Heritage Railway 204 2015-07

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL FOR BIRLEY AND DOW

ISSUE 204 July 2 – July 29, 2015

nrm plans

FLYING

SCOTSMAN Fivemonth show

tornado

TAKES SCOTLAND BY STORM

■ TALYLLYN

aSHBUrton StatIon ddaY

MANAGER TAKES OVER NYMR

OPINION

BR black-liveried LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leanderclimbs towards Ais Gill at Angerholme with West Coast Railways’ ‘Dalesman’ returning from Carlisle to Hellifield on June 23. BEN COLLIER

The ultimate wasted golden opportunity

C

ash register bells in Whitby are ringing more often than ever before in the wake of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s expansion of its steam services in and out of the port since it opened a dedicated platform at the town’s station. In the sunny EDITORIAL

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

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ISSN No 1466-3560

Published Every four weeks on a Thursday Advert deadline July 17, 2015 Next issue on sale July 30, 2015

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south, Swanage has benefitted enormously since its heritage line opened to Norden, while few can see how the tourist economy of Minehead and district could survive at anything like its present levels without the West Somerset Railway. When the East Lancashire Railway opened, Ramsbottom was transformed overnight from what some may have described as ‘downmarket’ into a highly desirable place to live. When the Severn Valley was decimated by the freak floods of 2007, the closure made a markedly negative impact on Bridgnorth’s tourist economy. It is also said that the Great Little Trains are a major reason why people today holiday in North Wales. East Grinstead has also experienced boom times since it became the northern terminus of the Bluebell Railway. And as we reported in our last issue, Cornwall Council is now looking very seriously and positively into the Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s longterm ambition to extend into Wadebridge. In all of these cases, the multiple benefits of heritage railways are either proven or obvious. So what on earth is going wrong in Ashburton? Back in 1969, what is now the South Devon Railway (SDR) was prevented from running regular passenger trains over the entire GWR Buckfastleigh branch because the northernmost section to Ashburton was needed for the building of a new trunk road bypassing the town. It is hardly likely such a move would be allowed today: an alternative route for the railway alongside would have been provided, along with massive amounts of compensation. Miraculously, the classic terminus buildings in Ashburton survived, and apart from two difficult road crossings, the way back in the town for the railway remained open, provided a new formation was constructed alongside the dual carriageway. When I first entered railway journalism in 1997, the SDR was beginning a feasibility study on returning to the town, and the results were warmly welcomed, not only by neighbouring local councils but Dartmoor National Park Authority itself. Fast forward to the present day, and the park authority appears to have forgotten what it said then. Now, the interests of Ashburton are best served,

we’re told, by turning the old station into community space, building a convenience store very inconveniently over the old trackbed in front of it, and then allowing 12 houses to be erected on the rest of the old formation. Rarely in the history of town planning is such a golden opportunity going to waste, for what seems an extremely minor, short-term little – and very, very local – gain. Just imagine if regular trains ran back into Ashburton? A fairly quiet town on the edge of Dartmoor, it would suddenly be gifted an extended tourist season, with passengers from Totnes and Buckfastleigh regularly decanting into its town centre, as would those from the occasional incoming main line charter from elsewhere in the country. The extra revenue would be guaranteed to boost local services, and in turn secure amenities for local people. Property values would rise, following the trend of other ‘steam re-enabled’ towns. But no. For reasons I and others are struggling desperately to comprehend, Ashburton’s big chance has been transformed into the dampest of squibs. I am utterly flabbergasted by the planning officers’ report when it talks about visitors being deterred by the unattractiveness of a heritage line running alongside a trunk road – this is by far and away the weakest and most pathetic planning objection I have ever heard in my life: stretching a point to make one isn’t the word. Several other key points, not least of all the Friends of Ashburton Station’s criticisms about the standard of consultation, have been missed completely. Whatever the decision reached at the park authority’s meeting on July 3, I hope that the railway does not give up on this one, and fights at every twist and turn of the planning process to ensure than the door for it to return to Ashburton town centre remains open, even if it is a long-term option. Steam would continue to delight visitors and traders alike long after than that wretched convenience store has sold its last can of baked beans, and is there really nowhere else in the town to build a dozen houses? Ashburton really does need its ‘Friends’... and fast. Robin Jones Editor

“I am utterly flabbergasted by the planning officers’ report when it talks about visitors being deterred by the unattractiveness of a heritage line running alongside a trunk road...”

Heritage Railway 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 204

July 2 - July 29

News

06

HEADLINE NEWS

6

British Empire Medals for Julian Birley and Andrew Dow; National Railway Museum plans five-month Flying Scotsman show and another for Locomotion; Talyllyn general manager takes over at North Yorkshire Moors; Brighton Atlantic chassis wheeled; major award for Severn Valley; and Underground steam trip dates confirmed.

12

NEWS

10

Tornado to haul Forth Bridge 125th anniversary specials after taking Scotland by storm; Great Central O4 to steam in Australia; Leander and Princess Elizabeth set to join Barrow Hill’s biggest-ever LMS gathering; South Devon Railway’s special trains manager named young preservationist of the year; beach life for former NRM boss Steve Davies after Mallard 75; drive your own trench railway train at Apedale; decision day for Ashburton’s railway future; controversial model of Gresley statue with mallard duck shown at top London exhibition; Gloucestershire Warwickshire and RPSI volunteers win Queen’s Award; and conservation group demands Okehampton-Tavistock reopening.

Regulars

Features

Railwayana

46

Centre

54

Main Line Tours

66

Platform

88

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

56

MAINLINE NEWS

56

Stunning panorama image as No. 60163 Tornado crosses Culloden viaduct with Abellio ScotRail’s ‘Highland Caledonian’ from Inverness to Stirling.

Tribute to A4 locomotive engineer Roger Barker; Union of South Africa fails with hot box; Sir Nigel Gresley passes gauging test; Reading incident terminates steam; Tyseley’s Shakespeare season opens; West Coast issues apology; and Galatea heads a convoy up Shap.

Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

WITH FULL REGULATOR 62

Guide to railways running in July.

Don Benn reports on locomotive performance in the South West, past and present.

4 Heritagerailway.com

Where your views matter most.

Scale Heritage Railway 90

King George V and first Class 20 from Locomotion models.

Up & Running

The Month Ahead

Upcoming galas and events.

92

106

48

Famous British locomotive engineers Charles Benjamin Collett of the Great Western Railway

Cedric Johns looks at the chief mechanical engineer who was considered a great innovator rather than inventor, but who oversaw the finest locomotives to emerge from Swindon Works, including the Kings, Castles and a plethora of pannier tanks. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

CONTENTS: LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galatea makes heavy weather of the climb to Shap summit with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Cumbrian Coast Express’ on May 30. Running one block behind is BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia with Pathfinder Tours’ ‘Cumbrian Fells Express’. PHIL WATERFIELD COVER: LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado passes Blackford with Abellio ScotRail’s ‘Highland Chieftain’ from Inverness to Stirling on June 22. BEN COLLIER

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Any volunteers?

Our preserved railways have traditionally relied on volunteer labour for every job involved in running steam trains. Peter Brown looks into the question of where future volunteers will come from to keep the heritage lines going.

68

Locos from Leeds

76

The locomotive builders of Leeds were noted for their First World War narrow gauge products. Mark Smithers explains the history of these designs as recently highlighted at Apedale.

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80 84

Manchester’s veterans star at Swedish centenary

Colin Tyson reports from the recent centenary celebrations at the National Railway Museum of Sweden – which saw nine centenarians in steam, including three British-built examples.

Great Western meets Great Eastern

The Epping Ongar Railway extended recently to within 100m of London Transport’s Epping station boundary. Geoff Silcock presents a summer perspective on the line. Heritage Railway 5

HEADLINE NEws NRM plans major Flying Scotsman exhibitions in 2016 ExclusivE by Robin Jones FOLLOWING in the wake of its phenomenally successful Mallard 75 festivals, the National Railway Museum is planning at least two major events to mark the return of Flying Scotsman to public services in early 2016. Firstly, a five-month exhibition featuring the iconic steam locomotive and highlighting its train of the same name will be staged at the museum in York between February and June. A second and later exhibition is being planned for the Locomotion museum at Shildon. The York exhibition is set to be launched on the day the legendary LNER Pacific, which is currently being restored in its latter-day BR incarnation as No. 60163 with double chimney and German-style smoke deflectors, hauls its first public train since its long-running overhaul has been completed. It will also tie in with the 94th anniversary of the emergence of the locomotive from Doncaster Works as GNR No. 1472 on February 27, 1922. The purchase and overhaul of what is considered to be the world’s most famous steam locomotive has sailed past the £5 million mark. Bury engineer Ian Riley is completing the overhaul of the A3, a project he agreed in return for him being allowed to run it on the national network for two years, while undertaking a programme of ongoing maintenance and helping to resolve any issues that may arise. The repainting into the historically-appropriate BR green was part of the contract On April 29, the boiler – which had been on display in the museum workshop – left the Great Hall for Ian’s workshops, complete with new components for the smokebox door. The frames were successfully fitted to the wheels of the A3, followed by the boiler being reunited with the frames. The boiler will stay on the frames temporarily while adjustments are made to the alignment. After we closed for press, the tender

was due to leave the NRM workshops to be reunited with the rest of the locomotive. Other preparatory work includes the refitting of overhauled airbrake components and the relocation of the water gauge to a safer location, which will make it easier for the crew to assess the water level. The planning of the content of the two exhibitions is still in its early stages. However, it will include a detailed account of the evolution of Flying Scotsman from a Gresley A1 Pacific to the later A3 and its run on November 30, 1934, which saw it officially become the first steam locomotive in the world to break the 100mph barrier. Among the highlights of its dazzling career that are set to be featured will be its 1924 appearance at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, its haulage on May 1, 1928 of the first ever non-stop London to Edinburgh, with a new corridor tender, reducing the journey time to eight hours, its sale to the late Alan Pegler in 1963, its illfated tour of the USA that left it stranded in California and its rescue by Sir William McAlpine and its 1988-89 tour of Australia, during which it recorded the longest-ever non-stop run by a steam locomotive, travelling 422 miles. There will be a ‘Flying Scotsman Experience’ allowing first-hand access to the locomotive when it is not on main line duty. In such cases, visitors will be able to board and inspect the ‘Flying Scotsman’ train that will form part of the exhibition. This year the NRM is currently working in partnership with York Theatre Royal, which has had to move to a temporary auditorium, the Signal box Theatre, in the museum’s yard while its premises are undergoing a £4 million refurbishment. The two organisations have been collaborating on a new community play, In Fog and Falling Snow, which tells the story of the rise and fall of George Hudson, the man dubbed the ‘Railway King’. The show opens on Friday, June 26 and runs until Saturday, July 11.

Simon Holroyd repositioning the water gauge in the York museum’s workshops. NRM

6 Heritagerailway.co.uk

FlyingScotsmanin its latter-day BR guise. NRM The Railway Children, directed by York Theatre Royal’s artistic director Damian Cruden, will return to the NRM from July 31 to September 5. This time, it will star one of the locomotives which appeared in the original EMI 1970 movie, the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5775. The museum and the theatre are also collaborating on a new play about Flying Scotsman, as a part of next year’s exhibition, in a continuation of the mutually beneficial partnership. Staff at the museum hope the international fame of Flying Scotsman will draw crowds comparable to the three Mallard 75 Great Gatherings in 2013-14, thanks in part to sponsorship deals that made more than £500,000 for parent body the Science Museum after attracting 365,000 visitors. The events pushed the total number of visitors to both the York and Shildon museums to more than

1,250,000 during that financial year. That event centred round all six surviving A4 Pacifics and involved the temporary repatriation of Dominion of Canada and Dwight D. Eisenhower from their two North American museum homes. The Flying Scotsman event will focus on just one locomotive – but one which has such pulling power that, according to police estimates, was seen by around a million members of the public who turned out to watch its comeback trip from King’s Cross to York following the completion of its last overhaul in July 1999. Further details of the Flying Scotsman exhibitions will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, tickets for this year’s two theatrical productions can be bought by telephoning the Box Office on 01904 623568, online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or in person at York Theatre Royal.

The boiler, frames and cab of FlyingScotsman temporarily reunited on May 1. NRM Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

New MD looks forward to leading role at NYMR By Roger Melton THe North Yorkshire Moors Railway has announced the appointment of Chris Price, the current general manager of the Talyllyn Railway, as its new managing director with effect from October. Mike Child, the chairman of the NYMR Trust’s operating company said: “The managing director’s role is a particularly challenging one, working with several hundred volunteers and staff. Responsibilities range from making sure the railway, vintage steam engines and carriages are in good working order, to ensuring every passenger enjoys their experience, visiting our stations and travelling on our trains. “In Chris we have found someone of great experience with a strong record of achievement on another awardwinning railway. “As a heritage charity with no public funding, Chris will play a leading role in ensuring that the NYMR continues to enthuse future generations of visitors to the North York Moors. We are confident that he is the right person to further develop NYMR as a vibrant heritage business, enabling us to grow and improve the visitor experience on the railway. We warmly welcome him on board.” Philip Benham, who is stepping down after 11 years, added: “I am

delighted at Chris’s appointment and know he will lead NYMR on to even greater success in the future. How appropriate that he comes from the Talyllyn, the world’s first preserved railway, to NYMR, which today is the world’s most popular heritage railway!” Commenting on the appointment Gareth Jones, chairman of the Talyllyn Railway Company, said: “Since Chris’s appointment in 2013 he has been a force for change on the Talyllyn. In many ways he has helped us rediscover our sense of belief in ourselves and what we are capable of. “We are naturally sad at the news of his impending departure, but we also understand the chance that he has been offered. In fact we take it as a great compliment to our original appointment that the NYMR have also recognised the gifts and abilities that Chris has to offer. “Certainly he leaves us in a stronger position than two years ago. We therefore want to wish him and his family all the best as they prepare for this new adventure, but also recognise that he leaves behind a great team of people well able to keep the Talyllyn moving forward as we search for his successor.” Chris said: “This has been a very difficult decision to make, there is so much about the Talyllyn that I love and it has been a fantastic privilege to serve as its general manager. However, the

Chris Price at the Talyllyn Railway. TR opportunities and challenges offered by this new role were ones that in the end I could not ignore. I have had the opportunity to work with some great people here and to take things forward in ways that only recently would have seemed impossible. “The NYMR is an iconic line, known by millions, who have either ridden on it or who have seen it on their television or in movies and I am very humbled that the directors feel that I

am the person to take on this huge responsibility. “I am looking forward to taking up this new position and to get to know the people there, but I also want to express my gratitude to all those who helped and supported me during my time on the Talyllyn. It is going to be a huge wrench to leave these folk behind, but I have every confidence that they will continue to build a great future for this wonderful railway.”

Bluebell new-build Brighton Atlantic is now a rolling chassis VISITORS to the new-build Brighton Atlantic project at Bluebell Railway were delighted to see it displayed at the rolling chassis stage. The replica of H2 4-4-2 No. 32424 Beachy Head was on view at Atlantic House, Sheffield Park station during June 13-14. The last major items to be fitted to the rolling chassis are the connecting and coupling rods. The unusual eccentric crankpin

on the driven wheels allows the throw of the coupling rods to be reduced, reducing balancing needs and hammer blow to the track, while accommodating the full stroke of the pistons. The frames have already been painted in the lined BR black that the finished locomotive will carry initially. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the project is invited to email [email protected]

Three to steam Penrhyn Quarry 1965 event THe reborn Penrhyn Quarry Railway is to hold a special event on September 19-20 to mark the 50th year since the last locomotive was used in the Snowdonian slate quarry and the closure of the site at Felin Fawr. There will be three steam locomotives on site – two of them original Penrhyn locomotives and a vintage bus service will run to Porth Penrhyn during the day. In addition there will be vintage vehicles, display stands, a miniature railway and demonstration Penrhyn trains. The event will also see the launch of two new coaches built to the Penrhyn Quarry workmen’s train design and an original PQR slate wagon. Locomotives expected to be in use are Penrhyn Ruston 26, the resident

diesel, which will be hauling demonstration trains over the two days and Iorwerth, a new-build vertical boilered locomotive built by Adam Barber of Oswestry and named after a Penrhyn Quarry worker who helped Adam source parts for it. It will be hauling a quarryman’s coach over the two days. They are expected to be joined by Marchlyn, an Avonside 0-4-0T bought second-hand for Penrhyn, one of the last to work in the quarry in the 1960s. Marchlyn, repatriated from Tennessee in June 2011 by the Statfold Barn Railway and rebuilt to running order, will be hauling the coaches on their official launch. A third steam engine, yet to be announced, is also expected to be in action.

The rolling chassis of the new BeachyHeadon display. PHIL BARNES

September Met dates confirmed

LONDON Transport Museum will operate its next series of public steam trips over the Underground system over the weekend of September 12-13, it has confirmed. The trips to Watford and Chesham will again use Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No. 1 backed up by Bill Parker’s GWR Prairie No. L150 (5521). However, the trips will be cancelled if the RMT union goes ahead with threatened strike action on the Underground that weekend. As we closed for press, the union had not listed the dates for their strike action.

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

The first trip of each day will run from Harrow to Chesham and then Watford. It will be followed by two return trips from Watford to Chesham. The last train will run from Watford to Chesham and Harrow. The trips will again use the Bluebell Railways Chesham set of wooden-bodied carriages, Jubilee coach No. 353 and the milk van, which will be making its last outings on the Underground. Booking information will be available at www.ltmuseum.co.uk or on 0207 565 7298. Tickets for the event will be on sale in July. Heritage Railway 7

HEADLINE NEws

British Empire Medals are awarded to Birley and Dow By Robin Jones

PRESERVATION powerhouse Julian Birley has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Also awarded a BEM was former National Railway Museum head Andrew Dow who, as reported in Heritage Railway issue 202, died in hospital on April 24 at the age of 71. Both were awarded the honour for their services to railway heritage. Julian, chairman of the North Norfolk Railway who among a catalogue of other achievements spearheaded the reconnection of the Poppy Line to the national network, and who is now aiming to take give the Bala Lake Railway a town centre presence, said: “This is an honour for all the volunteers of the heritage railway movement, not just me.” North Norfolk managing director Hugh Harkett said: “Julian fully deserves this recognition of his work

in our heritage movement for many years, and particularly his help to the North Norfolk Railway, his alma mater! Not quite Lord Birley of Bala yet... but nearly there! “Julian has been involved in so many facets of our heritage – QuadArts restoration; Bridge Road carriage sheds; the J21 loco; the Sheringham station purchase and canopy. Those are but a few.

Great honour

“He has managed over many years to get us out of trouble by persuading loco owners to bring their engines to Norfolk. And now he is becoming a true ‘Cymro’ and taking railways into that brooding land in North Wales. What fortitude – but don’t forget Norfolk Julian! I hope you will all join in congratulating Julian on this great honour for him personally and for our industry.” A statement from Andrew Dow’s family said: “We are absolutely thrilled

The Dow family pictured in 2012, from left; James Dow (son) Dr Stephanie Dow (wife), Andrew Dow, Sandra holding baby Lukas (daughter-in law) wife of James, Jonathan Elliott (son-in law) and Alyx Elliott (daughter).

Second national accolade for Severn Valley Railway THE Severn Valley Railway has yet another cause to celebrate its 50th anniversary after winning its second national award in just three months. It was on July 6, 1965, that a public meeting was held in the Coopers Arms in the Kidderminster suburb of Habberley at which the Severn Valley Railway Society was formed. Half a century on, in a Golden Jubilee year which has seen a visit by Princess Anne, the line has been crowned the Best Preserved Railway for Groups in the 2015 Group Travel Awards, which recognises the best suppliers in that sector. Readers of the national magazine Group Travel Organiser were asked to vote for who they think are the best suppliers in the industry in more than 20 categories, rating their visitor experience from start to finish. The SVR was previously named runner-up in the Best Attraction for

8 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Group Visits – Long Visit category of the awards in 2013, coming second to Buckingham Palace. The latest comes just three months after the attraction was voted Heritage Site of the Year in the BBC Countryfile Magazine awards, beating off competition from some of the UK’s most famous tourism attractions. SVR marketing and communications manager Clare Gibbard said: “This will most definitely add even more sparkle to this exceptional year for us and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for us.” A Golden Ticket competition to be launched on July 6 – the railway’s official birthday – will offer people the chance to win a one-off VIP experience day at the line. There will be a Sounds of the 60s event from August 14-16. ➜ For more information visit www.svr.co.uk or call 01562 757900.

that he has been awarded the British Empire Medal. “We always knew what an intelligent, committed and wonderful man he was in his private life, but it means a great deal to us that his expertise and contribution to railway heritage has now been recognised publicly as well. “Although we are sad that he is not able to receive the award himself, he was told – in confidence – before he died that he would be receiving the BEM. He was humbled and quite overwhelmed by the honour. “The whole family look forward to receiving the BEM on his behalf later in the year.” Julian, 56, built up a five-office estate agency in south-west London between 1985 and 2006, employing 30 people, before selling it to Hong Kong investors. He still manages his own property portfolio in the capital, and acts as a contract valuer for main building societies and lending banks. In 2001, he was co-opted onto the board of the North Norfolk Railway to assess and advise on the Sheringham station crisis, when the landlord placed the freehold on the market, threatening the line’s survival. Within four months he raised £290,000 to purchase the freehold, with 75% coming from a Heritage lottery Fund fast-track grant and the rest from private donations. The benefactor who had offered the NNR a £150,000 loan for the purchase was sufficiently impressed with the project that he gave a £50,000 donation towards replacing the station roof, leading to awards from the Heritage Railway Association and

Ian Allan Publishing. In late 2001, Julian persuaded Norfolk County Council to donate the demolitionearmarked Stalham station building to the railway, and it was duly dismantled by volunteers in March 2002 and re-erected at Holt station. Also in 2002, Julian obtained the only remaining Wisbech & Upwell Tramway coach from the Rutland Railway Museum and arranged for it to be immediately restored at Appleby, funded by an NNR director. That year, Julian was named Preservationist of the Year by the Transport Trust. In December, he raised £5000 in one evening for the overhaul of Polish TY3 No. 2.

Charitable trust

He masterminded the Lottery application for £355,000 as 75% of the cost of restoring the NNR’s unique Quad-Art set No. 74, the rest coming from match funding. In 2003, he took the Midland & Great Northern Railway’s J15 0-6-0 No. 65462 to Beamish Museum in County Durham for a day to start the appeal to restore J21 0-6-0 No. 65033, later setting up a charitable trust, the Locomotive Conservation and Learning Trust, to manage the project which is now based at Kirkby Stephen East station. At Sheringham, Julian ran Operation Phoenix to raise £300,000 as match funding for £800,000 in grant aid awarded to the railway for development of its infrastructure. In 2005, he convinced North Norfolk District Council to grant planning permission for a carriage shed to be

Finances improve at the NYMR AFTER several years of operating losses, the 2014/5 financial year saw the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, return to a modest profit on railway operations of just over £20,000. However, when its charitable operations such as membership income, bequests and the like were taken into account the overall surplus rose to in excess of £650,000.

Recordyearforbequests

On Britain’s most popular heritage line in terms of passenger numbers, 2014 appears to have been a record year for bequests, in particular, and the income from these is being earmarked to support future capital expenditure, such as the proposed Pickering carriage shed and further developments at Grosmont shed. A strong measure of the railway’s financial health is the fact that it

was able to spend around £1.5 million in capital expenditure, a figure that excludes most of the work carried out in the course of building Platform 2 at Whitby, which was funded by external grants.

Newcoalcontract

The NYMR now has a balance sheet value of around £7.5 million after debts such as bank loans are deducted. With a new coal contract now in place that offers savings of up to £100,000 per year (albeit offset by some deliveries of questionable quality coal making for an issue that will have to be addressed) there are strong grounds for hoping that the 2015/6 performance will be even better, with a whole season to benefit from the new platform and improved access to Whitby.

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Julian Birley with his Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST No. 780 of 1902Alice. BLR

Julian Birley’s proudest moment on the North Norfolk Railway came when BR Britannia Pacific No. 70013OliverCromwell headed a special from London over the long-closed Station Road level crossing into Sheringham station on March 10, 2010. JULIAN BIRLEY

constructed in an Area of Outstanding Beauty at Holt, and then successfully applied to the Lottery for a £314,000 grant. He raised £15,000 for the restoration of Gresley teak Pigeon Van No. 6843 which reentered traffic 2006, transporting racing pigeons from the Royal loft at Sandringham. The donors came to see the event and were so impressed that they gave another £75,000, making up the match funding required for the building of the carriage shed. In 2007, Julian raised £31,500 to refurbish the line’s RBR dining coach so that the dining train could be relaunched that summer. The following year, he headed up the reinstatement of Sheringham level crossing to the main network, which we named in issue 50 as one of the four biggest obstacles in the heritage railway portfolio. On March 10, 2010, he proudly watched as the first train from London for 43 years pulled into the line’s Sheringham station. He also became an advisor to The A1 Steam

railway system near Weardale, Andrew Barclay No. 1994 of 1931 Glyder and Avonside No. 2066 of 1933 Ogwen. The latter two went to Beamish, while Winifred was restored at Bala and made its passengercarrying debut on April 13. As reported in HR issue 199, Julian has now drawn up a blueprint to bring the Bala Lake Railway into the heart of Bala town centre, currently his main project, and one which is set to revive the fortunes of both the railway and the town big time, elevating the line into the top flight of UK narrow gauge outfits. Andrew Dow was the son of historian George Dow – famous for his books on the Great Central Railway among others – and his wife Doris. Educated at Brighton College and Bristol College of Commerce, in 1962 he began a five-year commercial apprenticeship at Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited, which led to a career in the aircraft industry. In 1992, however, he became head of the NRM at York, two years later moving

Locomotive Trust’s board of trustees for the £3 million new-build Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado regarding grants and the acquisition of a support coach. In 2010, Julian, who lives in Somerset, switched his attention to the Bala Lake Railway, when he bought Quarry Hunslet Alice and based it there.

