Heritage Railway 199 2015-02

HOWTO PHOTOGRAPHTHE LLANGOLLEN RAILWAY

ISSUE 199

February 12 – March 11, 2015

SIRWINSTON

CHURCHILL

FUNERALTRAIN UNVEILED INYORK

■ PETEWATERMAN IN £1 MILLION STEAM SALE ■

SPAVALLEY HIT BY SECOND LANDSLIP

OPINION

Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34051 WinstonChurchillpasses beneath the signal gantry in the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum on January 30, at the head of a refurbished section of the wartime prime minister’s funeral train from exactly 50 years before. Report and pictures on Headline News, pages 6-7. NRM EDITORIAL

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

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Rising to the state occasion

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HEN it comes to celebrating transport matters of international significance, there is nobody or nowhere that seems capable of giving a show quite like Britain’s National Railway Museum. It was a richly deserved winner of the Heritage Railway Association’s Peter Manisty Award for Excellence 2014 with its hugely successful and profit-making Mallard 75 celebrations at York and Shildon, to mark the world rail steam speed record, and it has now excelled itself again with the re-creation of part of Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train. Sadly, I was not among the linesiders who thronged every vantage point between Waterloo and Handborough over which the train took the wartime leader on his final journey half a century ago. However, I remember the day well: I returned home to see the funeral service on TV, like millions of others worldwide, to find my mom sobbing “poor Winnie”, summing up the spirit of a nation which would forever thank the one-time Tory maverick for saving them from annihilation by Hitler. Mom cut out all the articles about his death and saved them in a brown paper envelope, telling me that I would treasure them in many years to come and, over the next three months, the NRM’s new exhibition in the Great Hall at York will bring similar memories flooding back for tens of thousands of visitors. Special mention must go to the skills of the restoration team at the Mid Hants Railway which replaced much of the rotten streamlined casing on No. 34051 and did such a magnificent paint job: it is worth a trip to York just to see that. Maybe the day will come when the question asked by so many on the day of the unveiling of the exhibition will be answered in a positive manner: When will Winston Churchill steam again ? Of

course, there are no plans, and critics will immediately say that there are enough Bulleid Pacifics running in preservation at the moment, but the name and legacy carried by that locomotive is currency in itself. I’m told the boiler is in reasonable condition, and if someone leaps out of the woodwork with a chequebook… We also welcome the return of Flying Scotsman, a few weeks later than originally planned, we are told, but in a form that is authentic to the A3 class in its latter BR years. Enthusiasts have long argued that if it has a double chimney and smoke deflectors, there is only one possible livery and that is BR Brunswick green with number 60103, just as it ran before Alan Pegler had the vision to buy it. That will displease the generations who have come to know No. 4472 in its trademark LNER apple green livery, at one time having two tenders, and as a hybrid, which popularly represented the steam era in all of its glory. Perhaps one day, when the superb new-build projects currently in the works are completed, thoughts may turn to building a new A1/A3 to represent the class in its earlier single-chimney version and complete a long and ever-twisting story. Another event in which the NRM has been involved is the latest London production of The Railway Children, being staged at a purpose-built temporary theatre at King’s Cross station. The show itself – reviewed on page 101– is tremendous, but even more so is the railway-themed theatre in which it is performed. Sadly, this structure must make way for Google’s new headquarters later this year, but it is nonetheless a magnificent venue that could become a permanent attraction in its own right, if it was re-erected at a heritage railway? There is a real gem here – let us not allow it go to waste. Robin Jones Editor Heritage Railway 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 199

February 12 - March 11

News

16

HEADLINE NEWS

6

Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train goes on show in the National Railway Museum; Flying Scotsman to reappear later this year in BR Brunswick green as No. 60103; funds roll in for Bala Lake Railway town centre extension project; plus the latest updates on the big Steel, Steam & Stars IV gala at the Llangollen Railway in March.

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NEWS

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Second landslip at Spa Valley; Olton Hall stars in new Harry Potter attraction opening on March 19; Wells & Walsingham founder dies aged 92; passenger records broken at several UK lines; North Norfolk gets £500K government grant; Pete Waterman in £1 million models sale; reunited Great Central will input £51 million into local economy says study; action from GCR winter gala; dismay over decision to axe Snibston Discovery Museum; Military Railfest moves to Nene Valley Railway; Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway centenary celebrations; why a business case is paramount for newbuild projects, and the new Heritage Railway Association chairman outlines his vision for the future.

Regulars

Features

Duchess of Sutherland in wintry conditions on the Settle & Carlisle. Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

66

MAINLINE

Off the Shelf

Latest book review

56

Pathfinder Tours to run Tornado’s comeback trip; all change for ‘Great Britain VIII’; Steam Dreams celebrates 15 years; GWR Hall opens Vintage Trains season; shares in Duke of Gloucester on offer and senior Tories hint at Exeter-OkehamptonPlymouth reinstatement.

WITH FULL REGULATOR 62

Don Benn reports on the ‘goanywhere’ LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s.

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67

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

Platform

84

Where your views matter most.

Scale Heritage Railway 88 Hornby’s latest 4VEP EMU.

The venues running in February. The Railway Children at King’s Cross Theatre, by Robin Jones.

Enthusiasts will again flock to Llangollen in March for the fourth Steel Steam and Stars gala on the line. Many will want to photograph the variety of steam power from the lineside; Phil Jones gives advice on the best places to go.

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CONTENTS: LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchessof Sutherland climbs the 1-in-80 to Shap summit at Greenholme with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on January 31. BRIAN SHARPE COVER: LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchessof Sutherland climbs past Shap Wells with the ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on January 31. MAURICE BURNS

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68 Whitby lost its train services along the coast to Scarborough and across the moors to Malton on March 6, 1965. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the closure of these routes, part of which was subsequently saved as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Maurice Burns, then an 18-year-old lad, recalls his memories of catching the last train to York from Whitby.

Having quietly amassed a vast array of donor parts from ex Barry locomotives which, realistically, were unlikely ever to run again, steady progress has been made at Llangollen over the last 18 months in assembling the frames for the newbuild Churchward 47XX 2-8-0. Great Western Society chairman Richard Croucher brings the story up to date and explains how the project is now within striking distance of having a complete chassis.

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88 Mist, fog and snow did not deter visitors to the first steam gala of the year; Brian Sharpe reports on the East Lancashire Railway’s January event. Heritage Railway 5

HEADLINE NEws

The Mid Hants Railway restoration team whose work on No. 34051 WinstonChurchill has been universally praised. NRM

To the accompaniment of a chamber choir, Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34051 WinstonChurchill makes a triumphant entry into the Great Hall. NRM

By Robin Jones

seat of Blenheim Palace. The funeral train remains on display in the Great Hall until May 3 as the centrepiece of an exhibition that recalls the part the railway played in the only state funeral granted to a statesman in the 20th century. It was also the last steam-hauled state funeral. The accompanying display includes archive news footage of the funeral, which saw the crowds throng the lineside through Churchill’s final journey, while millions more worldwide clustered around their TV sets to bid farewell to the great wartime leader. However, the star of the show this time round was Jim Lester, 72, the fireman on the footplate of No. 34051 on that historic journey half a century ago. He said: “It’s been great working

They did Winnie proud!

AT 8am on Friday, January 30, a whistle was sounded as a train was shunted into the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum at York to choral accompaniment. As a crowd of VIPs from across Britain fell silent, the beautifully refurbished Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34051 Winston Churchill entered in front of a rake of two vehicles, which had also formed part of its namesake’s state funeral train exactly 50 years before. First, there was the humble Southern Railway parcels van No. S2464S, in which, during restoration, the outline of the markings for the resting place of the coffin of the great wartime prime minister were rediscovered. Then came Pullman car No. 246

Lydia, which had formed part of Churchill’s command train during the Second World War . The entry to the museum of the re-created funeral train at 8am on January 30, 2015, kicked off a series of nationwide commemorative events, including a flotilla down the Thames with the barge that had carried Churchill’s coffin in 1965, alongside the stretch where, famously, the dockyard workers bowed their cranes in respect as it passed by. As with the train that carried the coffin and world leaders from Waterloo to Handborough station in Oxfordshire, the three headcode discs were arranged in a unique V formation, recalling Churchill’s famous victory sign. From Handborough, Churchill’s coffin was taken to St Martin’s church in the village of Bladon near his family’s

with the museum on this display to mark this anniversary, and for me it’s like turning the clock back 50 years. I’m a little more hard of hearing than I was back then but the sound of that whistle and seeing the locomotive and train together again has brought it all back to me, the huge crowds watching us go past and the deep sense of sadness that was evident on the occasion.” Also present was Steve Davis, the former NRM director, who asked for No. 34051 to be restored because of its deteriorating condition. Anthony Coulls, the NRM’s senior curator of rail vehicles, said: “Our locomotive and the carriages that it hauled have earned a place on the national stage due to the part they played in Churchill’s final journey. Until they were chosen to take the Left: Carrying a headcode mirroring Churchill’s V for Victory salute, No. 34051 stands at the head of the re-created funeral train. ROBIN JONES

On January 30, from the footplate of No. 34051, National Railway Museum director Paul Kirkman officially opens the funeral train exhibition, watched by Philip Benham, chairman of the museum’s friends’ group. ROBIN JONES

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Right: No. 34051 hauling the funeral train on January 30, 1965, MIKE EVANS statesman on his final farewell, they were just standard rolling stock, especially the baggage van which carried everyday goods such as vegetables and newspapers before it was selected to transport Churchill’s coffin.” Also justifiably proud were the team from the Mid Hants Railway’s Ropley works, who carried out the meticulous cosmetic restoration of No. 34051 after it had been found that not only had the paintwork faded but also much of the ‘Spam Can’ casing had rotted away from the inside, and their counterparts from the Locomotion museum in Shildon, who restored the baggage car. It is understood that the Swanage Railway, which had used the baggage car as a store since it was repatriated from California several years ago, has suggested it stays at the NRM because of its national importance. The restoration of both No. 34051 and the baggage car had been supported by the Friends of the

The interior of the baggage car where the coffin was laid. ROBIN JONES National Railway Museum, which launched an appeal back in January 2011 to raise funds for the project. Elsewhere, the three main party leaders, none of whom were born at the time of Churchill’s death, laid wreaths at his House of Commons statue. Winston’s great-great grandchildren – Iona Pite, John Winston Churchill and Christabel Fraser – laid a wreath during a commemoration at Westminster Abbey.

➜ A video of the entrance of No. 34051 into the Great Hall can be seen on our www.facebook.com/heritagerailway page, which as we closed for press had more than 51,000 likes. ➜ See also Off The Shelf – page 67, and Platform, pages 84-85.

Pullman carriageLydiawas manufactured by the Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Company in 1925. It was significantly damaged when it was struck by an excursion train just outside Leeds Central station in 1959, but was repaired at Preston Park works for a grand total of £820. Stranded in the US after Alan Pegler’s FlyingScotsman tour of North America went bust in 1969, in 2000 it was repatriated to the UK along with sister car No. 247 IsleofThanet, which also featured in Churchill’s funeral train. Owned by enthusiast David Westcott, the pair were restored and stored at West Coast Railway’s Carnforth base pending an eventual move to the Swanage Railway, once a carriage shed is available. Interior table lamps for the funeral train exhibition were provided by the Pullman Society. ROBIN JONES

Right: Jim Lester, the fireman on the funeral train 50 years ago, back on board the footplate. NRM

Left: Fireman Jim Lester (left) and driver Alf Hurley preparing to drive No. 34051 WinstonChurchillfrom Waterloo to Handborough on January 30, 1965. PRESS ASSOCIATION/NRM Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

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HEADLINE NEws

Flying Scotsman returns in BR Brunswick green!

By Robin Jones

LNER A3 Pacific No. 4472 Flying Scotsman will return to the main line as it appeared in its final BR days – with double chimney, smoke deflectors… and Brunswick green livery as No. 60103. When unveiled at the National Railway Museum nearly four years ago, the world’s most famous – and expensive – steam locomotive was to have made its comeback to the national network, initially in BR wartime black, as NE No. 103. However, that ‘return’ never happened, as further major faults were soon discovered just weeks after the loco’s high-profile unveiling at York following an overhaul. Bury engineer Ian Riley was subsequently contracted in the autumn of 2013 to complete the overhaul of the NRM-owned loco in return for the use of Flying Scotsman on the main line for two years.

It is understood that the repainting of the locomotive into BR green – historically appropriate to its latter-day form, and top of the ‘wish list’ for many enthusiasts – was part of the contract with Riley & Son (E) Ltd. The NRM has also announced that Flying Scotman’s overhaul will not be completed this summer as originally hoped. However, the museum still expects that it will return to steam this year.

New frame sections

As reported in Heritage Railway last summer, it was decided to manufacture new sections of the frames when a trial fitting of the cylinders showed how badly out of alignment and elongated the mounting holes were. Although some remedial work in this area was expected, the amount of welding that would have been required could have led to potential deformation of the frame plates.

The new frame plates were manufactured at Arthur Stephenson Engineers Ltd, Greater Manchester, and were welded to the original frame of the 1920s locomotive at Ian Riley’s workshops. The long-awaited announcement about the livery was made in the run up to Burns Night (January 25). NRM head curator Andrew McLean said: “The loco has been changed so often over 90 years that it is now practically impossible to present it in a wholly historically accurate appearance. “As well as the most well-known guises of the apple green 4472 and the BR green 60103, Flying Scotsman has also been numbered 1472, 103, and 502. “The loco will retain the double chimney and smoke deflectors it carried when the museum acquired it in 2004. This being the case, we have decided to present it in its final BR working appearance as far as is reasonably practicable.”

Engineering specialist First Class Partnerships is continuing to provide engineering and project management advice to the museum in relation to this complex project.

Final fit

The remaining works that will be undertaken at Bury include the start of the front-end dimensioning; trialling and the final fit of components; and reconstruction, including the attachment of the new front bufferbeam plate. There will also be full ‘running-in’ testing once the locomotive is complete. NRM director Paul Kirkman said: “We are still progressing towards completing the restoration this year and we are planning a whole season of events and activities from February 2016 celebrating this star locomotive in our collection.” The £2.31million purchase of the locomotive and the overhaul has cost the museum more than £5m in total. No. 60103 Flying Scotsman at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway in BR Brunswick green livery in July 1994. BRIAN SHARPE

Left:Gresley A3 Pacific No. 60103 FlyingScotsman at King’s Cross on the day in 1963 that it was bought for preservation by the late Alan Pegler. While the general public have long adored its appearance in LNER apple green during the heritage era, many enthusiasts have called for it to be returned to the Brunswick green livery historically appropriate for its double chimney and smoke deflectors format. NRM

Funds arrive for Bala Lake extension – but more urgently needed By Robin Jones THE Bala Lake Railway Trust’s £3 million project to gain a town centre presence after more than four decades has got off to a flying start. Within days of Prosiect y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon Project) being announced in Heritage Railway issue 198, more than £10,000 was raised towards the purchase of land and property in Bala town centre. Since the launch of the project’s JustGiving page, single donations of £1000 and £2000 have been made from anonymous donors. Talks about the project were being undertaken with local councillors, civic representatives and landowners as we closed for press. However, the biggest emphasis at this stage is being placed on

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fundraising, the first phase of which is for the station site. The Bala Lake Railway Trust is committed to raising £150,000 to cover the purchase of a rundown industrial building on a prime site opposite the main town centre car park, and nearby land. The new Bala Lake Railway Trust’s www.thebalalakerailwaytrust.org website offers a variety of ways in which readers can help the project – one of which is at no cost to them. The trust has registered with Everyclick, powered by Yahoo, and when used as your search engine instead of Google for example, every click counts as you can raise money for the line extension from your armchair. The commission earned by you searching and shopping on the web – whether it’s Argos, Tesco, Boots or M&S – goes to the extension fund.

Every click pays and you can track your giving down to the last penny. Trust chairman Julian Birley said: “We are absolutely delighted with the support we have received to date. The donations made by our philanthropic friends and supporters further endorse the rationale behind the Bala line extension and the associated benefits it will bring to the town. “We are now reaching out to heritage railway lovers nationwide to assist us in our plight by joining our

fundraising. Make every click count for the Bala Line extension.” Talks about which route the extension will take are still under way. Among the possibilities is laying the extension along the pavement of the bridge which carries the B4391 over the River Dee as it emerges from Lake Bala. A new cantilever-style add-on to the bridge will carry the footway, supported by the bridge’s cutwaters. As we closed for press, Julian was to meet a second landowner to discuss buying land for the new trackbed.

➜ In addition to Everyclick and other initiatives on the website, readers can donate via a Just TextGiving scheme. You can donate £3 by texting BLRT15 followed by £3 to 70070. Alternatively, you can make your donation by cheque to The Bala Lake Railway Trust, confirming that you are a UK taxpayer in order that the line can claim Gift Aid, and send it to: c/o Julian Birley, The Bala Lake Railway, The Station, Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd LL23 7DD. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

GWR 2-6-2T No. 5199 heads east from Garth-y-Dwr on the Llangollen Railway on December 29, 2014. KEN WOOLLEY

Berwyn gets a Midford makeover for its SSS IV event THE 6880 Betton Grange Society has reached agreement with the stationmaster and staff at Berwyn for the station to receive a ‘Midford-style’ Somerset & Dorset Railway makeover, complete with Midford nameboard. The deal forms part of the developing S&D theme for its forthcoming Heritage Railwaysponsored Steel, Steam & Stars IV event. The legendary S&D station has many similarities with Berwyn and will be the ideal place to catch a glimpse of some classic S&D locomotive combinations working hard up the climb from the Dee bridge, just outside Llangollen. It is also hoped the station’s waiting room will stage a photographic display about the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, the classic route between Bath Green Park and Bournemouth that featured 9Fs, Bulleid Pacifics and ‘Black Fives’ among many others, often in doubleheaded combination in order to take heavy trains on the steeply graded route over the Mendip Hills. Steel, Steam & Stars events are wellknown for their imaginative timetables and Martin Fuller has now

completed those for the 2015 event, which gets under way on March 6 for three days until the 8th, and again on March 13 for a further three days through to the 15th. Trains will feature double-headed combinations and banking turns, while all services are topped and tailed along the newly opened extension to Corwen, where there will be a tented village with traders, society stands and food vendors. Passengers are also encouraged to visit Corwen, where there is an exhibition at the nearby chapel, including photographic and memorabilia displays and model railways.

Interesting combinations

Some of the eye-catching combinations in action include visiting West Country 4-6-2 No. 34092 Wells, piloted by 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212 on the 11.23am out of Llangollen on Friday, March 6. On the same day, Collett 2251 class No. 3205 (a former Templecombe engine) will be banking Wells on the extension to Corwen, while another interesting combination sees ‘Black Five’ No. 45337 being banked by No. 3205 on the 4.05pm freight out of Llangollen on the second Friday.

“There is definitely a whiff of the old Somerset & Dorset about the gala,” publicity director Paul Appleton told Heritage Railway, “and Martin and the team have worked very hard to get the most out of the visiting and resident locomotives to provide some spectacular double-headed and banked combinations. “Some trains feature three locomotives! Visitors are in for a real treat.” The full working timetable will be published as part of the event’s fullcolour A4 souvenir brochure, which will be available for £5 during the event. Copies can also be obtained in advance. Visit www.6880.co.uk for details of how to order a copy. Publication is expected about two weeks prior to the event. Collett 14XX 0-4-2T No. 1450 also gets in on the act with double heading and banking duties, as well as offering an auto-train service over sections of the line. No. 3802 will be running with the 3500-gallon tender from No. 7822

Foxcote Manor and features in tandem with newly restored resident GWR large prairie No. 5199 and heavy freight 2-8-0T No. 4270, which is visiting the line from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

Talk and presentation

The National Railway Museum’s Bob Gwynne, also a long-standing member and volunteer at the Llangollen Railway, will be providing a talk and presentation about the history of the LR, from its beginnings through to the present day. This will be on Friday 13th at the Bridge Hotel, Llangollen (opposite the station), from 6.30pm. There are also plans to have a presentation of films and slides at the same venue and time on the previous Saturday (March 7). Details are being finalised at the time of going to press. Places are limited and tickets can be obtained on the day from the 6880 sales stand on the platform at Llangollen.

For more information

For the full list of gala attractions, discounted advance tickets, and details of the free courtesy bus from Ruabon station, go to www.6880.co.uk

New railway museum opens in Corwen as trains return to the town

A NEW railway museum has opened in Corwen to coincide with the return of trains to the town. The Corwen Museum will officially open on February 14. The plan is to build it up from small beginnings with an exhibition and some objects on loan from the Llangollen Railway. Opening times will be 11am-4pm (February 4-22), and then

weekends, school holidays and all six days of Steam Steel & Stars IV. The museum has been set up by the Edeyrnion Heritage and Cultural Society, and features the story of the railway in Corwen and the Llangollen Railway’s extension into the town. It is situated in Capel Coch in Corwen (known locally as ‘The Oriel’), which is in sight of Corwen

East station and the site of the planned new station for Corwen. When the railway reached Corwen in 1865 it brought with it many workers whose religious faith was non-conformist. They worshipped in temporary buildings until £800 could be raised to build this chapel in 1879. It is built from Ruabon brick, which also arrived by railway. The foundation stone was laid by

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

Thomas Barnes JP, chairman of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Barnes had been MP for Bolton and was a cotton manufacturer who lived at Weston Rhyn, near Chirk. The museum has been made possible by a small grant from the Sharing Heritage fund of the Heritage Lottery Fund. * See A Photographer’s Guide to Llangollen, pages 46-50 Heritage Railway 9

News

Pete Waterman in £1 million collection sale ExclusivE By Geoff courtney ONE of the country’s leading steam model auctioneers has described how a telephone call from Pete Waterman has led to the sale of a unique £1 million collection of world-class railway models owned by the pop impresario. The collection, comprising 58 models, many of which were built for Pete by leading modellers using works drawings, will be going under the hammer at a Dreweatts & Bloomsbury mid-April auction in London. Two of the models are estimated in excess of £100,000 each and others are expected to fetch more than £40,000 apiece. “It was a very exciting moment when my home telephone rang and it was Pete Waterman wishing to sell his unique collection,” said Michael Matthews, the auction house’s steam and model engineering consultant who will be wielding the hammer. “The models are built to an unbelievably high standard with fine detail, and are all unique and one-offs, built by the best quality builders and painters in the modelling world.”

Michael, who is 67 and has been a fine art auctioneer for 45 years, continued: “This will be by far the best collection of Gauge 1 locomotives ever offered for sale by Dreweatts, and is arguably the best such collection ever to come to auction. It is unlikely that such a high-profile collection will ever come on the market again.” Included in the collection are five live steam models in 5in and 7¼in gauges and 53 built to Gauge 1, which run on 45mm/1.75in track and are also known as 10mm models, due to their scale of 10mm to 1ft. All are individually crafted, with the live steam models each having taken up to five years to build and the Gauge 1 models up to three years. The 5in gauge live steam models

include LMS Princess Coronation No. 46235 City of Birmingham in early 1950s BR blue livery , while the 7¼in examples comprise GWR trio No. 3440 City of Truro, No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle and ‘Beyer goods’ 0-6-0 No. 337, the latter two of which are the models estimated into six figures.

Experimental

The LNWR is the best represented railway among the Gauge 1 locomotives, with models ranging from 2-2-2-0 compounds, 0-6-0s, 2-8-0s and a variety of tanks to a pair of 4-6-0 Claughtons – Nos. 2222 Sir Gilbert Claughton and 1191 Sir Frank Ree – and Improved Precedent 2-4-0 No. 790 Hardwicke. From the LMS come Beyer-Garratt

“Nowadays, words like ‘unique’ and ‘unparalleled’ are applied to even mediocre collections. In this case, though, they don’t do proper justice, and I see these models as being akin to works of great art.”

2-6-6-2T No. 47995 and No. 6399 Fury, the 4-6-0 experimental high pressure compound loco that was rebuilt as Royal Scot No. 46170 British Legion, while the GCR is represented by 4-6-0 No. 416, the prototype of the 8N class that was reclassified B6 by the LNER. No collection, be they of railwayana or models, appears to be complete without GWR representatives, and Pete’s is no exception. Two Castles – Nos. 4081 Warwick Castle and 5082 Swordfish, the latter estimated at above £30,000 – are joined by Star class Nos. 4016 Knight of the Golden Fleece (surely one of the best steam locomotive names of all time) and 4064 Reading Abbey, and by Saint class 4-6-0 trio Nos. 179 Magnet, 2904 Lady Godiva and 2920 Saint David. No. 179 started life in 1905 as a 4-4-2, was renamed Quentin Durward in March 1907, rebuilt as a 4-6-0 in 1912, and subsequently renumbered 2979, while No. 2920 was the last of the Saint class to be withdrawn, in October 1953. A pair of GWR 2800 class 2-8-0s, each carrying estimates of above £40,000, will also go under Michael’s hammer, as will broad gauge 3521 class 0-4-4T

Spot the difference: GWR No. 4073 CaerphillyCastle at its home shed of Cardiff Canton (86C) on September 14, 1958. Inset: The 7¼in gauge live steam model of the same locomotive which will be coming up at auction with an estimate in excess of £100,000. NORMAN PREEDY ARCHIVE/WILLIAM MATTHEWS

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An O gauge model of the NER autocar and autocoach built by Robin Taylor of the Keighley Model Railway Club. SIMON GOTT AUTOCAR TRUST

NER autocar to make first runs Reality check: The 5in gauge live steam model of LMS Princess Coronation No. 46235 CityofBirmingham that will be going under the hammer in April. Built by David Aitken, it is part of the Pete Waterman collection that is being sold by Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in London. WILLIAM MATTHEWS

LNWR elegance: 2-2-2-0 compound No. 1304 JeanieDeans, a member of the LNWR Teutonic class, is one of the Gauge 1 models being sold by Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in April. It was built for Pete Waterman by Geoff Holt to works drawings. WILLIAMS MATTHEWS Nos. 3546 and 3548, these two models being built by Bill Lee from drawings scaled down from a photograph of the Swindon dump of broad gauge locomotives withdrawn en masse in 1892. GWR City class 4-4-0 Nos. 3711 City of Birmingham and 3716 City of London will join fellow class member No. 3440 in the sale, and GWR singles are represented by 2-2-2 Nos. 1132 Prince of Wales and 1119 Princess of Wales, and 4-2-2 Nos. 3013 Great Britain and No. 3050 Royal Sovereign.

Lifelong enthusiast

It wasn’t only historical locomotives that Pete, a lifelong railway enthusiast who through his Waterman Railway Heritage Trust owns a clutch of exGWR mainline steam locomotives, had built for his collection. Among the 53 Gauge 1 models on offer in the auction are two BR Standard 9F 2-10-0s, a WD Austerity 2-8-0 and Class 52 dieselhydraulic D1048 Western Lady. Renowned model builders commissioned by Pete for the collection included Geoff Holt, who was responsible for the LNWR representatives, George MackinnonUre, Harry Dumas, Bill Lee, Dave Bracknell, and David Aitken. Geoff, an LNWR enthusiast from Manchester who died last year, won many awards for his O gauge models, while George, whose models have been likened to Swiss watches, was approached by Pete to build the very best Gauge 1 models that had ever

existed. By 2008, when he stopped modelling due to his wife’s illness, he had become recognised as one of the country’s best model makers. He died in 2013. Pete told Heritage Railway: “I never ever thought about cost when commissioning these models – it was all about true quality, which ultimately is the only thing that matters. No expense was spared in achieving the very best outcomes. “Nowadays, words like ‘unique’ and ‘unparalleled’ are applied to even mediocre collections. In this case, though, they don’t do proper justice, and I see these models as being akin to works of great art.” He said that there was no model builder better than George Mackinnon-Ure, who worked exclusively for him for 15 years. “Only rarely are individual items of comparable quality available on the open market, but never has an entire collection of this scale, quality and provenance been offered for sale.” The auction’s date and venue are yet to be announced, but are expected to be mid-April in London, with viewing on previous days and the morning of the sale. “This collection has truly been a passion, and my fervent wish is that the new owners get as much enjoyment from them as I have had over the 25-30 years since I started,” said Pete, whose current modelling passion is a 7mm (O-gauge) layout of Leamington Spa.

THE surviving North Eastern Railway autocar – historically priceless as the world’s first internal combustion train – is set to make its first trial runs. Autocar No. 3170, built at the NER’s York carriage works in 1903, is being assembled at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway. In the coming weeks, a test run of the chassis, now powered by an allnew modern diesel engine, will be made along the line. Afterwards, it will be taken to the main restoration base at Embsay for the restored body to be fitted. The Transport Trust has agreed to provide the 1903 NER Autocar Trust, a charity established in 2004 to restore the 112-year-old vehicle, a loan facility of up to £46,000 to enable completion of the restoration of the railcar. The loan follows other grants to the project, including £465,800 awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore both No. 3170 and its accompanying trailer, autocoach No. 3453, plus smaller grants from the Ken Hoole Trust and PRISM. The autocoach had been in store for many

years at Levisham on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and was donated to the Autocar Trust by the North Eastern Railway Carriage Association. It is similar to trailers that No. 3170 would have pulled in NER days, and the pair will form an Edwardian multiple unit – possibly running on the main line in future years. Despite extensive initial planning, some aspects of the restoration have taken longer and proved more expensive than originally anticipated, primarily due to the remedial work needed on the chassis, and inflation. The loan has therefore been made at a crucial time for the groundbreaking project. Stephen, the chairman of the trust, said: “This is a fantastic vote of confidence and I am proud that the Transport Trust is associated with us.” The loan is to be repaid when autocar is operational, and the trust is still appealing for donations and practical help from volunteers. More details are available on the trust’s website www.electricautocar.co.uk

‘Panicking’ woman dies after jumping from Darjeeling train A WOMAN died when she leapt from a train on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway after panicking over rumours that the brakes had failed. Moli Paul (51), a resident of Kolkat, jumped off the moving diesel-hauled Jungle Safari train at Chunbhatti station and died from severe head injuries. Three other tourists who also jumped off escaped with minor injuries which were treated in the Tindharia Railway Hospital following the incident around 2.50pm on Monday, January 26. A police officer said: “It seems

the passengers had heard that the brakes of the toy train had failed. In fear, some of them jumped off the train.” However, railway officials denied that the brakes had failed or that the train had derailed. Railway spokesman S Lahiri said: “As far as the allegation of brake fail is concerned, it is not true. If that was the reason behind the passenger’s death, then how could the driver stop the train?” The woman who died was travelling with her husband and brother-in-law and was among nearly 80 passengers on the train.

GC Ivatt mogul joins big Minehead gala GREAT Central Railway-based Ivatt 2-6-0 No 46521 is to star in the West Somerset Railway’s March 26-29 Steam in South Wales-themed spring steam gala. It will be the first of its class to run on the heritage line. While the 46XXX class moguls were not generally associated with South Wales, they were regular performers on the former Mid-Wales Railway route between Brecon and Moat Lane Junction in its final years. Built at Swindon in 1953, No. 46521 spent the 13 years of its working life in

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Wales, including, in 1963, shunting and providing overnight steam heating for the Royal Train in the north of the principality. While previously based on the Severn Valley Railway, it featured in the BBC sitcom Oh Doctor Beeching. ➜ Discounted advanced sales Rover Tickets for the gala are on sale via 01643 704996 or www.west-somersetrailway.co.uk Heritage Railway 11

News

Harry Potter again stars Olton Hall By Robin Jones

GWR 4-6-0 No. 5972 Olton Hall never carried red livery during its prepreservation days – but is now reprising its role as the world’s most famous example of the class as the centrepiece of a new Harry Potter tourist magnet. March 19 sees the opening of a major new extension to The Making of Harry Potter, a 20,000sq ft attraction which itself opened three years ago inside the Warner Bros Studio Tour London in Leavesden near Watford, to resounding success. Olton Hall, loaned to Warners by

West Coast Railways, will once again sit alongside Platform 9¾, from where visitors will be able to board the Hogwarts Express and see where interiors were filmed. They will also be able to pose with the platform luggage trolley. A train-themed souvenir shop will also be open on the platform as it disappears through the station’s yellow brick wall. The new Hogwarts Express section of the studio tour has been built by many of the crew members who worked on the movies, including production designer Stuart Craig, construction manager Paul Hayes and set decorator

Rosie Goodwin. Special effects supervisor John Richardson has rigged Olton Hall with special effects steam. The Hogwarts Express was the setting for many of the defining moments in the movies, from the time when Harry, Hermione and Ron first met to when their own children set off on their first journey to school 26 years later. Scenes for several of the movies were filmed at the studios. Sarah Roots, vice-president of Warner Bros Studio Tour London, said: “The Hogwarts Express had a starring role in the films, so we’re excited that it will be taking centre stage in the new area.

“It’s the piece that visitors have most requested to see and we’re expecting a fantastic response.” The Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide since author JK Rowling released the first novel in the series. The eight films have grossed around £4.7 billion at the box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in history. The first of a trilogy of spin-off movies is due for release in 2016. Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden is an 80-hectare complex converted from the site’s original use as a RollsRoyce factory and Leavesden

Dartmouth sells GWR prairie

GWR Collett 4575 2-6-2T No. 4588 in BR lined Brunswick green livery with 1956 emblem stops at Goodrington Sands with a Kingswear-Paignton service in July 1997. HUGH LLEWELLYN/CREATIVE COMMONS

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DART Valley Railway plc, operator of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, has sold GWR prairie No. 4588. It was confirmed in early February that the locomotive, one of the first to be bought from Barry scrapyard, has been sold to enthusiast Mike Thompson for an undisclosed sum. No. 4588, which carried the name Trojan while in service on the Paignton to Kingswear line, was, as we closed for press, due to arrive at Tyseley Locomotive Works for work to be carried out. It has not steamed for several years. The eventual destination of the locomotive remains unclear. Outshopped from Swindon in March 1927, No. 4588 was first shedded at Tyseley depot, so its arrival there was very much a

homecoming. It was based at Truro in 1947, Penzance in 1959 and was withdrawn from Plymouth Laira in July 1962. Sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard at Barry, it was bought by the Dart Valley Railway Association for £1750 in 1971. It was sent back to its Swindon birthplace to be overhauled by British Rail Engineering Ltd. Indeed, No. 4588 was the first steam locomotive to be serviced there for many years. When DVR plc bought the Kingswear line in 1973, No. 4588 was moved there from Buckfastleigh. It worked there for many years, and also operated on the South Devon Railway in the late 1980s and on the Severn Valley Railway a decade later.

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We now have a threecylinder Patriot! By David Bradshaw

Hogwarts Express headed by Hogwarts Castle aka GWR No. 5972OltonHall in the new Platform 9¾ extension to The Making of Harry Potter. WARNER BROTHERS/CONCEPT ART Aerodrome, an important centre of aircraft production during the Second World War. The Warner Bros Studio Tour London attracts more than 5000 visitors a day to the site while maintaining a secure studio space within the same complex. When The Making of Harry Potter opened to the public on March 31, 2012, it was attended by many of the cast members. It is unclear as to exactly how long the ex-Barry scrapyard locomotive will remain as part of the studio tour set and when it will resteam again.

Didcot train control building on way CONSTRUCTION work has begun at Didcot Railway Centre on a building to house the 1960s signalling panel from Swindon. The panel will be part of an interactive display illustrating the history of the train control centre on GWR territory, from the railway policeman to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre. The building, adjacent to the museum and archive, will form a major extension of the electricity supply building in the same Chester Red Blend 73mm brick. It will use doors and iron windows from the former GWR permanent way building in Station Road donated by Oxfordshire County Council. It is planned that the building will be complete by this autumn and open to visitors in spring 2016.

WHILE the unveiling of the refurbished Sir Winston Churchill funeral train has taken place, work is rapidly progressing on building a new locomotive to remember all of Britain’s unsung war heroes. While there are no plans to resteam Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34051 Winston Churchill at present, LMS Patriot 4-6-0 No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior is on course to steam in autumn 2017 in readiness for the centenary of the Armistice the following year. Major strides are being made on two fronts. Firstly, in the key field of fundraising; a total of £1.1 million towards the project had been raised by the end of 2014. At the LMS Patriot Co Ltd’s annual general meeting in Crewe on November 11, cheques totalling £37,250 were handed over to the charity by one of its biggest supporters. This donation was backed up by a £15,000 grant from the Basil Samuel Trust followed by £15,000 in boiler loans. An average of £22,000 a month is now being received in regular and one-off donations, and a further £250,000 has been committed by those making regular payments to the end of 2018. It is expected that for the first time the project will have raised £300,000 in a full financial year by March 31. However, far more needs to be raised, for a start to cover the expensive main line certification equipment – OTMR, GSM-R and TPWS apparatus must be installed before the engine can run on the main line.

Access to the middle cylinder

Progress on the engineering front has been equally impressive. On December 3, No. 45551 was lifted off its driving wheels in preparation for the next stage of assembly work on the chassis. The smokebox was also removed before the lift to allow access to the middle cylinder. The frame assembly was set up on stands and levelled before work started on preparation for fitting the cylinders. The driving wheels were placed on to a well wagon and work has continued on filling, rubbing down and painting of the wheels by LMSPatriot Project volunteers. In early December the inside cylinder was lowered into the frames and lined up to the driving axle centre. Once alignment had been checked, the cylinder fixing holes were drilled through from those already in the frames. As the mounting bolts at the rear of the inside and front of the outside cylinders have common fixing bolts, it is necessary for the inside cylinder to be removed to allow the outside

The alignment of the Patriot’s right-hand cylinder to the setting wire. LMS-PATRIOT PROJECT

The new Patriot firebox copper door plate at LNWR Heritage on January 20. LMS-PATRIOT PROJECT

All three cylinders in place. LMS-PATRIOT PROJECT cylinder fixing holes to be drilled from inside the frames. Special dowels were made and fitted to ensure the inside cylinder goes back into the correct alignment to be obtained once it is replaced. The two outside cylinders were delivered to the Llangollen Railway workshops just before Christmas, but one had to be returned to Harco Engineering for a small amount of additional work. This has since returned to Llangollen for fitting to the frames. Work started almost straight away mounting the left-hand outside cylinder and motion bracket. The right side followed with the cylinder being fitted and lined up on January 27 – making the Patriot a three-cylinder locomotive for the first time. The three rear cylinder covers and six slidebars have been machined and delivered to Llangollen, allowing the whole cylinder, slidebar and motion bracket assembly to be set up and checked. All the cylinder mounting holes will then be reamed to final size and the fitted bolts machined to permanently fit the cylinders to the frame assembly. Orders have now been placed for the patterns and castings for the front cylinder covers and both front and rear valve covers. Patterns and castings for the pistons will follow shortly. Existing design work is concentrating on the remaining valve gear parts required. A recent visit to the National Railway Museum’s Search Engine

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Work under way on the driving wheels, which were sponsored by Heritage Railway readers. LMS-PATRIOT PROJECT resulted in finding a further 36 LMS Jubilee drawings that were not listed in the museum’s lists. Some of these drawings will be useful for building The Unknown Warrior where no original drawings can be found. Assembly of the bogie for which all the parts barring one wheelset, which is currently under construction, will begin during February. Later in the year design work for the sanding gear, brakes and lubrication will be completed.

