mention of Rhydyronen station, two miles fromTywyn and the original intermediate station on the line, and also shows that by then all trains originated fromTywyn and returned back from Abergynolwyn. Previously, trains had started from Abergynolwyn and returned fromTywyn. It is believed that the reason for this was that work on the construction of the locomotive shed atTywyn Pendre station had been completed.This makes it probably the oldest continuously-used narrow gauge locomotive shed in the world. To mark this 150th anniversary, a photograph was organised atTywyn Pendre station featuring the railway’s original locomotive No.1 Talyllyn, itself 152 years old, and the railway’s current General Manager,Tracey Parkinson, who was dressed in suitable Victorian garb for the occasion. She is seen in conversation with Andy Crookell, the fireman on Talyllyn. CREDIT: BARBARA FULLER
IN BRIEF ➜ THE Barrow Hill-based AC Locomotive Group is making steady progress on the restoration of its unique Class 89 No. 89001 to working order following completion of checks on and testing of its components. At present the traction motors are being overhauled off-site, the brake stacks are out and larger motors
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will be fitted when the brakes are re-assembled. The field converters are being reworked, smaller changes are underway and the air tanks have been certified for a further 10 years of service. ➜ THE Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is to install the level crossing ‘box previously located at Oddingley,
at Gorsey Bank crossing just south of Wirksworth. Initially it will be installed as a gatekeeper’s shelter and volunteers are being sought to assist with the installation. ➜ THE Scottish Railway Preservation Society has adopted the code of RJAV for its registered main line fleet based at Bo’ness. It was the early TOPS code for
Inverness locomotives in the early days of Regional Railways. ➜ THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway has taken the South Devon Railway-based GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6412 on loan for the 2017 season. ➜ THE South Devon Railway’s Collett 0-4-2T No. 1420 has moved into Buckfastleigh’s A Shop for its overhaul to start.
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Bo’ness bid for £2m steam facility By Robin Jones THE Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway is seeking £2 million in grant aid to build a new steam maintenance facility. Its operator, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, has asked the Heritage Lottery Fund for money to provide a modern base to care for its locomotive collection. If given the go-ahead, the scheme will create new jobs and an engineering skills training programme through Scotland’s Modern Apprentice Scheme. It is planned that the scheme will run alongside a training programme for new and existing volunteers to increase the SRPS skill base.
Journey of exploration
SRPS chairmanVic Michel said:“The steam facility will form part of an improved visitor trail where the site itself will be part of a journey of exploration and learning, which will be of interest and attract many new visitors to the town. “I believe that this project will improve visitor access to our nationally significant collection based at Bo’ness.There will be better interpretation and display of the work that is undertaken there.” The SRPS is also applying to other grant-funding bodies and would have to
In just over two years, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society has raised the £122,000 needed to complete the purchase price of its ‘Churchill’ Second World War Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 45170, pictured in the yard at Bo’ness on September 26, when it had to be extracted from the museum workshop area to allow D49 4-4-0 Morayshire to be brought out and prepared for shipping to Llangollen. IAN LOTHIAN raise estimated match funding of around £800,000 itself from public donations. Meanwhile, the SRPS has completed the purchase of its repatriated Second WorldWar Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 45170 from a private buyer, who obtained it after it had been repatriated fromTurkey by Andrew Goodman’s Moveright International in 2010. With donations totalling more than
£118,000, along with a recent grant, the £122,000 target to buy, transport and conserve the formerTurkish State Railways locomotive was reached in early February.
Scottish exports
No. 45170 will continue to be displayed in the Museum of Scottish Railways, where the North British, 1942-built
locomotive helps to tell the stories of Scottish exports and the railway at war, until the time when an overhaul can get underway. The SRPS will relaunch the 45170 Appeal in the spring, with a new focus on meeting the costs incurred while bringing the locomotive back into full working order. For this purpose an open day will be held at Bo’ness on April 1.
‘Knotty’ four-wheel coach moves to Northumberland THE Foxfield Railway has moved the body of North Staffordshire Railway first class coach No. 228 to Stanegate Restorations at Haltwhistle for assessment as a prelude to its full restoration. No. 228 has been placed on a 99-year loan to the Knotty CoachTrust by the North Staffordshire Railway Co (1978), based at Cheddleton on the Churnet Valley Railway. When restored, the coach will form part of the Knotty HeritageTrain operated at Foxfield but it is certain to make regular visits to Cheddleton.
Passenger comfort
Dating from the mid-1870s, the four-wheel coach is from the same period as the Knotty CoachTrust’s restored third class coaches Nos. 61 and 127. In a restored form it will provide an insight into the differing levels of passenger comfort that were provided by the North Staffordshire Railway (‘the owd Knotty’) more than 145 years ago. Conservation work at Cheddleton during its 30 years in preservation has ensured that the structure of the coach
has survived in restorable form to this day. Stanegate Restorations will now assess its current condition in detail and determine the scope of the work needed and the funding required to restore it . Research into the interior design will also be carried out in order to confirm its specific requirements.The originally sumptuous three-compartment layout included sprung and upholstered seating, luggage racks and blinds.The ceiling was lined in ornate style with the company name at each corner. The trust is exploring the best option for the provision of an underframe. A search for two pairs of 3ft 6ins wheels and appropriate period fittings is currently being undertaken, and the outcome will determine if a new-build frame is used or if an existing frame can be modified to replicate the design of the original. The assessment work on No. 228 will allow the KnottyTrust to accurately define the costs for the project while it awaits the outcome of funding applications for the NSR brake third discovered at Rudyard Lake three years
North Staffordshire Railway first class four-wheeler No. 228 and restored third No. 61 at Cheddleton in 2014. MARK SMITH/FR ago. Modification of a frame for this vehicle by the trust is now complete, and if funding is secured the brake third will enter service in August 2018.
Regular updates
Donations towards the restoration of NSR 228 should be sent to the North
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Staffordshire Railway Rolling Stock RestorationTrust (the‘KnottyTrust’), Project 228, 57 Camborne Crescent, Westlands, Newcastle, Staffs ST5 3NQ. Regular updates on progress can be found at www.knottycoachtrust.org. uk where you can also pay on Paypal & www.facebook.com/KnottyCoachTrust Heritagerailway.co.uk 15
NEWS Home needed for Doncaster railwayana hoard TRUSTEES of the famous Doncaster Grammar School Railway Collection are seeking a permanent home for their huge hoard of artefacts. Dave Rogerson, Grahame Boyes, Fred Curtis and Peter Sargiesson are looking for a place where they can bring the extensive collection of around 2000 items together for the first time. The Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery and Cusworth Hall have some of the items on display. Dave said:“Modern Doncaster was largely created by the railway, its present prosperity is partially dependent on the railway and its future will probably continue to include a large input from the railway. However, there is no extensive telling of the story locally.” The collection, established in the 1930s by the Doncaster Grammar School railway society, and later added to, includes signals, engine whistles and nameplates from all over Britain.
‘Black Five’ gains another tender
AFTER running last season with a hiredin tender from classmate No. 45491, while its own tender was receiving a brand new body, the NorthYorkshire Moors Railway‘s‘Black Five’No. 44806 was returned to traffic after winter maintenance paired with the tender from under-overhaul No. 45428. It will retain this until later this year, when its own tender is completed, work on which is progressing well. In the meantime, the overhaul of No. 45428 is proceeding apace, with the first step towards reassembly being made with the return of a repaired cracked hornguide for refitting to the locomotive frames.Work has also started on the boiler overhaul with firebox stays due for replacement being drilled out.
Hurdles tumble as Llangollen marches into central Corwen By Robin Jones PLANS to bring the Llangollen Railway further into Corwen town centre have made major progress in recent weeks. The railway’s £128,000 grant aid application from the Welsh Government’s European Regional Development Fund has been progressed to the point of receiving an initial letter to‘Proceed at Risk’, allowing the volunteer workforce to begin construction of the island platform walls. The railway is using precast concrete Easi-Blocs as a modern and economical means to allow speedy progress and the supplies already on site have been purchased from donations received by the Corwen Central Development Project. The first sections of two layers were laid alongside the Downside track on footings which are already in situ next to the subway access unit. By February 18, a total of 180 blocks representing length of approximately 360ft had been laid. Recent progress has been restricted by the need to take delivery of further supplies of blocks, itself a time-consuming effort as they are off-loaded and stacked ready for installation. There are 460 blocks to be laid to provide the platform bases, to be followed by a mix of other blocks and
The platform at the new permanent Corwen station taking shape. GEORGE JONES/LR edgings to build up the necessary profile. With a total length of 526ft, the space between the two walls will require around 1000 tons of spoil infill. Furthermore, there is the need to prepare the footings for the Up platform, which will take volunteers several months to complete. While a decision on the grant aid application for £128K is expected shortly, the Llangollen RailwayTrust will need to find match funding and donations from supporters and wellwishers remains to see the project completed. Adjacent to the northern boundary of the station site, the new access road to the Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru Waste WaterTreatment Plant was opened on February 2, removing another major obstacle to the extension of the line from its present railhead at the
temporary Dwyrain Corwen East station into the terminus site. All service road traffic was diverted to use the new entrance from Green Lane, allowing the closure of the former access via the breach in the railway embankment.The road represents a considerable investment by Welsh Water. The search for an independent water supply to feed the planned locomotive refreshment facilities saw the commencement of a borehole on land adjacent to the railway embankment at the point where under bridge 31, the original access to the waste water treatment plant, once existed. Local firm Dragon Drilling brought its Italianmade Comacchio MC30 drilling rig and erected it to a height of 60ft on January 23. After a six-day operation, a flow of water was detected at 100ft. Completion of the borehole followed with the insertion of a slotted plastic lining tube to provide the rising main and the assembly is now capped, pending provision of a submersible electric pump.The yield of the borehole must now be determined with test pumping and the water obtained analysed for quality. Further work will bring the water supply up to the water tower when this is built and erected at the eastern end of the platform.
LMS ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 13065 climbs away from Keighley with L&Y stock with a photo charter on February 28. KARL HEATH
Statfold’s open days on way THE private Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth will be holding an open day on March 25. The event is by invitation only, booked via www.statfoldbarnrailway.co.uk Attendees have been warned that road works will badly affect visitors arriving from theTamworth direction. Anyone using the M42 should go up to Junction 11 and then come down the B5493.Those travelling from the north should be unaffected. Over May 6/7, the railway will be holding a charity weekend on the theme of‘The Giant MiniatureWeekend’with more than 80 miniature locomotives in steam. Again, invitations need to be booked in advance.
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Find out about 35,000 London Underground ancestors online MORE than 35,000 records of London Transport staff between 1863 and 1931, including Underground workers, have just been published online by Ancestry. Digitised by the leader in family history and consumer genomics, from original records held inTransport for London’s corporate archives, the London, England, LondonTransport Staff Registers, 1863-1931 collection includes details of London’s transport staff members over a 68-year period that includes the First World War. The collection stems from the introduction of the world’s first underground railway – the Metropolitan Railway – in 1863, and also includes registers for the London General Omnibus Company. Following a long history of amalgamation and nationalisation, all Underground lines and London Buses became part ofTransport for London, which was formed by the Greater London Authority Act, in 2000.
Hidden gems
Across the collection, more than one hundred different occupations are recorded – from porter to platelayer and from cleaner to conductor, with some roles reserved for boys and young men, such as‘lad porter’or ‘signalbox boy’. Searchable by name, year of birth, year of employment and occupation, the records also include some hidden gems about the fate of workers during the First World War. Amongst the published records is that of Mark Albert Ravening, a porter on the Hammersmith & City Line, who joined the war effort in August 1914. As a lance corporal in the Grenadier Guards, the 26-year-old was killed
in action on the Western Front on November 7, during an attempt to hold off a German advance. James Sarchfield, a‘Super Conductor’who entered employment with the Metropolitan Railway on July 7, 1910, aged 25, was among 119 of his battalion who died on the Western Front five years later.
Staffed by women
With so many men away at war, the number of women working as London transport staff grew considerably. When Maida Vale station opened on June 6, 1915, it was the first station to be staffed entirely by women.This continued until servicemen returning from war displaced them in 1919. Ancestry’s senior content manager Miriam Silverman said:“These fascinating records help us remember the stories of the men and women who got Londoners from A to B every day, from the infancy of public transport in London in the 1800s to the early 20th century. But they’re also a source of important historical information about the First World War, workplace diversity and the day-today lives of normal people. “People across Britain and the world can now delve into these records to uncover vital information about any ancestors who may have worked for one of the nation’s public transport organisations.” TamaraThornhill, corporate archivist atTransport for London, said:“We are thrilled that these stories can now be fully explored.” *To search the London, England, LondonTransport Staff Registers, 1863-1931 and more than 19 billion other historical records worldwide, visit www.ancestry.co.uk
Help overhaul Llangollen pannier A £15,000 appeal to bring Llangollen Railway-based GWR pannier No. 7754 back into steam has been launched. Its original restoration was funded by the 7754 PannierTank Fund which has been defunct since the engine was returned to steam. Under the project leadership of Andy Maxwell, the completion of No. 7754’s overhaul is planned over the next 18 months. Following a recent discussion with the boiler inspector and Llangollen Engineering, a revised cost of £70,000 will be required to complete the works. Owner, the Llangollen RailwayTrust
already has £30,000 to start the work and has committed a further £25,000 to the project, leaving a shortfall of £15,000. Sponsors for individual components are being sought: 233 small tubes at £50 each, two large flue tubes at £620 each, 160 foundation ring rivets at £3 each, 130 stays at £5 each, boiler lagging at £580 and paint and transfers at £400. Anyone wishing to help is invited to send a cheque payable to Llangollen RailwayTrust Ltd via Paul Bailey, Dolwen, Bryneglwys, Corwen, Denbighshire, LL21 9LY. For more details email [emailprotected]
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! FROM ONLY £20
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NEWS
Fresh look at HoneybourneStratford line reinstatement By Robin Jones
A NEW study to consider the economic impact of the potential reinstatement of the GWR Stratford-upon-Avon to Honeybourne line has been commissioned. Five local authorities – Stratfordon-Avon andWest Oxfordshire District Councils, andWorcestershire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils –Train Operating Companies GreatWestern Railway and London Midland and rail campaign groups Stratford RailTransport and the Cotswold Line Promotion Group agreed to fund the £10,000 cost. Worcestershire County Council is leading the study, the finding of which will be reported in the spring. Restoring the GWR cross-country route throughout from Stratford to Cheltenham has always been the stated
long-term aim of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. A splinter group, the Stratford & Broadway Railway Society, which was based at the closed Royal Engineers depot at long Marston, disbanded with several members joining theVale of Berkeley Railway scheme at Sharpness.
Important milestone
The G/WR is making rapid progress in its northern extension to Broadway, and now needs to raise just £250,000 of its £1.25 million share offer made for the purpose by the end of April, when the offer must close. A generous share application on February 2, from supporter Phillip Bowden, took the total raised so far past £1 million.The railway’s volunteer finance director, Chris Bristow says:“This is such an important milestone and of huge encouragement to the many volunteers
involved with building Broadway station and extending the line northwards to this delightful Cotswold town. “The rate that money has been coming in means that we can, with confidence, say the extension will open to the public on March 30, 2018.” Once Broadway is reached, the G/WR will look towards relaying to a main line connection at Honeybourne, where a platform has already been set aside for it. However, thoughts of rebuilding onwards to Stratford in the future may now be eclipsed by the need to reopen the line to serve developments such as MeonVale, where up to 3500 homes may eventually be built on the former MoD site. The line between Stratford and Long Marston was lifted in 1979, and the major obstacle towards its reinstatement is the Stratford bypass and the need for a sizeable level crossing or tunnel, although
a strip of land alongside has been left for potential future rail use. Pro-rail campaigners were due to meet with Network Rail officials to discuss the omission of the line from of both the Western and theWest Midlands and Chiltern route studies published last year.
Open up potential
Fraser Pithie, secretary of the Shakespeare Line Promotion Group, said:“Dismissing the railway without obtaining the facts undermines potential support for local businesses and the future amenity and quality of life in south Warwickshire, north Gloucestershire, eastWorcestershire and indeed Stratford itself.” If the line was reinstated, it would open up potential for heritage steam between Birmingham and the G/WR, maybe an extension ofVintageTrains’‘Shakespeare Express’amongst other benefits.
Julian Birley’s Quarry Hunslet George B heads a photo charter slate train on the Bala Lake Railway on February 7. MALCOLM RANIERI
Can you help restore Canadian Pacific back to steam? THE Mid Hants Railway is urgently seeking new volunteer skilled machinists. Extra staff are needed to work not only on the restoration of Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35005 CanadianPacific, but also on the maintenance of all of its locomotive and carriage fleet.
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The railway boasts what is probably one of the best equipped machine shops in the heritage sector at its engineering facilities in Ropley. Canadian Pacific project supervisor Dave Deane said:“The sight, sound and smell of a steam engine is a magical
experience for all to enjoy when they visit theWatercress Line. “But the magic of this powerfully evocative re-creation is created by many volunteers working behind the scenes to restore, maintain and run these‘iron horses of the steam age’. It’s easy to
forget just what work is required in the background to keep this wonderful steam railway in good working order.’” Anyone with good experience working with lathes, borers etc is invited to email Trevor Paige via canpac@watercressline. co.uk or telephone 01962 733810.
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Blue King makes progress towards main line debut GWR 4-6-0 No. 6023 King Edward II – the ‘Blue King’– is steadily making progress towards achieving main line status this year. According to Great Western Society spokesman Frank Dumbleton, volunteers enjoyed a successful weekend on February 18/19, carrying out a range of tasks to take the 4-6-0 another step along the way to the day when No. 6023 is available for working railtours. Wiring the add-on electronic systems has yet to be completed and a new GMS-R radio was due for delivery. When the various outstanding work is completed, the 4-6-0 is to be weighed, gauged and readied for its proposed move to the West Somerset Railway for running-in. It seems likely that the King will be towed to Bishops Lydeard by a diesel. There is talk of the engine returning to Didcot Railway Centre at the head of a passenger carrying train, but that will depend on the 4-6-0 obtaining its ticket before that can happen.
Since the 4-6-0 cannot be certified on West Somerset metals it poses the interesting question of where light and loaded proving runs can be arranged if indeed the tests are to be organised before the engine returns to Didcot. It is possible that a run to Exeter and back might be contemplated or alternatively Westbury viaTaunton and Somerton. There is obviously some doubt as to when all these parts will fit together because the King no longer features in the latter stages of the RailwayTouring Company’s‘Great Britain X’tour in early May. King Edward II was outshopped from Swindon in June 1930 and was allocated to Newton Abbott for top link duties between Plymouth and Paddington either via Bristol or Westbury and the Berks & Hants line. When transferred to Laira shed in 1950, the engine was repainted in BR’s experimental blue livery. In total the King ran 1,554,201 miles in main line service.
Progress is being made by Project 62 members on the dismantling and overhaul of Yugoslavian-built pirate USA 0-6-0T No. 30075 at the headquarters of the North Dorset Railway Trust at Shillingstone station. On February 8, work commenced on the boiler of 30075, which is currently still in situ on the locomotive’s frames, when project 62 member Howard Fry went into the firebox to start the task of grinding off the welded tube ends. There are 150 of these to be done so the tubes can be freed and removed.
Howard did exactly the same job when No. 30075 was last overhauled between 1998 and 2004. PETE RENAUT/ PROJECT 62
Festive ‘Jacobite’ trains confirmed
By Cedric Johns
ACCORDING to latest reports, West Coast Railways’venture into the Christmas market was sufficiently successful for theTrain Operating Company to be repeating its‘Jacobite’ services next December. Main Line News understands that a decision to rerun‘Santa’shuttle trains from FortWilliam to Glenfinnan lies on the table but the operator is firm on operating trains from FortWilliam to Mallaig. As previously reported,West Coast has extended this year’s programme by commencing the‘Jacobite’season from EasterWeek, Friday, April 14 and right across the popular tourist visiting period, ending on Friday October 27. Following a blank November, services are to be restarted in December with trains running on selected days from the 4th until the 22nd. After Christmas, trips to Mallaig are dated for late December from
Wednesday 27-29 for the 84 miles round trip to the fishing port – a big boost for local retail outlets trading in Mallaig who rely on visitors to supplement day-to-day income. As expected, motive power will be in the hands of Ian Riley’s ‘Black Five’4-6-0s No. 44871 and No. 45407 along with K1 2-6-0 No. 62005. West Coast is extending its own main line business by promoting an increasing number of tours itself. Thesebegan onFebruary 18, witha train fromStevenage toCarlisle,diesel-hauled toPrestonvia DoncasterandWakefield Kirkgate,then steam on in the shape of 4-6-0 No.46115ScotsGuardsman. On March 11, a‘Cumbrian Mountain Steam Express II’is booked to depart Scarborough for Carlisle diesel-hauled, with yet to be allocated steam on at Preston thence via Shap. The‘Salopian Express’will run from Dumfries to Shrewsbury on March 22, with steam coming on at Preston for a run on the Chester-Shrewsbury circle.
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NEWS
NELPG and Poppy Line share HRA’s top honour By Robin Jones
AN organisation which has been a defining backbone of northern steam preservation for more than half a century, and a heritage railway which broke new ground by running main line trips, have shared the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Large Groups) 2016. The prestigious trophy has been shared between the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group and the North Norfolk Railway. NELPG was formed in 1966 with the aim of preserving some of the steam locomotives then still working on regular goods or passenger trains in the region from which it takes its name. It owns four now unique North
Eastern steam locomotives, LNER K1 No. 62005, NER Q6 No. 63395, NER J72 No. 69023 and J27 No. 65894. On October 28 last year, the exact 50th anniversary night of the first meeting at the Bridge Hotel in Newcastle, six of the members at that first meeting returned to the same room to cut an anniversary cake. Nineteen people attended the inaugural meeting in 1966, raising 5s-6d – just 27.5p – towards the target. On the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, NELPG held its own steam gala over the weekend of October 29/30 with three of its engines in use, as highlighted in Heritage Railway issue 222. The NNR shared the trophy for extending steam services to Cromer, via
BR Standard 4MT No. 76084 framed through the Rawtenstall waiting shelter at the head of the East Lancashire Railway’s Valentine’s dining train. LIAM BARNES
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Tyseley Locomotive Works chief mechanical engineer Bob Meanley collects the Special Award for a Meritorious project from HRA chairman Brian Simpson. HRA
Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway commercial manager David Winpenny receives the Annual Award (Small Groups) from HRA chairman Brian Simpson, watched by Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy. HRA
first‘North Norfolkman’from Cromer the Station Road level crossing link at to Sheringham. As highlighted in issue Sheringham, and realising a long held 219, the train became a‘real’service dream by running trains over Network when an Abellio Greater Anglia two-car Rail’s Bittern Line between two major DMU Bittern Line service from Norwich coastal resorts, thereby extending the to Sheringham was delayed to due to a boundaries of railway preservation. trespass incident in Norwich, and NNR The awards were presented at agreed to carry the Sheringham-bound the HRA’s annual dinner at The passengers free of charge on the steam Grand Station – the former GWR train. Wolverhampton Low Level station Runners-up in this category were the and now a banqueting suite and Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage conference centre – by Network Rail Trust at Midsomer Norton, for the chairman Sir Peter Hendy, the principal restoration of Sentinel 0-4-0VBT speaker, on February 11. No. 7109 Joyce to a near-replica of an The John Coiley Locomotive Award S&D original; Scarborough’s 2ft gauge was won by the 76084 Locomotive Company for its painstaking restoration North Bay Railway for the new-build of Georgina, a lost Bagnall type, and of a“no-hope Barry scrapyard the Darlington Railway Preservation locomotive into a main line performer,” Society for the restoration of BR in BR Standard 2-6-0 No. 76084. S Standard 2MT 2-6-0 Built at Horwich N 78018. No. in March 1957, it was withdrawn in December 1967 P Provided a vital and sent to Dai l link d Woodham’s scrapyard T Annual Award The at Barry. One of ( (Small Groups) only four surviving w to one of the went members of her The plaque awarded to the Leadhills country’s remotest class in preservation, railways, South & Wanlockhead Railway. HRA it was bought for Lanarkshire’s 2ft preservation heavily stripped of parts gauge diesel-operated Leadhills & in 1982. Wanlockhead Railway, which is laid on In the 1990s, its owner died and it what was once the highest section of was subsequently purchased by what the UK gauge national network, and was to become the 76084 Locomotive currently the highest adhesion-worked Company and was moved to Ian heritage line, for providing essential Storey’s workshops in Morpeth where public transport into a village while restoration was carried out. the main highway was closed, saving a No. 76084 returned to steam in 50-mile diversion or a mile-and-a-half May 2013 after a 16-year rebuild and walk to the local shop and two miles to entered traffic on the North Norfolk the nearest doctor’s surgery. Railway that July. It gained main line The line came to the rescue by running certification in September 2016. 18 services a day between its two As covered in issue 219, the stations, with seven trains timed carefully locomotive played a major part in the to meet buses in Leadhills running NNR getting its joint award, for on to and from Lanark, and that town’s August 10 last year, it hauled the line’s scheduled rail connections to Glasgow. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway
NELPG’s LNER K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 heads a North Yorkshire Moors Railway train away from Whitby under Larpool viaduct. BRIAN SHARPE The road closure also stopped tourists from reaching the Leadhills mining museum in Wanlockhead. The trains were hauled by blueliveried Hunslet four-wheeled diesel hydraulic No. 6347 of 1975 Clyde, which was delivered new to the National Coal Board at Eppleton Collery. The line’s commercial manager David Winpenny said:“It is a great achievement as we can all now say we volunteer at an‘award-winning’ railway.” Runners-up for the award were the Bredgar & Wormshill Railway, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and Enniskillen’s Headhunters Barber Shop & Museum.
Excellent and meritorious
The Peter Manisty Award for Excellence was collected by the Leighton Buzzard Railway for its new £386,000 Page’s Park terminus and headquarters building, as reported in issue 224. The Special Award for a Meritorious Project was won by Vintage Trains for the building of its new state-of-the-art locomotive workshop at Tyseley. Runners-up were the Gresley Society for the unveiling of a statue of the designer of Mallard and Flying Scotsman at King’s Cross, the St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust and the National Railway Museum for its Flying Scotsman Season project. As previously reported, the Heritage Railway magazine Interpretation Award was won by the South Devon Railway for the completion of a new, yet authentic, GWR country station at Totnes Riverside, using genuine components from closed stations elsewhere (as featured in issue 220) and in doing so providing two meaningful destinations for its services, in the form of the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm and the town itself. It was the 10th award or accolade
collected by the line this year, the last being silver in the Large Visitor Attraction category at the prestigious South West Tourism Excellence Awards dinner in Bristol on February 12. It has also been nominated for a national Visit England award to be announced in April. The SDR’s previous awards haul record was seven in 2014. The Railway Magazine Annual Award for Services to Railway Preservation was won by Great Central Railway CME Tom Tighe. The award cited his substantial contribution to railway preservation that has spanned more than 45 years, focused around both steam and diesel locomotives. The Rail Express Modern Traction Award went to the Severn Valley Railway for opening a dedicated diesel maintenance depot at Kidderminster that will ensure the long-term future of preserved diesels.
Officials of NELPG (left) and the North Norfolk Railway (centre and right) receive the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Large Groups).
Publication awards
THE Avon Valley Railway took the Best Magazine accolade in the HRA’s publication and media awards. It also won the trophy for the Best Leaflet, along with the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. The Media award went to the Holden F5 Locomotive Trust, the publicity award to the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway and the Great Western Society was voted the Most Improved Magazine. In this category, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre carried off the trophy for Visual Awareness, in association with the Royal National Institute for the Blind.
Shortlisted for coach award
Elsewhere, the Vale of Rheidol Railway has been shortlisted for the Heritage Railway of the Year category in the British Coach Tourism Awards. The awards recognise excellence
The new sign at the award-winning Totnes (Riverside) station after it reverted back from Totnes (Littlehempston) for the start of this season. SDR
Heritage Railway editor Robin Jones presents the Interpretation Award to Allan Lovegrove, the South Devon Railway’s Totnes Group chairman and association membership secretary of the SDR Association. HRA
and innovation among coach tour operators, destinations, visitor attractions, and tourism industry suppliers. The line’s marketing manager Allison Cadoret said:“Coach tourism is very important to us and we welcome groups from all over the UK and worldwide.” As well as scoring highly in Visit Wales Quality Assurance assessments, the
railway has obtained the Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for the last three years and gained World Host business status in 2015, recognising excellence in customer service standards. The winners will be announced at an awards presentation at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull on March 22.
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NEWS
Tornado’s Bodmin & Wenford week after Cornishman trip By Robin Jones
PEPPERCORN A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado is to spend a week on the Bodmin &Wenford Railway. The £3 million new-build locomotive is to head‘The Cornishman’, a tour promoted by ownerThe A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust, from Paddington to Penzance on Monday, May 29. It will be the A1’s first visit to Cornwall.
Scheduled service trains
Following two months of negotiations, it has been agreed that Tornado will not return to London, but instead spend a week on the heritage line. On the BWR, it will haul scheduled service trains – evoking memories of the spring of 2001, when another classic from the LNER stable, LNERV2 2-6-2 No. 60800
GreenArrow,visited the line. BWR press officer Jimmy James said: “It will be the biggest engine ever to run on our tracks, and we anticipate a lot of interest and a large demand for tickets.” Bookings for the‘The Cornishman’ are being handled by UK Railtours at www.ukrailtours.com/product/thecornishman For passengers, there are two choices of destination, Par, for the Eden Project, or Penzance. D1015 WesternChampion was to have hauled the return leg, but has been ruled out of main line action this summer because of a serious engine defect, as reported last month. Instead, the train will be worked back to Paddington by a Class 59 diesel, never normally seen in Devon and Cornwall. As we closed for press, first class dining
and non-dining seats were fully booked and online bookings have closed.Wouldbe first class passengers were invited to call UK Railtours’office on 01438 715050 to be added to the waiting list. It was, however, still possible to book standard class online.
Repeat visit
Before Tornado begins its Cornish adventures, it will make a repeat visit to the Nene Valley Railway from April 17-28 to help celebrate the railway’s 40th anniversary. During its first visit to a heritage railway in 2017, Tornado is anticipated to have four operational days. On Friday, April 21, it will haul a‘Jolly Fisherman’fish and chips dining train. From April 21-24, it will be used on driver experience courses.
Tornado will return to the line to haul passenger trains October 22-23. The A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust’s operations director Graeme Bunker said:“We are delighted to once again be visiting our friends at the Nene Valley Railway. It provides a great opportunity to get up close to Tornado, and for those who wish to book a footplate experience course. “What better way is there to celebrate St George’s Day than travelling on a steam train, hauled by a Royal Train locomotive through beautiful countryside?” NVR locomotive superintendent Paul Roe said:“Tornado is well placed on the NVR arriving via the East Coast Main Line and running services within touching distance of the original routes of the A1s.”
Belmond Northern Belle to be based on SVR ONE of Britain’s most luxurious main line fine dining trains is to be based on the Severn Valley Railway. Under a new partnership agreement, the Belmond Northern Belle, sister to the Belmond British Pullman, will make extensive use of the main line connection at Kidderminster and the fine dining train will complement services run on the railway. Since it was introduced in 2000, the train has become famous for its luxurious, hand-crafted 1930s-era interiors and luxury dining experiences. The rake of 11 operational carriages – each named after great British castles or stately homes, as well as two spare vehicles – will be housed on carriage siding No. 1 at Kidderminster, where a small on-site compound will provide space for Belmond Northern Belle containers and offer office accommodation for its staff. A typical working day will see the luxury set moved into a platform for
The Belmond Northern Belle. SVR
The scrapyard now scrapped! THE scrapyard of T J Thomson at Stockton-on-Tees, once western Europe’s largest scrap metal processor and famed for its scrapping of many steam and diesel locomotives, has ceased trading and the site is now being cleared for housing development. While the company still remains in business it has elected to expand its interests in other areas. T J Thomson is also famed for its
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saving of Class 24 D5032 which arrived on site in July 1976 but was immediately loaned to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to overcome a shortage of motive power caused by the National Park imposing a ban on steam operation in dry weather. Given the ban is often imposed when conditions force a ban on steam operation, D5032 has remained on the NYMR and was subsequently bought from T J Thomson.
loading after SVR daily services end. An hour before departure to the national network, Direct Rail Services locomotives will be attached. Following its main line trip and return to Kidderminster, the train will enter the heritage railway mainly late at night and be stabled back on carriage siding No. 1 before SVR services restart in the morning. The SVR will provide signalmen, drivers and shunters for the Belmond Northern Belle operation, while cleaning and maintenance provision is currently under discussion. SVR general manager Nick Ralls said:“This partnership will provide many opportunities for the railway and Belmond Northern Belle, and, importantly for the SVR, another income stream that will support further investment in the railway.” ➜To book a journey aboard Belmond Northern Belle visit Belmond.com or call 0845 077 2222.
Llanfair improvements on track THE Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway is making progress with £1.5 million plans for a new workshop, cafe, shop and educational facilities at Llanfair Caereinion. Last June, the line completed the purchase of the Colinette industrial units at Llanfair. They are now being transformed into a modern workshop, freeing up space at the
station for a new visitor centre. The new facilities will replace the life-expired 50-year-old workshop, while allowing catering facilities to expand from the existing 36 seats. Some trains arriving at Llanfair have 150 passengers on board. The WLLR is appealing for donations to help meet the estimated £600,000 shortfall in funding for the project.
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LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado passes Hackhurst Farm on the climb of Gomshall bank with the Belmond Pullman’ Surrey Hills Luncheon’ train on February 4. PETER FOSTER
Bogie breakthrough for dining car restorers THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railwaybased LNER Coach Association is on the verge of making a significant breakthrough in the restoration of 1894-built East Coast Joint Stock dining car No. 189. The coach body is currently mounted on an underframe from a former LNER suburban coach, but this is not quite the right length and has had to have wooden packing blocks added to the headstocks to lengthen it. The coach was originally built with offset gangways but was rebuilt around 1904 with an early version of Pullmantype gangways, but retaining the suburban coach underframe would preclude fitting Pullman gangways. The LNERCA has therefore had a later Gresley underframe from a gangwayfitted brake composite shortened so that the coach can be fitted with gangways and be fully compatible with its other
The Fox bogies for LNER Coach Association’s East Coast Joint Stock dining car No. 189. JEREMY DUNN teak carriages, including being capable of being registered to run toWhitby over Network Rail metals if required. Once frame and roof repairs to the coach body are complete the body will be transferred to the new underframe. The restoration team has always been aware though, that this coach would almost certainly never have run on Gresley type bogies, which is what both
underframes currently have. It would most probably have been fitted with Fox pressed steel bogies, which are extremely rare nowadays. The LNERCA has been fortunate to find a pair of these under a crane runner that was formerly a GNR suburban coach at the ColneValley Railway, which has agreed to exchange them for a pair of Gresley light-type bogies. After protracted negotiations the crane runner has been positioned for transport to an engineering company at Shildon where the bogie exchange will take place before the crane runner is returned to the CVR. The Fox bogies will be overhauled at Shildon before being returned to Pickering to be united with the shortened underframe.The LNERCA has launched an appeal to cover the cost of the work, donations may be sent to the treasurer at 103 Bramley Garth, AppletreeVillage, York,YO31 0PQ.
IN BRIEF ➜ THE Liskeard Model Society has given a complete railway, including locomotives, to the Mount Edgcumbe Country Park near Torpoint, which is run jointly by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. The set-up previously operated as the Railway in the Woods at the Morval Rally which came to an end last year. Volunteers are being sought to help run the railway, which will raise funds towards the upkeep of the park. ➜ A PROJECT to install a 310 yard miniature railway at Riverside Park in St Neots has been boosted by a £500 gift from the Rotary Club of St Neots St Marys. THE railway is being built on the old pitch and putt course at the park, and will be up and running in May.