Blueprint for Bala

That year, he began building a unique operational Dinorwic Quarry slate train from components rescued from the quarry on Mount Elidir. He also restored one of three Dinorwic passenger carrying vehicles built for a visit by Queen Victoria’s family in 1889. In 2012, Julian Birley negotiated the purchase of three 2ft gauge locomotives which were exported to the United States after the end of steam at the Penrhyn Quarry, Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST No. 364 of 1885 Winifred and two that had been supplied new to the County Durham Water Board’s Burnhope Reservoir

to BR as contracts manager of its Special Trains Unit and commercial manager of BR Infrastructure Services. Between 1996-99, he served as commercial director, business development director, and company secretary simultaneously at Fastline Track Renewals Ltd, a successful management buyout of part of the BR civil engineering business retiring when Jarvis plc bought the company.

A1 trust director

Living near York, he spent his retirement following in his father’s footsteps writing books, and briefly became involved with the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. He was also president of the Stephenson Locomotive Society, and commercial director of Tornado builder The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, He died at St Monica’s Hospital in Easingwold, three years after undergoing major surgery for bladder cancer. He is survived by his wife Stephanie, whom he married in 1973, and their children James, 36, and Alyx, 32.

‘Jacobite’ wreath honours Kennedy

‘Black Five’ No. 45407 carries the wreath in honour of the late Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy on the ‘Jacobite’. IAIN HENSHAW Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

COMMEMORATIVE wreaths were attached to the front of LMS ‘Black Fives’ No. 45407 and No 44871 pulling West Coast Railways’ ‘Jacobite’ in a tribute to former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy on the day of his funeral. The first wreath included a card bearing the message ‘Thank You and Farewell, Charles Kennedy’ as a mark of respect to the former MP, who was president of the Friends of the West Highland Line and a Friend of Glenfinnan Station Museum. On June 12, the wreath was carried along the West Highland Extension, passing within a few yards of Mr Kennedy’s Lochyside croft home. As it passed, driver Alec Ian MacDonald gave a loud blast on the whistle. The train also passed close to St John’s Church in Caol, where the funeral service was held. One of the wreaths was later laid at his grave at Achnacarry. On its return to Fort William, the wreath was removed and it was later placed on the Class 67 No. 67004 pulling that night’s Caledonian Sleeper between Fort William and London, Mr Kennedy’s first and second homes. Heritage Railway 9

News

Tornado to the Far North TORNADO will take centre stage in the 125th anniversary celebrations for the Forth Bridge when it hauls two trains for the Scottish Railway Preservation Society on Sunday, July 5. Replacing the no-longer-available A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa at the 11th hour, No. 60163 will haul two Fife Circle excursions from Waverley along the north shore of the Firth of Forth to Fife, departing at 11.30am and 3.30pm. Weeks behind schedule, its proving run originally set for early May, a last-minute scramble readied the A1 Pacific for its first main line outing since its £400,000 overhaul. Moved by road from Darlington Locomotive Works to Locomotion at Shildon, Tornado was successfully ‘trialled’ in the yard before a light and loaded test run over the border to Millerhill yard on Thursday, June 17. Departing Darlington with its support coach, at Tyne Yard it collected coaching stock and ran to Edinburgh, reaching Millerhill around 1pm with no problems, preparing it for the first passenger trip, ScotRailAbellio’s Stirling-Inverness ‘Highland Rambler’ on Saturday, June 20. The Pacific made light work of the climb to Druimuachdar summit, passed at 49mph. The next day Tornado broke new ground for the class, working the Inverness-Bora ‘Seaforth Highlander’, on the Far North line, which has never seen anything larger than a ‘Black Five’. Limited to 35mph throughout, the Pacific had no difficulty keeping time. On Monday, June 22, it was Inverness

to Stirling with ‘The Highland Caledonian’. The SRPS provided the eight-coach Mk1 rake. On June 23 Tornado headed an evening train of Belmond Pullman stock from Edinburgh to Stirling, pausing on the Forth Bridge for a firework display. Five days later, the A1 hauled empty stock to Carlisle to head the ‘Border Reiver’, a tour to Glasgow. On Tuesday, July 7 the newlyreliveried apple green engine was scheduled for the return leg of the redated A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s ‘White Rose’, worked north from King’s Cross to York by Deltic D9009 Alycidon. Tornado’s schedule continues on July 12 and 26 and August 2, heading the return ‘Torbay Express’ from Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear. Returning to Stewarts Lane, the 4-6-2 will haul its first ‘Belmond British Pullman’, a Surrey Hills luncheon trip, on Saturday, August 8. From August 11 to September, Tornado will visit the Nene Valley Railway. On September 11 and 23, Tornado is back on VSOE duty – the first another ‘Surrey Hills’ trip, the second an excursion from London Victoria to Bath and Bristol. On September 26, Tornado takes the A1 Trust’s ‘Silver Jubilee Talisman’ from King’s Cross to York, Darlington and Newcastle, followed by a break before working three more Pullman luncheon trains on November 6, December 8 and 12. Its year ends on December 31 with the York to Newcastle ‘St Mungo Anniversary Tour’.

A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado tops Druimuachdar summit at 49mph with ScotRail Abellio’s ’Highland Rambler’ to Inverness on June 20. BRIAN SHARPE Meanwhile, ScotRail-Abellio’s next steam venture will be the inaugural trips over the Borders Railway, the relaid section of the Waverley route to Carlisle, which is set to open in September.

➜ Bookings for the Forth Bridge trips, announced as we closed for press, can be made on 0131 202 1033 or www.srpsrailtours.com Prices are standard class: adult £49, child £37, and first class adult £74.

After a 5mph restriction through the platform at Carrbridge, Tornado resumes the climb to Slochd summit on June 20. BRIAN SHARPE

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Right: The unprecedented sight of an A1 Pacific crossing Invershin viaduct on the Far North line with the ‘Seaforth Highlander’ on June 21. BRIAN SHARPE Below: Having deposited most of its passengers at Dunrobin Castle in the pouring rain, No. 60163 heads along the east coast of Sutherland towards Brora. BRIAN SHARPE

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Heritage Railway 11

Grant aid boost as funding gap for London’s ‘secret railway line’ is narrowed By Geoff Courtney

THE landmark Mail Rail project which will provide public rides on part of London’s ‘secret’ mothballed underground railway has received a major boost with the award of two major grants totalling more than £170,000. The 2ft gauge 6½ mile line was opened in 1927 as the Post Office Underground Railway to transport mail beneath the heart of the capital from Paddington station to Liverpool Street and Whitechapel Road. At its peak the driverless electric trains carried four million letters a day, but was closed in 2003 and mothballed by Royal Mail, although regular maintenance is still carried out.

Public rides

In 2013, a £22½ million project was announced by the British Postal Museum & Archive to reopen a 1km stretch of the line for public rides on purpose-built electrically-powered trains. It will be the first time in 88 years that members of the public will have travelled on its tracks, which lie 70ft below ground. In its operating days few people were aware of its existence despite the vital role it played in ensuring the reliable delivery of letters and parcels to the capital’s residents and businesses, so leading to it becoming

known as London’s secret railway. As reported exclusively in Heritage Railway issue 202, the BPMA announced in April that the railway would open to the public at the end of next year, three years earlier than planned, due to the pace of fundraising which had seen 95% of the cost being secured. Now even that 5% gap has been reduced, due to grants from Viridor Credits, the charitable arm of waste management company Viridor, and AIM Biffa, a partnership between the Association of Independent Museums and Biffa, another waste management business. Both organisations provide funds for projects that preserve Britain’s industrial heritage. John Lockwood, chief executive officer of Viridor Credits, which has granted £100,000, said: “Mail Rail is a real time capsule saved for the nation, which can now be brought back to life for the benefit of future museum visitors.” Sam Hunt, award project manager for AIM Biffa, said of the partnership’s £70,600 grant: “We are delighted to support this project. Mail Rail represented an ingenious and uniquely British solution to the problem of the capital city’s crowded streets and the need to transport mail quickly and efficiently.” BPMA director Adrian Steel welcomed the grants, saying: “These

Not forgotten: A driverless Mail Rail train is stored on the railway’s underground track in May this year, as if ready and waiting for its next duty, 12 years after the system ceased operations. The entire 6½ mile network, including much of its rolling stock, has been mothballed by Royal Mail, but next year part of the 2ft gauge line will be opened to the public for the first time providing rides in new purpose-built electric trains. BPMA generous grants have brought us closer to being able to open this world class visitor attraction to the public.”

Clients worldwide

The trains which will transport visitors are being designed and built by Warwickshire-based Severn Lamb Transportation, which was founded in 1948 and in its early days manufactured model and miniature railway steam locomotives. Today it has clients worldwide for which it builds live steam and steam outline narrow gauge diesels, road trains, monorails, and other vehicles for such attractions as theme parks. The public will be able to access the trains halfway along the old route at Mount Pleasant, near King’s Cross station, via the railway’s former maintenance and repair depot that is

being transformed into an exhibition centre as part of the project. The scheme also includes building a postal museum nearby, which Adrian Steel said would reveal for the first time many of the remarkable stories the British Postal Museum & Archive has in its collection. Communications officer Sarah Carr said the museum would display five centuries of British social and communications history as seen through the eyes of its postal service. Collections held by the BPMA, she said, ranged from transport and telegrams to stamps, poster design and photography, with records in the archive being designated by the Arts Council as being of outstanding national importance and listed on the UNESCO memory of the world register.

Loughborough bridge now set for autumn start THE Great Central Railway’s £1 million Bridge to the Future appeal has launched a last push to meet its target. More than £900,000 has been raised for the project to fund the building of a bridge by Network Rail across the Midland Main Line at Loughborough, linking the heritage railway to its northern counterpart the GCR (Nottingham). Donations to the appeal have surged following the announcement that the Heritage Lottery Fund has earmarked £9.5 million for the separate Leicester North museum project. GCR managing director Bill Ford said: “The support for the Bridge to the Future project continues to inspire us. The local community have come together with railway enthusiasts around the world to raise a significant sum and we’re very grateful. Behind the scenes, much work has been done to prepare the way for the rest of the reunification project. The MML bridge is just the start of a very exciting heritage adventure.” However, building work on the bridge has been moved back from

this summer to autumn, in order to tie in with work on the nearby A60 road bridge over the MML, as part of the electrification project. Contractors on the two projects will be able to share equipment and site compound space, making the most efficient use of resources.

GWR small prairie No. 5541 passes Norchard station on the Dean Forest Railway early on the morning of June 3 during a Mike Tyack photo charter. KEN WOOLLEY ➜ To donate to the appeal, download an appeal form at www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify or send a cheque made payable to the David Clarke Railway Trust to ‘Bridge Appeal, Lovatt House, Wharncliffe Road, Loughborough LE11 1SL.

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Heritage Railway 13

NEWS Right: Sir Peter Hendy, commissioner of transport for London, visited Paddington station on Friday, June 12, to examine the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ new £250,000 luxury observation carriage No. 150, built to mark the 150th anniversary of passenger services on the Ffestiniog. Sir Peter presented F&WHR general manager Paul Lewin and chairman Dr John Prideaux with a London Transport roundel, and in exchange received a replica of one of the hand-carved wooden dragons that adorn the interior of the new carriage, displayed on platforms 8 and 9 until June 27. Earlier in the week, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM and Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts were also shown the carriage. The London visit was the vehicle’s first stop in a UK tour. It will also be visiting Bristol and the Shrewsbury Flower Show, with other venues to be announced. It is scheduled to enter service in 2016. CHRIS PARRY/F&WHR

PM honours Butterley stalwarts MIDLAND Railway-Butterley volunteers Anne and Chris Deeth, who stepped in to keep the venue running when longserving manager John Hett died, have won a major national award. Previously, the couple (pictured), who have volunteered at Butterley for 34 years, won the Derbyshire Museums Forum Outstanding Volunteer award in 2012. Both served on the Midland Railway Trust board, with Chris as chairman. Over the years they have turned their hands to almost every activity, dressing in period costumes for guided tours, wrestling with the trust’s budget, organising events, chairing committees and developing the museum, but have still found time for their passion of restoring old railway carriages.

Now they have received a Points of Light award from Prime Minister David Cameron, who said: “Great British historical attractions like the Midland Railway Trust need commitment and enthusiasm if they are to continue to entertain and delight families and communities. “Anne and Chris Deeth have shown those qualities in spades, and I am very pleased to be able to recognise their service by making them both Points of Light.” Gloria De Piero, Labour MP for Ashfield, said: “People like Anne and Chris who have devoted so much of their own time to help keep a popular attraction going for the enjoyment of families across the area are real stars and deserve this award.”

Gresley statue on show at top London exhibition – with duck By Robin Jones

Artist Hazel Reeves and the 14in maquette of Sir Nigel Gresley and a mallard with Michael Portillo on June 4, the exhibition’s private viewing day. ED SEPPLE

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A MINIATURE version of the statue which has plunged the Gresley Society Trust into controversy went on show at a top London exhibition. Award-winning Brighton-based portrait sculptor Hazel Reeves, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, was commissioned by the society to design and make a statue of LNER chief mechanical engineer Sir Nigel Gresley for permanent display at King’s Cross station. However, a decision by the society to drop a mallard duck – included in honour of Gresley’s world steam speed record holder – from the statue led to a walkout of three senior members, and the launch of a petition to save it. The controversial decision was taken after Gresley’s grandsons Tim and Ben Godfrey argued that it would make him look ridiculous. The late former National Railway Museum head and trust vice-chairman Andrew Dow, press officer Dennis Butler and Nigel Dant, who came up with the idea of the statue to mark the 75th anniversary of Gresley’s death

next April, all resigned in protest. The statue’s maquette, a preproduction 14in tall miniature version, complete with mallard, was on show at the Society of Women Artists’ annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries which ran from June 5-13. Opened by Princess Michael of Kent, the guest of honour was Michael Portillo, presenter of the TV series Great Railway Journeys. Hazel said: “Michael Portillo was interested to hear more about the project.” The statue has planning permission and the society said that its erection will still go ahead minus the mallard, which was included to symbolise what many see as Gresley’s finest achievement. ➜ The petition, which has reached 1500 signatures, can be accessed at http://www.gresleyduck There is also a Save Gresley’s Duck Facebook page. ➜ See Platform, pages 88-89.

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Colin Porter (in the uniform of an ensign, carrying the colours), Hugh McCurry (corporal) and Rod Sharp (private) withIronDuke. The three were among more than 5000 re-enactors who recreated the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium later in the month. FRANK DUMBLETON

Iron Duke marks Waterloo bicentenary TO mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, the National Railway Museum’s replica GWR broad gauge 4-2-2 Iron Duke at Didcot Railway Centre received an honour guard of soldiers from the 2nd (Queen’s Royal) Regiment of Foot (1809) five days earlier. The original locomotive was built in 1847 and was given the nickname given to the Duke of Wellington. Its name was also applied to a class

of 29 engines of the same design, with 8ft diameter driving wheels, which astonished the early Victorian era with the speed they achieved. The 2nd (Queen’s Royal) Regiment of Foot (1809) was formed in 1993 by a group of enthusiastic and experienced Napoleonic re-enactors who aim to portray this heroic regiment as they would have been during the Peninsular War of 1809-12.

NYMR loco crisis is set to ease

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s ongoing locomotive crisis looks set to ease as the peak season approaches, although provision remains tight. A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley returned to traffic in early June, bringing the available fleet to four working engines, although a timetable that requires four steam engines most days inevitably meant the use of diesel substitutions as engines were stopped for washouts and other maintenance. Both Q6 No. 63395 and ‘Black Five’ No. 45428 looked set to enter traffic in late June, with plans to runin the former at the Wensleydale Railway cancelled. Their return will be offset by the loss of No. 60007 to the main line for most of July, although it should be back for the August peak services. K4 No. 61994 The Great Marquess

will stay on the NYMR until September, giving a welcome boost to the fleet, although it seems unlikely that ‘Black Five’ No. 44806 will return this year. The line is also currently short of diesels as well, with just a single Whitby-registered example available in D7628. With the projected arrival of a second Class 37 having fallen through the NYMR has hired in a pair of Network Railregistered Class 20s, Nos. 20142 and 20189, the Balfour-Beatty-liveried pair owned by Michael Owen. They arrived on the line on June 20. Each unit is supposed to be capable of working a seven-coach train over the line at timetabled speeds, and the plan is to split them and position one at each end of the line in case of emergency, although they were expected to work in tandem at the July 21 diesel gala.

Ayrshire group secures its site THE Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group has concluded the purchase of a significant portion of the Dunaskin site that it occupies. Included in the purchase are the four-road locomotive shed built by the NCB in 1964, the wagon repair shops, the station and platform at Dunaskin, the former ambulance station, the weighbridge and all associated land. All other buildings and land currently occupied, including the engineers’ shop, are now also secured through a 10 year lease. The purchase was achieved by

utilising ARPG funds previously set aside for the purpose, plus substantial donations from members raised via an appeal set up earlier this year. Significant contributions were received from East Ayrshire Council and Cumnock & Doon Valley Minerals Trust. On Sunday, July 5, the ARPG’s Barclay 0-4-0 fireless locomotive No. 1952 1928 will be steamed for the first time in public for many years. It will then become the only working fireless engine in the country at the present time.

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News

Returned to County Durham By Brian Sharpe THE Tanfield Railway is unique and keeps alive the tradition of colliery railways in County Durham where railways were born. Its June 20-21 Legends of Industry gala saw its resident fleet joined by two visitors that both worked just a few miles to the west until the late 1960s and early 1970s. RSH Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 71515 latterly worked at Swalwell opencast coal disposal point near Wickham, operated by Mech Navvies Ltd, and is currently based on the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, but this was its first visit to County Durham since its withdrawal in 1972. The other visitor was a much older machine, the 1889-built Kitson 0-6-0PT A No. 5 normally resident at the North Tyneside Railway. The A Class was standard power for many years on the extensive railway system operated by the Consett Iron Company, the design following the Stephenson ‘long boiler’ tradition with the firebox behind the rear-coupled wheels. When retired by the Consett Iron Company, the engine found itself working for the National Coal Board, numbered 41, and based latterly at Derwenthaugh, on the opposite bank of the River Derwent to Swalwell.

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Kitson 0-6-0PT A No. 5 climbs away from East Tanfield with a coal train during a Martin Creese photo charter on June 18. BRIAN SHARPE Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

RSH Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 71515 heads a photo charter coal train past Terrace Junction. MARTIN CREESE The two visiting engines, A No. 5 and No. 71515, outside Marley Hill shed. BRIAN SHARPE

No. 71515 passes Bowes Bridge, once the site of a NER locomotive shed when the branch from Gateshead to Tanfield was part of the main line system. HENRY ELLIOTT

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News

Woodford Halse reborn! By Robin Jones

FIFTY years ago, the legendary Great Central Railway hub depot of Woodford Halse closed, the marshalling yards having ceased operation from April 5, 1965. Its sister depot, Annesley, officially closed on January 3, 1966. However, neither would be forgotten. Despite dismal weather, crowds turned out for the Great Central Railway’s June 13-14 gala to mark the half centenary of their passing. They included staff from both depots. The guest locomotives for the event were Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0 No. 43106 from the Severn Valley Railway and Jeremy Hosking’s BR Standard 9F No. 92212, which was once based at Loughborough but which is now part of the Mid Hants Railway fleet. No. 43106 was based at Woodford for several years, while 9Fs were frequent performers on the legendary Windcutter rakes of 16 ton coal wagons from Annesley to Woodford.

Former Woodford locomotives

Home-based locomotives took on the identities of scrapped sisters associated with the GC main line. LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45305 became No. 44814, and Stanier 8F No. 48624 became No. 48121, both former Woodford locomotives, while ‘Jinty’ 3F 0-6-0T No. 47406 became No. 47203, a Leicester GC locomotive. Because the long-running overhaul of WR 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall was not completed in time, its roster duties were taken over by No. 47203. As previously reported, 9F No. 92214 had already been turned into No. 92220 Evening Star, which once visited Woodford. The event was staged to raise funds for the restoration of Bulleid

Visiting LMS Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0 No. 43106 passes Woodthorpe with a goods train. ANDREW SOUTHWELL West Country light Pacific No. 34039 Boscastle, the first former BR locomotive to arrive at the heritage era GCR. The Saturday was beset with heavy rain, while sunshine made a brief appearance on the Sunday and brought hordes of photographers to

the lineside. The weekend went extremely well operationally, despite a signalling problem at Loughborough, resulting in a train running nine minutes late. Event organiser Martyn Ashworth said: “The gala showed the GCR doing

what it does best. It was a very successful event.” Plans are now under way for one of the line’s biggest-ever galas, a special event to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of the GCR London Extension in September next year.

BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 running as No. 92220 EveningStarpasses classmate No. 92212 at Swithland on June 13. JOSEPH CONNELL

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Also on a freight working at Woodthorpe on June 14 is LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624 running as 48121. PHIL WATERFIELD

BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212, LMS 3F 0-6-0T No. 47203 and 4MT mogul No. 43106 on shed at Loughborough. JACK HAYNES

BR Standard 9f 2-10-0 No. 92212 heads a southbound coal train through Quorn & Woodhouse on June 13. JOSEPH CONNELL

Bradley Manor for SVR autumn gala By Paul Appleton THE Severn Valley Railway’s Engineering Department has targeted its September 17-20 autumn steam gala for a return to traffic for GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor. The Erlestoke Manor Fund-owned locomotive is set to appear alongside sister No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor – which is already in service on the line – at the group’s own special Cambrian-themed Manor 50 event on November 14-15 and, by then, boiler shop and locomotive hire manager Duncan Ballard says it should have “a few miles on the clock”. During the special event it is hoped that both Manors can be paired up at some stage to recreate a classic Cambrian Coast Line doubleheader. All being well the 1938-built No. 7802 will line up at the autumn

steam gala alongside a star-studded line-up of guest locomotives headed by BR 7MT No. 70000 Britannia, and members of the home fleet such as recently returned Bulleid West Country No. 34027 Taw Valley, which has become a regular performer since returning to traffic in May.

Bottom half overhauled

All efforts are currently going into completion of Bradley Manor with work focused on patch screw fitting to the copper doorplate and riveting of the firebox and foundation ring. The bottom half has been overhauled at Tyseley Locomotive Works and should be reunited with the boiler soon. Meanwhile, Port Talbot Railway/GWR 0-6-0ST No. 813 is ready for water/hydraulic testing at Bridgnorth. Completion of the boiler is imminent and it will be ready to drop into the

locomotive’s frames once work has finished on them. Work will then focus on the boiler for GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714 which is currently a kit of parts. On the contract front, the boiler for Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway No.10 Sir Drefaldwyn has been completed and returned to Llanfair Caereinion. Work has also been carried out on the outer firebox on Bala Lake Railway-based Quarry Hunslet No. 779 Holy War. Work also progresses on Isle of Man Railway Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T No.11 Maitland’s boiler. The firebox assembly is nearly complete and ready to refit to barrel. The boiler from Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Ivatt 2MT No. 41241 is also in the SVR’s boilershop, with the boiler being stripped into components to enable the new plates to be ordered for the outer firebox.

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Take a boat to the Bluebell! THE Bluebell Railway could soon be reached by boat. The Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust is working on a project to restore the lock structures on the River Ouse, to enable boats to use the river for leisure. Currently completing the restoration of Sutton Hall Lock near Isfield, its next step will be to rebuild the nearby former Iron Bridge Lock on the southern edge of the National Trust’s Sheffield Park and Gardens estate. Restoring the lock would allow boats to run from the gardens to Sheffield Park station, giving the National Trust property transport links to London. Heritage Railway 19

News

Prototype HST power car No. 41001 leads 1A05 over Stanford Viaduct on May 25 during the public launch event of the vehicle on the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). Built at BREL Crewe in 1972, on June 12, 1973, it set a then diesel traction world record of 143.2mph with twin powercar No. 41002, which was scrapped at Booths in Rotherham in 1990. After nearly 30 years at the National Railway Museum the 125 Group’s Project Miller team restored No. 41001 to working order during 2011-14. It won the Heritage Railway Association’s 2014 Modern Traction Award. GILES BEARDER

Trio added to bill for ‘biggest ever’ LMS gala By Robin Jones

LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander, Pacific No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth and Severn Valley-based Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0 No. 43106 are the latest locomotives to be pencilled in for Barrow Hill’s all-star gala on the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Staveley Midland roundhouse to steam. The September 25-27 event is turning out to be one of the biggest gatherings of LMS locomotives in preservation. No. 43106 was booked shortly before we closed for press, while talks to hire Leander and Princess Elizabeth for the event, which is sponsored by Heritage Railway and our sister title The Railway Magazine, were at an advanced stage. The trio are set to join Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, ex-Turkish State Railways Stanier 8F No. 8274, two ‘Black Fives’, No. 45305 from the Great Central Railway, No. 45337 from the Llangollen Railway, and ‘Jinty’ 3F No. 47406, also from Loughborough. Negotiations for another steam

locomotive are also under way. Also on display will be Johnson ‘half cab’ No. 41708, Stanier three-cylinder 2-6-4T No. 42500 and Midland compound 4-4-0 No. 1000. The last steam working out of 41E Barrow Hill Roundhouse at the time took place on October 4, 1965. The gala will welcome the 100th steam locomotive to visit the roundhouse since it reopened in July 1998. Visitors will be able to see the roundhouse as it was half a century ago. There will be free steam rides, cab visits, turntable demonstrations and a real ale bar. Advance tickets will go on sale on July 20 and will be available with a booking fee from www.seetickets.com The event will be open from 10am to 5pm on all three days. Those holding advance tickets will be able to enter the show at 9.30am each day. There will be a free shuttle bus service from Chesterfield station running throughout all three days. The last surviving rail-connected roundhouse in the UK, with an operational turntable, it was built

Former Fairbourne Railway flagship 2-4-2Katiewas officially welcomed into the Kirklees Light Railway on the evening of Friday, May 29. Several key figures in Katie’s history, including former owners and drivers of the locomotive from the Fairbourne and Windmill Farm Railway, saw Katie’s first official passenger trip on the line. The event was covered on television by BBC Look North and broadcast on the radio by BBC Leeds. Built in 1954 by Guest Engineering for the Dudley Zoo Railway, Katie entered public service the following day. KLR in 1870 and threatened with demolition in 1991 when the site was closed by BR but was saved by a group of dedicated volunteers who have transformed it into a premier heritage venue. Photographic charter organiser Russ Hillier will be running an event on September 23. There will be a daytime session in the yard with freight trains,

followed by a floodlit evening session in both the yard and the roundhouse. The site should also be reasonably cleared of the modern traction in the yard and about half the roundhouse will be clear. Anyone interested in attending the charter is invited to email [email protected] or telephone 07831 217061.