Parallel boiler barrel sections

Progress with the boiler is continuing at LNWR Crewe where the copper plates have all been formed and the tube plate awaits drilling. Assembly of the inner firebox will start shortly followed by the foundation ring. The order for the outer steel doorplate and throatplate has been placed with Tyseley Engineering for delivery during late spring/early summer. An appeal for £9000 has been launched to acquire the two parallel boiler barrel sections leaving only the outer crown and side plates to be financed. Work on the locomotive’s Fowler 3500-gallon tender has just started with the first badly corroded support plates being removed. ➜ Further information about The LMS-Patriot Project and donations can be made at www.lms-patriot.org.uk Heritage Railway 13

News TawValley passes boiler test at SVR

THE eagerly anticipated return to traffic of Bulleid West Country light Pacific No. 34027 Taw Valley moved a significant step closer when the boiler passed both its hydraulic and out-offrames steam tests at Bridgnorth during December and early January. The boiler was then trial fitted in the frames before lagging and cladding commenced, with final refitting to the frames expected the first week in February. There is then the small matter of hundreds of feet of pipework to connect and numerous cab and other fittings to be attached before a full steam test can be carried out. The prospect of two Bulleid three-cylinder Pacifics working ordinary timetabled trains on the Severn Valley is an intriguing one on this normally GWR/LMS bastion of preserved steam. The next boiler to be completed in the boiler shops is likely to be that from Port Talbot Railway/GWR 0-6-0ST No. 813, which having been retubed is now having all of its stays riveted over and should be completed very soon. Good progress is also reported on the boiler repairs to GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor, with copper welding of the heavy caulking on the wrapper plates and attention now focused on welding up areas of cracking on the corners of the foundation ring. Work on the Hollycombe Steam Collection’s Dinorwic Barclay 0-4-0WT No. 1995 Caledonia has resumed with input from the SVR’s BESTT boilersmith trainee, including weld repairs to the foundation ring and work on the new ¾ steel firebox sides. Work is almost finished on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s No. 10 Sir Drefaldwyn, which is currently being hydraulic tested. A new arrival in the workshops is the boiler from No. 779 Holy War from the Bala Lake Railway, which is in for some welding repairs. Other contract work continues on Isle of Man Railway No. 11 and Beamish Museum’s Highland Railway-type 0-4-4T No. 4085 Dunrobin.

Above: Roy Francis, a hero of the Arctic convoys. WLLR Right: NorfolkHero in steam at Walsingham station. WLLR

Wells & Walsingham founder dies at 92 By Robin Jones

LIEUTENANT Commander Roy Francis – the man who founded and operated the world’s smallest public railway – died on January 27 at the age of 92. The well-decorated Norfolk Arctic Convoy veteran, who built the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway in 1982, died at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. A tribute on the line’s website said: “It is with great sadness that we report the passing today of our founder, Commander Roy Francis. “Founder of the Wells Beach Harbour Railway, founder of the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway in 1982, husband, father, grandfather, greatgrandfather and friend to many.

Rest in peace

“The world is a poorer place without him and we will ensure his beloved railway continues to bring pleasure to thousands every year. Rest in peace.” Roy, who came from Forncett St Mary near Norwich, served on HMS Edinburgh during the Second World War. On its final voyage in 1942, the ship was loaded with more than four tons of gold bullion as payment from Russia to the UK and the US for tanks, aircraft and other military hardware desperately needed to halt the Nazi advance. The ship was repeatedly attacked by

German ships and U-boats on May 2, 1942, and sank with the loss of 58 crew. After a long battle with bureaucracy, Roy finally collected his Ushakov Medal, offered by the Russian government to British seamen who served on the Arctic convoys. Roy also served on board the HMS Manchester. He left the navy in 1958 and launched a boat building company on the Norfolk Broads called Rowancraft. A railway enthusiast, in the Sixties and Seventies he took miniature steam trains to fetes and fairs. In 1972, Norfolk engineer David King built a 10¼in gauge 0-4-2, Edmund Hannay, for Roy, and four years later he opened the mile-long 10¼in gauge Wells Harbour Railway along the flood bank from Wells Harbour to Pinewoods in Wellsnext-the-Sea. Roy sold the line in order to develop a longer 10¼in gauge line on the northern end of the vacant trackbed of the GER branch from Wymondham to Wells, the southern part of which is now the Mid-Norfolk Railway. The first major task in building the line was the excavation of Barnard’s Cutting, which had been infilled with 3000 tons of refuse, in echoes of the Bluebell Railway’s Imberhorne cutting. Pilgrim, an 0-6-0T, also built by David King, launched the line’s public service on April 6, 1982. In 1986, a new superheated 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt

locomotive, Norfolk Hero, named after Admiral Lord Nelson, was introduced to traffic. Predating the operation of articulated Garratts on the Welsh Highland Railway, at the time it was the only example of the type operating in Britain. A redundant GER signalbox was relocated from Swainsthorpe, a station on the main London to Norwich line which closed in 1954, to Wells and converted to form a shop and tearoom. A second Garratt, Norfolk Heroine, was delivered in 2010. It is named after Edith Cavell, the British nurse executed by the Germans in the First World War.

World’s smallest public railway

At four miles, Roy’s railway is the world’s longest 10¼in gauge line. It is also the world’s smallest public railway, an accolade long held by the 15in gauge Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and briefly by the 12¼in gauge Réseau Guerlédan in France in 1978-79. The Wells & Walsingham Light Railway links the outskirts of the town to Walsingham, a major pilgrimage centre since medieval times and famous for its shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary. It has intermediate halts at Warham St Mary and Wighton. Roy leaves a wife, Marie, son Rowan, daughter Susie, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

➜ Unveiled on the 158th anniversary of GWR locomotive engineer George Jackson Churchward’s birth on January 31, 1857, here is the Great Western Society’s newly manufactured nameplate Churchward. It will be carried by new-build Churchward Saint 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady of Legend during the times it will run as a 4-4-2 by means of a very simple conversion. When running as 4-4-2s, the Saints had three-digit numbers and 191 is the next in that series. GWS

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News

LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624 heads the ‘windcutter’ coal train south at Rabbit Bridge. ROBERT FALCONER

Great Central goes West By Brian Sharpe The Great Central Railway staged the second big gala event of 2015 with a three-day spectacular from January 30 to February 1. The two visiting engines were of western Region origin, 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor and hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501, both in 1950s BR black livery. A popular move was the

transformation of maroon Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624 into a heavily weathered BR black livery far more appropriate when seen at the head of a rake of coal empties. With an intensive service at approximately 15 minute intervals in each direction, of passenger, freight and TPO trains, this was a classic GCR event, and attracted the usual crowds on to the trains and the lineside.

WR 4-6-0 No. 7820 DinmoreManor accelerates away from Loughborough and meets BR Standard Britannia Pacific No. 70013 OliverCromwellwith northbound coal empties. PHIL WATERFIELD

WR Hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501 passes the GWR signalbox at Swithland as another passenger train heads north. MALCOLM RANIERI

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Hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501 pilots 4-6-0 No. 7820 DinmoreManor at Woodthorpe. PAUL BIGGS

WR 4-6-0 No. 7820 DinmoreManor passes Hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501 at Kinchley Lane. PAUL BIGGS Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Heritage Railway 17

News

Visiting RSH 0-6-0ST No. 47 Moorbarrow pilots NCB Class 14 No. 38 at Skibeden with empty stock from Bolton Abbey on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. ANDREW RAPACZ

La’al Ratty events planned to mark its centenary year By Robin Jones THE Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway is planning a year of celebrations to mark its centenary as a 15in gauge line. Events will include the opening of a new railway museum at Ravenglass and an official birthday party between August 28-31. The new Ravenglass Railway Museum will open in the early summer thanks to a grant from FLAG and 5th Copeland Community Fund. The centenary celebrations will include an appearance by Synolda, painted in the royal blue livery of engineer Wenman Joseph BassettLowke’s Narrow Gauge Railway Ltd.

Few public outings

Built for the Sand Hutton Railway in 1912 by Bassett-Lowke, the engineer who regauged the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway from 3ft in 1915/16, it was rescued from Belle Vue Zoo in 1978 and was restored to full working order by apprentice engineers from nearby BNFL Sellafield. However, Synolda is too lightly built for everyday use and its appearance at the big event will be one of its relatively few public outings. Synolda will be joined by younger brother, Count Louis from the Evesham Vale Light Railway, top and tailing six special centenary gala journeys each day from Ravenglass to Muncaster

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Bassett Lowke 4-4-2 Synolda at Ravenglass station. RER Mill. Count Louis and Synolda are, in fact, related to the original engine, Bassett-Lowke 4-4-2 Sans Pareil that made the inaugural run to Muncaster Mill on August 28, 1915. Muncaster Mill was the point to which the regauged line ran in 1915, the tracks reaching Eskdale Green by Easter 1916. Other visiting engines include Sutton Belle from the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and Lydia from the Perrygrove Railway, with more being booked. Also in action will be the recently restored Ravenglass-based Katie. Eskdale ranger Chris Berry will also be leading guided walks, including a

historic circular walk to Beckfoot and then back along the old 3ft gauge line to Boot. Other highlights will be behind the scenes photography days on May 19 and September 1. Enthusiasts can take part in a seven-mile guided walk up the line and a Roman History Weekend on May 2-3.

Haematite Iron Ore

The original Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1873 and was promoted by the Whitehaven Iron Mines Company to carry haematite iron ore from its mines in Eskdale for use in the blast furnaces of Barrow-in-Furness.

It opened for goods on May 27, 1875, using Manning Wardle 0-6-0T Devon, hauling a train carrying iron ore, hoops and bobbins. The line opened to passengers on November 20, 1876, Six months later, the contractor pushed the railway company into receivership after not being paid for work. The isolated iron ore mines along the route did not provide sufficient traffic to make the line pay, but the passenger services continued, with the line managed by a receiver. A new village was built at Eskdale Green and was served by five trains a day, bringing back granite from a quarry. However, the line became a tourist attraction and on bank holidays, trains were so packed that wagons had to be pressed into service. The passenger service ceased in 1908 and freight in 1913. However, Bassett-Lowke saw the railway advertised for sale in the Model Engineer and he and his friend R Proctor-Mitchell bought the line for their firm. The line transported granite between Beckfoot Quarry and Murthwaite crushing plant. From Murthwaite to Ravenglass a third rail was laid to accommodate standard gauge trains. A Kerr Stuart 0-6-0 diesel was obtained in 1929 to work this section; named Rom River, it is now preserved at the Foxfield Railway.

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Heavy freight 2-8-0T joins the SVR anniversary party RECENTLY restored GWR Churchward 2-8-0T No. 4270 will make an interesting comparison with its tender version ‘heavy freight’ counterpart when it appears as one of the guest engines at the Severn Valley Railway’s March 20-22 spring gala. Returned to steam at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway last May, the 1919-built locomotive is appearing at the SVR for the first time. Like resident 2-8-0 No. 2857, which emerged from Swindon only one year before in 1918, both are from the original batches of Churchward’s newly ‘standardised’ locomotives, although No. 4270 was rebuilt at some stage with inside steam pipes. No. 4270 joins the previously announced GWR stablemate, 5700 class 0-6-0PT No. 5786, which will be in London Transport livery as No. L92, and ‘Dub Dee’ 2-8-0 No. 90733 on the guest list for the first of the SVR’s big 50th anniversary celebration events. A fourth guest is also being sought to complete the line-up.

‘Water carts’

The GWR-based No. 4270 is part of the Jeremy Hosking locomotive stable and turned a wheel in preservation for the first time in May when it made a last minute appearance at the Cotswold Festival of Steam. It has been a regular performer since and is in for a busy spring, its visit to the SVR coming just five days after its last day of operation at Steel, Steam & Stars IV at Llangollen and one week before it is scheduled to take part in the West Somerset Railway’s own spring gala event. No. 4270 is one of 105 Churchwarddesigned 2-8-0Ts to enter service, principally on short haul, heavy coal traffic in the Welsh valleys between its many coalmines and the seaports along the south coast. Their large boilers and narrow tanks meant they had to be regularly topped up with water, earning them the

nickname ‘water carts’. Collett built a further 60 2-8-0Ts to a slightly more modern design and these became the 5205 class. Fourteen of the original 4200s were rebuilt with larger bunker and tanks and became part of the 54-strong 2-8-2T 7200s, while others were upgraded as 5205s. No. 4270 itself was retired from Cardiff East Dock in 1962 and went straight to Barry scrapyard. It was initially earmarked for the Swansea Vale Railway and led a fairly nomadic existence until restoration was eventually completed at Toddington.

European service

No. L92 from the South Devon Railway is owned by the Worcester Locomotive Society and used to be based on the SVR in the early days. No. 90733 is the only example of the once numerous WD 2-8-0 class built for the war effort in operation. None of the original BR locomotives survived, but having served in Europe and then finding work in Holland and Sweden, identical No. 1931 was repatriated to the UK and restored to BR condition, including an original style eight-wheel tender at its home at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Like No. 4270, this will be its first ever visit to the SVR. It is thought that the fourth locomotive will reflect a locomotive type that was once a regular sight on SVR metals but has been absent for many years. Details will appear on the SVR website within the next week or so. The rest of the locomotives for the gala will be drawn from the resident fleet, including No. 2857, BR(WR) 4-6-0 No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor, Hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501, GWR 2-6-2T No. 4566, SR 4-6-2 No. 34053 Sir Keith Park, GWR 0-4-2T No. 1450 (on auto trains) and BR(LMR) 2-6-0 No. 43106 on an intensive timetable that also includes ‘branch line’ trains between intermediate stations.

N2 pulled out of Nene Valley gala ONE of the star attractions at the Nene Valley Railway’s February 21-22 gala which was set to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of nearby New England 35A shed has been withdrawn. Great Central Railway-based former New England N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 has been withdrawn from the guest list because of “overrunning repairs”. The event will, however, feature Hunslet 0-6-ST Ring Haw No. 1982 of 1940, making an extremely rare visit from the North Norfolk Railway. It spent its working life at the Nassington ironstone quarries which were served by the line; indeed, it was the last engine in service there when the quarry closed on December 31, 1971. At Wansford, Ring Haw will be reunited with a shedmate from Nassington Quarry, in the form of Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 1953 of 1939 Jacks Green. Topping the bill will be LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire, and also in

Making its first-ever homecoming visit to its former territory is Hunslet 0-6-0ST RingHaw, seen in action during the Nene Valley Railway’s ‘Nassington Flyer’ day on February 1. THOMAS WOOLLEY action will be on-loan Austerity No. 22. Brakevan rides will be hauled by Ring Haw or No. 22 on both days. Morayshire will haul a fish and chip special from Wansford at 7pm on Friday, February 20. Limited edition first day covers with a 35A logo designed for the event will be available.

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

Heritage Railway 19

NEWS

A4 and its stolen plate are back together once more By Geoff Courtney

AFTER 11 years apart, preserved A4 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and its stolen smokebox numberplate have been reunited, thanks to a Midlands railwayana collector, a leading railwayana auction house, and a Manchester businessman. The numberplate was power-sawed off the Gresley Pacific by thieves at the end of 2003 while it was on display at the US National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and both the museum and the UK railwayana movement feared it may have been stolen to order and would therefore never be seen again. However, the plate has an unusual – and probably unique – quirk in that its noughts are irregularly spaced owing to it being miscast at Doncaster works in BR days, and it is this anomaly that has led to it being reunited with the Pacific. Four months ago, a Midlands railwayana collector asked Roger Phipps of Talisman Railwayana Auctions to sell a 60008 smokebox numberplate in his November 15 sale at Newark. Roger noticed the plate had irregularly space numbers but was unaware of the theft from the US museum and agreed, but pre-auction publicity in Heritage Railway on the unusual error alerted David Murray, who runs Manchester-based DVD company CineRail. David remembered the theft, and although it was unproven, firmly believed that the plate was the one stolen in 2003, and spoke to Roger, who in turn contacted the vendor, and it was agreed to withdraw the plate from the auction and offer it back to the museum.

Donated a replacement

David had good cause to recall the theft, as it was he who had donated a replacement aluminium plate to the US museum on reading about the theft 11 years ago, and it was this version that the Pacific carried during its recent visit to the UK for the NRM’s Great Gathering of six A4s. The unidentified vendor who had asked Talisman Railwayana to sell the plate was unaware of the theft and is understood to have bought it in good faith, indeed there is no irrefutable proof that it is indeed the stolen version. Most parties, however, agree that it is, not least David, who has absolutely no doubt because of its distinctive miscast numbers.

Above: Its number is up: No. 60008 looks splendid with its original smokebox numberplate at the US National Railroad Museum on January 7. The miscast noughts, particularly the right-hand one, are clearly visible. NATIONAL RAILROAD MUSEUM Right: Fitting end: US National Railroad Museum curator Dan Liedtke helps fit the returned smokebox numberplate to A4 No. 60008 DwightD. Eisenhower on January 7, almost exactly 11 years after it had been stolen. NATIONAL RAILROAD MUSEUM Such was David’s delight that it had resurfaced that he personally organised and paid for its shipment across the Atlantic to the museum, and even had a transit case tailormade to ensure it arrived undamaged. The stolen plate arrived at the museum on Christmas Eve and was fitted to No. 60008 by curator Dan Liedtke and restoration specialist Hank Van Stedum on January 7. Jacqueline Frank, the museum’s executive director, said: “It is a great pleasure to have the original numberplate returned and once again on display.

“It is David Murray’s ongoing dedication that has allowed it to be rejoined with the locomotive, providing students, rail enthusiasts, families and others the opportunity to see it in much the same cosmetic condition as when it operated. The numberplate’s refitting has made many happy, and will do so into the future.”

Numberplate reunited

David, who said that one of the reasons he donated a replacement after the theft was because he felt

ashamed the original may have been stolen to order for a UK collection, said: “As an A4 enthusiast, I am delighted to see the numberplate reunited with the locomotive.” No. 60008 was built at Doncaster in 1937 as No. 4496 Golden Shuttle, renamed after the wartime leader in September 1945, and withdrawn from Peterborough New England (34E) in July 1963. After cosmetic restoration at its birthplace it was donated to the American people, arriving at the National Railroad Museum in May 1964.

Boiler success for East Anglian Railway Museum Barclay – steam test awaits

FORMER Storefield Ironstone Quarries Barclay 0-4-0ST No.11 Storefield (works No. 1047 of 1905), undergoing work at the East Anglian Railway Museum, has passed a boiler

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hydraulic test and approval has been given to move forward to a steam test. The boiler repairs have included renewal of the firebox crownstays, which were made on site.

No. 11 has been a stalwart of EARM services since returning to steam in 1999, but has recently been undergoing its 10-year overhaul. The museum has also recently

acquired a Mk.2 TSO from the National Railway Museum, giving a collection of coaching stock spanning more than 100 years in age, a feat possibly only matched by the NRM itself.

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Tattoo returns and new Falcon makes progress

Just checking: Ex-NSW Government Railway’s No. 3016, built by Beyer Peacock at its Manchester works in 1903, in Canberra Museum yard on April 16, 2014. The 4-6-0 will be one of the stars at the 2015 Thirlmere festival of steam south-west of Sydney. HOWARD MOFFAT

Gala debut for UK-built steam giant By Geoff Courtney

UK-built Beyer-Garratt No. 6029, the largest locomotive in steam south of the equator and a member of the most powerful class ever to run in Australia, is to make its public debut over the weekend of February 28/March 1 after an acclaimed sevenyear overhaul. The 4-8-4+4-8-4 giant, built by Beyer Peacock at Manchester in 1953 for New South Wales Government Railways, will be starring at the annual festival of steam in Thirlmere, southwest of Sydney, where it will be joined by three other preserved British-built steam locomotives.

18-year career

No. 6029 was withdrawn in September 1972 with 620,000 miles on the clock after an 18-year career hauling heavy freight trains of mostly coal, and was bought for preservation by the National Museum of Australia. It was taken off railtour duty in 1981 and stored in Canberra Railway Museum’s yard, where it lay dormant until 2007 when, by then owned by the Australian Railway Historical Society, a major overhaul started. Last July the 32-wheeled behemoth moved under its own power for the first time in more than three decades,

leading to railway enthusiasts and preservationist in the UK and around the world acclaiming one of the most challenging steam locomotive restorations ever undertaken. Testing for the Garratt was completed in September, and a delighted Alan Gardner, who led the locomotive’s overhaul, reported at the end of the year that the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator had granted approval for mainline running. Alan, who describes No. 6029 as “one of England’s best exports and one of the best examples of British railway engineering,” said on announcing the regulator’s approval: “After almost eight years of hard work we are now ready to go, and in some way we are pinching ourselves. Is this actually happening?” The locomotive’s first running-in trial, said Alan, would be to the Thirlmere festival, for which a limited number of seats would be available to the public, followed by the first official run probably at the end of March. Goulburn, 50 miles north-east of No. 6029’s Canberra base, will be the staging point to run on the main southern line in May, and Alan has pencilled in a series of shuttles, which will enable passengers to connect with local Sydney services. In June

comes a sleeping car tour to Junee in southern NSW, which includes the Bethungra Spiral with its 1-in-66 ruling gradient, and there are also plans to run local trains on the short stretch between Junee and Wagga Wagga. “The interest during testing was overwhelming, and 2015 will no doubt be an exciting year for steam preservation,” said Alan.

Thirlmere festival

The other three British-built ex-NSW Government Railways’ locomotives appearing alongside No. 6029 at the Thirlmere festival are Z27 class 2-6-0 No. 2705, C30T class 4-6-0 No. 3016, and P class 4-6-0 No. 3265. No. 2705 was built by Hunslet Engine Co of Leeds in 1913, and Nos. 3016 and 3265 by Beyer Peacock in 1903 and 1902 respectively. No. 3016 was built in Manchester as a C30 class 4-6-4T but was one of 77 members of the 145-strong class to be converted into 4-6-0 tender locomotives between 1928-33. Thirlmere, whose festival has become one of Australia’s premier steam galas since its inauguration in 1989, is home to the Trainworks Railway Museum, which houses a collection of more than 100 locomotives and other items of rolling stock.

THE Corris Railway is set to return new-build Kerr Stuart 0-4-2ST No. 7 Tattoo to traffic imminently. The locomotive has passed its 10-year cold examination in the workshops at Maespoeth Junction, under the auspices of boiler inspector Graham Morris and technical, non destructive, testing of the welds by Jim Kennedy. No problems were identified. There are a few small tasks to complete before the boiler can be painted and new tubes fitted. A hydraulic test will be needed before the boiler can be reunited with the frames, but everything is currently on schedule for the return of Tattoo to service in the spring. It last ran on September 14, 2014. Separately, the frames for the railway’s second new build – No. 10 Falcon – have been riveted together at the Ross-onWye works of Alan Keef Ltd and its boiler, constructed by Israel Newton Ltd, has already been completed and delivered to Maespoeth, where new horn guides have been fitted to the frames. The next step on No. 10 concerns the axleboxes and driving wheels. The driving wheels on the Corris Falcons as built in 1878, are unusual for a small narrow gauge tank engine by being larger than the norm at 30in diameter and being solid with spokes cast on (reminiscent to the onlooker of the original Triang model railway locomotives of the 1950s). In contrast, the wheels on the trailing pony truck which were added to convert the original 0-4-0STs to 0-4-2s with a view to making the original trio of engines ride more steadily, were very small with a 10in diameter, but No. 10 will have slightly larger ones of 12in diameter. The wheel centre castings for the driving wheels have been estimated as costing £543 each and sponsorship is still available via the Corris website www.corris.co.uk. Alternatively individual donations, payable to Corris Railway, can be sent to Peter Guest at 38 Underhill Close, Callow Hill, Redditch B97 5YS. The casting work for the axleboxes has already been sponsored by supporters of the project to bring an additional steam engine to the Dulas Valley.

Latest news Little and large: Beyer-Garratt 4-8-4+4-8-4 No. 6029 and 4-6-0 No. 3016 in the Canberra Museum yard on April 12, 2014. The two UK-built locomotives will be appearing at the 2015 festival of steam in Thirlmere, south-west of Sydney. HOWARD MOFFAT Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

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News Now it’s ‘Manor 50th’ for SVR With the anticipated return to traffic of its 1938-built 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor, the Erlestoke Manor Fund has organised a special ‘Manor 50’ event for the weekend of November 14-15. With the locomotive’s restoration at an advanced stage at Bridgnorth, EMF is taking the opportunity to mark the 50th anniversary since the withdrawal of its two locomotives in the final week of Manor-worked trains on the former Cambrian route in November 1965.

RSH 0-4-0ST SirCecilACochrane and Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No. 2 doublehead a mixed train away from Andrews House on the Tanfield Railway. DAVE HEWITT

Special timetable

No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor is already an active member of the Severn Valley Railway’s operational fleet and is due to be joined by sister No. 7802 during the summer. the event adds another one-off mini-gala to the SVR’s growing list of special events to mark its own 50th anniversary year. A special timetable will operate and it is hoped to be able to double head the locomotives at some stage on each day, and famous named trains, such as the ‘Cambrian Coast Express’, will be re-enacted. Normal fares apply, but you can save money by purchasing tickets in advance – go to www.svr.co.uk having recently completed a flurry of late season hire bookings at other railway galas, Severn Valley shedmaster Duncan Ballard and his team were bracing themselves for another two months at the start of the new 2015 gala season. With hawksworth 0-6-0Pt No. 1501 away until early February at the Great Central Railway, it is also now booked for the North Norfolk Railway Gala on March 6-8.

Seven operational locos

Small prairie No. 4566 was due to leave for the South Devon Railway on February 9 and is not due back until the first week in March. No. 1450 will be leaving for two three-day stints operating auto trains at Steel, Steam & Stars iV at the Llangollen Railway over March 6-8 and 1315; and, looking a little further ahead, ivatt mogul No. 43106 has been booked for the GCR’s Woodford halse 50th Anniversary event on June 1314 and its model railway weekend which runs for three days from June 19-21. With seven operational locomotives and the imminent entry into service of No. 34027 Taw Valley, the SVR does not anticipate hiring in locomotives, other than for special gala events, during 2015.

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GCR bridge building start “imminent” By Robin Jones

THE construction of the long-awaited bridge to link the two heritage era Great Central railways is to begin in the coming weeks as the £1 million public appeal target nears the £740,000 mark – and the local council is predicting a tourist boom in its wake. Contractors are due to move on to improve access to the bridge site either side of the Midland Main Line in Loughborough, so that plant and other equipment can reach it. The GCR and its partners in the bridge project are to arrange a ceremony to mark the start of the work. Network Rail is to build an all-new bridge to span the gap ahead of the electrification of the MML. The singletrack line will link the GCR to its northern counterpart, the GCR (Nottingham), creating a unique 18mile inter-city heritage line. The GCR is now urgently appealing for the last £260,000 so that the construction work is not interrupted and one of the biggest blockages in the heritage railway portfolio can finally be removed. At the same time, surveys on the southern embankment leading to the

bridge which needs to be built are at an advanced stage. The GCR received a £1 million grant from the Government’s Local Growth Fund towards replacing the 600 yards of track between the two lines – but that money cannot be spent on the bridge. The unified railway is predicted to put £51.6 million into the Charnwood economy, while increasing the number of directly employed staff from 50 to 71, according to a new local authority study. Leicester North station is also the site for a new branch of the National Railway Museum, for which the outcome of a second and revised bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is awaited. The figures were revealed at a Charnwood Borough Council meeting on January 12 in a position statement on the East Loughborough Industrial Heritage Quarter. Charnwood Borough Council leader Coun David Slater said: “The study suggests that over the next five years GCR will bring to the Charnwood

economy some £21 million, rising to £51.6 million upon the completion of the proposed improvements. “Indirect employment is expected to increase from 389 to 966 jobs. “It is apparent that GCR could account for over 1000 direct and indirect jobs across the borough upon completion of the ‘gap’ and museum projects; to place those projections in perspective locally, Brush employs around 1000 and 3M employs around 800 staff. “The evidence suggests that the GCR has the potential to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the Heritage Quarter. “However, the capacity to deliver the full potential of the GCR is challenged by a number of constraints, all of which require conveniently located land to provide for: off-street visitor car parking; the relocation of the locoshed and the capacity to support future aspirations for accommodating trackside rail testing companies and a railway skills training centre.”

➜ help the Great Central realise its ambition by donating to the Bridge to the Future appeal or send it a cheque made payable to the David Clarke Railway trust to ‘Bridge appeal’, Lovatt house, 3 Wharncliffe Road, Loughborough, Leics LE11 1RW

New luxury dining car at York museum THE National Railway Museum at York has opened The Countess of York, a 24-cover luxury Pullman carriage serving lunches and cream teas as well as being available for evening hire. The carriage, which was built in 1956 as a Mk1 Baggage Car, has been restored by the museum to echo the lavish style of 19th century rail travel. Countess of York, formerly known as Valiant, acted as a service coach at the now-closed Bulmers Railway Centre after retirement from BR, and then became part of VSOE’s ‘Northern Belle ‘services. Following a second retirement from main line operation, Countess of York was given a new lease of life by Railfilms Ltd which restored the ambience and interior of the coach, making it well suited for high-class receptions, weddings and travelling exhibitions. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

NEWS IN BRIEF

➜ THE successful preservation of British Rail Merry-Go-Round wagon No. 355798, now resident at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, has been followed up with the preservation of a second wagon, No. 354966, by a supporter of the original appeal. The unnamed enthusiast has bought the wagon from DB Schenker and is now arranging its move from Onllwyn Sidings to Barrow Hill to join the group’s collection. ➜ THE Mid-Norfolk Railway will hold a Class 47 100 event on Saturday, February 28, when a Class 47 will complete 100 miles of running during the day. The locomotive will depart from Dereham at 8.30am, 10.30am, 1pm, 3.30pm and 5.30pm, returning from Wymondham Abbey at 9.30am, 11.30am, 2pm, 4.30pm and 6.30pm. ➜ THE Wensleydale Railway’s resident class 37 37250 has been withdrawn from traffic following the discovery of water ingress in the oil system. The planned overhaul of the power unit has consequently been brought forward and the locomotive is not expected to return to service until 2016. ➜ THE centenary of locomotive builder Sentinel’s Shrewsbury works will be celebrated by the County of Salop Steam Engine Society at its 2015 rally to be held in the town’s Onslow Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend. ➜ THE Bure Valley Railway will be hosting its volunteers open weekend for anyone interested in helping out on the Norfolk line, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Further information is available from Susan Munday on 01263 733858. ➜ THE Harry Needle Railroad Company’s Class 20/0 No. 20166 is receiving body and cosmetic attention at the Locomotion museum workshops in Shildon. The work includes a repaint into the company’s orange livery, where it will be joined by Class 20/9 No. 20904 for bodywork attention and an engine exchange using an overhauled power unit reserved for No. 20904.

Statfold brings home Midland Railway tram By Robin Jones THE Statfold Barn Railway has repatriated the sole-surviving Burton & Ashby Light Railway tramcar. Graham Lee’s private railway near Tamworth, better known for its repatriation of locomotives from the Far East, bought tram No. 14 for £22,700 at an auction in Detroit on November 5, amid fears that it could be scrapped if not sold. The plan is to return No. 14 to running order in the UK, where it will become the first Burton & Ashby tram to carry passengers in Britain since the line closed on February 19, 1927. The 3ft 6in gauge Burton & Ashby tramway opened on July 2, 1906, and was operated by the Midland Railway. After it closed in 1927, three of the tramcars were sold to the Tynemouth & District Electric Traction Company and the remaining 10 sold for domestic use.

Sold to the City of Detroit

Among these was No. 14, which was bought locally, with its body eventually being rescued from a back garden in Church Gresley in the 1970s by the local model railway group and restored – before being sold to the City of Detroit in 1980. The body had been rebuilt in Newhall and shipped across the Atlantic where the mechanical side was completed using an ex-Lisbon tramway truck. Regauged to 2ft 11½in, No. 14 operated on Detroit’s heritage tramway until it closed in 2003. It spent the next 11 years in storage until the City of Detroit organised a dispersal sale of surplus assets resulting from the company’s impending bankruptcy. Notice of the auction was very short, so Statfold had to move quickly. Officials contacted a group of supporters from the Burton-on-Trent area who were holding a meeting to discuss repatriating No 14. The group agreed to support Statfold in its proposed purchase and

Lakeside’s special diesel day

THE Preserved Locomotive Enthusiasts Group has arranged with the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway to operate the latter’s fleet of diesel traction on March 6 when a special timetable will see all lines being visited – including Haverthwaite’s tunnel headshunt. The day starts off with the Class 110 DMU trainset after which a rake of Mk.1 stock will be hauled

by Class 11-lookalike WD70272/AD601; Class 03 No. 03072; D2117 and Class 20 20214. The trainset will have a selection of drinks and snacks for sale while the Haverthwaite station restaurant will be open on the day. Interested persons are asked to contact Kevin Adlam at [email protected] to confirm availability of places.

Gwili reached Abergwili at last THE Gwili Railway has laid the final 400 yards of its southern extension to Abergwili Junction, and aims to open it in the spring to mark the 50th

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anniversary of the last Carmarthen to Aberystwyth passenger train. Sited alongside the A40 trunk road, it is expected to boost passenger numbers.

Burton & Ashby Light Railway tramcar No. 14 safely under cover at Statfold Barn, a few miles from its original line. SBR contact was made with its American representative who agreed to assist in the bidding process. Across the Atlantic, Statfold fought off stiff American competition and emerged as the successful buyer. A team of Statfold engineers was despatched to assess the removal and transport of the tram to safe storage, in bitingly cold weather. The tram arrived in a secure storage facility afforded by Charles Mathews in Toronto, where the team was able to prepare No. 14 for its second transatlantic journey, 34 years after its previous one. No. 14 arrived in the yard at Statfold on January 9 to be unloaded back on to Staffordshire soil and is now being assessed for its next overhaul with a view to running it on the railway. A few items of brasswork are missing, removed from the tram during its years of inactivity, but these are considered replaceable, with its new owners’ group confident that it can be made operational within a year.

The repatriated tram can be seen at the venue’s next ticket-only enthusiast day on March 28. Details of how to attend can be found on www.statfoldbarnrailway.co.uk

Magnificent mixed gauge railway

As we reported last month, the Heritage Railway Association’s The Railway Magazine Annual Award for Services to Railway Preservation was made to Graham Lee for creating a magnificent mixed gauge railway complete with workshops. Also for the repatriation of significant narrow gauge locomotives, including the last steam-age locomotive built in Britain, and for creating an accessible Hunslet archive. No. 14 is the third tram to be brought back home by British enthusiasts after sale abroad, following the example of Blackpool Standard No. 47, also repatriated from America, and more recently Glasgow Corporation Tramways No. 488, rescued from France.

Boden Rail buys Class 50 IN a surprise announcement, the D400 Fund has revealed that its locomotive Class 50 diesel D400/50050 Fearless has been sold to Boden Rail Engineering. It will move from its current base at Yeovil to the Boden Rail base at Washwood Heath by the end of February. The group had not been considering a sale but the chance of seeing its locomotive return to the main line, allied to health problems with some of its members and the ever-present risk of copper theft, presented an opportunity that was too good to miss. Neil Boden noted that the locomotive is in good condition and he will complete the restoration to the

same high standard. The work to date has centred on the bodywork where large amounts of new metal have been welded into the locomotive, as well as overhaul of the fan motor, control units, resistors and wiring. Richard Thompson from the D400 Fund noted the pleasure of seeing the future return of the locomotive to the main line with the hope of seeing it at gala events and celebrating the class’s 50th anniversary in 2017. He also confirmed that while spare parts bought by the D400 Fund are included in the sale, parts bought by group members will be donated to the No. 50027 group, as will any surplus funds, while the spares currently on loan to the No. 50008 group will be retained by them as a donation.

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GER N7 0-6-2T No. 69621 approaches Consall Forge on the Churnet Valley Railway on January 10. DICK MANTON

Green light from council for new Leek station for Moorland & City Railways WORK on building a new station at Leek for use by Churnet Valley Railway trains could begin later this year. Sister company Moorland & City Railways wants to create a new station at Cornhill to the south of the original site. Its plans received a major setback in the autumn when Staffordshire Moorlands District Council turned down an application for planning permission by Dominic Hughes to develop land owned by the Hughes family (formerly Hughes Concrete Products). The £21 million proposals included housing, as well as a new site for a station and a canal marina. Since the bid was turned down,

amendments have been made to the scheme and a fresh application submitted; the council approved it in January. The station site is close to the A53 at Sunnyhills Estate and could eventually be linked to the A520 Leek to Stone road. However, MCR will have to fund the building of the station and the three-quarters-of-a-mile-long section of track to link it to the Churnet Valley Railway at Leekbrook Junction. That depends on MCR being given planning consent to build 40 homes on the railway triangle at Leekbrook and using the money to fund the Leek extension. The planning application for the

houses will be submitted imminently. The CVR has been closely involved with the Leek station proposals, as it is seen as a major step in giving the line a meaningful destination. The original station was closed in 1970 and a preservation attempt in 1972 by the NSRC failed and the extensive station buildings and sidings were demolished. Today a Morrisons supermarket occupies the site just off the A53. Elsewhere, on MCR’s partially cleared but still mothballed line from Leekbrook Junction to Stokeon-Trent, the CVR has taken on the lease of the central section of the original Endon station building

before reopening as a tearoom and delicatessen. The Station Kitchen is now run by Chris and Sue Bates from 7.30am to 2.30pm on Mondays to Fridays and 7.30am to 1pm on Saturdays during the winter. The couple, who spent the last six months transforming the old offices in the building, serve sandwiches and local produce on a takeaway basis and have an existing internet business making oatcakes in the bakery part of the premises. CVR chairman Anthony Hancock said: “We also hope to get trains running by there, so the tearoom will be a nice destination and distraction for our passengers.”