Wellwishers rally as thieves wreck Kent miniature railway POLICE are investigating the theft of 200ft of track worth thousands of pounds from a miniature railway in Kent. During the early hours of Sunday, February 5, the Canterbury & District Model Engineering Society’s 720ftlong track at the Brett Aggregates quarry in Sturry was targeted by metal thieves. The entire 5in gauge circuit was stripped of its aluminium running rails and sleepers. In total, around 200ft of track was stolen, while the rest of the track had been cropped into lengths between 6-50ftft long ready to be carried off. Chairman Paul Kemp said:“ It is
impossible to immediately speculate the true cost of repairing the damage and replacing the rails but you have to seriously question the motives and perhaps intelligence of the perpetrators when the scrap value of the rail stolen using the London Metal Exchange rates amounts to around £36 – not a terribly lucrative night’s work. “Sadly even the rail left behind is beyond further use and will need to be renewed.We were nearing the end of a rail renewal program and most of the rail stolen or damaged was relatively new.” In the wake of widespread media publicity about the theft, the railway
received numerous expressions of sympathy. Local resident Chris Holloway set up a crowdfunding page at justgiving.com and raised £1500 within nine days. Landlord Brett Aggregates offered assistance through equipment loan and storage. A local firm offered to supply free commemorative mugs to raise funds. Society officials were said to be“overwhelmed”by the public response to their plight. Police were examining evidence said to have been left at the scene by the thieves. Meanwhile, the track is to be relaid in steel which is said to be more thief-proof.
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The scene of devastation at the Canterbury & District Model Engineering Society’s base after its running track was ripped up. CDMES The society has operated at the site for the past 35 years. Heritagerailway.co.uk 23
NEWS
Little train, big city, massive station By Robin Jones ONE of the smallest locomotives ever to have stood in King’s Cross station, the LNER’s great cathedral of steam, wowed the crowds in theWestern Concourse during a February visit. The Ffestiniog Railway’s George England 0-4-0STT Palmerston along with the line’s four-wheeled coach No. 10 was on static display from February 18-26. Its appearance a long, long way from its Snowdonia slate country home was to promote BigTrain meets LittleTrain, a recently-published Government-funded free guide toWelsh narrow gauge railways and how to visit them by rail. It was also a homecoming for Palmerston,which was built at George England’s Hatcham Ironworks in East London, and completed in March 1864. It was named afterViscount Palmerston, Liberal Prime Minister and chairman of theWelsh Slate, Copper & Lead Mining Company’s quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog. The locomotive saw extensive use on both the Ffestiniog andWelsh Highland railways until withdrawal in 1937. Despite being deemed beyond repair, Palmerston underwent a long restoration, and eventually re-entered service in 1993. One of two working original George
Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns MP hops aboard Palmerston’s footplate on February 22. SAM LANE/FWHR England locomotives, Palmerston is soon to be joined by sister Welsh Pony, which has never steamed in preservation and is currently being overhauled at Boston Lodge works. Palmerston is the third of the line’s England locomotives to visit London in recent years. On February 24, 2013 a temporary track was laid from the main road entrance to Left to right in front of Palmerston are Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, Tracey Parkinson, general manager of the Talyllyn Railway and Paul Lewin, general manager of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways with the Big Train meets Little Train guide.
Class 50 diesels for sale because of HS2 project BODEN Railsaiditismakingitspairof Class 50diesels,classdoyenD400/50050 FearlessandNo.50017RoyalOak, available forsale,reportedlytohelpfundthe enforcedmovefromitspresentsiteat WashwoodHeathinBirmingham. Bothlocomotivesarefullymain line registeredhencethe minimumprice being sought is£120,000. Thecompanyislocatedonpartofthe formerMetropolitan-Cammellcoachand wagonsitewhichisnowbeingdesignated aspartoftheproposedrouteforthenew HS2 projecthencetheneedtovacate thesite. Meanwhile,theprogresswith the overhaulofDelticClass55D9016 GordonHighlander hastakenyet anotherstepfollowinganinspectionof
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workcompletedtodateatWashwood Heathandsubsequentdiscussionswith interestedparties. Awelding andfabricatingcompany, keenontheDeltics,has offeredtosupport theworkatpreferentialcostingand completetheworkatWashwoodHeath– anofferagreedinprinciple.Whilethesiteis nowunderthreatofdevelopmentforHS2, itishoped thatcurrent workscheduleswill seebodyworkrepairscompletedbefore thereisaneedtovacatethesite. Fundingwillstillberequiredand, althoughonly £2000ofthe£15,000 spent sofarhasbeendonated,anewappealis beingformulatedwiththehopeofseeing thelocomotivereadyforareturntoservice bytheendof2017andlookingforanew permanenthome.
Ffestiniog Railway No. 4 Palmerston and coach No. 10 on display in the Western concourse on February 21. VICKY JONES Paddington station across the concourse to take No. 1 Princess from the low loader, brought back to its London birthplace from NorthWales to a place on Platform 9, where it was displayed for six weeks until April 13 that year. That event marked the 150th anniversary of the Ffestiniog introducing steam haulage in 1863, becoming the world’s first narrow gauge railway to successfully do so over a considerable distance, and the birthday of Princessitself. No. 1 was named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who married Albert Edward, Prince ofWales, later EdwardVII, that same year. The Paddington visit was closely allied to the Metropolitan Railway 150 celebrations, and sister Prince ran on a length of demonstration track at London Transport Museum’s Acton depot open weekend that April. For the duration of Palmerston’s King’s Cross visit, Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways staff and volunteers were joined by counterparts from other
Welsh narrow gauge lines. George England & Co was based at the Hatcham Ironworks in New Cross, Surrey. It supplied one of the earliest tank locomotives to the contractors building the Newhaven, Sussex branch line for the LBSCR and exhibited a design at the Great Exhibition in 1851. As well as the FR, it also built engines for the WantageTramway, the Caledonian Railway, the London & Blackwall Railway, the GWR and the Somerset & Dorset Railway. Built barely more than 30 years after Stephenson’s Rocket,the George England engines are the oldest surviving narrow gauge locomotives in the world. The technology developed on the Ffestiniog was exported around the world and led to the proliferation of narrow gauge railways in other countries where inexpensive and cost-effective systems were required. ➜ A copy of the free BigTrain meets LittleTrain guide can be viewed online at bigtrainlittletrain.com
Appeal to get EMU back on main line The Southern Electric Traction Group, custodians of the Bluebell Railway’s blue-liveried Class 423 4VEP EMU trainset No. 3417 Gordon Pettitt, has launched an appeal for funds to restore the unit to main line condition with an initial target of £25,000 to start the work. The appeal follows an examination of the unit which has revealed the expected costs of overhaul to include 20 sets of MG brushes (£1000); OTMR equipment (£10,000); body trim (£5000); interior wooden window trim (around £200 each); a new axle for No. 1 wheel of vehicle No. 76262 (£5000 plus fitting); a fresh set of brake blocks (£2000); a brake chest
overhaul (£3000); replacement step boards (up to £4000 per coach; brake controller overhaul (£2000) and consumables (oils, greases, split pins, nuts, bolts, WD40 and an anti-seize compound. The conservative cost is estimated at £44,000 which does not include the money already spent by the SETG or funds to the value of approximately £50,000 “donated”by industrial concerns in the form of paint and repairs. It is hoped, however, that further industrial donations could reduce the £44,000 estimate by about a quarter, hence the initial appeal for £25,000 to make a good start to the overhaul process and a return to main line activity.
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Two BR green-liveried DMU sets at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway during an evening photo session on February 24. JACK BOSKETT
Green light to rebuild Elsecar crossings By Robin Jones THE Elsecar Heritage Railway has been given permission to reopen two level crossings which stand in the way of its plans to expand. On February 17, the Barnsley-based standard gauge line, which is built on a Great Central Railway trackbed, achieved road approval to reopen the crossings atTingle Bridge Lane, Hemingfield and Smithy Lane, near Cortonwood. Road approvals confirm the design for road traffic safety, including barriers, road markings and signs. Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, working with SouthYorkshire Police, gave advice for the road safety scheme under the processes prescribed by the Office of Rail and Road regarding establishing rail/road level crossings. This approval means that the reopening of the heritage railway line from Elsecar to Cortonwood takes a major step forward. The road crossing approval brings the whole railway (currently effectively in three parts) closer to unification into a single two-mile heritage line. Railway chairman Andy Earl said: “Gaining this critically important approval has been a long time coming and has involved a huge amount of very detailed work in traffic surveying, understanding traffic flows across the week, and within the day, and assessing the most appropriate traffic safety measures for the two level crossings. “I am delighted and excited that with this approval we can now move forward to the next planning and approval stage and we see the opening of
The original rails still in place in the road at Smithy Lane crossing. ANDREW LITTLEWOOD/EHR our extension move closer.” AtTingle Bridge Lane a full automatic barrier crossing will be used, which will be operated by the train crew. Rail and road traffic will be separated by full road width barriers which will close automatically when a train is ready to cross the road. At Smithy Lane, a quieter road, crossing gates will be used which will be closed manually by the train crew. However, there is still a final legal hurdle to be tackled before the crossing can reopen. Having gained road approval, the railway can now apply to the ORR for approval of the rail safety systems which will protect trains crossing the roads. Because these critical safety approvals take many hours of preparation and consideration, railway officials expect that it will take a year for the next stage approval. The extension plans involve relaying the hitherto freight-only line back to the site of Cortonwood Colliery, giving a running length of 2½ miles. The railway was recently given a £4640 boost towards the extension plans by a Tesco funding scheme. Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help funding
initiative, which sees grants of up to £5000, all raised from the 5p plastic bag levy, awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. The money will be used to improve the infrastructure at Smithy Lane crossing. There, the original rails from the old colliery line are still in the road, but these now are badly worn and are six inches lower than the rest of the track and need to be replaced. Andy said:“We are so grateful for the support ofTesco and the local community who voted for us. This grant will help considerably to meet expensive infrastructure costs at an important stage of our railway extension project. TheTesco money will help to buy new 60ft rails, sleepers and other track components to allow engineering trains to cross the road and access Cortonwood. There, it is planned to build a new station called Cortonwood Colliery with a permanent exhibition outlining the story of SouthYorkshire’s coalfields and the mine’s place in the Miner’s Strike of 1984-85. The strike, which pitted National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill against MargaretThatcher’s Conservative Government began at Cortonwood Colliery. On March 5, 1984, miners at the colliery inYorkshire and others in Yorkshire walked out after being told it was to close.The following day the unions were told that Cortonwood was only the first of a wide-ranging programme of closures that would shut 20 pits, leaving 20,000 miners out of work. The Elsecar Heritage Railway now markets itself as the Coalfield Line.
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IN BRIEF ➜ THE Avon Valley Railway’s April 8/9 diesel gala will feature a visiting Severn Valley Railwaybased Class 20 diesel D8059, on loan from the Somerset & Dorset Locomotive Company. It will be the first Class 20 to run on the heritage line. Highlights of the weekend will include brakevan rides, morning pre-bookable brunch trains and a Saturday evening beer train featuring the Class 20. ➜ A GIANT of the New Zealand heritage railway who was made an MBE for services to tourism and railways has died. Russell Glendinning, the man who made the‘Kingston Flyer’a world-renowned attraction passed away on February 21, aged 80, after losing his battle with cancer. ➜ THE National Railway Museum in York and official catering partner Levy Restaurants UK has achieved a bronze Food For Life Catering Mark. Three catering concepts at the museum, the Countess of York, Dining Car Cafe and Mallard Cafe, all operated by Levy Restaurants UK, were recognised for their commitment to ethical, sustainable and fresh food. ➜ THREE people sustained minor injuries when a tractor collided with a footbridge at the Helston Railway at Trevarno on February 23. The local fire brigade and ambulance attended. ➜ A CARRIAGE on the Llanberis Lake Railway was found to have been blown over on to its side during overnight storms on February 13. Heritagerailway.co.uk 25
NEWS New steam railway for Cornwall NORTH Cornwall is set to get a new steam railway, with plans to open a miniature line at the resort of Mawgan Porth well advanced. Cornwall Miniature Railway owner Richard Curtis, from Newquay, aims to establish a 1/2mile-long, 7¼in gauge line on a site adjacent to Mawgan Porth Village Hall, and he submitted a pre-planning application to Cornwall Council in November outlining the scheme ahead of a full planning proposal. The railway will also include a single storey station building containing a station platform with a gift shop, coffee shop, snack kiosk and a car park with at least 40 spaces. A miniature version of LMS 4-6-0 RoyalScot, bought from the Little Western Railway atTrenance Park in Newquay after half a century there, with the last 20 in storage, is due to complete restoration later this year, while a second and brand new engine has been ordered.The company has bought the site of the proposed railway. Exmoor Steam Railway is acting as consultant.
Charity boost for Berkeley THEVale of Berkeley Railway has been given a share of £14,000 raised for several charities by last year’s StroudVintage Transport and Engine Club’s GloucestershireVintage and Country Extravaganza, the best-attended show in the event’s 42-year history. TheVoBR will use the £2500 it received to help fund the purchase and delivery of a historic signalbox as it aims to run trains in the Berkeley area in 2020. Officials have been negotiating with Network Rail to obtain three Midland Railway signalboxes.
Weardale diesel days THEWeardale Railway is to operate heritage diesel services from Stanhope to recently re-openedWitton-le-Wear on 80 days during 2017. Regular weekend services start on April 8 and continue to October 29. These are supplemented by some Wednesday trains.
26 Heritagerailway.co.uk
Allatt quits as Tornado builder chairman By Robin Jones
MARK Allatt, one of the best-known figures in the heritage sector today, has stood down as chairman of Tornado builderThe A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust after 16 years. He told trustees that he wants to devote his time to building the seventh Gresley P2, No. 2007 Prince ofWales, and has become its project director. Mark, who has been responsible for the trust’s marketing for the past 26 years, will continue as a trustee. In addition to his leadership of the P2 Project, for which he will prioritise public relations, fundraising and marketing, he will also continue to have oversight of and contribute to the rest of the trust’s PR, marketing and fundraising activities, as well as playing an important role in the trust’s strategic planning across all of its commitments, said a statement. David Elliott will continue to lead the engineering and Graeme Bunker the operations and commercial aspects of the P2 Project. Graeme will be expanding his existing role as chairman of the Tornado SteamTraction Executive, which manages the operation of Tornado. He will lead all of No. 60163’s support activities, assisted by Lt Col Huw Parker as deputy operations director and David Wright of Locomotive Maintenance Services as running engineer.
Right: Mark Allatt’s proudest moment as chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust came on February 19, 2009 when, at York station, he accompanied Prince Charles and Camilla for the official naming of No. 60163 Tornado. ROBIN JONES Below: A complete set of major frame stays for Prince of Wales, as seen on January 26. A1SLT
More active role
In another trust management change, Sophie Bunker-James, the group’s education officer, will also be taking a more active role in the promotion of Tornado and its railtours. The trust has appointed long-time covenantor Graham Langer as a new trustee. Graham edits the trust’s in-house publications TheCommunication Cord,TheTornado Telegraphand MikadoMessenger, as well as being its webmaster. He is general manager of Accucraft (UK) Ltd, which manufactures small-scale live steam locomotives. Graham will continue to take the lead on all supporter communications. Paul Bruce, a senior rail executive with significant property project experience, has been appointed as an advisor to the trustees and will be leading the plans for an expanded main line connected facility in the Darlington area. Mark said:“After almost 16 years as chairman of the trust since taking over from our now president David Champion in 2001, and 26 years leading the trust’s marketing, PR and fundraising as well as my numerous other trust commitments, the role had become far too big for one person to manage in their spare time as a volunteer. “I have therefore decided to focus my available time on leading the P2
Trial fitting of the P2 cab footsteps on February 3. A1SLT Project, where we have already spent over £1 million on construction and have received pledges from supporters for over 45% of the £5 million needed to complete No. 2007. “I look forward to being able to drive the construction of No. 2007Princeof Wales forward.” Graeme said:“On behalf of all of us involved with Tornadoand Princeof Wales,we would like to thank Mark for his dedication and commitment in leading the trust during such a successful period. This has witnessed the completion of Tornado, the purchase and total rebuild of our support coach and now the exciting launch and first stages of building a brand new P2. “We are very pleased that Mark is continuing to be part of that team and will spearhead the P2 project with passion, enthusiasm and commitment.” At Darlington LocomotiveWorks, the building of the P2 continues to make headway.
Work has continued on the final assembly of platework including the closure plates between the smoke lifting plates and the smokebox.
Footsteps fitted
Cab footsteps and the footsteps on the curved section of footplate in front of the firebox have been fabricated and fitted. The leading brake stay has been delivered from NorthView Engineering Solutions and immediately fitted between the frames.This completes the installation of the major frame stays. Further details for installation of the roller bearings in cannon and axleboxes have been received from Timsons Engineering of Kettering. The completion of axle machining is expected imminently, while the assembly of the crank axle at South Devon Railway Engineering should soon be underway. ➜ For details of how to help visit www.p2steam.com, email enquiries@ p2steam.com or call 01325 460163.
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General Steam Navigation in original black livery, standing on the Up middle road at Bournemouth Central station circa 1946. JOHN NEVE
Help Merchant Navy Pacific crank up the pressure! THE back conversion of Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35011 General Steam Navigation reached another milestone with the launch of a‘cranking up the pressure’appeal to convert its plain flawed central axle into a crank axle. General Steam Navigation was placed in storage when it was withdrawn from service in February 1966, but in April 1966 its sister, No. 35026 Lamport & Holt Line, was discovered to have a flawed central axle and to keep it in traffic it was given the one from No. 35011. General Steam Navigation was then transferred to Eastleigh works, where the task of fitting its crank axle into No. 35026 was undertaken. While there, No. 35011 was fitted with a new spare wheelset from aWest Country class locomotive, so it could travel by rail to DaiWoodham’s scrapyard at Barry.
Trustee Simon Shutt said:“The Cranking up the Pressure appeal marks an important milestone for the project that will see the serious engineering started on the locomotive. “When people talk about the General Steam Navigation project the conversation inevitably leads to the question of what happened to its crank axle. “The locomotive has even been known to be called the Merchant Navy with the missing axle and its future restoration written off as a result. “This appeal will see the project tackle one of the biggest challenges early on and increase our creditability that will make finding a new base for the locomotive more likely.”
The new crank axle will be built up out of the two stub axles, crank webs and the big end journal, which will all be keyed and pressed together. Then the old flawed axle and the crankpins will be pressed off.The BFB wheelpans will be remachined to accept the new crank axle and crank pins.
Pressed onto axle
The wheelpans will then be pressed onto the new axle, together with the new crank pins and then they will be balanced by filling the pockets with lead to counteract the crank. The work is to be done at the South Devon Railway Engineering workshops in Buckfastleigh, which is widely regarded as the best place in the country
for such work, having previously created the crank axles for both the new Gresley P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales and the LMS Patriot No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior. The cost is expected be about £25,000, which will includes all the work to convert the wheel set and the transport of the axle from Sellindge. The society has also purchased a further component – a cab steam manifold. It is planned to cast and machine a set of Klinger and A/B valves that will fit on it over the coming months. ➜ Anyone who wishes to support the appeal that will lead to the recreation of an unrebuilt Merchant Navy is invited to visit www.35011gsn.co.uk/ news
New crank axle
One of the biggest tasks always known to its restorers is that a new crank axle would need to be made if it was ever to return to steam. When General Steam Navigation’s previous owner agreed to swap axles with No. 34046 Braunton, he simply exchanged a plain set for another plain set.The current axle is stored at Sellindge in Kent. The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society, which took ownership of the locomotive last August, has now launched an appeal to convert Braunton’s old failed axle into a new crank axle.
Above: A CAD drawing of the new crank axle. GSNLRS/JAMES PEARCE Right: No. 35011’s flawed axle on the wheelset at Sellindge, in front of sister No. 35025 Brocklebank Line. GSNLRS
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NEWS
Above: GWR 0-6-0PT No. 1369 runs along Stretchford straight with the 3.05pm Totnes Littlehempston to Buckfastleigh on February 18. D W V HUNT
Right: LSWR Beattie 2-4-0WT No. 30587 and GWR 0-6-0PT No. 1369 during an evening photo charter at Buckfastleigh. NICK GILLIAM
Happy half-term homecoming for Beattie well tank
By Robin Jones FOR many years, the National Railway Museum’s LSWR Beattie well tank No. 30587 was locked in behind a concrete barrier in the South Devon Railway’s Buckfastleigh museum, seemingly with no hope of ever running again. It was one of a trio which, before the heritage railway movement got into full swing, drew enthusiasts from all over Britain to the sharply-curving Wenfordbridge mineral branch in Cornwall. The sight of three 19thcentury 2-4-0Ts – which had first been earmarked for scrapping at the turn of the century but which could not be replaced on the tight radii, was irresistible to 1950s enthusiasts. When finally withdrawn, two of the trio were preserved, No. 30587 as part of the National Collection. The other survivor, No. 30585, went to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. Neither had been seen in action for many years before late 2002, when Bill Parker completed the overhaul of No. 30587 at his Flour Mill workshops at Bream in the Forest of Dean. The overhaul had been negotiated and funded by retired London banker Alan Moore, the principal backer of the
28 Heritagerailway.co.uk
Right: LSWR Beattie 2-4-0WT No. 30587 heads north at Riverford Bridge on February 16. KEN WOOLLEY Below: GWR 0-6-0 No. 3205 runs alongside the river at Dartington on February 16. KEN WOOLLEY
Bodmin & Wenford Railway, over which the well tank had operated in BR days. Nearly 15 years later, No. 30587 arrived back at Buckfastleigh as one of the guest locomotives for the multiple award-winning South Devon Railway’s February 11-19 half-term gala week. It was joined by GWR prairie No. 5542. Despite patchy weather, attendances and income were up on last year. SDR spokesman Dick Wood said:“The weather on the first weekend of the gala was very cold, and with a forecast of snow too which sadly deterred some people from visiting us, but it was a success nevertheless. Our visiting engines, especially the Beattie well tank, proved to be popular with visitors, enthusiasts and our own staff too. “The gala also went well during the week with a very busy Monday in some glorious sunshine, and a good number of family visitors during the rest of the February half-term holiday week. The final weekend of the nine-day gala was popular as well, although we did have some timekeeping problems. “The secondary spend in our shop and cafe is certainly well up on last year. The general feedback we’ve had from both the public and enthusiasts alike was very positive, with some really good comments on Facebook too.” Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway
No. 30587 and GWR 0-6-0PT No. 1369 leave Totnes Riverside on February 18, with GWR 2-6-2T No. 5542 providing assistance at the rear. MARK WILKINS
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LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado heads the 10.44am Northern Rail Skipton to Appleby train up the ‘Long Drag’ towards Blea Moor on February 16. FRED KERR
NEWS
Ravenglass set to celebrate at the double as Whillan Beck debuts By Robin Jones THE Ravenglas & Eskdale Railway will be celebrating two major events this year – the debut of its‘Train from Spain’and the 50th anniversary of what is considered the heritage sector’s first new-build locomotive. TheTrain from Spain, Krauss Pacific No.8457 – which ran at the IberoAmerican Exposition in Seville from 1929-32 and was imported to the UK following its purchase by the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society in the English Lake District – has been named by its supporters. Originally called Pinta – named after one of Columbus’three ships – society members voted from six options (including the old name) to call it Whillan Beck, after the stream which passes under the railway at its Dalegarth terminus. The new name ties with the names of some of the railway’s other engines – RiverIrt,RiverEsk and RiverMite, which are all named after rivers flowing into the sea at Ravenglass.
Caledonian colour
Members also voted on a colour scheme for the engine, which is currently in a Midland red resembling the LMS duch*ess locomotives so admired by the engineer restoring it in Spain. It will now be replaced by a Caledonian Railway blue, which received more than 50% of society members’votes! However, theTrain From Spain Appeal remains open, as restoration work to make the locomotive fit for traffic is not yet complete. A new tender must be built to give the driver a safe and comfortable working environment. Anyone wishing to support the project is invited to visit trainfromspain.org WhillanBeckunderwent a successful testing programme at Ravenglass through late November and December, where RER drivers and the Old Hall
A photograph of Whillan Beck at the Dalegarth terminus on test on November 23. This was the first attempt the locomotive had made to go up the line under its own steam and was a success. KEITH HERBERT/RER
(Bouth) engineers Alex Sharphouse and Jack Dibnah were able to prove its capability on long trains in all conditions. Restoration work will now resume with the aim of a spring launch into traffic. Meanwhile, amongst several 50th anniversaries celebrated in the heritage sector this year, this one is of what many consider to be the first new-build locomotive. RiverMite, which will celebrate its half centenary in May, was built to a design based on a miniature version of an LNER Gresley P1 2-8-2 locomotive and an LMS Stanier tender.Volunteers raised around £8000 to build it. It arrived in style in December 1966, having been hauled fromYork to Ravenglass by traction engine Providence, and was commissioned into traffic on May 20, 1967. While the locomotive part was all new, the old eight-wheeled steam tender from
Davey Paxman 1923-built 2-8-2 RiverEsk was used.The new Indian red-liveried locomotive gave the railway the capacity to operate a longer and more intensive summer service.
Birthday celebrations
As part of its birthday celebrations, it will become the first 15in gauge locomotive to visit Beamish Museum, during the April 6-9 Great North Steam Fair. It will be recreating elements of its original delivery to Cumbria.Today, Providence regularly appears at Beamish, and will haul RiverMite around the museum’s road circuit, The society imported WhillanBeck to help mark RiverMite’s golden anniversary, as the society funded the engine’s building 50 years ago. The railway will be celebrating its locomotives’German links by staging a week-long Oktoberfest from October
21-29. The event will see visiting locomotives working alongside the home fleet and‘posing’for pictures. German food and drink will be on offer in the cafes at Ravenglass and Dalegarth and an oompah band will entertain. RiverMite has visited Dresden over the years, acting as a Cumbrian narrow gauge railway ambassador, while Roland Martens, who designed No. 8457, was a German contemporary of Henry Greenly, who worked on the RER’s RiverEsk. Some of Martens’locomotives – Rosenkavalier and BlackPrince – have run at Ravenglass, (in 1976, plus in 1982 and 1990, respectively). On June 24, the public official opening of the new-look railway museum at Ravenglass station will take place. BBC Antiques Roadshow’s Paul Atterbury will cut the ribbon and visitors will then be able to see the line’s historic rolling stock displayed under cover for the first time.
The Train from Spain ‘mocked up’ in its new Caledonian Railway style blue, as chosen by the members of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society. BEN VINCER/RER Left: Long before Tornado took the main line by storm, Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 2-8-2 River Mite, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, became the heritage sector’s first new-build locomotive.
32 Heritagerailway.co.uk
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New vandal blows to Swindon & Cricklade
IN BRIEF
By Robin Jones THE Swindon & Cricklade Railway has been dealt a triple blow as a result of vandalism Firstly, the railway’s officials have been told by the Crown Prosecution Service that no action will be taken against three suspects following an arson attack on May 20 last year which destroyed DMU driving trailer No. 60901. Then they found out that their insurance company will cover just 15% of the £80,000 claim for electrical equipment damaged in the blaze. Finally, to rub salt in their wounds, another vandal attack was discovered on February 14, when it was found that graffiti had been daubed over rolling stock including an under-restored DMU and the Moonraker dining car. Last year’s arson attack at a stroke wiped out what had been the mainstay of the line’s passenger timetable since 2004. Class 207‘Thumper’DEMU No. 1302 (207203) had arrived at Blunsdon station from Porterbrook Leasing in late November that year in full working order. Porterbrook had offered several‘Thumpers’free of charge of preservation lines through Heritage Railway with the imminent ban on slamdoor stock on the main line.
Beyond repair
The fire tore through the trailer unit, leaving it beyond repair, while three box vans alongside, BR No. B777332, No. B759215 & GWR Fruit C No. 2851, which were used for storing electrical equipment to extend the signalling system, were destroyed by the fire. It’s this electrical equipment that the insurance company declined to pay out for. No. 60901 was one of only three surviving Class 207 driving trailers from a build of 19 three-car units. Police arrested two Swindon women, aged 21 and 22, plus a 22-year-old Swindon man, after an investigation. Railway secretary Roger Barber said the CPS had told officials that the case has now been dropped because there was no realistic chance of a conviction. “It is gutting, simply because of the message it sends out,” he said. In the latest attack, vandals struck sometime between Sunday, February 12, when volunteers went home, and the followingTuesday. Roger said:“It is something we can do without.We have limited time to do the work and don’t want to divert that effort to cleaning up after idiots.” The railway has contacted Swindon Borough Council’s graffiti team for expert advice because of the risk of damaging the delicate paintwork underneath.
Stock at Whitrope Heritage Centre, which has applied to expand its facilities. DAVID SHELL/CREATIVE COMMONS
Waverley revivalists set to expand at Whitrope PLANS to expand the heritage line laid on part of the Waverley Route have been submitted to Scottish Borders Council. The Whitrope Heritage Centre, which is based in two railway carriages at Whitrope Sidings, just off the B6399, wants to enhance its railway operation. The first section of the track was laid in 2005, with the first trains running in 2012 on the 150th anniversary of the original opening of the Waverley Route. It offers rides to the north and south of the centre under the banner of the Border Union Railway. Centre officials wants to install a level crossing on a private road running up to the car park at Whitrope while also providing access for forestry vehicles. Wooden gates would allow vehicle access to the car park to be shut off
when a train is about to pass. The centre also wants to install signals donated by Network Rail along the railway at Whitrope sidings, and add a buffet car for visitors.The signals are currently in store at Slitrig. Officials have also asked for permission to designate two areas of land as work compounds, where shipping containers will stand. Trains run on Sundays during the summer season, with the first service at 10.30am and others every 40 minutes thereafter. Following the 2015 reopening as the Borders Railway of the northernmost third of the Waverley Route, which closed in 1969, there have been repeated calls to extend the modernday line further westwards, potentially to Carlisle.
East Lancs preparing Rawtenstall facelift plan A BLUEPRINT is being drawn up for a significant upgrade to the East Lancashire Railway’s Rawtenstall terminus. The heritage line may use part of the canopy from the former Oldham Mumps station, which is currently in storage, as part of a facelift. Other canopies and minor extensions may be added to the station in Bury road, following talks with Rossendale Borough Council on potential improvements. An updated layout, including new event areas and improved toilets,
has been drawn up as part of the ongoing talks. Sarah Davies, the council’s business director, said in a report to the local authority’s cabinet:“We have been working with East Lancashire Railway on their future plans for Rawtenstall station. “This has included seeking to secure further events using Rawtenstall as an activities location, and (providing input) to a future development plan including new canopies, improved toilet facilities and new events areas.”
➜ THE South Devon Railway’s London Transport maroonliveried GWR 0-6-0PT L92/5786 suffered a stay failure while on loan to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough so had to be replaced by Buckfastleighbased No. 1369 for that line’s Christmas services. Subsequent examination of L92 has revealed serious ‘necking’ of a number of stays in the firebox, and it has been immediately withdrawn for a major programme of restaying, with an August return to traffic planned. ➜ LIVERPOOL’S Calderstones Miniature Railway is to be relocated following a controversial decision by the city council’s planning committee to allow 51 homes to be built near Calderstones Park in Harthill, despite protests by hundreds of local residents outside the February meeting. However, the move to a more central position in the park will allow the railway to expand and have its own clubhouse. ➜ THE Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Wissington will be the guest locomotive at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway’s Spring SteamUp with an evening photoshoot at Ludborough shed on Saturday April 29 with three locomotives in steam. Wissington will then be in action at Ludborough on April 30 and May 1, 14 and 28-29. ➜ THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways has begun work on its new £2 million Caernarfon terminus, after moving a water pipe in the way. Funding has come through the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places programme. The station is expected to open in spring 2018. ➜THE Class 40 Preservation Society returned No. 40135 to its base at the East Lancashire Railway in time for the February 18-19 diesel gala. Unfortunately the locomotive developed electrical faults before the event and, despite the best efforts of both the CFPS and the Bury Diesel Group, was unable to work its scheduled services.
Minister considers new Okehampton service
A NEW regular passenger service between Exeter and Okehampton may be trialled before 2020. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said he would“look seriously”at the possibility when he met with Central Devon MP Mel Stride. British Rail withdrew services from Exeter to Okehampton, now the base of
the Dartmoor Railway, in 1972. Mr Stride said:“I was heartened the secretary of state was open to the possibility of establishing a regular service between Okehampton and Exeter and that his department will look seriously at an early trial service, before the current franchise is due for renewal in 2020. “A successful trial would strengthen the
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case for a full service as part of the new franchise agreement.” Mr Grayling had previously indicated his intention was to continue protecting the flood-prone main line through Dawlish andTeignmouth rather than to reopen the alternative Southern railway main line route through Okehampton andTavistock.
Heritagerailway.co.uk 33
NEWS
New lives for two harbour stations on the Kent coast By Robin Jones
PLANS to turn Dover’s Old Harbour Station into a live music and theatre venue have been given the go ahead. Last August, the plans were submitted to Dover District Council by local man and lessee Stuart Cameron to convert the Elizabeth Street premises into an entertainment venue, with temporary staging and a licensed bar. The station was built in 1861 by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway with a marshalling yard separated from the main line alongside by various buildings, and opened on November 1 that year. Designed by Gilbert Scott Snr, it has Turkish arches and originally had a tall clock tower.This elaborate Italianate styling was to co*ck a snook at the South Eastern & Chatham Railway which, through digging all the tunnels from Folkestone, had run out of money to make its 1844 DoverTown station look fancy. In 1902, in order to allow access to the new Prince ofWales Pier, a moveable platform on wheels was introduced to trains. Since the Harbour station was closed by the Southern Railway on July 10, 1927, it has seen many uses, including several years as a bonded warehouse when many of the windows were bricked up. In 1929 when partial demolition began, the top 20ft of the clock tower came down but ferry captains who used
it as a line of sight objected.To make amends, a light was placed on the top. At the north end of the yard there are three tank traps.Two are made of concrete but one is of granite and they all have thick, heavy chains attached. In April 1994, the station was given Grade II listed status by English Heritage.
Offered for sale
Shipping giant P&O bought Stena Line (previously Sealink UK) in 2002 and gained full possession of the old station. P&O converted most of it into a crew training centre before vacating it in 2010 and offering it for sale for £350,000. It was bought by current owner John Shirley, head of a freight forwarding business. John said:“We are the first owner unrelated to the LC&DR. P&O got it when it took over Stena Line in 2002, which bought Sealink in 1984, which was part of British Rail... which got it from Southern in 1948... which was formed from a number of companies in 1923 including the LC&DR. “Tradition was in the late 19th century that you took the one packet boat from France, arriving mid to late afternoon, stayed the night in the Southern Hotel then took your train to London in the morning. "In his book Dover Harbour, Royal Gateway, Derek Leach talks of theTsar of Russia and the Shah of Persia passing through with their entourages, not to mention our own royalty.
“It is said that the Sultan ofTurkey asked for the driver to be beheaded on the platform atVictoria for driving too fast. “We have painted the office we occupy in Southern Railway colours thanks to drawings and instructions kindly supplied by friends at the Mid-Hants Railway and we have put up a large sign which states London, Chatham & Dover Railway. “We are currently restoring the firstclass waiting room and the demolished customs baggage hall. "We have found an internal arch with what we think is the original 1861 Brunswick green paint on it, a sash window hidden behind a panel facing the tracks and what looks like a mortar ball 8in in diameter in the former railway yard.This might be from the Napoleonic fort redoubt above us in the cliffs. “Using some bits of old sheds and windows, including one from a skip, we have created a site office in the likeness of a signalbox. “As part of our initial efforts to begin greening the site we have planted three large palms in a corner of the yard, added various hanging baskets and planted several ordinary trees and shrubs,” said John. Meanwhile, the closed Harbour station at Folkestone is to become a focal point of plans to renovate the town’s seafront. Folkestone Harbour station is located at the end of a viaduct which separates
the port’s inner and outer harbours. The last official train down the Folkestone Harbour branch ran on April 12, 2008, butVenice Simplon Orient-Express still used it for two services a week until November 13 that year, and a number of farewell specials were run. Network Rail had decided that it could not justify spending considerable amounts of public money to maintain and upgrade the route. The line was formally closed by the Department forTransport on July 31, 2014
Popular public space
The Folkestone Harbour Company, which is overseeing a multi-million pound project to redevelop the town, is to create a new access to the Harbour Arm which it renovated in 2015, and will use the former railway viaduct to access what has become a hugely-popular public space. A spokesman for the firm said:“The former railway station, which in the past had become quite neglected, will be renovated to a high standard, surviving features such as the glass canopies will be restored, and the site’s heritage as a marine railway terminus will be recognised. “The aim is to provide a direct route between the town and the Harbour Arm, via the former railway station platforms, and will ultimately link with a boardwalk along the beachfront towards the Leas Coastal Park.”