Statfold Mallet to star at Welshpool & Llanfair gala THE Statfold Barn Railway’s Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-4-0T Mallet locomotive Pakis Baru No. 5 is to be the star guest at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s September 5-6 gala. The 2ft 6in gauge locomotive, built in 1905 and repatriated from an Indonesian sugar mill by Statfold in 2004, is one of only two examples of a Mallet in a gauge above 10.25in currently working in the UK, the other example, a 2ft gauge locomotive, is also at Statfold. WLLR staff and volunteers have recently refurbished the run-round

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loop at Cyfronydd station, which will allow a much more intensive timetable, including freight and mixed trains. The loop will also be used by a photographers’ special hauled by Kerr Stuart 0-6-2T Joan, dropping snappers off at Heniarth halt and Cyfronydd station in time to catch run-pasts by the heritage mixed trains, before returning them to Llanfair afterwards. At Welshpool (Raven Square), Kitson-Meyer 0-4-4-0T Monarch will be on show outside, as will the line’s Sierra Leone Railway bogie carriages,

forming the backdrop to a display by the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum’s UK support group. The space released in the display shed will be occupied by a Little Layouts model railway exhibition. There will also be traders present at Welshpool. At Llanfair, stock not normally seen in action on a public day will be demonstrated, including the exMoD railcar The Wasp and Hunslet mines locomotive Ferret, which moved under its own power for the first time in several years on May 31.

The line will also stage a photographic event involving its out-of-use Barclay 0-4-0T Dougal. The gala will again coincide with the separate-entry garden railway show at Llanfair Leisure Centre. This event is under new management of railway bookseller and Welsh Highland Heritage Railway management team member Steve Currin following the untimely death in January of previous organiser Steve Warrington. A free bus service will run between Llanfair station and the show.

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News

Conservation group demands Okehampton reopening

By Robin Jones

THE Campaign to Protect Rural England has joined the growing calls for the Southern Railway main line between Exeter and Plymouth to be rebuilt. A study commissioned by the CPRE suggested that reopening the line through Okehampton – the headquarters of the Dartmoor Railway – and the Tavistock line could bring significant social and economic benefits to the region. The Department of Transport has yet to make a decision as to whether to go ahead with rebuilding the route, one of several options being considered in the wake of the temporary closure of the GWR Dawlish sea wall route due to massive storm damage early last year. THE CPRE study said that rebuilding the Southern route would open up fresh opportunities for both tourism and commuter services –

and could become a blueprint for modernising other rural rail routes throughout Britain. Brunel’s sea wall route between Dawlish and Teignmouth has been described as the costliest part of the national network to maintain and there are fears for the economy of parts of the south west if it ends up being closed again for long periods.

Cheaper to maintain

Network Rail is still repairing the route following the storms, but it has so far argued that it is cheaper to maintain it than to reinstate the missing line to the north of Dartmoor. CPRE transport campaign manager Ralph Smyth said that the new Rural Reconnections report highlights the advantages of reinstating the Southern route, which was overlooked by previous studies. The study argued that the existing lack of rail services led to many prospective employees and students

Former BR driver Tony Jones, vicepresident of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Society, on the opening night of the new exhibition in Louth Museum. ROBIN JONES

‘Last’ BR driver opens new Louth exhibition TONY Jones, the BR driver who was on the last ever train from Grimsby to Louth and tried to save the line, took centre stage at the launch of a new exhibition about local lines. Tony, 78, now vice president of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Society, which he helped found, attended the preview of the exhibition at Louth Museum on June 10. Assembled by the society with the aid of local author Alf Ludlam, the exhibition, which runs at the museum until August 1, highlights the former importance of railways in Louth and north Lincolnshire. It outlines local railway history using railway relics, archive photographs and storyboards. One of the topics is the bombing of Louth station during the Second World War. Tony’s son and grandson are both volunteers at the Ludborough heritage line, which is extending south towards Louth. His grandson is training to follow in his footsteps as a driver. The Grimsby to Boston and Spalding line closed to passengers in 1970 and has ever since remained one of the most controversial of the Beeching closures. The Grimsby to Louth section remained open for freight until December 20, 1980, when a Santa special on which Tony rode was the last train. Despite a local campaign, the line was sold and the northernmost section through Grimsby was used for a new dual carriageway, ending hopes of reinstatement into the port.

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from rural areas facing a struggle to get to work and their place of education, often choosing to move away to larger towns and cities. Also, the absence of a railway limits the distance commuters are prepared to travel between work and home. Mr Smyth said: “Many railways were cut in the 1960s on the basis that they duplicated other routes. But we need them again now to create sustainable development in rural communities and to provide resilience against extreme weather. “Far from being an exercise in nostalgia, rail reopenings are vital to unlocking the potential of rural areas. It’s time for the Department for Transport to value these benefits, so that the countryside can have its fair share of investment.” The study points out that the population of West Devon grew by around 10% between 2001 and 2011, compared to an average 6% to 7% in surrounding areas of the south west. Also, passenger journeys by rail

have doubled since the mid-Nineties and branch lines in Devon and Cornwall have some of the highest growth rates across the country. Rail improvements could facilitate the spread of flourishing regional industries such as the creative media sector and construction, the report claimed.

Advantages of reinstatement

It was unclear as to the future of the Dartmoor Railway if the Southern route would be rebuilt. Owned by Aggregate Industries, owner of Meldon Quarry, and previously used for ballast trains as an adjunct to the national network, it is now leased by British American Rail Services, which also operates the Weardale Railway. Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, said that the CPRE study shows that the advantages of reinstatement were too big to be missed, adding that “economic and employment benefits simply outweigh other objections.”

LSWR carriage becomes WW1 ambulance train for exhibition A LSWR carriage earmarked as the centrepiece of a planned major First World War exhibition at the National Railway Museum has undergone a transformation into an ambulance train vehicle. The 2016 exhibition at York will tell the forgotten story of ambulance trains which transported the sick and injured to hospitals. The carriage will be used to recreate the atmosphere of these trains using sound, film and recreated fixtures and fittings. The exhibition will also use archive material to explore the experiences of the millions of sick and injured men who travelled on board such trains during the 1914-18 conflict. The exhibition, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund with a £100,000 grant, will open on July 7 next year to mark the centenary of the busiest day of ambulance train traffic, which occurred during the Battle of the Somme. Millions of men were brought back from the Western Front via these hospitals on wheels, which included fully-equipped wards, pharmacies and kitchens and which were manned by resident medical officers, orderlies and nurses. They could be up to a third of a mile long. The carriage was built in 1907 for the London & South Western Railway and is of the type which would have been converted for use in an ambulance train. It was once owned by the Ministry of Defence. The exterior painting of the carriage by the conservation team including heritage painter Adrian Ashby is now complete, marking a major milestone in its transformation. The museum’s interpretation developer, Jane Sparkes, said: “The crucial role of these trains has until now been little known, but research by our curators and archivists has gradually uncovered this forgotten piece of history. “In our exhibition we will for the first time bring together photographs, technical drawings, letters and diaries to tell the story of the railway workers who built the trains at an incredible speed, the injured passengers who carried their memories as

Heritage painter Adrian Ashby paints on the iconic neutral sign of the Red Cross emblem, marking the completion of the exterior work on the LSWR carriage. NRM well as their wounds and the staff who worked long hours to provide treatment and care. “The mass casualties of the First World War called for evacuation of the injured on a scale that had never been seen before. This evacuation simply could not have happened without ambulance trains.” The project is also funded by Yorventure, via Yorwaste through the Landfill Communities fund. The use of the Red Cross emblem on the train carriage has been authorised by the British Red Cross and the UK Ministry of Defence. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Resplendent in its new BR corporate blue livery, the newly-arrived Southern region DEMU set No. 1118 (S60117 and S60828) stands at Okehampton following delivery from Williton on the West Somerset Railway. DAVID HUNT

Volunteers honoured with Queen’s Award TWO heritage railways have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and Railway Preservation Society of Ireland have received the highest award that a voluntary group can receive in the UK. Glyn Cornish, the chairman of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust and Bob Mackintosh, who is a volunteer train guard, signalman and accountant, attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on May 28 along with other winners of this year’s award. Glyn and Bob have amassed almost half-a-century between them as volunteers on the line. The G/WR, which was nominated by Brian Crossland, the Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, will receive the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter DBE, on September 14. Glyn said: “If it wasn’t for the determination of those first volunteers back in 1980 who wanted to ensure that the much-loved ‘Honeybourne Line’ between Cheltenham and Stratford didn’t fade from both

Railway Preservation Society of Ireland volunteers celebrate their the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. RPSI memory and the landscape, after closure by British Railways, we wouldn’t be here today. “Since then countless volunteers have replaced track, buildings and infrastructure; restored carriages and locomotives; and operate train services to the highest standards of safety and professionalism over an everincreasing length of our line. “This award is for every single volunteer, past and present, who has helped to make this railway one of the leading tourist magnets in the Cotswolds. Every one of them, no

matter how large or small their contribution, should feel equally proud of this amazing achievement.” The award to the RPSI is the crowning glory of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Lord O’Neill, RPSI president since it was formed in 1964, said he was delighted that the Society had received this recognition. “The society has always been an all-island organisation, open to all, but the volunteers have been the secret of our success,” he said. RPSI vice president Dr Joan Smyth said: “All the credit must go to the society’s 150-strong volunteer workforce in Northern Ireland and the Republic. “This year our trains will visit most of the Irish railway system – from Coleraine to Cork and from Portadown to Portlaoise. Steam trains still turn heads and they are a valuable part of our transport heritage.” The Lord Lieutenant for Co. Antrim, Mrs Joan Christie, will be visiting the RPSI’s Whitehead base later in the summer to present the society with its award. ➜ Volunteering on heritage lines: feature - pages 68-73.

Short-lived revival at Darjeeling Himalayan Railway THE British-built Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ran for just a day after five years of closure of the complete route before trains were halted again. The legendary 2ft gauge line restarted services all the way from

New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling on Friday, June 12. However, within a day, incessant rain and weakened soil structure saw boulders and debris block the tracks near Pagla Jhora. Visibility was further hampered by fog and

heavy rain on the Saturday. However, much of the debris was removed the following day. The UNESCO World Heritage site’s services were suspended in late 2010 after a landslide destroyed roads and tracks at Tindharia.

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Heritage Railway 23

News Japanese PoW repainted to mark Second World War’s end STEAM’S Japanese prisoner of war – Hawthorn Leslie saddle tank Singapore – is to be given a facelift to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The War Memorials Trust has offered a grant to cover 75% of the repainting of the 0-4-0ST, No. 3865 of 1936, now based at Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum, in Rutland. The Cottesmore museum’s volunteers are working on a new exhibition building which will house Singapore and other railway exhibits. A recent donation of materials by local quarry operator Breedon Aggregates has boosted the project, and once the new tracks have been laid into the building over the next few months the loco will be moved from open storage to a location where the saddletank can be lifted clear to provide easier access. Following a deep clean, the locomotive will be moved into the new building where surface preparation can be undertaken and new paint applied. The locomotive had been ordered by the Government as part of the large-scale expansion of the Royal Navy dockyard in Singapore. When Singapore surrendered on February 14, 1942, nearly 80,000 British and Australian servicemen, in company with the locomotive, became prisoners of war of the Japanese. Of those originally captured in Singapore one in four did not survive their captivity. Accounts from PoWs confirm that the locomotive was used by the Japanese, often working alongside parties of prisoners from a local camp. One veteran has recounted a story that despite their captivity, opportunities were taken to sabotage or delay work and a small group of prisoners were badly beaten up one day by the Japanese guards after being caught removing dogspikes securing the rail track on the dockside track in an effort to derail the locomotive. It was returned to the UK in 1953, taken to the Royal Navy Dockyard at Chatham where it was named Singapore and continued to shunt dockside sidings and slips. Retired in 1972, it first went to the former Ashford Steam Centre. When that closed in 1979, it went to Rutland. Singapore was last steamed in 2009 when it was withdrawn for its 10 year overhaul for which funds are slowly being raised. Members of the public who wish to volunteer to help with this project are invited to contact the museum.

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A quintuple header on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway making its way over the Dungeness shingle during the line’s May 11-12 steam gala. STEVE TOWN

Drive on a First World War trench railway! By Robin Jones THE award-winning Moseley Railway Trust is to launch a new First World War trench railway driver experience. The day experience will centre around the demonstration section of Western Front trench railway at the Apedale Valley Light Railway, which helped the trust jointly win the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Small Groups) 2014, following the success of the Heritage Railway-sponsored Tracks to the Trenches gala last September. Trust chairman Phil Robinson said: “Many heritage railways offer driver experience days; we offer an immersive military railway day. “Participants are transported back

in time nearly 100 years to northern France during 1917, where they signup with the 6th Light Railway Operating Company. After instruction, participants are given a series of challenges which they must meet by driving both steam and diesel locomotives around the railway network at Apedale. This network, of course, includes a replica First World War trench among the many possible destinations.” The degree of authenticity can be tailored to suit participant’s wishes. For example, some may wish to have their midday meal as hard tack biscuits and a mess can full of tea in the trench. Others may opt for the rather more comfortable option of a hot meal in the adjacent cafe.

The driver experience can also tailored dependant on the previous experience and preferences of participants – within reason, most things can be arranged. Further details, and a downloadable leaflet with full details, are available at www.ww1-event.org, or e-mail [email protected] or call 0845 094 1953. Meanwhile, the Midland RailwayButterley’s Golden Valley Light Railway is borrowing Apedale’s First World War Kerr Stuart Joffre 0-6-0T No. 314 for the summer months. It will star in the July 11-12 narrow gauge event, the Railex model railway exhibition of July 11-12, the vintage train weekend of August 29-31 and also run over August 1-2.

First narrow gauge track at Bo’ness NARROW gauge track had to be laid at the Museum of Scottish Railways at Bo’ness, for the first time, to accommodate the museum’s latest exhibit, 1901 Oldbury-built, 4ft-gauge Glasgow Subway motor car No. 55, writes Hugh Dougherty. Scottish Railway Preservation Society volunteers laid a third rail to allow the motor car – set aside for preservation when the old subway closed for modernisation in May 1977, and kept under cover by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport at its Govan Subway Depot, until donated to the SRPS in March 2015 – to be displayed. Early plans by the former Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive had included running the car occasionally on the modernised system, but incompatibility with the new signalling and power systems, led to the car, which had been restored to a 1950s livery, being kept as a static exhibit. Now, it is being fully restored at Bo’ness and museum visitors can view the side of the coach never seen by the public in service, showing the trolley arms which drew lighting power from rails on the tunnel walls and the dull maroon

Glasgow Subway motor car No. 55 NOW INSIDE THE Bo’ness museum shed. HUGH DOUGHERTY livery used on the tunnel wall side only. The car was built as cable gripper car and was electrified as a motor car by Glasgow Corporation Transport in 1935, with the original body being remounted on a new Hurst Nelson

underframe and bogies. In its heyday, Car No. 55 ‘shoogled’ round the line’s six-mile circular route, the United Kingdom’s only narrow gauge subway system, up to 20 times per day, pulling a trailer.

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Heritage Railway 25

News

LMS power in the north By Brian Sharpe

WITH West Coast Railways back in business the stage was set for the now-traditional feast of LMS power in the northern fells and further afield during the summer... but predicting just which locomotives would emerge from the Carnforth stable has been more difficult than usual. The format was going to be different to previous seasons with WCR generally avoiding the York area and the three-days-per-week ‘Scarborough Spa Express’ replaced by a Tuesday ‘Dalesman’ train from York, steam hauled only on the Hellifield – Carlisle and return section, extended to Thursdays from July 2. Added to this are Statesman Rail’s well-established Lancaster – Blackburn – Carlisle and return ‘Fellsman’ service on Wednesdays and various one-off

Railway Touring Company trips, over the Settle and Carlisle plus Shap, the Cumbrian Coast and further afield. The summer season started with Chris Beet’s LMS Jubilee No. 45690 Leander and David Smith’s No. 45699 Galatea available for traffic and with the first two ‘Dalesman’s falling foul of WCR’s track access ban, it was the latter which was the first to take to the rails, heading RTC’s ‘Hadrian’ on May 16 from York to Carlisle via Hexham, but with a diesel behind the tender on the last lap over the S&C to Hellifield. The first ‘Dalesman’ on May 19 saw No. 45690 in action but 45699 took over on May 26 and also worked the first ‘Fellsman’ on the next day. Both Jubilees were in action on May 30, Leander working the ‘East Yorkshireman’ and Galatea the ‘Cumbrian Coast Express’, both for RTC. June 2 saw 45699 again on the

‘Dalesman’ but the next day the Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46115 Scots Guardsman made an unexpected appearance on the ‘Fellsman’, its first run since March. The Scot also worked RTC’s ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on June 6 and the ‘Dalesman’ on June 9, but then failed on shed at Carnforth the next day and the ‘Fellsman’ set off diesel-hauled. However, another surprise was that when the train arrived at Hellifield, the late Bert Hitchen’s ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester had been despatched from Carnforth and was ready to take over the train. During the first month of resumed steam operations all four Carnforthbased LMS engines put in an appearance and performed satisfactorily, though the precaution was taken of having a diesel on the rear of the train in almost all cases.

Above: LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45231 TheSherwood Forestercrosses Arten Gill Viaduct with the ‘Fellsman’ on June 10. MICHAEL ANDERSON Above left: LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander is seen at a rare location for steam, passing Bridlington with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘East Yorkshireman’ from Preston on May 30. ALAN WEAVER Left: The late Bert Hitchen’s ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45231 TheSherwoodForester made an unexpected return to service on June 10 on Statesman Rail’s ‘Fellsman’, seen passing Blea Moor. A rare sight in the Up goods loop is a stone train from nearby Ribblehead. BRIAN SHARPE Right: Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46115 ScotsGuardsman accelerates away from Hellifield with Statesman Rail’s ‘Fellsman’ on June 3. DAVE RODGERS

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Heritage Railway 27

news in brief ➜ DIDCOT Railway Centre has been in mourning for professional engineer and locomotive restoration manager Bob Fry, who lost his battle against cancer on June 18, aged 70. He was heavily involved in the restoration of GWR pannier tank No. 3650 and the locomotive subsequently carried a wreath in his memory. ➜ THE Devon Railway Centre’s August 8-9 steam gala will feature visiting Graham Morris’s Kerr Stuart Wren Peter Pan and Nick Williams’ Barclay tank Jack in operation alongside resident Orenstein & Koppel Rebecca taking it in turns on passenger trains and they will also be double heading. The weekend also marks 40 years since Graham bought Peter Pan. ➜ THE West Somerset Railway will be offering a £2 day rover ticket for children aged five to 15 on Sunday, October 4, during the line’s autumn steam gala. Children must be accompanied by at least one full fare paying adult or senior. The October 1-4 gala will pre-empt the 40th anniversary of the West Somerset Railway recommencing train services in 1976 after the closure of the Minehead line by British Rail in January 1971. ➜ THE 30th anniversary of the Colonel Stephens Society was marked at the annual members’ weekend in May with a tour along the route of the long-closed North Devon & Cornwall Junction Railway between Halwill Junction and Torrington. It was the last railway engineered by the colonel, opening in 1925. Members also visited the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway and although it was never in the colonel’s portfolio, agreed to contribute to the cost of making new doors for Chelfham Station. ➜ THE EuroPhoenix fleet of stored locomotives at Long Marston has been reduced following the transfer of Class 86 No. 86246 to Willesden depot, presumably to provide spares for GBRf hire-in Nos. 86101/ 401. This now leaves only Nos. 86229/31/34/51 in store at the site with an uncertain future.

Visiting GWR small Prairie No. 5542 accelerates away from Hardingham during the Mid-Norfolk Railway Steam Gala on June 21. PETER FOSTER

P2 project steams ahead after Tornado’s overhaul By Robin Jones WITH £1.8 million already raised, the project to build the new £5 million Gresley P2, No. 2007 Prince of Wales, is again picking up speed at Darlington Locomotive Works. In recent weeks the extended overhaul of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s No. 60163 Tornado has absorbed both its engineering resources and space in the works needed to erect the frames. Following the re-entry into service of Tornado, the first job is to clean and repaint the works floor prior to the frames of the 2-8-2 No. 2007 being repositioned over the track and pit to enable the construction to resume in earnest. During Tornado’s overhaul, subsidiary the P2 Steam Locomotive Company’s external suppliers and

contractors have been busy casting and machining a large number of castings for the frames and design of the larger fabricated frame stays has been progressing. As these are the subject of both a change in manufacturing method and design in order to accommodate air brakes and steam driven air pumps instead of the vacuum brakes fitted to the originals, the design justification that the original castings on No. 2001 Cock o’ the North worked satisfactorily is not enough. Accordingly, a series of risk assessments are being undertaken to demonstrate that the redesigned components are adequate for their jobs, as part of the overall requirement for any new item of rolling stock that it does not introduce new or increased risk onto the national rail system. The modifications for air brake equipment

will result in minor alterations to load paths so will require some calculations to demonstrate that maximum loads can be born without permanent deformation or fatigue cracking. This process was used for Tornado. The next in a series of meetings with the trust’s Assessment Body (Lloyds Register Rail) is scheduled shortly to gain their agreement that the designs are acceptable, after which orders will be placed for their manufacture. Elsewhere, 24 frame stay and hornblock castings have been or are in the process of being machined. Using some of the 1065 driven and fitted bolts and self-locking nuts for frame assembly delivered by Hawk Fasteners at Middlesbrough, these will keep the team busy until the larger fabricated frame stays start to arrive. The casting and proof machining of the eight driving wheels has been

Farewell to linesider Andy Bishop LINESIDE photographer and regular Heritage Railway contributor Andy Bishop lost his battle with cancer on June 1, aged 62. Andy was born in March 1953 in Hull to parents who were Yorkshire table tennis champions and successful business owners. His father died when Andy was 13. He left school at 16 and worked in the travel industry where he held senior positions for companies such as Thomson, Britannia Airways, Servisair and English Country Holidays. He held a variety of positions including contracting airlines, airport handling management, providing emergency back-up services to overseas destinations and introducing computerised links between UK and

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overseas offices. After a successful 30 years in the industry, he chose to follow in his late father’s footsteps and master the art of photography and capture the beauty and splendour of heritage engines, railways and the nostalgia of steam. Andy exhibited his work at various craft and gift shows in the UK and in 2011 Andy, together with his wife, Teresa, opened a gallery in their home town of Sawbridgeworth, where many of his pictures also sold. He also helped artists develop their art of heritage railways by giving advice, technical information to ensure accuracy and allowing some of his images to be painted and used as reference material.

Andy’s health started to deteriorate in 2012. He had suffered Crohn’s disease for many years and this had started to take its toll. In 2014 the gallery business was sold for health reasons. On selling the business, Andy was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In April the cancer was found to be very aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. His widow Teresa said: “Anyone who knew Andy saw within him a generosity of always putting others before himself. He saw the good in everyone and valued life. He was a fine and true gentle man.” He leaves a daughter Amanda. Heritage Railway editor Robin Jones said: “He was one of the best. We and

our readers will greatly miss his contributions and we send our condolences to his family.”

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LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233DuchessofSutherland heads north from Kimberley Park on the MidNorfolk Railway. PETER FOSTER

completed at William Cook Cast Products of Sheffield, the trust’s principal sponsor. They will shortly be delivered to Multi-tech Engineering of Ferrybridge where, along with the pony and cartazzi wheels, they will be machine-finished up to the stage when they can be fitted to their axles. The 12 tyres for the engine have arrived in the UK from Ringrollers of South Africa via Railway Wheelset & Brake Ltd and will be dispatched to the chosen wheelset assembler over the next month. The order for axles is awaiting the completion of the Finite Element Analysis study currently being conducted by engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald. This study is being undertaken to ensure that the modified crank axle design (closely based on that of Tornado) will address the known issues with the original design. All of the cannon and axlebox castings for the engine have been produced by William Cook and are going through the final stages of inspection and checks for dimensional accuracy. An extra set of castings made for Tornado’s bogie means that a new casting for No. 2007’s pony truck cannon box is not required. During No. 60163 Tornado’s recent overhaul, problems were discovered with some of the roller bearings due to water ingress. Fortuitously, with similar bearings having been ordered and in some bases delivered for No. 2007, it was possible to divert pony and coupled wheelset bearings to Tornado’s overhaul, saving possible delays of up to six months to its return to service. In the meantime replacements have been ordered so as

not to impact on the No. 2007 Prince of Wales construction schedule. The original class P2s were fitted with coupling and connecting rods made from a high specification nickelchrome steel alloy, as were the contemporary class A4 and V2 locomotives. This material, while very strong and permitting significant reductions in weight, was found to result in fatigue failures. These, along with the onset of the Second World War and a shortage of sophisticated alloys, caused the LNER to substitute medium carbon steel. This meant heavier sections in the rods, as can clearly be seen when comparing pre and postwar photographs of the locomotives. Detailed alterations to the design of the class P2 coupling and connecting rods is under way to enable the modern equivalent of medium carbon steel to be used. The rolling chassis for No. 2007 Prince of Wales is still on schedule for completion next winter. Based on the positive operational experience with the electrical system fitted to No. 60163 Tornado, the design work is under way on a similar system for No. 2007 making use of 3D CAD models to simplify and improve accessibility of the conduits and trunking for the 1¾ miles (2.6km) of cable used. Provision is also being incorporated for the new ERTMS cabbased signalling system with adequate capacity for future electrical demand. Another area of development is to produce high intensity headlamps

fitting into a traditional LNER oil lamp housing incorporating white marker and red tail lamps in the same unit, as the class P2s were not originally fitted with any electrical system. So far, the project has recruited 370 members to The Founders Club since its launch in September 2013 – potentially worth up to £460,000 with Gift Aid added. The ‘P2 for a price of a

pint’ covenant scheme launched on March 8, 2014, has seen more than 670 people sign up, worth over £1 million over the duration of the project. *For more information on how you can help to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive visit www.p2steam.com, email [email protected] or call 01325 460163.