Chinnor education and heritage centre taking shape By Phil Marsh THE construction of the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway’s new £120,000 restoration and education centre commenced on January 13, marking the first phase of a five-year project. The fully funded work, for which planning approval was obtained in June 2011, will see the basic building and cladding structure constructed by Redwing Structures after the company was awarded the contract on November 22. CPRR volunteers had previously prepared the groundworks by digging the foundations and installing a huge rainwater soakaway before Redwing moved in. But construction was delayed after a week because of the waterlogged ground and mud. The new centre will be 157ft long, 32ft wide and 18ft high, constructed out of a steel frame with metal-clad walls and a roof that incorporates

translucent lights allowing natural light into the building. Inside, it will have a 147ft-long restoration road plus a shorter maintenance road with pit for locomotive maintenance and examinations. It is located alongside the former GWR main line about 2000ft on the Watlington side of Chinnor station, and beyond the maintenance road there will be two workshops. The mezzanine floor will house the education and heritage centre and offices, kitchen and toilets.

Fascinating story

CPRR’s volunteers will, in due course, build a large display space in which interactive displays will tell the fascinating story of three local railways in the area and their staff; the lines radiating from Princes Risborough to Chinnor and Watlington, the Thame and Oxford route and the line to Aylesbury and on to Calvert and Verney Junction.

This project will then fulfil a longerterm aim of creating a Chilterns railway museum and heritage discovery centre in the new building – to be delivered in stages at the volunteer-operated railway over the next few years. These railways were built to serve local industries and communities and the displays will reflect these, ranging from timber and furniture to the Chinnor cement works that kept the line open for more than 30 years after passenger trains ceased. The CPRR has been without covered accommodation since the Chinnor cement works was demolished, and the new facility is a result of the redevelopment of the former works into 178 homes by builder Taylor Wimpey. This development also saw the railway take ownership of sidings and the plot of land where the centre is located. However, chairman Roger Fagg says that the line needs to raise a minimum of another £100,000 to complete the

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

project, saying: “If you would like to help out, you can make a contribution, no matter how large or small, by visiting our website at chinnorrailway.co.uk/donations, or if you would like to help out as a volunteer, please contact Justin at [email protected] or call Andy Bunyard on 07761 396765.”

The framework of the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway’s new £120,000 visitor centre being erected January 17. PHIL MARSH Heritage Railway 25

News GordonHighlander moves for repairs DELTIC Class 55 D9016 Gordon Highlander has been transported to the Boden Rail workshops at Washwood Heath in Birmingham for much-needed attention to its bodywork. The move follows its lengthy visit to the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. Interest in the work has led to a restoration fund being set up. A debit/credit card donation can be made by telephoning 01484 512354 (9am-5.30pm – Monday-Friday) or standing orders can be set up using the downloadable form from http://www.royalscotsgrey.com /d9016_restoration_fund.php

The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway is a “shining example” of how community businesses can boost the local economy, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said during a visit to the West Country in January. During an hour-long visit to Woody Bay, the minister was given a whistle-stop tour of the station and engine shed by the line’s extension project manager Ian Cowling. Ian said it was hoped the railway would become “North Devon’s Eden Project”, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. “This is being done by enthusiasts, but it also has a real benefit for the local economy as well,” said the minister. Pictured is the Ffestiniog Railway’s visiting L&B Manning Wardle 2-6-2T replica Lyd hauling three original L&B coaches during the line’s autumn gala last year, its most successful event to date. TONY NICHOLSON

Whitby effect boosts passenger figures as records tumble By Robin Jones and Roger Melton THE opening of an award-winning dedicated platform for North Yorkshire Moors Railway services has boosted the heritage line’s passenger numbers. Figures showed a slight increase in 2014, with around 335,000 passengers carried compared to 330,000 in 2013, but still short of the record year of 358,000 achieved in 2010. The bald figures mask the fact that 2014 was a year of two halves, with numbers in the first half of the year flagging, but dramatically surging once the new platform at Whitby opened and five steam trains a day ran into the resort instead of the previous three. These numbers were provisional as we closed for press. Some of the ticket sales had been calculated from cash returns at certain stations in a way that probably underestimates the number of tickets sold, because these stations tend to sell a slightly higher proportion of tickets for shorter journeys.

Successful

There are hopes that a full year of the enhanced service into Whitby will make for an even more successful 2015. The NYMR’s 2015 Pullman dining services became available for online booking in early January, and early indications are that they are filling up very well. This year, services will run regularly from Whitby in the low season, with the dining train taking the path of the last train from Grosmont into Whitby. The increased loadings on this service in the peak season mean that it is impractical to substitute the dining train for this last train as the Pullman set has very limited non-dining seating capacity. The opening of the Whitby second platform at Network Rail’s Esk Valley line terminus and the associated

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resignalling of the junction at Grosmont saw the NYMR being awarded the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Large Groups) for 2014. Elsewhere, several other lines have enjoyed great success in the past year. The North Norfolk Railway achieved record passenger numbers for the second year running. In 2013 the railway carried 158,700 passengers and 161,054 in 2014. The Keighley & Worth Valley line carried 110,715 passengers last year, up nearly 9% on 2013. When the Tour de France arrived in the area on July 6, 2294 people used the railway, more than three times the figure for the corresponding Sunday in 2013. The Swanage Railway carried a record-breaking 216,267 passengers during 2014, 2.5% up on 2013. The line also reported a record-breaking 9205 passengers on ‘Santa’ specials, more than the combined populations of Wareham and Corfe Castle, and an increase of 6.6% over 2013.

More passengers

The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway had its most successful year to date in 2014, when 46,000 people rode on the line, 26% up on 2013 and 43% up on 2012. With only one mile of the line reopened so far, it is already carrying more passengers than the 19-mile Barnstaple to Lynton railway was transporting when it closed in 1935; in 1934, the last full year of operation, the total was only 32,000. Two rebuilt original L&B carriages brought back into service in 2013 – Nos. 7 and 17 – were joined by No. 16 last year, with No. 11 due in the spring. The revived railway is now a very good representation of what it was in its heyday and an indication of what it will be again. The 2014 figures generated

About to return to main line passenger work for the first time since 1978, LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower departs from Weybourne on the North Norfolk Railway in September 2014. PETER FOSTER

£1,250,000 for the local economy and a growth in income of 29%, producing funds to extend the railway. The planning application for a five-mile extension of the line will be submitted in the next few months: when that is operational, the benefit to the local economy is projected to be more than £5million a year. On the Severn Valley Railway – Britain’s second most popular heritage line – 99% of available seats on its ‘Santa’ and ‘Christmas Herald’ trains were filled. Clare Gibbard, the railway’s marketing & communications manager, told Heritage Railway that a total of 32,213 seats were sold against 33,205 in 2013, when 97% of capacity was actually sold, representing an improvement in efficiency. Revenue, however, has increased due to slightly increased fares and a new three-tier pricing structure.

Most intensive in Britain

To operate the service the railway has

to field four sets of coaches and have five locomotives in steam, with 13 departures from Kidderminster to Arley and back on ‘Santa’ trains, plus diner and carol trains on Saturday evenings, diner and ‘Christmas Cracker’ trains during the week, and ‘Christmas Herald’ trains on the final three days of operation. A set of TPOs, with various marquee extensions, forms Santa’s grotto at Arley, where the ‘front of house’ carpet has ‘welcomed’ 430,000 customers since it was first rolled out in 2001. The SVR Christmas operation is thought to be the most intensive in Britain, and possibly in Europe. Planning for the event starts each spring and continues throughout the year, taking six weeks to set everything up before the first train runs. Twelve ‘Santas’ are required in two shifts of six in order to deal with the enormous number of children at any one time. The SVR’s electricians also set up around 10 miles of festive lights.

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Heritage Railway 27

News

North Norfolk awarded £500k for station scheme By Robin Jones

THE North Norfolk Railway has been celebrating after scooping a government Coastal Communities Fund grant of £497,000 to develop visitor facilities at Sheringham station. The money will fund a scheme granted planning permission by North Norfolk District Council last July, under which the old public toilet block operated by the local authority is demolished along with the current tourist information office. A replacement building will offer tourist information, a shop and toilets. Provision of the shop will free up space in the station’s classic Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway pavilion-style main building on platform 1, allowing the popular buffet to double in size. The railway will take over the operation of the tourist office and responsibility for the toilet management.

Appeal for Lincolnshire trunk route artefacts AN appeal for items of railwayana for display at a major exhibition about the closure of the Grimsby to Boston and Peterborough main line 45 years ago has been made. The Manor House Museum in Alford, which was served by the GNR route, will be staging the exhibition during October. The driving force behind the exhibition is collector and retired broadcaster and film maker Mike Fowler, who said: “I knew the line during its final decade and spent an idle childhood at Firsby watching Clive of India haul the King’s Cross express day after day. “After the line closed, the collecting of railwayana followed, and then towards the end of the 1970s I began giving my talk on the history of the line. Both of these I have continued until now.” Mike is seeking help from Heritage Railway readers who may have relics from the line and be prepared to loan them to the museum. If you can help, contact him on m.fowler597@ btinternet.com “I am also seeking any cine film of the line that can be used in the exhibition and for my talk,” Mike said, adding that the owner would receive a DVD copy when the film was returned.

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The grant will also fund muchneeded extra carriage space at Sheringham, and the purpose-built locomotive engine repair centre in Weybourne, including a dedicated boiler overhaul facility. The NR took over Chatham Steam Ltd in October 2013 and relocated the business to Weybourne. A new machine shop is almost complete.

Heritage-style footbridge

The new Sheringham facilities are scheduled to open in April 2016 and the boiler overhaul facility later this year. The district council will pay the attraction £50,000 each year between 2016-19 to run the tourist office and the toilets. Seven people will be taken on in customer service, managerial and workshop roles. Meanwhile, a heritage-style footbridge will be reinstated at Sheringham, financed by £75,000 worth of donations.

NNR managing director Hugh Harkett said: “The project is vital for the North Norfolk Railway. We are finding it hard to cope with the numbers of people we get in the summer. If you come to the platform on an August afternoon you cannot move. “Our platform buildings and facilities are not big enough. We have become a victim of our own success and are finding it hard to manage. “If we get more engines we will need more people to work in the centre,” General manager Trevor Eady added: “The railway has grown considerably over the past few years and it is important we keep pace with that growth to ensure the visitor experience is the best it can be.” Sheringham district councillor Richard Shepherd said: “The town and area will benefit greatly. What a day for the district.” Elsewhere, the West Somerset

Railway has welcomed a £637,000 grant from the £36 million Coastal Communities Fund to build a dedicated path to link Dunster Beach to Blue Anchor under the banner of the Steam Coast Trail.

Network of pathways

The project, which is supported by the National Trust, and the Exmoor National Park Authority, is part of a wider scheme to build a network of pathways in and around the coast and the heritage line, creating around 140 direct and indirect jobs and generating around £7 million of economic benefit every year. Signs and informative plaques will direct attention to heritage sites along the way and a digital app will be developed. WSR general manager Paul Conibeare said: “After a cycle along the Steam Coast Trail, what better way to return home than by using our railway to get you back?”

Frank Atkinson: the visionary who founded Beamish DR FRANK Atkinson, the man who founded the Beamish Museum – the world market leader in the study of early railways – has died aged 90. The multiple award-winning venue, based on Scandinavian folk museums, opened in 1972 at Beamish village in County Durham with the aim of replicating a community changing from rural to industrial life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Buildings were sourced throughout the North East and re-erected to create a pit village and Edwardian town. Homes were filled with thousands of artefacts which Frank had amassed during public appeals in the 1960s. Beamish director Richard Evans said: “The word ‘visionary’ is often overused perhaps, but in Frank’s case it really is true. He was a one off – a truly remarkable man – with boundless energy combined with a striking intellect and an infectious curiosity for history. When the idea was first put forward people thought he was mad – the very idea people would pay to come and see a coal mine and that he was going to move all these buildings into a series of green fields. “His concept was that it should be ‘the world of our grandparents’. He collected thousands of objects over the years and was always interested in typical and everyday items that help tell the story of everyday life –stories that are so often overlooked and forgotten.” Born on April 13, 1924, near Barnsley, Frank developed a keen

Beamish Museum founder Frank Atkinson. BEAMISH interest in science, collecting his first fossil at the age of 10. As a teenager, he joined the Museum of Barnsley Naturalists and Scientific Society as its youngest member. He studied science at Sheffield University and volunteered at Wakefield Museum and Art Gallery. However, it was his visits to folk museums in Norway and Sweden in 1952 that set him on a path which led to Beamish. He became a curator of the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. In 1966, Frank was appointed to a regional working party to examine options for an ‘open air museum for the purpose of studying, collecting, preserving and exhibiting buildings, machinery, objects and information illustrating the development of industry and the way of life of the North of England’. Immediately, he chose Beamish Hall, the former NCB regional

headquarters, as the site for the museum, and in 1970 he became the director of Beamish, taking the social history collections housed at Barnard Castle there with him. Beamish Museum opened on May 4, 1971, and two years later, its first tram began running. In 1975, the Queen Mother visited and a year later Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman officially opened Rowley station on the venue’s standard gauge line and wrote a poem to mark the occasion. He was also the driving force behind the foundation of the Thomas Bewick Birthplace Trust, the forerunner of the Bewick Society, dedicated to the memory and work of the English engraver and natural history author (1753-1828), and acted as its president for many years. Frank, who remained president of the Friends of Beamish until his death, took part in Beamish’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 2011. On Valentine’s Day last year, he and his wife Joan celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He died early on December 30 in the Wellburn House care home in Ovingham, Northumberland after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He leaves three sons, five grandchildren, and a major national tourist attraction with an annual turnover of about £7 million, and which last year attracted around 600,000 visitors. Neil, at 46, the youngest of his three sons, said: “We are all just so proud of him and the legacy he has left behind.”

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MR 4F 0-6-0 No. 43924 accelerates away from Haworth.

More white stuff on the Worth Valley... By Brian Sharpe The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway got its second dose of snow for the weekend of January 31-February 1... and with sunshine and Midland 4F 0-6-0 No. 43924 in charge of winter services, the stage was set for some classic views of a Midland engine on a Midland branch line. Henry Fowler’s 3835 class 0-6-0 was to become one of Britain’s best-known steam designs, which lasted until well after its sell-by date

on freight work. Fowler built the first two in 1911, but the class eventually totalled 197 engines, five by Armstrong Whitworth for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The MR examples were numbered 3835-4026. After Fowler’s appointment as chief mechanical engineer of the LMS in 1925, he continued to build basically similar engines for LMS service. The MR-built engines were withdrawn by 1965, but one, No. 43924, found its way to Barry scrapyard.

The 4F is seen at the classic Worth Valley location of Mytholmes viaduct.

Allocated new to Wellingborough in 1920, it had moved to Saltley in March 1930, and Gloucester in 1937, where it stayed until August 1962 when it was allocated to Barrow Road in Bristol, from where it was withdrawn in June 1965 and sold to Woodham’s scrapyard in Barry. It was famously the first engine to be bought from the yard for preservation, by the 4F Society, arriving on the KWVR on September 11, 1968, just a month after the end of BR steam.

Not having had so long to deteriorate as later purchases from the yard, and with spare parts rather more readily available, the unique Midland 4F No. 3924 was back in steam by June 1974, and has been in regular service on the line for much of the past four decades. The engine was finally bought by the KWVR from the original owner in 1990. The last overhaul was completed in 2011, and in BR livery No. 43924 is again hard at work.

No. 43924 approaches Oxenhope on February 1.

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Heritage Railway 29

NEWS

Dismay at decision to close museum Words and pictures by Martin Creese THE heritage movement was shocked on January 14 when it was announced that Leicestershire County Council had approved plans to close the awardwinning Snibston Discovery Museum. The Coalville-based attraction costs, according to council reports, £900,000 per year which the Conservative led council said could not be afforded when cuts were required to the overall local authority budget. Proposals by the Friends of Snibston to set up a charitable trust to run the museum were also dismissed. The closure will see some of the land sold for housing and a smaller mining museum established on the site although there is even some doubt on this as it is subject to a post general election review. On a visit in December, Culture Secretary Sajid Javid voiced his support for the site, but despite this the closure proposal was supported by all three main political parties. Visitor numbers had declined from 150,000 per year to 96,000 in 2009 although they have been recovering and actually rose by 15% last year. Studies have shown the museum is estimated to be worth over £4m a year to the local economy. The museum was opened in 1992 encompassing the remaining colliery buildings, country park and an exhibition hall which embraces the area’s historical and social past as well as showcasing science and technology. The colliery itself carries Grade II listed building status and is included on the English Heritage At Risk Register even though Leicester County Council has recently spent a significant amount on repairs and maintenance. For the railway enthusiast, some of the colliery railway system remains with the headstocks and winding house making a superb backdrop. The engine shed and weighbridge also

survive and the museum is host to four steam locomotives, none of which are operational. These include former Cadley Hill Austerity No. 1, which is usually found in the engine shed along with ex Leicester gasworks RSH 0-4-0ST Mars II plus 1906 Brush-built and former Powlesland & Mason, Swansea Harbour Trust and GWR 0-4-0ST No. 921 and a Barclay fireless 0-4-0 in the main exhibition hall. Also rebuilt on the site is the former Midland Railway Coalville Crossing signalbox. The exhibition halls include a veritable collection of vintage transport including a Leyland PD3 Bus – Leicester 164 and an 1880s Gimson Beam engine formerly at Hopwas. I took the opportunity of visiting the museum with my children who enjoyed the very interactive displays of science and technology including being able to lift a Mini using pulleys. Mining activity at Snibston colliery can be traced back to the 1830s with links to both George and Robert Stephenson. Robert, being involved in the construction of the Leicester and Swannington Railway, became interested in a local mine leading to the acquisition of the Snibston estate by George Stephenson. In 1947 the colliery became part of the National Coal Board. Significant modernisation occurred between 1961 and 1967, the colliery finally closing in 1986. Post closure the coal preparation and Rexco plants were demolished and the spoil heap removed. Despite this Snibston is recognised as one of only five substantially complete collieries that remain and the only one that embodies the NCB era. Although Snibston has no working steam based there, visiting engines have returned steam to the site on a number of occasions most recently when the then Chasewater-based Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 1964 visited in 2011, Chasewater-

Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 1964 shunts coal wagons in May 2011. based 0-4-0ST Linda in 2010 and previously Foxfield-based Austerity 0-6-0ST Wimblebury in June 2007 The irony of the closure is encapsulated by the Atkins conservation report from 2009 which said: “In the context of the 5000 new homes planned for Coalville and the 12,000 for North West Leicestershire as part of the Sustainable Urban Extensions, there is an opportunity to ensure that new and existing communities achieve cohesion through a shared understanding of the local heritage, identity and sense of place. It is this very need to build new houses that threatens the site’s very existence.” No final closure date has so far been set and the museum remains open for visitors with a survey in the Leicester Mercury run after the announcement indicating very strong local support for the museum to remain open. The future of the collection is also still to be decided.

A panoramic view of the museum site.

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The Foxfield Railway’s Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST Wimblebury is seen against an authentic colliery backdrop in 2007.

Barclay fireless 0-4-0 No. 2 (1815 of 1924) on display in the museum building. Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Heritage Railway 31

NEWS

New Heritage Railway Association chairman Brian Simpson (left) with outgoing long-serving chairman David Morgan, in front of SR King Arthur 4-6-0 No. 777 SirLamiel at the Great Central Railway. PETER ELSON

My vision for the Heritage Railway Association – new chairman

EXCLUSIVE By Peter Elson

BRIAN Simpson looks like the archetypal, easy-going, middle-aged, former teacher and Wigan rugbyloving soul who lives near Warrington. However, this unassuming demeanour camouflages an incisive mind and a shrewdly determined political operator. Brian was the surprising choice to take on the chairman’s mantle last June of the Heritage Railway Association from the more familiar patrician persona of Chelsea resident David Morgan, now the society’s deputy president. It was a surprise choice in that Brian appears somewhat at odds with what some people think of as the HRA cosy gentlemen’s club image. However, knowing that Brian, 61, is the recently-retired Labour North West Member of the European Parliament and latterly its chairman of the transport and tourism committee, it becomes apparent why. Former HRA chairman and Heritage Railway contributor David Morgan in his role as kingmaker was keen to pass chairmanship to someone with matchless political savvy, as heritage railways become ever more affected by UK and European legislation while playing a greater economic role in the national tourism industry. The HRA’s main role, after all, is to represent its 250 members’ interests to the Government and undertake lobbying within Parliament, plus ensuring members conform to a code of conduct. Having survived the brutal world of politics from local councils up to European parliamentary level, Brian – who has just been awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year Honours – isn’t backwards at coming forwards in his opinions. In fact, although quietly spoken, he can be quite blunt: “Yes, the Heritage Railway Association does look far too much like a cosy gentlemen’s club,

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whereas to be relevant we need to be more purposeful. “We’ve also got to be far more receptive to new ideas as the organisation also suffers from an ‘I didn’t think of that, so it can’t be a good’ mentality, which is not a way to progress or encourage new talent.” One unexploited aspect of the HRA is leverage through its size and national presence, not least using its buying power to benefit members whatever their importance or location in matters such as insurance and fuel. Brian said: “By bringing all members together to use the same insurance company we can bring premiums down on a five-year plan. It’s been set up with the leading insurance company NFU Mutual, but we need two or three of the big boys, like the East Lancashire or Severn Valley, to join and the others will follow. “There’s been a lot of interest, but not a lot of commitment to pay for it at the moment. However, I appreciate everyone is at different stages with their current insurance agreements and it will take time for them to run their course. Yet just look at the size of the heritage movement overall and the power we could deploy.”

The helping hand

The crucial fuel for the British steam locomotive is coal and readers hardly need reminding that while we live on island built on the black stuff, it is now imported from Poland and Russia. Brian said: “The problem of coal imports is expense and quality. “Russian coal batches can be good one week and then bad the next. National relations are getting worse with Russia, but they’ve not stopped exporting to us yet. “Morning footplate crews tend to take the best coal and leave the rubbish for the afternoon shift. Mind you, asking a fireman on a loco if his coal is good is like asking a farmer if things are good.” Another area which could benefit

from the HRA’s involvement is apprenticeships, which having been derided for decades are now highlighted by the Government as a way forward to rebuild the UK’s much depleted skilled workforce. What better way to ignite young people’s enthusiasm for learning engineering skills than through the charisma of the steam locomotive? This factor has already been demonstrated with the HRA’s recent backing for BESTT, the Boilersmith & Engineering Skills Training Trust, which recently secured a £469,000 Heritage Lottery Grant for apprentice boilersmith training. “We’re looking at ways of coordinating apprenticeships and I want a young people’s event to exchange ideas. I was in the Lake District for an HRA meeting and sat next to a young lad from Threlkeld Quarry railway and he told me he never had interaction with young people from any other heritage railway and I thought what a bloody ridiculous state of affairs. “I hope we can stage it next year at Shackleston. Actually we have done something similar before and while there is no point reinventing the wheel you’ve got to keep it turning.” Another vital aspect the HRA can play is advice in crisis management when a member railway is suddenly hit by an emergency. He said: “We had a meeting of the association’s finance people over a crisis about a Customs & Revenue issue. “One railway was suddenly hit by a VAT bill, so it put the increase on fares. But then Customs & Revenue got wind of it as fares are VAT-free. This forced the finance directors together to develop a strategy which works and all members can use. That’s why we set up the quick response committee so we can benefit to members by advising them straight away, as their tendency is to come to us when a problem presents itself, which is in the nature of the beast.

“We’ve had to deal with everything from disputes with local councils over advertising posters being put up without planning permission to the unexpected action of a railway pulling up its track. Yet we can’t get involved without being invited, but at least members come to us when there’s a problem, which is better than not coming at all.”

Liaison with statutory authorities

The HRA has a very good relationship with the Office for Rail Regulation, which would like it to become a trade body (which it isn’t). Brian, however, believes there is a disproportionate amount of hand-holding by the ORR that goes on for HRA members. “The ORR wants us to develop help and guidance (as in self-regulation), which obviously needs to be competent and independent, but ultimately they are the regulator not us. This is one of the reasons why I want the HRA website reorganised and split into separate sections, with one dedicated to members and enthusiasts to deal with basic information and frequently asked questions like ‘how high should a platform be?’ and another section for visitors with details of what would be your nearest heritage railway.” Like many long-running organisations, success has not stopped a certain clogging of the arteries. Brian said: “I found the committees ad hoc in nature especially when I came to numbers and who was on them, so I put a limit of 10 on each.” Tramways and cableways had to be separated as the former come under the railway inspectorate and the latter under the mines inspectorate. “I put a paper outlining this forward in March. I thought there would be a lot of opposition, but the vicechairman Mark Smith and former chairman David Morgan (now deputy president) who crucially were both fully with me.

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“Having been in politics a long time I’m all too familiar with clandestine meetings in smoke filled rooms and know when things are going on behind the scenes. I told people that I’ve forgotten more intrigue than they’ve ever known, having been a member of the Labour Party and the EU Parliament. “I slimmed the board’s agenda down, as it used to be more complicated than the Versailles Treaty, and several areas still need to be reviewed. For example, the next effort is a discussion on our role in attending travel trade fairs, which we’ve always done for the last 20 years, but time moves on. Is an HRA presence at the travel trade fairs what our members want? I’m an agnostic on the subject, but some of our board members think it’s a complete waste of time.”

The future of main line steam

Main line steam is like a non-identical twin to preserved railways, closely related, but quite different. Brian is not a personal fan of the former, believing that railway heritage is best seen on heritage railways. He said: “I’m not against main line steam if people want to do it. We have a situation where Network Rail is looking to ban steam on the West Coast Main Line while we build big new express locomotives like Tornado, the P2 and Patriot, which because of their size and power need main line conditions. “The big question is simply how long will steam be allowed to run on the main line? “Meanwhile, steam charter breakdowns cause a domino effect of

expensive delays through the system (and creating a terrible publicity), badly-fitted spark arresters mean locomotives set fire to half of Lincolnshire and charter coaching stock is getting shabbier and more unsuited to modern expectations. “Closer to home, one particular dislike of mine is why is every heritage railway I visit is a scrapyard, with hulks of locomotives and rotting rolling stock and wagons? I wish they’d hide it away. We’re not playing trains any more. We’re involved in the serious and highly competitive UK tourism business.” Warming to his theme, he added: “Given this scenario, I can’t believe that we have people, who are undoubtedly dedicated enthusiasts, complaining about locomotives in, say, the wrong shade of British Railways Brunswick green. “Whereas the reality is that in the 1950s and 1960s engine were mostly in filthy black. People like this frustrate me as they fail to see the bigger picture of what we’re trying to do. “Sadly, many volunteers have no idea how to run a railway and how expensive it is to do so. It would help if they paused and thought what went into making a heritage railway happen. “What it’s all about is preserving our heritage railways in the 21st century and beyond, not in the 19th or 20th centuries. “Our focus in the next 10 years has got to be how do we get young people involved. I want the HRA to take the lead so the industrial heritage we all love continues to be enjoyed long into the future.”

BR Standard 4-6-0 No. 75078 departs from Keighley on January 16 with its first test train since completion of its overhaul on the KWVR at Haworth. No. 75078 was built at Swindon in 1956 and allocated to the Southern Region, having the larger type of tender and a double blastpipe and chimney. Starting life at Exmouth Junction it was transferred to Basingstoke in May 1956, eventually being withdrawn from Eastleigh in July 1966 and sold for scrap to Woodham Bros of South Wales. The Standard Four Locomotive Society was formed to purchase a member of the class in 1972, and it was moved to the KWVR on June 24 of that year. Restoration to running order took five years and in 1977 the engine entered service on the railway. The locomotive had a further overhaul but was withdrawn from traffic in the late 1990s when a long term overhaul commenced. BEN COLLIER

Great survivor: Holbeach station closed to passengers on March 2, 1959, along with the bulk of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway system, and although it is now landlocked in the middle of a housing estate with no hope of trains ever returning, it has recently been refurbished with a new roof and windows as residential accommodation. Built for the Norwich & Spalding Railway when the line reached Holbeach in 1858, the station house was built to much the same design as those at nearby Long Sutton and Moulton. Freight services ended in 1965. BRIAN SHARPE

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Heritage Railway 35

NEWS Cheltenham booked for Swanage gala THE Swanage Railway will see the first-ever visit of a Maunsell Schools 4-4-0 when No. 925 Cheltenham visits for its April 17-19 spring steam gala. General manager Richard Jones said: “It will be an historic and memorable first because while the powerful and majestic locomotives never hauled trains on the branch line from Wareham to Corfe Castle and Swanage, they did head fast express trains through Wareham on the London to Bournemouth and Weymouth main line. “The Schools class was not just the last steam locomotive in Britain to be designed with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement – it was also the most powerful class of 4-4-0 ever produced in Europe which is quite something." The fastest recorded speed for a class member was 95mph, which was achieved near Wool station in Dorset during 1938 by No. 928 Stowe hauling a fourcoach train from Dorchester to Wareham. No. 925 was built at Eastleigh Works in Hampshire during 1934. It was withdrawn from traffic at Basingstoke during 1962, but was saved from the scrapyard by the National Railway Museum and preserved for the nation because it appeared as the mascot on the cover of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society magazine. It was used to haul many RCTS tours, including on ‘foreign’ lines such as the Great Central and the East Coast Main Line where it touched 80mph. Now part of the National Collection, it is based at the Mid Hants Railway – which restored it to full working order.

76079 main line test run AS HR closed for press, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76079 was expected to undertake a main line loaded test run between Grosmont and Battersby Junction, in order to prove its fitness for a return to services on the Esk Valley line. Assuming the test run is passed successfully, No. 76079 is expected to be a mainstay of NYMR services from Whitby this year, sharing the duties with BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75029, ‘Black Five’ No. 45428 and B1 No. 61264. In addition, they will be augmented for services on the rest of the line by ‘Black Five’ No. 44806 (although not initially as it is receiving valve and piston repairs and a new tender tank), NELPG’s Q6 0-8-0 No. 63395 following completion of axlebox repairs, and A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley on completion of its main line programme.

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Spa Valley is hit by second landslip By Robin Jones

THE Spa Valley has suffered a second earth slip near Tunbridge Wells West. On November 9, 2012, a slippage caused an estimated £150,000 damage when part of the embankment under the track fell away following heavy downpours. The slippage was on one side of the double-track embankment on the Groombridge side of the A26 bridge at the end of the station. It left the former Up line severed at this point.

Wintry weather

Now a second slippage has occurred near the same spot following prolonged rain and wintry weather during January. More damage on the chalk and ash embankment has been inflicted in the same area where temporary repairs to the first slippage were carried out.

Heavy rainfall has further saturated the north side of the embankment and sub-zero temperatures have frozen some of the chalk content causing it to expand and blow. The damage has written off some of the temporary repairs which had been implemented in the originally affected areas. A permanent solution to the initial slip involves the planned use of around 250 hardcore-filled gabion baskets set on a stone bed and deeply anchored at the base of the embankment. Vertical redundant rail is concreted in through alternate baskets. It is anticipated that long-term repairs will now need an increase in 100% of the required number of baskets. A railway spokesman said: “The amount of time and extra cost this will involve is huge and yet to be calculated. “The latest slip has caused the base

of the north side of the embankment to bow out, which has now created a pinch point between the embankment base and the boundary line of railway property.

Previous incident

“This now frustrates attempts to get plant and machinery access to the working area at ground level. “Finance and manpower is now being concentrated on the landslip to the detriment of other projects.” In the wake of the previous incident, trains were taken around the slip on a second line which is normally used as a siding. ➜ To help with fundraising or for more information about the railway, telephone 01892 537715 or visit www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk

Betton Grange cylinders machined WEST Midlands-based firm Harco Engineering has successfully completed the machining of two new cylinders for No. 6880 Betton Grange, including fitting of piston valve liners. The £20,000 needed to fund the casting was raised in record time following the launch of a Cylinder ‘100 Club’ Appeal, launched in this magazine last spring. Delivery is due at Llangollen Railway Engineering’s workshops by the time this issue of Heritage Railway magazine goes on sale, and in time for the society’s members’ day on Sunday, February 15. It is hoped to get the cylinders onto the frames for trial fitting in time for Steel, Steam & Stars IV, which gets under way on March 6. The new reverser stand has also recently been completed for the newbuild 4-6-0, and will also be fitted to the loco shortly. Llangollen Railway Engineering has fitted the locomotive’s coupling rods to the driving wheels in recent weeks and the newly made splashers are also now in situ. The locomotive will be available for inspection during Steel, Steam & Stars

One of the cylinders being machined at Harco in mid-January. CHRIS MOORE when visitors will be able to see the tremendous progress that has been made over the last 18 months or so. A new dedicated boiler appeal will

For the latest news on the construction of No. 6880 Betton Grange and Steel, Steam & Stars IV, go to www.6880.co.uk

Highworth sign comes home THE platform sign from the GWR’s Highworth station has returned home after half a century. The sign from the branch line terminus, beloved of former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, was removed when the line linking the town to Swindon closed in 1963. After freight services ended in 1962, the station was demolished

be launched at the event to raise the estimated £200,000 to refurbish the GWR No. 1 boiler from former ‘Barry Ten’ Hall No. 7927 Willington Hall.

to make way for the Windrush housing estate. The STEAM museum in Swindon took the sign on loan after it appeared at an auction of railwayana in Scarborough. It has now been bought by the Highworth Historical Society and re-erected outside the entrance to Highworth Community Centre.

New manager for Locomotion

A NEW manager has taken up his post at the Locomotion museum in Shildon. Gary Campbell, 44, was previously museum manager at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh. The appointment at Shildon follows the retirement of George Muirhead in December after a decade in charge. Enthusiast Mr Campbell said he was attracted by the size of the NRM’s outreach station and 2024’s 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington.

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LMS ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 13065 arrives at a snowy Bury Bolton Street station during the East Lancashire Railway January steam gala. DON BENN

Experience Crossrail from the inside as exhibition unveiled at transport museum A MAJOR new exhibition showcasing the story of the Crossrail tunnels that have been bored beneath the streets of the capital has opened at London Transport Museum. Breakthrough: Crossrail’s tunnelling story, aims to give visitors to the Covent Garden museum an experience of London’s new, hidden subterranean landscape. The exhibition features a 17ft-high, walk-through installation of a crosssection of a Crossrail tunnel to allow visitors to experience what it might be like to stand in one, under construction deep underground. The tunnel will contain a computer simulation of a

Conway restoration starts at Shildon THE Middleton Railway’s Kitson 0-6-0ST No. 5469 of 1933 Conway is now in the conservation workshop at Shildon, where it is undergoing restoration as part of a partnership deal. Conway’s design dates to circa 1917, when Manning Wardle built six examples for Stewarts & Lloyds’ at Corby ironstone quarry. Numbered 44, Conway worked at Corby until the end of steam, then was preserved. It was purchased by the Middleton Railway from Northamptonshire Iron Trust as an example of a locally-built Kitson locomotive. However, it’s been in store with a long-term ambition to see it restored and displayed. The partnership gives Locomotion’s heritage skills trainees and trainees from Groundworks NE and Cumbria, supported by museum volunteers, the opportunity to work on a detailed restoration project and develop their skills, experience and employability.

giant boring machine in action, just like the one being used to dig Crossrail’s tunnels. Shoppers will be able to buy gifts and toys inspired by Crossrail. Museum chief executive Sam Mullins said: “I am sure visitors to the museum will enjoy finding out more about Europe’s largest infrastructure project at our latest exhibition.” Crossrail’s tunnel network will be joined up for the first time this spring when tunnel machine Elizabeth reaches Farringdon in the big eastwest breakthrough. The new line will run for more than 60 miles from Reading and Heathrow in the west,

and to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east via Central London. Reverting to a more heritageoriented focus, the museum will be opening the doors of its Acton depot on April 25-26 for a ‘get behind the scenes’ event. Visitors will be able to take a trip on a miniature railway; take part in a guided bus pit tour; watch live demonstrations of how the emergency response team deals with incidents on the transport system; listen to a talk by Matt Brown, the editor of the Londonist, about secret tunnels and disused stations on the Underground; and watch rare films from the museum’s archives.

Lottery opens door for £1.65 million Colne Valley bid COLNE Valley Railway has cleared a near-£67,000 hurdle in its bid to win £1.65million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to secure the longterm future of its Castle Hedingham site. £66,900 has been awarded by the lottery to the Colne Valley Railway Preservation Society as a Stage 1 pass to firm up a professional bid for the full amount over the next two years. It will pay for architects and surveyors to draw up concrete and detailed plans for a skills ‘centre of excellence’ to restore and overhaul locomotives and carriages on the 20 acre site. It is also intended to establish an interactive museum detailing the history of the railway.

If the full grant is awarded, it will allow the society to buy the freehold of its site from Australian property developer Chris Young, who, in turn, bought it from the railway’s founders Dick and Jane Hymas nearly a decade ago. In January 2014, it was reported that Mr Young had given the society a year to buy the site off him for an undisclosed amount. Essex County Council subsequently made a £2500 grant to the railway to prepare the lottery bid. It is intended that the new workshop will be named after Joseph Cubitt, the engineer of the Colne Valley & Halstead Railway, part of which is now occupied by the heritage line.