Above: The Folkestone Harbour Company’s design for the revamped Harbour station. FHC Right: Dover’s Old Harbour Station will now become a public venue again after 90 years. HAWKFLIGHT1066/ CREATIVE COMMONS
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Ride on a railway run by children! THE private Downs Light Railway at Colwall near Great Malvern is to celebrate the completion of a major restoration project on its 9½in gauge miniature line. Over the last four years, substantial drainage and engineering repairs have been undertaken that have saved the line – which was established in 1925 – from abandonment. The Downs Light Railway is the world’s oldest private miniature railway situated within the grounds of an independent preparatory boarding school, The Downs Malvern. It is one of two railways in the UK to be operated and maintained by children.
Special event
The line’s 90th anniversary will be celebrated at a special event on April 30 and bank holiday Monday,
Hosking company buys Hornby factory
Steam locomotive James Boyd on test on the Downs Light Railway. The 2-6-2, built by John Milner in 1991, is named after the eminent narrow gauge historian who taught at the school. NICK DODSON May 1, when a ceremony will take place with a golden fishplate secured in place to mark the occasion. Exhibits will include visiting 9½in gauge locomotives on the railway itself plus models and static displays. The organisers have secured the operational display of Templeford, a vintage O gauge Hornby tin plate
layout of large proportions. Doors at the Brockhill Road site open between 10am and 4pm each day. Admission tickets are available at the door, adults £5, children £2.50, including train rides. More information on the Downs Light Railway can be found at: www.DLRTrust.btck.co.uk
LOCOMOTIVE Storage Limited, a property company affiliated with Jeremy Hosking’s Locomotive Services Ltd, Statesman Rail, Icons of Steam and the Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust, has bought the iconic Hornby plc factory building in Margate, it was announced on February 28. The Hornby Visitor Centre is currently the only tenant and will remain on site. In a statement, Locomotive Storage said that it intends to embark on a rolling refurbishment of the facilities and to engage in discussions with interested parties as to potential uses of the site. Jeremy Hosking, a director of Locomotive Storage Limited and for a long time a sizeable shareholder in Hornby, said:“We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Hornby plc after extended but friendly negotiations. “Our group has greatly expanded its asset base and activities in recent years and this site will greatly enhance our current facilities.”
Flooding eased South Devon remembers diesel group’s John Frood on GCR trail Class 25 D7612 with GWR 0-6-0PT 6412 on the rear passing Riverside Farm Orchard on the approach to Hood Bridge with the 10.50am Totnes Riverside to Buckfastleigh service during the a John Frood Memorial Running Day. DAVID HUNT THE South Devon Railway and the South Devon DieselTraction Group held a John Frood Memorial Running Day on February 25. John was a long-term serving member of the South Devon DieselTraction Group and was usually to be seen acting as second man to the diesel locomotives on gala days. He had already achieved a lifetime ambition of becoming a driver and had passed out on the DMU and the Class 09 shunter and was under instruction for the driving of the line’s Class 25 and Class 33.
A FLOOD-PRONE stretch of a nature trail which follows part of the Great Central Railway’s London Extension will be easier to follow now that drainage improvement work has begun. Rugby Borough Council obtained a £52,000 grant from theVeolia EnvironmentalTrust via the Landfill Communities Fund, to tackle flooding on the Great CentralWay footpath and cycleway between the Clifton Road bridge and Hillmorton’s Pytchley Road. Flooding regularly blocks the threequarter of a mile stretch, part of the National Cycle Network, forcing walkers and cyclists to detour through the nature reserve which runs next to the old formation. A year after closure, the council bought 4½ miles of the line in 1970 for £5500.
The original plan was to run the service with Class 33 D6501, one of John’s favourite locomotives, but when it became unavailable due to repairs not being completed in time, Class 25 D7612 was used as substitute. GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6412 was used to provide heating for the train. The service on the day comprised four return trips from Buckfastleigh. On the second trip, the 11.40am from Buckfastleigh , the auto coach behind the steam locomotive was reserved for family members and invited guests.This
train stopped atWaterside where those who felt able to were permitted to alight before the train continued on toTotnes Riverside. AtWaterside, a location beside the track is a private garden of remembrance used for several years by those who wish to scatter the ashes of their loved ones who had been associated with the railway. A ceremony when John’s ashes were laid to rest and the returning 12.30pmTotnes Riverside to Buckfastleigh stopped again atWaterside to allow those people to rejoin the train.
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Diesels on offer to heritage sector THE Harry Needle Railway Company has indicated that, following a fleet review, it is considering making a number of locomotives available to preservation. The locomotives under consideration will be one green-liveried Class 08, one green Class 09, one BR blue Class 20, one Class 20 in green livery, one Class 31 in BR blue livery and one in green. The selected locomotives are expected to be available from January 2018. Heritagerailway.co.uk 35
NEWS
SOS campaign for Chatham dockyard steam volunteers By Robin Jones
THE Historic Dockyard Chatham has sounded an SOS for volunteers to help keep its standard gauge railway running. Since the Royal Navy Dockyard closed in March 1984 and became a unique visitor attraction as the world’s only preserved naval dockyard fromTudor times, the internal standard gauge railway has continued to operate at least once a month, using volunteers. The Chatham Historic DockyardTrust wants to extend the railway service, and needs more volunteers to do so. However, the railway team has shrunk in size, with older members forced by health or age to give up.The addition of a few younger volunteers has seen the team grow to 15 – but the trust needs to double the figure if it is to expand the railway’s operations. It has therefore launched the SOS – Support our Steam Railway – campaign. Gravesend-born enthusiast Brian Bollen, 69, a retired marine engineer who first became involved just before the Dockyard closed and drives 40 miles from his home in Margate to head up the weekend operation, said:“There’s something magical about working the railway. I would love others to share the magic to ensure it continues for more generations to enjoy. “We encourage young people to join us because it’s a great way to gain valuable skills.The nation is short of engineering talent.” The trust’s preservation and education director Richard Holdsworth said:“We would love to increase the frequency of
IN BRIEF ➜ TORBAY councillors have finally rejected their mayor’s plans for a light railway to Brixham and a helipad for the resort. Scrutiny chairman Coun Chris Lewis said Gordon Oliver’s proposals had been before borough council members several times since December 2015 but a feasibility study could cost £10,000 and construction £100,000 at a time when the local authority is facing £7.6 million cuts. ➜ VISITING GWR prairie No. 5542 is staying longer than expected on the South Devon Railway, to cover for under-repair sister No. 5526 over the Easter period. ➜ CHICHESTER & District Society of Model Engineers will be holding its first Steam on Sunday public running afternoon at its site in Blackberry Lane, off Bognor Road, in Chichester, on April 9.
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Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-4-0ST No. 7042 of 1941 Ajax was delivered new to Chatham Dockyard when it carried the yard number 361. In 1972 the Admiralty disposed of all its remaining steam locomotives at Chatham except Ajax, which was kept in working order and used until the closure of the dockyard in 1984. Ajax is seen steaming up alongside historic dockyard buildings fronting the River Medway. CHDT
the service but we need more people. We are recruiting the next generation of volunteers – literally – to step up to the plate and join us on the journey. “This is the only dockyard railway operating in the UK and has a wonderful collection of locomotives and rolling stock, many dating back more than a century.We would like to show it off even more and that’s why we are launching our SOS campaign.” The railway dates from the 1870s and was initially narrow gauge. It comprises 17 miles of dockyard track and shifted stores and coal from warehouse to
where they were needed, principally shipbuilding and repair slips. It was also connected to the national network at Gillingham station. Similar railways ran in all navy dockyards but Chatham’s is the last which is still operational. Eddie Gates, 21, from Gillingham, became a volunteer at 16. It had been his childhood dream to drive a train and since then, he’s used his skills to design software for Dovetail Games, a Chathambased creator of rail simulation games. Neal Short, 28, from Chatham, joined seven years ago and is a software tester
for Dovetail Games.“I’ve had an interest in trains for a long time. Knowing how to fire them makes my day job a lot easier. Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of the UK’s most popular visitor destinations, with more than 170,000 visitors each year touring ships such as SecondWorld War destroyer HMSCavalier, O class submarine HMSOcelot, andVictorian sloop HMSGannet. ➜ Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering for the railway is invited to email volunteer@ chdt.org.uk or telephone: 01634 823800.
Cornwall coming to Quainton! THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Railway Centre is home to one of the two surviving LSWR Beattie well tanks that famously ran on Cornwall’s Wenfordbridge freight branch until 1962. Now Cornwallis coming to Quainton Road! On loan from the National Railway Museum, LNWR 2-2-2 No. 3020 Cornwall will arrive at the centre in April. It will be displayed alongside two LNWR-liveried carriages and will take pride of place in the Rewley Road visitor centre, the former LNWR terminus from Oxford. Cornwallwill be on display during the April 30-May 1 spring steam gala, during which the star operational guest will be Bodmin-basedT9 4-4-0
LNWR 2-2-2 No. 3020 Cornwall at the Locomotion museum in Shildon. ROBIN JONES No. 30120, a second locomotive with a Cornish pedigree. In the centre, Cornwall –designed by FrancisTrevithick, son of Cornishman RichardTrevithick, who invented the railway locomotive – will
replace GWR Castle class 4-6-0 No. 5080 Defiant, which, as previously reported, is returning to itsTyseley LocomotiveWorks home for its proposed overhaul to main line standards.
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NEWS Double-headed Hymeks onWSR? ORGANISERS of diesel-only days on the West Somerset Railway on June 9/10 are hoping to have two Class 35 Hymek diesel-hydraulics double heading. It is hoped that D7018’s overhaul may be complete in time for it to double head with operational sister D7018. The Williton-based Diesel and Electric Preservation Group will also supply Class 33 D6575, Class 47 D1661 North Star and Western D1010 Western Campaigner, but needs a minimum of six locomotives and is seeking two guests. It has not yet advertised the appearance of D7018 so as not to disappoint enthusiasts.
Visiting from the Bluebell Railway, SECR P class 0-6-0T No. 323 Bluebell departs from Consall Forge during the Churnet Valley Railway’s winter steam gala on February 25. Polish 0-6-0T Hotspur brings up the rear. BRIAN SHARPE
Miniature line out to tender THE Borough of Poole has officially placed the £45,000-ayear contract to run Poole Park’s miniature railway out to tender. The council hopes to find new investors for the 10¼in gauge line by inviting proposals that seek to‘modernise and develop’ the railway. Interested parties including former operator Chris Bullen were given until March 5 to submit a tender, and the council hopes to get the line running again by this summer, with May 15 given as a start date. Chris, 53, helped by the organisers of the Save Poole Park Railway Facebook page, has established a crowdfunding page to raise the money he needs to submit for tender.
Romania coach for South Tynedale FOLLOWING the arrival of several rebuilt Austrian tramcars to provide new passenger coaching stock, the SouthTynedale Railway has been shopping in Europe again for more coaches, its latest addition being another former Austrian coach, acquired via Romania where it was converted from 760mm gauge to 6600mm gauge. Coach No. 4240 from the Mariazellerbahn was loaded into a curtain-sided lorry trailer in February for its long journey to Alston via Rotterdam and Hull.
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A heritage era first: two USATC S160 2-8-0s, Greg Wilson’s Nos. 5197 and 6046, double headed at the Churnet Valley Railway’s winter steam gala. It was believed to be the first such pairing in the UK for over 70 years. No. 6046 returned to the line having taken a starring role in the Telford Steam Railway’s ‘Polar Express’ programme, while No. 5197 completed its running-in trials in January after it gained its new boiler certificate. FRED KERR
NELPG’s Q6 0-8-0 to steam again this year IT has now been confirmed that NELPG’s NER Q6 0-8-0 63395 should run on the NorthYorkshire Moors Railway again in 2017. After receiving extensive boiler repairs at LNWR Crewe in 2014 it was initially thought that the locomotive would gain a new 10-year boiler certificate, but because the superheater flues were not removed at that time a full internal examination could not be carried out, and the locomotive was left running on its then current certificate which ran out in 2016. Following further negotiations with
the insurance company it has now been agreed that, subject to a full internal examination, a new certificate will be issued, allowing the Q6 to remain in traffic until 2024. This development undoubtedly represents a welcome boost to the NYMR’s fleet for 2017. By the time the fire was dropped on its last day in traffic on January 1, the locomotive had covered 7,348 NYMR miles for the season – not bad for a 98-year-old! In order to gain the extended certificate the superheater elements will have to be removed for inspection and
re-ending, the flues replaced and any other work found to be necessary be undertaken, but it will not be necessary to remove the boiler cladding or lift the boiler from the frames, as the boiler was examined unclad and out of the frames when at LNWR in 2014. In addition to the boiler work, the most significant mechanical job to be undertaken this winter will be to remove all the wheelsets using the NYMR’s wheeldrop to check for wear in the axleboxes and replace the oiler pads. In particular the leading axleboxes may require some attention.
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NEWS
Railway steam, diesel and petrol in museum’s 2017 events calendar By Geoff Courtney AMBERLEY Museum launches its 2017 railway gala season on April 9, with an industrial locomotives day that will include public steam trains and demonstration freight runs by diesel and battery engines. The public steam trains will be hauled on the museum’s ½-mile 2ft gauge line, which has three stations, by resident 0-4-0ST Peter, built byW G Bagnall of Stafford in 1918 to 3ft gauge for the Ministry of Munitions and subsequently converted to 2ft gauge and sold to a quarry company. It was withdrawn in 1949 and passed through the hands of several owners before being bought for preservation by the Narrow Gauge Railway Society and put into the care of Amberley Museum in 1983, returning to steam a decade later after 44 years out of traffic. There will also be passenger trains comprising a pair of Wickham trollies, and demonstration runs on the museum’s short standard gauge line featuring Burt, a Simplex 4wDM shunter built by Motor Rail in 1959 for a Kent timber merchant.The line runs for 150 yards beside an original block of kilns that formerly incorporated
Supporting roles: Amberley stalwarts John Stanton (left) and Gerry Cork enjoy the comfort of a Wickham trolley on February 15, after their appointment as joint heads of the museum’s Rail Volunteer Group. The pair, pictured at Brockham station on the museum’s 2ft gauge line, have been volunteers at the West Sussex visitor attraction for a combined total of 63 years. GEOFF COURTNEY its own railway platform. For those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty, there will also be an opportunity to become a‘driver for a fiver’, which gives visitors the chance to drive a diesel locomotive, and behindthe-scenes tours of Amberley’s railway sheds and workshops.
Regular steam trains
Further railway-themed events planned this year at the museum, which is located in 36 acres of former chalk pits near Arundel in West Sussex, are a steam enthusiasts’gala weekend on July 8/9, a petrol locomotives day on August 20, and a second industrial trains day on October 15. Another feature during the year will be regular steam trains on the museum’s
2ft gauge line, while of further interest to enthusiasts is the museum’s collection of more than 30 steam, diesel, petrol and battery-driven locos representing gauges from 1ft 10in to 5ft 3in, the most comprehensive of its type in the UK. The four railway galas are part of a 50-event programme for 2017 that ranges from children’s activity days to classic vehicle shows.The museum
opened on March 8 and closes for winter on October 29, two weeks after its second industrial trains day. The museum has also announced that Gerry Cork and John Stanton have been appointed joint heads of Amberley Rail Volunteer Group. John, 66, has been a volunteer since the attraction opened in 1982, while 67-year-old Gerry joined 28 years ago.
Race to get ‘Coronation’ tram running for 80th birthday By Hugh Dougherty THE race is on to complete the restoration of Glasgow‘Coronation’tram No. 1245 in time for the streamliner’s 80th birthday. Members of the SummerleeTransport Group have reunited the tram’s top
and bottom decks in the Coatbridge museum’s workshop and are working hard to complete the work by May 2019, 80 years after the tram entered service. Bogies and motors have already been overhauled and work is continuing on the controllers and control gear, with the group designing a 21st
century simplified electronic system, while keeping much of the original equipment, to allow the tram to operate on the museum’s heritage tramway. Body panelling and interior fitting out is now underway to recapture the luxurious, art deco finish of the original tram, which, like its class sisters, was built at Glasgow’s CoplawhillWorks, just before the outbreak of the SecondWorldWar. When completely restored, No. 1245, which was purchased privately for preservation in 1962, and which spent periods of time at the East Anglia Transport Museum and at Blackpool, before arriving at Summerlee in 2003, will share its status as an operating Glasgow‘Coronation’tram with the Crich Tramway Village’s No. 1282. Meanwhile, a Glasgow tram which had been housed at the Glasgow Vintage VehicleTrust’s Bridgeton Garage for over 20 years, has been gifted by its owner, the Scottish International Tramway Association (SITA), to the Blackpool HeritageTrust. Former Paisley car No. 1016, built in 1904 as an open-topper, had been saved by SITA as a kit of parts for possible use Glasgow ‘Coronation’ tram No. 1245 under restoration for its 80th birthday in 2019. HUGH DOUGHERTY
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at Summerlee, but was never restored, as identical sister car, ex-Glasgow No. 1017, was fully rebuilt and is operational on the SummerleeTramway in Coatbridge. Both trams had passed from Paisley to Glasgow Corporation in 1923, and had been eventually reduced to single deck to run under a low bridge on the Clydebank to Duntocher route. There was also a proposal to fully restore No. 1016 at Bridgeton, lay a short track, and run it at the bus museum. But the plan never came to fruition and 1016 lived on in a partly-dismantled state, but complete with truck and motors, until its recent rehousing in Blackpool. Blackpool HeritageTrust intends to restore the tram to its original, opentopped condition as a long-term project and to operate alongside the rest of the Blackpool fleet. A similar ex-Paisley tram, former Glasgow No. 1068, operates at Crich, bringing the number of Paisley survivors to three. A SITA spokesman said that the tram will be very much at home in Blackpool, given the affinity of Glaswegians with the holiday town, and that members are delighted that No. 1016 will be rebuilt to working order rather than facing an uncertain future at Bridgeton. Heritagerailway.co.uk 39
NEWS Royal Ballater station rises from the ashes THE £3 million rebuilding of Ballater’s Old Royal Station, which was destroyed by a fire on May 12, 2015, has begun. As reported in Heritage Railwayissue 203, firecrews battled the flames for around six hours, and although the blaze destroyed 90% of the museum and the associated restaurant, they managed to save the principal exhibit, a royal carriage, which is a 34ft replica of one used by QueenVictoria, and part of the royal waiting room. On February 8, the Provost of Aberdeenshire, HamishVernal, cut the first turf with a ceremonial spade and wheelbarrow used to start the construction of the station by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company in 1865. The terminus of the Deeside branch, the station’s big claim to fame is that it was the nearest to Balmoral Castle, the personal residence of the British monarch, and facilities were accordingly provided for royalty and their guests. Now owned by Aberdeenshire Council, the building was leased toVisitScotland and housed a visitor information centre, restaurant, clothes shop and photography business. The rebuilt station will include a library and an enhanced exhibition. The carriage, a replica of Queen Victoria’s coach inside the National Railway Museum atYork, will be reinstalled as the main attraction.
Terrible tragedy
The principle elevations of the original building will be reinstated, matching theVictorian architecture and detailing, including the waiting room. The rebuilding plans have been drawn up by architects Halliday Fraser Munro. The provost said:“Ballater has had a tough time lately.The fire was a terrible tragedy, along with the devastation that was suffered as a consequence of Storm Frank.” The station was the location of an infamous event on September 23, 1936, when King EdwardVIII was due to open a new hospital in Aberdeen.Yet he sent the then Duke and duch*ess ofYork, the later King GeorgeVI and Queen Elizabeth, in his place, claiming he was unable to attend as the Court was still in mourning for GeorgeV. However, EdwardVIII was seen at precisely the same time as his brother and the future queen opened the hospital, meeting his mistress MrsWallis Simpson off a train at Ballater station. At the time Mrs Simpson was the mistress of EdwardVIII though this fact was relatively unknown to the British public at this time owing to a‘silence’ enforced in the British press, although in those pre-internet days, the affair was widely reported by US newspapers. Mrs Simpson became the King’s special guest at Balmoral.The rebuilding is expected to be completed by December.
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Modern steam: Former Tornado fighter aircraft weapons systems operator Stuart Black with No. 60163 Tornado and his illustration of the A1 Pacific at the Nene Valley Railway’s Wansford station on April 6, 2012. STUART BLACK COLLECTION
Former supersonic aircraft flyer opts for slower life of railways By Geoff Courtney
WHEN Stuart Black retired from his high-flying job as a weapons systems operator and instructor on supersonic Phantom,Tomcat andTornado fighter aircraft, he opted for a rather quieter and slower life that reflected his family history of a passion for railways. Stuart retired from the RAF in 2005 after a 31-year career, during which he rose to group captain, and since then he has forged a niche for himself in the
world of graphic art, becoming much respected for his profile illustrations of locomotives. And now, as this second career blossoms, he has had published his Loco Spotter’s Guide, which contains profiles of locos ranging from Puffing Billy of 1813 to Class 68 diesel-electric No. 68009 Titan, built in 2013. With a family railway background that stretches back nearly 125 years, his fascination with locomotives, particularly steam, comes as no surprise. His great-grandfather Alf Black, born in
Early railwayman: Stuart Black’s great-grandfather Alf (centre) with a D31 class 4-4-0 in circa 1925 at Kittybrewster shed, Aberdeen, where he was a driver. With Alf are his brother Tom (left), who was shed foreman, and his fireman. STUART BLACK COLLECTION
Aberdeen in 1877, started work with the Great North of Scotland Railway as a locomotive cleaner at the city’s Kittybrewster shed in 1893, by which time his brotherTom had already launched a long career with the company. Both were railwaymen all their working lives, withTom becoming foreman at Kittybrewster, which was coded 61A in the BR era and closed to steam in 1961, while Alf became a driver for the GNoSR and later the
What’s your number: A four-year-old Stuart Black watches his father George note a locomotive number during a visit to York shed in 1959. In the left background is a 9F 2-10-0 and on the right a WD 2-8-0. STUART BLACK COLLECTION
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Merchant Navy loco and illustration: SR Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35007 Aberdeen Commonwealth hauls the Down Waterloo to Weymouth ‘Royal Wessex’ – without headboard – at Lymington Junction, near Brockenhurst in the New Forest, on June 28, 1966. This working, which often comprised 13 carriages and was the heaviest regular train on the Bournemouth line, was usually headed by an MN, the pride of the Southern Region fleet. Inset: An illustration of No. 35007 published in Stuart Black’s newly released Loco Spotter’s Guide. NORMAN PREEDY ARCHIVE/STUART BLACK LNER, working on the footplates of such classes as D31, D41 and D49 4-4-0s, B1 and B12 4-6-0s, and J36/37 0-6-0s. His engine driving career took him all over the north of Scotland and, on many occasions, pulling the royal train to Ballater, the nearest station to Balmoral Castle, on which line double-heading was the norm. In his earlier days he was fireman on one of the last visits by Queen Victoria to Balmoral, and later in his career, in 1944, he drove a special train from Elgin to Aberdeen carrying Winston Churchill, General Montgomery and other senior military officers, who had visited the Highlands to watch training for the D-Day landings. By this time Alf should have been retired, having reached 65, but this
High-flyer: Gresley A4 No. 60032 Gannet provides a steam background to a young Stuart Black at York station in July 1959. STUART BLACK COLLECTION
was deferred due to a shortage of drivers during the Second World War and he took on local shunting duties, including at Aberdeen docks, driving the distinctive – and for we southern trainspotters, utterly elusive – Z4 and Z5 0-4-2Ts (BR Nos. 68190-3), two of which remained in service until 1960.
Footplate rides
Stuart’s father, George, was born in Aberdeen in 1932 and was Alf’s first grandson, and it didn’t take granddad long to introduce him to the railways, with one of the highlights being footplate rides from Kittybrewster shed to Aberdeen station, which was named Aberdeen Joint until 1952. George, who is now 84, recalls being with grandfather Alf during a Luftwaffe air raid on Aberdeen on the night of April 21, 1943, and the following morning they walked to the Kittybrewster shed to find the 30 Dornier bombers that had formed the attack had caused considerable damage and killed four railwaymen. He also has a lasting memory of a tank locomotive that was lying on its side among the rubble beside the turntable. Although George chose a career in the RAF and became a fighter pilot and senior officer, those early days with his grandfather on the footplate between Kittybrewster and Joint station, as well as free and easy access to the shed itself, instilled in him a love of railways, and he in turn introduced his son Stuart to the unalloyed pleasure of the steam locomotive. Stuart’s first school, Poppleton Road Primary, was beside the main line atYork
– the family had moved to the outskirts of the city in the late 1950s when his father was stationed at RAF Lintonon-Ouse, which is still open today, training the fighter pilots of tomorrow – and this proximity to steam, coupled with accompanying his father on trainspotting trips, launched a passion for railways that continues unabated. “The sight and sound of steam engines pounding up and down the East Coast Main Line became a fascination,” said Stuart, who is 62.Trips toYork station or, even better, tours of the shed, became regular weekend events with his father, making a huge impact on the youngster. “I became absorbed by the intrigue of such mighty machines, their numbers and names, and started drawing and painting locomotives in my teens. There was an inner desire to capture the elegance and technical marvel that certain locomotives had impressed upon me.” His only formal art training was at Woodbridge School in Suffolk, but while in the RAF, a career in which he followed in the footsteps (perhaps that should be flying boots) of his father, he developed a natural flair for the precision drawing of locomotives and aircraft that has become his hallmark today.
I would not have done for myself,” said Stuart, who lives in Kirknewton, Northumberland, and shares his time between drawing illustrations and instructing at the Borders Gliding Club in nearby Milfield. His Loco Spotter’s Guide contains illustrations, with class histories and technical specifications, of more than 60 locomotives, including a dozen or so recent diesels and electrics.The Big Four representatives include, among others, Nos. 6000 King George V and 7903 Foremarke Hall from the GWR, SR’s No. 850 Lord Nelson and 35007 Aberdeen Commonwealth, LMS Nos. 6100 Royal Scot, 6201 Princess Elizabeth and 6220 Coronation, and Nos. 60103 Flying Scotsman, 2001 co*ck o’ the North and 4468 Mallard from the LNER. There are also BR Standards, two of which are Nos. 70000 Britannia and 71000 Duke of Gloucester, and even No. 60163 Tornado, and a chapter on liveries, a subject so complex, writes Stuart, that it deserves a book in its own right. Now I wonder who just might write – and illustrate – that?
Attention to detail
He works with an attention to detail using pens, fine brushes and gouache paints, and carries out careful research to ensure the sort of accuracy that would be demanded by railway enthusiasts. “Commissions have allowed me to supply images of locomotives to individuals and publications that
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➜ Loco Spotter’s Guide by Stuart Black (softback, Osprey Publishing, 128pp, £5.99, ISBN 978 1 4728 2048 8). Heritagerailway.co.uk 41
NEWS Metrolink boost for Heaton Park MANCHESTER’S‘second’light rail system, the Heaton Park Tramway, has been boosted by a large donation of used tram rail components and spares from the city’s Metrolink Second City Crossing. Transport for Greater Manchester provided the rail and fittings to contribute to the growth of the park tramway, which is two-thirds-of-a-mile long and run by the Manchester Transport Museum Society. The equipment was taken from the single section of track that was used to run trams through part of the city while St Peter’s Square was redeveloped. The Second City Crossing is the final piece of Metrolink’s £1.5 billion expansion programme – which has seen extensions to MediaCityUK, East Didsbury, Rochdale via Oldham, Ashton and Manchester Airport – and will allow more trams to run through the city centre and across the 93-stop network. Honorary Alderman Keith Whitmore, chairman of Heaton Park Tramway, said:“We have worked closely with TfGM for a number of years and acknowledge their respect for preserving transport history within Greater Manchester.” Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the TfGM committee, said:“As the Metrolink network continues to expand I’m pleased that we’ve been able to make this donation and help Manchester’s second tram system grow too.”
Another diesel for Bluebell gala A THIRD guest locomotive has been added to the Bluebell Railway’s March 31-April 2 spring diesel gala. Joining the two Class 50s already confirmed – No. 50035 Ark Royal and No. 50049 Defiance – will be Class 37 D6700. Now part of the National Railway Museum’s collection in York, carrying BR green livery, it will arrive via the connection with Network Rail at East Grinstead. Entering service in 1960, D6700 was built by the English Electric Company at its Vulcan Foundry. It was the first of 309 Class 37s to be produced. Its duties will include the hauling of the Beerex evening special, planned for April 1.
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Big budget film turns to railway museum for World War Two scenes By Geoff Courtney ONE of the country’s most varied collections of steam and diesel locomotives and electric trains has come to the rescue of the makers of a star-studded big budget film due for release later this year. Darkest Hour is set in the early years of the Second World War and stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, Kristin ScottThomas as his wife Clementine, and John Hurt as Neville Chamberlain. Hurt died in January, and the film will thus go down in movie history as the great actor’s last role. Its makers turned to Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex in search of an authentic prewar London Underground Tube train, and owner John Jolly was able to oblige from his collection, albeit with a slight caveat. “The film company approached another museum for 1938 stock but they were unable to help, and we received a telephone call after someone had told them our 59 stock was similar to the prewar 38 stock they wanted, especially in appearance,” said John. The Mangapps’stock comprises driving motor car No. 1030 – of which just eight are preserved – and trailer No. 2044, one of only three that are in preservation, and it is used to house the museum’s collection of heritage London Transport Underground memorabilia, which is the country’s largest such private collection. The filmmakers visited Mangapps to check the stock and a deal was struck, and in a busy week prior to it being transported to Leavesden Studios near Watford early in the NewYear for filming, the museum removed the exhibit’s display cases, replaced the seats and adapted a match wagon. A bonus for John Jolly was that the hire
Taking stock: A train of London Underground 59 stock departs from a near-deserted Barons Court station on the Piccadilly Line heading for Uxbridge on May 20, 1962. Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex has provided similar preserved stock to the makers of the star-studded film Darkest Hour, due for release in both the UK and USA this year. BEN BROOKSBANK/CREATIVE COMMONS of the stock was extended by a week, and returned to Mangapps on February 3.“We were delighted to be able to help, and financially it was a very worthwhile exercise for us, especially with the week’s extra hire.” The 59 stock, built by Metro-Cammell of Birmingham for use on the Piccadilly Line, but also used on the Northern, Bakerloo and Central Lines, saw service until 2000, three years beyond its original intended withdrawal date. Darkest Hour is directed by Londoner Joe Wright, and is to be released in the US in November and in the UK the following month, with its international distribution handled by Universal Pictures.The film will be dedicated to the memory of John Hurt. One of John Jolly’s pride and joys in his LT Underground collection is a rare pre-1910 enamel system map
discovered by a sign collector being used as an oil drip tray underneath an old car. Other items on display include destination boards, worksplates, lamps and posters. Aside from its London Underground interest, Mangapps, located near Burnham-on-Crouch, has been developed since 1989 into a cornucopia of delight for enthusiasts and the public. It is home to 18 steam and diesel locomotives, more than 80 carriages and wagons, a ¾-mile standard gauge line, and restored infrastructure including stations and signalboxes of Mid-Suffolk Light, LNER, Midland & Great Northern Joint, GER and Midland Railway origin. It also houses a railwayana collection collected over many years that comprises a vast array of memorabilia, from paperwork to signs and totems to lamps and signalling equipment.
Underground movement: The 59 stock London Underground car returns to Mangapps Railway Museum on February 3 after filming for the movie Darkest Hour. In the left background is the museum’s ex-Canadian Pacific caboose brake/conductor’s van. JUNE JOLLY Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway
Stanhope to mark centenary along with Welsh visitor
Interior views of the Hitachi intercity train cab donated to the museum. HRE
The future in the past! TRAIN builder Hitachi Rail Europe has donated a driver’s cab of its new intercity train to the National Railway Museum atYork. Museum visitors will have the first opportunity in the UK to get up close and see the latest innovations in the rail industry following a wave of investment in new trains. Visitors will be able to compare it directly to the cab of a 40-year-old Intercity 125 High Speed Train, currently in passenger service, which is also included in the museum’s collection in the Great Hall. Making up a trio of high-speed innovation in the hall is a Hitachi-built Japanese bullet train, or Shinkansen, also included as part of the exhibition. Their world famous reputation led to Hitachi building trains for the UK’s only high-speed rail line that connects St Pancras International to the continent. The new bullet train inspired fleet will harness similar technology used on the Shinkansen trains. Before being donated to the museum, the one-of-a-kind cab mock-up was based at Hitachi’s London depot, where it was used for training purposes. Museum director Paul Kirkman said: “As home to some of the great icons of both the East Coast and GreatWestern main lines – including record-breaking locomotives such as Mallard and City of Truro – we are delighted to be able to provide a home and the first chance for visitors to get up close to the latest incarnation of high speed trains. “We hope that the cab, now part of the world’s most important railway collection, will inspire and excite the
engineers of the future to seek a career in rail and maybe one day join the great names of British railway engineering whose work we display at our museums inYork and Shildon.The National Railway Museum is proud to showcase the past, present and future of rail in Britain, the country that gave railways to the world.” Hitachi Rail Europe managing director Karen Boswell said:“By 2020 over 280 Hitachi trains will be running on the UK rail network, all of which are packed full of modern technology and sleek designs.We want those in schools and colleges to be part of our mission to transform UK rail, and show the industry can once again be a British success story.” HRE is supplying 122 new intercity trains for passengers using the East Coast and GreatWestern main lines as part of the largest ever UK rail contract. HRE won the £5.7billion contract to build and maintain the new trains in 2012 as part of the Government’s Intercity Express Programme.The first of the new trains will come into service along the Great Western route from autumn.
THE Moseley RailwayTrust is to hold a special gala to mark the centenary of its Kerr StuartTattoo class 0-4-2STStanhope. The May 13-14 gala at the Apedale Valley Light Railway – five miles from where the locomotive, No. 2395 of 1917, was built in Stoke-on-Trent – will also feature a visit by the only surviving Kerr Stuart Sirdar class 0-4-0T in Europe, Phil Mason’s No 1158 of 1917 Diana, which is based at the Bala Lake Railway. Further visiting locomotives were under negotiation as we closed for press, with the aim of assembling the largest-ever gathering of Kerr Stuart locomotives in preservation. There will be model railways and trade stands, plus military re-enactors in the venue’s unique recreated FirstWorldWar trench system. The trust will also be launching a new book telling the story of Stanhope and its survival, which came about due to an argument between two well-known personalities from the early years of narrow gauge preservation. Stanhope was the first of the maker’s Tattoo type to be fitted with Hackworth valve gear, a feature that was eventually employed across Kerr Stuart’s standard range of steam locomotives. The locomotive was purchased by civil engineering contractors Holloway Brothers for a contract involving the construction of 1000 houses at Rosyth for Scottish National Housing Co Ltd. After the job was completed in 1918, it was moved to Kent for the construction of the 51/2-mile A20 Sidcup to Farningham Swanley bypass. In 1930, Stanhope was bought by the Durham CountyWater Board for use on the Burnhope Reservoir contract, along with five other Kerr StuartTattoos that were used. All were given the names of local villages. After the end of this contract in December 1934, Stanhope was sold to Lord Penrhyn’s Slate Quarries at Bethesda, but retained itsWearhead-applied name. After working for 11 years, Stanhope was finally laid up with boiler trouble outside the Coed-y-Parc workshops in 1948, and became a parts donor to keep
New carriages for cliff railway TORBAY’S Babbacombe Cliff Railway, which has been transporting people from up on Babbacombe Downs to Oddicombe Beach since 1926, has been undergoing a major £100,000 refurbishment including the purchase and installation of two new carriages.
Made from stainless steel, they are the same design as those being replaced but are expected to have a much longer life and withstand the environment more effectively. The work has been carried out by specialist contractors, and the railway, closed since Christmas, will reopen in time for the new season.