The frame assembly of No. 2007 showing the castings (green) and fabrication (purple) as of June 6. A1SLT Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Heritage Railway 29

NEWS

Marking 50 years since the closure by BR of the Didcot shed to steam, Didcot Railway Centre recreated the scene with GWR 4-6-0 No.7808 CookhamManor. It occupied the same space as No.7816 FrilshamManor in the news cutting. No. 7816 was one of the last engines to leave the shed. FRANK DUMBLETON

Minehead gets its ‘own’ large prairie back THE West Somerset Railway has added ex-Barry GWR large prairie No. 4110 to its fleet. The locomotive – the 100th to be acquired for preservation purposes from Dai Woodham’s scrapyard – has been bought from the Southall-based GWR Preservation Group Limited. It intends to use the proceeds from the sale to restore its WR 0-6-0PT No. 9682 – the 100th ex-Barry locomotive to be returned to steam. Built at Swindon in October 1936, No. 4110 was allocated to Severn Tunnel Junction for use on banking duties. It was subsequently transferred to the Wolverhampton Division and worked on commuter trains in the West Midlands. It briefly served at Birkenhead during the Second World War, but in June 1962 it moved to Taunton and was used on the Minehead branch, until reallocated to Neath in May 1963. It was withdrawn from Severn Tunnel junction in June 1965. Bought by the GWR Preservation Group in 1979, in recent years it has been based at Tyseley Locomotive, but the one made by WSR’s chief mechanical engineer Andrew Forster and his directors offered the best prospect for a speedy return to steam. Large Prairies were used on heavier passenger trains between Taunton and Minehead and were based at Taunton shed from where they worked main line stopping trains and also had regular banking engine work on trains requiring assistance for the climb between Wellington and

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Whiteball summit. The last two to be based at Taunton were Nos. 4143 and 6113 of the 61XX variation. No. 4160 was renumbered as 4143 during the WSR’s autumn steam gala in 2014. The WSR is home to sister No. 4160 (owned by 4160 Ltd and one of the last batch built by BR at Swindon in 1948) and it previously purchased No. 5193 in unrestored condition. No. 5193 was used to create “small mogul” No. 9351 to a design considered but never implemented by the GWR. No. 4110, however, will remain a 2-6-2T. It is the third locomotive to be owned by the WSR pc, the others being No. 9351 and 4-6-0 No. 7828 Odney Manor. There are also long-term hire agreements in place for Somerset and Dorset 7F No. 88 (53808) and LMS 4F 0-6-0 No. 44422, both of which are also undergoing overhauls at present, 88(53808) at Minehead and 44422 at Crewe. WSR general manager Paul Conibeare said: “The purchase of 4110 is part of a long-term strategy to secure a fleet of suitable locomotives to take the WSR forward into the 21st century. “As it has not steamed since June 1965 there will be a considerable amount of restoration work to be completed before it is able to enter service between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead and at this stage with the workshops committed to Nos. 9351 and 88 we will not predict when the entry into service may occur.”

NYMR seeks traction and rolling stock engineer THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway is currently advertising for a traction and rolling stock engineer to take overall responsibility for the operation and maintenance of its locomotive, carriage and wagon fleet. Extensive in-depth experience within the railway industry is essential, particularly in rolling stock engineering. Ideally this should have included involvement in the maintenance and operation of heritage equipment including steam locomotives. Candidates should either be a chartered engineer, or have gained wide in-depth practical experience in the management of railway rolling stock maintenance and overhaul. They must be familiar with managing safety-critical activities and have a good understanding of the statutory framework covering safety on the railways, including those relating to Railway Group Standards and operation on Network Rail. The successful applicant is expected to be invited to become a member the board of North Yorkshire Moors Railway Enterprises Plc in due course.

Celebrating 120 years since the line began as an industrial operation, this year’s Fairbourne Railway Little To Large Gala on May 24-25 harked back to the early days with an 1895 horse-drawn freight train on the old balloon loop and a horse tram service. Visiting locomotives included Mountaineer from the Windmill Farm Railway and the Rhyl Miniature Railway’s Cagney No. 44 on the newly-extended 15in gauge line. Next year’s event will mark Fairbourne’s centenary of steam. FR Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Colne Valley Railway is still in need of new home By Robin Jones THE Colne Valley Railway is still looking for a new site despite drawing up a scheme to move a few hundred yards to the far side of the river from its current Castle Hedingham base. As previously reported, the railway is under notice to quit much of its present site after landowner Australian businessman Christopher Young – who bought it from CVR founder Dick Hymas several years ago – announced his intention to apply for planning permission to develop it. The notice sent shockwaves through the railway and heritage sectors and CVR officials have looked at more than 30 other sites for possible relocation, including eight on the 19-mile former Colne Valley & Halstead Railway. The preferred option is to build a new trackbed on the far side of the river, bypassing its current headquarters, but retaining its half a mile of track to the south. Buildings including the former Sible Hedingham station would be relocated to form a northern terminus of the new one, which would be developed on a greenfield site, with a northern section of running line parallel to the current station and sidings. A three-road engine shed would be built at the new terminus. However, talks are still on-going with landowners over the option. CVR chairman Paul Lemon said

another possibility might be that the railway is lifted and placed into storage until a suitable site becomes available. One possibility is Yeldham Station, which is currently leased by a highways contractor, but while the original buildings survive intact, there is insufficient land for car parking or for any additional structures. Any relocation scheme would depend on the success of a £1.65 million bid for Heritage Lottery Fund grant aid due to be submitted in October, with the outcome expected in early spring next year. At present, the railway is scheduled to end its operations on its existing site at the end of this year. One definite step forward, however, is an agreement reached with Christopher Young to buy the rolling stock he acquired along with the land, including the fleet of Mk1 coaches and dining train Pullman cars. Paul said: “We are talking to landowners about laying a new line opposite our existing site while still looking elsewhere. “We might have to give up on the site and place everything in storage until we can find a place where we can build a new centre.” He said the CVR would do its best to accommodate other groups based at Castle Hedingham, including the restorers of Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35010 Blue Star and LMS ‘Black Fives’ Nos. 45193 and 45293.

Urie pair comeback for 2020 THE Urie Locomotive Society has taken a major step forward in returning its two 192-built S15s, Nos. 30499 and 30506, into traffic in a few years’ time. Work completed on the locomotives at Ropley on the Mid-Hants Railway this year has seen the new front-end frameplates welded into position on 30506. The old plate was removed due to corrosion between the cylinders and frames. The mammoth task was completed in early May when the second frame was drilled and then welded using the flux core welding method. Thought to be a first in preservation, the front end of Urie S15 No. 30499, the oldest surviving locomotive built at Eastleigh, is also being tackled in the same way. The right-hand side plate

from this engine was removed and the new plate is being prepared for assembly. This makes two locomotives having the same work completed at the same time! The boiler for No. 30506 is nearing completion in the boiler shop at Ropley and the one for use on No. 30499 is to be decided once further investigations have taken place on the two remaining boilers owned by the society. A third boiler was purchased from Barry in 1981 from Maunsell S15 No. 30825. Anyone wishing to bring the steaming of the pair closer and contribute to the 499 Appeal is asked to write to: Urie Locomotive Society, Bridge House, Chilworth Drove, Chilworth, Southampton SO16 7JH or visit www.urieloco.co.uk

Class 205 DMU No. 1133 runs into Groombridge on June 14 when the Lavender Line based visitor was given a first trial run down the Spa Valley Railway. This was the first time a ‘Thumper’ has run on the Spa Valley since August 1985. The unit has moved to the Spa Valley to feature in special events this summer. DAVID STAINES Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Heritage Railway 31

NEWS

Dartmoor decision time for future of Ashburton railway

Themasterplanfor theredevelopment ofthetrackbed intoAshburton includesthe buildingofnew modernhomes, whichitissaidnot onlydonot resemble traditionallocal designsbutwould blocktherailway fromreachingthe originalterminus. DNPA

Under the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s current plans, Ashburton station would become a community space including a market hall. DPNA By Robin Jones A decision likely to scupper the chances of the South Devon Railway extending into Ashburton was set to be taken on July 3. The Dartmoor National Park Authority has been asked to approve recommendations by its officers to give the green light to a masterplan for the “regeneration” of the Chuley Road area of the town, which includes the surviving trainshed, locoshed and goods shed (the only listed structure) from the original terminus of the Buckfastleigh branch. The recommendations include the conversion of the station building into a market hall, community space and possibly a heritage centre – not demolishing it as proposed earlier – but building a convenience store in front, precluding the relaying of the branch. Furthermore, part of the trackbed from the station to the southern edge of the town has been earmarked for 12 new houses that, if built, will stop the heritage line from ever reaching the original branch terminus. The Friends of Ashburton Station group have fought the plans, but their campaign follows on from a feasibility study undertaken by the railway in 1998. Then, the findings were supported not only by local councils but by the national park authority itself. South Devon Railway Trust chairman Alan Taylor has criticised the officers’ report to the park authority and claims that this time round the line’s officials were not properly

consulted and did not have sufficient time to fully prepare their case to save the buildings and trackbed. He said: “The South Devon Railway Trust has supported the ambitions of the Friends of Ashburton Station in seeking to protect the old station buildings and the route of the former railway from development so that our steam trains might once again return to the Dartmoor town at some point in the future. “So, we read the conclusions of the Dartmoor National Park Authority report with both sadness and disappointment - a veritable railway heritage gem of the Great Western Railway in Ashburton station has not been safeguarded from development and the unique opportunity to protect the railway’s route into the town for the future and the considerable benefit of the town that it would bring has seemingly been spurned. “Despite letters of support from DNPA following a previous engineering feasibility study about our trains perhaps returning to Ashburton, we were not consulted during the recent consultation into the Chuley Road Masterplan and were only made aware of the details at a very late stage in the process. “As a result, our opportunity to provide fully detailed proposals for returning the railway to Ashburton was severely limited. Whilst additional information was provided to the DNPA planners during the last few months, we were still not consulted during the creation of the Ashburton Railway – Appraisal of Options Report

Above: Ashburton station’s trainshed has been used as a garage for decades. SARAH ANNE HARVEY Right: The classic engine shed from 1872 survives intact. SARAH ANNE HARVEY

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(April 2015) that contains many inaccuracies. “We still believe that failing to safeguard a route for a future railway reconnection is a lost opportunity that Ashburton will regret. We also hope that this decision by DNPA doesn’t result in the town sleepwalking into oblivion by adopting a plan that draws people away from the town centre rather than bringing them to it. “So, I make a final appeal to the members of the Dartmoor National Park Authority to think again ahead of this decision and to come and visit the South Devon Railway to see how we operate and what Ashburton might be missing out on – they will be made very welcome!”

Long-termbenefitslost

In its separate response to the park authority report, the Friends of Ashburton Station group said: “We are extremely disappointed to read the recommendations made by DNPA planners in the final draft of the Chuley Road Masterplan. “In not recommending that former railway land is safeguarded for future reinstatement, it is clear that DNP’s desire for short-term development (and immediate wish to sign-off the masterplan) has totally eclipsed calls from our community for a scheme with the potential to bring major long-term benefits to the town. “We are not, however, surprised. DNPA failed to consult any railway bodies during the creation of the masterplan, in spite of a letter of support from DNPA officers for an earlier engineering feasibility study

into the reconnection of Ashburton station to the line at Buckfastleigh. DNPA has been unable to offer any kind of justification for this and therefore the community must draw its own conclusions regarding the integrity and fairness of the masterplan process. “The lack of railway consultation has severely disadvantaged our community’s ability to make a case for the retention of the trackbed and to have it fairly heard. We feel that DNPA’s requirements for ‘evidence’ to support our case for alterations were wholly unachievable in the timescale allowed and that consequently our case has been judged unfavourably and unfairly dismissed. “Furthermore, the reports themselves contain some major errors, which would not have been made if they had been correctly undertaken and informed by sufficient research on the part of DNPA planners. We strongly question the validity of a report appraising the reopening of a railway in which not a single official railway body has been consulted by DNPA.” Among the factual errors in the report pointed out by the friends’ group was a claim that four residential properties could be lost by building a tunnel beneath the A38 at Buckfastleigh, with another five being affected. “Our proposed route avoids the loss of any residential properties,” said the friends’ response. Also, the DPNA report states: “Compulsory purchase powers would not be available to acquire the land and DNPA has been advised that the likelihood of acquiring the land by private negotiation is remote.” The friends responded: “A railway, even if a heritage line, is a statutory body incorporated in law by an act of parliament. It can therefore seek to obtain compulsory purchase powers. These powers have been exercised by several heritage railways.”

An‘unattractive’heritageline?

The DPNA report also questioned the attractiveness of a heritage line running alongside the A38 dual carriageway, which swallowed up the original route of the branch north of Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Buckfastleigh when it was built in the early Seventies. The friends replied: “Our proposed route would be tight to the A38 for the reasons set out above but it would have little effect on the attractiveness of this section of the line as views are limited anyway. The attractive ‘draw’ for visitors is the destination of Ashburton town centre.” The friends also questioned statements about landowners not being approached with a view to selling land for a trackbed, claiming that the park authority officers had advised the group against making such approaches. The park authority report said that there was “little evidence of community support”. However, the friends’ response also states that “the officers also pleaded with us ‘not to get any more letters of support’ as they ‘had received enough correspondence’ and did not want any more. How can it be reported there is limited evidence of community support after advising us of that?” Friends’ chairman Alasdair Page said that a South Devon Railway driver conducted his own survey on the views of traders in Ashburton and collected 63 signatures on a petition to bring the line back, with only two refusing to sign. “We are campaigning to keep the option to bring the railway back into the town again. Here is a classic example of a complete set of branch line terminus buildings surviving. If the houses are built, that will be the end of it,” he said. “We are far from happy about the way the case has been handled.” Ashburton station, along with the rest of the branch from Totnes, was opened on May 1, 1872. It closed to passengers in November 1958, although goods traffic continued until September 7, 1962. The Dart Valley Railway briefly reopened the station on April 5, 1969 after which only occasional works trains operated north of Buckfastleigh. Ashburton station was closed finally in 1971 when the trackbed was needed for the A38. It is often said that had the road building occurred at a time when railway preservation had established itself as anything near the plank of the UK tourist industry it is today, the line into Ashburton would have been relaid alongside the new road. The trainshed is still in use as a garage in the middle of an industrial estate. On July 4, the day after what could be the watershed meeting at the park authority’s Bovey Tracey headquarters, the SDR’s Collett 0-4-2T No. 1420 will return to Ashburton – but on the back of a low loader as a float in the Dartmoor stannary town’s carnival procession. ➜ Any updates on the future of Ashburton station following the July 3 meeting will be posted on our www.facebook.com/ heritagerailway and www. heritagerailway.co.uk pages.

RUTLAND’S rail-connected Ketton Cement Works held an open day for the local community on June 6. Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST SirThomasRoyden from nearby Rocks by Rail hauled two brakevans, giving rides just over quarter of a mile from a temporary platform within the works complex out onto the ‘main line’, passing through the loading silo before reversing back. More than 1000 passengers were carried during the day. In the evening the locomotive ran down to the exchange sidings with a cement tanker doing some preparation work for the Branch Line Society tours the following day using the two RMS Locotech Class 08s present, Nos. 08375 and 08672. ALASTAIR GRIEVE

GWR carriage bungalow to go under the hammer A bungalow constructed around a refurbished GWR railway carriage will be auctioned in August. The 1882-built third class carriage was placed on a site at Ashton Helston in Cornwall in 1930 by Elizabeth Richards, who lived there until she died in 1966. Master carpenter Charles Allen restored the carriage and built a

bungalow around it with help from his son-in-law Jim Higgins. It has two bedrooms and a bathroom with a kitchen, lounge, sunroom and reception hall reminiscent of a railway station platform in the rest of the bungalow. Estate agent Philip Care said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. You can spend hours looking at the details.”

Hymek back on ‘home’ territory THE Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s July 24-26 diesel gala will feature Class 35 Hymek diesel hydraulic D7076 from the East Lancashire Railway alongside the home fleet of Class 20 D8137, Class 24 No. 5081, Class 26 No. 26043, Class 37

No. 37215, Class 45 No. 45149, Class 47 No. 47376 and Class 73 E6036. Hymeks ran on the line in the Sixties and Seventies, hauling specials to Cheltenham Racecourse. Toddington diesel shed will be open with model railway layouts on display.

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Four decades of 2-6-2T 4566

A CELEBRATION of 40 years’ Severn Valley Railway service of GWR small prairie No. 4566 was held on June 6. Its owner, the 4566 Group, cut a specially made birthday cake at Kidderminster to mark the occasion and then travelled to Bridgnorth and back. Member David Cook said: “Our engine’s current boiler ticket expires in 2016, so members of the 4566 Group decided to have a party to mark the birthday while it is still in active service. “We have owned the engine for 45 years, another notable milestone. It is seven years longer than the Great Western Railway and British Railways combined owned it! Heritage Railway 35

News

West Somerset tightens the screws on association as four members expelled By Robin Jones WEST Somerset Railway PLC has threatened to evict its supporting association from its restoration shed at Williton in the latest round of the widening conflict between the two bodies. The line’s PLC board also says it may stop Network Rail ballast cleaning trains running on to its line. It said that extra income from the spent ballast trains running on to the West Somerset Railway Association’s land at Norton Fitzwarren is needed to make the recycling operation viable. The PLC has said it will not renew the association’s lease on the ‘Swindon shed’ at Williton, home of West Somerset Restorations, where the ‘Quantock Belle’ dining train carriages were restored, when it expires in May. A PLC statement said: “The board believes that it has a duty to all our stakeholders to get the best use of the assets which we lease from the county council, so that we can continue to operate a successful heritage railway which is one of the major tourist attractions in Somerset. “Given the pressures on covered accommodation on the railway, we do not believe that extending the licence which the WSRA has to occupy the Swindon Shed at Williton beyond its current term can be justified without

proper consideration of all the possible alternative uses.” It has been claimed that the move will cost six jobs, including those of two apprentices. The shed has also been used by the Locomotive 5542 Group, the Diesel and Electric Preservation Group and the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust. Association chairman Peter Chidzey said his organisation will now seek planning permission to build a new shed on its own adjacent landholding at Williton. In the statement, the PLC said that it is investigating whether the viability of the ballast-cleaning operation can be improved. “If this cannot be achieved, it will be considering termination of the arrangement with Network Rail.” The PLC board has also written to the association demanding the payment of outstanding invoices in respect of recharges for the free rover ticket which is part of its membership benefits page. It has said that the charge made for these concessionary tickets will be raised from 50% to 75% from January 1, and all payments must be made on account or free travel for association members will cease.

Conflict of interests

The conflict between the PLC board and the association began when the supporting body mounted a surprise

rival bid to buy the freehold of the line. After acrimony developed, Somerset County Council withdrew the offer to sell the freehold. The PLC board has now turned down a request from the association to nominate a director to the association’s board, because of a potential conflict of interests. According to a statement issued by the association on June 11, it has now taken the “regrettable decision” to give notice of termination of the membership of four members – Ken Davidge, Jeff Price, Paul Whitehouse and Robin White – for “actions not conducive to the best interests of the charity”. The statement said that the four have all been involved in “the continuing campaign against the trustees and association policy, and have elevated the differences within the charity to the point where the trustees believe they have brought the association and the railway into disrepute”. It continued: “All four have made very public statements regarding the integrity of the trustees and their intentions and have courted the attentions of the media. “They have now failed to unseat the sitting trustees on two separate occasions, costing the charity large amounts of money in advice and postal expenses, and still show no sign of ending their hostility; they are, in

fact, threatening to escalate their actions.” Under a 28 day notice period, all four have the right of appeal until July 6. However, in its statement, the PLC board said that it “has also indicated to the WSRA chairman that it would not be appropriate for it to engage formally with the WSRA trustees until the WSRA has resolved current internal issues with its membership.” At the same time, the association has acted on a resolution passed at its annual general meeting on May 10, to conduct a full review of the group’s aims and objectives. Since then, the trustees have appointed chartered architect and magistrate Robin Coombes as chairman of the review.

Eight years with British Rail

Robin joined British Rail’s architects department in 1980 and later became project manager for the launch of Network SouthEast, prior to becoming rail marketing manager for Network North at Euston. After eight years with British Rail, Robin became a board director of the National Welsh Bus Company. In 1989, he joined Burgess Partnership Limited (B3Architects) and took early retirement in 2014. He will invite the association, the plc, the WSRA Reform Group and the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust to take part in the review.

‘Instant’ justice for cashbox thief A LADY cashier at the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway has been praised by its owner for bringing a thief to nearinstant justice. The woman, who has not been named, who was working in a booth at the railway’s summit station, sprang into action after she realised that the cashbox containing a small amount of money had been stolen along with a set of keys and a mobile telephone. She stopped the carriageway halfway down the line. CCTV images showed two men climbing out of a carriage window to escape. Both men scrambled up the track to confront the woman for locking them in the carriage. The theft occurred at about 8pm on Sunday, June 7. The images helped police arrest 32-year-old Darren

Hodgson from Highley hours later. Four days later, Hodgson was sentenced to eight weeks in prison by Shrewsbury magistrates after admitting theft, at a special fast-track hearing. The sentence was extended to three months after it triggered a suspended prison sentence for a previous offence. Railway owner Dr Malvern Tipping praised both the employee for her “considerable presence of mind”. He added: “We congratulate and applaud the police for bringing an individual before the court so quickly.” Dr Tripping said that any compensation received by the railway would go to the cashier. There was insufficient evidence that the second man was linked to the theft, said police.

Making a rare appearance in the sunshine at the Stephenson Railway Museum on North Tyneside is Siemens Bo-Bo electric E4 (No. 457 of 1909) which worked on the Harton Colliery system at South Shields. WILF DOYLE

Brickworks’ buried tramway surfaces after 52 years A ‘FORGOTTEN’ industrial railway has been rediscovered beneath a housing development in Kent. The former Ryarsh Brickworks alongside the M20 in the village of Ryarsh was demolished by developer Redrow at the end of last year to clear the land ahead of constructing 91 homes. However, remnants of the 2ft gauge tramway which serviced the brickworks along with pieces of

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rolling stock have been uncovered, buried beneath 6ft of concrete. The Ryarsh Brick & Sand Co. Ltd brickworks in Roughetts Road was built in the 1930s and expanded in the 60 years that followed until it closed in the mid-Nineties. The railway ran for half a mile from the sand quarry behind The Street, through a tunnel, part of which survives, and on to the brickworks. According to the

records of the Industrial Railway Society, the motive power was a Motor rail four-wheel petrol tractor, the identity of which has been lost in the mists of time.

Several mineral tramways

The tramway was abandoned by 1953 and the locomotive was reported as being derelict five years later. There were several mineral

tramways serving brickworks and sandpits across the Ryarsh/West Malling area. Most were replaced by a conveyor belt or a dumper truck. In such cases, track and rolling stock were often buried on site because it was cheaper than removing them and selling them for scrap. As well as houses, the development will include more than 8000 sq ft of commercial floorspace.

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Thomas creator’s daughters bail out Bury station roof

The Economist headboard was carried by the S160 over the May 22-23 weekend, but on the Monday it was transferred to WD 2-8-0 No. 90733, apt as classmate No. 90711 carried the headboard in the twilight days of the GNR line. MARK NEALE

Keighley remembers its Great Northern Railway connection THE weekend of May 22-23 saw the 60th anniversary of the closure (to passengers) of the former GNR line linking Keighley with Bradford and Halifax via Queensbury. The line formed a junction between Keighley and Ingrow and closed on May 25, 1955. An exhibition in the Vintage Carriage Trust’s Museum of Rail Transport at Ingrow on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway which runs until September was formally opened 60 years to the day by

descendants of the Woodiwiss family. Benton & Woodiwiss were the main contractors involved in the construction of the railway.

Formal ceremony

Susan Tripp and Alan Rhodes, from London and Devon respectively, travelled to Ingrow to formally open the exhibition. They had not previously met. After the ceremony, they joined the KWVR service train hauled by USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 5820 with the

locomotive carrying `The Economist` headboard as carried on the last passenger train on the GNR route. It was made by Bernard Whittaker who was stationmaster at Thornton on the line, and a comment on BR’s decision to close the line which was said to be losing £49,000 at the time. The pair both enjoyed footplate trips on the line before viewing surviving engineering features on the GNR line including Hewenden viaduct, built by Benton & Woodiwiss.

THE East Lancashire Railway’s plans to install a £100,000 Victorian-style canopy over platform 2 at Bury Bolton Street station are back after it received £15,000 in grant aid. The Hilary Awdry Charitable Trust has given £14,000, followed by a further grant of £1000 from the Veronica Awdry Charitable Trust. In issue 202, we reported that the railway handed over £18,000 to a glass supplier. Robert Horne Group subsidiary Paperlinx, which went into administration the next day. Indications were that the heritage line would not see either the glazing delivered or its money returned. Volunteers had spent three years fundraising in order to have the roof completed in time for the third annual Raise the Roof music festival at Bolton Street station on July 17-18. The station lost its roof in the early Seventies. Fundraising coordinator Richard Barnett said: “We are extremely grateful to both trusts for the generous support they have shown. Many will recognise the Awdry sisters as the daughters of the late Rev Wilbert Awdry, who wrote the well-known Railway Series as well as the Thomas the Tank Engine books. "Naturally we feel their involvement is fitting since the railway hosts three Thomas the Tank Engine events each year, attracting 17,000 visitors a year.” The total amount raised comes to £65,000, including sponsorship from William Hare Structural Engineers as well as Ramsbottom-based consulting engineers Booth King, who assisted during the planning and construction phase of the project. The canopy project has entered its next phase following the delivery of the polycarbonate panels that will make up the roof. Much work remains to be done once the glazing is in place however.