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

Heritage Railway 37

NEWS IN BRIEF ➜ SWANAGE-based LSWR M7 0-4-4T No. 30053 will visit the Kent & East Sussex Railway in the spring. TimeLine events has booked a photo charter, including an evening session for May 5. ➜ THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ fund to rebuild England 0-4-0STT Welsh Pony has passed the £100,000 mark. The railway has the drawings for the new welded boiler, which will be fabricated at Boston Lodge, and the patterns have been sent to the foundry for the new cylinder castings to be created in the next few weeks. ➜ THE boiler of the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway’s Kerr Stuart 0-4-2ST No. 886 of 1905 Premier is to be overhauled by the North Norfolk Railway. ➜ A GWR Vale of Rheidol Railway cattle van has returned to the line after an absence of more than 75 years. No. 38089 was transferred to the nearby Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway in 1937, working there until the line closed in 1956, and was subsequently acquired by the Ffestiniog Railway, which used it as a store. The VoR will restore the van at Aberystwyth. ➜ THE South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society has bought Matheran Railway 0-6-0T No.740 from the Railworld museum at Peterborough. The locomotive, which previously ran on the Leighton Buzzard Railway, has been in store at the Statfold Barn Railway. It will be restored over the next few years. ➜ AVELING & Porter 2-2-0WT No. 9449 of 1926 has moved from the Battlefield Line to a new home at the Rushden Transport Museum, where it will haul trains during open days.

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Gresley family donates towards King’s Cross statue RELATIVES of Sir Nigel Gresley have chipped in with donations towards the building of a statue of the LNER chief mechanical engineer at King’s Cross. The Gresley Society is raising money for a £95,000 statue of the designer of the world’s fastest steam locomotives to be placed in the western concourse of the station. Donations from the family followed one from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, of which Sir Nigel was a member, and president in 1936. The society is now appealing for donations of railwayana towards the fundraising campaign.

Unwanted items

Suitable items include all railway hardware, posters, tickets, paperwork, worksplates, signalling equipment, locomotive items, whistles, totems and, of course, nameplates. Any collector who has unwanted items which they are prepared to donate, and of an estimated minimum value of £25, is asked to contact the vice chairman of the society trust, Andrew Dow, at andrewdow@ btinternet.com The donated items will be sold by Great Central Railwayana Auctions. The trust has been given permission ONE of Britain’s greatest, rarely seen treasure troves of railwayana went on public display in February. Around 2000 items were amassed by pupils and teachers at Doncaster Grammar School, who founded a railway society in the early 1930s, and began a collection after receiving a signed photograph of Gresley with A4

by Network Rail, Camden Borough Council, and English Heritage to erect the bronze statue, which will be sculpted by Hazel Reeves SWA, FRSA, and will depict Sir Nigel standing, accompanied by a mallard. A plaque on the nearby wall will explain briefly about his life. It is hoped to unveil the statue on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, the 75th anniversary of Sir Nigel’s death. The Gresley Society, a registered charity, was founded in 1963, initially to secure the survival of Flying Scotsman, which ended up being bought by the late Alan Pegler. However, the society bought GNR N2 0-6-2 No. 1744, the oldest surviving Gresley locomotive. The Society has erected memorials at Edinburgh Waverley, commemorating Sir Nigel Gresley’s birth in the city; at the National Railway Museum, marking the spot where A4 streamlined Pacific No. 4469 Sir Ralph Wedgwood was destroyed in an air raid in 1942; and at milepost 901/4 on Stoke Bank, south of Grantham, where Mallard set its world steam speed record of 126mph in 1938. ➜ For more information on how to donate to the appeal, visit http://gresley.org/

Silver Link in 1937. The collection, available to view only by prior appointment, is stored at the top of a spiral staircase in the clock tower at Doncaster’s Hall Cross, and includes items dating back to the 18th century, plus the original nameplates from Gresley P2 No. 2001 Cock O’ The North and LMS 4-6-2 No. 46202 Princess

The proposed statue of Sir Nigel Gresley complete with mallard. GRESLEY SOCIETY Anne, wrecked in the 1952 Harrow and Wealdstone railway disaster. Selected items were displayed at Doncaster Museum during the Mallard 75 celebrations and again at the town’s Mansion House from February 5-12, as part of Doncaster Borough Council’s Rail Week. It has been suggested that the collection might be permanently displayed there.

First general manager for Dean Forest THE Dean Forest Railway has appointed its first general manager, to take on the day-to-day running of the line and its future development. Roger Phelps, recently retired from Network Rail after working on the national network for 42 years, ending as mechanical and electrical locking fitters delivery manager for the UK. Roger was one of the early volunteers at the Dean Forest Railway, and as well as being a signal inspector, he is also one of the steam locomotive drivers. Roger said: “I am delighted to be taking the reins at the Dean Forest, and look forward to the many challenges involved with running and expanding the business. This year will see us opening a new cafe facility, greatly enhancing the customer experience. “We also have an ambitious running season, with around 10% more in

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Roger Phelps. DFR traffic days than last year.” The railway has just received Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 3163 Sapper from the East Lancashire Railway to undertake winter maintenance. Alongside the DFR’s own Austerity Wilbert it will be also having a piston and valve examination, and will be used in March for some steam days, before returning home.

One of the first locomotives to arrive at Barry scrapyard has returned there. The frames and cab of 1924-built GWR prairie No. 5539 have been moved from the Llangollen Railway to the Barry Island Railway. There, a fitter will work on them prior to rewheeling. It is planned to complete the chassis at Barry before returning it back to Llangollen. The boiler is off the locomotive and will be repaired at Llangollen, along with the fabrication of new water tanks. DAVE OWEN Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Heritage Railway 39

News

Military Railfest shifts to Nene

By Robin Jones

A BID to create a military railway museum at Long Marston has collapsed. The former MoD Central Engineers Depot, near Stratford-upon-Avon, had been selected as a site for a new national museum of military railways, with its first open weekend, Military Railfest, being held in May. Instead, the event, marking the centenary of the Royal Engineers’ Railway Operating Division (ROD) is to be held at the Nene Valley Railway on May 9-10. As we closed for press, no guest locomotives had been confirmed. The museum project was drawn up

by Neil Howard, whose Train of Events organisation in 1999 ran the hugely successful Train for Life carrying 800 tons of aid to Kosovo from the UK following the war of independence with Serbia, and who in 2012 organised the steam-hauled ‘Berliner’ to commemorate the final British Army train from West to East Germany.

Temporary heritage railway

He was also involved in the abortive Railschool plans to establish a temporary heritage railway on the closed North Woolwich branch for the London 2012 Olympics before the line being converted to become part of Crossrail.

The aim was to create a 21st-century version of the Longmoor Military Railway, an early bolthole for standard gauge preservation. The stated aim of the project was to “preserve the kit, culture and capability of British military railway operations from the trenches in France in the First World War through the Second World War, the Cold War, Kosovo, Iraq and eventual disbandment of the railway operating trade from the British Army in March 2014.” The project recruited a team of 30 volunteer Army railwaymen, all of who served in 79 Railway Squadron RLC and 275 Railway Squadron (V) RLC, in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers railway workshops, or at Longmoor.

The Ministry of Defence bought farmland alongside the GWR Stratford to Cheltenham line in 1940 for the depot, which played a significant role in the Second World War, including the D-Day landings, and ended up with an internal rail system with 45 miles of track and sidings.

470-acre new town

The MoD depot was closed in the early Nineties, and it became a base for Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway offshoot the Stratford & Broadway Railway Society, which has since dissolved. The depot and the adjacent Long Marston airfield have been earmarked for a 470-acre new town named Meon

Farewell to Waverley route revival campaigner and TV presenter Bob Symes By Robin Jones TV PRESENTER and inventor Bob Symes – who tried to keep the Waverley Route open throughout – has died at the age of 90, without seeing part of it reopened later this year. Bob, a popular and well-respected figure in the heritage sector for half a century, who was widely praised for his kindness and generosity, died on January 19 after a short illness. Descended from an Austrian aristocratic family, he was born on May 6, 1924, as Robert Alexander Baron Schutzmann von Schutzmansdorff. He was variously known as Bob Symes, Robert SymesShutzmann or Bob Symes-Shutzmann. He left Austria in fear of the Nazis and served in the Royal Navy. Around the end of the Second World War, he married Monica Chapman who later became producer of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. A lifelong railway enthusiast, when the Labour government closed the Waverley Route in the face of loud public protests in 1969, he led a bid to save it under the banner of the Border Union Railway and run it using imported German Pacifics. Bob Symes’ vision of 1969 is finally being realised: workmen are seen laying track in Bowshank Tunnel near Galashiels in readiness for passenger trains returning to the northern section of the Waverley Route this summer. Prorail campaigners believe it is only a matter of time before the remainder of the line to Carlisle is built. BORDERS RAILWAY

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A holding company under the name of the Border Union Railway Company was founded to negotiate with British Rail for the purchase of the line. The initiative, backed by Liberal MP David Steel and the South of Scotland Chamber of Commerce, believed it could break even in running the line. It reiterated the protestors’ argument that with a planned increase of 25,000 in the Border population, along with new industrial development, the railway would pick up new business if promoted.

Steam-hauled tours

Symes said that tourist traffic could be attracted from the Lake District and from the Edinburgh end by running steam-hauled tours over the middle section of the route, while using diesels for commuter services. As a BBC producer, he said that TV companies wanted suitable railway lines for location filming, and that Waverley fitted the bill. The would-be saviours also planned to run timber trains from Kielder Forest, and lay an oil pipeline along part of the route. Looking back at the scheme, Bob once said: “It was going to make its

living off freight. We had rolling stock and the possibility of electrifying the section from Carlisle to Kielder. “We expected to start off with one timber train a week and work up to three trains a day.” There was also the fall-back proposal of a ‘Waverley Route lite’ offering just a basic DMU service to Edinburgh from Hawick. In November 1969, British Rail demanded a deposit of £250,000. When the company asked for extra time to find the money, BR replied that four months would be given, but interest of £8000 a month would have to be paid. The talks concluded two days before Christmas that year. It seemed that British Rail had been placing every possible obstacle in the way of the revivalists, and many thought that the powers that be were simply opposed to a private operator running a main line. No local authorities were willing to back the proposals, and BR formally announced on January 6, 1970, that no agreement had been reached, after which the Border Union Railway Company quickly died a death. Bob, however, still managed to run

a live steam railway on his own – in the back garden of his home in the village of Onslow, near Guildford, built to 101⁄4in gauge and named the Green Dene Railway, in addition to an earlier Gauge 1 line. In the Seventies, he presented his own Model World BBC programme dedicated to modelling, and in the Nineties with Mary-Jean Hasler copresented a BBC TV series called Making Tracks dedicated to littleknown lines and networks worldwide, which specialised in steam operations. He also appeared as a presenter on BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme, and in the Eighties, featured in amateur cookery programmes on Radio 4. In January 2007 he married Dr Sheila Gunn, then works manager at Boston Lodge on the Ffestiniog Railway. She survives him. He was also the president of Guildford-based model railway society Astolat MRC.

Liberal candidate

Bob helped establish the Institute of Patentees and Inventors and was also patron of Hospital Radio Lion based at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford He was a Liberal candidate for Mid Sussex in the two general elections of 1974. One of many online tributes said: “Bob’s enthusiasm, interest and joy shone through everything that he presented. Not trite, not smug, never snarky or rude, his style was to sweep the audience along with his charm, his knowledge and his real passion for sharing the stuff that he was experiencing or doing.” Work to relay the northern section of the Waverley Route as the new Borders Railway restarted on January 12 following a break over the festive period. It is expected that the rail installation machine will reach its final destination at Tweedbank station in early February.

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Valley as museum plan fails Vale which could eventually include 6000 homes, despite objections from many local residents. The 2¼-mile freight spur to the depot survives. The site has been extensively used for the storage of rolling stock for main line leasing companies. Neil said that the museum project would still happen – but not at Long Marston, and an alternative location was being sought in a joint venture with the Army Railway Association and Train of Events. He said that the Long Marston proposal was scrapped when the size of the proposed housing development became apparent, and the fact that it would extinguish

Bob Symes takes a ride aboard a Class 71-inspired ‘Golden Arrow’ diesel produced as part of the short-lived Tri-ang Minic Narrowgauge Railway 10¼in gauge garden railway system. Introduced in 1963 the system was not a commercial success and only 89 locomotives were built before production ceased in 1965. Last August, then Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, announced that trains would be operational on the Borders Railway from September 6 – with steam specials marking its opening. He also announced a feasibility study, led by Scottish Enterprise in partnership with VisitScotland, Scottish Borders Council and Transport Scotland, which will look at how the Borders Railway will transform the tourism potential of the region. Such initiatives include the potential for a turntable and the creation of a permanent home at Tweedbank station for the Great Tapestry of Scotland, the world’s longest embroidered tapestry. Echoing the motives of Bob’s Border Union initiative 45 years before, Mr Salmond said: “We can expect the Scottish economy to benefit by tens of millions of pounds from the regular train line.”

existing planning consent for rail use on parts of the site. Furthermore, Chiltern Railways former chairman Adrian Shooter’s new venture, Vivarail Ltd, which involved the mass conversion of redundant London Underground D78 District Line stock into DMUs to replace Pacer units, is to move 320 vehicles on to the site for refurbishment, leaving insufficient space for the museum, said Neil.

Finnish heavy goods 2-8-2

Train of Events is still working with David Buck, owner of B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower, to find a home and purpose for Finnish 5ft gauge TR1 heavy goods 2-8-2 No. 1060, which

faced scrapping after the current Epping Ongar owner declared he had no use for it. Marooned at Ongar station, David bought it with the intention of basing it at Long Marston. Instead, Neil said it would be moved to the Nene Valley, renowned for its fleet of standard gauge continental locomotives, in mid-February. There, Neil said, the 1954-built locomotive would at first be stored at Ferry Meadows station. However, the long-term plan is to make it a major exhibit of the military museum plan. Far from being restored to steam, it will be tipped sideways into a ‘bomb crater’ – and used as the centrepiece

of a wartime cameo scene. Also moved to the Nene Valley as a Train of Events initiative is USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 3278, the restoration off which is now being undertaken at Tyseley Locomotive Works after 90% of the overhaul was carried out by Peter Pickering at Barry Gambles’ South Coast Steam on the Isle of Portland.

Franklin D Roosevelt

Repatriated from Greece and owned by Richard Stone, it previously carried the name FranklinD.Roosevelt and ran on the G/WR and Mid Hants Railway. It may steam at the relocated event, at which Neil hopes to have other S160s running.

An atmospheric view of Swithland sidings on the Great Central Railway as specially dirtied LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624 heads a photo charter coal train on January 21. PHIL WATERFIELD

MP welcomes Rother progress BATTLE MP Greg Barker has welcomed plans to extend Kent & East Sussex Railway trains into the main line station at Robertsbridge. He took a ride on the Rother Valley Railway from Robertsbridge during a visit in January with Huw Merriman, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate

for Bexhill and Battle. Mr Barker said: “With the prospect of crossing the A21 and connecting to Bodiam and Tenterden now very real, the whole community needs to rally round this great local project.” A distance of around 3½ miles divides the two lines.

Heritage group plans for Bishop Auckland A CAMPAIGN has been launched to raise the profile of the railway heritage of Bishop Auckland. The Bishop Auckland Station Trust hopes to erect interpretation boards telling the history of the

site and install two benches near the entrance to the station on Bob Hardisty Drive. The group is holding talks about the required planning permission and additional funding.

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Visitor accolade for Vale of Rheidol THE Vale of Rheidol Railway in Aberystwyth has been awarded WorldHost Recognised Business status for its commitment to customer service. WorldHost is a world-class customer service training programme that has already been used to train nearly 150,000 people in the UK, including tens of thousands of staff and volunteers for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than 70% of frontline VoR staff are trained to WorldHost standards. VoR spokesman Will Smith said: “Not only does this generate a positive buzz about the service we offer, but it helps to promote Aberystwyth as a friendly and welcoming tourist destination.” Heritage Railway 41

NEWS

New build? Forget it without a business plan! By David Champion

AS I stood for the first time next to the massive frames of new build Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales, the thought crossed my mind that this engine was a game-changer. It will certainly be a game-changer for The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust as it sees No. 60163 Tornado’s shed-mate evolve at what is already an exciting pace. I believe it also has the potential to be a game-changer for the new build movement, but whether that potential is fulfilled is down to a sense of reality being exercised by proposers and potential supporters alike. Let’s face it, we never intended Tornado’s construction to take 18 years (14 years from start of construction), but it was ground breaking, it had never been done before, and the scepticism and the obstacles that had to be overcome were massive, and not all of them could have been foreseen at the time. Fortunately, the average age of our supporters who were then largely drawn from the enthusiasts of the 1950s and 1960s, were able to follow it through with their interest and financial support. Even so, important members of our team such as Wreford Voge and Alan Dodgson died before the project’s completion. So we know

that for another locomotive, or anybody else’s locomotive, another 18 years is too long. Of course this older generation is not the only one to see the necessity of building new main line steam. One of the by-products of the worldwide publicity that has surrounded Tornado is that steam locomotives are ‘cool’ for younger people. This is reflected in the support now being given to Tornado and Prince of Wales by much younger generations, and by no means are they all male. However, despite their enthusiasm, they too are unlikely to be interested in a project that they may never see to completion. Perhaps we should set the bar at a planned 10 to 12 year construction when evaluating whether a new project is feasible. And then divide the projects into ‘feasible in 12 years’ or ‘non-feasible in 12 years’? It all comes down to this – it is really all about money and the marketing and fundraising ability to raise it. You can have the best engineers, all the drawings, the most

romantic vision – but all it might add up to is ‘castles in the air’ if the project leaders haven’t the skills to generate the vast quantities of cash that new-build requires, and at the time that it is needed.

The true enormity of the task

Back in 1990, I had a hunch that previous failed attempts to build new main line steam locomotives had stemmed from a lack of appreciation by the project leaders as to how big the sums of money really were, and how only a wellresearched and well executed business plan could yield these huge sums. I regret that 24 years later the same is true today of rather too many newbuild projects. Of course there are brilliant examples of worthy successors to Tornado. In the 100% new metal camp there is the GWR Railmotor power unit complete, with the Severn Valley Railway based-BR Standard 3MT 2-6-2T and the G5

To get to a rolling chassis you will need to have raised and spent over £2 million...

0-4-4T projects progressing well. Utilising some historic parts in varying measures but no less worthy are the LMS Patriot, Brighton Atlantic and the various GWR ‘heavy rebuild’ schemes making good progress. However, there are a number of projects that may never achieve their goal. Without a realistic business plan that will generate the right cash inside a reasonable timescale, they risk achieving only a display of decorative parts or frames that are useless for any other project. What is deceptive to many people is that it is relatively easy to raise the money to make a big part that looks good and gives the impression that a new locomotive is commencing construction. It isn’t. It is a piece of metal with as yet no other use. Only a continual programme of construction ends in a new locomotive. And this, of course, is only possible with adequate and sustained cash flow. To illustrate this, let’s talk about the frames for a large main line locomotive, a 4-6-0 or Pacific, and what is usually accepted as the first sign of intent of a new build. You’ve worked hard selling pencils, mugs and second-hand books, asking for one-off donations and after a number of years with your £25,000

Pictured at Barrow Hill roundhouse, Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado, soon to re-emerge in apple green livery, has for years been established as the flagship of the standard gauge new-build movement, but its success was due to the builders’ business plan rather than their raw enthusiasm for the extinct class. A1SLT

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Carry out maintenance on the chassis of Tornado at its Darlington birthplace. A1SLT

Tornado back at Darlington Locomotive Works where its currently mid-term overhaul is taking place. A1SLT in the bank you can go and get a set of frame plates profiled, and they look very grand don’t they? But at this stage you are only knocking on the door of new-build reality. To get to a rolling chassis you will need to have raised and spent over £2 million...TWO MILLION POUNDS. If you have spent 10 years getting that £25,000 together, how on earth can you kid yourself that £2 million will drop from the sky any time soon? And even then you will have to find another huge tranche of two to three million pounds to finish it. And all within that reasonable construction time mentioned. Memo to project leaders: you can’t raise the massive amounts of money needed, when you need it, by selling stuff like souvenirs. Sorry, but it’s a fact.

Setting a time limit

Should we redefine the parameters to be applied to any group who says they are starting a new build before the project can be classed as a new locomotive in progress? If so, how about the following basics that any professional project manager would view as essential for a construction project: 1. A financial plan showing what the cash requirements are for the build programme and the capital and income requirements at each stage. 2. A marketing and fundraising plan detailing what the offer is and

Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust (left) with David Champion at the London roadshow in Landmark Hotel on March 8, 2014, where the P2 covenant scheme was launched with resounding success. As we reported last month, the Heritage Railway Association was so impressed with the rapid progress made on the P2 project that it has awarded it a Special Award for a Meritorious Project for its excellent business case and phenomenal rate of fundraising and early manufacture of components. A1SLT how this money is to be raised. Who are the target markets? How big are these potential markets? What is their average age? What is their ability to provide support? How long will it be there? How do you bring in new blood to compensate for those you lose along the way? What other strands of income or benefits in kind can you potentially access – and what’s in it for them? What do you offer in return? 3. An engineering construction management plan showing all the tasks required in a flow chart, the vital specification of materials (in modern equivalents), and the method of testing, certifying and recording of all components, right through from raw material, manufacture and ultimate fitting, so that the certification authorities will ultimately allow it to run (otherwise it’s all been a waste of time). 4. Competent people on the team capable of managing these areas, preferably professionally qualified and experienced, particularly in finance, engineering, fundraising and marketing. 5. Significant support from the public – i.e. not just 50 people who think it’s a good idea. 6. Locomotive hardware being manufactured in an orderly and continuous process, so that supporters and potential supporters can see a competent organisation going about the job in a professional

and workmanlike way. I would suggest that using this discipline would strengthen the perception of the new-build movement, enabling worthy new projects to get to completion within a reasonable time.

Why the P2 will succeed

Using Tornado as an example: as the first in its field, it fought through that massive amount of scepticism to completion in 18 years. But from day one there were all the above requirements, and when metal construction commenced in 1994 there was a continuous and ordered programme of manufacturing. And even though at the time it was the most successful fundraising organisation to date, progress was still only limited by the availability of funds. The new P2 again had all these components at its launch, and the combination of this well planned project together with the Tornado track record has seen the most massive vote of confidence in new build steam since 1990. The first public roadshows for Prince of Wales were held only last March, but funds pledged already exceed £1.6 million, assembly commencing in July with the locomotive and tender frames, followed by orders for the casting of all the wheels for locomotive and tender, and in total 48 castings – or

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in other words, almost every single frame casting required. Rolling chassis stage is scheduled for late this year. The planned roll-out of this P2 No. 2007 is scheduled for 2021 on a seven year timescale, and at the time of writing it is ‘bang on track’. And this is where this locomotive could be the game-changer – by realigning the movement’s perception into realising that a short construction time of seven to 10 years is entirely feasible, and in the future, vital. My belief is that greater scrutiny would lead to stronger public confidence in groups with wellthought-out plans enabling them to raise the cash in the shortened periods we now have to work to. How can the public have faith in a project that, for example, has been around for well over a decade whose progress to date indicates a 1000 year build? What do I think will happen to the new-build scene in the future? My hunch is that a very small number of successful high profile groups will have motivated younger people to join the cause, and they will be the ones who are still around building locomotives in 10 years’ time. Heritage railways may build locomotives for themselves on a quite different business footing – but the days of projects without a realistic and achievable completion date will be over. Heritage Railway 43

News Camelot boiler back

BLUEBELL Railway BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73082 Camelot has been returned from LNWR Crewe after passing its steam tests. The boiler was delivered on January 19 and placed in frames the same day using a crane which also lifted SECR P 0-6-0T’s No. 27’s frames on to a stand. Once Q 0-6-0 No. 30541 is complete, attention will turn to the final assembly of Camelot. No. 30541 is in the closing stages of completion now, with 90% of the painting and the smokebox complete, lubrication pipework installed, and weighing and setting of the ride height finished. Still outstanding was the machining and fitting of the main steam pipes, fitting the remaining pipework and the final steam test.

Aln Valley on the move

THE Aln Valley Railway has begun work on restoring part of the original NER trackbed over which it is to run. On January 6, a bulldozer began the preliminary work on the trackbed in the cutting between the end of Lloyds Field, the heritage line’s Lionheart station headquarters site, to the point where ‘Green Lane’ meets the old line and onwards, in the Alnmouth direction, towards the former farm access overbridge known as Bridge 6. The old track foundation has been exposed ready for vehicles and plant to start, very shortly, on the heavy work of creating the embankment link between Lionheart station site and the former trackbed. Green Lane will be used as the access road when the heavy vehicles and plant move in to carry out this work.

KWVR’s latest movie hit A MAJOR new movie filmed on Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is now in cinemas. Scenes for the joint BBC Films and Heyday Films production Testament of Youth were shot around Keighley station last March. The film portrays the traumatic experiences of author Vera Brittain, who volunteers as a nurse in France during the World War One. The KWVR scenes included a specially constructed tearoom and the use of coaches from the Vintage Carriages Trust collection at Ingrow.

The film-maker’s choice: GWR 4-6-0 No. 7812 ErlestokeManor passes Arley on the Severn Valley Railway. SVR

Severn Valley to hit the big screen again By Robin Jones

TWO new movies are to feature scenes filmed on the Severn Valley Railway. The railway, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its formation, has landed a starring role in The Black Prince, based on the real life story of the last king of Punjab, written and directed by Los Angeles-based Indian filmmaker Kavi Raz and starring Satinder Sartaaj. Set in India and the UK, filming moved to Bewdley station on November 18, when more than 60 crew members from India and LA and around 10 actors, both principal cast members and extras, spent the day at the railway, and were suitably impressed by its size and splendour. SVR duty officer Bill Griffiths said: “The film crew started arriving from 8am with filming starting just after 10am. “Those we spoke to were quite appreciative of the railway and its facilities. Many of them were surprised by its size and the fact it is operated by volunteers.

“They filmed around the station at Bewdley, on a static train and on the train in the section between Bewdley and Kidderminster. It was certainly odd to see Bewdley doubling as an entirely different location and how the crew managed to achieve this by making it look different.” Tammy Ferris, PA to SVR general manager, Nick Ralls, met Hollywood actor Jason Flemyng, star of X-Men: First Class, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Punjab was annexed

The film tells the story of the last Sikh Maharaja – the son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh – who inherited the throne at the age of five following the death of his father. In 1849, Punjab was annexed to British India and the young prince was removed from the throne and sent to England. His attempts to return to India and reclaim his throne were thwarted by the British and he ended up a

pauper, dying in Paris in 1893. Arley station will also feature in the opening scenes of a 21st century update of Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. The producers of Dracula 2015 – Killer on the Catwalk, originally intended to make their film in Hungary, but later changed their minds and decided to shoot it in Shropshire. The story features Damien Racula, a vampire obsessed and egomaniac fashion designer, his ambitious publicist Sophie, vampire hunters Professor Kovacs and his feisty granddaughter Julia, a try-hard DJ named DJ Van Helsing and a wacky nightclub promotions girl called Rebel. Promoter John Peters said: “We want local people to get in touch with us about being extras in the film and we’ll be taking on a substantial amount of people,” he said. “It’s an internet film that will be released through eight different platforms, which is the way the film industry is going.”

Economic case for opening new Wisbech branch ‘compelling’ says report RESTORING a rail link between Wisbech and Cambridge would halve commuting times and create at least 230 jobs in the town, a report claims. The restoration of the March to Wisbech line – currently the subject of a revivalist bid by the Bramley

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Line group – to Network Rail standards would cost between £50-£70 million, but will boost local incomes by £13 million annually and lead to the building of more than 500 homes, said the Infrastructure for Growth study. Relinking March and Wisbech

forms a key part of the Wisbech 20/20 Vision, a joint Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council project to boost the town’s economy. The report said: “Our priority is to deliver an economic game-changer

for North Cambridgeshire through an integrated strategy for rail, road and growth infrastructure. “The economic case for reopening the line is compelling.” Should the branch be rebuilt, it would mean an end to hopes to using it as a heritage line.

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Y14 set to ‘debut’ at Sheringham’s big spring gala THE Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s ‘Little Black Goods’ GER J15, 0-6-0 No. 65462, is to reappear in its ‘back conversion’ form as GER Y14 No. 564 at the North Norfolk Railway’s March 6-8 spring steam gala. Subject to the completion of the overhaul and testing, the Y14 will appear in the gala alongside visitors D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire from Bo’ness and Hawksworth 0-6-0PT No. 1501 from the Severn Valley Railway, hauling service trains. A public appeal to restore the 103year-old Y14 has passed the £100,000 mark. The locomotive’s full boiler and mechanical overhaul at Riley & Sons in Bury, which is rapidly nearing its conclusion, will have cost more than £350,000. Final testing is due to be completed in early February. The additional cost of the overhaul has been met by the support of more than 3000 society members and by the revenue generated by the society’s other steam and diesel locomotives in Poppy Line service.

in brief

Y14 No. 564 in the works in Bury. MGNJRS The Y14 will begin its 10 year ticket in GER blue, later carrying LNER and BR liveries. Society chairman Neil Sharpe said: “The support for the appeal has been fantastic. “Raising the six figure sum has been a hard task indeed, but the response by both our membership and by supporters of our plucky little engine has been phenomenal.” Society engineer Keith Ashford added it was the most technicallychallenging overhaul ever done by the society – as brand new components have had to be made to replace worn originals, which involves working to very tight tolerances and high

engineering standards. The Y14s were built in batches between 1883 and 1913 and became the most numerous GER class. In 1891, a Y14 was built in the record time of nine hours 47 minutes, making it the fastest steam locomotive in terms of being built. No. 65462 was based at Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Norwich, before being withdrawn in 1962, when it was saved by founders of the North Norfolk Railway. The gala is also set to feature the home fleet of B12 No. 8572, BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92203 Black Prince, BR Standard 4MT No. 76084 and possibly Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Wissington.

Last Llangollen fireman back after 50 years! WHEN the last passenger train ran from Llangollen to Ruabon on the night of Saturday, January 16, 1965, Alwyn Jones was fireman on the engine, Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46509. During the line’s volunteers’ day on Saturday, January 10, Alwyn was invited down to Llangollen and met the present day driver and fireman on Hunslet 0-6-0ST Jessie as they prepared to join a special train to Corwen. There, Alwyn was able to pose with Class 26 No. 5310 at the other end of the train – a type he never worked on in his days with British Railways. Alwyn’s memory of working trains on the line is very clear and he related instances of difficulties with engine workings and all the other characters who worked the trains in the years prior to closure of the line half a century ago. Remembering the last night in January 1965, he recalled thinking: “This is the last time I will do this here,” as he filled the tender tank with water while waiting to depart at 7.15pm.

Alwyn Jones with D5310 at Corwen. GEORGE JONES

Gresley N2 in heritage ‘first’ THE Lincolnshire Wolds Railway is preparing for a heritage ‘first’ at its Easter gala – the first-ever visit of a Great Northern Railway locomotive to a GNR heritage line. The star guest will be Gresley N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 from the Great Central Railway. No. 1744 will be working along with two others locos on all three days of the April 4-6 gala. The heritage line operates on a stretch of line that was the original section of the GNR system from Grimsby to Boston which dates from 1847. Eight trains will be running

hourly each day, from 9.45am to 4.45pm. There will also be an evening photo shoot at Ludborough engine shed on Good Friday. LWR events director Gordon Newton said: “We are delighted to be having the N2 at this year’s gala. The class was built for pulling busy London commuter trains at the other end of the GNR system, a job they did admirably for over 40 years. No. 1744 will certainly provide some unique photo opportunities working in a slightly different environment, up here in rural Lincolnshire!”

Advance tickets for the gala are available from www.lincolnshirewoldsrailway.co.uk

➜ A £30,000 local enterprise partnership grant to help secure the future of the NER Askrigg station site has been approved. The buildings have been empty since Weatherald Wood Components closed in April 2013, and could be used for small or start-up businesses. The Wensleydale Railway Association aims to eventually rebuild the transPennine line from Northallerton to Garsdale and plans to reopen the station. ➜ THE North East Locomotive Preservation Group’s J72 0-6-0T No. 69023 Joem is to star in the Locomotion museum’s The Railway Children-themed February 14-15 winter steam gala. Also on display will be GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5775 which appeared in fictitious livery in the EMU big screen film. ➜ FIRE crews tackled a blaze at the East Lancashire Railway’s Baron Street sidings in Bury. The fire was reported at 2.55pm on Saturday, January 10, and was believed to have been started by burning embers which blew across on to the carriage. Two square metres of flooring and a side panel inside the carriage were damaged. ➜ THE Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway is to hold a volunteering open day at 9.30am on Sunday, March 8, and has vacancies to suit most people of all ages and background. There will be a special train from Embsay at 10.30am. ➜ GREAT Central Railway-based Class 20 D8098 will be visiting the Spa Valley Railway this summer, its first visit to another heritage line. It will star in the July 31-August 2 summer diesel gala, giving the first chance to sample Class 20 haulage on the Eridge extension. ➜ CHICHESTER and District Society of Model Engineers will be holding its first Steam on Sunday open afternoon of the summer season between 2-5pm on Sunday, April 19, at its site in Blackberry Lane, off Bognor Road, Chichester. ➜ BOGNOR Regis Model Railway Club is set to move into the relocated LBSCR Barnham signalbox alongside its existing base at Aldingbourne Sports and Community Centre in late spring.

GWR72XX rebuild at crossroads WORK on the bottom half of GWR 2-8-2T No. 7202, being restored by the ‘Heavy Freight Mob’ at Didcot Railway Centre is now well on the way to completion. Both of the connection rods are now fitted in place along with the relevant crank pin nuts and securing pins. A new rod for the vacuum pump has been machined, and is awaiting grinding before fitting. A start has been made on the long job of making and fitting pipework for the injectors and vacuum system, including making various pipe clamps to replace ones that

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are either missing or rotten. Attention has also turned to the boiler, which has been reexamined in greater detail. While it had been inspected previously, a change in insurance companies and the technology available has improved, and the new inspection has found cracks in the backhead. Where the plates on the side and front are wasted these will need to have sections cut off and new plates welded in. The front tubeplate was known to need repair, but it has now been decided to replace it so it and the smokebox have been removed. Heritage Railway 45

NEWS

Four-coach gift helps to launch Mid Hants vintage train project By Robin Jones THE Mid Hants Railway is to launch its own scheme to create a three-coach pre-Grouping vintage train following the gift of four 19th-century wooden coach bodies. The LBSCR carriage bodies have been donated to the Watercress Line Preservation Society by the family of a member of the Hayling Island Railway Society. They were originally collected by the society because it was believed that they were used on the much-lamented Hayling Island branch until 1923. At one stage, the group hoped to restore part of the branch and maybe use the coaches on it.

Holiday homes

Following withdrawal by the Southern Railway, the coaches were sold off and became holiday homes, being used as such until the Seventies. Three out of four of the coaches, sixwheeled passenger brake van No. 174, built 1880, six-wheeled first No. 521, which dates from 1898 and sixwheeled BK third, converted from a first have undergone partial restoration. The fourth, No. 1646, an 1878-built six-wheeled third, is being salvaged for parts. They have been

held in undercover storage at Eastleigh Works, where they are said to be dry and therefore in very good condition for their age. The restorable vehicles will be rebuilt in the carriage and wagon workshop in Ropley, which was funded by a Lottery grant in 2010. Mid-Hants managing director Colin Chambers has been sourcing chassis from Southern Region PMVs for the bodies. The first arrived in mid-January, on the low loader that was sent to collect Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34051 Winston Churchill and take it to the National Railway Museum for the recreation of part of the wartime leader’s funeral train. A second PMV chassis is set to come from the line’s crane fleet. The body of the donor wagon will in turn be used to provide extra accommodation for the Alton section of the line’s wagon group. Over the last five years, the Mid Hants carriage and wagon department has gained in experience and reputation of rolling stock restoration. Having a vintage train will place the Watercress Line on the same footing as its Southern neighbours the Bluebell and Isle of Wight Steam railways.

Sheep shelter tram body rescued By Hugh Dougherty A 109-year-old tram body which had been used as a sheep shelter for over 50 years near Camlough in County Armagh, has been rescued. It will be restored over 18 months by students at the Southern Regional College’s Newry Campus as part of a drive to celebrate the area’s industrial, railway and tramway heritage. The cash for the project is coming from £1.4 million worth of funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund to the Ring of Gullion project which works to improve the environment around Newry. When complete, the restored tram will be displayed in the middle of a roundabout at the start of the Dublin motorway outside Newry, close to the famous, 1851-built Egyptian Arch on the Belfast-Dublin railway, as a landmark gateway to the Newry area. Initial claims that the tram body is a

survivor of the hydro-electric-powered, 3ft gauge three mile Bessbrook & Newry Tramway, which linked Newry with the Bessbrook flax spinning mill, seem unfounded. Motor cars on the line were bogie vehicles, and No. 2, dating from the opening, is exhibited at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum at Cultra as the only power car survivor. The only enclosed, four-wheel trailer the company had, No. 6, was bought by a local convent when the line closed. It is still in good condition and used by nuns as a summerhouse. Experts now believe that the threewindow body came from a Belfast open topper built for the electrification of the system in 1905, similar to No. 249 now in the UFTM, and sold off for farm use. Mark Kennedy, transport curator at Cultra said: “It certainly looks like a Belfast tram body rather than a Bessbrook and Newry tram, but it is good to see it being restored and I wish the project well.”

Double Deltics date set for Bluebell AS REPORTED last issue, the Bluebell Railway has booked two Deltics for a spring diesel gala on the one-time steam-only line. The Deltic Preservation Society’s D9009 Alycidon and No. 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier will be in action from April 17-19.

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It is the first time that two Class 55s have visited the railway, with both arriving via the main line connection at East Grinstead. A two-train service will be in operation each day, with the Deltics switching diagrams on the Sunday.

Two of the LBSCR coach bodies donated to the Mid Hants Railway and which were said by officials to be in remarkable condition for their age. MHR

Golden Valley gets Ffestiniog coaches TWO steel-bodied bogie carriages which have worked on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways have been sold to the Midland Railway-Butterley’s Golden Valley Light Railway in Derbyshire. No. 119, which was built in 1980, will enter service this year and No. 117, which dates from

1977, will follow in 2016. F&WHR general manager Paul Lewin said: “As we continue our programme of introducing new and rebodied passenger rolling stock on the F&WHR, we are delighted that some of our older carriages are finding a new lease of life on other heritage railways.”