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The star guest at the Apedale Valley Light Railway’s May 16-17 gala will be Diana from the Bala Lake Railway. PAUL JARMAN other locomotives working.The remains were sold in 1966 to Colin Pealling for £30, and moved to Bressingham Gardens, after which the boiler and fittings were removed, these having been purchased in 1969 by Alan Bloom to be used in the rebuilding of his Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0WT Bronllwyd. The frames were transferred in 1985 to the Landkey site of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Association, and then to Kew Bridge Steam Museum in September 1991. April 1992 saw the purchase of the frames and sundry components by Brian Gent, after which they were moved to the Old Kiln Light Railway in Surrey. Brian then set about the task of locating as many of the parts and drawings as he possibly could to facilitate a restoration of the locomotive. In 1994 the project was bought by Moseley member John Rowlands, who then used Brian’s FMB Engineering Company, Dave Eaves of Prototype Developments and finally Alan Keef Ltd to complete the restoration in 1999. At first, the completed locomotive was based at theWest Lancashire Light Railway, prior to the opening of Apedale. Diana is a veteran of the KerryTramway inWales. Trust chairman Phil Robinson said:“We are all looking forward to bringing Diana home to Stoke-on-Trent – the Stanhope Steam Gala looks like being another really good weekend at Apedale. “The MRT has developed a reputation for top-notch railway galas, and we are expecting this to be no exception.” The Moseley Railway Trust’s centenarian Stanhope is one of three Kerr Stuart Tattoo class 0-4-2Ts in Britain, the others being the Talyllyn Railway’s No. 4 Edward Thomas, which dates from 1921, and Corris Railway new-build No.7, completed in 2005. MRT Heritagerailway.co.uk 43
NEWS
April D-Day for Hill of Howth tramway tourist attraction
By Hugh Dougherty
THREE options are set to be considered for the revival of the Hill of Howth Tramway, just outside Dublin. Members of Fingal Council will be presented with the three options
in April, when the local authority’s economic, enterprise and tourism development strategic policy committee considers a report from the consultant Atkins Group. Councillors are to be asked to consider the proposals resulting from the €40,000
Hill of Howth No. 4 could be loaned to the revived line by its owners, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. HUGH DOUGHERTY
study that has examined surviving sections of the former Hill of Howth tramway right of way. Possible routes are from Howth Castle to Deer Park, Howth Station to the Summit, both with links to a depot built beside the current Irish NationalTransport Museum of Ireland
Giant’s Causeway tram No. 9 under restoration at Howth. The tram could run again under battery power.
(NTMI) at Howth Castle Demesne, and a line for horse or battery powered trams, running from the demesne to Howth Railway Station. Jim Kilroy, tramways director at the NTMI, who provided background information to Atkins and the council, said:“We are very hopeful that the study will be well received by the councillors who are keen to boost Howth’s tourism offering and a revival of the Hill of HowthTramway, a line that has been much missed since it was prematurely closed nearly 60 years ago, would certainly do that. “I had Scottish tramway engineer Ian Souter visit the trackbed and report back and I’ve also been in discussion with and taken sound advice from the NationalTramway Museum at Crich. “It is, of course, home to Hill of Howth tram No. 10, which could be restored to running order, having previously run at both Crich and Blackpool. We have sister car, No. 9, ourselves at our Howth Museum, so rolling stock would not be a problem, and it is likely we would use UK gauge track, rather than the line’s
Farewell to a ‘teddy bear’, greetings to a Class 33 By Geoff Courtney THE SpaValley Railway spring diesel weekend on March 11/12 will be the occasion of a farewell to a Class 14 ‘teddy bear’that has been delighting enthusiasts and public alike on a prolonged summer visit to the Kentish line, that is only now coming to an end. The nickname was for a class of 56 diesel-hydraulic 0-6-0s built at Swindon in the mid-1960s, one of the theories put forward for the sobriquet being that Swindon built The Great Bear Pacific in 1908 but more than half a century later was building these 650hp 40mph diesels. However, a rapid decline in the short distance freight work for which they were designed meant their careers on the national network were short, and all were withdrawn by April 1969, giving the entire class a BR life of a mere five years. A number was bought for industrial use, their appeal doubtless being that in railway terms they were still comparatively new and were on sale for just £3000 apiece, and in 2017 many live on, due to no fewer than 19 having been saved for preservation on more than a dozen heritage lines around the country. The SpaValley visitor was D9537, an East Lancashire Railway resident built in 1965, allocated to Hull Dairycoates (50B), withdrawn in November 1968 after a brief BR career, and sold into industrial
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Teddy’s farewell: Swindon-built ‘teddy bear’ Class 14 D9537, seen here on August 7, at Groombridge outer home signal on the Spa Valley Railway, will be making its final appearance on the Tunbridge Wells-based line on March 11/12 before returning to its East Lancashire Railway home. In its place as a summer guest will be D6501 (No. 33002). CHARLIE RALPH use, after which in 1982 it became one of the 19 in UK preservation. After its valedictory appearance at the SpaValley diesel gala on March 11/12, the 0-6-0 will immediately be on its return to the ELR, but by then its guest replacement, No. 33201 (D6586), will have settled in after sharing the limelight at the diesel weekend. This Class 33 has been loaned for eight months by BRCWork Group and will
spend the summer atTunbridgeWells West in the company of another Class 33, No. 33063 (D6583), one of the SpaValley fleet of diesels. JonnieWesson, the railway’s general manager, said:“The visit of No. 33201, a Class 33/2, is appropriate as this sub class was built to operate betweenTonbridge and Hastings due to its restricted loading gauge, and visitedTunbridgeWellsWest during its main line career.
“It will look great hauling a rake of Mk.1s along our line, and will provide an unusual contrast with our No. 33063, which is a standard 33/0 and much wider than a 33/2.” The weekend’s line-up will also include No. 31289 (D5821), D3489, and Class 207 DEMU No. 1317, and in addition to the daytime service there will be a fish and chip supper train on the evening of March 11.
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original Irish 5ft 3in broad gauge, as No. 10 is already converted to that, and we would need to source bogies for No. 9. It would also enable the use of visiting cars from the UK.” A further, intact Hill of Howth car, No. 4, is in the Ulster Folk andTransport Museum at Cultra, outside Belfast.The museum, known to be open to responsible requests for the release of exhibits for active use on heritage lines – such as its Great Northern Railway of Ireland 4-4-0 compound Merlin, on loan to, and operated by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland – could be approached for use of No. 4 on loan, should the project proceed. The consultants have also examined the possibility of 3ft gauge Giant’s Causeway motor car, No. 9, claimed to be the world’s oldest surviving electric tramcar, currently being restored by Jim and his team at NTMI, being run on narrow gauge track using battery power, and sharing tracks with a horse car.That could potentially be an ex-Douglas horse tramway vehicle, running from Howth demesne to Howth station. Jim Kilroy, the author of two books on the Hill of HowthTramway, said: “If the council accepts at least one of the recommendations, we would have a very exciting future to look to at Howth and there is strong evidence that a heritage tramway such as this would have a very beneficial effect on
tourism in the area. Local support for the concept is strong, so I’m very hopeful that trams will run again at Howth.” A spokeswoman for Fingal Council said:“The final draft of the feasibility study has been received. Fingal Council will take time to review the outcomes. The study will then be presented to the economic, enterprise and tourism development strategic policy committee for review. A further update will be issued towards the end of April.” The five-mile electric tramway, which served Howth Head, ran between Sutton station and Howth station from June 1901 to May 31, 1959. It was run by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland), which saw it as a way to bring more customers to its railway stations at Sutton and Howth. In 1958, Córas Iompair Éireann took over GNR(I) operations in the Republic of Ireland, including the HowthTram. The tramway was closed down a year later. It was initially replaced by two CIÉ bus routes. Eventually, sections of the disused tram route between the Baily post office and the Summit were converted to a wider road and a single bus route was possible. Top right: The summit trackbed leaving Howth is intact and in use as a footpath. HUGH DOUGHERTY Map credit. JIM KILROY
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Heritagerailway.co.uk 45
RAILWAYANA
BY GEOFF COURTNEY
Halls, royalty, counties and a knight in Poynton spotlight TWO Hall class 4-6-0s that ended their days at Oxford, an express 2-4-0 built during the reign of Queen Victoria and named after the monarch, two locos bearing county names, and a knight of the round table, will be in the spotlight at Great Northern’s sale on April 8. Nameplates from this pre-Grouping, Big Four and BR-built sextet will all be going under the hammer, providing a geographical variation ranging from the north to the south via Wales and the Home Counties. The two halls are Merevale Hall from GWR No. 5971, built in April 1937 and withdrawn from Oxford (81F) in December 1965, and Thornycroft Hall (No. 7924), which emerged to traffic in September 1950 and also withdrawn from Oxford in December 1965, thus giving it a service life of just half its older class stablemate.
From the LNWR comes The Queen, carried by Improved Precedent‘Jumbo’ 2-4-0 No. 1213 that was built at Crewe in April 1892 and officially a‘renewal’of a previous loco, whose name and number it took over. It was renumbered 5032 by the LMS and withdrawn in February 1932.The plate is mounted on a board that carries the LNWR coat of arms. A second LNWR representative is Monmouthshire, from an Experiment class 4-6-0 numbered 1689 on entering service in December 1909 and withdrawn by the LMS as No. 5547 in March 1932.The GWR weighs in with a third contender, County of Bucks, from 3800 County Class 4-4-0 No. 3811, one of 40 built from 1904 and all of which were withdrawn by 1933. Finally, the Southern Railway flag is carried by‘Scotch Arthur’4-6-0 Sir Sagramore from No. 30771, built by
Location, location, location – but still no definitive answer A NUMBER of readers responded to the plea in issue 224 with their thoughts on the photograph of LNER K3 No. 61874 under the wires at a mystery location, which we published in this column following the sale at auction of one of the loco’s worksplates. Paul Bramman emailed to say that, looking at the style of the catenary, he disagreed with the possibility mooted in my caption to the photograph that it may be on former GCR territory between Rotherwood sidings and Sheffield Victoria. “I can say it is almost certainly not under the former Great Central electrified area,” he wrote.“The masts are definitely 25kv AC, so it would almost certainly be somewhere at the southern end of the Great Eastern main line.” Heritage Railway contributor Fred Kerr, however, reckons the Gresley-designed loco was photographed on a newspaper train to Chester on the Wilmslow loop, which was electrified in 1959. Geographically more of a possibility perhaps, as the 2-6-0 spent much of its BR life at Hull Dairycoates (53A to 1960, then 50B), from where it was withdrawn in May 1961. The photograph came from the extensive archive of top railway photographer Norman Preedy, and while he is unable to identify the location, he believes Paul may be right, also due to the catenary. On the mystery of why a Hull Dairycoates engine may be working at the southern end of the Great Eastern line, Norman said:“It could have worked a train from Hull to March, which then used it for a working south on the GE main line.”
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North British in June 1925 and withdrawn in February 1961. The worksplate category includes a collection of six Beyer Peaco*ck examples from Garratts built between 1949 and 1957 for railways in Africa and Australia, bearing works numbers from 7307 to 7850, and on a similar theme, there is a selection of cabside numberplates from a variety of South African Railways’ locomotives. Smokebox numberplates include 92223, a 9F 2-10-0 built at Crewe in June 1958, initially allocated to Banbury (84C), and withdrawn from Carnforth (10A) in April 1968, the final year of BR steam, and of pre-Grouping interest is a combined NBR/NER/GNR timetable poster promoting East Coast Main Line trains in the summer of 1913. Flamecuts are usually from diesel locomotives, but the auction features a cab panel bearing the number of LMS Jubilee No. 45664 Nelson. This was cut specifically for the vendor during the scrapping of the 4-6-0 by Drapers of Hull
after the loco’s withdrawal in May 1965, an operation that he himself watched. The auction, at Poynton Leisure Centre, starts at 11am.
Steam cedes victory to sea at Solent Railwayana auction STEAM railwayana hardware took a back seat at Solent’s February 11 sale, with the top slots being occupied by a marine item, a collection of photograph negatives, and a model of a main line diesel.The top-selling marine item, which went for £2000, was a step tread from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, followed at £1140 for a collection of approximately 1000 black and white negatives of late Big Four, BR and preservation steam. The model, which went for £1100, was an electric O gauge version of Class D16/9 diesel No. 10201, a 1Co-Co1 designed by OIiver Bulleid before Nationalisation but built by BR at Ashford in 1950. It worked on the Southern Region initially, during which time it was displayed at the 1951 Festival of Britain, and in 1955 moved to the London Midland, from where it was withdrawn in 1963. Next came a Second World War cast aluminium Deutsche Reichsbahn motif from one of the German state railway’s carriages which was brought over by troops as a war souvenir. It featured an eagle with outstretched wings holding in its talons the swastika within a circular wreath, and went under the
hammer for £800, a price matched by an electric stock Pullman carriage chair. A trio of closely-priced items comprised the leading totem, Willesden Junction (£780), a set of SR aluminium individual letters forming the word‘whistle’from a wooden backing board on the Hastings-Tonbridge line (£760), and smokebox numberplate 30581 from an LSWR 0395 class 0-6-0 built in 1885 and withdrawn by BR in 1953 (£750). A Brighton 1957 worksplate from one of the last four Standard 4MT 2-6-4Ts (Nos. 80151-54) realised £680 to head its category, a diagram from Selsdon signalbox near Croydon went for £620, and nameplate Raven from a Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST built in 1902 for Portland Cement Co that was registered by the GWR for working over its lines, for £580. A non-seller was nameplate Cossack from Warship D604. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10%. “Despite concerns about the weather with a threat of snow, there was an excellent turnout with many new faces, and a busy atmosphere in the room which translated into a good day,” said Solent’s Nigel Maddock.
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BY GEOFF COURTNEY
RAILWAYANA
Steam and diesel are generations apart at Pershore NAMEPLATES from two railway eras, one with film star connections and the second with the defence of our realm, will headline GW Railwayana’s sale on April 1.They are Heatherden Hall from GWR No. 6946 and Daring fromWarship D811. The Hall was a wartime product, emerging to traffic from Swindon in December 1942 and taken out of service from Pontypool Road (86G) in June 1964. It was named after aVictorian Grade II listed country house that is now part of the Pinewood Studios complex in Iver Heath, Bucks, and used as offices and for film sets. A cabside numberplate from the same loco will also be in the auction. Although built – also at Swindon – only 17 years after the hall, in October 1959, Daring was from another generation entirely, representing the new breed of
diesel-hydraulics. It was withdrawn in January 1972, but the name survives on the high seas, for the current Daring is a Royal NavyType 45 destroyer and the seventh vessel to carry the name, dating back to 1804. Memories of theWeymouth quay railway system in Dorset and Cornwall’s Wenfordbridge china clay branch will be revived when the smokebox numberplate from 0-6-0PT No. 1368 goes under the hammer, this loco having worked on both, while another smokebox is 60146 from A1 Pacific Peregrine. The smokebox from 0-6-0PT No. 3404 will be another going under the hammer.This engine was built by Yorkshire Engine Co for BR in March 1956, making it one of the last GWRdesigned engines to enter service, and had a career of little more than six years before being withdrawn in July 1962. A cabside numberplate from the same engine will also feature in the auction, as will 4932 from GWR Hatherton Hall.
Southern Region totem station signs includeYalding – making its auction debut – and Cowden, a railwayana auction debutante, and Calne from theWestern Region, the only known survivor from this station.There’s also a GWR locomotive splasher coat of arms, a selection of London Underground platform signs including Charing Cross, and 45 posters. Among the worksplates are a 1919 Robert Stephenson & Co Darlington from ROD 2-8-0 No. 1744 that was purchased by the GWR in 1925 and numbered 3097, and a 1930 Beyer Peaco*ck from a South African Railways’GL class 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt, this steam pair being aided and abetted by 15 diesel worksplates from such classes as 20, 37 and 47. Football enthusiasts, particularly those of a north London persuasion, may be attracted by an Eastern Region runningin board forWhite Hart Lane, opened
by the GER-built Stoke Newington & Edmonton Railway in 1872 and now on the London Overground line. The auction, at Pershore High School, starts at 10am.
Memories of Peppercorn and a North British namer
REMINDERS of the Queen’s coronation nearly 64 years ago, the last LNER chief mechanical engineer, and a longserving North British Railway/LNER/BR D34 namer, will be features of Talisman’s March 25 auction. The royal reminder is a colourful headboard carried briefly by certain London to Edinburgh expresses in 1953 in celebration of the Queen’s coronation in June that year, following which‘The Capitals p Limited’nonstop p express between the two capitals
was renamed‘The Elizabethan.’The headboard has‘return to Grantham’on the back. Arthur Peppercorn is the LNER CME who will be in the spotlight, thanks to the sale of a cigar box that was presented to him by the foremen of the carriage & wagon works at York in 1928, a year after he had been appointed the work’s superintendent. Peppercorn had joined the Great Northern Railway as a y pp 16-year-old apprentice in 1905, and in 1946 became the LNER R’s last CME. The long-serving g D34 is No. 62482, whose fflamecut Glen Mamiiee splasher namep pllate will be g going un nd der the
hammer. This 4-4-0 was built by the North British Railway at Cowlairs works, Glasgow, in March 1919 and survived in service until March 1960, when it was withdrawn from the Aberdeen shed of Kittybrewster (61A). Another headboard is a steam era ‘Yorkshire Pullman’from the King’s Cross-West Riding train, and other items include a Berwick-upon-Tweed running-in board from England’s most northerly station, an 1835 London & Birmingham Railway map, and a mahog mah g ganyy ex-York portico clock b bellieved to be of NER orrigin. Am A mong the wo w orksplates are exxamples from e English Electric
Vulcan Foundry-built Class 40 D217 Carinthia, and, from a rather earlier age, a Great Northern Railway Ivatt Atlantic that was one of the last three of its class in service. This plate was carried by C1 No. 4424, built at Doncaster in April 1907 and withdrawn from Sheffield Darnall (39B) in April 1950, seven months before the last of the class, No. 62822, was taken out of service. The number 62854 was allocated No. 4424 by BR, but was never applied. The auction, at Newark Showground, starts at 10am.
Warmth from a‘time capsule’Northumbrian railway museum home A NORTH Eastern Railway fireplace surround headed the railwayana section of a Vectis model train sale at Thornaby on January 20, selling for £500. Originating from Norham station in Northumberland, the surround included fender and mantelpiece with NER markings.
Norham station, on the Tweedmouth-Kelso line, opened in 1851 and closed in 1965. After its closure the last signalman and stationmaster, Peter Short, bought the property, which is now Grade II listed, for £800 and lived there with his wife Katherine for more than 40 years, opening it
up as a railway museum that was described as a“time capsule.” Top of the models in the sale was a Fulgurex gauge one wagon-lits saloon coach that went for £800, followed at £700 by a Marklin live steam model of Midland Railway 4-4-0 No. 999, also in gauge one, and a Wrenn OO gauge streamlined LMS
Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
Princess Coronation Pacific No. 6221 Queen Elizabeth (£680). Close behind No. 6221 was another Marklin product, of an articulated 2-4-4-2 electric locomotive in G gauge that fetched £660, and an Accucraft gauge one live steam 0-6-0T (£560). Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 20% (+ VAT). Heritagerailway.co.uk 47
NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL
Guard’s Life It’s a
Been thinking about whether to volunteer at your local preserved railway? Paul Appleton encourages you to take that step forward... something he did at the Severn Valley Railway just three years ago.
GWR 2-6-2T No. 4566 passes Sterns, north of Hampton Loade on January 2. KEN WOOLLEY
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W
e hear it all the time: “our heritage railways need more volunteers”, so why don’t more of us roll our sleeves up and get stuck in at our favourite railway, or on a pet restoration project? When I think how long I have been an ‘enthusiast’, it is a question I have to ask myself, because it was only three years ago at the age of 53, that I decided to do something about it. I had done bits and bobs at one or two railways in my teens, but other than distributing a few timetables, I had never done anything more meaningful at the Severn Valley Railway, despite being a member since 1973. One reason is perhaps not knowing how to go about engaging with the railway, or perhaps not having the advantage of
knowing someone who does. At the SVR, there is a dedicated volunteer liaison officer with an office on platform one at Bewdley station, so the railway makes it quite easy for anyone who has only the faintest of notions that they would like to become involved.
Put something back in
The opportunity to rent a small place considerably closer to Bridgnorth station than my Lincolnshire home was the catalyst for me to finally do something about it. After all those years enjoying the railway, wasn’t it about time that I put something back in, other than my annual membership and buying a few shares? The volunteer liaison officer made me very welcome, but when he asked me what I would like to do, I perhaps didn’t sound too
convincing when I said: “Travelling ticket inspector?”, the question in my voice perhaps giving the game away. I reasoned that I wanted to do something that meant engaging with the public, and travelling on trains was unashamedly part of the appeal. “What about guard?” came the reply, “the railway is short of guards.” I hadn’t really considered being a guard. It always seemed to me that the guard had a lot of responsibility and I imagined that would need a lot of training which, given my age, I wasn’t sure the railway would be too interested in making such an investment in. These doubts were soon shoved to one side: “You would be good at it, I can tell,” he continued. “We give you all the training that you need... and definitely you aren’t too old!” Like many railways, the SVR has
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Richard is underneath the coaches splitting the pipes before uncoupling; it can be a dirty job at times.
atrophied guards as they have gone beyond retirement age and stepped down to less demanding duties, such as station porters, or have trained to man one of the railway’s seven signalboxes. One look at the list of passed guards convinced me that the railway was in need of new blood, and I could see why on normal operating days when as many as seven guards are needed, that it must be quite a struggle getting cover for all of the required turns. I agreed to go on an induction course, and this was arranged for a Saturday at Kidderminster, where I met Rob Starkey and two other would-be trainees. Rob talked us through what was involved and showed us round the impressive carriage shed at Kidderminster. It seemed daunting; first we would have to train as shunters before we could get anywhere near a train load of passengers. Also, every signal on the line, every gradient, every bridge and every siding would have to be known to us, along with digesting a tome of a rule book.
Flying colours
The guard’s working environment; inside one of the SVR’s Mk. 1 brakevans. Note the safe where the detonators are stored.
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We may have looked shell-shocked, but Rob assured us that we would be given every bit of help along the way to achieve our objectives and pass out as guards with flying colours. It could take six months, it could take two years. That would depend on how quickly we learnt and the aptitude we showed to the task. It seemed like a lot of training, and at first I couldn’t understand why there was so much emphasis on learning about the shunting, but as Rob explained, being a guard is a safety critical role. It may be our chosen hobby, but we have a responsibility to the public, our fellow volunteers and to ourselves. To know how to do the job properly, and above all safely, was vitally important. However, he reminded us, that if we did make it and became guards, the satisfaction of a job done properly would be worth all of the effort in
Class 08 shunter D3022 has drawn the set of Mk. 1 coaches out of Kidderminster’s impressive carriage shed, so the training session can get underway. Richard Green uses hand signals to instruct Rob Starkey the 08 driver during the shunt, as trainer Nick Wright looks on.
getting there. Okay I thought, you’d better give it a go! The first thing is that all those who work on or next to the railway line have to hold a valid Personal Safety Certificate (PTS). This is quite straightforward and is largely common sense. By answering and understanding some basic safety questions I was soon armed with my PTS, which also meant I was now insured by the railway, and could look forward to my first training days. All shunter training is carried out at Kidderminster’s carriage shed and sidings, usually on a Saturday morning, and is done on a one-to-one basis, with up to four trainees per day embarking on a 90min training session. First you need to be properly equipped with sturdy footwear, overalls, gloves and a high visibility vest. Then there is some theory training surrounding the vacuum brake system so that you understand how it all works and how the ‘bags’ on one vehicle attach to another. To my surprise when I first went outside into the yard, my trainer said something like: “Right, I want you to split this set of coaches and then move the front portion forward two coach lengths, then stop the shunter, using hand signals.” Well, I had been given some extracts from the rule book and read about hand signals, but surely, I thought, someone is going to show me how it’s done first. Wrong! The philosophy is that the best way to learn is from your mistakes. The trainer won’t allow you to do anything dangerous, or to break anything, and once you realise this you do feel much better. Nevertheless, it is still quite nerve wracking and you worry that you are going to do something stupid. And of course that is exactly what happens, and is what happens to most other trainees too. Before long you are scrabbling in the dirt, wrestling with vacuum bags (which seem to have minds of their own) and the shackles (couplings), but
once you have successfully split and rejoined the train, you allow yourself a bit of a smug smile. There is of course much more to it, and over the ensuing training days I learnt about the different types of couplings – BR Mk. 1 stock for example has buckeye couplings – how to split the corridor connectors, and the stowing of the electrical connectors and steam heating pipes. I put into practice all the various hand signals, and learnt about doing all of this safely – for example, not walking between vehicles without first disabling the shunting locomotive by unclipping its vacuum pipe. Without creating vacuum it can’t move, so you are safe enough to work it and the end of the carriage.
Full safety check
Another requirement of the guard is to check that each vehicle is fit to run, so you carry out a full safety check to make sure everything is secure, doors are locked and that there are no chocks under the wheels or batteries being charged. You also have to make sure that the handbrake in the guard’s van is on before coupling up the shunter, only releasing it once the loco is coupled up and the bags are connected. Then you can instruct the driver to create vacuum and move away or set back. After a couple of training sessions you get used to doing these in the right order. If you don’t, the trainer will subtly remind you by asking you to stop and run through it all, what you have done and what you are going to do next. If you do make a mistake, it is nothing to be ashamed of. After all, this is the right place to make mistakes. Simultaneous to the shunting element of the training is a requirement to learn the rule book, and also learn the route. Starting at Kidderminster I walked just about every inch of track at each station, noting all of the signals, shunting signals, pointwork
and track circuiting. I also had to note the location of all telephones and the different types of telephones (some only connect with the nearest signalbox) and note all of the signage such as ‘stop and await instructions’ and ‘limited clearance’ signs. As competence improves, the next thing to learn is use of the radio. At Kidderminster and Bridgnorth it is impossible to maintain visual contact with the driver of a locomotive when shunting, and of course the same applies at night when lamp signals can otherwise be used. It is important to know the correct language to use so that there are no misunderstandings and of course, all those involved in shunting must arrive at a clear understanding before any move is made. I thought I was just about there when I was shown how to go about securing a ‘shunt release’ from the carriage sidings and given a radio and told to take the set of coaches into Kidderminster platform two. However, there was still much more to learn and the ‘shunt’ into the station would be the first of many. It takes as many training sessions as each individual requires to reach the standard required before being allowed to move to the next phase of the guard’s training programme. Rob, and my other trainer, Nick Wright, regularly tested my knowledge and gave me hypothetical shunting puzzles to work out in which I had to recall every signal or stop board (which you need the signalman’s permission – or the person in charge if in a yard such as the carriage siding – before you can pass it). Once passed as a shunter, trainees can ‘buddy up’ with a guard who is qualified to train new recruits, and it was down to me to make my own own arrangements by checking the rotas and contacting the guards to ask if they would be willing to let me travel with them. On my first return trip between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster I had to observe the guard going about his
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Three guests to star in big spring gala THE first big event of the Severn Valley Railway’s new season will be the March 17-19 spring steam gala – with malachite green-liveried Bulleid Battle of Britain 4-6-2 No. 34081 92 Squadron fresh from the completion of its overhaul at the Nene Valley Railway. In the year that events will take place marking the 50th anniversary of the end of southern steam, No 34081 will join sister Battle of Britain No. 34053 Sir Keith Park and West Country No. 34027 Taw Valley for the event. A second star guest will be BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 visiting from the Great Central Railway. ‘Mickey Mouse’ tanks – so called for their resemblance to Walt Disney’s character – were once a common sight on the Severn Valley line in BR days.
Very appropriate
A third and certainly historically very appropriate visitor will be LMS 2-6-2T No. 41312 which was built in 1952 and hauled the last steam service on the Lymington branch in April 1967. No. 41312 completes a trio of Ivatt locomotives at the SVR, with No. 43106 running alongside and in tandem with the visiting tank engine, and No. 46443 undercover in The Engine House at Highley. Appearing at its first gala since overhaul will be GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714, which returned to steam late last year. Another pannier in steam will be the sole-surviving 1500, No. 1501. An added attraction over the weekend will be the official opening of three allnew exhibitions at The Engine House. The Art of the Railway Poster will tell the story of how the ‘Big Four’ companies looked for ways of promoting travel by train to the British general public, showcasing some beautiful original posters of the era. The second exhibition, Signs of the Times, provides a display of London Underground and GWR signs, courtesy of London Transport Museum and Kidderminster Railway Museum.
Storm damage
Thirdly, there will be 2007 Storm Damage – 10 Years, an exhibition about a modernday calamity which changed the face of the Severn Valley Railway for ever. Ten years ago this June, the SVR was hit by a catastrophic rainstorm that caused damage in more than 45 separate locations, generating an unprecedented repair bill of more than £3.8 million. The damage prompted an incredible recovery effort to get the line back on track. The exhibition looks back at the aftermath of that devastating summer storm and celebrates the huge generosity and commitment of those who helped to get us up and running again. ■ For more information about the SVR, its events and bookings, visit www.svr.co.uk or telephone 01562 757900.
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Whistle at the ready, guard Phil Price prepares to give the ‘Right Away’ at Bridgnorth on February 26.
routine, and then on the second round trip it was down to me – I had to basically act as guard under the actual guard’s supervision. There is much more to being a guard than people imagine. The day starts by signing on, usually at least 90 minutes before the train is due to depart, also checking for any special notices such as temporary speed restrictions, or changes to the Working Timetable. Then the guard has to carry out a full fitness to run exam, just as I had done in the carriage shed and sidings at Kidderminster. After making sure the hand brake is on, the guard must advise the signalman he is going into the ‘six foot’ so he can provide protection by putting a collar over the lever for the signal protecting the adjacent line (through platform two), and then he descends to track level to carry out his check, pulling the string for each vacuum cylinder along the length of the train to ensure the brake blocks aren’t jammed on. In addition, he has to check the carriage defect book and ensure that all safety equipment, spare bags and shackles are present and correct. You also sign for a set of detonators which are removed from a safe at the signing on point and then secured in the on-train safe in the brake van. The weight of each vehicle has to be noted and the guard’s journal prepared, which includes the names of the driver, TTIs, loco and train details, among others. This journal is also the ‘black box’ of the steam era, on which is recorded all departure and arrival times, with any delays noted and the reason for them. When the locomotive comes onto the train, the guard has to tell the driver the weight of the train and any special instructions such as stopping at either of the line’s two request stops. Then a brake test has to be arranged once the guard is satisfied that
the locomotive is correctly coupled up, remembering to release the handbrake in the guard’s van. The guard then asks the driver to create and destroy the vacuum and walks to the rear of the train checking along the way that all of the brake blocks are now engaged with the wheels. He then uses a handsignal that tells the driver to create vacuum and satisfies himself that vacuum is being created right to the rear of the last coach. Then walking back towards the front of the train, the guard now checks that all the brakes have properly released thus completing the brake test and indicating that the train is safe to travel.
Preparation work
The average passenger is oblivious to all of this preparation work, but it is carried out prior to running the first train of the day, every operating day. Additionally, there may have been some shunting to do as well. If the previous evening there has been a special charter for example, then the stock will have to have been shunted into the two carriage sidings, an eight coach set split as six plus two, due to the limited length of the sidings they are stabled in. On most Sundays, two additional coaches are added at Bridgnorth for the ‘Severn Valley Venturer’ dining service. At Kidderminster, most trains are shunted prior to the arrival of the guard, but the fitness to run check still has to be carried out. The guard has one last task before he can give the ‘Right Away’ and that is to make sure the tail lamp is lit and positioned on one of the lamp brackets at the rear of the train. If the lamp is low on oil, it’s the guard’s job to top it up from the oil store before lighting it. Once the starter signal has been cleared, the section token issued to the driver and the
appointed time arrives, the guard checks with the platform staff that all doors are secure before blowing his whistle and showing the green flag. You would be forgiven for thinking he can now sit down and relax. Far from it, because in actuality, the guard gets to sit down very little. It is his or her job to make sure the train safely clears the station platform watching out for a signal from the station staff to stop – for example if they spot that a door isn’t properly closed – and to observe all signals, watching for an arm returned to danger after the locomotive has passed it, but while the train has still not cleared it. This may mean that the signalman requires the train to stop due to an emergency, so the guard has to be prepared to use the brake in the guard’s van, which destroys the vacuum and brings the train to a standstill. All along the journey the guard has to be vigilant, watching signals and crossings, as well as watching the train into each station. Where trains cross – at Hampton Loade and Arley – the guard has to give the signalman something called a 147, which is Rule 147 and tells the signalman the train is complete and clear inside the loop so he can signal for the other train to enter/leave the opposite platform. This can be done as a hand signal or using the telephone if his view of the signalbox is blocked by a train in the other platform. On my first trip this all took some remembering, but by the second time I went out it all clicked into place and after about five such turns I was ‘passed out’ on my practical. All of the guards who helped to train me were exceptionally patient and helpful and made me feel as if I was joining one big, happy family. The TTIs too were incredibly encouraging – and what a great job they do by the way. Much more than I anticipated when I first entered the VLO’s office, that’s for sure! There was just one more thing blocking my way to being fully passed out as a guard – other than the medical which is mandatory – and that is the written exam. Now, like many people, I am no great fan of sitting written exams, even though it was a long time since I had last taken part in one. At the SVR’s head office on Comberton Hill in Kidderminster, I sat the exam with two other people, being given up to three hours to complete the task. I think it took me about two hours, and I am not the quickest writer, so I think this will be more than enough for most people.
No one ever fails
I was worried going into the exam that all the hard work done in training could suddenly prove to have been a waste, but was soon reassured that no one ever ‘fails’ the exam. That is because after the exam – in my case the following day – the examiner goes through the paper with you and discusses anything that you weren’t sure about or answered incorrectly, so that you understand it. If the examiner is satisfied that you know what it is and why you answered incorrectly, and now have a clear understanding of it, they won’t fail you. Of course, you need to invest in some equipment; whistle (ACME Thunderer was my choice), a Bardic lamp (or similar multiaspect torch), red and green flags, carriage key, Hi-Vis vest and a reliable (and accurate) timepiece. Guards are also expected to look smart and as you do have to do an amount of shunting, I decided to buy some cheap black trouser especially for the job, was lucky enough to find five white shirts in a charity shop, a tie (I use a SVR tie) and a waistcoat bought on line. You can order a uniform, which although you have to pay, is subsidised by the railway. When the weather is inclement, the guard’s job can be wet and cold, you spend so much time leaning through an open window and hopping off onto platforms, so a decent coat is another necessity. The SVR issues (again at a subsidised cost) some rather smart black raincoats with a fold out hood and branded with the railway’s logo. For many guards, especially in winter, these coats become the uniform of choice. A hat is optional and, of course, you may want a badge to identify you as the man (or woman) in charge of the train – for that is what it means to be the guard. It was a great thrill to find out that I had passed out as a guard and, at last, I could put myself forward for my first solo guard run. It wasn’t long before that came in May 2016 and by the end of the year I had completed more than 20 turns, including on gala weekends, dining trains and footplate experience turns. The satisfaction I get from being a guard on the SVR cannot be understated. The weight of responsibility of having a safety critical role that I thought would be too big a burden for me to carry, is made so much lighter thanks to the support and camaraderie of everyone on the railway. No challenge seems too big and I always look forward with great eagerness to my next turn of duty. The happy faces of passengers and the thanks they offer make it all worth while, even when things do
Having been given the ‘all-clear’ by platform staff, Phil gets the train away with a flourish of his green flag.
occasionally go wrong and you have to think on your feet, which adds to your experience and prepares you for future eventualities.
Enjoys the challenge
During the time that I trained as a guard, my wife Angie also started volunteering in Bridgnorth booking office, where she has made new friends and enjoys the challenge of ‘dealing with the public’. So we both tend to volunteer on the same days, and both feel part of the wider Severn Valley Railway family. Next I plan to learn the subtleties of DMU and goods train guarding. Maybe in a year or so I might look at expanding my skills by training as a signalman. Heritage railways are full of new challenges! Volunteering isn’t the hard bit. The hard bit is getting off your backside and going to see that volunteer liaison officer. Without volunteers our heritage railways wouldn’t be viable. So, stop thinking about it and pick up the phone, email or visit a railway. You will be glad that you did and so will the railway! My thanks to my trainers; Rob Starkey, Alan Coley and Nick Wright, and the volunteer drivers who give their time on shunter training days.