Rail tragedy that involved Charles Dickens recalled THE 150th anniversary of a rail disaster involving novelist Charles Dickens has been marked. At 3.13 pm, on Tuesday, June 9, members of the Staplehurst Society marked the crash which happened 150 years earlier to the moment. Ten people died and 40 others were seriously injured when the SER’s Folkestone to London boat train carrying 115 passengers derailed at Staplehurst in Kent, where a length of track had been removed during engineering works on a bridge over the River Beult. The train jumped the rails before splitting into two, and the rear section fell into the river. A first-class coach in which Charles Dickens, his mistress Ellen Ternan and her mother returning to London from Paris were travelling was left hanging over the side of the bridge, with its rear end resting on the field below. All three survived.

Dickens himself played a significant part in the subsequent rescue efforts. He tended the victims, some of whom died while he was with them. Before he left with other survivors in an emergency train to London, he retrieved the manuscript of the episode of Our Mutual Friend that he was working on. SER directors presented Dickens with a piece of plate as a token of their appreciation for his assistance. However, he was greatly affected by the tragedy, losing his voice for two weeks, and afterwards became nervous about travelling by train. He died five years later to the day, his son claiming that he had never fully recovered. The Board of Trade report into the disaster said it was found that a man had been placed with a red flag 554 yards away but the regulations required him to be 1000 yards away.

A contemporary engraving of the Staplehurst rail disaster. Accordingly, the train did not have enough time to stop. Society members visited the location of the crash to remember the victims. Anita Thompson read out the names of those who had perished and, at the appropriate minute, a

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colourful wreath was cast, from the riverbank, to float on the river Beult a few yards from the site of the derailment. It had not been possible to access the exact spot due to recent necessary alterations to the river by the local water company. Heritage Railway 37

News

What Steve Davies did next By Louise McWatt STEVE DAVIES, the former director of the National Railway Museum, is famous in railway preservation circles worldwide for dreaming up and delivering one of the most ambitious and successful heritage era projects of all – the gathering of all six remaining members of Sir Nigel Gresley’s A4 class Pacific locomotives to mark the 75th anniversary of Mallard setting the world speed record for steam traction in 1938. The crossing and recrossing of the Atlantic by A4s Dwight D. Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada was the stuff of legend and represented a feat of organisation that may be unlikely to be repeated. Having achieved all this, Steve decided to move on to a new career path, one in which all the powers of organisation, tact, diplomacy and sheer tenacity which came into play to get Mallard 75 off the ground would once more be required in large measure with the company he was about to head. Yet why did he move on, and where did he go? And importantly, what if anything is he still involved with in railway preservation? As to why Steve moved on, here in his own words is the explanation: “I had for a while decided that after nearly five years in the museum world, with its extremes of excitement, achievement and frustration, that it was probably time to make a career change. “I had thoroughly enjoyed my time at the helm at both the Museum of Science and Industry and at the NRM, but I also felt that absolutely nothing could top the achievement of successfully delivering ‘mission impossible’ – the repatriation of the North America-based LNER A4 Pacifics. “Life after that could only be an anticlimax. I thus determined that once the celebrations were over I would call it a day and move on to pastures new. Life, though, has a habit of dictating a different pace to that planned and it was the unexpected arrival of an

“Let’s go surfin’ now, everybody’s learning how”… more than half a century after California made the sport famous, Europe’s biggest inland surfing resort will open in the Conwy Valley on August 1. SURF SNOWDONIA incredible job offer in a completely different sector, which would never be on the table again, which made me decide to leave my post at York earlier than anticipated. “It was with a huge degree of sadness that I left the organisation and the delivery of the remainder of the Mallard 75 programme to others, but this was tempered by subsequent elation with, and admiration for, the quality of the programme my successor, Paul Kirkman, and the rest of the NRM team pulled together.”

SurfingConwy

The “incredible job offer” Steve received was to become managing director of Conwy Adventure Leisure Ltd, a newlyformed venture allied to the Ainscough Group of Companies, which was established to create a major sporting and tourism attraction on the site of a former aluminium factory in the village of Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley. The factory closed in 2007 after precisely a century of operation, and was bought from the receivers in 2008 by another company within the

Ainscough Group. Its plans did not come to fruition, hence the formation of CAL under the chairmanship of serial entrepreneur Martin Ainscough to explore an altogether different proposition. It was while considering options for the site that Martin became aware of a new surfing technology being developed in the Basque region of northern Spain called Wavegarden which had been under development for over six years and was close to the point of being technically ready for commercial development. The technology is set to revolutionise the sport of surfing, but it needs a lot of land to maximise its potential; the 55 acres owned by CAL was just what was needed to allow both the development of Wavegarden and to include a significant array of family-focused facilities, such as a restaurant, retail outlets and accommodation. From a commercial point of view, surfing, made popular in the public consciousness by the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean in the early Sixties, is the world’s fastest growing water sport, yet

“The project is a completely different proposition to the Great Gathering of 2013-14, but it’s one that has evidently called – once again – on the tenacity, vision and ambition of Steve Davies.”

the experience around UK coastal waters is erratic and inconsistent. When the waves are good they are really good, but frequent disappointment at the poor quality means that there is a big market for the consistency and predictability that Wavegarden delivers. Planning and development began in earnest in November 2012 from offices co-located with the Ainscough Group in Leigh, near Wigan. A significant number of consultants, engineers, designers and architects were required both to overcome the challenges posed by this industrial brownfield site, and to produce a concept which would be both unique internationally and a major game changer amongst the North Wales outdoor adventure attractions already on stream or under development. This was not a project for the fainthearted: a century of aluminium manufacturing had created a huge pollution problem; the site is adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest; a high water table and flood plain added to the complexity and poor soil quality posed a challenge in terms of creating the ground stability required for such a construction. A significant degree of coordination and energy was required by Steve and his team to drive the process forward, and the achievement of planning permission in just six months was a measure of the team’s success in this respect. On the plus side, there was considerable local, regional and national support, and the powers of persuasion and communication Steve had demonstrated at the NRM were deployed in large measure to nurture contacts across a broad swathe of civic, business and political leadership.

Therailwaysectoronboard!

All six surviving A4s lined up at Locomotion for the February 2014 Great Goodbye at the Locomotion museum in Shildon, the third of the Great Gatherings. They are, from left , No. 60007SirNigelGresley, No. 60008 DwightD.Eisenhower, No. 60009 UnionofSouthAfrica, No. 4489 DominionofCanada; No. 4464 Bitternand No. 4468 Mallard. FRED KERR

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The tourism scene in North Wales was an unknown quantity to Steve’s management team, so an early office call in the project’s life was with Paul Lewin, general manager of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways, to get his advice on the modus operandi and the tricks of the trade.

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Steve Davies overseeing the construction of Surf Snowdonia, his biggest project after Mallard 75. SURF SNOWDONIA This was an especially wise early consultation which set the scene for an especially cordial relationship with tourism bodies and partners across the whole of Wales. The Wavegarden technology involves a submerged device, shaped like a snow plough, which is propelled along a three-rail track over the length of an artificial surfing lagoon which is 300m long by 113m wide. Interestingly, a new British railway gauge of 25in ½in has been created as a result! The machine is bi-directional and produces two-metre, 1.2m and 0.7m high waves in different areas of the lagoon, for the use of varying standards of surfer. The lagoon contains 31,000 square metres of water which is sourced from the tail race of the adjacent hydroelectric power station. The water is filtered and subject to ultra violet disinfection every 24 hours, and the lagoon is fully lined, thus separating surf water from ground water. Other statistics are equally superlative: a 2MW motor drives the machinery; the filtration pumps are rated at 2000 square metres per hour; the circumference of the surfing lagoon is 705m; laid end-to-end the length of the piles driven into the ground equals 6.3 miles – and so it goes on. This is a project of considerable scale and ambition. Although construction started only on June 25, 2014, the public opening of what by now has been titled Surf Snowdonia is set for August 1 – an amazing achievement given the scale of the challenge. The project and its construction stages is amply illustrated on the www.surfsnowdonia.co.uk website and Facebook pages.

Still involved with steam

In parallel with his duties managing Surf Snowdonia, Steve remains very active in railway heritage and preservation. He is the president of the Friends of the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum, which has now received charitable status and which is engaged

in helping the government of the West African nation to develop heritage’s role in recovering from ebola. He is also president and a board member of the 76084 Locomotive Company Ltd, and he was a founder of the Friends of the Thorpe Light Railway. Coincidentally, the Surf Snowdonia site plays host to the Dolgarrog Railway Society which occupies part of the former standard gauge line serving the former factory, on a 30 year lease. As a community gesture, the Ainscough Group moved 1000 yards of redundant track to Dolgarrog for the society, and members are now developing the site in readiness for the line’s centenary in 2016. Steve is, of course, taking an interest in the plans. In the meantime, the £12 million surf lagoon at Surf Snowdonia is now in its final construction phase and inching rapidly towards its public launch this summer. The facility will feature a surf academy as well as a spectacular 50 metre viewing gallery, cafe and restaurant, and hopes to attract spectators who have no intention of getting wet as well as surf enthusiasts. Parking, and entrance to the ‘dry’ facilities in the park will be free. It is hoped that a sizeable proportion of the visitors to the site will take advantage of the excellent main line connections to Llandudno Junction and onward branch line to Dolgarrog station (a request stop which is a 15 minute walk from the surf lagoon). A regular shuttle bus service will also run from Llandudno Junction. The project is a completely different proposition to the Great Gathering of 2013-14, but it’s one that has evidently called – once again – on the tenacity, vision and ambition of Steve Davies. Surf Snowdonia is set to be transformational for North Wales and the Conwy Valley; the £12 million facility is conservatively expected to attract in excess of 75,000 extra visitors to North Wales every year, with visitor queries coming from as far away as Australia, Hawaii, and sunny California where surfing originated all those years ago.

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Buyer’s premium decision is ‘painful’ admits auction boss

By Geoff Courtney

THE boss of the last specialist auction house not to add buyer’s premium to its hammer prices, Great Northern Railwayana, has bowed to what he describes as “inevitable” by introducing the premium months after expressing his determination to remain free of the controversial extra charge. In a move that will shock some collectors within the movement but had been anticipated by others, Great Northern’s director David Robinson has announced that buyer’s premium will be charged with effect from his next auction in October, admitting: “It was either that or we could not carry on.” David’s new charge of 10% – which he calls an administration charge but is a buyer’s premium in all but name – matches every other specialist railwayana auction, but for how much longer is open to conjecture, as many will fear that its introduction will lead to some of those other auctions increasing their premium.

Obstacle has gone

Their view was that Great Northern’s stance against the charge was stopping any such increases, but now that obstacle has gone, sources within the movement are saying that the smart money is on a 15% increase at some of the auction houses. Only last November David was showing determination not to charge the premium, saying: “At the moment I do not see any reason for charging a premium on our main auction. We’re sticking to it,” and indeed his next sale on January 31 was free of the charge. That, now, is history, and the last buyer’s premium-free zone in

On the charge: Ian Wright (left) at work during Great Northern Railwayana’s first sale at Poynton on October 19, 2013, with his clerk Keith Whatlin. This auction and the following two were free of buyer’s premium, but Great Northern is set to become the last railwayana auction house to introduce the charge. DAVID ROBINSON railwayana auctions has gone. David told Heritage Railway: “Imposing the buyer’s premium was a painful, but inevitable, decision. It was either that, or not carry on and we had to bite the bullet. “As I have championed the absence of a premium since launching Great Northern in 2013 I suppose I will get brickbats, but we were trying to do it with one arm tied behind our backs. We need all the tools to be able to compete.” David explained: “By charging buyer’s premium, our competitors are able to be flexible with what they charge vendors for selling their railwayana. Our seller’s commission rate is 10%, but because others charge buyer’s premium, they are able to

Lynton line Down Under!

charge vendors less, or even nothing at all and this helps them attract choice lots or large collections. Vendors want as much as possible for the sale of their railwayana and want good terms.

Funds for advertising

“Competing for good lots is the main thing and if we want to be competitive we need to be able to do a deal on vendor’s commission. We have to do it.” He also pointed to other railwayana auctions providing free catalogues – Great Northern charges £5, although this will now be dropped – and having the funds for advertising. He said that another factor in his decision was that bidders at the other auctions he attended weren’t put off by buyer’s premium.

“It doesn’t seem to make much difference,” he said. David’s auctioneer is Ian Wright, one of the founding fathers of the modern railwayana auction era who is well known within the movement as being a fierce opponent of buyer’s premium. “I passed it by Ian when I was considering introducing the charge as I respect his opinion,” said David. “He understood that if we were to carry on we had to make money, but it certainly won’t make me rich. “As the only railwayana auction in the north, a lot of people want us to carry on and I desperately want to keep going.” The country’s – indeed, probably the world’s – leading specialist auction house is Northamptonshire-based Great Central Railwayana, which holds a number of live, postal and internet auctions. Its flagship sales at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, carry a buyer’s premium of 10%, as do its second-tier live events at Bloxham, its postal auctions run in conjunction with the Stoneleigh sales and internet auctions held under the Railwayananet banner. However, in a move that some may believe is the precursor to wider increases, Heritage Railway understands Great Central will increase the 10% premium on its Bloxham and postal auctions to 15% with effect from August and September respectively, although the company said the premium at the next Stoneleigh sale, on September 5, would remain at 10%. Great Northern’s next auction, its fourth and the first at which the buyer’s premium will be charged, is on October 3 at Poynton Leisure Centre, near Stockport.

Manchester museum seeks volunteers THE Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester is seeking new volunteers to help run its new train ride experience to be launched in July. The ride will bring the story of the railway to life, communicating its history and its significant contribution to the Industrial Revolution. Taking in the original eastern terminus of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, the oldest surviving passenger station in the world, visitors will be able to

experience train travel at the dawn of the Victorian era. Volunteers will get a chance to work Planet, the museum’s unique replica of George Stephenson’s 1830 steam locomotive on the historic site. Another engine, the RSH-built 0-4-0ST Agecroft No. 1 demonstrates the site’s use from 1844 to 1975 as a freight yard and goods station. Would-be volunteers are invited to visit www.mosi.org.uk for details.

Plans drawn for new model centre

Inspired by the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway on the far side of the world, Australian enthusiast Dr Ken Tate has built a 12in gauge railway system around his property in rural Victoria. The private line has even been named the Lynton Railway. It recently held its first open day in many years. SAMMY DALY

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PROGRESS is being made on Kent’s new model railway museum that has The Who singer Roger Daltrey and multi-millionaire enthusiast Sir William McAlpine as its patrons. A design team for the Ashford International Model Railway Excellence Centre has been drawing up new plans for the former railway works site in Newtown, although a formal

planning application has not yet been submitted to Ashford Borough Council. Workers have cleared the site in preparation for the centre to be built on part of the land, with much of the rest being used for housing. The old locomotive workshops closed in June 1962, with the main wagon works closing down in 1982.

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LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46512 heads the first Strathspey Railway evening dining car train of the season using a newly-refurbished set of coaches on June 3. CHRIS BOYD

Rocket replica shoots off to new home By Geoff Courtney A REPLICA of Stephenson’s historic Rocket steam locomotive sold for £800 on June 10 in an auction of one of the most extraordinary collections of rail, land and air transport ever to come on the market. The entire contents of Stondon Motor Museum in Bedfordshire were put under the hammer by Brightwells auctioneers following the closure of the visitor attraction, which was founded in 1994. The auction was in two parts – 67 classic motorcycles on April 29 and 134 cars and other forms of transport on June 10. It was at the June 10 sale, in Leominster, that the two-thirds scale replica model of the 1829 Rainhill Trials winning 0-2-2 locomotive was sold. Stondon Museum was founded by John Saunders, the son of an LNER guard and a country mansion maid. Born in 1928, John was an engineer by profession who started buying, restoring and collecting cars as a young man. Eventually that collection totalled about 40, at which time he

decided to turn his childhood dream of owning a museum into reality. To fulfil his ambition he bought a former garden centre in the village of Lower Stondon, between Bedford and Hitchin and transformed it into a museum. It opened it to the public in 1994 and it has grown into the country’s largest private transport museum. John, who was a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, died in 2013 at the age of 85 and the running of the museum was taken over by his son Chris. But with increasing overheads and visitor numbers reducing, he decided to call it a day and the doors closed for the last time on April 6. The idiosyncratic collection John built up over the years appeared to have no defined theme, a fact supported by Chris, who said his father never really put too much thought into what he bought, instead going for vehicles he liked. Thus, among the preand postwar classic (and not-so-classic) cars and other vehicles in the June 10 auction were fire engines, a London Transport RT bus, road sweepers, a

racing car, a showman’s wagon, an Army truck and tank, a helicopter, a gyrocopter and an amphibious vehicle. Even more bizarrely, there was a rickshaw, a tuk-tuk taxi from Thailand, a ‘flying flea’ light aircraft (powered by a 425cc engine) and a Rolls-Royce jet engine. It was also planned to sell another of the museum’s exhibits, a 1965 Russian surface-to-air missile transporter complete with missile, but this was removed from the auction, with a late catalogue amendment saying darkly that its withdrawal was “due to Section 5(e) of the 1968 Firearms Act”. Mark Barker, who joined the museum 13 years ago and became its manager in 2006, said John’s son Vic made the Rocket model. “He was a skilled blacksmith and carpenter and was asked by his dad about 10 years ago to build the model for the museum,” said Mark. “It took him about a year.” Made of wood and metal, the model, which uses a beer barrel for the water tank, was a popular exhibit at the museum, said Mark, especially with children, who were allowed to sit in the tender. The auction catalogue alludes to this in the description of the model, saying: “If nothing else, it will certainly make the lucky new owner popular with the grandchildren!” The original Rocket was the winner of trials held in 1829 by the Liverpool & Manchester Railway in Rainhill, Lancashire, to find a suitable locomotive for the railway. It changed hands for £300 in 1836 and in 1862 it was donated to the Patent Office Museum in London, now the Science Museum, where it remains on display. Rocket man: Mark Barker, manager of Stondon Motor Museum, with the model of Stephenson’s Rocket made by Vic Saunders, the son of museum founder John. The two-thirds scale replica sold for £800 at auction on June 10. GEOFF COURTNEY

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Warning over Cleethorpes Coast crossings MOTORISTS have been warned about the dangers of ignoring red lights at the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway’s two level crossings. Joint owner John Kerr, who has witnessed a number of near misses at the level crossings off Kings Road, said the culprits were mainly tourists at nearby holiday camps. He said: “We see a lot of older folk who have a lapse in concentration and just miss the lights, but the real issue is the folk who see that the lights are on red but still cross. They are usually younger.” Dave Copley, neighbourhood beat manager at Cleethorpes police station, said: “The railway is not a toy and the crossings are subject to the Road Traffic Act in the same way a ‘full sized’ crossing is. Offenders not only risk injury to themselves and others but they could also be prosecuted and receive points on their licence along with a fine.”

Class 37 ready for air festival date THE Scottish Class 37 Group has successfully returned its No. 37025 to service following a test running session at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway during which it completed five return trips to Manuel. The locomotive is now being prepared for its main line appearance on August 22 when it will join with DRS-owned Class 37/4 No. 37401 to power a Chester-Bournemouth charter organised in association with Virgin Trains for passengers to visit the Bournemouth Air Festival. Heritage Railway 41

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Train Story opened on Wight By Phil Marsh THE £1.2 million Isle of Wight Steam Railway visitor, conservation and education facility at Havenstreet is up and running after it was officially declared open on June 6. Named the Train Story Discovery Centre, the ceremonial ribbon cutting was conducted by Paul Hudson, the chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s South East England Committee, who signed off the £970,000 grant assisted by the youngest of the facility’s volunteer interpreter guides, Kathryn Lockyer, who lives in the village. The name reflects the building’s contents, aims and ambitions as its four covered roads house the vintage Victorian and Edwardian traction and rolling stock that makes the line so unique. A sheltered fifth line is alongside the main building under a lean-to shelter providing more partially protected stabling facility. Paul said the new building would protect the IOWSR’s vintage railway collection, now deemed to be of national importance. The facility, which provides another major draw within the Isle of Wight’s leading tourist attraction, was partially opened in March 2014 and fully opened a year later, attracting excellent reviews from visitors. The railway carried 110,000 passengers last year and about 60% of these visited Train Story, double the forecast number.

The Train Story official opening by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Paul Hudson and railway volunteer Kathryn Lockyer. PHIL MARSH Right: Curator Andrew McLean handing over LBSCR Cattle Wagon No. 46924 to IOWSR chairman Steve Oates. PHIL MARSH Below: The Train Story building at Havenstreet. PHIL MARSH

Securing the future

Paul emphasised that the 300-plus volunteers provided a solid base for the line and bringing on younger helpers to secure the future was key to the success of the railway. The first ribbon-cutting event was what IOWSR chairman Steve Oates said was the unofficial opening staged for official photographers in front of LSWR O2 0-4-4T No. 24 Calbourne. The flagship locomotive had steamed into Train Story for the occasion and was coupled to a vintage carriage. The second ribbon-cutting was carried out next to No. 24 with invited guests such as the island’s High Sheriff, Ron Holland and Andrew McLean, the head curator of the National Railway Museum. Andrew then gave a short speech confirming that the National Collection via the NRM had handed over ownership of an original Calbourne and

W11 Newport nameplate. He outlined the history of the final gift from the NRM, a superbly-restored 1922 London, Brighton & South Coast Railway-built 10 ton goods van. Originally constructed as a cattle wagon numbered 46924, it worked on the island for 20 years from 1928, being rebuilt in 1935 as a covered goods van mainly used on passengers’ luggage-in-advance duties. The Southern Railway condemned it in 1948 but it found new life as a signal and telegraph stores van until 1966 when it became part of the National

Collection, stored at Fratton and Preston Park and returned to the island on loan in 1978.

National collection

Andrew hinted that more items might be gifted from the National Collection to the IOWSR given the strength of their 40-year relationship. He also said the relationship was not a one way thing, as the transfer on loan of Hunslet 0-6-0ST Austerity Juno from IOWSR ownership into the National Collection at Shildon was to be formally completed soon.

Steve said: “Train Story has been a massive game-changer for the Isle of Wight Steam Railway ensuring that dozens of our historic railway vehicles are now stored under cover away from the weather and it is already an integral and hugely popular part of the visitor experience contributing to the railway winning the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2015.” Train Story also houses a discovery centre with interactive gallery and screens telling the story of the island’s railways, with film and audio clips from their heyday, in two exhibition halls.

Gala to mark the 50th anniversary of Penrhyn Quarry Railway closure THE Lake District’s mile-long 2ft gauge Threlkeld Quarry Railway will feature at least seven steam locomotives in action during its July 25-26 gala. The theme for this year's event is Penrhyn Quarry Railway - 50 anniversary of closure. As such there will be no less than six Penrhyn locomotives operating over the weekend - probably the largest PQR gathering seen since 1965.

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Confirmed locomotives are Lilia and Hugh Napier from the Ffestiniog Railway, Marchlyn, Sybil Mary from the Statfold Barn Railway and Stanhope and No. 1238 as Bronllwyd from the Moseley Railway Trust’s Apedale Valley Light Railway. Resident Bagnall locomotive Sir Tom will complete the line up. The event runs from 10am to 5pm on both days. In addition to all the railway

activity there is also the real prospect of two operating steam navvies at work on the site – believed to be a first in the UK since about 1950. Event organiser Martyn Ashworth said: “This will be the fifth major July steam gala held at the Threlkeld Quarry Railway and it will be the

best one yet with plenty of steam action all day and a major themed gathering of Penrhyn locomotives to mark 50 years since that iconic quarry railway system finally closed.” The museum will be open as normal and guided mine tours will also be available.

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Royal message as Bagnall veteran reaches 110 By Geoff Courtney MESSAGES of congratulations from Prince Michael of Kent and a television celebrity were the highlights of a birthday party at Amberley Museum in West Sussex on June 14, when staff, volunteers, trustees and visitors sang happy birthday and raised three cheers. The centre of attention was Polar Bear, a 2-4-0T built by W G Bagnall in 1905 (works No. 1781) for the 2ft gauge Groudle Glen Railway near Douglas on the Isle of Man, where it operated with another Bagnall 2-4-0T, the 1896-built Sea Lion.

Overlooked a zoo

The two diminutive tank engines were so named because the railway ran along Groudle Glen to a seaside terminus that overlooked a zoo. Opened in 1896, the railway benefited from the island’s Victorian tourist boom to such an extent that in its first three years it carried more than 100,000 passengers. In the early 1920s Sea Lion and Polar Bear were replaced by battery electric locomotives, but this was unsuccessful

and they returned in 1927, having each been given new boilers. Business was brisk before the war, but declined in the 1950s and the railway closed in 1962, although it was to reopen in stages as a heritage line between 1983 and 1992 and is now thriving again. Polar Bear, the only operational locomotive at the time of closure, was sold – for £25 – to the Brockham Museum Association in Surrey, whose collection moved to Amberley in 1982. A year later the 2-4-0T returned to traffic after completion of a restoration started by the association and quickly became a favourite with visitors. Its 1920s boiler was replaced in 1987 and twice in the following decade it was a guest at the reopened Groudle Glen Railway, where it teamed up with its former stablemate Sea Lion, which never left the island. Ruth Tyrrell, the museum’s communications manager, said both Prince Michael and broadcaster and railway enthusiast Nicholas Owen were supporters of Amberley and had sent telegrams of congratulations to mark the 110th birthday of Polar Bear. She said a large crowd welcomed the little engine as it arrived at the

Happy birthday: Amberley Museum’s PolarBear has a nearly full train at Brockham station on June 14, the occasion of its 110th birthday. The Bagnall 2-4-0T, which received congratulations from Prince Michael of Kent, carries a commemorative headboard. GERRY CORK museum’s Brockham station, where Amberley director Martin Piggott said a few words.