Apedale in Leeds locomotives theme FOLLOWING up its widely-praised Tracks to the Trenches First World War gala, the Apedale Valley Light Railway will have ‘Locos from Leeds’ as the theme of its May 16-17 gala. The theme has been selected to showcase operator the Moseley Railway Trust’s newly restored Leedsbuilt Hudswell Clarke 2ft gauge G class 0-4-0WT No. 1238 of 1916, which was reimported and rebuilt after lying in a swamp in Ghana for 48 years. The rebuild to as-new condition earned the trust the Heritage Railway Association’s John Coiley Locomotive Award for 2014, as reported in issue 198. The trust itself shared the HRA’s Annual Award (Small Groups) as honoured for amassing a unique collection of industrial locomotives and the recreation at its Apedale Valley Light Railway of a First World War trench railway with appropriate traction and rolling stock as an

invaluable educational resource. Trust chairman Phil Robinson said: “When we reviewed the success of the September 2014 Tracks to the Trenches Gala, we identified that September was becoming saturated with events aimed at the railway enthusiast. We have therefore taken the decision to move the date of the 2015 Locos from Leeds Gala to May 16-17. We are hoping that this will increase the number of visitors, as there will be fewer competing railway events at that time of year.” Leeds was famous for being home to several locomotive builders, including Hunslet, Hudswell Clarke and John Fowler, and several Leeds-built engines are held in the trust’s collection. The replica First World War trench system will be open for visitors. Trust officials want to hear from anyone with a Leeds-built item that they may wish to exhibit at the event. Find us on Facebook.com

TAKING BETTER PICTURES

A PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO

LLANGOLLEN Enthusiasts will again flock to the Llangollen Railway in March for the third Steel Steam & Stars IV gala on the line. Many will want to photograph the variety of steam power from the lineside; Phil Jones describes all the prime positions.

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©Crown copyright 2015 Ordnance Survey. Media 004/15.

A

s preserved steam railways go, there are not many that are better placed in terms of outstanding natural beauty and picture postcard scenery than the Llangollen Railway in Denbighshire, Wales. It runs for 10 miles through the beautiful Dee Valley between Llangollen and Corwen, making it the longest standard-gauge preserved steam railway in Wales. With gradients of 1-in-80, it is also a good test for any locomotive and its crew making it the perfect setting for railway photographers and tourists alike. Generally, locomotives face west (or face towards Corwen) which no doubt aids crews

with the occasional heavy train on the stiff gradients out of Llangollen and up to Berwyn. However, there is the odd occasion when a locomotive does face into Llangollen, No. 5199 is currently an example of this. Not only is the railway set among some of the finest scenery in North Wales, it is also home to an impressive variety of steam locomotives, including GWR 51xx prairie No. 5199 (which has recently returned to traffic after overhaul), LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45337, WR Manor 4-6-0 No. 7822 Foxcote Manor, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80072 and GWR heavy freight 2-8-0 No. 3802. With a number of vantage

points to choose from, this combination of fine scenery and interesting motive power makes the Llangollen Railway the perfect choice for railway photographers. All the fields that run alongside the railway are privately owned and have a strict ‘No access’ policy, especially during lambing season. However, it has been known on some, but not all gala days for a number of the landowners to allow photographers access into their fields in return for a small fee, but this is never a certainty. If entry is prohibited, then there are plenty of interesting photographic possibilities from the footpaths and roadsides.

A - Departing Llangollen

Visiting for the 2009 Steel Steam & Stars event, LMS 4-6-0 No. 6100 RoyalScot makes a rare sight running without smoke deflectors as it departs Llangollen with a train for Corwen. As the line runs slightly north-west at this point, it is best done in the spring after 2pm when the sun is round far enough to illuminate the front end but is still high enough in the sky to clear the mountains. In summer it can become very overgrown which unless cleared remains a hindrance until the winter. The shot itself is taken from the small cemetery opposite the railway sheds and is accessible by walking up the ramp at the west end of the platform or from the A542 past the railway workshops.

B - Goods Junction B

Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 68030 works a mixed train past the International Pavilion during the railway’s 1960s weekend. Located on the A542, this is probably one of the easiest locations to access as there is a large pay-and-display car park directly opposite the shot. The line runs north here so the shot can only be done until around 11am when the sun becomes too head on. A small set of step ladders are preferable but not essential to help shoot above the sometimes wild undergrowth.

C - Dee bridge

C

Unfortunately one of the most famous and classic locations on the line is no longer accessible after a change in ownership of the surrounding land. Entry to this field has now been blocked off by a large gate which has “Private Property – Do not Enter” signs firmly attached to it. In happier days, sole-surviving GWR Dukedog 4-4-0 No. 9017 works a train across the River Dee during a beautiful spring day. Heritage Railway 49

D

One of the most popular locations on the line is the area around Garth-y-Dwr, which is located about halfway between Llangollen and Carrog. This area holds a number of very different but easily accessible shots, all in walking distance of one another. There is also ample parking in a lay-by adjacent to the A5 which is next to The Original Butterfly Man. This is only a short walk away from the majority of shots at Garth-y-Dwr. It is advisable to park here as parking on the small farm track down to Garth-y-Dwr can prove to be problematic and a nuisance to farm traffic, especially on busy gala days. As with any preserved railway, there are a few locations when the service trains start too late and finish too early for them to be photographed successfully. However, there are specially organised photographic charters which have been specifically planned to take advantage of these locations not normally available on an ordinary

D - Berwyn station

Luckily, the other classic location on the railway is in no danger of going anywhere. The classic departure shot taken from the A5 roadside with the chain bridge in the distance is one of the most iconic shots of the reopened railway. Once the sun clears the hillside in the morning, basically the shot is on for the rest of the day until the sun drops behind the mountainside again in the afternoon. The chain bridge, however, is currently away for repairs.

E - Berwyn station arrival.

If the train is not scheduled to stop at the station, there is also a very nice mid- to late-afternoon shot from the east end of the platform.

F - Approach to Garth-y-dwr.

E

Although this shot was taken on a photographic charter, which had special permission to be in the farmer’s field, there is a very similar shot of trains travelling in both directions available from the bridle path. Trains travelling east can be done from as early as 11am in the spring, however, as the line runs northwest, the shot of trains travelling towards Corwen is best done from mid-afternoon onwards.

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G

H

I

G - 1000 yard straight - morning side.

Unless you get a very early train at a gala day, this shot is pretty much restricted to photographic charters as the sun is already too far round by the time the service trains start running. Ideally you want a train around 7.45am in April or September just as the sun climbs over the hill. As this was a charter, special access had been arranged with the landowner. Shortly after sunrise on April 4, 2014, visiting pannier tank No.1638 disturbs the peace with an early-morning mixed goods train during a 3P20 Parcels Group photo charter.

H - 1000 yard straight - afternoon side.

Visiting from the Didcot Railway Centre, GWR mogul No. 5322 works a Llangollen to Carrog train during a fine afternoon in April 2014. This shot is on for westbound trains from around 11.30am but this is a location that needs the landowner’s permission. On previous years, the owner has allowed access during special events through payment of a small fee on the day. The other advantage of special photographic charters is that the organisers make sure that the locations are free from any lineside vegetation. In this case the whole section was cut back by members of the 3P20 Parcels Group. Otherwise this shot does tend to get overgrown.

I - Garth-y-Dwr - high up

For those of you who fancy a nice walk up a stiff gradient, then the path following the logging trucks provides a high point of view of Garth-y-Dwr. BR Standard 2MT

2-6-0 No. 78019 works tender first with a Corwen to Carrog train during the very first Steel Steam & Stars event back in 2008. It is relatively unusual for locomotives to face east and although 2-6-2T No. 5199 returned to traffic facing east, the current plan is for it to be turned to face west for the Steel Steam & Stars gala in March. Heritage Railway 51

J

J - Classic Garth-y-Dwr.

BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80072 works a short train past the classic location at Garth-y-Dwr in January 2010. This is one of only a few shots that can be done all year round. During the winter months much of the Dee Valley remains in shadow, however, this is one location that does not. The line runs south-west here so shots are possible from the moment the sun clears the mountain in the morning to about 1.30pm when the sun becomes too far over to the west.

K - Classic Garth-y-Dwr from the road.

If it is not possible to enter the field, a lovely going away or side-on shot is possible from the roadside. Here, ‘Black Five’ No. 44806 works a Llangollen to Carrog train during the railway’s 2011 Spring Steam Gala.

L - Glyndyfrdwy outer home signal

Taken from the footpath shown on the OS map, pannier tank No. 6430 works a Carrog to Llangollen train away from Glyndyfrdwy. This location is great for locomotives facing east or a small tank engine bunker first. Just like the classic shot at Garth-y-Dwr, it is best done once the sun has climbed above the hill in the morning until about 1pm when the sun is too far round making the light harsh and backlit. For westbound trains there is a shot taken from near the signal but be warned the locomotives do not normally work at this point.

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service day. Not only do these organisers arrange special access with the landowners but they also make sure these locations are free from any lineside vegetation. If anyone would like to join one of these photographic events, the ‘3P20 Parcels’ group is running three days of events around this years Steel Steam & Stars event. Day one will be utilising the two crimson suburban carriages with visiting GWR 2251 0-6-0 No. 3205, day two with the other star attraction in the shape of Bulleid West Country Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells on a rake of blood-and-custard liveried carriages, and the final day with resident eastfacing prairie No. 5199 on the two crimson suburban carriages. Please email Richard Newton at 3p20.parcels.gp.gmail.com for more details.

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M - Approach to Glyndyfrdwy

If you are feeling lucky, there is a very nice shot on the approach to Glyndyfrdwy station with the line snaking through the valley in the distance, which is taken from the small football field across the road from Glyndyfrdwy station. Normally the driver is slowing down for the station at this point so the regulator is shut. However, it has been known for the signal to be down which means they then have to work away from the signal. As the line runs very slightly north-west here, the shot is best taken when the sun is on the front around early afternoon in the spring. Visiting for the second Steel Steam & Stars gala in 2009, D49 4-4-0 No. 246 Morayshireis seen double-heading with LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 1306 Mayflower.

N - Concrete path

Another very popular location is the shot known as ‘concrete path’ which is located on the A5 about halfway between Glyndyfrdwy and Carrog. Access into the field is again by prior arrangement with the landowner, or in previous years subject to a small fee on the day. However, just like the classic shot at Garth-y-Dwr, if access into the field is not possible, the shot of trains travelling in both directions can be done from the roadside. As parking is limited at this location, it is advisable to park in Glyndyfrdwy and walk the short distance along the A5. Only a few years ago it was possible to park in the nearby derelict pub, but this has now been fully refurbished and re-opened as the Berwyn Arms meaning this is no longer possible.

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O - The approach to Carrog.

Depending on the state of vegetation, there is a nice shot of trains approaching or working away from Carrog station. The best place to do this is from the top of the B5437 just before the A5 around mid-afternoon when the sun is in the south.

P – Corwen extension.

The Corwen extension has not yet seen regular steam passenger trains but a Class 03 diesel heads a ballast train near overbridge 28A opposite the house at Plas Derwen on March 1, 2014. GEORGE JONES Heritage Railway 53

LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 DuchessofSutherland climbs away from Helm Tunnel past Breaks Hall, south of Appleby, with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on January 31. DAVID PRICE

MAIN LINE NEWS

Early start for ‘Torbay Express’ THE Bristol-Kingswear ‘Torbay Express’ season starts a month earlier this year, the first train departing from Temple Meads on Sunday, May 24. Routed via Bath, Trowbridge and Westbury the ‘Express’ picks up the West of England Main Line at Fairwood Junction then proceeds to gain its usual path at Taunton. Such was the success of last year’s ‘secondary’ route that the ‘Torbay Express’ programme has been extended to provide four trains running direct from Bristol via Westonsuper-Mare to Taunton, Exeter and Newton Abbot and four over the Bath, Bathampton, Trowbridge and Westbury line. It all sounds so simple yet Pathfinder Tours’ general manager Peter Watts told Main Line News that pathing had to be arranged around extensive Network Rail engineering work on the Paddington-Bristol main line and along the Avon Valley line. Subject to final confirmation, motive power is to be shared between BR 7P 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia and supporting engines yet to allocated. Dates for the ‘Torbay Express’ departures from Temple Meads for the ‘secondary’ route are Sundays May 24, July 12, September 13 and September 20. Trains running direct to Taunton via Weston-super-Mare leave Bristol on Sundays June 14, July 26, and August 2. All departures from Temple Meads are timed at around 9.15am.

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Hall opens Vintage Trains’ season GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall opens Vintage Trains’ 2015 railtour programme with a trip across the Severn to Cardiff. Departing Tyseley (Warwick Road), the ‘Red Dragon’ train will call at Snow Hill and Worcester Shrub Hill, and is routed via Old Hill, Kidderminster and Worcester stopping at Gloucester for water. The Hall crosses the Severn and runs along the Welsh side of the estuary passing through Lydney, Chepstow and Newport en route to the Welsh capital.

Newly certified B1

It will be the second train to steam into Cardiff in a week. On March 1, newly certified B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower is to visit Wales with a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Paddington. On Saturday, March 21, guest engine, LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander heads the ‘Cumbrian Jubilee’ over the Settle and Carlisle line via a passenger stop at Appleby to Carlisle for a service break. Returning via Shap the 4-6-0 comes off at Carnforth, the train heading back to the Midlands behind Tyseley’s Class 47 diesel No. 47773 The Queen Mother. Earlier that morning, the 47 will depart Tyseley, picking up at New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe, from where the train

Mayflower in demand for railtours

IN ADDITION to a busy programme of main line excursions booked for ‘Cathedrals Express’ trips early this year, David Buck’s B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower is also committed to outings for the Railway Touring Company. The first of these, the ‘Easterling’ takes the B1 back on home territory in East Anglia with a trip to Norwich and Lowestoft. Departing King’s Cross on Sunday, March 8, and picking up at Potters Bar and Stevenage, the 4-6-0 runs down the East Coast Main Line to Hitchin for its final stop, at Cambridge.

Change of direction

Heading on through Ely, the B1 runs around on arrival at Norwich then in a change of direction makes for Lowestoft via Beccles, Saxmundham and Woodbridge. Following a break, the 4-6-0 works its train back by way of the new Ipswich avoiding line, Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket to Cambridge and ultimately King’s Cross. On Sunday, May 10, the 4-6-0 is booked to head RTC’s ‘Peak Forester’ from King’s Cross to

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Rowsley travelling via Peterborough, Stamford, Oakham, Melton Mowbray and Derby to Matlock. East Coast Main Line passenger pick-up points are Potters Bar, Stevenage and Peterborough.

Lineside interest

By way of contrast Mayflower is booked to head RTC’s’ Swanage Belle’ on Thursdays May 21 and July 16. As far as can be ascertained, these trips will be the first made by a B1 along the coastal line between Southampton and Wareham and will undoubtedly generate much lineside interest. Starting from London Victoria, the ‘Belle’ takes the back road via Clapham and Richmond making calls at Staines, Woking and Basingstoke. Running by way of Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton and Bournemouth, the ‘Belle’ gains access to the Swanage Railway at Wareham (Worget Junction). As has become customary, the train will be diesel hauled back as far as Southampton then with the 4-6-0 leading, return to London via Romsey and Basingstoke.

runs on to Hellifield and a change of motive power. Castle 4-6-0 No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe joins the action on Saturday, April 18, working Vintage Trains’ ‘Coastal Explorer’ over Shap to Carlisle, returning via the Cumbrian coast line passing through Whitehaven, Ravenglass and alongside Morecambe Bay, certainly the first Castle ever to use this route, which is seeing an increasing number of steam workings. Departing Tyseley behind The Queen Mother, the ‘Explorer’ calls at New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe and Wigan North Western, the Castle taking over at Carnforth. The 47 acts as pilot on the final leg over the West Coast Main Line back to the West Midlands. The Earl goes all the way on Saturday, April 25, heading the ‘Ticket to Ride’ trip from Tyseley to Liverpool Lime Street. Stopping at New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe, the train takes the direct route to Liverpool. That said, the Castle is routed via Chat Moss, Sankey Viaduct, Manchester Victoria, Miles Platting and Stockport, back to Crewe. Southern enthusiasts will be out and about on Saturday, May 16, when Vintage Trains’ ‘Jurassic Steamer’ visits Poole in the company of

The Queen Mother. Starting from Solihull, No. 5043 heads for Reading via Oxford and Didcot thence to Basingstoke and third rail country. Travelling on through Winchester and Eastleigh, the ‘Steamer’ unusually makes for Fareham where the train reverses, the Class 47 heading for Poole by way of Southampton and Bournemouth.

Castle works the ‘Steamer’

For locals, the highlight will be the return journey when the Castle works the ‘Steamer’ out of Poole via Parkstone bank. It could well be the first time that Castle has appeared in the area since sister engine, No. 5081 Lockheed Hudson worked an excursion through to Bournemouth in the 1950s. Then, Eastleigh Control was not best pleased! Having visited the South coast, the Earl heads north-west on Saturday, May 23, with ‘The Seaside Flyer’, destination Llandudno. Hauled by the 47 from Tyseley and picking up at Coleshill Parkway and Nuneaton, the train reverses because of track maintenance work, the Castle leading to Crewe and Chester. On arrival the entire train reverses, The Queen Mother heading the final leg to Llandudno and the resort’s Air Tattoo.

Clan Line: one-way ticket to Crewe

NOW working out the last six months of its main line ticket, Stewarts Lanebased Merchant Navy 4-6-2 No. 35028 Clan Line is to be sent to LNWR Crewe for a heavy overhaul. Instead of running light engine and van to Crewe the 4-6-2 is booked to head a UK Railtour ‘farewell’ trip from London to Chester which, in effect, is a one-way steam ticket enabling Clan Line to reach Crewe in readiness for its overhaul.

‘Packet’ will cover new ground

Normally confined to heading VSOE Pullman trains south of the M4 and very occasionally at the head of a limited number of railtours, the ‘Packet’ will cover new ground when working north. UK Railtour’s ‘Clan Line Farewell’ runs from London Victoria to Chester on Tuesday, June 30. Routed via Kensington Olympia and North Pole Junction, the tour joins the West Coast Main Line at Willesden’s West London Junction and after stopping at Watford Junction, heads on for Rugby, then Coventry, Nuneaton and the Trent Valley. Following a break of two-and-a-half hours at Chester while the Bulleid is turned and serviced, the train returns to Crewe where steam gives way to electric traction for the remainder of the journey back to London,

terminating at Euston. UK Railtour’s John Farrow said: “We are expecting considerable demand for seats on this unusual trip.” In other words enthusiasts should contact his office earlier rather than later to ensure a place on the ‘farewell’. He also reported that the ‘Golden Jubilee Pullman’, the all-Pullman special running behind Deltic No. D9009 Alcydon from London Victoria to Bridgnorth to mark the Severn Valley Railway Preservation Society’s 50th anniversary celebrations on Saturday, May 16, has sold out.

‘Fuller’s Rail Ale’ trip

Although not essentially steam orientated, UK Railtours and Fuller’s, brewer of the famous London Pride ale, are combining to run a ‘Fuller’s Rail Ale’ trip to Barrow Hill on Thursday, May 14. This will be a VIP and trade preview day at this year’s Barrow Hill Rail Ale Festival which provides passengers with a unique opportunity to avoid public day crowds and sample, discuss and compare ales. Departing St Pancras, the ‘Rail Ale’ HST calls at Luton Airport Parkway, Bedford and Kettering. Passengers are offered the alternative of alighting at Duffield and travelling on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway.

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GWR 4-6-0 No. 5043 EarlofMountEdgcumbe approaches Stenson Junction with Vintage Trains’ ‘Christmas White Rose’ from Tyseley to York on December 12, 2014. IAN CASTLEDINE

Public invited to buy a £50 share in Duke of Gloucester TAKING a positive step in a renewed effort to stimulate interest and raise money for the overhaul of unique BR 8P Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester, £50 shares in the three-cylinder locomotive are now on offer to the public. Following a meeting of shareholders at the Crewe Arms Hotel in Crewe, Trevor Tuckley, chairman of locomotive owning group, 71000 Limited, said that, “a majority vote accepted the sub division of the company’s £1 shares by 10, making a nominal value of 10p each share”. This, he said, allowed the new shares to be sold at 10p each plus a premium of £49.90 totalling a £50 stake in the 4-6-2 and of course, multiples thereof. To support the issue, a new prospectus is being prepared explaining why the historic locomotive needs to be saved for future generations but also making an appeal to present-day enthusiasts of all types

to become members. The document will include an introduction written by prominent locomotive engineers emphasising the importance of keeping Duke of Gloucester in traffic, maintaining its place in the history of locomotive engineering design. It is planned to publish the prospectus for general distribution in March. Meanwhile membership details and other information is available on www.theduke.uk.com Trevor said that in addition to the new share offer, the company is keen to broaden the base of No.71000’s management committee by inviting volunteers with financial, commercial or engineering backgrounds to join it. In the latest development, tested copper for a new tubeplate has been delivered to LNWR as part of the preliminary stages of the Duke’s overhaul to put it back in its rightful place on the main line.

Changes at Locomotive Services FOLLOWING the previously reported departure of general manager, Richard Corser, as part of the recent reorganisation of Jeremy Hoskings’ Locomotive Services Limited operations, several other changes at the top have been announced. In addition to managing Southall depot, Bob Allen becomes responsible for main line operations, liaising with Train Operating Companies, tour promoters and Network Rail. At Crewe, Steve Latham takes overall charge of engineering at LNWR and when commissioned, the newly reconstructed former diesel depot. On the locomotive front, BR Standard 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia has been rewheeled at Ropley and was due to star in the Mid-Hants Railway’s February 13-15 gala alongside stablemate A4 4-6-2 No. 4464 Bittern, the latter

remaining on Mid Hants’ metals for most of the year, before it is moved to Crewe for overhaul. Meanwhile the ‘Brit’ will be subject to some running in before returning to Southall for a loaded test run on the main line. Great Western 4-6-0 No. 5029 Nunney Castle is still at Bristol Barton Hill but expected to move to Crewe in March for firebox repairs. The latest on LMS 4-6-0 No. (4)6100 Royal Scot is that when the locomotive is outshopped from LNWR, it will not immediately enter main line traffic. Locomotive Services spokesman Peter Greenwood has told Main Line News that the ‘Scot’ is to be allocated to a heritage railway for comprehensive running in. Where? Apparently the choice is down to Steve Latham who is expected to move the 4-6-0 reasonably close to Crewe… Heritage Railway 57

MAIN LINE NEWS Duchess goes Firth of Forth WHENEVER Duchess of Sutherland heads across the Anglo-Scottish border working a section of the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain’ tours, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society officials usually take advantage of the 4-6-2’s down time to best effect. This year is no different and No. 46233 will be seen again working two trips around the Fife coast and circle. Heading morning and afternoon departures from Edinburgh Waverley and Linlithgow on Sunday, April 26, the Duchess starts out through Princes Street Gardens then crosses the Forth Bridge heading for the Fife coast and circle to Dunfermline before returning back over the Forth Bridge to Waverley via the city’s south suburban line. The society has two more trips involving steam in May. The first, Saturday, May 23, is diesel hauled from Glenrothes, Thornton, Kirkcaldy, Dalgety Bay, Linlithgow, Falkirk High, Croy and Westerton to Fort William, thence to Mallaig with ‘Jacobite’ steam hauled by K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 or a ‘Black Five’. On Saturday, May 30, the trip is repeated but starting from Ayr calling at Prestwick, Troon, Irvine, Kilwinning, Johnstone, Paisley, Dumbarton Central and Helensburgh High.

Bluebell 4VEP main line comeback planned PLANS to restore the Bluebell Railway’s celebrity 4VEP EMU No. 423417 Gordon Pettitt to the main line have been drawn up. On January 23, representatives from the Southern Electric Traction Group and Bluebell Railway visited Bombardier’s Ilford Carriage Works to discuss the timetable for starting work on the blue-liveried unit. Bombardier has offered to undertake both bodywork repairs and a complete repaint for the unit, as part of the company’s apprenticeship scheme. The first vehicle is set to move into the workshop sheds by mid-March. Bombardier has also agreed to fit new step boards to every coach, along with OTMR ‘black box’ equipment.

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Pathfinder in Tornado comeback scoop WHILE high-level discussions and speculation regarding the main line future of A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado were on the agenda, Pathfinder Tours scooped the market by being the first promoter to hire the locomotive. Currently moving towards the penultimate stages of its overhaul at Darlington, the 4-6-2 is committed to heading Pathfinder’s ‘Cumbrian Fells Express’ from Crewe to Carlisle on Saturday, May 30. That said, the A1’s modified boiler was not due back from DB Meiningen until mid or late February for final assembly. When completed, the apple green engine is to be moved to Shildon and arrangements made for proving runs and certification, probably during April, says The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s chairman, Mark Allatt. So having cancelled plans to run a trust special on May 23 to celebrate Tornado’s return to the national network, all eyes will be focused on the Pathfinder trip which takes in Shap and the Settle and Carlisle line. The ‘Express’ starts from Bristol Temple Meads and is diesel hauled – probably by a DB Schenker Class 67 – to Crewe where No. 60163 backs on to the train. Using the ‘Torbay Express’ chocolateand-cream set of coaches, the ‘Express’ heads north via Preston (water stop) before tackling Shap. Using the Carlisle avoiding line, the excursion travels on to Appleby and a break. Picking up at Bristol Parkway, Cam & Dursley, Cheltenham, Barnt

Green, New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe, the ‘Express’ will cover just over 300 miles in steam, says Pathfinder’s general manager, Peter Watts. The Pathfinder trip will provide a good grounding for the A1 before it takes over ‘Belmond British Pullman’ duties from Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 35028 Clan Line which moves to Crewe for overhaul on June 30 (see separate story). The contract was awarded to the A1 Trust on recommendation of the management of the Bulleid’s owner, the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society, and it will work the Pullman train to give Tornado around 20 trips over the 12-month period that No. 35028 is expected to be away at Crewe. In addition, Mark Allatt said the A1 Trust is planning four excursions of its own, the first from King’s Cross to York behind Deltic D9009 Alcydon returning with Tornado. Other trips, all undated, include visits to Lincoln and Newcastle plus one unspecified trip next December to mark the 50th anniversary run of the last A1, No. 60145 St Mungo. Like Clan Line, No. 60163 might also squeeze in a couple of non-Pullman excursions a year. All this is, of course, a far cry from 2014 when Tornado made just a handful of appearances on the main line. The Stewarts Lane based A1 is likely to make its first contractual Pullman outing on Friday, July 10.

All change for ‘Great Britain VIII’ THE Railway Touring Company’s grand plans for the introduction of debutant locomotives for its nine-day Great Britain VIII April 28-May 6 tour have been shelved, because the motive power situation is so fluid at present. When first publicised last year, Didcot’s blue King, No. 6023 King Edward II, and Carnforth’s Merchant Navy No. 35018 British India Line promised new experiences on the main line tour, but it is not to be. Latest news from Didcot indicates that the King will not be ready for a proving run until May or June while British India Line is following a similar course. RTC’s plans for this year’s GB VIII kick off with the pairing of Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34067 Tangmere and BR 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia on day one of the tour running from London Victoria to Par via Salisbury, Exeter and Plymouth, Tuesday, April 28. Even this plan contains an element of doubt because the ‘Brit’ has only just commenced running-in on the Mid Hants Railway after being ‘stopped’ for months with problems

with its leading driving wheelset. No timescale has been established for the 4-6-2’s rehabilitation but it appears that No. 70000 will not return to Southall until mid to late February and then has to undergo a main line proving run before it can be put back into traffic. These things take time to organise and implement. The same pair are booked to work GB VIII back from Penzance to Bristol the following day. Day three sees the two ‘Black Fives’, No. 44871 and No. 45047, taking the tour on from Bristol via the Welsh Marches to Grange-over-Sands and a passenger night stop.

Old faithful

Next morning, May 1, is booked for another old faithful, Carnforth’s No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, the 4-6-0, working the train northwards to Edinburgh via the Cumbrian Coast and Beattock. On day five, the choice of motive power rests with two other regulars, No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland or No. 60009 Union of South Africa,

whichever is available on the day for the next leg, Edinburgh to Inverness via Aberdeen. The following morning, the Great Marquess or ‘Black Five’ No. 45407 will make the customary return trip to Kyle of Lochalsh and one or other will take the train to Wick and return on Day Seven. For the penultimate stage of the tour, the Duchess is due to work GB VIII south from Inverness to Oxenholme, the first time an LMS Pacific will have tackled the climbs to Slochd and Drumochter on the Highland main line, after which the southbound climbs of Beattock and Shap will be almost light relief. On the final day, May 6, 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander is paired with B1 No. 61306 Mayflower – two new engines – for the run home from Grange-over-Sands to King’s Cross via the Hope Valley, Nottingham and Grantham. While one hopes that the tour proves to be its usual success, the engine owners’ caveat ‘subject to availability’ must be borne in mind.

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SR Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35028 ClanLine crosses the River Thames at Richmond with a Belmond British Pullman working from Victoria to Guildford on January 23. JOHN STORER

Steam Dreams celebrates 15 years

GUILDFORD-based operator Steam Dreams is celebrating 15 successful years in the railtour market. The first Steam Dreams’ train ran on December 16, 1999, when Mid-Hants Railway-based BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73096 worked a pilot special from Waterloo to Salisbury. However, it was not until June 2002 that the first official ‘Cathedrals Express’ took to the rails when Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34016 Bodmin headed the ‘Express’ from London Victoria to Canterbury. It is a moot point which of the two trains was the first real ‘Cathedrals Express’, so Steam Dreams has taken a halfway house approach by running a 15th birthday ‘Express’ from Salisbury to Canterbury midway between the two original dates, on Wednesday, April 8. For the first time the ‘Express’, hauled by B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower, will not only call at Andover but also at Whitchurch, Basingstoke, Farnborough, Woking, West Byfleet and Hounslow on its way to Kent. Unusually, the return journey takes in Sole Street bank as the ‘Express’ heads back to Wiltshire.

Steam Dreams’ chairman Marcus Robertson said he is looking forward to the important milestone in the ‘Cathedrals Express’ history. “An awful lot has changed over the years. What was originally intended to be a regular operation between London and two southern cathedral cities has grown like topsy. At the last count we have visited more than 50 destinations, called at over 100 stations and used some 30 different engines. “Additionally we have moved into the holidays by steam market, including Ireland this year. It will be a brave man or woman who will predict what we may do in the next 15 years. “Who would have thought, for example, that we would be using a former LNER 4-6-0 working a ‘Cathedrals Express’ out of Paddington destined for Wales on St David’s Day? Well we are! Departing Paddington at a civilised 8.58am, we pick up at Slough, Twyford, Reading, the Golden Valley to Gloucester. “Passengers wishing to visit the Dean Forest Railway alight at Lydney before the ‘Express’ runs down the Severn estuary via Chepstow to Cardiff.”

Skegness to Shakespeare country behind steam WEST Coast Railways is to run a steam excursion from Skegness to Stratfordupon-Avon. Skegness, the resort that generations of holidaymakers were told was so bracing by classic railway posters, will unusually for a trip to Stratford, be the starting point rather than destination for the Pullman trip on May 9. It calls at Wainfleet, Boston, Heckington and Sleaford before travelling cross country to Stratford. The trip is one of several based on West Coast’s own Pullman stock. Others also from Skegness are a Valentine’s Day outing over the Settle and Carlisle line on Saturday, February 14, and a trip to Whitby on Saturday, September 26. In a new development following problems running steam in the York area, West Coast’s ‘Dalesman’ is planned to run twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays with effect from May 5 until August 27. In practice, the ‘Dalesman’ runs on

Tuesdays only between May 5 and June 23 then Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 30 until August 27. Starting from York, the train calls at Normanton, Wakefield, Leeds, Shipley, Keighley and Skipton then proceeds over the Settle and Carlisle line with steam on from Hellifield. Fort William-Mallaig ‘Jacobite’ services begin on Monday, May 11 and run Mondays and Fridays until October 23. Saturday and Sunday trains will operate from June 20 until September 20. Additional afternoon services begin Monday, June 1 and end on August 28. This year’s much-truncated ‘Scarborough Spa Express’ trips are confined to three operating days, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 27/28/29. Departing from York the ‘Express’ picks up at Normanton, Wakefield, Woodlesford (Leeds) and Castleford, setting down at York before travelling on to Scarborough. Heritage Railway 59

MAIN LINE NEWS Hastings’ DEMU to Cardiff ? Now fitted with GSMR communications system apparatus, Hastings Diesels’ DEMU No. 1001 is provisionally set to make at least two main line trips this year. A trip to Cardiff on Saturday, April 18 is on the drawing board but no further details have yet been announced. The same situation applies to a second trip with the DEMU which, if confirmed, takes No. 1001 to Stratfordupon-Avon on Saturday, July 11. More information on the DEMU’s tours can be obtained by visiting www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/railtours

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Senior Tories point to possible Okehampton route reinstatement PRIME Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George osborne have both spoken in favour of restoring the Southern Railway main line from Exeter to Plymouth via okehampton and Tavistock as a second route between Devon’s cities. Since the storm surges that swept away part of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Dawlish sea wall route a year ago, the Government and Network Rail have been examining the viability of additional inland routes

that would provide an alternative. Speaking to BBC Spotlight during a visit to the west Country, Mr Cameron said that the okehampton line was “worth a long, hard look”. He also said: “That is the one people say could make the most resilient line. “But we’ve obviously got to look at resilience, we’ve got to look at value for money, we’ve got to look at what is practical.” He said that Britain was a wealthy

country that should be making longterm investments in rail. Mr osborne, who was also visiting Devon, also highlighted the okehampton option, saying that there was a strong case to support it. He said that upgrading the fragile transport network could create 150,000 new jobs in the south-west. Rebuilding the route, which was closed in 1968, would mean an end to the Dartmoor Railway, as it would have to give up its trackbed.

4-6-2 No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland provided haulage over Shap to Carlisle. Returning via the Settle and Carlisle line and Blackburn, the Duchess gave way to the 86 at Farington Junction for the run back to London.

Above: Standing in for two Jubilees, LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45407 speeds south from Armathwaite with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on January 24. BRIAN SHARPE

Jubilees fail ‘Winter CME’ IT HAS been long recognised that, like racehorses, locomotives can be temperamental, a fact borne out when not one, but two, Jubilee class 4-6-0s failed to reach the starting line for the Railway Touring Company’s first ‘winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on Saturday, January 24. Advertised as a double-header pairing Galatea and Leander on the one-off trip from Manchester to Carlisle, the train’s booked motive power suffered a double hit when both 4-6-0s were declared to be unavailable. Quick thinking by Carnforth’s operational team – anxious to keep the ‘CME’ on the rails – solved the problem by producing ‘Black Five’ No. 45407 assisted by a Class 47 diesel to ensure the train ran, providing the anticipated day out for the passengers. The train ran to time with the ‘Black Five’ giving a good account of itself, those on board enjoying the sound and sight of steam. The following weekend, RTC’s London-based ‘winter CME’ programme got under way from Euston with Class 86 traction taking the train to Carnforth where Stanier

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Below: No. 45407 crosses Eden Lacy viaduct with the ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on January 24. ALAN WEAVER

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SEE CLASSIC TRACTION ON THE NATIONAL NETWORK CLASS 47 locomotives can still provide a surprise even after many years of service. The operation of the Caledonian Sleeper passes to Serco in April 2, but the expected GB Railfreight traction will not be ready – hence the use of GBRf’s hired Class 47s as the stop-gap until the five locomotives become available. The Class 73/9 project to upgrade Class 73 locomotives to a modern specification has found problems during shakedown trials that are currently being resolved after which any modifications will be applied to the next four locomotives (Nos. 73962-65). These are committed to Network Rail for infrastructure duties after which the next five locomotives (73966-73970) are being converted for use with the sleeper portions working between Edinburgh and Aberdeen/Fort William/Inverness. Until these locomotives become available, GBRf has elected to use Class 47s from the Harry Needle Railroad Company, adding to the five already on hire from the latter company. It is expected that a locomotive will move north during early February for crew training with sufficient drivers trained and

locomotives available for services on the takeover date of April 1. While HNRC/GBRf have positive news regarding Class 47 usage, DRS has begun reducing its Class 47 fleet which was down to four locomotives, Nos. 47790/810/818/ 853, at the beginning of January. There have been rumours of quick sales but little official confirmation; even the “reported” sale of No. 47501 to Jeremy Hosking’s company based at Crewe diesel depot has not been officially confirmed. On a more positive note, however, is the confirmed operation of two locomotivehauled services between Carlisle and Barrow from the May timetable change in support of train services operated by Northern Trains and TransPennine Express in the north-west of England. Details of the services are still being negotiated but the current plan is for Class 37s operating in push-pull mode with an exEdinburgh-Glasgow Driving Brake Second Open conversion. There is a growth in niche markets that is being filled by heritage traction on regular services on the main line.

Steam to ‘Marble City’ from Dublin The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) opens this year’s activities with a trip from Dublin to the ‘Marble City’ of Kilkenny on Sunday, March 22, On easter Monday, April 6, the society’s ‘easter Shuttles’ are planned to run from Dublin to Wicklow. Both of these trains are booked for haulage by Dublin & South eastern Railway’s K class 2-6-0 No. 461. On the same day, and Tuesday, April 7, GNR (I) V class 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin heads two ‘easter eggspress’ workings between Belfast and Whitehead. Dublin-based No. 461 is back in action on Saturday, April 11 heading a ‘Maynooth Shuttle’ from Dublin. Thursday, May 7 sees Merlin working

a ‘South Munster’ from Whitehead to Dublin, the train calling at Belfast en route. The blue 4-4-0 is also booked to work another ‘South Munster’ trip, this time from Cork to Whitehead stopping at Dublin and Belfast. Further ‘South Munster’ excursions are tabled for May 8/9/10. On Sunday, May 31, 2-6-0 No. 461 heads trains from Dublin to Balbriggan and Balbriggan to Drogheda, during the Balbriggan Festival. Meanwhile on the locomotive front, GNR (I) Q class 4-4-0 No. 131 is expected to turn a wheel under steam for the first time in 50 years following a lengthy overhaul at Whitehead. A night-time proving run is planned to take place by the end of February.