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Avonside 0-6-0ST Portbury shunts on the dockside during a 30742 Charters evening photographic session on the Bristol Harbour Railway on February 18. KARL HEATH
MAIN LINE NEWS
The 5.15pm from Skipton to Appleby pauses at Kirkby Stephen on the evening of February 14. MAURICE BURNS
Settle and Carlisle ‘Plandampf’ proves big hit with public By Cedric Johns and Robin Jones THE three-day Skipton-Appleby shuttles over the open part of the Settle and Carlisle line – topped and tailed in one direction and doubleheaded in the other by A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado and a DB Cargo class 67 diesel – proved to be a big hit with the public... and with BBC television news. Organised and operated by DB Cargo in conjunction with Northern Rail, Riviera Trains, the A1 Locomotive Trust, Friends of the Settle & Carlisle Line and supporting groups, the attraction of steam in the shape of A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado working 12 timetabled eight-coach shuttles was an undoubted success. As it was, 6000 seats were on offer, in a rake of ex-Anglia Railways blue-livered Mk.2 coaches, over February 14-16, to a mixture of regular commuters and walk-on members of the public seeking a whiff of steam. What also followed was wall-to-wall news coverage, with TV cameras at Appleby for early morning breakfast television, and staying throughout the day until early evening which, if paid for as advertising on a commercial
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basis, could have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds sterling. That said, with tickets on sale at just £17 for the full-length journey – or even as little as £4 if you were making a shorter journey – was the event financially viable, it was being asked. Tales of some passengers being left behind through lack of seats were heard, but these shortfalls were mopped up by a Class 158 DMU following trails of steam heading for Appleby.
Huge credit
Friends of the Settle & Carlisle Line chairman Douglas Hodgins said:“This has been a sell-out success and a huge credit to all those involved. “The intention was to give local people the opportunity of a real treat and a big thank you for their loyalty and patience during 2016 when the line was closed to through traffic. “There must be lessons here about the demand for steam, scenery and rail travel in general. It was the perfect curtain raiser for the re-opening of the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle route on March 31.” During the three days, British Transport Police patrolled the route to
ensure that spectators remained at a safe vantage point. Richard Corser, DB Cargo UK’s account manager for charters, special trains and resource hires, said:“It was wonderful to see how enthusiastically the local communities welcomed the trains, from school children to older generations.” Northern Rail regional director Paul Banfield said:“During the past three days over 5500 passengers travelled on the steam service and it was great to see so many entering into the spirit of the occasion enjoying the first timetabled steam in England for almost 50 years.” That last statement is perhaps a debateable point. In 1993, BR Standard 2-6-4T No. 80080 worked Carlisle-Kirkby Stephen passenger services – both trains inserted into the working timetable – for crew training purposes. Two trains a day were run five days a week for a month by BR, stopping at all stations. Much later, in 2001 and 2002, EWS, Steam Dreams and the Mid-Hants Railway combined to provide a stopping passenger service between Eastleigh and Yeovil Junction, trains picking up and setting down at
Romsey, Salisbury, Gillingham and Sherborne. Bulleid 4-6-2s No. 35005 Canadian Pacific and No. 34016 Bodmin shared the duties during a full week’s activities which included crew training. Over the border in Scotland, on Tuesday, October 2, 2001, as highlighted in Heritage Railway issue 31, a‘Plandampf’-style event organised by Highland Rail Heritage saw steam operated by West Coast Railways take over timetabled ScotRail services over the West Highland Extension from Fort William to Mallaig.
Operationally successful
The day saw two full round trips behind steam replace the usual DMUs, and there were also three shuttles. At the time, West Coast’s operations manager James Shuttleworth said:“The ‘Plandampf’was operationally a success and we proved it could be done.” It could also be argued that while they are not a replacement for normal timetabled in themselves, the summer ‘Jacobite’services run by West Coast and Vintage Trains’summer Sundays ‘Shakespeare Express’trips from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon
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Tornado heads the 10.44am from Skipton past Langcliffe on February 14. JOHN WHITELEY
also offer walk-on scheduled steam services. Meanwhile, the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s commemorative railtour from Oxenhope to Carlisle behind A3 No. 60103 Flying Scotsman to mark the reopening of the Settle and Carlisle line throughout March 31 has sold out – despite a cost of £220. As reported in February 2016, after a 500,000-tonne landslip at Eden Brows, north of Armathwaite, the ground beneath the tracks slipped 5ft below its normal level and the railway was closed north of Appleby. Sitting over 240ft above the River Eden, the reinstatement of the subsided section has involved a £23 million engineering marathon involving the building an enormous concrete and steel structure beneath the railway, with high-strength piles driven into the bedrock of the Eden Gorge. The special will be operated by West Coast Railways and run by the KWVR in conjunction with Northern, Network Rail and the Friends of the Settle & Carlisle Line. It will form part of the line’s reopening celebrations that day, and will be one of the first trains to traverse the previously closed section.
No. 60163 passes a stone train being loaded at the recently-opened sidings at Helwith Bridge on February 15. PAUL BERRY
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Start of tour programme affected by cancellations By Cedric Johns NEARLY a dozen trains have been cancelled or postponed in a nightmare start to the 2017 steam railtour programme. One of the first tours to be affected was the RailwayTouring Company’s ‘Buxton Spa Express’, booked to run from Manchester Victoria on February 4, behind newly-ticketed BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084 and Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander. Low ticket sales were blamed for this cancellation, despite it being the 4MT’s full-scale main line railtour debut. VintageTrains’‘Valentine’s Diner’, booked to run on February 18, was postponed until March 4 after booked engine, GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, was declared out of gauge (see separate story). VintageTrains also saw its‘Zulu’trip to Didcot Railway Centre cancelled. Again the cancellation is surprising since the Didcot trip was to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of the GWR Paddington-Birkenhead line as a through route.
Gauging problems
An early diesel-hauled cancellation was Pathfinder’s‘Western Glory’Class 52 trip due to run on February 25, but which has now been postponed until next year because of the total failure of D1015 Western Champion (see separate story overleaf). Surprisingly, the RailwayTouring Company’s annual‘Tin Bath’trip, booked to depart Preston on March 5 behind‘Black Fives’No. 45212 and No. 45407, was called off but the tour required two‘Black Fives’because of gauging problems with other available locomotives. It is hoped that the tour will go ahead in November with 8F 2-8-0 power. On March 18, Steam Dreams’ ‘Cathedrals Express’which had been planned to run from Horsted Keynes on
LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61264 crosses the River Tees at Yarm on February 28, running from Grosmont to Keighley for the KWVR gala weekend. Although now fully main line certified, the B1 will return to the NYMR as it is the only locomotive currently certified for working to Whitby. MAURICE BURNS the Bluebell Railway to Worcester was cancelled because of gauging problems at Dormans station near East Grinstead. Although, as reported in news, page 14, Network Rail has sorted the problem, a new date has yet to be announced. RTC’s one-way‘Midday Scot’with Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland from Manchester to Edinburgh was scheduled to go ahead on March 11, but the March 25‘Royal Scot’which would have brought the Pacific back to England was cancelled, leading to a long and unproductive light engine working. Sutherland’s next booking, on Steam Dreams’‘Cathedrals Express’from King’s Cross to Chesterfield is on April 5, but steam haulage will now be on the return run only, again involving considerable light engine mileage.
Steam Dreams’Rainham-Salisbury excursion set for April 8, behind Bulleid West Country light Pacific No. 34046 Braunton has been postponed until September 23. A notional list of steam locomotives available to tour promoters in 2017 includes former Great Western 4-6-0s No. 6023 King Edward II, No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, No. 7029 Clun Castle and No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall.
Southern locos
Southern locomotives which are or may become available during the year are Braunton, Merchant Navy Pacifics No. 35018 British India Line (see separate story, headline news, pages 6-7) and No. 35028 Clan Line and Battle of Britain 4-6-2 No. 34067 Tangmere. A host of‘Black Fives’heads the list of
LMS locomotives in Nos. 44871, 44932, 45305, 45407, 45212 and 45231. Others include Jubilees Nos 45596 Bahamas, 45690 Leander and 45699 Galatea, Royal Scots No. 46100 Royal Scot and No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, 8F 2-8-0 No. 48151 and 4-6-2s No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth and No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland. The LNER is represented by K1 No. 62005, B1s No. 61306 Mayflower and No. 61264, now available again, A3 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado, No. 60103 Flying Scotsman and A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa. BR locomotives include No. 4MT No. 76084 and‘Brits’No. 70000 Britannia and No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell. All locomotives listed include those under repair or in the latter stages of overhaul, or current runners.
Gauging issue forces Vintage Trains reshuffle HAVING set out its main line tour programme to begin with steam in February,VintageTrains was forced to reshuffle trips whenTyseley’s Great Western 4-6-0 No. 4965 RoodAshtonHall, was declared out of gauge. That, coupled with the fact that the much-publicised 50th anniversary‘Zulu’ outing to Didcot behind GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 5043 EarlofMount Edgcumbe was also cancelled, meant that a quick rethink was the order of the day. Intheeventthe‘Valentine‘sExpress’was
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redated torunonMarch4,inplaceofthe ‘Zulu’with theEarlreplacingNo.4965. As for the Hall, reliable sources say that untilTyseley supplies Network Rail’s gauging team, led by Rachel Gilliland, with the 4-6-0’s detailed profile, the engine will remain grounded. The Earl has a much more favourable profile but will be exposed to an extrabusy period until the Hall is gauged or GWR 4-6-0 No. 7029 ClunCastle’s overhaul is completed. Unless more problems arise,Vintage
Trains’season will get under way with the ‘Red Dragon’which, departingWarwick Road on March 11 behind No. 5043, heads for Cardiff, calling at Birmingham Snow Hill, Stourbridge Junction and Worcester Shrub Hill en route. The Earl is back in steam on March 25, heading the‘Welsh Marches Express’from Warwick Road and Snow Hill down Old Hill bank, through Gloucester, Chepstow (photo stop) before turning north at Maindee Junction for Abergavenny and Hereford.
A rerun of the Solihull-Salisbury ‘Moonraker’trip takes place on April 8, the train, hauled by the Castle, picking up at Dorridge,Warwick Parkway and Banbury then proceeding via Oxford, Didcot and Reading. As previously reported, the train has a pathing stop of almost an hour at Didcot providing interested passengers with a quick look around the Great Western Society’s steam centre. April ends with No. 5043 working the ‘LlandudnoVictorian Extravaganza’from Warwick Road, to the seaside.
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On its first full-scale railtour working, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084 pilots LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander away from Great Rocks with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Buxton Spa Express’ on February 25. BRIAN SHARPE
Tornado notches up 90,000 miles since new
ON Saturday, February 11,The A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust’s 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado passed another milestone in its brief main line history by clocking up a total of 90,000 miles since the new build entered service on the Great Central Railway in 2008. Hauling the‘Red Rose’fromVictoria to Shrewsbury, the 4-6-2 hit the 90,000 mileage mark when calling at Cosford on its way toTelford and its final destination. The Cosford stop was particularly interesting inasmuch as the nearby Royal Air Force museum contained one of four prototypes of PanaviaTornado PO2 fast jets built in this country by BAC at Wharton. Highlights of those 90,000 miles include the naming of the 4-6-2 at York by Prince Charles, participation in BBC’s Top Gear and theWinton train commemorating the 70th anniversary of Kindertransport, bringing Jewish children to this country from the continent when the SecondWorldWar loomed. Trust spokesman Graeme Bunker said:“Following No. 60163 Tornado’s rededication last year when the RAF
Marham crest was unveiled on the fireman’s side nameplate, it is highly appropriate that Tornado should reach 90,000 miles in service whilst passing the first British prototypeTornado fast jet at the RAF Museum in Cosford. “Those 90,000 miles have seen Tornado criss-cross Great Britain, a testimony to those supporters who stuck with the project over the 18 years that it took to fundraise and build.” Next year will see the 10th anniversary of the 4-6-2’s completion and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Air Force and the trust will be seeking ways to mark both events. The first half of this year’s A1Trust’s railtour programme reads: March 1, ‘The Saint David’, Paddington to Cardiff; April 29,‘The North Briton’– Leicester to Carlisle; May 1,‘The Heart of Midlothian’, Peterborough to Edinburgh; May 6, ‘The Talisman’, King’s Cross to Darlington and May 29,‘The Cornishman’, Paddington to Penzance. Tickets for these tours are available through the trust’s ticketing agent, UK Railtours.
Robertson to invoke Article 2018! By Cedric Johns IN a highly topical statement, Steam Dreams’chairman Marcus Robertson has revealed that his planning team have been keeping Easyjet in business by shuttling between the UK and Germany, honing the final details of its first steamy foray into the European Union’s heartland. Marcus said he had been keeping his powder dry until next month’s official launch of a nine-day extravaganza in and around the Harz mountain area. “It has taken years working out exactly what we wanted to do and we are pretty much there now and by the end of March I will be invoking Article 2018, announcing our entry into European railways. “‘Harz Mountain Explorer’will mean Harz Mountain Explorer plus plenty of main line steam in and around western and eastern Germany, as well as a short trip on Czech railways steaming to Prague for a day.” Bookings for the event will open as soon as Article 2018 is invoked he said, although advance telephone enquires will be given a priority status. Turning to more immediate matters, Steam Dreams has listed details of motive
power changes affecting its railtours in early spring. On March 1, the traditional St David’s excursion was due to start out of Euston with Class 86 electric Les Ross at the head to run up theWest Coast Main line to Crewe, where LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galateawould take over for the run to Holyhead. However, although the stock arrived at Euston diesel hauled, Les Ross failed atWillesden and with no other locomotive available, the decision was eventually made to cancel the tour. LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 RoyalScot or West Country Pacific No. 34046 Braunton is the choice for a‘Cathedrals Express’ running from Ely and Cambridge to Bath and Bristol on March 7, steam on in west London, Hanwell most likely. No locomotive has yet been allocated to work a trip fromVictoria to Gloucester via Bath on March 21. With all of its planned 2017 trips with Flying Scotsman sold out, Steam Dreams has confirmed that the 4-6-2 will be used on the first day itineraries on two or more of its‘Holidays by Steam’, typically The Emerald Isle and Isle of Man option departingVictoria (seats still available) on June 13.The locomotive will also feature in the‘Moors & Dales’tour in September.
Princess Margaret Rose Tours takes a step back for 2017 MAKING a somewhat surprising decision, PMRTours, the main line tour arm of the Princess Royal Class LocomotiveTrust, has announced that it will not be organising or promoting its own railtours this year. In a statement on its website, a PMR spokesman advised would-be travellers:“Due to the demand from
other tour promoters, the PRCLT trustees have made the decision that there will not be any PMR tours this year. “The trustees fully understand that our highly-valued clients will be disappointed. “The tour promoters who have booked duch*ess of Sutherland have
indicated that anyone wishing to travel behind No. 46233 can do so by reserving a seat on any of the tours advertised by the individual promoters. “Please be aware that as with PMR terms and conditions, it cannot be guaranteed that booked locomotives (the duch*ess) will actually be the one
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used due to possible operational and availability issues on the day.We are confident that PMRTours will be running trains in 2018. Three of the major tour promoters, VintageTrains, the RailwayTouring Company and Steam Dreams have built the duch*ess into this year’s programmes. Heritagerailway.co.uk 59
MAIN LINE NEWS
Western Champion gets money for new engine in just eight days By Cedric Johns & Fred Kerr
AN APPEAL launched by the Diesel Traction Group for £50,000 to obtain a replacement Maybach engine to enable Class 52 Western Region diesel-hydraulic D1015 Western Champion to return to the main line has reached its target within eight days. A number of new shareholders, each contributing a minimum of £1000, became members of the DTG. As reported, the locomotive’s‘B’engine failed in December when D1015 worked the‘Yuletide EastYorkshireman’railtour from Worcester to Scarborough on December 17, the 52 completing its rostered duty on one engine. The subsequent investigation that
identified a fuller extent of the damage revealed a small hole in the crankcase through which it was noted that a main bearing had become displaced, but further investigation would need the engine to be lifted out. The DTG felt that, since main line running required two engines and the spare engine would need up to two years to be readied, the best course of action would be the purchase of a new engine to allow a speedy return to main line action. Contact was made with a German company which was able to quote for a new engine, hence the appeal being made in January. The group published an update saying:“We are really pleased to announce that the appeal, started a
little over a month ago, has achieved its target and will ensure that work replacing‘B’engine will go ahead as quickly as possible. “As of February 11 we have closed the appeal much earlier than anticipated and a huge thanks is due to all who have been so generous in their support for D1015. “It demonstrates the high regard in which the locomotive is held.” The group also added that updates will be issued as work progresses – here in the UK and in Germany – as work continues in restoring the 52 to full health and a return to the main line, hopefully by the end of the year. Initially, work on the replacement engine (in Germany) will allow Western
Champion to be available for work – one engine only – on the Severn Valley Railway. PathfinderTours’Peter Watts confirmed that the tour he had arranged to mark the end of the 52s on the Western Region in 1977 has been postponed until March next year. “All passengers have been advised of the situation and many have chosen to retain their tickets for the delayed ‘Western Glory’trip,” he said. Meanwhile Pathfinder has booked Deltic No. 55009 Alycidon to head its ‘Heart of Wales’tour from Burton-onTrent travelling via New Street and Gloucester to Swansea and returning via the Central Wales line and Shrewsbury on June 17.
Blue Peter moves to the top of the list at Crewe locomotive works By Cedric Johns ONCE contract work on Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 35028 Clan Line is completed at Crewe, A2 4-6-2 No. 60532 Blue Peter will be given priority treatment. Royal Scot & General Locomotive Trust spokesman Peter Greenwood said:“We are concentrating on getting Clan Line out so that we can step up the pace on Blue Peter.
However, GWR 4-6-0 No. 5029 Nunney Castle, once rumoured to be the subject of a fast- track overhaul and expected to be a‘runner’this year, will now not appear, even though work on the 4-6-0’s boiler is making steady progress. LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 4464 Bittern, originally due to start its overhaul early this year, is another engine which will be delayed by preference
beinggiventoNo.35028andNo.60532. Work on the A4 will commence when Blue Peter is finished and steamed prior to being booked for a proving run. Another engine yet to be steamed and main line certified is‘Black Five’4-6-0 No, 45231 The Sherwood Forester. Still at Carnforth, the 4-6-0, needing attention, is nearing completion by
West Coast engineers before being handed over to Locomotive Services Ltd and moved to Crewe. As previously reported, the 4-6-0 will eventually be allocated to Southall. BR 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia, remains at Crewe waiting for its driving wheels due to be returned from the South Devon’s workshops. It is hoped that the‘Brit’will be available and in traffic later this year.
Class 40 No. 40145 leads newly painted No. 40135 out of Milford tunnel past Chevin, Derbyshire, running from Derby RTC to the East Lancashire Railway at Bury on Friday February 17. STEVE DONALD
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Bristol depot with HST line-up scoops rail excellence award ST Philips Marsh Depot in Bristol has been recognised in the GWR Excellence Awards for its contribution to the community. Awarded in the Keeping our Communities Prospering category, at the presentation evening at the Bristol Marriott Hotel on February 3, the depot team raised over £20,000 for local charity Springboard last summer when it opened
their doors to the general public in celebration of 40 years of the High Speed Train, attracting more than 5000 visitors. The focal point for enthusiasts was a unique line-up of Class 43 locomotives fromVirgin East Coast, Network Rail, Grand Central, East MidlandsTrains and GWR. Dan Panes, GWR’s head of external
The unique line-up of five Class 43s at St Philips Marsh. GWR communications, said:“To bring together an event of such size needed an awesome team who successfully met all the challenges put before them; and in so doing raising a staggering amount for a local charity.”
SEE CLASSIC TRACTION ON THE NATIONAL NETWORK By Fred Kerr RECENT reports from Harry Needle Railway Company suggest that the end of Class 20 operation on the main line is nearing, although the company still has eight locomotives available for hire with six currently on hire to GB Railfreight. Nos. 20118/132 are currently based atTonbridge for infrastructure duties while Nos. 20107and 20096 and 20314 and 20905 continue with the transfer of LondonTransport trainsets between Derby andWest Ruislip. GB Railfreight’s re-engineered Class 73/9 locomotives continue to provide interest both in the Network Rail and the Serco Sleeper batches.While the latter operate from Edinburgh, paired with GBRf Class 66/7 locomotives on sleeper portions and move to Loughborough to receive modifications, the former are finding regular use on test trains in the north of England with regular visits to Crewe from where they work around the Liverpool and Manchester network of lines – albeit overnight.They also continue to work infrastructure services aroundTonbridge, where they are normally based, including Network Rail test trains. The use of theTonbridge-based locomotives has highlighted the progress with the re-engineering by Loram whose pair of locomotives (Nos. 73951/2) appears to be still on trial with a recent excursion from Derby to Plymouth on February 7 thought to be part of a mileage accumulation programme. Network Rail continues to use heritage traction with Class 31 No. 31233, introduced to BR service in October 1960 as D5660, attracting interest. In mid-February it spent a few days based at Crewe from where, working in top-and-tail mode with Class 37 No. 97301, it toured local lines with an overnight inspection train. Colas Railfreight Class 37s are finding increasing work with Network Rail but the occasional need for a 100mph locomotive has seen the company buy the pair of Class 67s (Nos. 67023/ 7) recently offered for sale by DB Schenker (DBS). The Class 67 fleet is not yet‘heritage’,
having been first introduced in 1999, but with little work available many class members have been placed into store.The recent purchase by Colas Railfreight has seen a little more activity as DBS operates a driver training run from Derby to Crewe via Lichfield and Stafford for Colas staff and continues to hire three locomotives to ArrivaTrainsWales for its Cardiff – Holyhead service and the NorthWales Coast diagram to Manchester.
Surplus to requirements
While recent interest in Direct Rail Services matters has focused on the arrival of its new locomotive fleet, the company has continued with using its Class 37 fleet – including two locomotives (Nos. 37610/12) that it sold as being surplus to requirements. The latest sale of seven locomotives has seen No. 37601 sold to Europhoenix, Nos. 37607/12 to Harry Needle, Nos. 37610/667 to unknown buyers, No. 37688 to D05 Preservation based on the Dartmoor Railway and Class 47/8 No. 47813 to Rail Operations Group.The D05P has confirmed the purchase of No. 37688 but has yet to advise both the livery and base of the locomotive. Meanwhile attention is focusing on electric traction as the Class 90 fleet is seeing a resurgence in train operation. This move is being led byVirgin Train East Coast where a locomotive is now based at Bounds Green depot while being hired to operate Leeds diagrams. This arrangement will support the ECML services whilst Class 91 locomotives undergo overhaul and maintenance. Class members have also seen use on football charters during February with Nos. 90035 and 90037 seeing use over the weekend of February 11-12 on charters from Euston to Liverpool and Burnley. The four Freightliner examples required for Caledonian Sleeper services are slowly being replaced by modified Class 92s, with their consequent transfer to multiple operation onWCML intermodal services between Daventry and Coatbridge. Although two services
have been identified for pairs of Class 90, the current availability has seen only one service so operated with diesel traction used on the other. This change reflects the usage of Class 92 traction as class members are released from Loughborough after receiving the latest modifications but with only 10 active locomotives (plus six being retained for spares provision) the fleet is seeing increasing use on other GB Railfreight services including the weekly Dollands Moor-Irvine china clay service recently gained from DB Schenker. A recent unexpected working was that of Class 86/2 No. 86259 LesRoss which has been transferred to Rugby for stabling following increased rental charges levied by the owner ofWillesden depot where the locomotive was previously based.
Ailing Class 47
When Class 47/8 No. 47815 met problems at Rugby on February 15 while working a Rail Operations Group move of Class 319/4 No. 319450 fromWolverton to Allerton, No. 86259 was used to haul the ensemble to Allerton then worked to Carlisle with the ailing Class 47. It was noted two days later hauling the Class 47 and the barrier coaches en route to GlasgowWorks via Mossend. The Class 86/2 is available for hire to Rail Operations Group, which is now contracted to transfer new Class 707 EMU trainsets from Dollands Moor to Clapham Junction in addition to its contract to transfer stored Class 442 EMU trainsets to Ely for warm storage. Elsewhere the interest still continues with the operation of Class 56 traction. While class members are operated by both Colas Rail and UK Rail Leasings (UKRL), observations indicate that the Colas Railfreight examples are regular traction for theWashwood Heath – Boston steel service and a number of Network Rail track maintenance vehicles stock moves while UKRL are used on spot-hire moves which operate at short notice. Yet again 2017 is set to be a year for continuing heritage traction use and it will be interesting to see what changes, if any, arise from the decision to leave the EU.
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MAIN LINE NEWS
WITH FULL REGULATOR LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW
By Don Benn THIS time I am covering the work of the unsung and often unloved workhorses of the 1960s – the BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0s.These moderately-sized locos did a vast amount of work on every region and while they were ideally suited to seven or eight coach trains, they could handle heavy trains booked for class 7 or 8 Pacifics and often saved the day in the last years of Southern steam. Their tractive effort was 26,120lb compared to 27,715lb for a Bulleid light Pacific or 33,495lb for a Merchant Navy.The earlier locomotives introduced from 1951 hadWalschaerts valve gear and a batch of later engines numbered from 73125 to 73154 were fitted with Caprotti gear.These engines could run just as fast as the Walschaerts locos but were said to be weaker on hills. Five Standard 5MTs are preserved, Nos. 73050, 73082,
73096, 73129 and 73156 but only one, No. 73082 Camelot is currently operational, on the Bluebell Railway. No. 73096 is the only one to have worked on the main line but it’s currently under overhaul. It produced very good performances, some of which are covered later. Some of the Southern-based engines took the names of withdrawn N15 King Arthur 4-6-0s, for which they were in my view worthy successors. All of my experiences with the Standard 5s were on the Southern or in Scotland.Their booked work in the last years of steam on SouthWest lines was mainly on theWaterloo to Basingstoke semi-fast trains and on some of the sometimes heavy commuter trains to and fromWaterloo, on which they excelled. (See my book Southern Day Rail Rovers available from Amazon for train running logs and photos of the 5s on these trains.) They also worked some of the slower Bournemouth trains for which they were ideally suited and could keep
the 88/89 minute Southampton toWaterloo bookings on eight coaches with ease. For instance on June 5, 1965, driver Jackson of Nine Elms had No. 73092 on the 2.20pm BournemouthWest toWaterloo with eight for 285 tons and ran up from Southampton toWaterloo in 85 minutes 50 seconds with speed held above 50mph all the way up Roundwood bank and the upper 60s to low 70s afterwards. The net time of 83 minutes would have kept the two hour train booking.They could also struggle if overloaded such as on November 21, 1966 when No. 73085 was asked to take 13 coaches for 475 tons covering for a Merchant Navy Pacific on the 1.30pm fromWaterloo. It lost 21 minutes to Basingstoke with no higher speed than 53mph. However, with the right handling they could do well on heavy trains and one such run is shown in table one.This was the day after the signalbox collapse at
TABLE ONE: WATERLOO TO WEYMOUTH Date Train Loco Load Driver Recorder
Tuesday, May 11, 1965 6.30pm Waterloo to Weymouth BR Standard class 5 4-6-0 No. 73117 Vivien 12 coaches, 403 tons tare, 435 tons gross Hutton, Bournemouth MPD DB
miles Waterloo 0.00 Vauxhall 1.29 Queens Road 2.81 Clapham Junction 3.93 Earlsfield 5.58 Wimbledon 7.24 Raynes Park 8.64 New Malden 9.78 Berrylands 10.98 Surbiton 12.04 Hampton Court Jct 13.34 Esher 14.39 Hersham 15.91 Walton 17.08 Oatlands Box 18.12 Weybridge 19.15 Byfleet & New Haw20.40 West Byfleet 21.68 Woking 24.29 Woking Jct 24.75 Brookwood 27.99 Pirbright Jct 29.49 MP 31 31.00 Sturt Lane Jct 32.15 Farnborough 33.20 Fleet 36.48 Winchfield 39.83 Hook 42.16 Newnham Siding 43.70 Basingstoke 47.75 Worting Jct 50.26 Wootton Box 52.50 Steventon Box 53.95 Waltham Box 55.10 Roundwood Box 56.20 Micheldever 58.05 Weston Box 60.20 Wallers Ash Box 61.70 MP63 63.10 Winchester Jct 64.45 Winchester City 66.60
sched 0.00 7.00
18.00
28.00
52.00
66.00 69.00
mins 00 03 06 09 13 15 17 18 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 33 33 37 39 40 42 43 46 49 51 53 56 59 61 63 64 65 67 69 70 71 72 74
secs 00 36 21 24 19 46 30 49 06 16 36 37 08 16 18 19 35 47 28 54 27 17 53 13 17 27 29 44 11 56 31 59 30 36 42 22 04 15 13 12 39
net time 69 minutes services disrupted by Clapham Junction signalbox collapse
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speed 33/23* sigs 36 14* sigs 37½ 45 51 54 55 56 60½ 61½ 62½ 61 58½ 60 65 63½ 59 57½ 53½ 53 52½ 57½ 59½ 63/67½ 64/63 64½/63 65½/68½ 63 56 54 61 62½ 65½ 71½ 77½ 81 83 84 BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73096 leaves Clapham Junction with Steam Dreams’ ‘Sunny South Special’ to Weymouth on July 9, 2004. DON BENN Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway
TABLE TWO: WATERLOO TO EXMOUTH AND SIDMOUTH Date Train Loco Load Driver Recorder
With Willie Jardine leaning out of the cab, No. 73149 enters Gleneagles with the 10am Dundee to Glasgow on June 4, 1965. DON BENN Clapham Junction and there was still some disruption, though most trains ran.Today no doubt such an event would cause a complete shutdown of the whole of the SWT network for days if not weeks while blame was established and checks made on every lineside structure of any sort! In the 1960s of course life just went on and the effect on steam-hauled main line services was minimal after the first day being limited mainly to stock and locomotives being trapped in the wrong places. For me, on the 6.30pmWaterloo toWeymouth, it meant a five minute late departure and BR Standard 5MT No. 73117 Vivienup front on the normal 12 coaches for 435 tons, instead of the booked Merchant Navy. I had earlier gone down toWoking on the 5.09pm commuter train behind Standard 5MT No. 73093 which on nine coaches for 315 tons had kept time with Basingstoke driverWarren in charge. Returning toWaterloo behindWarship D832, I saw the Standard on the 6.30pm down and decided to try my luck in the hope of getting one of the better Bournemouth top link drivers. Fortunately it was driver Hutton and he did very well with No.73117 on the heavy load. After checks at the start we had a clear road to the first stop atWinchester, then booked in 69 minutes for the 66.60 miles. BeforeWoking the maximum speed was 65 at Byfleet Junction and this fell to 52½ at the summit of the climb from Byfleet, not bad and certainly better than some of the dreary performances I timed with Pacifics on this train.Things then picked up somewhat and with the safety valves lifting at Fleet, Hutton began to work the engine harder. At 68½mph before Basingstoke saw us pastWorting with lots of noise up front 7½ minutes down on schedule, but only two minutes lost allowing for the checks.The minimum atWootton was a very good 54mph and then Hutton really let the engine run down the bank with plenty of steam available.The 84mph atWinchester Junction was one of my highest with the class on the Southern, though I did time a 90mph at Byfleet Junction on July 3, 1963 with 73155 on the lightly loaded 7.40pm Bournemouth toWaterloo, during a week of very good runs on this train.We had lost just 5½ minutes on the booking, a gain of two minutes fromWorting and the net time of 69 minutes equalled the schedule. On summer Saturdays in 1965, extra trains ran from Waterloo at 8am, 10am and noon to Exmouth and Sidmouth to bolster the standard two-hourly Exeter service. Although these trains were booked for diesel haulage with tight schedules they were largely steamhauled and the Bulleid light Pacifics had little trouble keeping time with the 10 coach loads. On Saturday, July 24, however, Nine Elms turned out Standard 5MT No. 73022 for the 8am train and although the drivers did their best, time could not be kept.The Salisbury to Sidmouth Junction section is shown in table two and driver Hooper of Salisbury turned in a valiant effort, only losing just over two minutes on the diesel booking to the Axminster stop.The long drag up to Semley summit pulled speed back to 44½mph but the
engine was allowed to run fast downhill to gain impetus for each ensuing climb but inevitably speed fell sharply at each summit. The slog up the 1-in-80 of Honiton bank saw speed rise to 27mph at the top.This run makes an interesting comparison with the run in table three where No. 73096 worked from Clapham Junction to Exeter on July 6, 2003, standing in for Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35005 CanadianPacific.With 11 coaches for 400 tons compared to the 10 for 360 tons and the late Brian Dudley-Ward driving, it definitely had the edge topping Honiton bank at 32mph minimum and that with a slight slip. LeavingYeovil Junction late, this train remarkably had a clear run right through to Exeter. Brian was a great driver and is much missed. I am grateful to David Sprackland for this log and also for the four runs shown in table four. David kindly sent me a big selection and I have chosen these four to demonstrate the consistently high standard of work produced by No. 73096 with drivers Kirk and Dudley-Ward. The run from Salisbury to Andover stands out to me as being just as good as the Bulleid Pacifics were producing on the semi-fast trains in the 1960s. Not shown but of equal merit was No. 73096 on 350 tons climbing the 1-in-252 of Roundwood at 59-60mph on November 2, 2003. Driver J Smith and firemanWThompson (now a well known driver with DBC) were in charge. There was also an even time run behind No. 73096 fromTaunton to a signal stop just past Fairwood Junction on May 26, 2004, 46.3 miles in 45 minutes 43 seconds.The minimum at SomertonTunnel was 62mph and it was 49 over Bruton after many miles at 63-72 mph. Brian Dudley-Ward and firemanTreeby were in charge. In Scotland at the time of my visits, the Caprotti 5MTs had charge of many of the Dundee to Glasgow semi-fast trains and they generally turned in good performances. Table five shows the work of St Rollox driverWillie Jardine on the 10am from DundeeWest on June 4, 1965. He worked No. 73149 very hard most of the way and had time to spare throughout on this tightly-timed train, getting very close to even time from the starts at both Gleneagles and Cumbernauld with this 255 ton train, an ideal load. I had some high speeds on the 1.15pm from Glasgow down Auchterarder bank, such as on October 29, 1965 when No. 73153 touched 82mph on the descent after falling to 33 on the climb past Kinbuck.The time of 36 minutes 20 seconds for the 33.05 miles from Stirling to Perth was nicely inside the 38 minute schedule and fairly typical. HowevermyhighestspeedwithaStandard5MT inScotlandwasn’twithaCaprotti5anditwasn’tona Dundeetrain,butwasonthesummerSaturday10.10am AberdeentoEustonwhichattachedtheAberdeenportion atPerth.ThistrainwasusuallylightlyloadedandonJuly 8,1965hadfourcoachesfor155tonsandNo.73008in charge.ItwasfineandsunnywhenwelefttheGranite CitybutwasraininghardbythetimeweleftForfarforthe booked35minutesprintoverthe32.5milestoPerth. Table six shows this remarkable little cameo and
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Saturday, July 24, 1965 8am Waterloo to Exmouth and Sidmouth BR Standard class 5 4-6-0 No. 73022 10 coaches, 328 tons tare, 360 tons gross Hooper, Salisbury MPD DB
miles 0.00 1.70 2.50 8.30 12.60 17.60 21.70 23.95 25.95 28.50 29.70 30.90 34.55 39.15 41.40 42.70 46.45 47.95 49.70 50.60 56.00 58.45 61.10 0.00 MP146¼ 1.60 Seaton Junction 3.25 0.00 MP149½ 1.70 MP150½ 2.70 MP151½ 3.70 MP152½ 4.70 MP153½ 5.70 Honiton 6.90 MP158 10.20 Sidmouth Junction 11.65
Salisbury MP85¼ Wilton South Dinton Tisbury Semley Gillingham MP107½ MP109½ Templecombe MP113¼ Milbourne Port Sherborne Yeovil Junction Sutton Bingham MP126¼ MP130 Crewkerne MP133¼ Hewish Crossing Chard Junction MP142 Axminster
sched 0.00 5.30
63.00 0.00 8.00 0.00
18.00
mins 00 03 05 12 17 23 26 28 31 32 34 35 38 42 45 46 50 51 53 54 59 62 65 00 03 05 00 04 07 09 11 13 15 17 20
secs 00 56 20 20 17 12 56 54 03 43 14 38 59 56 05 38 09 26 52 56 56 07 23 00 20 35 00 46 02 16 29 32 00 55 32
speed 30 46 55½/51 53½/54½ 44½ 78 61 78 64½ 47½ 57 79 67½ 61 51 72½ 63 40/38 53 71½/70 72½ 53 22/27 26 27½ 27 30½ 58 74/76
TABLE THREE: CLAPHAM JCT TO EXETER ST DAVIDS Date Train Loco Load Driver Weather Position Recorder
July 6, 2003 8.45am Clapham Junction to Exeter St Davids BR Standard class 5 4-6-0 No. 73096 11 coaches, 370 tons tare 400 tons gross B Dudley-Ward Hazy sun, light NW wind, dry rails 2nd coach David Sprackland
Yeovil Junction Sutton Bingham
miles sched 0.00 0.00 2.25
mins 00 05
MP130¼ Crewkerne MP133¼ Chard Junction Axminster MP146½ Seaton Junction MP152½ Honiton MP158¼ Sidmouth Junction MP161 Whimple Broad Clyst Pinhoe Exmouth Jct Exeter Central Exeter St Davids
7.65 8.80 10.65 16.85 21.95 23.95 25.30 29.95 32.15 35.65 36.75 38.45 40.50 44.20 46.05 47.85 48.90 49.55
14 15 18 24 27 32 34 42 47 49 49 51 53 56 57 59 61 64
24.00
45.00
59.00 63.00 76.00 79.00
* brakes or speed restriction net time 59 minutes
secs speed 00 56 34/55 Bridge Restriction24* 00 49½ 27 45 23 34½ 42 72/74½ 57 71 00 29* tsr 25 35½/40 37 32 54 60 01 73/64 58 66½/71 28 65½ 05 76/78 00 77 35 61½ 21 30 41
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TABLE FOUR: RUNS WITH BR STANDARD CLASS 460 NO 73096 All timed by David Sprackland Date Train Load Driver Position
August 18, 2004 8.23am Kensington Olympia to Weymouth 11 coaches, 361 tons tare 385 tons gross P Kirk 2nd coach
Dorchester South MP163¼ MP164¼ Bincombe SB MP166 Upwey Weymouth
miles 0.00 1.39 2.39 2.55 4.14 4.50 6.86
Date Train Load Crew Position
March 15, 2003 8am Waterloo Exeter St Davids 10 coaches, 331 tons tare 355 tons gross P Kirk and K Treeby 2nd coach
Overton Whitchurch Hurstbourne MP62½ Andover Red Post Jct MP68½ Grateley MP73¼ Allington Jct SB Porton Tunnel Jct Salisbury
miles 0.00 3.55 5.59 7.00 10.80 12.10 13.00 17.15 17.75 20.00 22.74 27.01 28.11
Date Train Load Crew Position
March 15, 2003 8am Waterloo Exeter St Davids 10 coaches, 331 tons tare 355 tons gross P Kirk and K Teeeby 2nd coach
2
sched 0.00
14.00
⁄3 Regulator and 50% cut off to Bincombe SB !
net time 29½ minutes
sched 0.00
32.00
secs 00 30 54 08 50 15 09
mins 00 05 07 09 12
secs 00 17 33 32 49
14 18 18 20 23 27 31
42 14 51 51 02 48 48
speed 68 41* 50/79 72 70 73 65 64½ 69 77/79 27*
Salisbury Tunnel Jct Porton Allington Jct Grateley MP68½ Red Post Jct Andover
miles 0.00 1.10 5.37 8.17 10.96 15.17 16.01 17.31
22.00
21
secs 00 26 50 59 54 14 14
Applies to all runs * brakes or speed restriction, permanent or temporary
66 Heritagerailway.co.uk
although the 87mph over the river at Cargill and 88 at Lancarty required little effort, they were a complete surprise and sufficient to give a start to stop average of 68.56mph to the signal stop outside Perth, no doubt for the calling on signal to be released for us to join the main train.This was my last run of five days in Scotland and it
speed 32 20* sigs 38 70 69/60 61/73
speed -/49½ 49/48 54 65½/76 74½ 69
was a very satisfied young train timer who dozed his way south behind D364 and E3124, but awake enough at Carlisle to note No. 46115 Scots Guardsman awaiting its next turn of duty. Next time I hope to coverTornado’s St David’s day trip to Cardiff, booked to return via Sapperton.