Tourist honeypot

“A beautiful cake was cut, and in spite of its generous size and the addition of cupcakes, after a few minutes not a crumb remained. It was lovely to see such a large group,” said Ruth. Amberley Museum is based in old chalk pits near the tourist honeypot of Arundel. The 36-acre site is dedicated to the industrial heritage of the area

German Orenstein and Koppel diesel joins Corris fleet THE Corris Railway has taken delivery of a ‘new’ locomotive, which has become No. 11 in its fleet. A 1957-built Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-0 diesel has been bought from Club 760 at Mauterndorf in the Austrian Alps. The 760mm gauge locomotive was supplied new to construction company E Weiss and Co of Vienna and subsequently sold to a paper mill in Steyrermühl, also in Austria, whose works line closed in 1988. With the existing diesels Nos. 5 and 6 needing extensive maintenance, the locomotive was bought not only to assist them, but to head permanent way trains on the southern extension project, the gradient beyond Maespoeth Junction in the Machynlleth direction including a 1-in-30 gradient. It will also act as a ‘Thunderbird’ if required. On March 27 the locomotive was loaded in Mauterndorf and taken to the works of SC Calea Ferata Ingusta SRL, Criscior in Brad in

New to the Corris Railway fleet, this diesel has been numbered 11, with the new-build Falcon 0-4-2ST currently under construction being No. 10. DAVID COLEMAN/CR Transylvania, Romania, for completion of the electrical work, which had only been half done, regauging to 2ft 3in gauge (687mm) and a light overhaul including oil changes. It was also repainted gloss black above the footplate and signal red below. Buffers and a centre coupling

hook were fitted and the air reservoir adapted for use with the air brakes on the Corris coaching stock. The locomotive was on the seven-mile CFI branch line before the regauging work was carried out, as there was no 2ft 3in gauge line available.

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and its exhibits range from rail and road transport collections to industry. The railway collection is the most comprehensive of its type in the UK and comprises more than 30 steam, diesel, electric and petrol locomotives representing 13 gauges, of which two, 2ft and 3ft 2¼in, having running lines, while there is also a standard gauge demonstration line. The 2ft gauge railway is the longest, at nearly ½ mile and includes three stations, Amberley, Brockham and Cragside.

Helston’s new station plans opposed again NEIGHBOURS of the Helston Railway have renewed their campaign to block plans to build a new station at Prospidnick. Residents of Sithney parish in Cornwall are fighting plans submitted by the Helston Railway Preservation Society to extend the existing track, lay sidings, build a platform, keep portable buildings and farm buildings for storage and a create 60-space car park. The society also wants to build a new access road. A petition with more than 170 names has been collected from the 100 homes within a square mile around the site of the proposed development. The line’s planning application, its third in three years, has again been opposed by Sithney Parish Council. A railway spokesman said: “We have done everything we can to make it as palatable as possible and that’s where we are.” Cornwall Council’s planning committee was set to make a decision at the end of June.

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Special trains manager named UK’s top young preservationist THE man who is spearheading the move to save Ashburton station has been awarded one of preservation’s top accolades. Alasdair Page, 21, from Dawlish, the South Devon Railway’s special trains manager as well as being a fireman, guard, signalman and general volunteer, has won the Transport Trust’s Young Preservationist of the Year 2015 award. The award was presented by Prince Michael of Kent at Brooklands Motor Museum in Surrey in June. A committed preservationist in rail and road transport for over a decade, Alasdair’s self-taught restoration skills are supported by a strong respect for heritage and authenticity.

Full-time employee

He began his voluntary work at Buckfastleigh when around the age of 10 and completed most tasks from cleaning to firing locomotives. In May 2012 he became a full-time employee of the line as special trains manager, with responsibility for all aspects of the dining train operation. He also covers several day-to-day operations, including the overall responsibility for running the railway on given days when the line’s manager is away. He recently formed, and became chairman of, the Friends of Ashburton Station, a campaign group to safeguard the former branch terminus, now under threat of redevelopment.

Keith takes on two new roles MANCHESTER preservationist Keith Whitmore has been appointed as the new company secretary of the Bahamas Locomotive Society and as a vice president of the East Lancashire Railway. Keith, who is also chairman of the Heaton Park Tramway and a former chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, has been a member of the BLS since he was 13 and later he became a director. The 60-year-old worked with the ELR in its early days, securing funding from the former Greater Manchester Council. He said: “I intend to be an active vice president. One of my key objectives will be to do all I can to help in the campaign to extend the railway to Castleton and develop the Buckley Wells site.”

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A railway spokesman said: “He is known for speaking up on issues of authenticity and has won many victories regarding aspects of rolling stock and station infrastructure, which Alasdair believes should be presented as historically correct. “He is very personable, has a maturity beyond his years and the respect of the older generations of railway and road transport preservationists.” Alasdair owns and maintains a fleet of five Land Rovers, spanning the evolution of the design from 1954 to 1982. His 1961 example is used as his daily transport. This was his first acquisition when, aged 16, he rescued it from a field and rebuilt it. Following the mechanical rebuild, he has painted and signwritten it as a representation of a Western Region ancillary vehicle and it is regularly used in connection with the SDR – sometimes up and down the line on a flatbed railway wagon! Alasdair has a 50% share in a railway brake van, which he has recently repainted and signwritten to complement pannier tank L92 (GWR No. 5786) currently carrying its latter-day London Transport livery. A growing interest in road passenger transport has seen Alasdair volunteering for the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust, both for vehicle restoration work and as a conductor on vintage bus running days. He also volunteers as a conductor on the SDR’s own Routemaster rail

South Devon Railway special trains manager Alasdair Page on the footplate of Collett 0-6-0 No. 3205. SDR replacement bus service and he is planning to begin his PCV driver training in due course.

Diverse collection of signage

Alasdair has a strong artistic flare and as well as undertaking all his own signwriting (and much of the same for the SDR), he also produces paintings on a heritage railway theme. An avid collector, Alasdair has amassed a diverse selection of signage and other predominantly railway-related artefacts. Meanwhile, two brothers from Nanstallon, near Bodmin, who have devoted their lives to all things steam,

were presented with Transport Trust Lifetime Achievement awards by the prince. Charlie and Robin Daniel, tin miners who in 1984 founded their own company, South Western Mining and Tunnelling Ltd, are familiar faces at traction engine rallies all over the country. Their interest in steam began as boys while they were living alongside the Bodmin to Wadebridge and Padstow branch in the 1950s. Charlie is a driver on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway and the brothers have also worked on the Talyllyn and Ffestiniog railways.

Guest house station admired by actress goes on sale

A LNWR station that once delighted American movie star Bette Davis and has since been converted into a bed and breakfast establishment, is on the market for £750,000. Bell Busk station, now operating as Tudor House B&B, was opened in July 1849 as one of the intermediate stations on the line between Skipton and Ingleton, which subsequently became part of a through route between West Yorkshire and Morecambe. It served both the hamlet of Bell Busk and the village of Malham, a popular tourist destination. As a station it is famous for being the destination for what may have been the first ever ‘works outing’ when Titus Salt brought his entire workforce and their families from Saltaire to Malham to show them where he spent his holidays. The station was used for location filming for the 1951 feature film Another Man’s Poison starring Bette Davis, who was so impressed by the station that she asked if it was for sale. Closed to passengers on May 4, 1959, despite more than 100 local objections, the main station buildings were sold off by British Rail for use as a private dwelling and converted into a guest house in 1982. The main line leading to the Settle and Carlisle route runs behind it. Now an award-winning vibrant business, it is being marketed by Windle Beech Winthrop Limited, of Skipton, telephone 01756 53501.

Above: Sheep being unloaded from a cattle wagon at Bell Busk station. TUDOR HOUSE Right: Tudor House guest house, formerly a LNWR station. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Heritage Railway 45

RAILWAYANA

BY GEOFF COURTNEY

It’s early days for guard’s watch A LONDON & Birmingham Railway guard’s watch that is believed to be the earliest railway timepiece ever to come up for auction will be a highlight of GW Railwayana’s sale on July 25. Dating from circa 1837, the year the railway opened in part between the two cities, the brass and mahoganycased watch has an English lever fusee movement and is engraved to the front “George Littleworth, Maker, London”. Simon Turner, GWRA director and auctioneer who has a detailed knowledge of railway clocks, said: “It would have been set and locked at Euston and travelled with the guard so he could confirm the times at stations at which they stopped, and would have been in use before Greenwich time signals were sent by telegraph.” George Littleworth was apprenticed in 1789 and recorded as working in Rahere Street, Finsbury, London. From 1822-1851 he was a member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, which was established by Royal Charter in 1631 and is the oldest surviving horological institution in the world. The Birmingham & Railway opened in full in September

1838, with the first trains taking 5½ hours for the 112½ mile journey. In 1846 it merged with the Grand Junction and Manchester & Birmingham railways to form the LNWR. Railwayana from named locomotives at the auction will

include the nameplate from GWR No. 6838 Goodmore Grange, built at Swindon in September 1937 and withdrawn from Worcester (85A) in November 1965, the smokebox numberplate from No. 6938 Corndean Hall, a cabside from 6981 Marbury Hall, and the chimney from another

GWR 4-6-0, No. 5010 Restormel Castle. For heritage modern traction enthusiasts there is a regimental badge from Class 55 Deltic D9004/55004 Queen’s Own Highlander, and the totems on offer will include a fully-flanged Cheltenham Spa (Malvern Road) making its auction debut and a chocolate and cream Torquay plastic totem that was previously unknown and was fitted to the station’s footbridge. London Transport aficionados will have a selection of Underground station roundel signs to mull over, and a second venerable timepiece is a hefty marble mantle clock with bronze embellishments presented to Edward Newson on his retirement in December 1907 as superintendent of the GWR parcels department. Newson’s 40-year career with the railway started as a booking clerk at Ross and included spells as stationmaster at Minety, Stonehouse and Taplow and chief clerk to the London divisional superintendent. The auction, at Pershore High School, starts at 10am.

From Whitley Bay and Newquay to Europe

Lynton & Barnstaple flies the flag for the little ’uns AS THE headline act in Talisman’s May 23 auction, nameplate Elton Hall, from GWR No. 4997, doubtless thought it was beyond the reach of all else when it sold for £5400. But in the world of railwayana never underestimate the little ’uns, especially such as the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. With a gauge of 1ft 11½in, an operational life of just 37 years, and a length of only 19 miles, even its devotees would admit that it was hardly up there in the pantheon of great railways, but over the years it has acquired an avid following resulting in any memorabilia from the line having disciples reaching for their chequebooks. So it was on May 23, in the shape of a seemingly humble headlamp. Humble, though, it wasn’t. Firstly it was from the L&B, secondly carried by a locomotive, and thirdly dated 1897. Described in the catalogue as a “remarkable relic from this wonderful little railway” the lamp was reputed to have been carried by 2-6-2T Yeo during the ceremony marking the opening of the line in May 1898. Result? A realisation of £5400, exactly matching that of

46 Heritagerailway.co.uk

the Hall nameplate. Two GWR clocks sold for £1650 and £1300 – the former from the gauge room at Swindon works – and the top totem at £1350 was from Dorchester South. A collection of Southern Region station enamel doorplates also made its mark, including cartage (£1350), asst works manager (£1050) and guards (£960). A pair of handlamps were further four-figure successes, comprising a Cambrian Railway example from the Welshpool & Llanfair line (£1250) and a MR/SDJR lamp (£1000). Top smokebox was 80041 from the Standard 4MT that hauled the last Somerset & Dorset Joint Up train (£940). The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10%. Of the auction, held at the Gartell Light Railway at Yenston, Templecombe, Talisman’s Roger Phipps said: “It went very well, with fabulous weather and trips on the railway for visitors. Note the prices of some of the Southern Region enamel doorplates, and the L&B loco headlamp making the same price as the Hall nameplate.”

A 1927 Chemin de Fer du Nord poster by A M Cassandre (1901-68) advertising the sleeping car LondonEurope ‘Nord Express’ sold for £7000 at a Christie’s poster auction in South Kensington on June 4, and a 1930 Southern Railway French Riviera example by Roger Broders (1883-1953) for £3800. Top home market Big Four poster was a 1935 LNER example promoting Whitley Bay by Tom Purvis (1888-1959) which went for £4500, followed by two from the GWR, by William Burbidge advertising Newquay (£2800) and by John Mace (1889-1952) publicising Carlyon Bay Hotel in Par, Cornwall

(£1000). Rail transport in London featured strongly in the sale, headed by a 1931 ‘Power – the nerve centre of London’s Underground’ poster which realised £14,000. The poster, featuring an image of Battersea Power Station and a clenched fist, was by the acclaimed American-born, London-based avant garde artist Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890-1954). Another Underground example, issued in 1934 and the work of Maurice Miles, advertised London Zoo, and went under the hammer for £4200. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 25% (+VAT).

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

BY GEOFF COURTNEY

RAILWAYANA

High wide and handsome – but outshone by a Castle IT MAY have been a plate with everything going for it – high wide and handsome, a regimental badge, and from one of only eight members of a large class of express locomotives to be named – but The Snapper, The East Yorkshire Regiment, The Duke of York’s Own, had to take second place at Great Central’s June 6 auction. At £30,000 the plate, from LNER V2 No. 60809, was hardly a failure. Abergavenny Castle, from GWR No. 5013, however, proved to be a formidable competitor, and eventually took the victor’s spoils by selling for £32,000 to a telephone bidder. Earlier in proceedings Ryde, from IoW Class E1 0-6-0T No. W3, went for £16,400, more than twice its middle estimate. A clutch of nameplates from three of the Big Four also made it into five figures, comprising Prestatyn (LMS Patriot No. 45522 – £10,500), Sir Meliot de Logres (SR King Arthur No. 30801 – £10,200), and The Puckeridge from LNER D49 No. 62770 (£10,000). Close

behind at £9800 came Brockington Grange from GWR No. 6804 – one of its cabside numberplates sold immediately following for £1800 to the same bidder – and Zeebrugge from LNER D11 No. 62666 (£9000). A railwayana auction is rarely without an LMS Jubilee muscling in, and this sale was no exception, with United Provinces from No. 45578 and Minotaur from No. 45695 selling for £8000 and £7000 respectively, the former realisation being matched by Western Challenger and its cabside from Class 52 D1019.

Bringing up the nameplate rear were a pair of GWR Halls, Faendre Hall and Tylney Hall (Nos. 5954 and 6919) at £5300 and £5000, Topi from LNER B1 No. 61013, also at £5000, and Thoresby Park, the first name carried by LNER B17 No. 61630 (£4200). Not that nameplates had it all their own way. Headboard ‘The Flying Scotsman’ went under Mike Soden’s hammer for £8600, a totem sign from Bassenthwaite Lake station for £6300 (runner-up totem at £4300 was Snettisham and top SR target sign at £3500 was Ryde St Johns), and smokebox numberplate 53804 from an S&D 7F for £4800. The S&D 2-8-0 outshone smokeboxes from two named locomotives – 6814 from GWR Enborne Grange (£2300) and 30747 from SR King Arthur Elaine (£2200) – and there was also success for a humble industrial 0-4-0ST over other fancy locomotives in the worksplate category. The plate, a 1903 Gibb & Hogg, went for £5900 after a battle

Scottish totem mixes it with nameplates THE march of the nameplates was interrupted by a totem station sign in Railwayana.net’s internet auction on May 17-24. Top two were King’s-Canterbury (no hyphen in the Ian Allan ABCs but definitely one on the nameplate), from SR Schools class No. 30933 (£18,400), and Tremayne, a combined name, works and numberplate from GWR Bulldog No. 3358 (£13,000). This pair was followed at £10,600 by a totem from Corrour, a remote station on Scotland’s West Highland line, a realisation that was doubtless influenced by the fact that it was the sign’s first time at auction and the only known survivor from this main line location.

Then the nameplates were on the move again, in the form of Sir Cador of Cornwall (SR King Arthur No. 30804 – £7500) and Camperdown (LMS Jubilee No. 45680 – £6700), with four further totems (Dawlish Warren, Quakers Yard (Low Level), Highbridge & Burnham-on-Sea, and Lowestoft North) in pursuit at prices between £4500 and £1850. A West Country Class scroll from SR

No. 34038 Lynton realised £3100, ahead of direction signs for West Cliff station on the Saltburn-Scarborough coastal route (£2200) and Bowbridge Crossing Halt from the Stroud Valley station between Brimscombe and Stroud (£1400). Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10% (+ VAT). The auction was the fourth since Railwayana.net became part of Great Central Railwayana, and GCRA director Mike Soden said: “The price for KingsCanterbury was outstanding, and that for Corrour the second highest totem realisation on record, and indeed the signs are that totem prices may be on the increase. Posters are also a growth area.”

Suffolk stations signs top Lacy Scott & Knight’s sale

TOTEM signs from Leiston and Westerfield, two stations opened in 1859 by the East Suffolk Railway each sold for £1000 at a Lacy Scott & Knight railwayana and collectors’ model sale in Bury St Edmunds on May 16. Leiston, on the SaxmundhamAldeburgh branch, closed in September 1966, but Westerfield, on the Ipswich-Lowestoft route, remains open, and is the junction of the branch to Felixstowe. Another £1000 realisation was for a 1930s’ LMS poster by Alfred Lambart promoting Port Sunlight. This Merseyside location is a model village built by

Lever Brothers from 1899 to 1914 to accommodate workers, and contains no fewer than 900 Grade IIlisted buildings. Top railway model at £2200 was 5in gauge live steam 0-4-0ST Sweet Pea, followed by three other live steam models – Gauge I German 4-4-4 No. 3201 built by Fulgurex for Aster (£2000), and a pair of Aster Gauge 1 examples, LMS Improved Precedent 2-4-0 No. 5036 Novelty (£1250) and SR Schools No. 901 Winchester (£1050). Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 17½% (+ VAT).

between two determined bidders in the room, a price which trumped the £4800 for an LNER Doncaster 1930 example from A3 Pacific No. 60088 Book Law. Other category winners included a painting by Philip Hawkins of No. 7822 Foxcote Manor on shed carrying a ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ headboard (£2900), a mid-19th century Highland Railway longcase clock and an LNER ‘Skegness is so bracing’ poster (each at £2400), a pair of ‘Golden Arrow’ and ‘Flèche d’Or’ carriageboards (£1550), and a nameboard from Tain signalbox on the Inverness to Wick and Thurso line, also at £1550. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10% (+ VAT). “It was a roaring success across the board,” said auctioneer Mike Soden. “The price for Ryde was remarkable, and Abergavenny Castle beating The Snapper was quite amazing. We had only seven unsolds out of 500, and there are new collectors registering at each auction, which is very promising.” ➜ NAMEPLATE SirGareth from SR King Arthur No. 30765 sold for £4800 at a collectors’ sale held by Greenslade Taylor Hunt in Taunton on June 6. The 4-6-0 was one of the ‘Scotch Arthurs’, having been built by North British in May 1925. It was withdrawn in September 1962 and was the last member of the class to be scrapped, at Eastleigh in November that year. The price excludes buyer’s premium of 19½% (+ VAT). ➜ THREE Aster Gauge 1 live steam models hit the heights at a Vectis train sale at Rugby on June 6. Heading the trio at £3500 was GWR No. 5042 Winchester Castle, closely pursued by LMS No. 46231 DuchessofAtholl and LNER No. 60103 FlyingScotsman each at £3400. A similar model of GWR 0-6-0PT No. 3738 went for £900, while top O-gauge models were an Ace SR No. 34049 Anti-AircraftCommand, which realised £620, and a Hornby refrigerator van dating from 1939 (£600). On May 15, a Stateside articulated locomotive topped the Vectis model train sale at Thornaby with a realisation of £480. The G-gauge (45mm) model, made by LGB of Germany, was of 2-6-6-2 No. 251, which operated on the Sumpter Valley Railway, an 80-mile 3ft gauge logging line in Oregon that opened in 1890 and survived in part until 1961. Five miles have been reopened as a heritage line. All the prices exclude buyer’s premium of 20% (+ VAT). Heritage Railway 47

Famous British Locomotive engineers

GWR 0-4-2T No. 1453 at Fairley on March 6, 1963. COLOUR-RAIL.COM

Charles Benjamin

COllett GreatWesternrailWay In another of an occasional series of historical reviews of ‘Big Four’ locomotive engineers, Cedric Johns highlights CB Collett, who succeeded Churchward at Swindon in 1921.

T

he son of a London-based journalist, CB Collett was educated at Merchant Taylors School and latterly, the London University. He began his adult career by joining Maudsley, builders of marine engines in 1891, but two years later he changed course and became an employee of the Great Western Railway as a junior trainee learning his trade in Swindon’s famous drawing office. After gaining some four years of experience, Collett was put in charge of a section responsible for buildings; hardly the direction in which he envisaged his long-term future on the railway one might think, but proving himself capable of working to the satisfaction of his seniors he was appointed assistant to the chief draughtsman in 1898, a position that set him on a career path which was to lead to great engineering achievements. In 1900 Collett was promoted to the position of technical inspector in the locomotive works, quickly progressing to that of assistant to the works manager. This, of course, brought him into direct contact with William Dean and George Churchward at a time when big changes were in the air in terms of locomotive design and construction. When Dean retired, Churchward became chief mechanical engineer and while Collett’s new boss carried out his exhaustive testing of new design concepts and comparing the merits of

48 Heritagerailway.co.uk

4-4-0 and 4-6-0 motive power, young Collett remained in his role of assistant to the works manager for a period of 12 years before he finally took over as works manager. However, the time spent as assistant, coupled with seven years in the manager’s chair was not wasted. During that time Collett developed his own ideas about the business of building engines and as the depth of his experience widened his approach was to play an important role in the future of locomotive production at Swindon. When he was appointed deputy chief mechanical engineer in the spring of 1919, Collett was well prepared to follow in the footsteps of his mentor.

New management

When Felix Pole became the Great Western’s general manager, he and Churchward failed to see eye to eye after Pole introduced new management procedures precluding Churchward from future board meetings and this, it is said, hastened GJC’s departure. Although not quite 65 he retired in 1921 and left the railway, leaving the door open for Collett to carry his work forward. Still in good health, Churchward took advantage of his interests in horticulture, fishing and shooting and remained active in his position as a JP. Retiring to a house alongside the running lines he maintained an interest in the work of his former department

and the progress being made by ‘his’ young men. So, with Collett now in charge, locomotive works manager William Stanier was promoted and given the title of principal assistant to the Great Western’s new chief mechanical engineer. It was a position that Stanier was to hold for the next 10 years before he moved to fill the role of chief mechanical engineer of the London Midland & Scottish Railway in1932. At the time of Collett taking office the railways were in a state of flux because of the Railways Act of 1921, which called for a whole host of companies to come together as the ‘Big Four’. This, of course, led to the formation of the London & North Eastern, London Midland & Scottish and Southern railways. The Great Western? Being a major constituent dating back to 1835 the GWR did not lose its identity but grew in size, absorbing smaller companies such as the Taff Vale, Midland & South Western and Cambrian railways. Following the Grouping, the Great Western’s design and construction capabilities remained firmly in the hands of its existing teams at Swindon, so no change there then. Thanks to Churchward’s standardisation policy the building of existing locomotive types – and enlarged versions – continued as a matter of course to meet the demands of ever-increasing traffic. Several hundred engines were added to

When British Railways experimented with new colour schemes, a small number of Kings were turned out in blue but most insist that the 4-6-0s looked best in Brunswick green. No. 6023 King EdwardIIispictured on Didcot's turntable. ROBERT FALCONER

Swindon’s stock list at the Grouping, the majority of them from the former Welsh companies. One of Collett’s first jobs was to assess the viability of what might be described as a motley collection of locomotives and decide a policy for their future maintenance and ultimate disposal. That aside, the Great Western’s standard express passenger engines were Churchward’s four cylinder Star class 4-6-0s, of which a final batch of 12 were outshopped in 1922-23 named after Abbeys, a personal reminder that when rebuilt as Castles, No. 4065 Evesham Abbey and No. 4071 Cleeve Abbey were regular engines on the my stretch of line. These two were, I think, Bristol Bath Road engines.

A larger engine

Building the Abbeys represented something of a stop gap because Collett had already realised that a larger version would be required to cope with longer, heavier and faster passenger trains needed for regular business travel and equally important, seasonal holiday traffic from Paddington to Devon, Torbay, Kingswear and many popular Cornish coastal towns and villages. Indeed, encouraged by the traffic department he had envisaged the design of a larger engine based on the use of the No. 7 boiler as fitted to Churchward’s 4700 2-8-0 fast goods engines united with a Star’s chassis. As it happened

Swindon’s all-powerful civil engineer vetoed the idea on the grounds that the new design’s axle loading was above acceptable limits, especially on the West of England Main Line. Faced with increased demands for a larger passenger engine by the traffic department, Collett came up with a compromise. He utilised Churchward’s original thoughts but by using a smaller boiler in size and weight. This resulted in the creation of a new class of 4-6-0, the first of which, No. 4073 named Caerphilly Castle, was specifically designed for express passenger work. This, of course, was the breakthrough on which Collett’s reputation as a worthy successor to the great man was built. Outshopped in 1923, No. 4073 was the first of 10 brand new Castles put into traffic in 1923-24, the first nine being named after Welsh castles and the tenth Windsor Castle. Numbered 4082, the 4-6-0 became known as the Royal engine following a visit to Swindon works made by King George V and Queen Mary on April 28 1924. It is recorded that the King drove the engine from the works to Swindon station. On this occasion the royal couple were escorted on a footplate by a crowd of Great Western personalities that included Viscount Churchill, chairman, Sir Felix Pole, general manager, CB Collett, chief mechanical engineer, GH Flewellyn, locomotive inspector, driver ERB Rowe and fireman AW Cook.