Three trips for PMR Tours PMR Tours, the railtour arm of the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust, is surprisingly only publicising three main line trips with its LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland this year, although it is possible that others will be added later. First of the trio is the ‘Chester experience’ which, starting from Lincoln on Saturday, April 11, is diesel hauled calling at Newark Castle and Nottingham to Derby where the 4-6-2 takes charge for the remainder of the trip to Chester. After Derby, the train stops additionally at Burton-on-Trent and Stafford en route.

On Saturday, May 23, the Duchess will make a rare appearance at Didcot. The train, ‘The Oxfordshire express’ is diesel hauled from Manchester Piccadilly, picking up at Stockport and Chesterfield to Derby where the Stanier 4-6-2 couples on for the journey to Didcot calling at Tamworth high Level and Oxford, the latter being an optional destination. Following a set pattern, ‘The North eastern’ departs Sheffield on Saturday, October 17 behind a diesel. On arrival at Derby, diesel gives way to steam for the final destination of Newcastle, with optional set downs at York and Durham en route to Tyneside. Heritage Railway 61

MAIN LINE NEWS LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 44767 George Stephenson battles the gale at Kettlesbeck Bridge with the Carnforth to Hellifield leg of the ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on February 4, 1984. DON BENN

WITH FULL REGULATOR

LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW TABLEONE:DOVERTOPADDOCKWOOD

By Don Benn

Date Train Locos

First of all this month i must correct an error in my last article when i got confused with my Dominions. No. 4492 was of course Dominion of New Zealand and not Dominion of Canada. Apologies to all Gresley fans and to our friends in both countries. Before turning to this month’s theme, the ‘Go Anywhere Fives’, i would like to thank all those who have sent me their kind comments about my column so far including some interesting train running logs and a special thanks to my colleague Alan rawlings without whom i would be seriously short of details from the current scene. stanier started building the ‘Black Fives’, classified 5Mt, in 1934 and by the time production stopped in 1951 no fewer than 842 of this highly successful and rugged design had been produced. Built for the LMs and its successors, in the latter days of steam they could appear almost anywhere from scotland to Bournemouth thanks to very

Drivers Load Timed by Weather

December 23, 2014 Steam Dreams White Cliffs Circular Black 5 4-6-0s 44871 (pilot engine) + 45407 (train engine) On 44871, Alan Hodges to Ashford and then Bob Baines. On 45407, Ian Riley 12 coaches, 425 tons tare, 450 tons gross Alan Rawlings cloudy

miles Dover, Signal YE36 0.00 Buckland Junction 0.17 MP 98¾ 0.50 MP 98½ 0.75 MP 98¼ 1.00 MP 98 1.25 MP 97¾ 1.50 Guston Tunnel In 1.70 Guston Tunnel Out 2.50 MP 96¼ 3.00 Martin Mill 4.23 Walmer 6.93 Deal 8.56 Betteshanger Box 10.11 Sandwich 12.69 Richborough Crossing 13.94 Richborough Sidings Box 16.36 Minster South Junction 17.00 Minster 17.40 0.00 MP 80 1.79 Sarre River Bridge 3.32 Grove Ferry 5.01 Chislet 7.07 Sturry 9.07 St Stephens Crossing 11.09 Canterbury West 11.48 Whitehall Crossing 12.41 Chartham 14.63 Chilham 16.68 Godmersham 18.70 Wye 21.41 Ashford 25.61 0.00 Chart Leacon 1.28 Bears Lane 3.21 Pluckley 5.72 MP 49¼ 6.93 Swifts Green 8.61 Headcorn 10.98 Staplehurst 14.34 Marden 16.85 Collier Street 19.34 Paddock Wood 21.39

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 02 02 02 59 03 46 04 31 05 12 05 51 06 23 08 16 09 16 10 51 13 34 19.00 15 45 19 03 26.00 22 06 23 26 26 10 32.00 27 20 35.00 28 47 0.00 00 00 03 50 05 31 07 32 10 10 12 18 16 22 15.00 17 48 19 48 22 24 24 40 26 52 30.00 29 29 40.00 37 33 0.00 00 00 03 37 05 43 08 05 09 14 10 54 15.00 13 13 16 30 19 02 21 35 28.00 25 31 *brakes or speed restriction

62 Heritagerailway.co.uk

speed 11 19 19 21 22 23 24 26 31 54/62 57 35/18* 42 56 57 41 22*

good route availability. they could pull pretty well any type of train, from pick-up goods to heavy express trains, as the train running logs show. Eighteen have been preserved of which seven are main line certified, though Nos. 44806 and 45428 can work between Battersby and Whitby only. Perhaps the best known are those owned by ian riley, Nos. 44871 and 45407, colloquially known as the ‘riley Fives’ which are often seen doubleheading heavy main line charters, but Nos. 44932 and 45305 are also regular main line performers.

No such 60mph limit

Although capable of much higher speeds the ‘Black Fives’ are currently limited to 60mph owing to their 6ft driving wheels, though there have been occasions when i have recorded much higher speeds with them. One in particular didn’t pay too much regard to the overall speed limit for steam; alas too recently for details to be published. in the real days of steam, of course, there

was no such 60mph limit and they could run very fast indeed, being recorded up to as much as 90mph. i had many runs with ‘Black Fives’ in the days of steam and in preservation and have had great difficulty producing a shortlist for this article, leaving out many fine runs. As usual we start with a contemporary run, that of the steam Dreams’ annual Christmas trip round Kent, this winter on December 23 with the riley Fives Nos. 44871 and 45407. Alan rawlings tells the story. “it has become something of an annual event for ian riley’s ‘Black Fives’ to feature on the steam Dreams’ Christmas trips. Perhaps the most interesting of these in 2014 was the Kent Circular that ran mostly in daylight and included, unusually, an anticlockwise route and the climb out of Dover towards Martin Mill. Although the equivalent of a Class 10 was up front, the load of 12 for 450 tons gross was nevertheless quite a challenge given the need for smart acceleration and some decent hill climbing on a busy

52 57 36* 54 56 sigs 17*/27 16* 37 55 55 54/64 63/sigs 4* 43 59 66 61 63/65 61 59 59/62 58 LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45345 on the 2.30pm from Llandudno to Birmingham New Street at Prestatyn on July 31, 1964. DON BENN Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Right: LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s Nos. 44871 and 45407 on the 7.41am Ipswich to Winchester ‘Cathedrals Express’ pass Battledown on December 9, 2013. DON BENN

TABLETWO:DOVERTOFAVERSHAM Date Train Locos Driver Load

network. Table One includes in some detail the climb out of Dover towards Guston Tunnel. Although the climb itself is only three miles, it carries a ruling grade of around 1-in-70 with a short section at the start of 1-in-60 on a tight curve with a speed restriction of 20mph across Buckland Junction. So a decent run at it can be quite useful. “Although we were on time through Dover there was an unscheduled stop at the junction and this meant that the Fives had less than a quarter of a mile before they hit the climb. Once off the tight radius curve, speed increased progressively with quite a feast of noise from the surefooted pair as we blasted into the darkness of Guston at 24mph. Even as we gained daylight once more, the pair were still accelerating as the locomotives topped the summit at 31. It was a remarkable performance.’’

Illicit shed bashing

As an aside, this section of line was the scene of many youthful journeys. In the early postwar years my parents would often take a caravan at Hawthorn Farm, Martin Mill for our summer holidays and myself, together with my younger brothers would frequently catch a train, then all steam hauled of course, down into Dover for some locospotting and illicit shed bashing. I can well remember the choking smoke from the labouring Bulleid Pacifics as we climbed through Guston Tunnel. Alan Rawlings continues: “The onward run from Minster was handled competently and the 60mph maximum of the locomotives was no hindrance to us making good progress and we arrived at Ashford a few minutes early. However, the main line stretch beyond here demanded as much progress as was allowable given the importance of the final water top up at Paddock Wood where only 10 minutes had been allowed. The log reveals that this

was tackled with some vigour. “Within a few miles and including the climb past Chart Leacon, we were soon at our maximum permitted speed. And there we remained for mile after mile with adjustments being made by the crew to keep it there, for example over the bump at Marden. When paired up, there is little doubt that Ian Riley’s locomotives can handle all that is needed where high-speed running is not essential.’’ Going back a few years to September 2005 I sampled what was then the annual ‘Neame Steam’ event, which combined a steam-hauled train from London with a couple of side trips and a beer festival in Faversham, truly a winning combination. Table Two shows how Bert Hitchens’ ‘Black Five’ No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester coped with 10 coaches and dead EDL No. 73107 on the heavy gradients of the Dover to Faversham section on the afternoon trip. From Dover the line climbs all the way to just beyond the west end of Lydden Tunnel on gradients mainly at 1-in-132 and then drops down to Canterbury East before another climb of four miles also mainly at 1-in-132 to Selling Tunnel and finally downhill to Faversham. No. 45231 got going well with its 435 tons and settled down to a steady 36mph past Kearsney, with lots of noise, before speed fell to 32 at the top of the climb. A fast descent saw us through Canterbury East a minute to the good on the schedule and then a big effort saw speed decline slowly to 34 at the top of the four miles of 1-in-132. It was a very hot and sunny day and with all windows open the staccato exhaust sounds drowned out all else. A super piece of work with no help from the EDL, gave an equivalent drawbar horsepower (EDBH) figure of around 1100. Table Three shows another run with a ‘Black Five’ on a big load, this time with the unique Stephenson valve gear No. 44767

George Stephenson on the Hellifield to Carnforth leg of the SLOA Cumbrian Mountain Express on February 11, 1984. The day had started with electric No. 86240 on 14 coaches for 525 tons leaving Euston 12 minutes late and getting us to Carlisle 15 minutes late despite some good running with 77mph minimum over Grayrigg and 80 over Shap, but with various checks meaning we took 79 minutes 5 seconds for the 90.05 miles from Preston to Carlisle but only about 66 minutes net.

A fine effort

From Carlisle to Hellifield we had No. 46229 Duchess of Hamilton on 13 coaches for 485 tons and the big Pacific turned in a fine performance, which I will set out in detail next time. No. 44767 then took over and with 12 on for 450 tons, left two minutes late to be badly checked by signals before gaining the Lancaster and Carnforth line after Settle Junction and so had to climb the 1-in-100 past Giggleswick to the summit at milepost 237¾ from a standing start. The climb was started and finished at 32mph, averaging 33.77mph throughout for 4½ minutes and giving 1215edbh, a fine effort accompanied by lots of noise. The power produced was the highest I had with a ‘Black Five’ and makes this run worthy of inclusion for that reason alone. The run on to Wennington is mainly downhill and so the main interest was the way driver Knowles regulated the speed to keep within the overall limit and to deal with the lower restrictions through Clapham and Wennington. There the line to Carnforth diverges and after dropping down through Melling Tunnel and over the Lune bridges with speed in the mid-50s we carried the sharp little climb up the 1-in-105 to milepost 5½ at a very good 46mph, before dropping down to the restricted entry to Carnforth. So, although we lost five minutes on the fairly

Position Timed by Weather

September 4, 2005 Neame Steam. 1555 Dover to Faversham Black 5 4-6-0 No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester Pete Roberts 10 coaches plus EDL 73.107, 406 tons tare, 435 tons gross 3 of 10 coaches Don Benn Hot and sunny

Dover Buckland Junction MP 76 Kearsney MP 73½ Shepherdswell Snowdown Aylesham Adisham MP 66½ Bekesbourne MP 63 Canterbury East MP 60 MP 59 MP 58 MP 57 MP 56¼ Selling MP 54 Faversham

miles 0.00 0.95 1.30 2.20 3.80 5.60 7.60 8.50 9.55 10.80 12.60 14.30 15.50 17.30 18.30 19.30 20.30 21.05 22.10 23.10 25.35

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 8.00 05 03 05 52 07 35 10 19 14.00 13 17 16 02 16 56 17 58 19 09 20 50 22 38 25.00 24 03 26 46 28 22 30 03 31 45 33 06 34 27 35 45 45.00 41 31

speed 6 mins late 22½ 25 36 36½ 32 54½ 61½ 66 61 63 56/60 41* 39½ 36½ 35½ 35 34 52½ 63

*brakes or speed restriction

TABLETHREE:HELLIFIELDTOCARNFORTH Date Train

Locos Driver Load Position Timed by Weather

Hellifield MP 232 Long Preston Settle Junction

February 11, 1984 Cumbrian Mountain Express. 1600 Hellifield to Carnforth Black 5 4-6-0 No. 44767 George Stephenson J Knowles 12 coaches, 420 tons tare, 450 tons gross back Don Benn Cold, misty with drizzle miles sched mins secs

speed

0.00 0.00 0.72 1.25 3.25 10.00

2 mins late 38 40½ sigs 4* 0* 31½ 36 33 32 52½ 54½ 31* 55½ 59 62½ 41*/40 49 51 51/53 46 61 tsr 24*/31 11*

net time 42 minutes

*brakes or speed restriction

00 00 02 11 03 00 08 35 sigs stop MP 235¼ 3.31 15 26 Giggleswick 5.06 17 25 MP 237 5.72 18 32 MP 237¾ 6.47 19 54 Eldroth 7.67 21 23 MP 241 9.72 23 48 Clapham 10.75 25 14 MP 244 12.72 28 16 Bentham 15.00 30 37 MP 248 16.72 32 22 Wennington 18.20 30.00 34 20 Melling 19.77 36 35 MP 7½ 20.33 37 13 Arkholme 20.87 37 52 MP 5½ 22.33 39 41 MP 4½ 23.33 40 48 Borwick 24.67 42 30 Carnforth East Junction 27.47 44.00 49 29 Carnforth 27.80 46.00 51 06

Heritage Railway 63

MAIN LINE NEWS TABLEFOUR:PENRITHTOOXENHOLME Date Train Engine Load Timer Weather

August 20, 1966 2pm Glasgow to Liverpool Class 5 4-6-0 No 45363 13 coaches, 427 tons tare, 460 tons gross Don Benn rain, sw wind

Penrith MP 49 Eden Valley Junction Clifton MP 46 MP 44 Thrimby Grange MP 42 MP 41 Shap Shap Summit MP 37 MP 36 Scout Green MP 35 MP 34 Tebay MP 30 Low Gill Grayrigg Lambrigg Hayfell MP 21 Oxenholme

miles sched mins 0.00 0.00 00 2.15 3.50 07 4.35 09 5.15 11 7.15 15 8.25 17 9.15 19 10.15 22 11.55 24 13.55 28 14.15 29 15.15 30 16.00 31 16.15 31 17.15 32 19.00 33 21.15 35 23.20 36 25.05 38 26.90 40 28.50 42 30.15 43 32.10 53.00 46

secs 00 48 30 14 30 44 57 20 55 19 14 18 03 13 01 24 06 57 51 55 30 46 24

* denotes brakes or speed restriction

tight schedule the net time was a creditable 42 minutes, showing this to be another competent ‘Black Five’ performance. No. 86240 again completed the day’s proceedings by bringing us back into Euston on time after a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Good ‘Brit’ performances

Now we go back to the 1960s for the last three runs. In 1966 steam-hauled trains over the Fells were in serious decline but the 2pm Glasgow to Liverpool was one of the few left and usually a Carlisle Kingmoor ‘Black Five’ was turned out for this heavy train. My day had started on the 9.20pm St Pancras to Glasgow, which was hauled to Nottingham by Peak D38, and then on to Leeds by D50. From there we had Jubilee No. 45675 Hardy, which struggled with its eight-coach train of 265 tons, and not helped by the numerous checks that seemed to beset this train. We were 18 late from Leeds, 46 late into Carlisle and 69 late at Glasgow. I then returned to Carlisle behind D313 before logging trains hauled by No. 70031 Byron south to Oxenholme returning to Penrith behind No. 70011 Hotspur, both good ‘Brit’ performances on easy schedules. I should have taken the hint at Carlisle from Hardy’s poor running on the 9.20pm St Pancras though. For if I had alighted there and returned south I could have caught the other regular Jubilee turn over Ais Gill, the 10.15am from Leeds, which that day was hauled by No. 45593 Kolhapur, as this ran into Carlisle 12 minutes early after reaching 88mph on the way. However, I didn’t, and so found myself just able to make a minus-eight-minute connection at Penrith from the late-running northbound train hauled by No. 70011 on to the 2pm Glasgow which on that day, Saturday, August 20, 1966 had its

64 Heritagerailway.co.uk

speed 34/37 30 29 28½ 28 29 tsr 20* 27½ 33 35 52 63 70 74 80 83 72½ 58 54½ 64 70 73

Above: LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45231 `storms past Teynham with 1.35pm Faversham to Sheerness on September 4 2005. DON BENN Right: Bob Baines on No. 44871 on December 23, 2014. ALAN RAWLINGS Far right: Alan Hodges on No. 44871 on December 23, 2014. ALAN RAWLINGS

13-coach 460-ton train entrusted to ‘Black Five’ No. 45363. We left 21 minutes late in the rain and even from the back of the train I could hear the big effort being put in to pull this very heavy train up the solid 1-in-125 southbound climb past Thrimby Grange at a steady 28-29mph with speed even tending to rise, requiring around 1000edbh, a high figure considering that my notes suggested that the engine was slipping from time to time. Progress was then interrupted by a TSR to 20mph after which the ‘Five’ dismissed the summit at 35mph. Then came a very fast piece of fearless running with 83mph down through Tebay, my personal highest with a ‘Black Five’, and 73mph before the Oxenholme stop separated by a good 54½mph over the Grayrigg hump. We had gained nearly seven minutes on the schedule and reduced the lateness to 14 minutes. My notebook simply says “brilliant”. Table Four shows this run in detail. Moving back even further in time to the summer of 1964 I have chosen two good runs along the North Wales coastline, one of them, once again, with a heavy load. This was a Friday so there weren’t as many steam-hauled trains as would have been the case even then on a summer Saturday, but enough to keep me busy with train timing and lineside photography. I had gone north on the previous night’s 11.50pm from Euston, which until 1963 was sometimes ‘Black Five’hauled, but on this occasion we had Class 24 D5081. It ran well enough, depositing me at Crewe just after half past five in the morning, from where I had Class 40 D327 on to Chester and then ‘Black Five’ No. 45045 back to Crewe, where No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester was noted before getting a

run with D369 all the way to Prestatyn for the 8.10am Holyhead to Euston behind No. 44712 as shown in Table Five.

Very little effort to keep time

With 11 for 395 tons this was a good performance over the nearly level route, with a maximum of 69mph and time gained on both sections, first to Flint and then on to Chester. After a short wait I caught the 11.55am back to Prestatyn behind yet another ‘Black Five’, No. 45300 for a photo session on a very hot and sunny day. Finally I caught the relief 2.30pm Llandudno to Birmingham back to Chester with

No. 45345 on a more modest load of seven for 235 tons, which required very little effort to keep time, the highlight being taking water from the troughs near Flint. The return to Euston was on a relief to the ‘Irish Mail’ behind Britannia No. 70054 Dornoch Firth, and gave me one of my best-ever runs behind steam including my only 90mph with a Britannia Pacific, but that will have to wait for another time. So concludes this brief look at the ‘Go Anywhere Fives’. Next time all being well I am going to look at locomotive performance over the Settle and Carlisle line.

TABLEFIVE:PRESTATYNTOCHESTER Date Train Engine Load

July 31, 1964 810 am Holyhead to London Euston Class 5 4-6-0 No. 44712 11 coaches, 365 tons tare, 395 tons gross

Timer Weather

Don Benn hot and sunny

Prestatyn Talacre Mostyn Holywell Bagillt Muspratts Box Flint Connahs Quay Shotton Low Level Queensferry Sandycroft Mold Junction Box Saltney Junction Box Chester

miles sched mins 0.00 0.00 00 3.60 05 6.45 08 9.85 12 12.10 14 13.45 15 14.10 17.00 16 0.00 0.00 00 3.55 05 4.25 06 5.40 08 6.65 09 9.25 11 10.50 12 12.40 21.00 16

secs 00 36 42 06 16 32 39 00 44 52 00 08 30 40 28

speed 3 mins late 56/54 62½/60 63 66 61 49 60 58/65 64/68 67/69 64½ 3 mins early

July 31, 1964 230 pm Llandudno to Birmingham Class 5 4-6-0 No. 45345 7 coaches, 228 tons tare, 240 tons gross Don Benn hot and sunny sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 05 22 08 23 11 52 14 15 15 40 16 21 took water from troughs 20 19 21 04 21 57 23 39 26 35 28 09 36.00 34 08

speed 54½ 62/59½ 58 61½ 58 60 56* 59½ 62 sigs 41* 52½ 54 49/sigs 5*

* denotes brakes or speed restriction

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Heritage Railway 65

TOURS

WithsnowonthetopofCrossFell,LMS ‘BlackFive’4-6-0No.45407TheLancashireFusilierpassestheNetworkRailtrackmeasurementtrainatKeldonthe approachtoAppleby withtheRailwayTouringCompany’s‘WinterCumbrianMountainExpress’onJanuary24.HENRY ELLIOTT

February SAT 14: ‘Valentines Dinner Express’ Tyseley, Worcester, Oxford, Tyseley. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall. VT

SAT 14: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Victoria, Guildford, Havant, Basingstoke, Victoria. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

SAT 14: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Victoria, Brighton and return (evening). Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

SAT 14: ‘Valentines White Rose’

King’s Cross, York and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60009 Union of South Africa. RTC

66 www.heritagerailway.co.uk

Sun 15: ‘Tin Bath’

Preston, Manchester Piccadilly, Sheffield, Penistone, Copy Pit, Manchester. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 44871 and 45407. RTC

SAT 28: ‘Surrey Hills Luncheon’ Victoria, Guildford, Redhill, Victoria. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 35028 Clan Line. BEL

SAT 28: ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’

Euston, Shap, Carlisle and return via Settle. Steam hauled: Carnforth, Carlisle, Farington Junction. Loco: No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland RTC

March SUN 1: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Paddington, Cardiff and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

SAT 7: ‘Hadrian’

Manchester Victoria, Shap, Carlisle, Durham, York, Manchester. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: No. 45699 Galatea and No. 45690 Leander. RTC

SAT 7: ‘Red Dragon’

Tyseley, Cardiff and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall. VT

SAT 7: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Southend, Bristol and return. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: No. 61306 Mayflower, No. 34067 Tangmere (from Hanwell). SD

THUR 12: ‘Cathedrals Express’ King’s Cross, York and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD BEL RTC SD VT

Belmond British Pullman 0845 077 2222 Railway Touring Company 01553 661500 Steam Dreams 01483 209888, 0845 310458 Vintage Trains 0121 708 4960

SUN 8: ‘Easterling’

King’s Cross, Cambridge, Norwich, Lowestoft and return via Stowmarket. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. RTC

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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REVIEWS

‘Winston Churchill’ and the Bulleid Pacifics By Rob Adamson and Chris Nettleton (softback, Friends of the National Railway Museum, www.nrmfriends.org.uk/shop.html 136 pages, £9.95 plus £1.50 postage and packing, ISBN 978 0 9576788 3 5). TIMELY is not the word. The Friends of the NRM has published this to coincide with the cosmetic restoration of No. 34051 Winston Churchill in time for the partial recreation of the funeral train of January 30, 1965, as highlighted in Headline News, pages 6 and 7. Just as 2013-14 saw the Mallard 75 year of the A4s, so the current NRM exhibition is bringing not only the locomotive named after the great wartime leader into focus, but the rest of the Bulleid Pacifics with it. The link between the two is Oliver Bulleid, who served as assistant to Gresley while the likes of Mallard were still on the drawing board, before joining the Southern Railway and producing his own streamliners despite Second World War austerity. All that and so much more is contained in this superb reference work, indeed, rarely have we seen a book containing so much detail on a

Pre-Grouping Atlas & RCH Junction Diagrams (Hardback, Ian Allan, 192 pages, £30, ISBN 978 0 7110 3810 3) EVERY Ian Allan rail atlas is a joy to peruse, and the PreGrouping Atlas is a must-have for most enthusiast bookshops. We’ve seen it all before – but not at this size! The standard A5 format has been enlarged to A4, making this brilliant for those whose eyesight may not be as good as it once was, or who just like the large size. The atlas depicts the UK network immediately before the Grouping of 1923, and at a glance you can see which company owned which lines. Each map is accompanied by detailed Railway Clearing House drawings from 1914, depicting the local junctions. This atlas is easily the best way of unravelling the complexity of the system that once was, and ever better because of its larger size. The maps of London, for example, appear far clearer at this size. Put your magnifying glasses away and buy this book instead. ESSENTIAL REFERENCE WORK

The Railway: British Track since 1804 By Andrew Dow (hardback, Pen & Sword, 458pp, £40, ISBN 1473822572) THE track that trains run on is an aspect of railways that few enthusiasts pay any attention to, yet it is a fascinating subject in itself and of equal importance to the trains themselves.

locomotive type packed into a budget-priced volume like this. That is not to imply there is anything budget about the quality: from cover to cover, there are many superb and rarely seen colour and blackand-white pictures of Merchant Navies, West Countries and Battle of Britains in action,with the addition of paintings by Philip D Hawkins and Malcolm Root. One of the joys of this volume is that it reads like a narrative, beginning with Bulleid himself and looking at the formation of the Southern Railway, its passenger stock and the changes that the newly appointed locomotive supremo faced. The differences between the classes, their Fifties rebuilds and eventual demise, and their second lives in preservation are covered in detail. A separate chapter deals with Bulleid’s

Andrew Dow is a noted railway historian and has written the first comprehensive account of the history and development of railway track of all gauges including tramways and cliff railways. It has involved deep research in the papers of professional institutions as well as rare books, company records and personal accounts, with 200 specially commissioned drawings as well as many detailed photographs. Recent developments in mechanised track maintenance have, of course, revolutionised the world of the platelayer and allowed ever higher speeds and tonnages to be handled. This big book does not come cheap but it will widen the reader’s knowledge of railways considerably. AUTHORITATIVE AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

EDITOR’S CHOICE failed Leader project and its unorthodox turfburning spin-offs in Ireland. The final chapter covers the funeral train, and there are appendices listing all Bulleid Pacifics, their build, rebuild where applicable and withdrawal dates. Very readable and accessible but packed with facts from start to finish, there is much here for enthusiasts of all levels, and it really does the subject justice. BRILLIANT INSPIRATIONAL BUDGET VOLUME

not seen the light of day for 50 years. Ted persuaded owner Keith Hudson to let him get them scanned and the result is a unique photographic record of the early days of BR steam, not just in the photographer’s home area but further afield on trips to Western and Southern Regions, the East Coast and West Coast main lines and Scotland. Keith used a good camera and had his films professionally processed so the quality is good throughout. The glamorous engines at familiar locations are included, of course, but also the pick-up goods and coal trains in less well-known locations, in all corners of the country. This collection could so easily have been lost. LOST TREASURE REDISCOVERED

Sixties Diesel & Electric Days Remembered V By Kevin Derrick (hardback, Strathwood, 159pp, £29.95, ISBN 978 1 905276 72 1)

The Railway Photographs of Keith Hudson Edited and compiled by Ted Parker (softback, On Parallel Lines, 118pp, £15 plus postage and packing, ISBN 978 0 9567690 2 2) TED Parker is a well-known cameraman and author and ‘discovered’ that a relative in Chesterfield had a collection of black and white steam photographs taken in the mid to late Fifties which had

THE fifth volume of colour pictures of the early days of BR modern traction will appeal to many who remember those days with affection. It captures the atmosphere of an era which now seems far-removed from the railway system we know today, even though some of the early diesel classes can still be seen on the national network. With the prototype Deltic on the cover and such classics as HS4000 Kestrel, the Blue Pullman, XP64 Class 47 No. 1733 and the ‘Brighton Belle’, there is far more in these pages than

just green diesels, and with one picture per page, the pictures have the opportunity to breathe in many cases the locations illustrated have changed beyond recognition, even if the lines are still open. For those with an interest in a specific diesel class, Looking Back at Peaks is available from the same publisher at £19.95, covering mainly the BR blue era of the Class 44, 45 and 46 1Co-Co1s. BLUE FOR YOU

The Glasgow & South Western Railway: A History By David Ross (hardback, Stenlake Publishing, 252pp, £30, ISBN 9781840336481) THIS is the fourth volume in a series by the author on the five major pre-Grouping Scottish railways. The GSWR is perhaps the least well known one of the five, possibly as its locomotives did not survive the LMS standardisation policy of the 1930s and even its Glasgow terminus at St Enoch has disappeared. Nevertheless most of its major routes in south-west Scotland remain, and serve major centres of population. The book concentrates on the company in pre-Grouping days. It’s meticulously researched and fully referenced with chapters on steamships and railway employees as well as locomotives. Many detailed maps are included and archive photographs to tell the story of this unique railway system. HISTORY REFRESHINGLY REVISITED Heritage Railway 67

LAST TRAIN TO

YORK

In the North East in the 1960s the Beeching axe was closing down many unprofitable lines. One of the towns hardest hit was Whitby, which lost its services down the coast to Scarborough and across the moors to Malton on March 6, 1965. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the closure of these routes, part of which was subsequently saved as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Maurice Burns, then an 18-year-old teenager, recalls his memories and the photographs he took on an action-packed day which ended in his catching the last train to York from Whitby. Pictures taken by Maurice burns (age 18) using a Practica caMera, ilford fP3 filM 125asa and fP5 flash bulbs.

for passengers from the esk Valley line there was a sign advising grosmont platform 3 for Pickering, Malton and york.

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B

y 1964, the North East had lost many passenger services that included the Stainmore line over the Pennines, services between Bishop Auckland and Sunderland and branch lines to Guisborough and Middleton-inTeesdale. At the start of 1965 it was announced that on the same day Saturday, March 6, 1965, three passenger services would be withdrawn. These would be between Bishop Auckland and Crook and the two spectacular routes from Whitby to Scarborough and Malton. The problem I faced was how does one achieve a detailed photographic record of three line closures on the same day? I opted to cover the Crook line on the last Friday, March 5 and was treated to a spectacular performance from Ivatt 2-6-0 No. 43129 on the last steam passenger working, climbing to Crook. The next day, Saturday, March 6, 1965, I set out with my camera and tape recorder to capture the Whitby to Malton and Scarborough closures. This was made more complicated by the fact that I had never travelled on either line before.

However, a study of maps and the railway timetable produced a plan that friends have since described as being more like a military operation. In that one day I took 126 black and white pictures as there was no second chance. The day started early at 7.20am on the Middlesbrough to Scarborough train via Battersby as far as the junction at Grosmont. The line had been covered by a recent snowfall and as I had spare time at Grosmont, I walked through the 1836 tunnel (built for the original horse drawn railway) to the tunnel cottages. Looking over a sleeper fence, I saw a turntable pit, perhaps from a time when banking engines were used to Goathland. It is often forgotten with the passage of time that the Whitby to Malton line was the ‘main line’ and built as double track throughout and that the Battersby line, which once continued to Picton near Yarm, was the branch line at Grosmont junction. The Grosmont platform 3 therefore had a sign to the Esk Valley branch passengers saying this way “to Pickering, Malton and York”. From Grosmont I caught the 8.55am Whitby to

BEFORE PRESERVATION

Above: The last 8.55am Whitby Town to Malton train arrives at Goathland to collect just one lady passenger. Left: The stationmaster chats to a waiting passenger as English Electric Type 4 No. D259 approaches Grosmont with the last 8.55am Whitby Town to Malton train.

Malton train comprising five LNER & BR designed non-gangway coaches hauled by Class 40 diesel D259. A handful of passengers boarded the train but surprisingly there was not one enthusiast in sight and this was typical of the last day on the Grosmont to Malton section. There was much snow on the ground as the train climbed the 1-in-49 double track to Goathland where just one passenger was collected. By the time the summit signalbox was reached a blizzard had started and this lasted the full journey to Pickering, where I arrived for the first time.

Amazing number of signalboxes Here many passengers joined the train for Malton and York and I noticed the porter, on his last day of work, was wheeling the luggage barrow down the platform to collect parcels. Pickering had an amazing number of signalboxes – four within a mile of the station due to road crossings. As D259 heading south we passed two boxes within a few yards of the station before, 15 minutes later, we joined the Scarborough to Malton line at Rillington junction. Here, the remains of a station which closed as early as 1930 could be seen. Arrival at Malton on time at 10.07am, was perfect for the 10.45am connection to Scarborough, where I arrived at the now sunny coastal resort at 11.14am. A two car DMU forming the 11.45am to Whitby Town stood in platform 2 which at that time was covered by a very interestingly designed trainshed roof, later demolished in 1970. This nearly lunchtime 11.45am departure was remarkably the first train of the day to Whitby Town. The departure from Scarborough involved going forward beyond

Whitby Town station had a chalked departure board proved quite fascinating to see. There were 17 departures on the last day March 6, 1965 including two “All stations to Goathland” at 7.38am and 12.35pm. From the following week with the closure of the Malton and Scarborough lines, there would be only five midweek departures with an additional Saturdays only 9.15pm train to Glaisdale still remaining.

Falsegrave signalbox before reversing through a single bore tunnel next to the box itself. For this manoeuvre the driver drove from the rear of the DMU with the guard at the front signalling him forward, from the front cab. On the journey north each coastal station of Claughton, Hayburn Whyke, Staintondale,

Ravenscar, Fyling Hall, Robin Hood’s Bay and Hawsker was duly photographed, as were the magnificent views across Robin Hood’s Bay. The crossing of the huge brick-built Larpool viaduct over the river Esk and the reversal at Prospect Hill signalbox saw the line drop along a ledge that went under Larpool viaduct at a higher level than Heritage Railway 69

When the K4 and K1 reached Robin Hood’s Bay, both engines took water. Passengers and locals walked everywhere over the tracks with their cameras in an age when it was accepted. This view of the arrival at Pickering from the 8.55am Whitby Town to Malton train shows D259 approaching the end of the platform and in the distance can be seen Bridge Street signalbox as the line continued towards Rillington Junction.

At Pickering station the closure notices were photographed using flash before catching the final 5.55pm York to Whitby Town train which arrived at Pickering at 6.42pm.

the Esk valley line to reach Whitby Town station. This busy station had 17 departures on the day of two line closures on March 6, 1965 with platforms 1, 2 and 4 all in use. At 2.18pm I retraced my earlier journey by catching the train to Scarborough as far as Robin Hood’s Bay to see the arrival of the ‘Whitby Moors’ steam special which was not scheduled to arrive until late in the day at 3.15pm. This special jointly organised by the Stephenson Locomotive Society and the Manchester Locomotive Society had originally left Manchester Victoria behind LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45698 Mars at 9.30am but by the time Scarborough was reached it was running late. A snowstorm unfortunately coincided with the special’s arrival and as I got drenched I heard the distant whistle of the train as it came out of Ravenscar tunnel. Then, as it drew closer, the three cylinder beat of the leading engine, the preserved Gresley K4 2-6-0 No. 3442 The Great Marquess could be heard then the BR York shed ex-works Peppercorn K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 as they passed, When the K4 and K1 reached Robin Hood’s Bay, both engines took water. Passengers and locals walked everywhere over the tracks with their cameras in an age when it was accepted. I joined the special here and with my head out of the window, next to No. 62005, tape-recorded the K4 and K1 climbing the stiff grade from the station before the K4 lost its feet, followed by the K1. Within minutes, the train was nearly stuck on the incline before both engines set away in magnificent style where with the soft exhaust of the K4 at the front the K1 sounded as if it was doing all the work but I am sure this was not the case.

Lord Garnock on the footplate

Following a stop at Hawsker station, the 11.45am Scarborough to Whitby train approaches Larpool viaduct across the River Esk. In the distance can be seen the signals and bridges at Prospect Hill where the train would reverse for the second time on the journey and pass under Larpool viaduct itself before arriving at Whitby Town. Note also the well-kept permanent way hut and railway track that was the pride of those who maintained it to the very last day of operation.

Having crossed Larpool viaduct, the train approaches Prospect Hill signalbox. The train would proceed past the box then reverse passing under the box itself which straddled the line down to Whitby.

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Pictures from the leading coach of the train next to the K1 included crossing Larpool viaduct which I had now crossed three times in just a few hours. At Prospect Hill signalbox the K4 was uncoupled and as it passed my carriage window to go to the rear of the train, I saw Lord Garnock on the K4’s footplate. He was, of course, the man who was instrumental in saving the K4 from the scrapyard. Had he not done so we would not only have lost the K4 but also the K1 No. 62005 which was only saved as a spare boiler for the K4. So no K4 no K1 – steam preservation has a lot to thank Lord Garnock for. Once the K4 was on the rear of the train it hauled the special, tender first, downhill under Larpool viaduct and into Whitby Town station. Much activity took place around Whitby Town as No. 62005 shunted the stock into the coal sidings and some of the last trains arrived from Scarborough and Malton. The Whitby Moors steam special was now over 1 hour 15 minutes late with departure, as darkness fell, at 5.45pm. Back on the special right behind the tender of No. 62005 it was non-stop to Pickering and soon passing under Larpool viaduct which only an hour earlier the special had crossed. Now doing 35mph on the double track, the very last Middlesbrough to Scarborough train was passed at Ruswarp at 5.52pm. The crews were obviously in hurry and my final daytime picture, not surprisingly complete with camera shake, was approaching Grosmont Junction signalbox at speed with both engine regulators well open.

The station passed by in a flash with a long blast on the whistle at over 35mph before we entered Grosmont tunnel and charged the 1-in-49 gradient. I tape recorded the climb itself to Goathland and remember people stood on the bridges at Beck Hole and Darnholm to see the passage of the last steam train over this route. Some took flash pictures in the darkness and others just waved. Once under Darnholm bridge as we approached Goathland the K4 driver gave many long blasts on the whistle but to the disappointment of the crowded platform the planned 13 minute Goathland stop was omitted and we steamed through at about 20mph to regain lost time. Newtondale, now in darkness, was taken at the maximum line speed of 35mph and Pickering was reached nonstop from Whitby in under 45 minutes. It was a run that those on board, even on such a very sad occasion, would never forget. At the brief stop at Pickering I decided to leave the steam special and took my last railtour picture with the aid of a ‘one use only’ Philips PF5 flashbulb (who remembers these?) of the K4 and K1 departing Pickering for the last steamhauled passenger train to York.