TABLE FIVE: DUNDEE WEST TO GLASGOW Date Train Loco Load Driver Recorder Weather
June 4, 1965 10am Dundee West to Glasgow BR Standard class 5 4-6-0 No. 73149 6 coaches and 1 van, 240 tons tare 255 tons gross Willie Jardine DB Warm and sunny
miles 0.00 2.20 4.45 6.45 9.65 11.45 12.30 0.00 Bridge of Allen 2.05 Cornton Box 3.00 Stirling 4.90 0.00 Polmasie 1.50 Bannockburn 2.40 Plean 4.15 MP113 5.25 Alloa Jct SB 5.90 Larbert 8.10 0.00 Larbert Jct 0.60 Carmuirs SB 1.25 MP108 2.15 Greenhill 3.55 Castlecary SB 5.35 MP103 7.15 MP102 8.15 Cumbernauld 8.95 0.00 Madgescroft 1.75 Garnqueen N Jct SB 4.20 Gartcosh 5.95 Garnkirk 7.20 Stepps 8.65 Robroyston 9.75 Milton Jct SB 10.45 St Rollox 12.15 Glasgow Buchanon St 13.15 Gleneagles Blackford Carsebreck Box Greenloaning Kinbuck MP124 Dunblane
July 6, 2003 6.35pm Yeovil Junction to Clapham Junction 11 coaches, 370 tons tare 400 tons gross B Dudley-Ward 6th coach Fine, hazy sun, light NW wind mins 00 03 08 11 14 18
No. 73117 Vivien on the 12.39pm Waterloo to Basingstoke passes Byfleet Junction on May 16, 1964. DON BENN Right: No. 73096 passes Headcorn at 75mph with the 4.50pm Faversham to Victoria, complete with hot air balloon, on August 31, 2003. DON BENN
Date Train Load Driver Position Weather
sched 0.00
secs 00 06 33 08 37 28 59 19
44½ 42 41 64 55*
miles 0.00 1.70 2.50 3.95 8.30 12.60 17.60 21.70
32.00
mins 00 04 06 09 13 17 21 28
speed
Salisbury MP85¼ Wilton South MP87½ Dinton Tisbury Semley Gillingham
net time 27½ minutes
sched 0.00
mins 00 03 04 05 06 07 12
sched mins 0.00 00 04 06 07 10 11 15.00 13 0.00 00 03 04 7.00 06 0.00 00 03 04 06 07 08 11.00 11 0.00 00 01 02 03 05 07 09 10 13.00 11 0.00 00 03 05 06 08 09 10 12 14 18.00 15
secs 00 16 19 52 22 46 18 00 02 01 23 00 06 15 23 47 32 37 00 46 30 51 49 38 26 25 27 00 10 28 57 00 09 15 08 09 58
speed 58½ 74 78 75 79 64 68 47½ 46 43½ 62½ 47* tsr/51 41 45½ 44½ 44 63 61½ 60 60 67½ 74 76/75 77½ 24* tsr 55 61½
No. 73096 on the 1.35pm Shepherd Neame ‘Spitfire’ special from Faversham on August 31, 2003. DON BENN
TABLE SIX: ABERDEEN TO LONDON EUSTON Date Train Loco Load Recorder Weather
July 8, 1965 10.10am Aberdeen to London Euston BR Standard class 5 4-6-0 No. 73008 4 coaches, 142 tons tare 155 tons gross DB Heavy rain
Forfar Forfar South Box Kirriemuir Box Glamis Eassie Alyth Junction Ardler Box Ardler Coupar Angus Burrelton Cargill Ballathie Stanley Junction Strathord Luncarty Almond Valley Jct
miles 0.00 0.70 2.85 5.65 7.85 11.90 13.15 14.20 16.65 18.85 21.20 23.05 25.30 27.35 28.30 30.85
MP 152
31.80
Perth
32.50
sched 0.00
13.00
25.00
35.00
mins 00 01 04 06 08 11 12 13 15 17 18 20 21 23 23 25 sigs stop 27 30 31
secs 00 55 29 54 37 45 45 30 19 00 44 02 44 15 56 42
speed
50 02 34
0*
38 63 73 78 77½ 79 80½ 82/83 78 86/87 84 80 85 88 86½
net time 28 minutes start to stop average : 61.78 mph start to stop average to sigs stop: 68.56 mph
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MAIN LINE ITINERARY
LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado emerges from the north portal of Blea Moor tunnel with a Northern Rail Skipton-Appleby service on February 14. TREVOR LAW
March SAT 11: ‘Cathedrals Express’ Southend, Bristol and return. Steam hauled: Hanwell, Bristol and return. Loco: No. 46100 Royal Scot. SD SAT 11: ‘Cumbrian Mountain Steam Express’ Scarborough, Preston, Carlisle and return. Steam hauled: Preston, Carlisle. Loco: No. 46115 Scots Guardsman. WCR SAT 11: ‘Mid Day Scot’ Manchester Victoria, Shap, Beattock, Edinburgh and return. Steam hauled: Manchester, Edinburgh. Loco: No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland. RTC SAT 18: ‘Bath & Bristol’ Three Bridges, Salisbury, Bristol and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 34046 Braunton. RTC
SAT 18: ‘Whitby Flyer’ York, Darlington, Whitby and return. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 76084 and 61264. RTC TUES 21: ‘Cathedrals Express’ Victoria, Salisbury, Bath, Gloucester and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: TBA. SD WED 22: ‘Salopian Express’ Dumfries, Shrewsbury and return. Steam hauled: Crewe, Shrewsbury, Chester, Crewe. Loco: TBA. WCR SAT 25: ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ Euston, Shap, Carlisle and return via Whitehaven. Steam hauled: Carnforth, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 46115 Scots Guardsman. RTC SAT 25: ‘Welsh Marches’ Tyseley, Hereford and return via Wellington.
Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT FRI 31: ‘Surrey Hills Luncheon’ Victoria, Guildford, Redhill, Victoria. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60163 Tornado. BEL FRI 31: ‘Flying Scotsman’ Oxenhope, Settle, Carlisle and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. KWVR
April SAT 1: ‘Cathedrals Express’ Kettering, Bristol and return. Steam hauled: Hanwell, Bristol and return. Loco: TBA. SD WED 5: ‘Cathedrals Express’ King’s Cross, Chesterfield and return. Steam hauled: Chesterfield, King’s Cross. Loco: No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland. SD
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Tour Promoters BEL
Belmond Pullman 0845 077 2222
KWVR Keighley & Worth Valley Railway 01535 645214. RTC
Railway Touring Company 01553 661500
SD
Steam Dreams 01483 209888
VT
Vintage Trains 0121 708 4960
WCR
West Coast Railways 01524 737751.
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.
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68 Heritagerailway.co.uk
NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL
Whyy steam needs a
90mph LIMIT
There has been considerable debate recently about raising the speed limit for main line steam to 90mph and Tornado is about to undertake some experimental runs. John Forman argues that it is time for a more realistic assessment of high speed steam performance on the main line.
LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman speeds past Melton Ross near Barnetby. GRAHAM NUTTALL
70 Heritagerailway.co.uk
LNER A4 Pacific No. 4464 Bittern speeds down Dronfield bank on April 16 2012. ROBERT FALCONER
F
irst of all, it is completely wrong to belittle a steam locomotive’s ability by pretending that it is incapable of still performing at its design output. The 75mph straightjacket is a classic “catch-22” situation – assert loudly enough that steam cannot exceed 75mph and, hey-presto, you have the perfect self-fulfilling prophecy! Since it can’t go above 75mph, then clearly it is a total nuisance on the main line. But in fact the 75mph limit is an arbitrary and emotive limitation, devoid of engineering integrity, but which nevertheless condemns a steam charter to visit every siding on the main line, annoying absolutely everyone – passengers and operators alike. If you deliberately hamstring a racehorse, then why complain that it can’t keep up with the field? An engine which is passed as fit to run on the main line should surely be allowed to run at its design speed – as indeed are preserved diesels such as Brush Type 4s or Deltics, which are both almost as old as Duke of Gloucester, much older than Tornado, and have certainly had a far harder life! Design speed for the modern Pacifics was generally well above the blanket signalling limit of 90mph, and even LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s were permitted – indeed expected - to do this speed when circ*mstances required. So let’s examine this dismal 75mph mantra in more detail. It is glibly asserted that steam seldom went above 75mph in steam days, and 90mph was virtually unheard of. What is not said is that this was because BR had a line limit of 90mph anyway, due mainly to clockwork signalling controlled by manual ‘boxes at three mile intervals, and unenterprising schedules because the inevitable penalty for speeding was to catch up with an unfitted coal train hauled by an 0-6-0. Conditions which simply do not exist on today’s main lines!
Over 100mph
But even this paints a false picture – my own BR timing days in the late 50s and early 60s were mainly on the old LSWR, where I (and many others) have often personally recorded speeds well in excess of 90mph (and, say it not too loudly, actually over 100mph!) – and this with engines which (particularly after 1964) had been deprived of any proper maintenance for years (and which today, rightly, would not be allowed to run at all). The reality today is that the major preserved express engines are in far better condition than BR ever maintained them, which is reflected in standards of main line performance between 10% and 20% better than these same engines ever achieved in normal daily service! One reported comment from a senior BR manager in the 1960’s stated “3,000 HP was needed, but the best a Class 8 Pacific could do over any distance was 1,500 HP”. But this is a typically disingenuous statement – it simply
doesn’t compare like with like! In 1960, this ECML manager was talking about a Deltic, which was indeed rated at 3,300HP – but not at the drawbar (which is normally EDHP). Yet EDHP is the very basis then quoted, in the same line of this comparison, for steam! In fact all the major Pacifics were readily capable of maximum bursts of around 2,500 - 3,000 Indicated HP (ie the power developed in the cylinders, just as for the Deltic’s rating). Certainly a Deltic performed better than an A4 over long distances, for obvious reasons (it doesn’t require a human being to fire it!), but that does not mean steam cannot still provide high quality performance! It can, and does! Particularly when so many steam runs today effectively have two firemen, which much reduces the major (human) factor limiting steam. And, contrary to the impression often given, 90mph on favourable main lines is no big deal, and requires only a fraction of that power anyway. Let me put power outputs into perspective. Main lines are not generally level, so an average power output over any distance contains a recurring mixture of uphills and downhills,
“The reality today is that the major preserved express engines are in far better condition that BR ever maintained them” where steam could average out its efforts (just like a cyclist does). A good BR-era run, published in 1958, with a high mileage LMS duch*ess Pacific only 17 days prior to its next heavy intermediate repair, shows No. 46242 City of Glasgow hauling 14 coaches (525 tons gross), on the 80-minute ‘Midday Scot’ schedule to Rugby, and averaging 68mph for just under an hour. This required an average of 1,920 IHP, and 1,325 EDHP, but maximum outputs were 2,500 IHP (1,850 EDHP). This was common fare - every day on this train duch*esses had to maintain long distances at around 2,200 IHP. So much for the 1960s “expert”. Now consider a preservation era run with A4 Union of South Africa running from Newcastle to York in an actual time of 75min 10 secs for the 80.1 miles – with 13 coaches grossing 500 tons. This was under the 75mph regime, though in the days when the driver (now retired) could still get away with 80mph – but certainly nothing like the speeds on this racetrack for which the A4s are rightly famous. This was unheard of running in BR days with this load (it would have been checked for certain!), yet in fact over the level sections of the Plain of York it required only an average of 925 EDHP and 1,535 IHP
to cover 52 miles at an average speed of exactly 80mph – the engine was not being unduly pressed at all.
Every bit the equal
Right up to date, look at A4 No. 4464 Bittern on the temporary 90mph limit – with only 380 gross tons, we ran 45.29 miles from Potters Bar to the signal stop at Huntingdon in 38m.04 secs, at an average speed of 71.4 mph start to stop. Yet this required an average of only 820 EDHP (1,600 IHP) over the 90 mph section – the engine was simply playing with the train and, as Don Clarke told me afterwards, he never had her above 15% cut-off. This was running every bit the equal of the prewar LNER ‘Coronation/Silver Jubilee’. Incidentally, one other highly relevant point when comparing BR steam performance to the modern main line is that today all track is welded, which at 90mph with 500 tons saves over 170 HP. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado in particular continues to set uphill power output levels far in excess of this – for instance running up “The Hill” from Peterborough to Grantham goods loop start to stop in even time with 13 coaches, 500 tons gross, passing Stoke at 73mph, yet while not being allowed to exceed the 75mph limit anywhere. This required over 18 minutes at 2,500 IHP average, with a maximum within a whisker of 3,000 IHP! An even more dramatic performance, again with 515 tons gross, was to achieve even time by Beattock summit (24.3 miles), passed at 67mph, from the start at Carstairs - and clocking up a maximum of 3,220 IHP in the process. Apart from the fact that Tornado then ran down the whole length of Beattock bank with the brakes on, this was running today that puts even the ‘golden era’ of BR steam performance right into the shade! But the major point which critics always miss is that insisting on a 75mph limit is to completely ignore the fundamental feature of normal steam running, which was that speed was deliberately used on downhill sections so that it stored kinetic energy, which provided free impetus for the next rising section. The classic case was the old LSWR, where even in Victorian times diminutive T9 4-4-0s timed fast expresses over a massive switchback, thanks to running (even then) almost up to 90mph on the downhill sections. Yet I’ll bet the riding of those engines was superb, as it was on the Bulleid Pacifics on which I have enjoyed remarkably smooth highspeed running! This was far better than, say, the ghastly, track-destroying rides provided by the early-series electrics on the WCML. Or the current equally track-destroying unsprung bogie-mounted motors on many diesels, which are far more punishing on the track than any
Heritagerailway.co.uk 71
hammer-blow from a steam engine. (And why is such an absurd issue always made of this irrelevant excuse anyway – 25,000 steam locomotives ran the railways every day for over 150 years without any problems, and today’s high-speed tracks are infinitely stronger than BR ever made them). Now consider the present scenario, when steam descending from Shap or Beattock in either direction faces over 30 miles of continuous braking, literally every two minutes – and for what? All that does is block up the section for the train behind it, and meanwhile wasting brake blocks and fuel. In fact the 75mph limit is a farce in these conditions – but rather than addressing the problem, steam is instead shunted into every siding possible. No one is asking for an A4 ever to do 126mph again – but please don’t stop it from running at its normal designed speed levels.
Thrown out the chimney
In fact, the essence of good driving with steam on a high speed main line is to maintain as even a demand on the boiler as possible – which was precisely why a good steam run provided high maximum speeds. If speed is kept artificially low by continuous braking in order to observe an irrelevant and pointless limit, then energy is completely wasted – literally thrown out of the chimney! Even worse, the engine then has to work even harder on the next section than it needed to, which completely contradicts good steam boiler management. To watch an experienced steam driver on an express was to see constant adjustments to the cut-off, so that power output was kept as nearly as possible to an even tempo for a given schedule – no easing (and certainly no braking) on downhill sections, and thus less power demanded on the next rising section. The happiest man on the footplate was the fireman of a good driver who kept a level demand on his fire, rather than one who alternated between periods of unnecessarily hard running and then hectic braking when he caught up with a coal train! Comment has been made to dismiss a speed increase from 75 to 90mph as irrelevant anyway, since it saves so little time. So applying this argument to today’s railway, then perhaps all trains should be limited to 75mph averages – think how much that would save nationally on fuel and maintenance? (And punctuality!). The time saved (for UK distances, at least) by increasing speeds from say 110mph to 125mph is indeed marginal (due to the law of diminishing returns for time as speed increases) – which does mean, of course, that it is much more difficult, perhaps even impossible, to then recover two minutes lost on a 125mph booking (hence NR’s disingenuous definition of 10 minutes late as still being “on time”!). If you time to the limit of the track, then the very mathematics postulated by this assertion means that any margin for recovery goes out of the window! At lower speeds this is far less relevant – so a late-running steam charter booked at around even time, but restricted to 75mph, has no realistic opportunity whatsoever to restore itself to its correct path. But allowing it to run at 90mph would provide exactly that! This is precisely why the absurd and mechanically unnecessary 75mph limit needs to be abolished. What steam really requires is a mind-set which NR engineers have lost. It is pointless to time preserved steam at 90mph up hill and down dale, as you would for a Class 91 electric
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with its huge power - (train) weight ratio. What are required are schedules which use steam’s natural high speed capability on easy sections, and permit some leeway on the harder sections. I have attached three simulated logs (courtesy of Doug Landau), showing the power output required for a fast performance by a Class 8 Pacific hauling nearly 500 tons from King’s Cross to Peterborough – Simulation A is limited to 75mph and 2,200 IHP, and it is immediately apparent that the running completely disregards a steam engine’s basic need for a constant boiler rate. To keep a fast schedule of 70 minutes (65mph) to Peterborough, it alternates erratically between high power and drifting – which is in effect exactly what is enforced today on a fast steam run. There have been innumerable runs with engines in preservation which have produced 60- 65mph start-to-stop averages without exceeding 75mph, by the simple expedient of untypical, wildly erratic performances (often even braking on easy sections!) trying desperately to maintain this arbitrary 75mph limit up hill and down dale. But at what cost? Simulation B log shows how little opportunity steam has to recover lost time within the 75 mph limit– say a delayed start from King’s Cross. Even allowing the power to increase to a maximum of 2,500 IHP, doesn’t work – at the most, it pulls back barely a minute, mainly on the start. Steam is simply not permitted to work in its normal manner, and the result is a straightjacket. Then compare this with simulation C, which permits 90mph running wherever the engine can do this in its natural stride, but allowing speed to fall on harder sections. Firstly, even with maximum power held back to the original
“The happiest man on the footplate was the fireman of a good driver who kept a level demand on his fire rather than one who alternated between hard running and hectic braking" 2.200 IHP maximum, the more natural running and, more importantly the much more constant demand on the boiler, actually regains over six minutes. Without any appreciable extra effort, an average start-to stop speed of over 70mph is returned. It is certainly inevitably eased on very easy sections (say after Hitchin, where A4s would run on a breath of steam into the high 90s - and sometimes a lot more!), but everywhere else it is actually kept at a very easy stride. The average power may appear higher, but this is largely because the effort is maintained at a comfortable level throughout, without long periods of artificial restraint - in fact often actual braking, where the earlier simulations simply throw the engine’s power out of the chimney. These simulations are obviously idealised, and with no recovery for delays – but they do demonstrate the real hamstringing effect of the 75mph limit. Such schedules did not figure in steam days, at least with this load, since the BR policy was that steam schedules were designed to be also kept by run-down engines or else a lower power class (and also had to take account of all those coal trains hauled by 0-6-0s). Not
so now - all today’s major steam engines can be guaranteed to be in good, almost ex-works condition, and can be timed accordingly. The whole point of these simulations is to demonstrate that even this modest increase in maximum speed permits six minutes to be cut from the schedule, and gives a start-tostop average of over 70mph – and all for very little extra effort from the engine. Even more to the point, there are no stupid brakings, and no sudden, savage thrashes. Incidentally, you will note that this running is almost exactly what Bittern produced on its recent 90mph sprint – as stated earlier, it averaged 71.4mph start-to-stop from Potters Bar to the signal stop at Huntingdon.
Absolute doddle
The IHP figures were lower, but it only had ten coaches – in fact, the power outputs on that run were an absolute doddle for an A4, even when accelerating to 90mph on the high speed sections. It was in fact worked far harder afterwards on the climb to Stoke, topped at 73mph (which it was forced to maintain from the imposed 75mph speed limit at the start of the climb, instead of a fairly easily achievable 85-88mph). But note my earlier comment that Tornado has topped Stoke several times at 75mph with 500 tons, even though kept within the 75mph limit, so Bittern was certainly not being pressed that hard! There is a real need for NR to re-evaluate steam schedules, and permit locomotives to perform in a manner which utilises their natural attributes, instead of artificially hobbling them on an arbitrary basis so that they become a total nuisance to everyone. And finally, please note that thrashing an engine is not on today’s steam agenda, with owner’s representatives always on the footplate – most (but not all) owners actually like to see their engine performing well and producing good runs, but none of them take kindly to undue thrashing. Nor is there any need to do this. What is required is simply that they be permitted to run to their normal design levels.
LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 duch*ess of Sutherland at speed near Higham in Derbyshire on April 21 2012. ROBERT FALCONER
POWER AND SPEED SIMULATIONS KINGS CROSS - PETERBOROUGH Class 8 Pacific hauled - Load 13/448/480 tons SIMULATION A 75 mph 2200 IHP
Specified Speed Limit Nominal Power Limit Miles 0 1.75 2.50 5.00 9.15 12.70 17.70 20.30 23.50 27.55 28.50 31.90 37.05 41.10 44.15 47.50 51.70 56.00 58.90 62.00 67.50 72.60 75.00 76.40
Location Kings Cross MP 1.75 Finsbury Park Alexandra Palace New Barnet Potters Bar Hatfield Welwyn Garden City Woolmer Green Stevenage MP 281/2 Hitchin Arlesey Biggleswade Sandy Tempsford St Neots Offord Huntingdon MP 62 MP 671/2 Yaxley Fletton Jcn Peterborough
Grade* 144 1131 2000 200 195 -340 437 338 -764 482 -206 -316 -677 -4473 -728 884 -490 1160 214 -242 1113 -2391 2240
Time 0.00 6.00 7.17 10.14 14.21 17.52 22.12 24.17 26.59 30.17 31.02 33.46 37.53 41.07 43.34 46.14 49.36 53.04 55.22 57.56 62.32 66.37 68.32 70.20
MPH 0 28 42 60 61 61 75 75 72½ 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 69 75 75 75 -
SIMULATION B 75 mph 2500 IHP EDBHP
IHP
760 1520 1490 1760 1760 680 1520 1540 720 1490 -440 40 510 870 540 1250 360 1170 1590 30 1180 810
830 1700 1810 2200 2200 1230 2190 2190 1370 2170 240 720 1190 1550 1220 1930 1040 1850 2210 650 1860 1490
EDBHP 1035.3 907 100 65.2 74.4
IHP 1653.5 1450 100
Time 0.00 6.00 7.17 10.05 13.53 17.07 21.22 23.27 26.01 29.15 30.01 32.44 36.51 40.05 42.32 45.13 48.34 52.01 54.20 56.52 61.22 65.27 67.22 69.11
MPH 0 28 42 65 66 66 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 71½ 75 75 75 -
SIMULATION C 90 mph 2200 IHP EDBHP
IHP
760 1520 1940 1990 1990 490 1580 1770 570 1490 -440 40 510 870 540 1250 360 1170 1860 -80 1180 810
830 1700 2290 2500 2510 1090 2260 2450 1250 2170 240 720 1190 1550 1220 1930 1040 1850 2500 560 1860 1490
EDBHP 1057.5 942 102 66.3 74.7
IHP 1678.8 1495 102
Time 0.00 6.00 7.17 10.14 14.21 17.52 21.56 23.47 26.11 29.10 29.51 32.11 35.37 38.19 40.18 42.37 45.29 48.26 50.24 52.40 56.38 60.08 61.58 63.52
MPH 0 28 42 60 61 61 87 82 78 85½ 84 90 90 90 89 90 85 90 87 76½ 90 85 72 -
EDBHP
IHP
760 1520 1490 1760 1760 1550 1340 1440 1410 1330 410 350 920 1210 1050 1260 1100 1240 1390 770 1240 Coasting
830 1700 1810 2200 2200 2200 2210 2210 2210 2210 1340 1350 1920 2200 2040 2200 2040 2210 2200 1610 2180
EDBHP 1185.7 1150 115 71.8 87.3
HP 1891.1 1835 114
* Average gradients as per RPS heights
Horsepower Hours Average Power Output Comparative Work Index Start to Stop Average Average Stevenage - Yaxley
The idealised adherence to speed and power limitations seen here, are some way from the normal course of events apparent in actual operation. What the record does show however, is that the 75 mph limit can be operated within tolerable deviation for extended periods, and it is unusual for engines to be pushed hard at such speeds., and if so, not for very long. It is submitted a similar situation would obtain should the speed limit be raised. Simulation A is representive of pacific potential within the 75 mph limit under ideal conditions, given a free rein and the complete absence of any delays.
Simulation B is what might happen given a late start (not an unusual event) and a keen driver. The scope for time recovery is confined to the ascent of the Northern Heights, and some extra horsepower gains little more than a minute overall on run A. Run C has the advantage of a 90 mph limit, but works no harder than run A at any point, with the same time to Potters Bar, beyond which the potential for exceeding 75 mph kicks in. The overall gain on run A is over 6 minutes, again it must be emphasised, in idealised conditions. Should a 90 mph limit come into force, the fastest point to point bookings should be 5 mph or so below 90, and recovery time to give some cover for delays provided. DHL
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Heritagerailway.co.uk 75
NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL
Perfect for Sn
owdonia THE WELSH HIGHLAND’S GARRATTS
Garratt articulated locomotives are the perfect choice to handle the heavy demands made on engines operating on the Welsh Highland Railway’s steep winding route through Snowdonia. Allan George outlines the history of the WHR fleet of Garratts.
T
he Welsh Highland Railway runs from beneath the walls of Caernarfon Castle, through the rugged landscape west of Snowdon, to link with the Ffestiniog Railway at Wharf Station, Portmadoc, 25 miles away. And in this testing environment the Garratts are “perfect for hauling the 10 coach trains we run through the mountains”, says Paul Lewin, of the WHR and Ffestiniog Railway. The railway usually has three Garratts in service (two in steam and one standby during the busiest months), with a number of others under overhaul or long term restoration. Their generic design could be seen as a follow-on from the earlier Fairlie locomotives pioneered by the WHR’s sister railway, the Ffestiniog. Garratts are articulated locomotives whose boiler is mounted on a centre frame, with two power units set on separate frames, one on each end of the boiler. They have a water tank at one end, and coal bunker at the other. This design permits locomotives larger and much more powerful than the Fairlies, to negotiate curves way beyond the ability of rigid-framed locomotives. The design evolved at the beginning of the 20th century by Herbert William Garratt, an engineer who worked in the development of colonial and South American railways.
Pros and cons of Garratts
The design allows heavy trains to be hauled around the frequent and sharp curves, inevitable in mountainous countryside. Garratt locomotives were used extensively throughout the British Empire and elsewhere in undeveloped parts of the world. The design also did away with the need for doubleheading and hence Garratts were much more economical than alternatives, even on flat surfaces. These engines helped open up land where previously the only transport had been horse and bullock carts or rivers if they were navigable, allowing mineral wealth and agriculture to be developed and new settlements to be established. Because Garratts are tank engines they can easily be run tender first, eliminating the need for expensive turntables. Additionally the weight of the locomotive is split over the two power units, allowing them to run over bridges or lines that would not support the weight of similarly powerful conventional engines. A disadvantage of the design is that as water is used from the front tank and coal from the rear bunker, the locomotive’s adhesive weight over the power units decreases, making wheel slip more likely. One partial remedy was to attach a Now carrying maroon livery, NGG16 Beyer-Garratt No. 138 is seen near Beddgelert on the Welsh Highland Railway. CHRIS PARRY
Black-liveried No. 143 approaches Rhyd Ddu. BRIAN SHARPE
The green NGG16 Garratt, No. 143 is seen in the Aberglaslyn pass. FR
The world’s first Beyer-Garratt, K1, heads a photo charter goods train near Rhyd Ddu. BRIAN SHARPE
wagon carrying water behind the locomotive, which also permitted the engine to cover longer distances. Garratts were employed by railways throughout the world – except in North America – particularly in the countries of the British Empire. They were most widely used in Africa, the biggest user being South Africa, followed by Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia), but they were also to be found in Algeria, Angola, Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, and Zaïre.
Outside Africa
Outside Africa examples were exported to many countries including: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Columbia, India, Iran, Mauritius, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru and Turkey. In Europe they were in service on railways in The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and the USSR, for whom Beyer Peaco*ck in 1932 constructed the largest steam locomotive built in Europe. This mammoth vehicle, only one of which
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was built, hauled coal traffic from the Donbass mines and apparently operated happily in the ultra-low temperatures of the Russian winter. Only a few Garratts were operated by railway companies in the UK. The LNER used a single 2-8-0+0-8-2 to bank heavy coal trains on the Woodhead route between Manchester and Sheffield. The LMS acquired 33, 2-6-0+0-6-2 examples for goods trains, while several 0-4-0+0-4-0 examples were built for industrial use. One of these is on static display at Bressingham Steam and Gardens Museum in Norfolk. It is the last standard gauge Garratt in the UK, and was originally used at Baddesley Colliery, North Warwickshire. General manager Mr Lewin says the reason the WHR uses Garratts rather than Fairlies, which the Ffestiniog builds for its own use, is fairly straightforward: “There aren’t any spare Fairlies, so we would have had to build one. The ones on the Ffestiniog are capable of hauling 12 carriages on a 1-in-80 gradient, but the Welsh Highland Railway has a 1-in-40 gradient, so this would limit the Fairlies to six carriages.” “The average train on the Welsh Highland is
10 carriages, this is a commercial necessity, it is a financial matter. Every time we add an extra train we need an extra guard, driver, fireman, buffet crew and locomotive. So we would just keep adding to the number of locomotives we are maintaining, and believe me that gets very expensive.” “We want to operate a small number of wellfilled big trains, that’s what makes the Welsh Highland Railway tick. “Even if there were enough Fairlies available, we’d have to doublehead them on the WHR.
Fairlie fashionable
“I think it is fair to say Fairlies were in vogue in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at that point people were building a lot of Fairlies and selling them. The Garratt took over and turned out to be simpler and more effective, and they are twice as powerful as Fairlies, so they are probably perfect for the WHR.” Mr Lewin says the WHR uses its Garratts very intensively. “We need two Garratts in service to run our trains each day, one starting from each end of the line. They either do a round trip or oneand-a-half round trips each day depending
upon the timetable. In the summer they need two crews to man them, because the length of the operating day is longer than one crew can take. So they are in steam for a long time and they run for about 200 days a year. “Our plan is to have two in traffic: one as what we call the ‘back of the shed standby’, so it is ready to go, and one on heavy overhaul. Hence we need a fleet of four. “There aren’t any particular problems operating the Garratts, they are perfectly designed for mountain railways, and they work equally well in both directions. They have short stubby boilers with a high take off point for the steam in the dome, which means they are very tolerant to changes in gradient. They are perfect for the WHR.” He said that although on paper it looks as though the railway has more than four examples: “We haven’t really, because when you look at the ones we’ve got, No 40 is a bag of bits which we have been feeding into the other engines, so it is rather like a spares pool. “No. 109 is stored, so we are struggling because we’ve actually only got Nos. 143, 87 and 138 working. We have been looking for that fourth engine for some time and we hoped
it would be No. 109, but it didn’t come to pass. However we have No. 130 well on the way, and this will give us just enough of a margin. As a result of the 10 year overhaul cycle, there’s always going to be one of these engines on heavy overhaul. So we just have enough with four complete, nominally operable Garratts.” The WHR maintains the locomotives at its shed at Dinas and the Ffestiniog’s works at Boston Lodge, but Mr Lewin adds that they “can’t lift them at Boston Lodge. The lifting is done at Dinas and parts are ferried backwards and forwards by a works pickup truck. The lion’s share of work is done at Dinas really.