At the time cynics said that all that Collett was doing was copying his predecessor’s ideas but there was much more to it than that. Whereas Churchward had produced motive power more than good enough to satisfy the needs of his railway for 20 years or so, Collett picked up the baton and refined that which he had inherited coupled with his own ideas to produce new locomotives designed to carry the Great Western forward for at least the next 20 years.

High speed running

In terms of the Castles he used the Stars as a basis of his design but added several new features such as a number 8 boiler, enlarged cylinder diameter, a larger cab and firebox increasing the grate area to 30.28 sq ft compared with the Stars’ 27.07sq ft and increased tractive effort from 27,800lb at 85% boiler pressure to 31,625lb. In total, the Castles met the civil engineer’s criteria of a 20-ton axle loading and so the scene was set for a new era of high speed running. On trial No. 4073 was rostered for Star class express passenger timings over a period of some six months and was joined by a second 4-6-0 No. 4074 Caldicot Castle, which was put into traffic to demonstrate that the new engines could be successfully operated over the same routes the Stars had established so effectively. While another eight Castles were being built, Caerphilly Castle was withdrawn from service Heritage Railway 49

and prepared for display at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley. As is well recorded, No. 4073 was positioned alongside LNER Gresley A1 4-6-2 No. 4472 Flying Scotsman. Quick to score a point, the Great Western’s publicity department produced a display panel that proclaimed the Castle to be the most powerful express passenger engine in the country. It was this claim that led to comparative trials being held on both LNER and GWR metals. Staged between April 24 and May 4, No. 4079 Pendennis Castle competed with A1 No. 4475 Flying Fox, which failed on the first day – and No. 2545 Diamond Jubilee working trains from King’s Cross to Grantham and Doncaster. On the Great Western No. 4074 Caldicot Castle worked turn and turn about with A1 No. 4474 Victor Wild between Paddington and Plymouth with the ‘Cornish Riviera’. All of the contestants performed well but the honours went to the Castles. LNER officials were more than surprised by No. 4079’s sure-footed acceleration out of King’s Cross and economical coal consumption compared to the A3s. Gresley subsequently adopted Churchward’s longer valve travel and higher steam pressure that improved the performance of his 4-6-2s.

The Great Bear

The eleventh Castle to be outshopped was a rebuild of Churchward’s unique Pacific No. 111 The Great Bear. Questions were asked at board level when the news leaked out that the company’s chief mechanical engineer had dismantled the 4-6-2 without reference to higher authority, but Collett was more than able to justify his decision. In the event the engine retained its number but was renamed Lloyds. Despite raised voices over the rebuilding of No. 111, it drew the management’s attention to the limitations of axle loading restrictions imposed by the civil engineer. Intervention by the chairman – now Sir Felix Pole – resulted in the loading being increased to 22.5 tons that in turn allowed Collett to improve on his Castles by designing the redoubtable King class 4-6-0s. But returning to the Castles, in true Churchwardian style, Collett took a leaf out of his mentor’s book by rebuilding a number of

When put into service Collett's Castles became the GWR's standard express engines capable of performing equally alongside the Kings on many routes. No. 5043 EarlofMountEdgcumbe passes Mostyn. MARK FIELDING

Stars as Castles. In an ironic turn of events the rebuilds included Star class No. 4000 North Star that, originally numbered 40 in 1906, was Churchward’s first four-cylinder 4-6-0. In many respects it was the design and building of the Castles that established Collett’s reputation and indeed the creation of a new, higher level of express passenger motive power for the Great Western. These were the engines that apart from demonstrating their superior capabilities when put to the test on LNER and LMS routes – folklore suggesting that the latter asked Swindon if it could buy 50 of the 4-6-0s to improve its own passenger services – Collett’s engines caught the headlines with world-beating performances. What was an ordinary Cheltenham train was transformed when the Great Western decided to ‘showcase’ its fast trains by laying claim to the blue riband of railway speed – then held by the LNER – in this country. The level and well-aligned 77.3-mile stretch from Swindon to Paddington was ideal for the purpose of creating a new record and the

5700 class 0-6-0PT No. 5764 departs from Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway. BRIAN SHARPE

50 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Cheltenham train was the chosen instrument. In the first instance the train timing from Swindon was reduced to 75 minutes requiring a start-stop average of 61.8mph.

‘Cheltenham Flyer’

What had been called the ‘Cheltenham Spa Express’ was suddenly and unofficially dubbed ‘The Cheltenham Flyer’ although the Traffic Department allowed the use of a suitable headboard. Railway speeds were advancing worldwide and the 75-minute schedule was cut to 70 minutes in the summer of 1929, booked speed rising to 66.2mph. At the time this was the fastest timing in the world. In 1931 the Canadian Pacific Railroad cut the time of its fastest service to 108 minutes for 124 miles between Montreal to Smith’s Falls, producing an average of 68.9mph. Stung into action the Great Western accelerated the ‘Cheltenham Flyer’ to a 67-minute run from Swindon, raising the average speed to 69.2mph to Paddington. A year later the time was cut again, this time to

Collett 2251 class 0-6-0. No. 3205 seen on the South Devon Railway. Collett’s 5600 class of 0-6-2T was a tank version of this class. CLASSIC TRACTION

Collett 4-6-0 No. 4936 KinletHall on a TPO train on the Nene Valley Railway. BRIAN SHARPE

65 minutes, increasing the start-stop average to 71.4mph to reclaim the title of being the fastest train in the world. The best recorded performance by a Castle happened in April 1938 when regular engine, No. 5006 Tregenna Castle covered the 77.3 miles from Swindon to Paddington in 56 minutes and 47 seconds for an average of 81.7mph. Records state that the 4-6-0 averaged 87.5mph for 70 miles between mile post 72 and milepost 2… To mark the centenary of the 1835 opening of Brunel’s line between Paddington Bristol, the Great Western’s management introduced a new service – the ‘Bristolian’ – timed to run non-stop between the two cities in 1935 with Kings the rostered motive power. Initial timings allowed the 118.3 miles to be covered in 105 minutes start to stop at an average 67.2mph. In the first months of the train’s running it became obvious that the timings were within the capabilities of Castles and turns were handed over to Old Oak men experienced in manning the ‘Cheltenham Flyer’. Twenty-odd years later the ultimate Castle performance happened in April 1958 when No. 7018 Drysllwyn Castle – improved by BR with the fitting of four row superheater, double blastpipe and chimney – hustled the ‘Bristolian’ from Temple Meads to Paddington via the more demanding Badminton route in 93 minutes 50 seconds over the 118.3-mile route. During the trip No. 7018 covered the 7.2 miles from Hullavington to Brinkworth at an average of 98.2mph with a maximum recorded speed of 102mph! As previously mentioned, one of Collett’s original Castles, No. 4074 Caldicot Castle outperformed LNER 4-6-2 No. 4474 Victor Wild working the ‘Cornish Riviera’ 23 years before Drysllwyn Castle hit 102mph on the ‘Bristolian’. In total 179 Castles were put into traffic between 1923 and 1950, of these 29 were built

during British Railway’s regime, a tribute to Collett’s judgment. And so we come to his ‘masterpiece’, the mighty Kings. Construction was an answer to management’s request for even more four cylinder power to meet the needs of the railway’s 1927 summer timetable. Loadings were steadily increasing and to enable Collett to contemplate a heavier, more powerful express passenger locomotive, the civil engineer was instructed to bring sections of main line routes - especially between Paddington and Plymouth - up to an improved standard over which an axle loading of 22.5 tons was acceptable.

Most powerful 4-6-0

When outshopped in June 1927 No. 6000 King George V represented the largest, heaviest and most powerful 4-6-0 ever built in this country. To achieve his design criteria, Collett stretched the engine’s layout not only to accommodate the new, larger No.12 boiler, but to spread the 4-6-0’s weight over the increased length of the frames and wheelbase. Unlike Churchward, Collett’s day to day involvement in design detail was minimal. Instead he delegated responsibility to the experienced team of senior draughtsmen working under the direct supervision of the drawing office’s chief designer FW Hawksworth. Known to insiders as a ‘Super Castle’ it was rumoured that the new engines would be named after cathedrals but when it was decided to send the first of the new 4-6-0s to America it was considered that names of Kings of England (in reverse historical order) would be more appropriate. Following a short period of trials during which No. 6000 ran nonstop from Paddington to Plymouth, the 4-6-0 went back inside to

reappear with a Westinghouse air pump fitted on its right hand running board, close to the smokebox. This was a temporary modification made prior to the King’s visit to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s centenary celebrations held in the autumn of 1927. Shipped from Cardiff’s Roath Dock on August 2, the boiler was loaded separately and on reaching America the King was reassembled in the Baltimore & Ohio’s Mount Clare engineering works. The shipping of the 4-6-0 and subsequent events were carried out under the management of WA Stanier, then Collett’s personal assistant, accompanied by two Old Oak men, Driver Young and Fireman Pearce. Meanwhile, at Swindon, the first six engines of a batch of 20 Kings were put into traffic before No. 6000 departed overseas. Shortly after entry into service reports of rough riding due to bogie axlebox wear were received. On August 10 the bogie of No. 6003 King George IV became partially derailed between Aldermaston and Thatcham at Midgham. Following investigations the bogie arrangement was subject to detailed changes that, when back on the road, cured the problem, and the 4-6-0s gained the reputation of being some the best riding engines in the country. Details of the bogie modifications were sent to America and carried out in the Baltimore & Ohio’s Mount Clare works in time for No. 6000 to join in the celebrations. The visit was considered to be highly successful, the King making its North American debut heading a cavalcade of engines on September 24 and participating for the remainder of the event that ended on October 1. Two days later the King George V worked a ‘test’ train from Baltimore to Philadelphia via Washington. On the return trip of some 272 miles, the 4-6-0 Heritage Railway 51

was loaded with a train of 545 tons and despite hard coal, which clinkered the fire, the King distinguished itself, upholding the honour of Swindon’s precision engineering. To mark the visit an American-type bell was presented to the engine and mounted on the bufferbeam. Apart from the prestige and publicity resulting from the appearance of the Kings – which displaced Maunsell’s Nelsons in terms of power ratings – knowledgeable questions were surprisingly asked about the expense of building 30 route-restricted engines that only marginally outperformed the Stars, which regularly worked the ‘Cornish Riviera’ with over 500 tons – including slips – behind the drawbar.

Heaviest trains

One answer was the need to replace Churchward’s proven performers with a more modern engine that was basically a further development of the successful Castles. From a practical viewpoint the Stars had been in service for more than 20 years and had begun to show their age maintenance-wise; the Kings being a logical replacement designed to work the heaviest trains over restricted routes that in the early days of service confined the 4-6-0s to PaddingtonPlymouth, Birmingham and later, Bristol diagrams. In spite of muted criticism the Kings proved to be capable and viable engines for over a decade in the service of British Railways, most of the class clocking up well over a million miles in traffic since outshopped as new in 1927. When in 1962 I learned that a King was to be withdrawn I felt a pang of regret but when I subsequently realised it wasn’t just a King but the whole class of 30 (boyhood) engines it seemed as though a light had been switched off. Of course, the Great Western wasn’t just about the glamour associated with Kings and Castles, the railway had a need for other types of versatile locomotives to meet the increasing demands of day to day working. Prompted by the traffic department, Collett set Collett Grange class 4-6-0 No. 6861Crynant Grange departs from Oxford with an inter-regional working of SR stock. ANDREW DOW

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about replacing Churchward’s 4300 class 2-6-0s, which in their day were excellent maids of all work, so much so that engines of the class were often given tasks beyond their intended capabilities with the resultant wear and tear on engines that were at least 17 years old. Now in his plan for six standard classes that he intended to build, Churchward included a mixed-traffic 4-6-0 with 5ft 6in coupled wheels, but he never developed the idea. Collett could have rebuilt the 4300s but instead he decided to experiment by redesigning a Saint. For this he used 4-6-0 No. 2925 Saint Martin as his prototype. Making detailed changes to all the heating surfaces, he chose 18½in cylinders, increased the boiler pressure to 225lb, reduced the six coupled wheels from 6ft 81⁄2in diameter to 6ft and added a Castle type cab and 4000gallon tender. By comparison the new engine provided traction effort that at 85% was set at 27,274lb compared with a Saint’s 24,395lb. Unusually, the 4-6-0 was put into traffic for a period of three years from 1924 onwards, gaining favourable reports from locomotive inspectors and footplate crews indicating that the engine coped well with varied selection of duties. In assessing the reports Collett realised that No. 2925 represented the ideal mixed traffic engine to replace earlier Saints and 4-4-0 Counties, Atbaras, Cities and Flowers. Convinced he had the right design, Collett authorised an initial order for no less than 80 in 1928. The first, numbered 4901, was named Adderley Hall and the rest is well-known history. Oddly Saint Martin was not renumbered until some time later and then was rightly numbered 4900. Virtually the same as No. 2925, the new-build Halls were fitted with outside steam pipes, given a raised boiler pitch and smaller bogie wheels reduced from 3ft 2in to 3ft diameter. That they were capable engines is borne out by the fact that subsequent batches were built between 1931 and continuously for over a

decade until 1943, the class totalling more than 300 engines numbered from 4900 to 6958. These were followed by Hawksworth’s modified series commencing with No. 6959 and continued under the British Railways regime with the 79XX series. I remember seeing Halls mixing it with Kings and Castles on the West of England Main Line, No. 4983 Albert Hall and No. 5941 Campion Hall working summer holiday relief trains, the former heading for Paddington, the latter to Exeter and the Torbay line. Following the introduction of the Halls, Collett’s next venture into the 4-6-0 class of mixed-traffic engines was to produce the Granges. By withdrawing a large number of 4300 2-6-0s the mogul’s wheels, motion and other items were used as part of the new build specification plus the standard No. 1 boiler. The new 4-6-0s were very similar to Halls but smaller coupled wheels, 5ft 8in, gave them a slightly higher traffic effort at 28,875lb compared to the Hall’s 27,275lbs. In addition the substitution of Swindon’s No. 1 boiler for the 2-6-0s No. 4 boiler produced more power.

Mixed traffic duties

In addition and being built in1936, the Granges were outshopped with all the latest refinements such as smokebox door lamp irons, whistle shields and audible signalling equipment. Being heavier than the 43s the 4-6-0s’ route availability was rather less than that of the 2-6-0s. Allocated to sheds over most of the Great Western system, the Granges proved to be useful engines, coping with a variety of mixed traffic duties and fully capable of handling secondary passenger trains during peak summer periods, giving the 4-6-0s and footplate crews the chance to show a good turn of speed. The threat of war meant only 80 Granges were actually built between 1936 and 1939 and the first to be put into traffic was No. 6800 Arlington Grange.

Above: A 5700 variant with improved cab on light passenger duty. Numbered in the 5400, 6400 and 7400 series, these engines were used on local and branch line services. All 0-6-0PTs numbered 5400-5424 were fitted for auto working, often running with up to four trailers, a maximum governed by the length of the mechanical link between the engine and trailer driving vestibule. Here No. 6430 passes Blake Hall on the Epping Ongar Railway. SIMON WEBB Above right: Pictured at Aberbeeg, a work-stained 7200 class heavy freight 2-8-2T No. 7250 at rest in Duffryn yard. The development rebuild of Churchward's 4200 2-8-0s was outshopped between 1934 and 1939 and a total of 54 completed the class. COLOUR-RAIL / P HUGHES BRW2532 Right: No. 7827LydhamManor - one of ten 4-6-0s built under BR’s reign - shows its paces on the South DevonRailway. When first introduced in 1938 as light mixed traffic engines, the Manors were regarded as poor steamers. Exhaustive testing at Swindon in 1951 resulted in the class doubling its steaming capacity and performance. JOHN WHITELEY

Collett completed his programme of building new 4-6-0s with his Manor class of light mixed traffic engines, designed to hasten the elimination of the remaining 4-4-0s and a proportion of the 4300 2-6-0s, of which some lasted well beyond Nationalisation. When built the Manors’ axle loading was 17 tons making them suitable for use over ‘Blue’ routes where the heavier Granges were not allowed to work. But in service the new lightweights were a disappointment. Poor steaming, difficult to fire and generally seemingly underpowered, footplate crews voiced their opinions to anyone who would listen! When talking to an old hand Bristol man he told me that when the Manors first came into traffic he and fellow footplatemen assumed they could handle them like Halls. “It didn’t work, we had to nurse ‘em,” he said tellingly. In the event 20 Manors were built at Swindon between 1938 and 1939. Ten more were built by British Railways in 1950. Numbered upwards from No. 7800, the first of the class was named Torquay Manor. It is said that the war intervened and prevented the Manors from being fine-tuned and it was not until 1951, when testing engineer Sam Ell put No. 7818 Granville Manor on Swindon’s stationary test plant, that changes were made, mainly to the engine’s draughting arrangements and the 4-6-0s came to life, doubling steaming capacity and to a degree they were capable of punching above their weight. But Collett wasn’t just about 4-6-0s, he was responsible for a whole range of shunting, passenger tank engines, light and heavy goods types, many of which were updated versions of

Churchward’s original designs. A classic example was the ubiquitous 5700 and variants, a series of 0-6-0 pannier tanks of which more than 800 were built, the first 50 constructed by North British, and put into service all over the Great Western system from 1929 onwards. Derived from the Wolverhampton-built 2700 class, last built 28 years earlier, Collett’s 0-6-0PTs were updated with boiler pressure increased to 200lb, improved valve settings, Belpaire boiler, larger bunker and enclosed cab.

Local stoppers

The 5700s weighed only 49 tons in working order yet tractive effort at 85% was measured at a meaty 22,526lb. And they were versatile. I recall a 5700 rostered for a local stopper – three coaches – all stations from Westbury to Temple Meads. On the return another seven coaches were unexpectedly added, much to the crew’s surprise. “What do you think mate?” asked the driver of his firemen. “We’ll be alright,” came the reply and so the intrepid pair set off blasting the 0-6-0 over North Somerset Junction with some 350 tons behind the bunker… In a similar vein, I often saw No. 5771 working an evening pick-up from Melksham to Westbury. By the way the engine – ‘Matchboxes’ we called them – was worked I think the driver was anxious to sign off as soon as he ran on shed by dropping the fire over the last five miles to Westbury south goods sidings. On quiet dark evenings the sight and sound was spectacular. Regulator wide open, rapid explosive exhaust beats, hot coals shooting up into the dark sky, curving down, sizzling on wet lineside grass. Spectacular? Very! Then there were the sprightly little 4800 (later

1400) 0-4-2Ts designed primarily for autotrain duties, which Collett based on George Armstrong’s Wolverhampton-built 517 ‘Metro’ tanks. Despite the large dome, tall chimney and small 5ft 2in coupled wheels, these engines, introduced in 1932, had character and a fine turn of speed when not pottering through the countryside on a quiet branch line. In contrast, Collett followed Churchward’s heavy freight 4200 2-8-0Ts with a rebuild creating the 7200 class of 2-8-2Ts in 1934 that, because of their 33,170lb tractive effort, British Railways later classified 8F. They were mostly allocated to South Wales coal and mineral traffic but some of these powerful engines were sent to Newton Abbot for work over the South Devon banks. Faced with a shortage of light 0-6-0 tender engines, Collett produced the 2251 series of mixed traffic, inside cylinder engines in 1930. These were built to replace existing ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0s on more important main line duties. Built in batches at Swindon between 1930, 1934 and 1936, the 1938 batch was numbered upwards from 2200. In total 120 of these engines were built, numbers 2201-2210 being added in 1939 and numbers 2211-2250 in 1944 and 1945. The final batch, numbered 3200-3219 was outshopped between 1946 and 1948… In 1941 and in his 70s, CB Collett retired, giving way to the Great Western’s last chief mechanical engineer, FW Hawksworth, the man it was rumoured who would design a ‘Super King’ but instead was responsible for yet another 4-6-0, which in essence had a lineage traceable back to one George Jackson Churchward. Heritage Railway 53

LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163Tornado crosses Culloden viaduct with Abellio ScotRail’s ‘Highland Caledonian’ from Inverness to Stirling on June 22. BRIAN SHARPE

MAIN LINE NEWS

COMPILED BY CEDRIC JOHNS

Fond farewell to stalwart engineman Roger Barker THE main line steam movement has lost another stalwart engineman after Roger Barker died aged 73 following a lengthy illness on the morning of Friday, June 5. Always associated with A4 4-6-2 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, Roger celebrated his 39th year looking after and driving ‘his’ big blue engine on April 17. An ebullient character, holding strong opinions, he changed his career from civil engineering to follow a boyhood interest in locomotives when the A4 was based at Steamtown, Carnforth, in the early 1980s. Roger’s teenage interest in railways faded when, as a talented guitarist, he played in local bands around the North East, and although this phase passed, he still retained a guitar right up to the end. Working at nearby Heysham power station, Roger regularly visited Steamtown, where he offered his and typically some of his work colleagues’ services as volunteers. He gradually became more involved with the Gresley Society’s activities to the point that he was responsible for co-ordinating contracts. Becoming even more involved, he managed two of the A4s’ overhauls at Carnforth. From then on he and the A4 were rarely parted, the 4-6-2 travelling around the country visiting heritage railways or ‘hitting them up’ on the main line. In latter years Sir Nigel Gresley, based at Grosmont, was a regular performer

Roger Barker at his retirement presentation on May 9. N WILSON/ SNGLT on the main line besides fulfilling commitments to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where Roger regularly had his hand on the A4’s regulator. A bachelor for most of his life, Roger formed a relationship with Marjorie Hamilton, whose late husband Ralph had been a BR signalman. Marge as she was known – and who was a long-standing volunteer and the first female guard on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway – shared a house in Guisborough with Roger. However, in 2010 she died of lung cancer. Roger was devastated, but being the man that he was he put a brave face on matters using his second love, the A4, to fill his life, with many an evening being softened by visits to

That Reading incident... THE railway rumour mill went into overdrive when news of an incident at Reading station became known along tracksides over the weekend of June 13-14. The train involved was the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Cotswold Venturer’, returning to Paddington behind B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower, and not as advertised earlier with Great Western 4-6-0 No. 6023 King Edward II. After the passengers had alighted, the carriage doors were closed and the train was declared ready to move off. Given a ‘green’ and ‘right away’ from the train’s guard, the West Coast Railways’ driver opened the regulator but almost immediately closed it. A reliable witness told Main Line News that the B1’s wheels did not even complete a revolution before the brakes were applied. The train was said to have moved just 3ft. The problem appeared to revolve around communications between the train guard and the footplate. It is understood the guard radioed

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that the train was clear to move off, adding that the driver should look for a visual confirmation provided by an electric repeater under the signal showing ‘All Clear’ or ‘Right Away’. Because the B1 was blowing off, the noise of escaping pressurised steam from the safety valve partly drowned the guard’s message… As the train began to move, platform staff intervened and brought the proceedings to a halt. Alerted to the incident, West Coast Control terminated the train, which after passengers had alighted, continued as an empty stock working, the carriages and the 4-6-0 being towed by a diesel back to Southall. Passengers then travelled using public services. The Office of Rail & Road said it was aware of the situation and that an inspector was looking into the matter, adding “No, it is not an investigation.” A spokesman later confirmed that the incident was not being treated as a SPAD but more as an examination of train despatch methods.

the local cricket club – of which he was chairman – to enjoy a drink and chat among friends at the bar. Roger was widely respected throughout the steam preservation movement and although he served as a trustee of the NYMR, he remained closely associated with No. 60007.

Successful operation

He was also held in high esteem among professional railway people, who appreciated the manner in which he organised well-disciplined volunteer working parties necessary to fulfil the successful operation of railtours out on the national network. Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust Limited chairman, Nigel Wilson, said:

“The person that Roger was closest to was our president, Gordon Pope, who is now in his 80s. “He must be deeply saddened by Roger’s death as the two of them were very close for almost 40 years. “I will always remember times when Roger phoned me of an evening, bellowing down the line ‘Roger Barker here…’ before proceeding to tell me whatever it was he thought I needed to know. He would invariably end the conversation with ‘Okay, I’m off for a bath now, carry on’!” Marketing director Tod Slaughter, the man responsible for arranging the A4’s movements to fulfil railtour commitments or visits to heritage railways, said: “Since the late 1970s I have been fortunate to know and work with Roger travelling the length and breadth of the country with 60007. “A blunt Yorkshireman who was proud of his northern heritage, he held strong views on whatever or whoever he was dealing with at the time. He did not suffer fools gladly and valued true friendship wherever he found it. “Roger had a unique management style, often using colourful language and much waving of arms to achieve an objective, but his considerable organising talents for getting things done generally won through. His presence with and knowledge of No. 60007 will be very much missed.” NYMR managing director Philip Benham said: “Roger was one of those personalities who will be remembered with great affection

‘No. 9’ failed with hot axlebox

FRESH from a spell at LNWR Crewe, where the A4 was retyred, John Cameron’s Union of South Africa developed a hot box while running light engine on the West Coast Main Line. The incident happened on Thursday, June 11 when the A4 was booked to run from Crewe to Carnforth via Warrington Bank Quay and Preston prior to working part of the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Hadrian’ trip the following Saturday (June 13).

Declared a failure

As it turned out No. 60009 became a non-runner approaching Warrington where, on examination, the A4 was ‘stopped’ and declared a failure. Later, it was learned that the 4-6-2 was to return to Crewe by road for the offending box to be examined and probably re-metalled. Hot box or not, the ‘Hadrian’ ran as planned with a West Coast

diesel at the front end, but instead of giving way to the A4 at Hellifield the Class 47 continued to Carlisle then via Hexham, Durham, and York (where the 4-6-2 was planned to have left the train), the ‘Hadrian’ returning to Leicester with a diesel. Taking a shorter route the train made for home, setting down at Sheffield, Chesterfield, Alfreton, and Loughborough. Union of South Africa was next rostered for ‘The Yorkshireman’, an RTC Ealing Broadway-York trip on Saturday, July 4, working via Bedford, Corby and Chesterfield, but this has now been cancelled. The Scottish Railway Preservation Society had advertised two ‘Fife Circle’ trips from Edinburgh the following day (Sunday, July 5) with the A4, but these trips have now been handed over to DBS as train operator, and able to take advantage of the presence of A1 No. 60163 Tornado in Scotland.