In the few minutes the 12.50pm Middlesbrough to Scarborough train was in platform one, I had time to climb the signalbox steps to take this general view of Whitby Town station on the day of closure of the Malton and Scarborough lines. In addition to the 2.18pm to Scarborough in platform 1 and the 3.58pm train to York in platform 2, platform 3 had been lifted, presumably it served the Middlesbrough trains via Staithes but platform 4 was still in use for the morning 7.04am to York. Only platform 1 would be required the following week. With the K4’s tender refilled at Robin Hood’s Bay, the K4 and K1 move the train forward during a period of brightness for No. 62005 to replenish its tank. No. 62005 which was later also preserved became the last steam engine to use the Robin Hood’s Bay water tank.

Heritage Railway 71

Above: Viewed from Bog Hall signalbox the K1 and empty coaching stock of the Whitby Moors steam special awaits the arrival of the K4.

Right: After descending from Larpool viaduct to Prospect Hill signalbox (near West Cliff ), the leading engine K4 No. 3442 TheGreat Marquesuncouples and passes No.62005 to allow the K4 to couple up to the rear of the train to reverse to Whitby Town. The K4’s owner Lord Garnock is seen leaning out of his engine’s cab.

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My day covering the last trains was, however, not yet over as I planned to return to Levisham station. This would allow me to travel on the final trains between Whitby and Malton in both directions. The late-running special meant I had just two minutes to catch the last 5.55pm York to Whitby DMU as far as Levisham where I was the only passenger to get off into the darkness at 7.10pm. I could have proceeded as far as Goathland but with the line being double track, trains did not have to pass at stations, as they do today, so I decided to play safe in case the final two last trains, one in each direction, passed in the depths of Newtondale. In the darkness of Levisham, just lit by oil lamps, a few people gathered, many keeping warm by the signalbox fire. It was now late on Saturday night at 7.40pm as D259 brought in the last 6.54pm from Whitby and I managed to photograph the last token exchange at Levisham in the BR era before joining the train. In a way this journey was so different to other last trains I had been on which were full of locals and enthusiasts, whereas on the final 5.54pm train from Whitby to Malton I sat in an empty compartment in the non-gangwayed coach. The train was not carrying any wreath or last day notices – it could have been any train. On arrival at Pickering I went on to the platform to record the last passengers to ever use this station before like so many others it would probably be demolished. The people on the platform were not camera-carrying last day enthusiasts as one may expect but just ordinary men, women and children arriving from a day at Whitby or setting off to return home to York. With this last picture taken I rejoined the train and as it made its final departure from Pickering south and into the darkness and onto York to reach home I never expected to return.

Above:InthedarknessatLevishamonlylitbythefewparaffinlamps,Iwaitedforthe lasteversouthboundtraintoMaltonandYork.Therewasover50minutestowaitand asmallcrowdgatheredasthetrainapproached.Theflashpicturecapturesthelast tokenexchangeintheBRerabetweentheLevishamsignalmanandthesecondman onD259.Thispicturecouldhavebeenanyeveningtrainastherewerenolasttrain headboards,wreathsorevenenthusiaststowitnesstheend.Withthedepartureof thistraintheLevishamstationparaffinlampswouldbeputoutforthelasttime. Right:Thefinal6.54pm WhitbytoMaltonand YorkstopsatPickeringfor thelasttimebefore closureoftheline.This picturewastakento recordthelastpassengers toeverusethisstation beforelikesomanyit wouldbedemolished. Thepeopleinthepicture arenotcamera-carrying lastdayenthusiastsas onemayexpectbutjust ordinarymen,women andchildrenarriving fromadayatWhitbyor settingofftoreturnhome atYork.Withthislast picturetakenIjoinedthe trainandasitmadeits finaldeparturefrom Pickeringintothe darkness,neverexpected toreturn.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to record his thanks to Nick Carter, Geoff Scurr and Mick York for help in producing this article ■ After the last train Maurice did actually return to Pickering in 1968 when he joined, with many others, the infant NYMR

last train to York Photographic exhibition

preservation society set up to save the Grosmont to Pickering line and subsequently served the railway as a volunteer fireman and steam driver for 25 years. The NYMR is bringing the K4 and K1 together again for the 50th Anniversary Gala between March 6 and 8 2015.

No. 62005’s survivAl AN AmAziNg coiNcideNce?

NotonlyisitanamazingcoincidencethattheK12-6-0rosteredbyBRatYorktoaccompanyNo.3442survivedtobethelastK1in servicetwoyearslaterbutitwassubsequentlyboughtforitsboilertobeasparefortheK4.HoweverwhentheSVRfound thatit couldrepairtheK4’sboiler,thecompleteK1waspreservedinitsownrightanddonatedoutrighttoNELPGin1972.

Based on this article in HeritageRailway, Maurice Burns, in association with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, is holding an exhibition of nearly all the pictures he took on the day the lines from Whitby to Malton and Scarborough closed. Unlike most exhibitions where images are taken over a considerable time this exhibition is unusual in that every picture is taken in just a 12 hour period in just one day Saturday, March 6, 1965. In addition to the photographs Maurice was successful in making sound recordings of the Whitby Moors steam special hauled by the K4 and K1 and these will form a background soundtrack to the exhibition. These will feature the train battling up the severe grades from Robin Hood’s Bay and the climb and farewell whistles as it steamed through Goathland. The exhibition is at Pickering station platform 2 from March 6 to October 1, 2015. Heritage Railway 73

RAILWAYANA

BY GEOFF COURTNEY

All change, or much the same, for the coming year? THe turkey has all been eaten, the new Year resolutions have been made – and broken – and the bathroom scales display the results of enjoyable Christmas and new Year festivities whose weighty effects will still be felt in the spring. So what was does 2015 hold in the world of railwayana? I put this question to the principals of a number of leading specialist railwayana auction houses, and here are their thoughts. Great Central director and auctioneer, Mike Soden, spoke of reassuring signs, quoting as an example the realisation of £7200 for GWR nameplate Wycliffe Hall at the company’s sale last October. “Carriage prints are showing signs of picking up,

I believe worksplates will continue to do well, and posters will go on improving. “Quality always sells well and I do not see that changing. If you get in the right items it is usually possible to sell everything. One noticeable trend last year was that we started getting new people to the auctions, and I believe it true to say there were more newcomers than collectors dropping away.” Simon Turner, Mike Soden’s counterpart at GW Railwayana, said he expected to see 2015 continue the trend of high prices for classic modern traction worksplates and nameplates. “Regional BR enamel signs also had a good 2014 and we see that carrying

A tale of success for LBSCR ‘Terrier’

The LBSCR A1 ‘Terrier’ class of 0-6-0 tank locomotives was born halfway through Queen Victoria’s reign in 1872 yet famously saw service with BR until well into the 1960s, with the final withdrawal coming in January 1964. Their popularity is illustrated by the fact that no fewer than 10 were saved from the cutter’s torch, and one of them, No. 32678, hit the headlines at the Vectis train and toy sale at Rugby on January 17 when a 5in gauge live steam version went under the hammer for £3400. No. 32678 was one of 16 members of the William Stroudley-designed class

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reboilered by Douglas earle Marsh, who was chief mechanical engineer of the LBSCR from 1905-11, these rebuilt locomotives being classified A1X. It is one of the clutch in preservation, being a popular member of the Kent & east Sussex Railway fleet. Next up at Rugby was a Wrenn OO-gauge model of streamlined LMS Princess Coronation No. 6237 City of Bristol (£1300) and, at £900, another LMS model, a hornby O-gauge example of Princess Royal No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 20% (+ VAT).

on this year, as there appear to be new collectors out there buying them. Posters too should carry on in the same vein, so to sum up – much of the same as last year.” A year of little change is also predicted by Talisman Railwayana’s Roger Phipps. “There is no reason to suggest that 2015 will be any different from last year which, despite the number of auctions and amount of material on the market, seemed to be a good year all round for most categories with the exception of the cheaper end, which now tends to struggle. “Quality always sells, but we do find that those cheaper items have to generally be sold in groups rather

than individually.” A cautious Dave Robinson of Great northern Railwayana said: “Hard to predict. I see that most things have settled down, and if anything crept up a little bit, although I doubt whether the heady heights of a few years ago will ever be seen again. I think the market will sustain the current number of auction houses, if only because of the large collections that I believe will come on to the market in the next few years. “Some of those collections will have really nice stuff that will be fought over. We are the new boys and are doing our best, and hopefully we will keep getting the stuff and keep going. Only time will tell.”

Brief encounter at Newark One of the many pleasures of railwayana collecting is obtaining the unexpected, or successfully bidding for an item that is less mainstream, and therefore often less expensive, than the conventional hardware or paperwork. Maybe something that in reality is almost detached from railwayana in the strictest definition of the word – an LSWR ship’s bible I bought at Pershore in november springs to mind – but has a connection with the hobby in an indirect, but compelling, way. Such a lot will come up at Talisman’s March 7 auction at newark Showground. It is a briefcase, but not any old briefcase, for it belonged to Sir Ralph Wedgwood, a member of a distinguished family who enjoyed the ultimate railway accolade of having an A4 Pacific carry his name. Clifton College and Cambridgeeducated Sir Ralph, who was born in March 1874, was deeply interested in railways from childhood, and started his career in the industry with the north eastern Railway at Teesside in 1896 on a salary of £120 per year, rising through the ranks to become chief general manager of the LneR on its formation in 1923. He was knighted the following year, and in 1939 relinquished the post to become chairman of the Railway executive Committee, a government body that controlled railway operations during the Second World War. Sir Ralph, who was once described as “a railwayman to the core” and who was admired for his intellect, died at his home near Dorking in Surrey in September 1956 at the age of 82. As chief general manager of the LneR throughout the pre-war years he would have worked closely with Sir nigel Gresley, so one can only imagine

what paperwork would have been carried in that venerable briefcase, which has his name inscribed on its lock. Confidential details of Gresley’s A4s? Documents on the launch of the ground-breaking ‘Silver Jubilee’ express in 1935? Perhaps top-secret plans to snatch the steam world speed by Mallard in 1938? The first A4 locomotive to carry Sir Ralph’s name was no. 4469, which entered service in August 1938 as Gadwall but was renamed in March 1939. That Pacific was destroyed in an air raid on York in April 1942, and in January 1944 the Sir Ralph Wedgwood name was given to fellow class member no. 4466 Herring Gull, which became BR no. 60006. Other items going under the hammer at newark include further handlamps from the Mike Sharman collection, a Furness Railway interior lamp from the directors’ inspection coach, and the chimney from SR Schools class no. 30923, which was originally named Uppingham but had this name dropped after objections from the school’s governors, becoming Bradfield. The auction starts at 10am.

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RAILWAYANA BY GEOFF COURTNEY

Positive result for negative collection

GWR journey from St Ives to Wales Two GwR examples from the 1930s headed the railway poster realisation list in an onslows’ vintage poster internet auction on December 18. By the artists Borlase Smart (1881-1947)

and Archibald webb (1887-1944), they promoted St Ives and wales, and sold for £1000 and £600 respectively. The price for the webb poster was equalled by a set of 12 limited edition

posters by Pierre Fix-Masseau (190594) celebrating the Venice Simplon orient-Express centenary in 1983. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 18% (+ VAT).

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

An album of 1700 UK railway negatives from the twilight of steam to the 1980s sold for £1020 in a telephone, postal and internet auction run by Justaclickago in January, followed at £880 by another collection of negatives, of Irish railways dating from 1952-64. In joint third came two collections of slides, comprising European steam in the early to mid-1970s and non-UK mainly steam from the 1970s-1990s, each of which realised £850. Four incomplete o-gauge brass kit model locomotives, including LMS Princess Coronation no. 46245 City of London, went for £800, and a collection of more than 3000 BR and Underground platform tickets for £750. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 15%. Justaclickago is run by Karen Hoskins, whose husband Tony is a director of Gw Railwayana, and specialises in slides and negatives, although small items of railwayana and other transport memorabilia are also included.

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Heritage Railway 77

NEW BUILD PROJECT

‘NIGHT OWL’ GAINS MOMENTUM

Having quietly amassed a vast array of donor parts from ex-Barry locomotives which, realistically, were unlikely ever to run again, steady progress has been made at Llangollen over the last 18 months in assembling the frames for the new-build Churchward 47XX 2-8-0. Great Western Society chairman Richard Croucher brings the story up to date and explains how the project is now within striking distance of having a complete chassis…

O

ver many years of involvement with various Great Western Society projects, I became aware that there was considerable support for the idea of building a new example of Churchward’s final masterpiece – the 47XX fast mixed-traffic 2-8-0. Only nine of these huge locomotives were built, primarily for fast overnight freight work, earning them the nickname ‘Night Owls’. Ironically the heyday for the class only came in the post-nationalisation years when the potential of these locomotives for use on heavy Summer Saturday passenger trains was recognised. They were therefore turned out in fully lined BR passenger green livery. Although all the 47XXs survived into the early 1960s, sadly none was preserved. Regret over this state of affairs eventually led to the launch of the 4709 Project at the beginning of 2012. The background to the donation of scrapped locomotives for the Three Counties and 4709 Projects has been well documented so need not be repeated here. Like all projects, this did not happen overnight and a vast amount of preparatory work was undertaken by our project engineering manager Paul Carpenter and his team. The viability of the project was proven by identifying components from the donor engines which could be reused in building a 47XX. One of the great beauties of Swindon practice is the great interchangeability of parts stemming

from Churchward’s policy of standardisation and this meant the project would have a real head start. Thorough research of the locomotive Drawing Registers verified that components were indeed suitable and the greasy grimy condition of the donor engines had actually helped preserve the parts in restorable condition. Basically the 47XX 2-8-0s were an extended version of the 43XX 2-6-0s, which in turn shared many characteristics with the GWR’s large

“One of the great beauties of Swindon practice is the great interchangeability of parts stemming from Churchward’s policy of standardisation.”

Prairie tanks. With the exception of the cylinder block we will be re-using the complete front end from No. 4115. This comprises the pony truck assembly, pony wheel set and axle boxes, three sets of driving wheels including the eccentric sheaves, the extension frames, motion bracket frame stretcher and reversing lever. There were a number of similarities and common parts between the 47XX and 5205 classes and No. 5227 has provided horns,

coupled and driving wheel axle boxes and underkeeps. The left hand cylinder block of No. 5227 was partially destroyed in an accident during its BR days which undoubtedly led to its withdrawal. As per the agreement with the Vale of Glamorgan Council we have put the locomotive on display at Didcot as an example of a ‘Barry Condition’ locomotive to show just how much has been achieved by the railway preservation movement. At some point in the future the boiler may be used for a 38XX County 4-4-0, which is part of the agreement with the Vale of Glamorgan Council, or it is restored in its own right. From No. 2861 we have recovered the cylinder block, the Swindon Standard No. 1 boiler, brake system components, cab furniture and other parts, such as the hanging bars for the footplate and running plate as well as a multitude of other smaller parts. Any parts which have not been identified for use with No. 4709 have been carefully removed and stored for future possible use on other projects. A more comprehensive account of the foundations for No. 4709 can be found in Andrew Fowler’s book Recreating the ‘Night Owl’ 4709 – The Story So Far which has proved very popular. This is an excellent read and sets the scene nicely for the project. Copies are still available through the Great Western Society at The first of the class: No. 4700 in an official Swindon Works photograph. GWR

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Viewed from the front, the extension frame recovered from No. 4115, has been refurbished and is being prepared to be attached to the front of the mainframes. The extension frame principle, adopted from contemporary American practice by Churchward, employed these supplementary frames to carry the cylinders. Top: The front end of the main frames with the large motion bracket which carries the slidebars and thus the weight and forces of much of the motion. Above: The Llangollen workforce is preparing the bolt holes in the main frame for the mounting of the extension frame. Right: Right hand side of the frames from the rear. Far right: Latest progress includes the fitting of the cast and machined horn guides which locate the wheel bearings. These are the rearmost horn guides, large precision components, the size of which is shown by the hammer.

the Didcot shop or at £10 by post. It is difficult to estimate how much this has saved the 4709 Project in monetary terms had we needed to make everything new, but it must be getting on for £500,000 without taking into account the saving in time. To appreciate just how far we have progressed in this relatively short period of time, it is useful to review our early project phases, some of which are unique to 4709. Phase 1 was researching the three donor engines to understand what parts were suitable for re-use on No. 4709. We also had to determine which parts were still a part of the donor engines and what condition they were in. Phase 2 was the sequential transportation of the donor locos to Llangollen and their controlled and systematic dismantling. We were able to rescue both the parts we needed for No. 4709 and also help other projects with parts they required. These two phases are now complete. The task of recovering all the parts for reuse took more than two years as it has been undertaken meticulously. During that time a start was made on the new locomotive with the cutting of the frames in the spring of 2012, followed later in the summer by all the new frame stretchers and other plate work to complete the main frames.

After delivery to the workshops of the Llangollen Railway, the frames were erected and the five new frame stretchers fitted together with the new rear dragbox, which was cast during the second half of 2013. Initially these were bolted into position to ensure that the frames align correctly with some riveting undertaken. In addition to setting up and aligning the frames the opportunity was taken to fit the horn guides for the front three driving axles. Unfortunately it has been necessary to cast new horn guides for the trailing driving axle. Besides the new frames, the other major component required to be made new in order to complete the chassis was a new trailing driving wheel set. The pattern for the 5ft 8in diameter wheels has been made in such a way that it could also be used for casting driving wheels which have a larger centre boss. Should anyone need to cast a new 5ft 8in wheel in future we have a pattern which can be used. Both wheels were cast and machined in spring 2013. Phase 3 has comprised a series of design packages that address issues of compliance brought about by the requirements for operating to current main line standards. These have included a small lowering of the boiler centre height, modifications to the loco suspension and production of horn, wheel and dragbox patterns and castings – all to the latest specifications.

Phase 4 is the manufacture of new chassis components and commencement of refurbishment of the donor engine parts. Don Ashton has burnt a lot of midnight oil producing detail design CAD drawings of a whole tranche of seemingly straightforward parts, but without such meticulous attention to detail confusion and error would have resulted very quickly. This has included drawings for the running board brackets and brake gear fixings which are all necessary at this early stage as they share rivets/fixings with other primary components – for example the dragbox and frame stretchers. This phase also included the new front bufferbeam and its supporting gusset brackets connecting to the extension frames. With these fitted the full and impressive length of No. 4709 can finally be revealed. At the end of last summer a window of opportunity arose to take a major step forward with the frame assembly. With the agreement of two members who had provided the society with short term loans to extend repayment for a further short period we decided to take the opportunity to push forward work on the frames and consolidate No. 4709’s foundations with the result that we can probably safely say we are close to completing the major works required for the frame assembly which is an important milestone. Heritage Railway 79

Preparing the mainframes for attachment of the extension frame.

The new rearmost horn guides on the right hand side of the locomotive. Despite appearances, the frames are not being supported by a pair of buffers!

Starting in the early autumn the opportunity was taken to follow a ‘roll-out’ policy with the frame assembly whereby several essential facets coexist. Starting with the rear drag box, the rear buffing beam and buffing plates were riveted up. Alongside this work all the horn guides have been trial fitted and wear/alignments assessed with the exception of those for the trailing axle which have to be made new. As this progressed the mainframes were straightened and aligned, directly reflecting the construction of the drag beam and detailed alignment. Gradually the internal stays supply the means of locking the alignment, firstly through bolting and finally by riveting. Pressed channel brackets link the cab steps and foot plating. Working forwards all the other frame stretchers have been tested for the correct alignment and riveted up with the exception of the leading stretcher, which carries the saddle for the boiler and the motion bracket. The motion bracket stretcher is mainly new platework with some parts donated from 4115. As this stretcher takes a considerable amount of structural strain it is integral with inner and outer stiffener plates above the leading axle and it was necessary first of all to fit strengthening plates to the main frame above the leading axle as well as new angle iron to take the stretcher. The saddle area has been partially recovered from No. 4115 for reuse after necessary profile changes to suit the larger diameter of a No. 7 boiler (unique to the 47XX class). The large irons face forwards on the 5101 class to make provision for maximum capacity for the tanks, but on the 47XX 2-8-0s the irons face backwards, necessitating a 180º turn. At the time of writing all the holes for fixing the stretcher and stiffener plates have been drilled but have still to be riveted. Many await fitted bolts. The stretcher

itself also has a strengthening plate on both sides above the axle and new plate for this is currently on order. At the front end, the extension frames from No. 4115 have been trued-up and the buffer beam fitted. The cast steel buffing brackets were badly cracked and the beam now sports fabricated replacements which have been awaiting assembly. The extension frames are now ready to be trial fitted to the main frames. It has also been found necessary to fabricate some new steel plate for the extension frames as some items were found on closer inspection to be virtually life-expired. Probably the largest physical item recovered for No. 4709 has been the outside pipe cylinder block, which has cleaned up well. To say that releasing the cylinder block from No. 2861’s extension frames was not easy is an understatement. The block must be hydraulically tested before fitting to the extension frames. One cylinder cover has survived and the cylinder liners look at this stage as if they still have life left in them. Work is starting on tidying up the cylinder block in readiness for fitting new studs to enable a hydraulic test of the central joint. The block can then be fitted into position. The pony truck assembly has been sent away for grit blasting. The opportunity was taken at the same time to grit blast the three driving wheels and the pony wheel set which have now been delivered to South Devon Railway Engineering together with the two new driving wheels. The new axle and tyres have still to be ordered. Concurrent to the alignment process the four new horn guides for the trailing axle have been cast and the faces machined. In due course these will be offered up and drilled. In addition to work on the frames, we will shortly be turning our attention to assembling

“So far, our primary aim has been to set 4709 on firm foundations, which has now been achieved.”

New horn guides seen from the outside of the mainframe.

Horn guides and riveting (some raised and some countersunk) on the mainframes. Hundreds of heavy duty rivets have been used in erecting the mainframes.

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View between the frames from the rear end showing the new horn guides in the process of being fitted. The frames and stretchers (crossmembers) are all 1.5in or 1in thick steel.

The foundations of a new 47XX 2-8-0. This is BIG – over 40ft for the main frames alone to which the extension frames will be attached at the front end. This view is from the rear end with the new drag box beneath the point where the cab will sit.

How you can help

The front extension frame. The cylinder block – seen in the background – will rest in the lowered section where the spirit level sits in the photo.

the new wheelset and refurbishing the donor wheel sets. At the moment we have still to order the new axle – we are currently final checking dimensions and quotations which include the two rear tyres and new crank pins. The donor wheel sets all have good tyres and at this stage the work is expected to comprise turning the tyres and polishing the journals and crank pins, plus the manufacture of new crank pin nuts. New spring hangers will need to be cast in the near future once a few design issues are resolved – Don is again burning the midnight oil producing CAD overlay drawings to ensure that all components will fit and perform correctly on the loco. Like the horn guides these patterns are handed with unique pairs on the trailing axle due to a greater offset.

The only other major item which needs to be made brand new for the rolling chassis is a complete set of springs, which would have been necessary in any event. Of course there are a lot of other smaller items, such as the cab ides and roof, footplating etc. which need to be made. So far, our primary aim has been to set No. 4709 on firm foundations, which has now been achieved. Since the launch of the project at the beginning of 2012, we have spent just under £200,000, much of it by regular monthly income from banker’s orders, plus a number of major donations. We have a similar sum pledged over the next five years. We estimate that we require approximately another £100,000 now to complete the rolling chassis which is our current primary aim.

TohelpboostNo.4709’sprogress,weareestablishing a4709SupportersClubtoincreaseourincome.While one-offdonations,howeverlargeorsmall,arealways welcomeandhelpboostprogresswheneverreceived, itistheregularknownincomewhichreallyhelps progresstobeachieved,enablingustoforecast expenditureanddelivery.Wehopeasmanypeopleas possiblewillnowcomeforwardtosupportNo.4709by becomingasupporter: SILVER SUPPORTcosts£15perannumfornonGWS membersgivessupporterstochancetoreceivearegular newsletterbyemail,keepingyouuptodatewiththelatest progresson4709aswellasaninvitationto4709 SupportersDaysatLlangollenandDidcot. GOLD SUPPORTcosts£10permonth,payableby banker’sorder,givingallthebenefitsofSilverSupportplus aninvitationtoNo.4709’sofficiallaunch,afootplatetrip onNo.4709andticketsforoneofitsfirstrunsonaheritage line.Aminimumsubscriptionof60monthsisrequiredto qualify,ortheequivalentinoneamount. Thosewhomakeadonationof£1000ormore,eitherwith aone-offpaymentormonthlybanker’sorder,willbecome aFriendof4709andbegiventheopportunitytodrive No.4709atDidcotundersupervision. PLATINUM SUPPORTERSwillreceivealltheabove benefits,plusaticketfor4709’sinauguralmainlinetrain. Thiscosts£25permonthbybanker’sorderover60months, ortheequivalentinoneamount. Withyourhelpwecanachievearollingchassis during 2015. Toachievetherollingchassisweneedto: Assembleextensionframestomainframesandfitthe cylinderblock,newrunningplate,splashersandcab assembly ■ Fitallhornsandmachinesquaretocylindercentrelines ■ Refurbishdonoraxleboxes ■ Refurbishandfittheponytruckassembly ■ Cast,machineandfitspringhangerbrackets ■ Manufacturenewsprings ■ Forgeandmachinerearaxleandtwonewtyres ■ Completerearwheelsetassemblyincludingfitting wheelstotheaxle,quarteringandfitting/turningnew tyresandbalanceweights ■ Refurbishthedonorwheelsets ■ Fitallancillarybracketsandfittingsthatsharefixings withthechassis Thenew,novelandtechnicalchallengesfor4709have nowbeenlargelyovercomewhichmeansthattherateof progressofthismagnificentmachineisentirelydependent upontherateofcashflowandfunding. ■

The huge motion bracket at the front of the mainframes, together with a strengthening plate above the leading coupled wheel horn guides.

Heritage Railway 81

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL

The gala season sTarTs

Mist, fog and snow did not deter visitors to the first steam gala of the year; Brian Sharpe reports on the East Lancashire Railway’s January event.

A

S has become customary, the new gala season started on the East Lancashire Railway just a couple of weeks after the end of the festive season. The locomotive line-up for the event included LMS Crab 2-6-0 No. 13065, L&Y 0-6-0 No. 12322, LNER K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess, BR Standard

2-6-4T No. 80080, LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s Nos. 44871 and 45407, and Peckett 0-4-0ST May. With goods trains, on which brakevan rides were available, double heading and banking, this was a classic ELR event, although the star visitor, BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212, was not available. A last-minute substitute

was the Furness Railway Trust’s GWR 0-6-2T No. 5643 on its way home to Preston from a long visit to the Bluebell Railway. Fog and snow was the order of the day with sunshine in short supply but patient linesiders were eventually rewarded with brighter conditions in the late afternoon both days.

Above: L&Y Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0 bearing LMS livery and number 12322 doubleheads with LMS Hughes-Fowler ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 13065 through the snow near Summerseat on January 18. GRAHAM NUTTALL Top: Passing Burrs at sunset is L&Y 0-6-0 No. 12322. KARL HEATH

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L&Y 0-6-0 No. 12322 approaches Burrs with a goods train. NEVILLE WELLINGS

LMS ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 13065 heads a goods train past Burrs on January 18. GRAHAM NUTTALL Heritage Railway 83

PlatFOrM

READERS’ LETTERS AT THE HEART OF THE HERITAGE RAILWAY SCENE

track talk ➜ More Bulleids in their ‘correct’ colour please! ON page 14 of issue 196 you have a spread about the return of No. 34051 Winston Churchill to cosmetic glory, and indeed the locomotive looks splendid and as it did when hauling the great man’s funeral train in 1965, the year my wife and I were married. However (there’s always a ‘however’ isn’t there), the other picture on page 14 shows the engine as it first appeared, in full Southern Railway Bulleid livery, and as it would have appeared to Sir Winston when he was wartime prime minister. It is arguable (and is doubtless argued over) that the bright Southern Railway livery suits the class better than the darker BR livery borrowed from the GWR – and is very suitable for its engines with all that Swindon brass and copper to set it off. Winston Churchill will probably remain in its BR livery for ever, associated as it is with Churchill’s funeral train, and many other of his Pacifics have been rebuilt. However, there are several non-rebuilt SR West Country and Battle of Britain class engines which could be restored to authentic SR colours, and this done as a tribute to O V S Bulleid, their designer. I cannot imagine why this has not been done before, so that the full range of liveries applied to Bulleid’s Pacifics is represented. It is absurd that the preservation movement, which is supposed to represent the full steam railway scene, has rarely seen the rightness of doing this. Only Blackmore/moor Vale and 92 Squadron have been returned to malachite green hitherto. Come on steam preservationists, give Bulleid his accolade, with engines liveried as he expected them to be! John Gilbert, Cradley, Herefordshire. ➜Tribute to Michael Mensing AS A small, active voluntary group of gardening and railway enthusiasts, we were very sad to learn of the death of photographer Michael Mensing. We have been custodians of Penmere station for over 21 years, one of three stations on the Truro – Falmouth branch, now named the Maritime Line. Always on the lookout to increase our archive collection, some years ago we obtained some photographs from Michael of late 1950s views of steam-hauled branch line trains in and around Penmere, then known as Penmere Platform. The details and clarity of the black and white prints are amazing, with information of locomotives, dates and service times neatly written in beautiful handwriting on the reverse of each print. Thank you Michael and rest in peace. Steve Lloyd, honorary chairman, The Friends of Penmere Station, Cornwall

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STAR LETTER

What now for Pacific’s boiler?

THE article by Geoff Courtney in issue 197 on the latest boiler problems with the overhaul of former NSW Government Railways’ Class C38 No. 3801 once again brings into sharp focus the controversial and drawn-out restoration of this iconic and much-loved streamlined Pacific. The former NSW Office of Rail Heritage was responsible for the planning and decisions regarding the locomotive’s reboilering, and placed the formal order with DB Meiningen in Germany for the new all-welded boiler that was delivered to Australia in 2010 but sent back to Germany a year later as not fit for purpose. 3801 Limited, the company that was involved with the locomotive’s previous restoration from 1983-86 and subsequently operated it for 20 years, was not consulted at all during the ordering process. There were 30 locomotives in the 38 class, and because they were of a common design their components were interchangeable. At the time locomotive No. 3801 was removed from service with 3801 Limited in November 2006 for the restoration that is still being carried out, it was fitted with a Class 38 riveted boiler, boiler number 3819, that was initially constructed in 1947 for fellow class member, locomotive No. 3819. The Office of Rail Heritage appears to have given no consideration to the possible reconditioning of this boiler, and in 2010 there were informal reports that it planned to cut it up. Immediately after the March 2011 NSW state election, I and others from the heritage sector were

Preserved Australian Pacific No. 3801 between Pangela and Ardglen, 150 miles north of Sydney, in November 2006, shortly before the locomotive was taken off railtour duty for a restoration that was expected to be completed by early 2011 but is still ongoing four years later. Ardglen is on the NSW main north line whose station, now disappeared without trace, was quaintly named Doughboy Hollow on opening in 1877 but renamed after the village in 1893. taken to inspect the ‘hidden boiler’, boiler number 3819, at workshops in western Sydney, following which we invited a reputable local heavy engineering company to inspect it. The company, which is internationally known for its work on pressure vessels and heat exchangers and has worked on boilers of many types, reported back in June 2011 that after two inspections it was optimistic the boiler could be repaired as a costeffective way of returning locomotive No. 3801 to steam. I submitted a copy of the company’s findings shortly after receipt to Gladys Berejiklian, the NSW Minister for Transport, but it remains unacknowledged.

It is not known whether the option of reconditioning the boiler using Australian engineering capability will now be considered by the NSW state government, which owns locomotive No. 3801. I agree with Geoff Courtney’s observation in his article that the recent flurry of official announcements on locomotive No. 3801 is a “clearing of the decks” before the NSW state government election in March 2015. Gladys Berejiklian said in a radio interview that she had “had enough – we are bringing the engine home”, whatever that means. John Glastonbury (former chairman and general manager, 3801 Ltd), Orange, NSW, Australia

British loco boiler at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean THE repatriation branch of the British heritage locomotive movement has a new subject to tantalise its members. HMS Erebus was a Hecla-class bomb vessel designed by Sir Henry Peake and constructed by the Royal Navy in Pembroke dockyard, Wales, in 1826. Used as an exploration vessel, it was abandoned during the Franklin Expedition in the search for the Northwest Passage in 1848. It was found in the Arctic’s Queen Maud Gulf by a consortium of searchers headed up by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society on September 7, 2014. This originally all-sail ship had its steam power supplied by a locomotive purchased by the Admiralty in 1845 from the London & Greenwich Railway and suspended amidships. While this is not totally clear, the locomotive is thought to have been L&GR No. 4 Twells, a Robert Stephenson 1930-designed Planetclass 2-2-0 engine. Certainly a cutaway side elevation of the ship published in the society’s magazine Canadian Geographic in December 2014 shows the front elevation of a small locomotive that looks like a Planet facing the starboard side of the ship. The magazine says

the locomotive generated 25 horsepower and that the as-yetundiscoverd companion ship The Terror had a 20hp engine. What happens next is not yet fully clear. The Erebus has been sonaroutlined and photographed and will be further explored by divers if all goes well. The hunt is still on for HMS Terror farther north.

Undersea monument

Canadian Geographic suggests that while industrial archaeologists will be excited by the prospect of recovering an ancient locomotive, on balance the most respectful thing may be to leave the ship where it lies as an undersea monument to the 129 lost British officers and crew of the Franklin Expedition. I am in receipt of the following from David Jeanes, Eng. of Ottawa, relevant to my submission on the finding of the hull: “London’s First Railway: The London and Greenwich by R H G Thomas states: ‘The old Marshall engine No. 4 (Twells of 1836) seems to have ended its days in interesting, but very tragic circumstances’. ... a description of the departure of the expedition on the nineteenth (May 1845) ended with the following reference to the Erebus: ‘The

screw propeller is worked by an engine of 25 horse power, which formerly ran upon the Greenwich Railway.’ ... what eventually became of the ships has also remained a mystery. Abandoned in 1848 by the survivors of the expedition, themselves to perish, the two ships are believed to have sunk in Arctic waters off King William Land, northern Canada; so at least the remnants of one Greenwich Railway engine may well exist today beneath the ice of the North-west passage. “Twells was John Twells, a member of the original L&GR Railway Board of Directors. Marshall was William Marshall, proprietor of the Eagle Steam Factory, Great Bridge, Wednesbury. The locomotive was one of four he built for the L&GR in 1835, the first being the Royal William of which there is a (probably partly conjectural) drawing in the book. “The locomotive was mounted athwartships in a well behind the mainmast and the main axle was extended to become the propeller shaft. A similar engine was on the sister ship Terror and they could move the two ships at about 4mph. However, they could only carry enough coal for 12 days.” Harry Gow, Saint-Antoine-surRichelieu, Québec, Canada

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TRACK TALK

Reader David Ford posted on our www.facebook.com/heritagerailway page: “Nicholas Wheatley in issue 198 said that he knows of no photographs of Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train on the return journey. Well, here’s one I took. Apologies for quality, half frame camera using TriX in poor light. But there it is.” DAVID FORD

When Churchill’s funeral train was diesel hauled I REFER to Andy Dibb’s email letter in issue 198 suggesting that Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train was not steam hauled all the way to Long Handborough. I saw the train pass through Oxford, which is only about five miles from

Handborough, and it was certainly steam hauled then. Maybe the confusion arose because it was certainly diesel hauled on the return journey and by a Western – D1015 Western Champion – and I was able to photograph that as well.