Rotation
“We’ve got one which will come into service in 2018 and they all drop out in rotation, I think it is 2019, 2020 and 2021 and the final one by 2022. Their boilers come due at that time. “At the moment we are building a new boiler for No. 130 and overhauling that from No. 143, which is currently in No. 140’s chassis. “No. 143’s boiler was in use with us for 10 years, and when it ran out we swapped it for the one in No. 140 and carried on. So now we are probably going to swop the other way at the
next 10 year point. As components are interchangeable we swop them around between engines as they are needed. “One of our challenges has hinged around worn-out power units, where the frames themselves have become tired. “We have had to build them up with metal and remachine them to get the axleboxes and horn guides all back into really good shape. But what is noticeable is the accelerated wear on the tyres if we don’t look after the geometry of the engines well. This is something we can do, our workshops can do this, they can re-tyre wheels.” The WHR has six NGG16 Garratts on its books, although it does not own all of them. They are: Nos. 87, 109, 130, 138, 140, and 143. It also has two NG15 ‘Kalaharis’, Nos. 133 and 134. Additionally the railway owns prototype Garratt K1 which was built by Beyer Peaco*ck in Manchester and ran in Tasmania. The six NGG16s ran in South Africa and were also built by Beyer Peaco*ck in Manchester, with the exception of No.87, which was built by co*ckerill in Seraing, Belgium. Mr Lewin commented: “We decided
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to standardise on the NGG16 Garratts, because we wanted our locomotives to be as interchangeable as humanly possible, sharing many common components. Of course we also have the two NG15 ‘Kalahari’ locomotives.” K1 has a 0-4-0+0-4-0 wheel arrangement; while N/G16s are 2-6-2+2-6-2s. The ‘Kalaharis’ are 2-8-2s. Mr Lewin explained that the operational locomotives are painted different colours: No. 138 in crimson lake, No. 87 in colonial blue and No. 143 in Brunswick green, because it appeals to children.”
K1
No. K1 was the first prototype Garratt built at the Manchester works of Beyer Peaco*ck in 1909 and originally exported to Tasmania to haul iron ore trains. It was the first one owned by the F&WHR. Shortly after the Second World War K1 was bought back by the manufacturer and repatriated to the UK. When that company closed down it was purchased by the Festiniog Railway Company in 1966, but it was too big for the FR loading gauge and the railway put it on static display at Porthmadog Harbour station until it was loaned to the National Railway Museum in York. In 2006 it finally entered traffic alongside Nos. 138 and 143. Mr Lewin stated: “After a 10 year stint in traffic it needed a new boiler ticket and is now progressing towards this. However, it is difficult to maintain day to day. It has limited potential on the WHR as it only pulls six, possibly seven carriages and it doesn’t carry enough coal to do a complete round trip. “We are hoping a band of volunteers will come together to do the work on it and to get it back into service as a ‘high days and holidays’ special engine. We would probably let them operate it, and we have done that sort of thing in the past. It was previously looked after by a team but they are all retired now.”
No. 130
This locomotive was constructed by Beyer Peaco*ck in 1951 and is owned privately by Gloucester-based Steam Powered Services. It is currently being rebuilt. A new boiler is being constructed for it at the South Devon Railway, while the power units are being rebuilt at Dinas. It arrived at the WHR in June 2015 and is expected to be in operation on the WHR in 2018.
Nos. 138 and 143
These two engines were purchased directly from the Alfred County Railway, South Africa, which was a tourist/logging operation. Both were built by Beyer Peaco*ck in 1958. Although they were restored in Africa before being shipped to Britain, they still required a considerable amount of work on them to make them fit for use in the UK. No. 138 entered WHR service in 1997 and was withdrawn for overhaul and boiler inspection in 2007. It re-entered service in 2010. The locomotive is notable for carrying the whistle from A4 Pacific Silver King, which was presented to Top Link driver Bill Hoole on his retirement from the East Coast Main Line in 1959. Mr Hoole retired to Porthmadog and was a driver on the FR until 1967. No. 143 was the last Garratt built by Beyer Peaco*ck, and following its career with South African Railways was brought back to the UK. It entered WHR service in 1998 in black livery, until its boiler recertification was due in 2009. It went back into traffic two years later.
No. 140
Also built by Beyer Peaco*ck in 1958, No 140 was rescued from Exmoor and is currently being overhauled. It is regarded as long term project but it is hoped that work will accelerate after the completion of No. 130 in 2018.
Nos. 133 and 134
The 1936-constructed No. 87 is a co*ckerillbuilt Garrett, and is currently operational. After its working life in South Africa it spent four or more years at the Exmoor Steam Centre, and then was purchased by a WHR sponsor. Mr Lewin commented: “We overhauled No. 87 between 2006 and 2009, when it was put into traffic. We actually took a Barrystyle wreck and restored it at Boston Lodge works to as-new condition, which included making a lot of the missing parts. This overhaul cost more than £500,000. “It was clear that we needed an additional working Garratt and we were very fortunate that a sponsor donated it to our railway.”
These are former South African Railway’s NG15 2-8-2 ‘Kalahari’ class locomotives, built by Société Anglo-Franco-Belge in 1953 at the company’s La Croyère works in Belgium. Both were imported into the UK in 1998, for a planned railway in Yorkshire which never materialised. All the rolling stock was put up for sale, and the two Kalaharis were purchased for the WHR. It is anticipated these engines would prove suitable for the route and be useful additions to the WHR fleet. They feature Krauss-Helmholtz trucks, enabling the front driving axle to be guided around curves by the leading pony truck, thus shortening the loco’s fixed wheelbase. No. 133 has not been restored, although in 2009 it was displayed in Caernarfon town square to collect donations for the restoration of its sister loco, No. 134, which is under restoration at Dinas, but this is a long term project. A new tender for No. 134 has already been completed at Boston Lodge.
No. 109
Carriages
No. 87
Beyer Peaco*ck built No. 109 in 1939. It is owned by Peter Waterman, the pop music producer and railway enthusiast, and is currently awaiting restoration. It had also been at Exmoor. Mr Waterman purchased it with the aim of using his apprenticeship scheme for its overhaul. Mr Lewin added: “Sadly this stalled because of a lack of Government support, now the component parts are stored at our railway. But it will be a £500,000 job to deal with that one.”
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Mr Lewin explained the current position with carriages for the WHR: “We have 17 Welsh Highland standard carriages, and we are building up to having 20. We are scheduled to build another Pullman observation car, starting next autumn. At the moment we operate two rakes of 10, making up the number with spare FR carriages. “We want two rakes of 10 proper Welsh Highland carriages, without resorting to heritage stock, or Ffestiniog vehicles, on WHR trains. That is for normal day-to-day operations.
However from time to time we put together a heritage train, or take some Ffestiniog stock on charters and specials.”
The future
Looking forward he commented: “In the future, I think we have to look after the boilers particularly. We have a spare boiler from a locomotive that went to Australia, but it doesn’t meet current Australian standards, which demand all-welded boilers, not riveted ones. The owner kindly donated it to us, although we had to pay between £6000 and £7000 to ship it from the other side of the world. “The other thing is we have designed a new boiler which is of hybrid construction, part welded, part riveted. It will have a welded barrel, a welded outer wrapper, screwed stays and riveted foundation ring. “Maintaining these engines is a continuing task, and with boiler certificates to be kept up to date and general overhauls, we have to plan 10 years ahead.” Mr Lewin commented that the happenstance of Garratts being the ideal engines for the WHR, and being available at the right time was a stroke of fortune, and added: “they are wonderful things to drive and cope famously well with our winding steep line through the mountains. The only thing more impressive than them is Snowdon itself”.
In grey livery, WHR NGG16 Garratt No. 87 departs from Beddgelert. BRIAN SHARPE In green livery, No. 143 passes Snowdon Ranger on December 28, 2016. ANDREW BELL
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PLATFORM
READERS’ LETTERS AT THE HEART OF THE HERITAGE RAILWAY SCENE
We could learn from Ecuador steam tourism WHAT a splendid article in issue 225 on Ecuador’s use of steam to encourage tourism, an investment already showing promise. I wonder if it will open the eyes of our Government to the possibilities apparent to a number of local councils in Britain who have shown their faith in heritage railways? Imagine the uses that could be put to the billions to be squandered on HS2: we could be enjoying a huge boom in the tourist industry as well as a revitalised NHS, the envy of the world, with plenty left to sort out the underfunding of education. Ecuador is a country about 15% larger than the UK with about 25% of our population. Much of the original railway system is evident but skeletal in nature. Now that the development of mineral resources such as gold and copper is underway it would seem that restoration of the railway system is advantageous, starting in the north west to the north of Guayaquil. The choice of motive power, given the present situation, will be governed by money: electricity is an expensive option while diesel would need big investment in imported locomotives and material support and training. Given that Ecuador already has crude oil resources and the means to build and maintain steam locomotives, the choice is fairly obvious. For students of the railway history of Ecuador there are two books of note:The redemptive work: railway and nation in Ecuador 1895-1930 by A K Clark (1998) ISBN 9780842026741 and Railroad in the sky: the Guayaquil and Quito Railway in Ecuador by E H Brainard (2003), ISBN 9780615124117. I should mention that they are both quite expensive (about £70) and somewhat cathartic reading: Ecuador’s railways came at a high price in human (or even inhuman) suffering. Martin McGinty, Frome, Somerset.
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Write to us at Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email [emailprotected].
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STAR LETTER
Why the new Gresley P2 will be the most powerful
The first of Gresley’s original six P2s, No. 2001 co*ck o’ the North, on rollers at the Vitry testing centre in France. A1SLT THE P2 Steam Locomotive Company, currently building the new P2 locomotive Prince of Wales, claims that“the Gresley class P2 2-8-2 Mikados were the most powerful express passenger locomotives to operate in the UK.” This claim is repeated (twice) in the progress report on the project on page 26 of issue 224. However I’ve never seen the evidence to support this claim, and it has always been my understanding that the ■ When built, No. 2001 was the most powerful locomotive in use in the UK both in terms of tractive effort (43,462lb) and equivalent drawbar horsepower (EDHP) – a maximum of 2100 EDHP was recorded during the dynamometer car tests. The greatest known output to date by any UK passenger locomotive was on the testing of duch*ess of Abercorn in 1939 when an indicated (cylinder) horsepower (IHP) of 3300 was achieved for five minutes – I have not seen the actual EDHP produced but would estimate it to be around 2640. Based on the performance assessments by the late Mike Notley using the well known formulae for calculating train resistance at given speeds and gradients, Tornado has several times produced around 2350 to 2400 EDHP on Stoke bank at around 70mph and the highest known of 2520
LMS duch*esses were the most powerful. By evidence I mean any published results of indicator or dynamometer car testing, or the testing which was carried out on P2 No. 2001 at the Vitry locomotive testing plant in France. Can anybody point me to this evidence, please? Andy Young, Preston, Lancashire
EDHP at around 63mph on Beattock. According to Mike, this equates to approximately 3150 IHP. This is consistent with extrapolation of the dynamometer car speed vs EDHP curves obtained during the 1948 A1/A2 comparative tests – extrapolation is necessary as the tests were not aimed at achieving the absolute maximum outputs. No. 2007 Prince of Wales will have the same boiler type as Tornado (which was able to keep up with the steam demands in all these cases above with boiler pressure at or near the red line and the safety valves lifting when the regulator was partially closed). The cylinder diameter will be 19¾in as opposed to 19in with the A1 – an increase in area of 8% with the same 250psi boiler pressure as Tornado. Provided we succeed in optimising the poppet valves to a higher standard than on No. 2001, and with increased
steam passage cross sections and more rigorous application of Chapelon principles on internal streamlining, I am confident that No. 2007 will produce significantly more EDHP than Tornado or the duch*ess. To exceed the duch*ess we need only 6% more EDHP. Tornado has a piston area just under 1% less than the duch*ess, but has the benefit of 10 years more development of steam locomotive thermodynamics and of course the far more advanced Kylchap exhaust system. With No. 2007 we will have a cylinder area 7.5% larger than the duch*ess which should readily achieve our claim of building Britain’s most powerful passenger locomotive (without leaving a trail of dead firemen at the track side)! David Elliott, director of engineering, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
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The full history of Hunslet Army diesel shunter Mavis I WRITE to correct your report in issue 220 on the Isle of Wight Railway’s first diesel gala. In it you give a brief history of the Army Barclay 0-4-0 diesel which took part. The locomotive was one of a numerous class which was first manufactured in 1941 for military use. As built they were fitted with a Gardner 153hp 6L3 diesel engine. No. 235 was manufactured to this spec and delivered on May 11, 1945. During the 1960s/70s, many were overhauled at the Army railway workshops at Bicester and No. 235 was one of these. As part of the overhaul it was fitted with a Gardner 198hp 6L3B engine with uprated transmission. The most obvious visible sign of this change was the replacement of the cast steam style chimney by a fabricated steel venturi. Its original number was WD72236 and was subsequently renumbered WD842 before then receiving ARMY 233. The locomotive served at a number of different Army depots and by the early 1980s was at RSD Moreton-on-Lugg, near Hereford. Here it was used turn and turnabout with No. 235 and peacetime traffic at Moreton being light, it was not heavily used. In 1984 my predecessor as Army Rail CME compiled a list of locomotives for disposal and No. 233 was on it. However it was quickly recognised by the local staff that the wrong locomotive had been listed, as No. 233 was in much better condition than 235.The
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s Hunslet four-wheeled diesel No. 235. IOWSR identification of the two locomotives were therefore transposed and No. 233 received the number 235 and the original No. 235 went for scrap. In the summer of 1987 I was asked to arrange a major railway celebration to mark the bicentenary of the granting of the Royal Charter to the Corps of Royal Engineers.The event was to be held at Long Marston, which was by then the last Royal Engineers depot to have a substantial railway system.The event was to be called RE200 and was scheduled for October 10/11, 1987. Long Marston was then the home for Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 198 Royal Engineer which was kept in working order. Also on site were two of the 275hp Vanguard diesel shunting, which could be worked in multiple giving a total haulage capability of 800 tons.
Agreement was also reached with the Stanier 8F Locomotive Society for the use of its preserved 8F, then identified as LMS No. 8233, but which had formerly been WD271 and WD500 at Longmoor. For RE200 I also needed an older diesel locomotive to augment the show and my choice fell on the then renumbered No. 235.The locomotive was therefore transferred to Long Marston and took place in the event, demonstrating with a rake of Second World War-period four-wheeled wagons. Following the big weekend, No. 235 was kept in the locomotive shed at Long Marston. In 1992, and following the collapse of communism, a major cut back on military equipment took place and this included rail capacity. Long Marston became scheduled for imminent closure and I had to find a new home
for Royal Engineer, which was still in working order having been overhauled in 1988. The locomotive at that time was the property of the RCTTrust and had been maintained and operated by my staff by agreement.The secretary of theTrust supported my decision to offer the locomotive to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway as a long term loan. I also saw this additionally as a way to preserve one of the wartime build of 0-4-0 diesel locomotives, and No. 235 was added to the loan agreement with the IoWSR. During the 1990s the RCT were merged into the new RLC and all historic artefacts, including these two locomotives, passed into the ownership of the National Army Museum. Subsequently with the collapse of the Museum of ArmyTransport at Beverley, Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 192 Waggoner also was loaned to the IoWSR. Eventually the NAM gifted these three locomotives to the IWSR, but as you can see from this brief history, No. 235 has been at Havenstreet since 1992 and has never been on show at the NAM. The name Mavis was never applied to the locomotive during its military career, but was acquired on its arrival at Haven Street, when the young daughter of the then IoWSR CME recognised similarity with illustrations in Rev W Awdry’s book, and called it Mavis and the name has since stuck. Winston McCanna, former Army Railway Organisation CME, Gwynedd.
Let’s re-create more Victorian railways OVER the years, heritage railways have come a long way but few have revived the history of the railways more than Beamish. This North East museum has created historic new-build locomotives Steam Elephant and Sampson along with its many other achievements, whereas other have done little to re-create the very early years of the railways.The Bluebell has had a good opportunity just restoring its Craven coaching stock. The Great Central Railway (Nottingham) could restore some of its four and sixwheel coaches in Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire livery, especially as the No. 567 group is basing its new build on a MSLR
4-4-0.That would keep that 1870 railway alive instead of presenting them as GCR products – after all we gave theTaffVale locomotive back its true identity. Then Tyseley could complete its almost finished 1851 Bloomer.These small early machines may not have the power of their big brothers but should prove ideal on short preserved railways and be a great attraction. Who knows, one day we may see replicas of the Lancashire &Yorkshire, Hull & Barnsley, Midland & Great Northern, or evenThe Eastern Counties Railway. DerrickMartin, Hornchurch,Essex.
Weardale’s boring first!
IN thearticleinissue223entitled “BoreholeFirstatCorwenCentral”thereis referencemadetowhatmaybeaheritage sectorfirst–aboreholeattheLlangollen Railwaytosupplywaterforitssteam locomotives. However,suchafacilityhasexistedat
WolsinghamDepotontheWeardale Railwaysincearound2008. Theboreholewasdrilledasanextension toagroundinvestigationcontracton BrokenBanksembankmentatBishop Aucklandandhadbeenregularlyused tosupplytheWeardale’s steammotive
The 1815 Steam Elephant replica at Beamish Museum. ROBIN JONES
poweruntilitstemporarysuspension aroundtheeyearsago.Thewaterisquite acidic,butwiththecorrectuseofwater treatmentisperfectlysuitedtothetask. Waterfromtheboreholehasalso beenusedforregularboilerwashouts,to dampencoaldustwhentheopen-cast
Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
coalfromTowLawwasbeingshipped outandwillagainbeusedforsteam locomotivewatersupplyhopefullylate in2017whenRSHNo.40isreturnedto service. RichardMaughan, WeardaleRailwayTrust,email Heritagerailway.co.uk 85
PLATFORM
Let’s use more Giesl ejectors MOST readers will have at least a nodding acquaintance with this exhaust variant and, in any case, detailed information is freely available. (An example is fitted to preserved No. 34092 City of Wells.) Following the development and success of this appliance in Austria on the Golsdorf 2-8-4s, it migrated to many countries including East Africa, on classes 29 and 57-60, and Australia in New SouthWales (whose railway CME had better remain nameless because he accepted an offer he couldn’t refuse made by an American diesel locomotive manufacturer – forgetting that trials of the Giesl system were ongoing on Class 36 4-6-0 No. 3616.These were so successful that he actually suppressed the results and cancelled the order for several sets of components!Whether his feared losses were of face or more pecuniary in nature is conjectural.) In China a home-produced variety of this exhaust was fitted to the QJs but the alleged improvement was largely a product of flawed and optimistic analysis. (SeeThe Red Devil & other tales from the age of steam by David Wardale). In view of its general success it is a pity then that it was viewed with some scepticism by BR with which there were just two single trials (though it should be mentioned that the NCB had several 0-6-0STs Giesl-fitted with great success). In the instance of No. 92250, it
was extensively tested at Rugby for five months using different grades of coal fromWhitwick, Cossall and Blidworth.The results were regrettably inconclusive. The other example was Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34064 Fighter Command, a totally different kettle of fish: the results were impressively good achieving exactly what was hoped for – better steaming and combustion (especially of the dreaded briquettes) and muchreduced spark-throwing. In view of this, and the large number of Bulleid Pacifics in preservation, might it not be worthwhile for owners to consider the benefits of Dr Ingr Gieslingen’s equipment?There is after all, a working example for examination. One of the principal complaints from DavidWard recently was coal quality – which also aggravates cinder emissions. A Giesl ejector would seem to address both problems admirably. Furthermore, I feel compelled to respond to DavidWard’s letter concerning Duke of Gloucester in issue 223. He opens with a rather lofty implication that the corrective treatment applied to the Duke during restoration had little effect on its performance, but says nothing to support his opinion. Moot point then. He follows this with a series of generalised and humdrum observations on the day-to-day running of a railway. (I was bemused by his remarks concerning
abuse of equipment – perhaps Joe Duddington’s treatment of Mallard was not so praiseworthy after all?) We eventually get to paragraph nine where he queries the request of steam locomotive operators to raise the current 75mph speed limit to 90 and suggests that, in BR service, steam locomotives rarely ran at 90mph. I don’t question this statement but I will point out that reference to the many performance logs of the 1950s and 1960s show that occasions when speeds were in the mid-eighties were commonplace. In any case MrWard has missed the point: the reason for the desired increase of the speed limit is to extend flexibility in operation to allow more scope for recovery of lost time (surely beneficial to all) – not to indulge the wanton and furious addictions of speed fanatics. He also questions the wisdom of those seeking the increase, doubting that they have ever ridden on a steam locomotive at 90mph. Has he? If so, he would know that responsible enginemen do not thrash their locomotives or their firemen. Opportunities for 90mph running are rare and on favourable track like, for example Stoke, Dauntsey or Grately banks, through Diss or down the Lune Valley where pressures on locomotives and crew are moderate. Martyn McGinty, Frome, Somerset
Stored locomotives at Derby I enjoyed reading the feature about the dump at Heapey in Heritage Railway last October. Most of the locos in the photographs are not underlined in my Ian Allan CombinedVolume because I lived in Derby and in 1959/60 I was only just starting to travel about on the railway.
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The article mentions in passing that at that time redundant locos were being stored at Derby, which I remember well. I attach a photograph of 13 locos stored in sidings at Derby (beside the Birmingham line). It was taken by my late friend John J G Wilson on July 3, 1960 and the locos are
as follows: 58225, 41726, 58157, 40030, 43174, 43970, 40420, 43520, 43440, 43553, 41121, 47246, 43188. Perhaps some of your readers who still have their Ian Allan books will find the list of interest? AlanInckle, email
Tribute to Ian Allan CAN I just thank you for your lead editorial and article on Ian Allan Publishing. As you quite rightly point out, without Ian Allan’s abc spotters books, a whole generation of (mostly) boys would not have shared such a wonderful hobby as trainspotting. These same youngsters in many cases are now the leading lights that keep our heritage lines running today. To then go on to be the leading railway book publisher for so many years is truly amazing and I think we all owe him and his company a huge debt of gratitude. I hope Crecy Publishing can continue where Ian Allan left off. The market for railway books in 2017 is very different to even five years ago – much smaller, and I suspect still in decline, and of course all things diesel are becoming the focus of many enthusiasts’interests. Good luck Crecy, I hope you can cater your output for today’s book buyers, and a huge thank you to Ian Allan for his foresight all those years ago. Nigel Bird (Bookdealer), Tregaron, Wales
Duke of Gloucester: best is still to come AS usual, much of what DavidWard has to say, most recently in issue 223, is sensible and reflects the vital importance of ensuring that today’s steam operations are‘good neighbours’on an ever busier network. But I think David goes too far in belittling the efforts of the 71000Trust and loses sight of why so many people still support the restoration of steam locos for main line operation. Of course‘Blue Riband’exercises have little relevance to the operational timetable. But they have a huge amount to do with the continued draw of mainline steam operation. And to say that theTrust hasn’t overcome the original problems with the Duke because of an apparent excessive coal consumption seems to me to be disingenuous and ignores the many improvements that have been achieved. Moreover, I understand that this is very much work in progress with the hope of further improvements during the current restoration. So, far from belittling the quite extraordinary efforts that the trust has made over the last 25 years or so, David should find the generosity of spirit to support their ongoing work. Michael Hill, email
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Right: The Deep Bronze Green paint as used on A4 No. 60008. Left: No. 60163’s tender repainted in ‘Brunswick green’ in error.
A1 No. 60163 Tornado on the turntable in The Great Hall.
A4 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower in the north yard of the NRM.
A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa stabled in the north yard at the NRM.
Which of these locomotives are Brunswick green? AS most railway enthusiasts will agree, one of the most evocative topics in railway circles is a locomotive’s colour. This tends to make me raise the point regarding Brunswick green. Just what is the definition of Brunswick green on a locomotive, particularly a steam locomotive? Over the past years I have heard and read references to locomotives being in Brunswick green, BR Brunswick green, BR green and GWR Brunswick green. Some years ago when A4 No. 60019 Bittern was painted green at Eastleigh, I queried the colour being too light, I was told that it was Eastleigh’s version of Brunswick green. I was born and lived very close to‘The Plant’in Doncaster and observed locomotives from the late 1940s to 1963 so had a reasonable idea as to the right shade of green for the 1950s and 60s. If you Google Brunswick green, there appears to be light, mid and dark shades available from various paint manufacturers.These have been used on stationary machinery and cars, with also reference to some industrial steam locomotives. So what is the correct colour BR finish green as used by such as‘The Plant’in
the 1950s and 60s? A suggestion put forward is that Brunswick green was, or is, not an authentic steam locomotive colour, but a colour being used as a general reference by past railway enthusiasts and media who associated it with a very similar colour green as used within the automotive industry. As far as I am aware, the only main line steam locomotive (well part of it) to be painted Brunswick green was A1 No. 60163 Tornado’s tender, when it was painted this shade of green due to a mix-up when ordering the paint. Speaking to a very well known museum curator and a very well known locomotive painting contractor, many years ago when such as Airfix models appeared it was recommended (for the appropriate shade of green) that the models be painted using Humbrol’s Brunswick green as this was the nearest shade that Humbrol manufactured. Having spoken to a few people who specialise in ensuring that the correct colours are used when painting a particular locomotive, the correct colour (often incorrectly referred to as Brunswick green) is actually British Railways specification‘81081BS224 Spec
81 Brush Finish DEEP BRONZE GREEN’. Locomotives currently painted in ‘deep bronze green’/‘BR green’include A4s No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower, No. 60009 Union of South Africa (deep bronze green), A3 No. 60103 Flying Scotsman and Class 40 diesel-electric D200 (BR green). If anyone has other ideas or knowledge I would be genuinely interested in hearing from them.
T R Williamson of Ripon was established in 1775 producing varnish, and later began manufacturing high quality specialist paints and refers to the shade as‘deep bronze green’. Craftmaster terms the shade simply as ‘BR green’. Light plays a big part in varying the same shade. Ken Woods, Carlton, Goole.
Above right: The paint ready for use on No. 60103 Flying Scotsman at the NRM. Above: No. 60103 reversing towards Ian Riley’s support coach at the NRM. Left: English Electric Type 4 diesel D200 (No. 40122) following a repaint (BR - Deep Bronze Green) at the NRM. Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
Heritagerailway.co.uk 87
Life on Mars INDUSTRIAL STEAM
National Coal Board steam lingered on in the North East into the 1970s. Chris Gee reminisces about a trip to the remains of the Bowes Railway in 1971, illustrated by more recent photographs showing how the preserved section of line has changed little in the intervening years.
I
t was a grotty Sunday in October, the kind of day without any promise of sunshine, a stiff cold breeze blowing in off the North Sea, the kind of day that really suits North East industrial steam. I’d heard that there was still a chance of working industrial steam at a National Coal Board wagon repair shop in Springwell Village, Gateshead, County Durham, so I made the long trek up the A1 from York, the road still under construction in places, with long speed restrictions slowing the journey up north. I pulled my old Land Rover into the yard around midday, a wisp of steam betraying the presence of a working locomotive. Being a Sunday, there didn’t seem to be many staff about, but at least the loco was in steam. David Bowie’s Life on Mars was playing on the radio, my favourite track from his 1971 Hunky Dory album. An old Andrew Barclay saddletank was simmering in the yard, workstained, but still clearly bearing the black livery of the National Coal Board, No. 6 Area, B Group. I’d found the Barclay amongst a collection of wooden-bodied coal wagons in the bauxite
livery of the National Coal Board, Durham Area. The crew were absent, presumably taking a break, but the old Barclay was coaled up and waiting for an afternoon’s workings.
On its last legs
This place looked to be on its last legs, the weed-strewn trackbed suggested it had been a long time since the permanent way gang had done any work here, but the rails were shiny in places and rail traffic was clearly hanging on. Some of the wagons hadn’t moved in years, wheels rusted to the rails, timber planks rotten in places, a bird’s nest tucked into the wagon’s frame and cobwebs on the coupling. It was unlikely that many of these wagons would ever work again, the bottom had dropped out of some completely and I imagine some would be used as a source of spares to keep the good ones going, or be scrapped altogether. Some of the wagons though had clearly been through the works in recent years and were in good condition, proudly displaying the bold white BOWES lettering on their top plank.
I wandered around the yard, around the old wagon shops, soaking up the atmosphere of the place. My thoughts turned to the Barclay. Would it work again this year? Would it work again ever at all? The self-acting ropeworked incline down towards Wardley and Monkton appeared to have fallen into disuse and some old wagons were stored around the ‘kip’ and ‘dish’ of this relic of North East colliery railways. This end of the system appeared to have been abandoned some years ago. What a fascinating place. Places like this are fast disappearing from our modern age and soon they will be just a memory for those of us lucky to have seen them first hand, that or an image in a fading photograph. The place reminded me of those collieries I’d searched out in Bosnia and Serbia, chasing the last of working European steam, that air of a place just clinging on to existence. The rope-worked incline up to the engine house at Blackham’s Hill looked like it could still work at times, but beyond Blackham’s Hill the line was abandoned on the incline down to Black Fell engine house and sadly the latter had fallen victim to the
1949-built Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 22 shunts by the wagon repair shop as 1939-built Peckett 0-4-0ST Merlin looks on. 1949
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No. 22 lifts its train across Springwell Road level crossing on the beginning of the climb to Blackham’s Hill. No Left: No. 22 storms through ‘the dish’ with a mixed rake of wagons.
Right: The young crew of No. 22 discuss the next shunt move.
local vandals. What a system this must have been in its heyday. I wandered through the workshops – nobody about – though of course it was a Sunday. However, a brazier was lit, inside the main forge. Was this to stave off the cold or was someone doing some blacksmith work? More ominously, two diesels were parked up inside the locomotive shed. I’d seen this so many times before, diesel ousting steam, at home and abroad. These weren’t new diesels though, so possibly drafted in from elsewhere. Thankfully, today they were silent.
Tiny little Barclay
A whistle from across the yard interrupted my thoughts. This meant the crew were back in the cab. The tiny little Barclay shuffled off across the yard to collect a couple of wagons and propelled these back around the wagon shops. Steam leaked from this venerable old Barclay, but it was still a gutsy little machine and was well capable of tugging a string of protesting wagons that hadn’t moved for some time around some of the tight curves around the back of the old workshops.
The Barclay shuffled her load past a disused drift bogie, last used when the ropeworked incline operated, now stood alone by the workshop. The old control cabin for the self-acting incline was now boarded up, a method of operating now consigned to history. The little Barclay continued to marshal its train in the yard, a train of six traditional North East coal wagons. The young crew cracked a joke with each other, a tight knit little team, probably looking forward to the end of their shift and a pint or maybe four down the local. Good to see a young crew though. Where were all the old hand drivers? That said, it was like this on BR towards the end of steam, the crews got younger. It was interesting to see a brakevan in use – unusual on an industrial system, though some of these gradients could be punishing on the couplings. There’s some skill in winding the brake to keep the couplings taught. The train guard walked over to the level crossing over Springwell Road, lowering the old barriers to stop the road traffic and the
crew whistled up. The chunky little Barclay lurched forward, the couplings tightening on each of the wagons in turn, the locomotive’s wheels slipped, gained traction and with a thick volcanic exhaust, the tough little Barclay lifted its train of wagons out of the yard, across Springwell Road and up the incline to Blackham’s Hill engine house… and gone. Forever?
Night drawing in
I walked back to the Land Rover, privileged to have witnessed the last of industrial steam in the North East, heading home with the kind of images I’d seen in black and white photo albums of the last days of industrial steam. It wasn’t long before the sun was down, this was late October, the night drawing in now. When I got home, Get Carter was on TV. A classic film from 1971. So it seemed only appropriate to call at the corner shop for a couple of bottles of Newcastle Brown and to settle in for the evening to watch an iconic North East film, warm from the glow of a memorable day out in 1971. Who says time travel isn’t possible? Heritagerailway.co.uk 89
REVIEWS The Settle-Carlisle Railway 1850-1990
By Martin Pearson (softback, 85pp, available from Martin Pearson, 23Town Head, Settle, BD24 9JB, or Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line (www.foscl.org.uk), £13 inc p&p, ISBN 978 0 9955652 0 3) LAST month’s issue of HeritageRailway featured this new publication in relation to the revelations of political U-turns and manoeuvrings that led to the line being saved in April 1989. But the book covers far more than that period of the railway’s existence, writesGeoffCourtney, as is illustrated by the book’s sub-title:The building and saving of a great railway – a line of critical decisions. It is undeniably a book for the S&C diehard, with the kind of detail and research that would gladden the heart of every enthusiast of this scenic route. It is, though, also a fascinating read for railway historians of whatever persuasion, and serves as a reminder, if one was needed, that developing a railway in any era was a challenge of perhaps unparalleled proportions, and doubtless remains so today. Interestingly, Martin Pearson, who has both written and published the book, describes it as a“case study,” perhaps reflecting his background as a former senior NHS manager.Whatever category it fits into, it is an insight into a line that has delighted, intrigued, and bewildered ever since its opening to freight in 1875 and to passengers the following year. While many may buy it to learn more about the politics that eventually led to the line’s reprieve in 1989 – Martin has made full use of the Freedom of Information Act to enlighten the reader – the early days of its existence also have their own appeal. Martin is obviously a great analyst, an attribute he uses to great effect when analysing the decisions concerning the railway in 1850-80, again in 1880 to 1948, and finally 1948 to 1962. Facts and figures abound, and subheadings throughout the five chapters come from the heart as well as the computer.“Settle and Carlisle 18651866: Parliament saysYES”writes Martin triumphantly.“Chamberlain willing to upset the road hauliers”says another. And there is“Winter 1962-63: beyond the call of duty.” In true case study, and perhaps NHS, style, Martin has included no fewer than 10 appendices spread over 32 pages, one of which includes a piece on the Cuban missile crisis (don’t ask, you’ll have to buy the book to learn of the connection), while another is a“thematic presentation” (I’d call it a timetable or timeline) of significant dates during the period from 1962 to 1990. Heady stuff maybe, but part and parcel of Martin’s perfectly legitimate modus operandi when dealing with the subject. I like enquiring minds, I am enamoured
90 Heritagerailway.co.uk
Ghosts of Aberglaslyn
By John Manners with Michael Bishop (softback,Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Group, 120pp, £18, ISBN 978 0 9930821 4 6) GHOST stories both written and verbal have been popular for generations, writesGeoffCourtney, and remain so today.This book, though, is not of the usual genre, but is rather the thoroughly-researched story of an amazing electric railway project that is at once esoteric yet of broad interest, a tale of a scheme that might have been but never was. Except it was, and is. Or perhaps, ghost-like, it isn’t. The Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway was incorporated in 1901, and its backcloth comprised political manoeuvrings – no change there then from the world of major projects today – obstructions, starts both false and real, and hopes dashed against the unforgiving rock faces of northWales. At the line’s heart were the interests of two organisations that had mutually supporting needs – the NorthWales Power &Traction Co, which wanted to benefit from the relative ease of obtaining permission for an electric railway scheme with its own power generating station, and the electrical engineering firm Bruce Peebles & Co of Edinburgh that was looking for a railway project to demonstrate its new products. It was to be a 1ft 11½in gauge line linking Portmadoc with the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways at Rhyd Ddu and operated by hydro-electric overhead wire powered locomotives inspired by Ganz of Budapest. Manners writes that a 1903 tender proposed seven motor cars for passenger work and four locomotives for freight traffic, although he adds:“Looking at the
wording of the tender, it is clear the proposals for these cars were not fully worked out at the time.” He opines that this was because Peebles & Co would have wanted to be able to alter the design based on tests that could be conducted only after the construction of a prototype, but whatever the reason, by 1904 the motor cars were no longer listed and the proposed motive power had changed to 10 short four-wheeled locomotives, and this was subsequently reduced to six, comprising four for passenger work and two for freight. The first locomotive built was exhibited at the Peebles’works in June 1905 and at the ElectricTramways & Railways Exhibition in London’s Royal Horticultural Hall the following month, but even at that stage the writing may have been on the wall for the project. Although construction of some of the route had started in 1901, progress was hardly – unlike the proposed method of propulsion – electrifying, and as late as 1907 no design had emerged from Peebles & Co for the trailer cars that would be needed following the decision three years earlier to use locomotives rather than motor cars on passenger trains. “The power company management was stating that the designs were not yet finalised,”writes John.“Perhaps they hoped the existing NorthWales Narrow Gauge Railways’rolling stock would be sufficient, at least initially.” In February 1908 came the decision to abandon the project, although Manners writes that construction probably ceased in the summer of
of analysis when it’s not too introspective, and I am taken by the determination that Martin has displayed using the Freedom of Information Act in relation to the period up to the 1989 reprieve. With regard to the Act, he gives marks out of 10 to the various organisations he consulted, which range from a full 10 for the National Archives at Kew (“wonderful”) down to just three for the Department ofTransport (“a curate’s egg”). The Attorney General’s office is awarded a middling five star, but it is Martin’s notes explaining this rating which I enjoy and make me wonder how they were deemed to be worthy of even five stars:“Enquiries brought a negative response,” writes Martin.“However, it came with a wonderful caveat to the effect that the response should not be
taken as implying that the Attorney General had not given advice. Even if he had, they would not tell me.” A SURVIVOR’S TALE
From Lostwithiel to the China Clay Rails By Bernard Mills (softback, Fonthill Media, 144pp, £18.99, ISBN 978 1 78155 542 2). FOR those who are fascinated by the branch lines of Cornwall and in particular the network of lines around St Austell which served the china clay industry, this volume is an absolute gem, writes
EDITOR’S CHOICE 1906, when the NorthWales Power & Traction Co took the realistic view that its power station was going to earn them money by generating electricity whereas the railway probably never would. Peebles & Co had built the six locomotives but none was delivered, and these were advertised for sale in the August 28, 1908, issue of Machinery Market. Although being ready for immediate delivery for which any reasonable offer would be accepted, no sale materialised – it is tempting to presume that the market for narrow gauge overhead-powered electric locomotives was somewhat limited in 1908 – and it is believed they were broken up for scrap in 1916 as part of the war effort. The power station at the heart of the project, built at Nant Gwynant, started generating electricity in August 1906 – thus, writes John, making completion of the railway no longer a priority – and continues doing so today, and key parts of the trackbed were adopted by the contractors building theWelsh Highland Railway in 1922. Surviving infrastructure includes a bridge at Beddgelert village. Manners, who was a design engineer with Parsons Peebles Generation Ltd, successor to Bruce Peebles & Co, and Bishop, have delivered the goods in astonishing detail. RAILWAY HISTORY IN DEPTH Robin Jones. It is packed with quality colour photographs, many of which have not been published before, covering five decades.We seeWestern andWarship diesel hydraulics in action on passenger and freight workings, and the Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s diminutive cut-down Bagnalls Alfred and Judy in action at the Port of Par in 1966/67 and BR blueliveried‘bubblecar’W55016 running a special which comprised the final train over the clay branch to Lower Lansalson in 1968. I thought I knew this area and its lines very well, but this volume for me was a voyage of discovery, with something new on every page. It does not pretend to be a definitive history of the clay lines, but it adds an important new dimension to their story.