The funeral train was headed by D1015 WesternChampion during its return journey. BRIAN HIGGINS

I was interested to learn that a special crossover had been installed at Handborough and I wonder where the steam engine went after the event, presumably back to its depot, light engine. Brian Higgins, Kidlington, Oxford

Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train hauled by his namesake Bulleid Pacific north of Oxford. BRIAN HIGGINS

Lack of volunteers? Don’t give them all the boring jobs

I HAVE noticed recently several steam railway magazines mentioning a shortage of volunteers, and I thought I might suggest some reasons for this. I dropped out of being a volunteer 20 years ago for various reasons, and I have only just started buying steam magazines again. What I have noticed, though, are some interesting changes. There are now more steam railways than ever, some of which I had never heard of, some I never thought would get off the ground. This is of course a good thing, but it leads to the fact that there are now more railways looking for volunteers; add to this all the industrial museums, all the traction engine and stationary engine groups, all the canal and waterway heritage groups, and that is a lot of voluntary manpower. Secondly, there are some

railways and museums where if you do not own a car you cannot get there. The places that are accessible by public transport often involve arduous journeys, and rail travel is becoming ridiculously expensive in many places. Let’s face it, if I had the choice of travelling 50, maybe 100 miles by train, when an industrial museum with a railway on the side was on my doorstep, which one do you think I would choose? Then there is another factor, never acknowledged: some venues are very cliquey. I have heard several volunteers complain that week after week all they did was scrub rusty pipes or move piles of junk around. You are not going to keep volunteers if you bore them, particularly young volunteers. As I have said, there are so many venues now, all they have

to do is shop around and find somewhere where they can do more. Finally, there are other reasons you can lose volunteers. For instance, with the sheer effort of trying to make a living, long hours and a more expensive cost of living, people are often too tired or just cannot afford to go volunteering. Or maybe the volunteer meets a new girlfriend who has no interest. She may say: “Come on Darren, there is more to life than hanging round gloomy, dirty old engine sheds, let’s go scuba diving, or surfing, or do some clubbing in Ibiza,” or words to that effect. You get the drift. This is only my theory but I think that you will find many volunteers and ex-volunteers will agree with me. Neil O’Keeffe, Glastonbury, Somerset

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

➜Bulleids could remember more Second World War anniversaries THIS year is significant for various anniversaries – 50 years since Sir Winston Churchill died, 70 years since VE Day and 75 years since the Battle of Britain. I look forward to seeing the exhibition of Churchill’s funeral train at the National Railway Museum at York. It is also gratifying to see that No. 34046 Braunton will temporarily become No. 34052 Lord Dowding for the Battle of Britain events. I hope No. 34053 Sir Keith Park gets a mention at the Severn Valley Railway. This man was the ‘hands-on’ leader of 11 Group during the battle. As a tribute to the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, perhaps Tangmere could temporarily be fitted with a nameplate from each on either side (the NRM has a Spitfire plate on show in the main hall). G A Hall, Alwoodley, Leeds ➜Devon railway vote winner For those of us that survived the railway closures of the Sixties and the perennial threats thereafter to close all services west of Ascot, the possibility of reopening the LSWR’s Exeter Okehampton and Plymouth rail link would seem as likely as playing a world cup football tournament in a far off desert. This is the time now of winning political votes - hence a major West Country rail investment is in the offering. What a chance this is to help contribute towards this huge turnaround in attitude towards country railways! Using a business model similar to that used by the Settle and Carlisle partnership, a local group headquartered at Okehampton Station could promote the railway and help introduce steam services. An Exeter-Okehampton-Plymouth and Exeter round steam robin would certainly contribute towards success of the reopened link. With a large population of retired people in the south west there is such huge potential. The thought of a West Country Pacific crossing Meldonon Viaduct is something to savour. We may not yet have reached a possible reopened Bude line but the former LSWR main line will do for a start. Paul Scott, email ➜Photo not a painting I WOULD like to comment on the letter from Jayne Kerys Edwards on page 98 of issue 198. I am flattered that the respondent thinks the picture of the Ivatt Atlantic on page 85 of the previous issue is one of mine. In fact it is a photograph of Bachmann’s model prototype, and yes it does have odd bogie wheels. I’m also gratified that Jayne likes my work, but I think a trip to Specsavers beckons..! Jonathan Clay, email Heritage Railway 85

Heritage Railway 87

SCALE HERITAGE RAILWAY

Back to the Eighties for Hornby’s 4VEP

IT HAS been said that while modelling can be a substitute for preservation, it should and can never replace it. Herein lies a quandary. In recent years, the major manufacturers have produced several superb Southern Region EMU sets to widespread acclaim, but has the heritage sector done as much as it might to preserve examples of such slam door stock? The answer has to be a sympathetic, rather than outright resounding, ‘no’. Electric traction has struggled to become a poor third behind steam and diesel in the preservation stakes, simply because there is nowhere outside the main line where it can be run under its own power. EMU stock can, of course, be loco hauled, but unless you add a Class 73 into the mix, such formations always have that makeshift look about them. Furthermore, a four-coach EMU takes up a sizeable amount of valuable siding space, and if it is not used, will deteriorate in the open air. Yet, if we are really concerned about preserving all aspects of railway heritage, not just the bits that find a second-hand crowd-pleasing use, we should take our electrics more seriously. With the promised debut of a Brighton Belle set on the main line this year – both Hornby and its N gauge subsidiary Arnold have already produced brilliant versions – we can

EDITOR’S CHOICE

but hope that the profile of historic EMU stock is raised. As it stands, stock which was an hourly feature of everyday commuting life in the South East up to very recent times has all but been wiped out of existence. That is sad, particularly for film-makers who will be denied period trains for future dramatic productions. The best it seems we can offer are models. Take the 4VEP (Vestibule ElectroPneumatic) EMUs for instance. All we have left from a once-expansive fleet of 194 units is the Bluebell Railway’s celebrity No. 3217 Gordon Pettitt, which is being overhauled to modern main line running standards by Bombardier, for which we should be extremely grateful, and a handful of trailer cars. Built by BR mainly at York between 1967-74 (some of the centre cars came from Derby), all of the 4VEPs survived into privatisation. Before then, during 1988-90, they were fitted with fluorescent lights and public address systems and reclassified 423/1s. They feature manually opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in this pattern for BR. They were mainly used on outer suburban services in south London, along with rural services in Kent and Sussex. The fleet had a

lifespan of 38 years. After Privatisation, the fleet was divided between South Eastern Trains, South Central/Southern, Connex and South West Trains. They remained in service up to 2005 when they were finally replaced by Electrostar and Desiro units, after slam door stock was outlawed. The latest Hornby four-car train pack depicts a standard example of the class in Eighties BR blue and grey livery, powered by a five-pole, skew-wound motor in one of the centre cars. A superb, accurate and highly detailed (inside and out) representation of an everyday commuter train we so long took for granted, special features, include directional lighting, illuminated interior and sprung buffers. It will bring memories flooding back as a welcome addition to any modern image Southern layout, and yes, the Bluebell unit apart, it is the best we will have as regards this class in the future.

HORNBY R3143

BR Class 423 4VEP No. 7830 four-car train pack BR blue/grey livery DCC ready £199.99

Wellington is the latest Great Western Castle THE latest incarnation of Hornby’s GWR Castle 4-6-0 is No. 5075 Wellington. Built at Swindon, it entered service as Devizes Castle on August 16, 1938, firstly from Wolverhampton Stafford Road. The model comes equipped with a flat-sided 4000-gallon Hawksworth tender, which records show the loco would have been paired with in this livery only between February 1948 and January 1950 when the GW numbering and company arms on its side would have been redundant and awaiting a post-Nationalisation repaint. When it was next paired with a Hawksworth tender, it was 1953, and it would have carried the BR insignia. The locomotive was renamed

88 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Wellington in August 1940. In March 1949, it was reallocated to Swindon, and four months later was switched to Chester West. Back at Stafford Road in May 1956, it moved to Plymouth (Laira) in April 1958 and Exeter in June 1959. Further allocations were Neath, Cardiff Canton and St Philips Marsh. It was withdrawn on September 21, 1962, but sadly, there would be no place for it in preservation. Within three months it had been scrapped, having been sent to Cashmore’s at Newport, rather than the benevolent Woodham Bros yard at Barry. It had a service life of just 24 years and one month. Eight other Castles, however, out of a class total of 171, were saved.

The Hornby model has been with us for some time now and needs scant introduction as to its build, quality and fine detailing, and this edition is no exception. It has the standard sprung buffers, NEM couplings, and a five-pole, skew-wound motor. Like the prototypes, the model’s ability to haul length trains is impressive. It was 50 years ago that the last of the class was withdrawn by BR, so the appearance of any member of the class as a proprietary model for the first time is timely and as always to be welcomed. No. 7029 Clun Castle hauled the last official steam train out of Paddington (to Banbury) on June 11, 1965, and was officially withdrawn in December 1965. Believed to be the last member of

the class, it was preserved by Birmingham preservation pioneer Pat Whitehouse and became the flagship of Tyseley Locomotive Works. Its latest overhaul may well be completed by this summer.

HORNBY R3105

GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 5075 Wellington GWR Brunswick green, pristine finish DCC Ready £139.99

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Ivatt mogul No. 43106 in action on the Severn Valley Railway. SVR

SVR Ivatt 4MT mogul for Great Central’s June model weekend

THIS year’s second model event at the Great Central Railway will feature the first-time visit of LMS Ivatt 4MTmogul No. 43106 from the Severn Valley Railway. The June 19-21 ‘linear’ model railway and exhibition aims to build on the success of last year’s debut event. More than 60 layouts have been signed up as well as 15 demonstration layouts. These include: Dore Hill St Stevens, North of England Mainline, 82G, Templecombe Road, Great Train Robbery, Waterloo Street, Newcastle by the Water, and Woodhead. More than 40 of the industry’s leading suppliers will be represented. The main event arena, at Quorn & Woodhouse station, is a 35,000sq ft exhibition hall, where suppliers such

as Bachmann, BRM, Cheltenham, Kernow, Book Law and Cromwell Tools will be in attendance, alongside many others. Other stations will specialise in different areas of the hobby. At Loughborough there will be 16mm live steam, G scale and railwayana traders, while at Rothley there will be model engineering, Gauge 1, Gauge 3 and the resident garden railway. Normal fares apply for this event, with tickets costing just £15, including all-day travel and entrance to all venues. GCR marketing manager Kate Tilley said: “This is an event people can spend all day at indulging in every aspect of their hobby. You can travel between our stations, change trains to inspect layouts and their giant counterparts, and visit traders – we’ve pulled out all the stops.”

PRIVATE COLLECTOR wishes to buy Railwayana

I wish to purchase whole or part collections of RAILWAYANA and other transport items.

The main exhibition hall at Quorn & Woodhouse station. DENNIS WILCOCK

N gauge at Leamington PLANNING is well underway for the 2015 International N Gauge Show, which will be held on September 12-13 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre in

Leamington Spa. Many leading manufacturers and suppliers have already confirmed their attendance. There will be more than 30 layouts.

For more information and to book discounted tickets see www.ngaugeshow.co.uk

Payment is always prompt and in full. Cash is available if preferred. Collection arranged from any location.

DISCRETION ASSURED AT ALL TIMES For an informal discussion please phone

01704 840726 Heritage Railway 89

Heritage Railway 91

UP & RUNNING

Leek & Manifold Railway: Outline 2-6-4T MarkTimothy approaches Buxton on the Bure Valley Railway. BRIAN SHARPE

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: Feb 14-22.

Lavender Line

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine and dine, Isfield, East Sussex. Tel: 01825 750515. Running: Suns + Feb 19, 20.

Mid Hants Railway

Bentley Miniature Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Alresford, Hants SO24 9JG. Tel: 01962 733810. Engines: 34007, 850, 925, 45379, 92212, 4464, 70000. Running: W/Es + Feb 13, 16-20.

Bluebell Railway

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, East Sussex. Running: Suns. Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Engines: 263, 1638, 178, B473, 323, 592, 847. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

East Kent Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Shepherdswell, Dover. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Mar 29, 30.

Eastleigh Lakeside Railway

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

Hastings Miniature Railway

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

Hayling Seaside Railway

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

Isle of Wight Steam Railway Standard gauge, five miles, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight. Tel: 01983 882204. Engines: 8, 11, 24, 41298. Running: Suns, Weds from Mar 15.

Kent & East Sussex Railway

Standard gauge, 10½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Tenterden, Kent. Tel: 01580 765155. Engines: 65, 3, 6619, 32678, 1638. Running: W/Es from Mar 15.

92 Heritage Railway

Narrow gauge, 13½ miles, footplate experience, New Romney. Tel: 01797 362353. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Royal Victoria Railway

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

Sittingbourne & Kemsley Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¾ miles, Sittingbourne, Kent. Tel: 01795 424899. Running: April 3.

Spa Valley Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Tel: 01892 537715. Running: Feb 14, 19-21, W/Es from Mar 14.

SOUTH WEST Avon Valley Railway

Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bitton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 932 7296. Running: Feb 15-23, Mar 23, 30.

Bodmin & Wenford Railway Standard gauge, 6½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bodmin, Cornwall. Tel: 01208 73666. Engines: 6435, 4247, 4612, 3298. Running: Feb 18, 19, Mar 15.

Dartmoor Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, Okehampton, Devon.

Tel: 01837 55164. Running: March.

31806. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Dartmouth Steam Railway

Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, Blunsdon, Wiltshire. Tel: 01793 771615. Running: Suns from Mar 1.

Standard gauge, seven miles, wine and dine, Paignton, Devon. Tel: 01803 555872. Engines: 7827, 5239, 4277. Running: Sat, Tues-Thurs + Feb 15, 16, 19, 22.

Devon Railway Centre

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Bickleigh, Devon. Tel: 01884 855671. Running: April.

East Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Cranmore, Somerset. Tel: 01749 880417. Engines: 5637, 46447 Running: W/Es from Mar 7.

Helston Railway

Standard gauge, Helston, Cornwall. Tel: 07875 481380. Running: Easter.

Swindon & Cricklade Railway

West Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, 20 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BG. Tel: 01643 704996. Engines: 88, 3850, 4160, 7828, 4936, 6960, 5541. Running: W/Es + Feb 17-19.

EAST ANGLIA Bressingham Steam Museum

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Diss, Norfolk. Tel: 01379 686900. Running: Feb 14-22.

Moors Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, nine miles, footplate experience, Aylsham, Norfolk. Tel: 01263 733858. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Narrow gauge, one mile, Woody Bay, north Devon. Tel: 01598 763487. Running: February 15, 17-19, 21, 22, W/Es from Mar 7.

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

Plym Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Marsh Mills, Plymouth, Devon. Running: April 5.

Seaton Tramway

Narrow gauge, three miles, Harbour Road, Seaton, Devon. 01297 20375. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

South Devon Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Buckfastleigh, Devon. Engines: L92, 3205, 5542. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Swanage Railway

Standard gauge, six miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Swanage, Dorset. Tel: 01929 425800. Engines: 30053, 34070, 6695, 80078,

Bure Valley Railway

Colne Valley Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine & dine, Castle Hedingham, Essex. Tel: 01787 461174. Running: Mar 31.

East Anglian Railway Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Wakes Colne, Essex. Tel: 01206 242524. Open: W/Es.

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. Running: Feb 28, Mar 8.

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

Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 7 Beatricedeparts from Stoneacre loop on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway on December 28. STUART BROWN

Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Standard gauge, 1⁄4 mile, Brockford, Suffolk. Running: April 5.

Nene Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Wansford, Peterborough, Cambs. Tel: 01780 784444. Engine: 62712. Running: Suns + Feb 14, 17-19, 21.

North Norfolk Railway

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, footplate experience, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8RA. Tel: 01263 820800. Engines: 62712, 564, 8572, 92203, 76084, 61306. Running: Feb 14-22, Mar 6-8.

Wells & Walsingham Railway Narrow gauge, four miles, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. Tel: 01328 711630. Running: Easter.

Whitwell & Reepham Railway Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Reepham, Norfolk. Tel: 01603 871694. Running: W/Es.

HOME COUNTIES Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, footplate experience, Quainton Road, Bucks. Tel: 01296 655720. Engines: 30585, Met 1. Open: Feb 17, 19 Running: Feb 15, 18, 22.

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, Chinnor, Oxon. Tel: 01844 353535. Running: March 15.

Cholsey & Wallingford Railway

Standard gauge, 2½ miles, Wallingford, Oxon. Tel: 01491 835067. Running: March 15.

Didcot Railway Centre

Standard gauge, footplate experience, Didcot, Oxon. Tel: 01235 817200. Engines: 93, 3650, 5322, 6023. Open: W/Es + Feb 16-20. Running: Feb 14, 15, 18, 21, 22.

Epping Ongar Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Ongar, Essex. Tel: 01277 365200. Engine: 4141. Running: Feb 14, 15, 18, 21, 22.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Narrow gauge, 2¾ miles, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Tel: 01525 373888. Running: Feb 15, 18, 22.

MIDLANDS Amerton Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffs. Tel: 01785 850965. Running: Feb 14-22.

Apedale Valley Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Apedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. Tel: 0845 094 1953. Running: April 4.

Barrow Hill Roundhouse

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Tel: 01246 472450. Open: W/Es, Running Mar 14.

Battlefield Line Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Shackerstone, Leics. Tel: 01827 880754. Engine: 3803. Running: TBA.

Chasewater Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Walsall, West Midlands. Tel: 01543 452623. Running: Feb 28, Mar 1.

Churnet Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 5¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Cheddleton, Staffs. Tel: 01538 750755. Engine: 69621. Running: Feb 14, 15, Mar 1.

Dean Forest Railway

Standard gauge, 4¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Norchard, Lydney, Glos. Tel: 01594 845840. Engine: 5541. Running: Suns + Feb 18.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Standard gauge, eight miles, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. 01629 823076. Running: W/Es, Tues + Feb 11, 12.

Evesham Vale Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¼ mile, A46 north of Evesham, Worcs. Tel: 01386 422282. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Foxfield Railway

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, Blythe Bridge, Staffs. Running: April.

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Toddington, Glos. Tel: 01242 621405. Engines: 2807, 8274, 7820, 4270. Running: W/Es from Mar 7.

Great Central Railway

Standard gauge, eight miles, Loughborough, Leics LE11 1RW. Tel: 01509 632323. Engines: 48624, 47406, 46521, 777,

92214, 70013. Running: W/Es + Feb 17-19.

Midland Railway-Butterley Standard gauge, 3½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Ripley, Derbyshire. Tel: 01773 570140. Engines: 23, 73129. Running: W/Es.

Northampton & Lamport Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Pitsford, Northants. Tel: 01604 820327. Running: TBA.

Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre

Standard gauge, four miles, Ruddington, Notts. Tel: 0115 940 570. Running: Feb 14, 15, 21, 22.

Peak Rail

Standard gauge, four miles, Matlock, Derbyshire. Tel: 01629 580381. Running: W/Es + Feb 17, 18.

Perrygrove Railway

Narrow gauge, B4228, Coleford, Glos. Tel: 01594 834991. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Rocks By Rail

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Cottesmore, Rutland. Running: Feb 15, Mar 15.

Rudyard Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, 1½ miles, Leek, Staffs. Tel: 01995 672280. Running: Easter.

Rushden Transport Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Rushden, Northants. Running: Easter.

Severn Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 16 miles, footplate

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UP & RUNNING

Manning Wardle 0-6-0STSirBerkeley departs from Keighley on January 10 with the first carriages to arrive on the KWVR, celebrating 50 years of the Vintage Carriages Trust 1965-2015, carrying invited guests. JOHN WHITELEY experience, wine and dine, Bewdley, Worcs DY12 1BG. Tel: 01299 403816. Engines: 1501, 4566, 5164, 7812, 2857, 43106, 1450. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

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 [email protected] Tel: 01952 503880. Running: Easter.

NORTH WEST East Lancashire Railway

Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, Bury, Lancs. Tel: 01617 647790. Engines: 80080, 13065, 61994, 73129. Running: W/Es + Feb 18-20.

Heaton Park Tramway

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

Isle Of Man Steam Railway

Narrow gauge, 15½ miles, Douglas, Isle of Man. Tel: 01624 662525. Running: Feb 12-15, daily from Mar 6.

Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, near Ulverston, Cumbria. Tel: 01539 531594. Engines: 42073, 42085. Running: Feb 14-22.

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

Narrow gauge, seven miles, Ravenglass, Cumbria. Tel: 01229 717171. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Ribble Steam Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Preston, Lancs. Tel: 01772 728800. Running: Mar 7, 8.

94 Heritage Railway

Stainmore Railway

Standard gauge, ½ mile, Kirkby Stephen East Station, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4LA. Running: Easter.

West Lancashire Light Railway Narrow gauge, Hesketh Bank, Lancs. Tel: 01772 815881. Running: April.

NORTH EAST Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society Standard gauge, 15 miles, Tata Steelworks, Scunthorpe. Tel: 01652 657053. Running: March 7.

Bowes Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Springwell, Tyne & Wear. Tel: 01914 161847. Open: Mon, Tues, Thurs.

Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Tel: 01472 604657. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Derwent Valley Railway

Standard gauge, ½ mile, Murton Park, Layerthorpe, York. Tel: 01904 489966. Running: Easter.

Elsecar Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Elsecar, South Yorks. Footplate experience. Tel: 01226 746746. Open: Daily. Running: Suns.

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Embsay, Yorks. Engine: 12322. Running: Suns.

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

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

Tanfield Railway

West Yorks BD22 8NJ. Tel: 01535 645214. Engines: 43924, 90733, 1054, 5820, 34092, 75078. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20, 27.

Kirklees Light Railway Narrow gauge, four miles, Huddersfield, West Yorks. Tel: 01484 865727. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Ludborough, Tel: 01507 363881. Running: Mar 15.

Middleton Railway Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Hunslet, Leeds. Tel: 0113 271 0320. Engine: 1310. Running: W/Es from Mar 28.

North Tyneside Railway Standard gauge, two miles. North Shields. Tel: 0191 200 7146. Running: Easter.

Standard gauge, 12 miles, Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire. Tel: 0845 450 5474. Engine: 69023. Running: Sats + Feb 15, 18, 20.

WALES Narrow gauge, 4½ miles, Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01678 540666. Running: Easter.

Brecon Mountain Railway

Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Tel: 01685 722988. Running: W/Es + Feb 17-20 + 24-27.

Cambrian Heritage Railways

Standard gauge, ¾ mile, Llynclys Station & Oswestry station. Tel: 07527 107592. Running: TBA.

Corris Railway

North Yorkshire Moors Railway Standard gauge, 18 miles, wine and dine, Grosmont, North Yorks.

Narrow gauge, ¾ mile, Corris, Machynlleth. Tel: 01654 761303. Running: Easter.

Fairbourne Railway

Tel: 01751 472508. Engines: 60007, 45428, 75029, 61264, 44806, 63395. Running: Feb 14-22, Mar 6-8.

South Tynedale Railway Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Alston, Cumbria. Running: TBA.

Wensleydale Railway

Bala Lake Railway

Lincolnshire.

Tel: 01434 382828/381696.

Standard gauge, three miles, near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Tel: 01913 887545. Running: Suns.

Narrow gauge, two miles, Fairbourne, Gwynedd. Tel: 01341 250362. Running: Feb 14-22.

Ffestiniog Railway

Narrow gauge, 15 miles, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Wed, Thur + Feb 14-21.

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

UP & RUNNING Gwili Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthenshire. Tel: 01267 238213. Running: Suns + Feb 14-21

Llanberis Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, three miles, Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870549. Running: Feb 24.

Llangollen Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Llangollen, Denbighshire. Tel: 01978 860979. Engines: 3802, 45337, 5199, 80072, 92212, 4270, 3205, 1450, 34092. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20, Mar 6, 13.

Snowdon Mountain Railway

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

Talyllyn Railway

Narrow gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Tywyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01654 710472. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Vale Of Rheidol Railway

Narrow gauge, 11¾ miles, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Tel: 01970 625819. Engines, 8, 9. Running: W/Es + Feb 16-20.

Welsh Highland Heritage Railway

Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 513402. Running: April.

Rhyl Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, 26 miles, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Wed, Thur + Feb 14-21, W/Es from Feb 28.

Standard gauge, two miles, Blaenavon, Torfaen. Tel: 01495 792263. Running: April 3. Narrow gauge, Rhyl, North Wales. Running: April.

Welsh Highland Railway

Railway Museums Beamish

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

Cambrian Railways Museum Oswestry station. Open: Tues-Suns. Tel: 01691 688763.

Col Stephens Railway Museum

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

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

Crewe Heritage Centre

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

Head of Steam

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

Museum Of Scottish Railways

Bo’ness. Open: Daily Apr-Oct. Tel: 01506 825855.

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

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

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

London Transport Museum

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

96 Heritage Railway

Manchester Museum of Science & Industry Castlefield, Manchester. Open: Daily. Tel: 0161 832 2244.

Midsomer Norton

Silver Street, Midsomer Norton. Open: Suns/Mons. 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.

Shillingstone Station

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

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust

Peckett 0-4-0ST Rocket (No. 1722 of 1926) heads a seasonal service on the Telford Steam Railway. ALISTAR GRIEVE

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

Narrow gauge, eight miles, Llanfair Caereinion, mid-Wales. Tel: 01938 810441. Engines: 822, 823. Running: March 28.

SCOTLAND Almond Valley Railway

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

Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway

Caledonian Railway

Downpatrick & County Down Railway

Keith & Dufftown Railway

St Albans South Signalbox & Museum

Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway

Cultra, Co Down. Open: Tues-Sun.

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

Yeovil Railway Centre

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

IRELAND Cavan & Leitrim Railway

STEAM – Museum of the GWR

Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

Standard gauge, 10 miles, Aviemore, Inverness-shire. Tel: 01479 810725. Engines: 46512, 828. Running: TBA

Standard gauge, five miles, Bo’ness, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 822298. Engine: 62712. Running: March 21. Standard gauge, four miles, Brechin, Angus. Tel: 01356 622992. Running: May.

St Albans City station. Tel: 01727 863131.

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

Strathspey Railway

Washford, Somerset. Open: Weekends. Tel: 01984 640869. Swindon, Wilts. Open: Daily. Tel: 01793 466646.

Scottish Industrial Railway Centre

Standard gauge, 11 miles, Dufftown, Banffshire. Running: Easter.

Narrow gauge, one mile, Leadhills, South Lanarkshire. Tel: 0141 556 1061. Running: April.

Royal Deeside Railway Standard gauge, one mile, Milton of Crathes. Kincardineshire. Running: March.

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Dromod, County Leitrim. Tel: 00353 71 9638599. Running: TBA.

Standard gauge, four miles, Downpatrick, County Down. Running: March.

Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Bushmills, County Antrim. Tel: 0282 073 2844. Running: TBA.

Waterford & Suir Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Kilmeadan, County Waterford. Running: April.

West Clare Railway

Narrow gauge, Moyasta Junction, Co Clare. Running: TBA

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

GALAS

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WEB WATCH

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THEATRE REVIEW

Where the stage is the real star

Robin Jones attended the latest production of the stage adaptation of The Railway Children at the temporary King’s Cross Theatre in London. IT WAS nearly 44 years ago in the summer school holidays of 1971 that I watched EMI’s big-screen version of The Railway Children at the long-gone Odeon cinema in my home town of Shirley, Solihull. Back then, the preservation movement was still in its comparative infancy, and memories of the last years of BR steam still clear. Nonetheless, it was a fact that they had gone, and the film was a rare treat enabling me to be transported back to a bygone age with which I could still identify. The movie version of Edith Nesbit’s 1906 very much pre-Grouping era novel was a box office smash, and in ‘making’ the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, did much to further the cause of the preservation movement, which back then, as today, needed every ounce of support from whatever quarter. Family entertainment in the purest sense. So when I attended the press night of the latest stage production of The Railway Children at the purposebuilt temporary 100-seat theatre next door to King’s Cross station, I assumed that the novelty of the story and the characters would have worn thin with the passage of time. Not one bit. I could not fail to be impressed by the King’s Cross Theatre, which stands on what was once the York Way locomotive servicing facility for the East Coast Main Line. The wonderful period interior of the foyer was more like a railway station than a railway station might be expected. Greeted by costumed ushers, your ticket informs you whether you are seated on Platform One or Two in the auditorium. And it was there where the magic starts. For me, the real star of this production was not necessarily the superb cast of actors whose performances of the classic scenes from the novel/film were immaculate, nor the appearance of the National Railway Museum’s LSWR Adams T3 4-4-0 No. 563 at moments of high drama…but the stage itself. Intended to be a representation of Oakworth station, it comprises two platforms covered in wooden flooring material either side of a single track. A centre stage section, with matching flooring fitted flush to the platform sides, moved along the track, giving a sense of movement, doubling up as a train and providing an alternating setting for the rich tableaux of the drama to unfold. Special effects reinforced the sense that the actors were actually ‘on a train’ with hissing emissions of steam from beneath the platform edges. Utterly ingenious, and yes, it worked. Joanna Scotcher deserves another award for its design. The Railway Children tells the story of how the comfortable lives of three

Edwardian children, Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis, are shattered when their father is arrested on suspicion of betraying state secrets. The children and their mother are forced by circumstances to move from London to a modest cottage near a railway in rural Yorkshire, and for them, the train becomes the centrepiece of daily life. Bobbie (Serena Manteghi) admirably played the role of the eldest daughter, stepping up to the mark with petticoat in hand when a landslip threatened life and limb on the line, while brother Peter, played by Jack Hardwick, combined mischievousness with resilience, while Louise Calf splendidly captured the childlike innocence of the youngest, Phyllis. Proud but likeable no-nonsense porter Mr Perks, played by Jeremy Swift, did justice to Bernard Cribbins’ movie portrayal, while Moray Treadwell’s ‘old gentleman’ exuded warmth and compassion at every turn without even trying. In reality, it would be difficult to single out one actor for special praise: all were magnificent and true to the Nesbit spirit. Written by Mike Kenny and directed by Damian Cruden, the show was created at the National Railway Museum in York in 2008, a coproduction with the York Theatre Royal. It had been intended to run for just a few weeks, but it has since been to Toronto and is now making its third appearance in the capital, with more than 700 performances clocked up. Over the years, it has raised more than £300,000 for the Railway Children charity, which helps children worldwide living on the streets. The show returns to the York museum on July 31 and will run until September 5. The tent, which will provide a temporary 1000-seat theatre at the museum while York Theatre Royal undergoes a £4.1 million upgrade, has just arrived from Toronto, where it was used in Damian Cruden’s Canadian production in 2011. In the summer, it will also be used for In Fog and Falling Snow, Bridget Foreman and Mike Kenny’s new community play about York’s railway history. Heritage Railway 101

STAY A WHILE

The Goodshed

Station Road, Little Dunham, Swaffham, Norfolk PE32 2DJ

The Goodshed was converted 13 years ago and now provides a home for the owners and a lovely spacious apartment for two holiday guests. Sitting in gardens of over one acre on the old (closed in 1968) King’s Lynn to Dereham line, the setting is relaxing and peaceful and the garden is a wildlife haven.

The Goodshed is centrally situated in mid-Norfolk not far from the busy market town of Swaffham, with its shops, restaurants and cafes. For railway enthusiasts there is a choice of heritage railways within easy reach: the Mid Norfolk Railway, North Norfolk Railway, the Bure Valley and Wells and Walsingham narrow gauge railways. If you enjoy cycling or walking you will be spoilt for choice with the quiet country lanes and footpaths. For birdwatchers there are many reserves in Norfolk and Suffolk. The city of Norwich, the North Norfolk coast and many National Trust properties are all within easy reach. The apartment is south facing and fully selfcontained with its own entrance. Its super-thick walls

and central heating make it a cosy retreat at any time of the year. The comfortable lounge is fully furnished and also has a flat screen TV, dvd, and cd player. If you like to curl up with a book there is a small library of books to choose from. The bedroom is large with a king-size bed. Exposed brick and flint walls and beams give the room lots of character. The bathroom is modern with excellent over-bath shower. The kitchen has an electric oven, fridge and microwave and is well equipped with all the little things to make life easier for the cook. Tea, coffee and milk are all provided to get guests started plus a few little extras. Laundry facilities are available in a shared utility room.

[email protected]

01760 720617

www.thegoodshed.co.uk

Re-create carefree holidays of the 1950s... but this time in comfort!

Enjoy a

Scotland rail holiday

with the Caledonian Camping Coach Company

The Railway Carriage, Pier Sidings, Loch Awe Station, Dalmally, Argyll PA33 1AQ A traditional railway carriage converted to comfortable and well furnished holiday accommodation is now available to book for your Scottish Highland holiday. This self-catering holiday coach is located on the shores of Loch Awe, beneath the splendid edifice of the Loch Awe Hotel, and offers magnificent views of the loch and nearby Kilchurn Castle. It is set in its own garden area, laid to grass and enclosed by fencing, providing protection from the loch and the railway line. Maintaining as many original features as possible, the carriage has two bedrooms (one double and one with a single and two full-sized bunks), kitchen, living

room, shower room with shower and wash basin, toilet with wash basin, sitting room, and a dining room, which creates the impression of eating in a beautifully fitted-out restaurant car. There is parking for two cars – access from the car parking area is by a short walk over the footbridge across the single track line and down to the carriage, which has two flights of steps from ground level up to the side and rear doors. (Owing to this walk, the coach may not be suitable for people with mobility problems.) Amenities and facilities include: electric heating, electric cooking, dishwasher, fridge, TV ('Freesat' providing national and local TV and radio) with

[email protected] 102 Heritagerailway.co.uk

07718 896390

DVD/CD player, and garden furniture on front deck. Bed linen and towels are provided. Just 75 miles from Glasgow, 21 miles from Oban, and just yards from Loch Awe station, getting there is easy by road or rail and there are lots of places of interest within easy reach. Loch Awe station is a stop on the West Highland Line from Glasgow to Oban, allowing visitors to travel easily to the holiday coach and, together with the local buses that pass the road end, then reach many of the local places of interest by public transport. There are six return services a day from Glasgow to Oban with an additional return train to Oban from Loch Awe.

www.scotlandrailholiday.com

STAY A WHILE CARMARTHENSHIRE

CORNWALL

NORTH NORFOLK

BRIDGE COTTAGES

Advertise your property early for the 2015 season Call Helen on

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

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WEST SOMERSET

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WORTH VALLEY LLANGOLLEN

MID NORFOLK

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Bronte Hotel Haworth

YTB ★★★

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

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

Tel: 01535 644112

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

MID SUFFOLK

Heritage Railway 103

EXPRESS GOODS CLASSIFIED

Contact Helen Martin on 01507 529310 • [email protected]

BOOKS

MODELS

BARRY JONES

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

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

28 Marine Crescent, Worthing BN12 4JF

Tel: 01903 244655 Email: [email protected]

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THE MONTH AHEAD

Spring gala season – part one

February sees the gala season get into full swing with eight major events over a four-week period which should keep the enthusiasts’ busy. The Mid Hants sees the return of two Pacifics from the Jeremy Hosking fleet; the South Devon stages a nine-day Western Region branch line-themed event, while the Nene Valley and North Norfolk railways both host a Scottish visitor in the shape of No. 62712 Morayshire. The East Lancashire stages its second gala of the year already; the Worth Valley sees the return of BR Standard 4-6-0 No. 75078; the North Yorkshire Moors commemorates the 50th anniversary of the closure of its line and Llangollen sees the fourth of the Betton Grange Group’s Steel, Steam & Stars spectaculars.

LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire passes the Mountsorrel branch junction at Swithland on the Great Central Railway on October 7, 2014. ANDREW BELL

SPECIAL EVENTS February

13-15: Mid Hants Railway: Steam Gala ■

This event will see BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia’s return to steam after repairs at Ropley and the welcome return of LNER A4 Pacific No. 4464 Bittern, supported by the resident fleet of SR Schools 4-4-0 No. 925 Cheltenham, 4-6-0 No. 850 Lord Nelson, West Country Pacific No. 34007 Wadebridge, BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212 and Stanier ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45379. There will be demonstration freight trains and behind the scenes shed tours and viewing galleries.

14, 15: Locomotion Shildon: Winter Gala 14, 15: North Norfolk Railway: Vintage Trains 14-22: South Devon Railway: Branch Line Week

The opening weekend of this nine-day event will see the debut of GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6412 in BR green livery plus GWR 0-6-0 No. 3205 and visiting GWR 2-6-2T No. 4566 from the SVR, working passenger and goods trains. It

Issue 200 is out on March 12, 2015 Catch up with the latest news, views and great features every four weeks. 106 Heritagerailway.co.uk

is hoped to recreate some of the first workings along the branch in the preservation era. Monday to Thursday will see No. 6412 working a two-coach autotrain, while Friday will be a pannier tanks day with No. 6412 joined by No. 1369 and LT No. L92, and the weekend will see all five steam engines in action, plus DMU and station pilots with goods trains and mixed trains.

USATC 2-8-0 No. 5820, LNWR 0-6-2T Coal Tank No. 1054, Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No. 1704 Nunlow, Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Sir Berkeley and the welcome return to service of BR Standard 4-6-0 No. 75078. There will be an intensive service from 8.30am with stations gaslit during the evenings. A goods train will be in operation during the weekend and there will be all-line nonstop services.

Suns: Tanfield Railway: Freight in February 21, 22: Llangollen Railway: Days Out with Thomas ■ 21, 22: Nene Valley Railway: 35A New England Winter Steam ■

March

A Gresley engines take centre stage at this event; LNER D 49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire from Bo’ness, although unfortunately the Gresley Society Trust’s GNR N2 0-6-2T No. 1744, once allocated to nearby New England shed will be unable to attend. Hunslet 0-6-0ST Ring Haw which once worked at nearby Nassington ironstone quarry has returned for the first time since 1970, and will haul freight trains and brakevan specials along with Austerity No. 22.

21, 22: East Lancashire Railway: Steam Weekend ■

The principal visiting engine will be BR Standard Caprotti 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73129 making a return visit from Butterley, which will run on passenger and freight trains, alongside the home fleet regulars.

– Mar 1: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: Steam Gala ■

The railway’s home fleet will cover all services over the weekend, featuring SR West Country Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells, MR 4F 0-6-0 No. 43924, WD 2-8-0 No. 90733,

KEY ■ Major or featured galas

28-Mar 1: Chasewater Light Railway: Steam Gala 1: Great Central Railway: Quorn Swapmeet 6-8: Llangollen Railway: Steel Steam & Stars IV ■

The Betton Grange Group is staging its fourth Steel, Steam & Stars gala at the Llangollen Railway over two long weekends. It will be the first gala to feature running to Corwen. The line-up has been finalised as SR light Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells running as just Wells from the KWVR, BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212 from the Mid Hants Railway, GWR 2-8-0T No. 4270 from the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway, GWR 0-6-0 No. 3205 from the South Devon Railway and GWR 0-4-2T No. 1450. The Autotrain will be operating along the whole line along with a freight train and a suburban set as well as two passenger sets with supervised brakevan rides on goods trains.

6-8: North Norfolk Railway: March Steam Gala ■

No. 62712 Morayshire moves on to star in the North Norfolk event along with WR 0-6-0PT No. 1501. Locomotives from the home fleet will include: LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572 and BR

■ Diesel and/or electric galas

Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 76084, and it is expected that they will be joined by GER 0-6-0 No. 564, newly-overhauled and returned to its original Y14 identity in GER blue livery.

6-8: North Yorkshire Moors Railway: 50th Anniversary of Closure ■

The NYMR is marking the 50th anniversary of closure of the route from Grosmont to Rillington Junction, with a weekend of typical traction from 1965, including K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 and K4 2-6-0 No. 3442 (now 61994) The Great Marquess, B1 4-6-0 No. 61264, the Class 101 DMU and A4 Pacific No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. On Friday, March 6, Nos. 61994 and 62005 will work a Pullman dining train to commemorate completion of the project to rebuild a second platform at Whitby station, and the two locomotives, which worked the last steam railtour to Whitby in 1965, will join forces again over the weekend.

7, 8: Bure Valley Railway: Volunteers Open Weekend 7, 8: East Lancashire Railway: Spring Diesel Gala ■ 7, 8: Great Central Railway: Peppa & George ■ 7, 8: Ribble Steam Railway: Diesel Gala ■

RAILWAYANA February

14: SOLENT RAILWAYANA, Wickham 21: LT AUCTIONS, Croydon

March

7: TALISMAN RAILWAYANA, Newark Showground

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