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ImpermanentWays: The Closed Lines Of Britain Vol 12: AWelsh Selection By Jeffery Grayer (softback, Crecy Publishing/Noddle Books, 104pp, £12.95, ISBN 978199328563) ‘TRAC o hen reilffordd’, a description found on a Welsh version e of an Ordnance Survey map, ‘Track of old railway’in English, sums up the contents of this book, volume 12 of a series covering Wales and most of southern England, writes CedricJohns. As might be expected, the contents focus on disused lines and stations in South,West, Mid and NorthWales plus a section dealing with railways which once served deep-mined coal pits like MerthyrVale colliery from where miners assisted in the search of children caught in the nearby Aberfan school disaster or Senghenydd, scene of this country’s biggest mining explosion which killed 419 face workers and one rescuer on October 14, 1913. Coverage is not continuous. It illustrates selected areas such as MonmouthPontypool, the Heads of theValleys line,Whitland-Carmarthen, PencaderNewcastle Emlyn, CentralWales, Afon Wen-Caernarfon, Oswestry-Welshpool and surprisingly a few surviving lines… Profusely illustrated, the book provides interesting historical notes to support each photograph. WELL WORTH DIPPING INTO
GreatWestern Revival: Western Locomotives in the Preservation Era By John Maybery (softback, Amberley Publishing, 128pp, £15.99, ISBN 978144539871). ESSENTIALLY a book for Great Western enthusiasts, author John Maybery takes readers through a fullyillustrated list of GWR locomotives from Kings, Castles, Halls, Manors with a glimpse of a Dukedog and City of Truro, writes Cedric Johns. Railcars and Swindon-built Evening Star are included in a collection of 100 photographs taken by the author. On a personal note John Maybery recalls that his trainspotting days began in 1946/47, the last years of the GWR. Living in Bristol, he said most Saturday mornings he could be found at the west end of platform 4 (Temple Meads). “For the price of a one penny platform ticket – and avoiding railway police – you could have a cheap morning out. “In theory, the ticket only lasted for an
hour but one could always walk out of the station and renew it immediately.” That quote alone will bring back many memories supported by John’s book of pictures. REMINDER OF HAPPY DAYS!
FromTheWilds of Donegal By John Piercy (softback, self published, john_piercy@hotmail. com 78 pps, £12.95 inc p&p, ISBN 0 9514715 46). JOHN Piercy felt compelled, as a teenager, to visit the County Donegal Railways, just a few days before the legendary 3ft gauge lines closed on December 31, 1959, writes Hugh Dougherty. The result is a book of photographs taken in the depth and wet of a Donegal winter, in contrast to most of the surviving pictures of the railway in action, taken
Like our world-beating Facebook page – or miss out big time! AS we closed for press, the number of followers on our facebook.com/ heritagerailway page had passed the 324,00 mark. That’s far more than any other railway enthusiast site that we know about, anywhere in the world – and when enthusiasts visited in the spring or summer. The gloom of many shots conveys the feeling that the end of the line was nigh. There are shots of railcars at windswept and almost-deserted platforms, with steam in action too on freight trains, while staff and passengers also make an appearance. The author has supplemented his own pictures with some from the Donegal Democrat and the County Donegal Railway Restoration collection, while pages from timetables and publicity leaflets add to the nostalgic impact of this book.
the number increases rapidly by the day! Over recent weeks, we have added more likes to our pages than some of our competitors have over many years. Let us see your pictures, hear your news and tell the world about your upcoming events. Like us today! It’s hard to take in that, just days later, the scenes recorded were history, and all the CDR’s passengers and goods had been transferred to the company’s road freight vehicles. This is a book for the narrow gauge fan, railway enthusiasts and social historian alike. Part of the proceeds go to the Shalom HabakkukTrust, an international charity helping sick and disabled Holocaust survivors and working for reconciliation, a group with which the author is closely associated. CLASSIC NARROW GAUGE ATMOSPHERE
Poster to PosterVolume 8 By Richard Furness (hardback, Poster to Poster Publishing, 254pp, £40 (£35 + p&p from www.postertoposter.co.uk), ISBN 978 0 9562092 7 6) IT’S been a marathon, writes Geoff Courtney, with every step being recorded in Heritage Railway. Now, though, it’s over, and Richard and Judi Furness can relax in the glow of an astonishing series of handsome coffee-table books that has raised the profile of railway posters to a new and previously unattained level. Volume 8 is the last – is that a sigh of relief I can hear from Richard and Judi? – and is at the very least the equal of the previous seven. Vibrant colour and facts leap from every page, as does the enthusiasm Richard feels for the subject. That enthusiasm is infectious, and there can be few railway enthusiasts who have read any of the previous volumes and not warmed to a part of the steam era scene that we trainspotters of the 1950s and early 60s took for granted at best, ignored at worst. Volume 8 brings the curtain down on the series by casting its net overseas, to southern Ireland, Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia. There’s a Trans-Australian Railway poster bearing the unlikely image of a camel-riding farmer who could almost be a frontiersman watching a Perth-bound steam train pass by, a brilliant Sante Fe poster promoting Arizona that is reminiscent of a scene straight out of a John Wayne movie, and a Chemin de Fer d’Orléans example that gives Chateau d’Amboise a cathedral-like presence.
As volume 8 winds down it turns to the UK to cover the social support railways have provided since their very earliest days, embracing holidays, hotels and industry. The first subject includes a fascinating series of 1936 Southern Railway posters by Audrey Weber (1891-1982) promoting rambles through the four seasons – a horse-drawn plough illustrates spring, a horse-drawn hay cart summer, an early tractor (with SR 1935 registration plate) on threshing duties in autumn, and a horse rider and dog in snow representing winter. The section on hotels gives Richard an excuse to include a wonderful LNER poster depicting elegantlydressed ladies in the restaurant of the Great Eastern Hotel at Liverpool Street, and in industry there is an eye-catching illustration by Norman Wilkinson (1878-1971) dating from 1910 of four tracks arrowing away from the foreground, beneath which the LNWR modestly proclaims:“The best permanent way in the world.”
Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
No worries about the Advertising Standards Authority back then. So it’s come to an end, after 15 years, half a million words, 2100 pages, more than 3000 images of posters. 20,000 man-hours of research and writing, profiles on nearly 500 poster artists, and two book awards. A monumental achievement that has been acclaimed by BBC Antiques Roadshow expert and railway enthusiast Paul Atterbury as“one of the most ambitious and spectacular set of books in recent publishing history”. A trawl through websites selling past volumes does, indeed, support Paul’s praise, with copies of volume 6 covering the North West of the UK, which is out of print and now a collector’s piece, being advertised for prices in excess of £1000. Poster to Poster has indeed been a success all round. COLOURFUL WORLDWIDE RAILWAY JOURNEY Heritagerailway.co.uk 91
EVENTS
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UP & RUNNING
LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41312 pauses at Medstead and Four Marks station during the Mid Hants Railway's Somerset & Dorset-themed gala on February 18. PHIL BARNES
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: Weds-Suns.
Bluebell Railway
Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Engines: 263, 178, 323, 592, 847, 30541, 73082. Running: W/Es.
East Kent Railway
Standard gauge, two miles, Shepherdswell, Dover. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Apr 1, 2.
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 + sch hols.
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Standard gauge, five miles. Havenstreet, Isle of Wight. Tel: 01983 882204. Engines: 8, 11, 24, 41298. Running: Mar 19, 23, 26, 30. Daily from Apr 2.
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Kempton Steam Railway
Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Hanworth. Tel: 01932 765328. Running: Suns from Mar 18.
Kent & East Sussex Railway
Standard gauge, 10½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Tenterden, Kent. Tel: 01580 765155. Engines: 32670, 30065, 1638. Running: Mar 26, Apr 1-17.
Running: Apr 14-17.
Engine: 46447, 5637. Running: W/Es from Mar 18.
Spa Valley Railway
Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience. Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Tel: 01892 537715. Running: W/Es + Mar 30, 31, Apr 4-6.
SOUTH WEST
Helston Railway
Standard gauge. Helston, Cornwall. Tel: 07875 481380. Running: Mar 16.
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
Avon Valley Railway
Narrow gauge, one mile. Woody Bay, north Devon. Tel: 01598 763487. Running: TBA.
Bodmin & Wenford Railway
Narrow gauge, one mile. Ringwood, Hants. Tel: 01425 471415. Running: W/Es + sch hols.
Lavender Line
Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Bitton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 932 7296. Running: Mar 26, Apr 2, 5.
Moors Valley Railway
Mid Hants Railway
Standard gauge, 6½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Bodmin, Cornwall. Tel: 01208 73666. Engines: 4612, 30587. Running: Mar 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 29, Apr 2-6.
Plym Valley Railway
Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine and dine. Isfield, East Sussex. Tel: 01825 750515. Running: Suns. Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Alresford, Hants SO24 9JG. Tel: 01962 733810. Engines: 45379, 92212, 41312, 76017. Running: W/Es.
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
Narrow gauge, 13½ miles, footplate experience. New Romney, Kent. Tel: 01797 362353. Running: W/Es. Daily from Mar 25.
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.
Dartmoor Railway
Standard gauge, seven miles. Okehampton, Devon. Tel: 01837 55164. Running: TBA.
Dartmouth Steam Railway
Standard gauge, seven miles, wine and dine. Paignton, Devon. Tel: 01803 555872. Engines: 7827, 4277, 75014. Running: TBA.
Standard gauge, 1½ miles. Marsh Mills, Plymouth. Running: Suns.
Seaton Tramway
Narrow gauge, three miles. Harbour Road, Seaton, Devon. Tel: 01297 20375. Running: W/Es.
South Devon Railway
Standard gauge, seven miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Buckfastleigh, Devon. Tel: 01364 644370. Engines: 3205, 6412, 1369, 5542. Running: Daily from Mar 18.
Swanage Railway
Narrow gauge, ½ mile. Bickleigh, Devon. Tel: 01884 855671. Running: TBA.
Standard gauge, six miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Swanage, Dorset. Tel: 01929 425800. Engines: 31806, 34070. Running: W/Es. Daily from Mar 25.
Standard gauge, two miles. Cranmore, Somerset. Tel: 01749 880417.
Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience.
Devon Railway Centre
East Somerset Railway
Swindon & Cricklade Railway
The information in this list was correct at the time of going to press. We strongly advise that you confirm details with the railway concerned.
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UP & RUNNING Blunsdon, Wiltshire. Tel: 01793 771615. Running: Suns.
Mid-Suffolk Light Railway
Standard gauge, 20 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BG. Tel: 01643 704996. Engines: 44422, 53808, 53809, 6960. Running: W/Es + Mar 29, 30. Daily from Apr 1.
Nene Valley Railway
West Somerset Railway
EAST ANGLIA Bressingham Steam Museum Narrow gauge, one mile. Diss, Norfolk. Tel: 01379 686900. Running: Daily from Mar 27.
Bure Valley Railway
Narrow gauge, nine miles, footplate experience. Aylsham, Norfolk. Tel: 01263 733858. Running: W/Es. Daily from Apr 1
Colne Valley Railway
Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine and dine. Castle Hedingham, Essex. Tel: 01787 461174. Running: Apr 2, 5, 9.
East Anglian Railway Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile. Wakes Colne, Essex. Tel: 01206 242524. Open: Daily. Running: Apr 14-17.
Mangapps Railway
Standard gauge, one mile. near Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. Tel: 01621 784898. Running: W/Es.
Mid-Norfolk Railway
Standard gauge, 11½ miles, footplate experience. Dereham, Norfolk. Tel: 01362 690633. Engine: 9466. Running: TBA.
Standard gauge, ½ mile. Brockford, Suffolk. Running: Apr 16, 17.
Standard gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience. Wansford, Peterborough, Cambs. Tel: 01780 784444. Engine: 34081. Running: Mar 11, 12, 19, 25, 26, Apr 1, 2, 7-9.
North Norfolk Railway
Standard gauge, 5½ miles, footplate experience. Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8RA. Tel: 01263 820800. Engines: 564, 92203, 8572. Running: W/Es +Mar 24. Daily from 31
Wells & Walsingham Railway Narrow gauge, four miles. Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. Tel: 01328 711630 Running: Daily from Mar 18.
Whitwell & Reepham Railway Standard gauge, ¼ mile. Reepham, Norfolk. Tel: 01603 871694. Running: W/Es, steam first Sun.
HOME COUNTIES Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Standard gauge, ¼ mile, footplate experience. Quainton Road, Bucks. Tel: 01296 655720. Engine: 30585, Met 1. Open: Apr 4, 6. Running: Apr 2, 9.
Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway
Standard gauge, 3½ miles. Chinnor, Oxon. Tel: 01844 353535. Running: Mar 26, Apr 2, 9.
Cholsey & Wallingford Railway
Standard gauge, 2½ miles. Wallingford,
Churnet Valley Railway
Oxon. Tel: 01491 835067. Running: TBA.
Didcot Railway Centre
Standard gauge, footplate experience. Didcot, Oxon. Tel: 01235 817200. Engines: 93, 6023. Open: W/Es. Running: Apr 1, 2.
Epping Ongar Railway
Standard gauge, five miles. Ongar, Essex. Tel: 01277 365200. Running: Apr 1, 2, 5.
Leighton Buzzard Railway
Narrow gauge, 2¾ miles. Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Tel: 01525 373888. Running: Mar 19, 26, Apr 2.
Standard gauge, 5¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Cheddleton, Staffs. Tel: 01538 750755. Engines: 323, 6046, 5197. Running: Suns + Apr Sats.
Dean Forest Railway
Standard gauge, 4¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Norchard, Lydney, Glos. Tel: 01594 845840. Engine: 5541. Running: W/Es + Weds.
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Standard gauge, eight miles. Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Tel: 01629 823076. Running: W/Es, Tues + Mar16, Apr 6, 7.
Evesham Vale Railway
Narrow gauge, 1¼ mile. A46 north of Evesham, Worcs. Tel: 01386 422282. Running: W/Es.
MIDLANDS Amerton Railway
Narrow gauge, one mile. Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffs. Tel: 01785 850965. Running: W/Es from Mar 19.
Apedale Valley Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile. Apedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. Tel: 0845 094 1953. Running: Apr 1, 8, 9.
Barrow Hill Roundhouse
Standard gauge, ¼ mile. Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Tel: 01246 472450. Open: September.
Battlefield Line Railway
Standard gauge, five miles. Shackerstone, Leics. Tel: 01827 880754. Engine: 30120. Running: March.
Chasewater Railway
Standard gauge, two miles. Walsall, West Midlands. Tel: 01543 452623. Running: Suns.
Foxfield Railway
Standard gauge, 5½ miles. Blythe Bridge, Staffs. Running: Suns.
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience. Toddington, Glos. Tel: 01242 621405. Engines: 2807, 4270, 35006, 7903. Running: W/Es + Mar 22, 29, Apr 4, 5.
Great Central Railway
Standard gauge, eight miles. Loughborough, Leics LE11 1RW. Tel: 01509 632323. Engines: 48624, 47406, 46521, 92214, 45305, 777, 6990, 78018, 70013. Running: W/Es.
Great Central Railway Nottingham Standard gauge, four miles. Ruddington, Notts. Tel: 0115 940 570. Engine: 8274 Running: Apr W/Es.
Midland Railway – Butterley
Standard gauge, 3½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Ripley, Derbyshire. Tel: 01773 570140. Engine: 5619 Running: W/Es.
Northampton & Lamport Railway
Standard gauge, two miles. Pitsford, Northants. Tel: 01604 820327. Running: Mar 26, Apr 2, 9.
Peak Rail
Standard gauge, four miles. Matlock, Derbyshire. Tel: 01629 580381. Running: W/Es + Apr 4, 5.
Perrygrove Railway
Narrow gauge. B4228, Coleford, Glos. Tel: 01594 834991. Running: W/Es + Mar 17, 20, Apr 7.
Rocks by Rail
Standard gauge, ¼ mile. Cottesmore, Rutland. Open: Tues, Thur, Sun. Running: Apr 16, 17.
Rudyard Lake Railway
Narrow gauge, 1½ miles. Leek, Staffs. Tel: 01995 672280. Running: TBA.
LSWR Beattie 2-4-0T No. 30587 runs alongside the River Dart with a photo charter goods train on the South Devon Railway on February 23. PHIL WATERFIELD
96 Heritagerailway.co.uk
Rushden Transport Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile. Open: W/Es, Running TBA.
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UP & RUNNING Severn Valley Railway
Standard gauge, 16 miles, footplate experience. Kidderminster, Worcs DY10 1QR. Tel: 01562 757900. Engines: 1501, 7812, 2857, 43106, 1450, 34027, 34053, 7802, 813, 7714. Running: W/Es + Mar 17.
Steeple Grange Light Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile, footplate experience. Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Running: Easter.
Telford Steam Railway
Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience. Telford, Shropshire. Email: [emailprotected] Tel: 01952 503880. Running: Easter.
NORTH WEST East Lancashire Railway
Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience. Bury, Lancs. Tel: 01617 647790. Engines: 13065, 12322, 34092, 76084, 45212, 45407, 48624. Running: W/Es + Apr Wed-Fri.
Eden Valley Railway
Standard gauge, two miles. Warcop, off A66, Cumbria CA16 6PR 01768 342309. www.evr-cumbria.org.uk Running: Suns from Apr 2.
Heaton Park Tramway
Standard gauge, ½ mile. Manchester. Running: Suns pm.
Isle of Man Steam Railway
Narrow gauge, 15½ miles. Douglas, Isle of Man. Tel: 01624 662525. Running: Fri-Mon from Mar 18.
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway Standard gauge, 3½ miles. near Ulverston, Cumbria. Tel: 01539 531594. Engines: 42073, 42085. Running: Daily from Apr 1.
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
Narrow gauge, seven miles. Ravenglass, Cumbria. Tel: 01229 717171. Running: W/Es. Daily from Mar 18.
Ribble Steam Railway
Standard gauge, one mile. Preston, Lancs. Tel: 01772 728800. Running: Mar 25, 26, Apr 1, 2.
Stainmore Railway
Standard gauge, ½ mile. Kirkby Stephen East Station, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4LA. Open: W/Es. Running: TBA.
West Lancashire Light Railway
Narrow gauge. Hesketh Bank, Lancs. Tel: 01772 815881. Running: Suns from Mar 26.
NORTH EAST Aln Valley Railway
Standard gauge, ½ mile. Lionheart station, Alnwick, Northumberland. Running: Easter.
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USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 5820 climbs away from Keighley on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway on February 4. KARL HEATH
Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society Standard gauge, 15 miles. British Steel Steelworks, Sc*nthorpe. Tel: 01652 657053. Running: Mar 25.
Bowes Railway
Standard gauge, one mile. Springwell, Tyne & Wear. Tel: 01914 161847. Open: Apr 1, 2.
Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway
Narrow gauge, two miles. Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Tel: 01472 604657. Running: W/Es. Daily from Apr 1.
Derwent Valley Railway
Standard gauge, ½ mile. Murton Park, Layerthorpe, York. Tel: 01904 489966. Running: Easter.
Elsecar Railway
Standard gauge, one mile. Footplate experience. Elsecar, South Yorks. Tel: 01226 746746. Open: Daily. Running: Mar 12, 26.
Keighley, West Yorks BD22 8NJ. Tel: 01535 645214. Engines: 60103, 43924, 1054, 5820, 75078, 85. Running: W/Es + Weds. Daily from Apr 1.
Kirklees Light Railway
Narrow gauge, four miles. Huddersfield, West Yorks. Tel: 01484 865727. Running: W/Es.
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Standard gauge, 1½ miles. Ludborough, Lincolnshire. Tel: 01507 363881. Running: Mar 26, Apr 2.
Running: W/Es from Apr 1.
Tanfield Railway
Standard gauge, three miles. near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Tel: 01913 887545. Running: Suns + Mar 18.
Weardale Railway
Standard gauge, five miles. Stanhope, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham. Tel: 01388 526203. Running: Mar 26.
Wensleydale Railway
Middleton Railway
Standard gauge, 1½ miles. Hunslet, Leeds. Tel: 0113 271 0320. Engine: 1310. Running: W/Es from Mar 25.
North Tyneside Railway
Standard gauge, two miles. North Shields. Tel: 0191 200 7106 Running: Apr W/Es.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Standard gauge, 22 miles. Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire. Tel: 0845 450 5474. Engine: 69023. Running: W/Es.
WALES Bala Lake Railway
Narrow gauge, 4½ miles. Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01678 540666. Running: Apr 1, 2, 4-6, 8-25.
Barry Tourist Railway
Standard gauge, two miles. Barry Island, Glamorgan. Tel: 01446 748816. Running: Apr 14-17.
Standard gauge, five miles. Embsay, North Yorks. Engine: 5643. Running: Suns + Apr Tues, Sats.
Standard gauge, 18 miles, wine and dine. Grosmont, North Yorks. Tel: 01751 472508. Engines: 45428, 76079, 80136, 44806, 61264, 46100. Running: Mar 25, 26, 28-30. Daily from Apr 1.
Narrow gauge, 3½ miles. Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Tel: 01685 722988. Running: W/Es + Apr Tues-Thurs.
Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, wine and dine.
Narrow gauge, 3½ miles. Alston, Cumbria. Tel: 01434 382828/381696.
Standard gauge, ¾ mile. Llynclys station & Oswestry station. Tel: 01691 728131. Running: TBA.
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
South Tynedale Railway
Brecon Mountain Railway
Cambrian Heritage Railways
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UP & RUNNING Railway Museums Beamish
County Durham. The Living Museum of the North. Open: Daily except Mon, Fri.
Cambrian Railways Museum Oswestry station. Open: Tues-Sun. 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.
Museum Of Scottish Railways
Bo’ness. Open: April. Tel: 01506 825855.
Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
Near Wellingborough, Northants. Open: Suns. Tel: 01604 675368.
Kidderminster Railway Museum
Kidderminster, Worcs. Open: SVR operating days. Tel: 01562 825316.
Locomotion: The National Railway Museum, Shildon
Co Durham. Open: Daily. Tel: 01388 777999.
London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza. Open: Daily. Tel: 0207 379 6344.
Manchester Museum of Science & Industry
Castlefield, Manchester. Open: Daily. Tel: 0161 832 2244.
Midsomer Norton
Silver Street, Midsomer Norton. Open: Sun/Mon. Tel: 01761 411221.
Monkwearmouth Station Museum Sunderland, County Durham. Open: Daily. Tel: 01915 677075.
National Railway Museum
Leeman Road, York. Open: Daily. Tel: 01904 621261.
Penrhyn Castle Industrial Railway Museum Bangor, Gwynedd. Open: Daily except Tues.
Rail Story
Ingrow, West Yorks. Open: Daily. Tel: 01535 680425.
Shillingstone Station
Shillingstone, Dorset. Open: Sat, Sun and Wed. Tel: 01258 860696.
Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust
Washford, Somerset. Open: Weekends. Tel: 01984 640869.
STEAM – Museum of the GWR
Swindon, Wilts. Open: Daily. Tel: 01793 466646.
St Albans South Signalbox & Museum
St Albans City station. Tel: 01727 863131.
Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
Cultra, Co Down. Open: Tues-Sun.
West Cumberland Railway Museum
St Bees, Cumbria. Open: Monthly, dates as per Facebook entry or email [emailprotected]
Yeovil Railway Centre Yeovil Junction, Somerset.
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Robert Stephenson 1891-built 0-6-0T Twizzell climbs towards Andrew's House during a Tanfield Railway photographic day on February 4. ROBERT FALCONER
Corris Railway
Narrow gauge, ¾ mile. Corris, Machynlleth. Tel: 01654 761303. Running: Easter.
Fairbourne Railway
Narrow gauge, two miles. Fairbourne, Gwynedd. Tel: 01341 250362. Running: Apr 1-23.
Ffestiniog Railway
Narrow gauge, 15 miles, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: W/Es, Weds, Thurs. Daily from Mar 25.
Gwili Railway
Standard gauge, 2.5 miles. Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthenshire. Tel: 01267 238213. Running: Mar 19, 26, Apr 1.
Llanberis Lake Railway
Narrow gauge, three miles. Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870549. Running: Mar Tues-Thurs + 19, 26. Daily from Apr 2.
Llangollen Railway
Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Llangollen, Denbighshire. Tel: 01978 860979. Engines: 5199, 80072, 7822, 45337. Running: Daily.
Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway Standard gauge, two miles. Blaenavon, Torfaen. Tel: 01495 792263. Running: Easter.
Rhyl Miniature Railway
Vale of Rheidol Railway
Narrow gauge, 11¾ miles. Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Tel: 01970 625819. Engines, 8, 9. Running: W/Es. Daily from Apr 1.
Tel: 0141 556 1061. Running: Easter.
Royal Deeside Railway
Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
Standard gauge, one mile. Milton of Crathes, Kincardineshire. Running: Mar 26, Apr 1, 2, 5.
Welsh Highland Railway
Standard gauge, 1⁄3 mile. Dunaskin, Dalmellington Road (A713), Waterside, Ayrshire. Running: Apr 30.
Narrow gauge, one mile. Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 513402. Running: Apr 1, 2, 8-23.
Ayrshire Railway Centre
Narrow gauge, 26 miles. Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: W/Es, Weds, Thurs. Daily from Mar 25.
Strathspey Railway
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway
Narrow gauge, eight miles. Llanfair Caereinion, Mid-Wales. Tel: 01938 810441. Engines: 822, 823. Running: Apr 1, 2, 8-23.
SCOTLAND Almond Valley Railway
Narrow gauge, ¼ mile. Livingston, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 414957. Running: Easter.
Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway
Standard gauge, five miles. Bo’ness, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 822298. Running: W/Es from Mar 25 + Apr 4-6.
Caledonian Railway
Standard gauge, 10 miles. Aviemore, Inverness-shire. Tel: 01479 810725. Engine: 46512. Running: W/Es + Mar 29, 30, Apr 5, 6.
IRELAND Cavan & Leitrim Railway
Narrow gauge, ½ mile. Dromod, County Leitrim. Tel: 00353 71 9638599. Running: TBA.
Downpatrick & County Down Railway
Standard gauge, four miles. Downpatrick, County Down. Running: Mar 12, 17.
Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway
Narrow gauge, two miles. Bushmills, County Antrim. Tel: 0282 073 2844. Running: Apr W/Es + B/H.
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Standard gauge, four miles. Brechin, Angus. Tel: 01356 622992. Running: Easter.
Talyllyn Railway
Standard gauge, 11 miles. Dufftown, Banffshire. Running: Easter.
Narrow gauge, two miles. Kilmeadan, County Waterford. Running: Daily from Mar 19.
Narrow gauge, one mile. Leadhills, South Lanarkshire.
Narrow gauge. Moyasta Junction, Co Clare. Open: Daily.
Narrow gauge. Rhyl, North Wales. Running: Easter.
Narrow gauge, 4½ miles. Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870223. Running: Daily from Mar 17. Narrow gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience. Tywyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01654 710472. Running: W/Es. Daily from Apr 1.
Keith & Dufftown Railway
Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway
Waterford & Suir Valley Railway
West Clare Railway
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EVENTS
Heritagerailway.co.uk 101
STAY A WHILE
River Steam Holidays
Ship Inn Lane, Highley, nr Bridgnorth, Shropshire. WV16 6NU 01562 777563 / 07710 000071 riversteamholidays.co.uk
We are ideally situated just 30 metres below the Severn valley Steam Railway track and Highley station, while the river Severn is just 50 metres in front of us.
River Steam Holidays offers six self catering lodges and cottages sleeping from two to eight people for short and weekly breaks. We have an array of facilities among the properties with utility rooms, en-suites, barbecues and decking to view the trains. If you love to be close to the trains then this is the spot for you. You can see, hear and smell them as they pass, with the option to wave back at the people in the carriages.
Highley station is in the middle of our properties as is the engine house museum. Both are easily accessible by walking up the footpath. We are roughly in the middle of the Severn Valley line, and with the convenience of hopping on and off at each station it’s the perfect place for exploring on a day trip or spreading it over a couple of days. The huge bonus we offer is fishing – we have a quarter mile fishing beat
CORNWALL/DEVON BORDER
KENT & EAST SUSSEX
102 Heritagerailway.co.uk
in front of the properties and the stretch is famed for barbel, there are though many other species to catch. So if you love trains and love fishing you will be in heaven. The surrounding area is very rich with culture – there are museums, castles and market towns a-plenty, and let’s not forget the selection of inns. There is a superb network of footpaths from right out the door and even an old river ferry near
CUMBRIA
by. Cycling is possible,with each property having a lockable shed for the bikes. We have developed our properties with holidaymakers’needs in mind with plenty of parking, seating areas, log burners, wi-fi, DVD players, plus we include towels and bed linen. We love dogs and see them as part of the family, so we have made the properties family and dog friendly.We’ll even put up the Christmas tree.
ISLE OF MAN
NORTH YORK MOORS
STAY A WHILE LLANGOLLEN
MID NORFOLK
WEST HIGHLANDS
NORTH YORK MOORS
NORTH NORFOLK
WORTH VALLEY
SCOTLAND
WEST SOMERSET
WEB WATCH
Heritagerailway.co.uk 103
CLASSIFIED AUCTIONS
EXPRESS GOODS
Contact Sue Needham on 01507 529310 • [emailprotected] BOOKS
BOOKS
DVD
104 Heritagerailway.co.uk
MODELS
ENGINEERING
RAILWAYANA
FOR SALE WANTED
WANTED
FOR SALE
WEB DIRECTORY
Heritagerailway.co.uk 105
THE MONTH AHEAD
Visiting Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34053 Sir Keith Park departs from Orton Mere during the Nene Valley Railway Bulleid 50 steam gala on February 26. MICK ALDERMAN
Flying Scotsman v The Scot
THE gala season is taking a slightly different form this year with some of the well-established March events being held later than usual – for example on the North Norfolk andWest Somerset railways.
SPECIAL EVENTS March
10-12: East Lancashire Railway: Spring Steam Spectacular ■ This event will recall the heyday of Lostock Hall shed near Preston, one of the last of BR’s steam sheds. Visiting engines will be: LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624, ‘Black Five’4-6-0s Nos. 45212 and 45407 and BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084 which will run alongside resident SR Bullied Pacific No. 34092 CityofWells, LMS‘Crab’2-6-0 No. 13065, and L&Y A class 0-6-0 No. 12322.
11/12: SpaValley Railway: Diesel Gala ■ 12: Great Central Railway: Quorn Swapmeet
This may partly be due to the lack of available visiting locomotives, all being required at around the same time. While there are a few events marking various 50th anniversaries, some railways are building their major events round
one particular star visitor. Flying Scotsman appears to still be the main attraction in this respect, but its availability for heritage line visits is being strictly rationed. Meanwhile the NorthYorkshire Moors Railway is hoping to repeat the success
of No. 60103’s visit last year with a similar week-long programme of runs by LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot. HeritageRailway will be covering all these and other events over the coming month.
17-19: SevernValley Railway: Spring Steam Gala ■
25: Statfold Barn Railway: Steam Gala
Bulleid Pacifics;West Country No. 34092 Cityof Wells, rebuiltWest Country No. 34046 as No. 34052 LordDowding, Battle of Britains Nos. 3408192Squadron and 34070 Manston, and rebuilt Battle of Britain No. 34053 SirKeithPark.
With an intensive timetable with up to 10 locomotives operating on Friday and Saturday, and nine on Sunday, visiting for this major three-day event will be LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41312, SR Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34081 92Squadron and BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 The visiting locomotives will be supported by members of the home fleet, including: No. 813, No. 1450, No. 1501, No. 2857, No. 7714, No. 7802 Bradley Manor, No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor, No. 34027 TawValley, No. 34053 SirKeith Park and No. 43106. Double headers will include Nos. 1450 & 7714 and Nos. 41312 & 43106. Brakevan rides will be available at Highley. Goods trains will be hauled by Nos. 92214, 7714, 813 and 41312. Services will continue well into the evening. There will be a beer tent and hot pork baps at Bewdley, three new exhibitions inThe Engine House at Highley.
18/19: Chasewater Railway: Spring Gala 18/19: EcclesbourneValley Railway: Diesel LocomotiveWeekend ■
Issue 227 is out on April 7, 2017. Catch up with the latest news, views and great features every four weeks. 106 Heritagerailway.co.uk
18/19: Great Central Railway: Spring Diesel Gala ■
A frequent service of passenger trains will run from around 9.30am until late afternoon when services wind down for all the locomotives in steam to be gathered for a cavalcade and massed sounding of whistles as a grand finale. The roundhouse museum will be open and there will be model railway layouts, historic road vehicles and sales stands. Entry is strictly by pre-requested invitation only.
25/26: NorthYorkshire Moors Railway: Royal Scot ■
LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100RoyalScot will be working trains on March 25, 26, 28, 29 and 30 plus April 1 and 2. Departure times from Grosmont for the round trip to Pickering will be at 9.30am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
25/26: Ribble Steam Railway: Diesel Weekend ■ 26: Elsecar Heritage Railway, Sentinel Gala 28-30: NorthYorkshire Moors Railway: RoyalScot 31-Apr 2: Bluebell Railway: Diesel Gala
■
31-Apr 2: Swanage Railway: Strictly Bulleid Gala ■
April
1/2: NorthYorkshire Moors Railway: RoyalScot 1/2: Ribble Steam Railway: Steam Gala 1-9: Keighley &WorthValley Railway: FlyingScotsman ■
The popular LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsmanwill be on display at Ingrow over the weekend of April 1/ 2, and will be hauling trains on the line from Monday, April 3 to Sunday, April 9.
2:West Lancashire Light Railway: Friendly Engines Day ■ 6-9: Beamish Museum: Great Northern Steam Fair 8/9: AvonValley Railway: Diesel Gala ■
RAILWAYANA March
25:Talisman Railwayana, Newark Showground
18/19:Tanfield Railway: GreatWar Weekend
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of steam-hauled services on BR Southern Region, this will be the first of several themed events on the Swanage Railway. An intensive service of passenger and goods trains will be operated by no less than five
8: Great Northern Railwayana, Poynton
KEY ■ Major or featured galas
■ Diesel and/or electric galas
■ Thomas and family event
18/19: South Devon Railway: Half Price Weekend
April
1: GW Railwayana, Pershore
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