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Coach named in memory of Roger TO commemorate Roger Barker’s enormous contribution to the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust and the continued operation of No. 4498/60007, the trust will be naming the A4’s support vehicle The Roger Barker coach, said Trust chairman Nigel Wilson. Trust members believe this is a fitting and permanent tribute to Roger, who will now always be with No. 60007 when operating on the main line.

around the NYMR. Although his first love was No. 60007 he was also actively involved in the running of the railway. He was a NYMR driver and served for many years as a trustee on the board of the North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust. “Always forthright, Roger would let you know very clearly if he didn’t agree with you but he was also a man of good humour and openness. Despite ill health he continued to come to Grosmont several times a week to look after ‘his’ engine right up to the last month. He was a good and true friend and all of us will miss him.”

Admitted to enjoying himself

Heritage Railway’s Cedric Johns added: “I’ve known Roger for many years and have valued his friendship even when – at times – I received the rough end of his tongue. “My first recollection on meeting him when he brought the A4 down south to Ropley was hearing him complaining of being charged south coast ‘tourist prices’ for beer and cigarettes. ‘I’m not a tourist, I’m a working man’, he cried! “It didn’t take long before the balmy southern climate helped change his mind and he admitted to be enjoying himself.

The trust is inviting members and others who wish to remain associated with Roger to contribute to a fund in his name to assist the up-and-coming overhaul of the support coach. Plaques will be fitted to each end of the coach in such a manner that they will be visible at platform level. A naming ceremony will be held when the coach re-enters service. For full details contact [email protected]

“Roger was a character all right. Whenever I phoned him he would greet me with ‘What do you want?’ He always ended conversations by raising his voice and issuing the order, ‘carry on!’ as he crashed the telephone back onto its rest. “He and I had adventures on the A4’s footplate but they must remain with him and my memories… “The last time we met up was a year ago last April when I travelled with him in the A4’s support coach with the first steam-hauled train to pass through the extensively repaired sea wall section of track through Dawlish.” The trust suffered a double blow with the death of vice-president Melvin Haigh on May 23. He was a long-standing member of the team, looking after No.60007, and was appointed education officer when the organisation became a charity in 1999. A talented draftsman, Melvin was the author of authoritative works on A4 boilers, tenders and numbers, and an expert on Gresley’s LNER ‘Hush-Hush’ water tube-boilered 4-6-4 No. 10000. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for many years, but medication had allowed him to continue to participate in the trust, and he attended his last meeting in January.

Roger and 'his' A4 at Westbury, waiting to take a 'Cathedrals Express' to Kingswear on April 10, 2013 over the repaired Dawlish coastline. CEDRIC JOHNS

Sir Nigel Gresley passes gauging test on NYMR

FURTHER to our report in issue 203 that Grosmont-based A4 No.60007 Sir Nigel Gresley had been declared out-of-gauge running through the local station’s sharply curving main line platform, an evening test run proved otherwise. Originally planned for Wednesday, June 10, the test run was postponed until Monday, June 15 because of delayed paperwork. Timed to take place at 8pm – thanks to the efforts of West Coast Railways and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway – Network Rail gave the go ahead for what proved to be a successful evening.

Well-laid plans wrecked

That said, the earlier out-of-gauge notice wrecked well laid plans to move the 4-6-2 south to Southall from where the A4 would have worked a series of ‘Cathedrals Express’ trips. The gauging issue came to a head just before Sir Nigel was due to work the return trip of a ‘Cathedrals Express’ visiting Scarborough on Thursday, May 21 south to London. That set the pattern for the A4’s series of trips for Steam Dreams, which were lost because of the gauging issue. ‘Cathedrals Express’ trains which Sir Nigel Gresley had been reserved for included London

Victoria-Minehead, travelling via Reading; the Berks & Hants Line and Taunton on May 28; Victoria to Bath and Bristol via Reading, Westbury, Trowbridge and Bathampton on June 4; Paddington-Worcester, routed through Reading, Didcot and Oxford, on June 7; Cheam to Kingswear, which was changed to Minehead because of engineering work on June 11; and Southend Airport, Reading, the Berks & Hants line, to Exeter June 30. The remaining trip, a three-day tour from King’s Cross to Edinburgh on July 5, remains in the balance. The original plan was to use a diesel to take the ‘Express’ to Edinburgh, the centre of the trip for passengers, use B1 No. 61306 Mayflower for two runs around the Fife Circle on July 6 then on the following day, No. 60007 would head the tour back as far as York, the B1 taking over for the run back south. The details are presently in the melting pot and awaiting Marcus Robertson’s decision after he returns from his ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’ tour of Irish lines on June 25. In the meantime, Sir Nigel Gresley would run engine and coach back to Grosmont and see out its ticket on the NYMR before being withdrawn for overhaul in September.

ORR meeting to discuss steam future THE Signal Passed at Danger incident involving Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34067 Tangmere at Royal Wootton Bassett on March 7 has opened a Pandora’s Box of views, opinions and speculation regarding the future of main line steam. Following on from its close observance of West Coast Railways’ operational procedures, the Office of Rail & Road is proposing to chair a meeting of all bodies actively involved with the steam-hauled charter business.

Review and appraise

No firm date or venue has been established to date, but is expected that the meeting will focus on locomotives, maintenance and operation, rolling stock standards, footplate and support crew competence, railtour promoters and train operating companies. From what has been said, the Office of Rail & Road is not seeking to suspend main line operation, but rather to review and appraise those concerned with the needs and requirements of steam running on today’s busy high-speed network. Having discussed the subject with them, the Office of Rail & Road will keep relevant parties informed nearer the time when plans for the meeting are firmed up. Heritage Railway 57

MAIN LINE NEWS Mayflower ‘first’ to Skegness TO MARK being the first B1 4-6-0 to visit Skegness for 50 years, the Railway Touring Company has booked David Buck’s B1 to work its ‘Pilgrims Fathers’ trip to the east coast. Originally planned for July 1, the train is now scheduled to depart for Skegness from King’s Cross on Wednesday, July 29. Calling at Stevenage, Huntingdon and Peterborough, the ‘Fathers’ continues via Sleaford and Boston to Skegness, calling at Wainfleet. A special stop at Wainfleet has been arranged to enable passengers to visit Bateman’s (1874) brewery visitor centre and a chance to sample a specially produced Mayflower ale, brewed to mark the occasion, plus a gift for every fare-paying passenger. Following a break of two hours at Skegness the ‘Fathers’ begins its return journey and, subject to timings, makes a stop at Boston, where the borough council plans a small reception for the train, which includes a display of the original Mayflower nameplate and a plaque from the long scrapped B1 No. 61379. Once away from Boston the ‘Fathers’ heads on through Ancaster to Barkston South Junction, to join the East Coast Main Line. After Grantham, No. 61306 will be given a chance to show its mettle climbing Stoke bank before speeding down through St Neots, Sandy and Tallington towards the train’s first passenger-alighting stop at Peterborough.

COMPILED BY CEDRIC JOHNS

Breaking new ground – Eastleigh to Tweedbank PATHFINDER Tours has been ‘roaming the rails for more than 30 years’ and during that time it has come up with excursions that have covered a wide variety of unusual destinations, such as its forthcoming overnight trip to Tweedbank. Devised by railway enthusiast and Pathfinder’s general manager Peter Watts, ‘The Borders Reiver’ breaks new ground by heading north overnight from Eastleigh to run over the newly opened section of the Waverley Line before breakfast! But that’s not all: the ‘Reiver’ is routed north via the West Coast Main Line and returns south on sections of the East Coast Main Line. Both legs include travel over freightonly lines and other byways not normally travelled by heavy passenger traffic. Departing Eastleigh at 6.20pm on Friday, September 18 the excursion picks up at Basingstoke, Tilehurst, Didcot, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Coventry and Nuneaton, and continues via Shap, Carlisle (leg stretch), Beattock, Carstairs to Edinburgh Waverley. The train then heads on by way of Portobello Junction, Niddrie Junction and Tweedbank via Stow. Returning to Edinburgh, passengers enjoy a three-hour breakfast break.

The return journey on Saturday, September 19 takes the ‘Reiver’ south through Miller Hill, Berwick, Newcastle, Sunderland, Stockton and York (leg stretch). Heading on via Pontefract, Chesterfield, Leicester, Bordesley Junction and Solihull, the train picks up its outward route at Leamington. The downside, if there is one for this imaginative trip, is that for logistical reasons the ‘Reiver’ will be diesel

“I am very grateful to everyone who has been involved with Pathfinder over the years to make it the success it is today.” hauled throughout, using two DB Schenker locomotives. Standard class price for all this activity is a reasonable £99.50. Besides unusual destinations, Pathfinder comes up with unusual motive power running over unusual routes, such as the use of a Deltic to work a train down to the West Country.

For another example consider Pathfinder’s ‘Torbay & Dart Explorer’, which starts from Derby on Saturday, July 4 with class 55 D9009 Alycidon destined for Paignton and Kingswear. When was a Class 55 last routed via pick up stations at East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester, Nuneaton, Coleshill Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Barnt Green and Cheltenham? Most probably never. Passengers are given the option of alighting at Paignton for Torquay or Brixham or Kingswear for Dartmouth. Standard class tickets are priced at £95. Pathfinder has just passed the 1000th railtour mark. That happened on June 20 when the ‘Heart of Wales Rambler’ departed Exeter behind a DBS Class 66 for Shrewsbury, running along the Marches Line via Abergavenny and Ludlow. Reacting in typical manner, general manager Peter Watts said: “Back in 1973 I never thought that we would get to 1000 trains. It’s a real achievement and I am very proud to have reached it. “I am very grateful to everyone who has been involved with Pathfinder over the years to make it the success it is today.”

Busy month ahead

Before that the B1 has a busy month ahead, much to David’s delight, although it not does seem that the 4-6-0 will be going to Scotland to support Steam Dreams’ three-day excursion to Edinburgh July5-7. That apart, Mayflower is booked to head a ‘Cathedrals Express’ end of Southern steam trip to Weymouth on July 9, a day on which RTC had booked Tangmere for a similar outing. For some reason – maybe Network Rail didn’t fancy two steamers running to the same destination within hours of each other – the train has been cancelled. On July 16 the 4-6-0 works RTC’s ‘Swanage Belle’ from Victoria to the Dorset coast for another ‘first’. This is followed on July 19 with the RTC’s King’s CrossRowsley ‘Peak Forester’ running via Peterborough, Stamford and Matlock. Finally, on July 26, No. 61306 makes a trip into Kent with a ‘Cathedrals Express’ running from Victoria to Canterbury. Three days later the engine heads for Skegness…

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BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia rounds the curve at Armathwaite with Pathfinder Tours’ ‘Cumbrian Fells Express’ returning from Carlisle to Crewe on May 30. BRIAN SHARPE Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

SR Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35028 ClanLine departs from Waterloo with The Railway Children Belmond British Pullman charity fundraising special on June 4. JOHN TITLOW

Clan Line makes last trip before overhaul at Crewe

ONLY a handful of seats were available on UK Railtours ‘Clan Line Farewell’ trip to Chester by the middle of June. It was more than likely these would be snapped up before the 4-6-2 No. 35028 steamed out of Victoria on Tuesday, June 30 on its one-way journey to Crewe via Chester. Picking up at Watford Junction, Rugby, Coventry and Nuneaton, the ‘Farewell’ ran to Chester and returned as far as Crewe, where the ‘Packet’ came off for its seven-year overhaul in LNWR Heritage

workshops, the train heading back south hauled by electric traction. So, for at least a year, Southern enthusiasts will be denied the pleasure of seeing or riding behind Bulleid’s flagship unless sister engine, No. 35018 British India Line – currently being rebuilt for a return to traffic at Carnforth – becomes available in late summer. There are other ‘Packets’ positioned around the rail network, but how many are likely to be returned to the main line is a

question difficult to answer. Apart from No. 35018, other Bulleid 4-6-2s in the frame are Ian Riley’s No. 35009 Shaw Savill and Jeremy Hosking’s No. 35027 Port Line.

Due to be completed

Taking a much longer view, the Brocklebank Association has plans to restore No. 35025 Brocklebank Line, working in conjunction with the owning group of No. 35011 General Steam Navigation. Both locos are located at Sellindge in Kent and are

Railtour promoters hit by new train loading limits

ALREADY hit in the pocket by cancellations or postponements to steam-hauled excursions operated by West Coast Railways’ suspension period, railtour promoters are now faced with the added problem of train loading limits. This latest development harks back to the Tangmere SPAD incident at Royal Wootton Bassett on March 7, which triggered the temporary suspension of West Coast operations. The incident, currently still under investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and the Office of Rail & Road, has produced ever-widening ripples lapping at the doors of the railtour industry. Not only have promoters lost tens of thousands of pounds because of train cancellations, the new loading limit will add to the financial pressure imposed when

planning and running railtours. According to an ORR spokesman, West Coast has been advised to operate steam-hauled tours limited to 10 coaches plus support coach. The alternative is seemingly for larger (longer) trains, supported by diesel. Statesman Rail’s Peter Watkinson said: “We have had to cancel three trains due to the suspension which depleted our profit and company sustainability considerably. “In addition the train length of our ‘Fellsman’ operations has now been reduced by one carriage, which has wiped over £50,000 from an already low profit margin. “Despite extensive and costly marketing, future bookings have been reduced to a trickle as customer confidence in the charter market has been wiped out and will take considerable

time to rebuild. “An example of this was the cancellation of the first ‘Torbay Express’ in May and the first three Railway Touring Company ‘Royal Duchy’ trains.” Happily, bookings are now on the upturn with ‘sold out’ notices appearing against some ‘Fellsman’ charters. Hit by the cancellation of 17 excursions during the period of West Coast’s suspension, Steam Dreams’ chairman Marcus Robertson commented that he was “comfortable” with the 10- passenger-coach limit, adding that a good percentage of those travelling on ‘Cathedrals Express’ trips were unfazed by diesel traction. Whether the limit is a part of West Coast’s phased return to the main line remains to be seen, although it appears to apply to DBS as well.

intended to work the Remembrance Line between Folkestone Harbour and Folkestone Central. Other ‘Packets’ due to be completed in the near future are No. 35005 Canadian Pacific – currently in Eastleigh works – and No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental Line, nearing the end of its restoration on the Gloucestershire Warwick Railway. Neither are considered candidates for the main line. So, for the immediate future, all eyes are on British India Line.

‘Lizzie’ in steam THE fact that Stanier 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth was in steam during Tyseley’s June 27-28 open weekend does not mean that the big red engine is ready for main line working, reports owning group chairman, Clive Mojonnier. “Tyseley is contracted to complete the engine’s overhaul to main line standard, including certification, before we can confirm that ‘Lizzie’ is ready for charter work,” he added. Steam Dreams has provisionally booked the 4-6-2 for six trips later this year, beginning with a Paddington-Worcester ‘Cathedrals Express’ on Thursday, September 24. ‘Lizzie’ will later visit Kingswear, Minehead, Bristol and York. Steam Dreams ‘big engine’ policy also includes two trips with No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland. The first of these sees the Duchess heading a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Rugby to Bath and Bristol on Thursday, September 3 and secondly, from Paddington to Cardiff via Gloucester and Lydney on Thursday September 10. Heritage Railway 59

NEWS

Tyseley’s ‘Shakespeare Express’ season opens

WITH the Midlands holiday season reaching a climax with the approach of schools’ long breaks, the traditional Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon ‘Shakespeare Express’ season opens on Sunday, July 19. Again, chocolate and cream carriages hauled by a GWR Hall or Castle will become a regular sight along the North Warwickshire Line, trains running via Henley-in-Arden to the Bard’s home town. Operating every Sunday until September 6, the ‘Express’ offers passengers a choice of breakfast, luncheon or tea trains departing from

Tyseley, Snow Hill, Moor Street and Henley-in-Arden, or alternatively from Stratford, providing a 100 mile round trip of steam usually behind Great Western 4-6-0 No. 4963 Rood Aston Hall or occasionally Earl of Mount Edgcumbe.

Cumbrian Coast

On Saturday, August 29, Vintage Trains’ ‘Seaside Express’ heads for the Somerset coast and a visit to Westonsuper-Mare. Departing from Warwick Road and calling at Snow Hill and Worcester Shrub Hill, the train travels through

Galatea heads a convoy up Shap WORKING Railway Touring Company’s ‘Cumbrian Coast Express’ on the West Coast Main Line on Saturday, May 30, Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galatea suffered steaming problems approaching Shap causing delays to traffic following behind. Many theories were advanced as to the reason for the 4-6-0’s struggles, the most likely being poor coal quality. As it was, reports of large palls of black smoke hanging on the Cumbrian air indicated that the 4-6-0’s fireman was finding it difficult to keep pressure on the mark and his fire in good shape as his engine and driver tackled rising gradients, finally breasting Shap summit at a fast walking pace. While the 4-6-0 struggled to make the pace, a convoy of trains – notably 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia, standing in for Tornado, working Pathfinder’s ‘Cumbrian

Freightliner Class 47/8 returns THE long-awaited return to service of Freightliner’s Class 47/8 No. 47830 after undergoing major overhaul at the Barrow Hill base of the Harry Needle Railway Company took place on June 13, when it was hired to West Coast Railways to assist with the Scottish Railway Preservation Society charter from Glenrothes to Skipton. The locomotive, now reliveried in original two-tone green with small yellow panel, ran from Freightliner’s Leeds Midland Road depot to Hellifield where it worked the empty coaching stock to Skipton then hauled the train to Leeds. It ran round to the rear leaving train locomotive Class 47/7 No. 47786 to work forward to Edinburgh before taking over for the final leg to Glenrothes. It has been reported that No. 47830 is on hire to West Coast.

60 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Fells Express’, a coupled foursome of DBS Class 66 diesels and a Pendolino – followed, slowed to around 20mph by a series of yellows until the Jubilee finally cleared the section aided by a favourable gradient dropping down towards Carlisle. According to observers riding with the 7P, the ‘Brit’ accelerated its train loudly to a creditable 26mph over the top of Shap before being opened up to reach 65-70mph down the other side. From reports received, Britannia was the star turn of the afternoon, attacking Ais Gill to good effect passing the summit in the high forties. Galatea? It completed its trip along the coastline and arrived back at Carnforth without further mishap… For full details of Britannia’s exploits read colleague Don Benn’s Full Regulator column on the following pages.

Cheltenham and Gloucester to Bristol then takes the former Bristol & Exeter line via Yatton to Weston for a Bank Holiday break. In contrast, the ‘Coastal Express’ heads north-west from Warwick Road behind resident Class 47 No. 47773 The Queen Mother on Saturday, September 19, this time taking in the Cumbrian coast. Picking up at New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe and Wigan North West, the excursion changes to steam at Carnforth where Earl of Mount Edgcume takes charge for the run over Shap to Carlisle.

Returning via Whitehaven, Ravenglass and in sight of Morecambe Bay, No. 47773 is attached to pilot the train home from Carnforth.

Wild Welsh countryside

It’s back to the mainland on Saturday, September 26, when the ‘Welsh Marches’ departs Tyseley for Hereford with the Earl leading the way. Calling at Snow Hill the train heads through Cheltenham, Gloucester, to Maindee Junction for the climb up past Pontypool, Abergavanny and across wide open wild Welsh countryside to Hereford.

Three engines for Irish trip THE return of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s Northern Counties Committee 2-6-4T No. 4 after overhaul boosted Steam Dreams’ ground-breaking nine-day ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’. The appearance of the Derby-built 2-6-4T meant that for the first time in years, the society has three main line engines at its disposal and as it happened, available for roster on ‘Explorer’ excursions. Having travelled by a private Virgin charter from London to Holyhead on June 17, ‘Explorer’ passengers sailed to Dublin for a two-night stop over. Taking a diesel hauled train to Belfast the next day steam entered the tour when GNR (I) V class 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin worked a Steam Dreams’ special back to Dublin. During the week, ‘Explorer’ passengers travelled from Dublin to Athlone, Galway, Limerick, Killarney and Tralee over three days before

taking in Killarney, Waterford and Tipperary on day six. The following day the tour travelled from Waterford to Kilkenny – a quintessential Irish city boasting a cathedral, castle, brewery and a distillery. ‘Explorer’ passengers returned to London from Holyhead by a diesel hauled ‘Cathedrals Express’ on June 25. Meanwhile, the society’s domestic programme continues with the popular ‘Portrush Flyer’ running from Belfast to the seaside on July 26, August 9 and 23 probably with the 2-6-4T providing the motive power. On July 26 steam shuttles are booked to run from Bray to Wicklow. Making the most of the three engines, the society is running excursions from Portrush to Coleraine on July 26 and on August 9 and 23.

An apology from West Coast after SPAD FOLLOWING on from the March 7 SPAD incident at Wootton Bassett involving Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34067 Tangmere, West Coast Railways released a statement in which the company apologised for the subsequent inconvenience to customers caused by a temporary ban on its operations over the network In part the statement reads: “Both Network Rail and the Office of Road and Rail have publicly criticised aspects of our operation in the aftermath of the incident and while we were already undertaking our own investigation into this incident and its potentially very serious consequences, we have taken on board each and every one of the criticisms. “After carrying out an in-depth examination of our procedures, both of these bodies agree that provided a series of recommendations were met

in the full, there was no need for any permanent restrictions or outright ban on our services as a Train Operating Company. “Responding to their recommendations we have engaged experts in the field who will be responsible for overseeing our day-today operation and implementation of updated and more robust safety management procedures. “We apologise to our customers (and passengers) who have been inconvenienced by the recent restrictions placed on our services and again, accept responsibility.” Separately, the ORR issued an ‘improvement notice’ to West Coast which said: “Owing to the steps you have already taken to improve your Safety Management System and our satisfactory visits, we are satisfied that there is no

significant risk requiring the revocation of West Coast’s safety certificate. “However, we still have concerns that proposed changes to West Coast’s Safety Management Systems have not been fully embedded and that there are still some matters requiring attention.” The notice continues by saying that West Coast needs to periodically demonstrate that it is meeting all of the conditions of the revised Safety Management Systems and Improvement Notice. It said: “If we find any noncompliance then we consider you (West Coast) to be in breach of the Improvement Notice and could also look again at the revocation of your Safety Certificate”. West Coast has, it was understood, been given until July 20 to complete the implementation of its agreed actions.

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On the soon-to-be-electrified GW main line, LNER B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower at Sonning cutting with Steam Dreams’ ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Paddington to Worcester on June 7. JOHN TITLOW

SEE CLASSIC TRACTION ON THE NATIONAL NETWORK By Fred Kerr IN RECENT weeks there has been an upsurge in the use of heritage traction – with a question being raised as to what is considered ‘heritage’ on today’s railways. Class 37 locomotives are obviously ‘heritage’, having been introduced between 1960-65, and sub-classes created in the late 1980s when modifications were applied. The 37/4 sub-class is proving to be in demand with the new timetable introducing a locomotive-hauled service on the Cumbrian Coast that requires two per day. The initial workings called for the use of a DBSO (Driving Brake Second Open) that was originally converted for the Edinburgh-Glasgow push-pull operation of the 1980s. The overhaul of the three vehicles is still being undertaken at Eastleigh Works and, once completed, drivers will still need to be trained on them, hence the current use of top-and-tailed Class 37s on the two diagrams. The continuing operation of locomotive-hauled services in East Anglia on the branch line diagram covering Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth is currently operated with top-and-tailed Class 47s. These

have been replaced by 37405 / 425 to work in top-and-tail mode; this means six of DRS’s seven locomotives are currently allocated to long-term duties. There have been locomotive failures on the Cumbrian Coast service, albeit of a minor nature but requiring depot attention, and substitutes have included classes 37/0 No. 37218, 37/5 No. 37688 and 37/6 Nos. 37609/11, hence the interest for enthusiasts to photograph/travel behind passenger services hauled by locomotives normally restricted to freight duties.

Returned to service

Electric locomotives are rarely thought of as being ‘heritage’, but the Class 90 fleet, built between 1987-90 have seen a recent resurgence. A few stored examples have been returned to service since early April as a result of DB Schenker withdrawing Class 92 locomotives and replacing them with pairs of Class 90s on the weekly Antwerp-Irvine service and three daily diagrams between Warrington and Mossend. In addition to freight duties, a pair are on standby for use by GB Railfreight to cover shortages of Class 92s on Serco Sleeper duties

between London and Glasgow/Edinburgh. The rarity of Class 92s, built between 1993-96, due to withdrawal by DBS is offset by the use of Class members on the Serco Sleepers, which requires four locomotives per night to work the trunk West Coast Main Line service between Euston-Glasgow Central and Euston-Edinburgh. GBRf has identified Nos. 92014/18/23/33 for the main pool with Nos. 92010/32/44 allocated to a standby pool, but Brush Traction was still overhauling class members leading to substitutions being made. GBRf had also hired locomotives from the AC Locomotive Group to handle empty coaching stock workings between Euston-Wembley CS; these included Class 87 No. 87002 and this has been used on occasion to work services rather than hire-in a standby DBS Class 90, although DBS Class 90s have also been used to cover for non-available Class 92s. As provider of the traction to the Serco Sleeper service GBRf has provided a variety of traction to maintain the service, but it was a surprise on June 10 when the failure of train locomotive Class 67 No. 67007 at Fort William led to the hire of West Coast’s Class 37/5

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

No. 37516 as replacement to work the Fort William–Edinburgh portion. Even more surprising was to find the Aberdeen and Inverness portions waiting at Edinburgh so that the train could continue southwards, albeit 90 minutes late.

Still hard at work

The sleeper service is also providing work for GBRf Class 47s in the Glasgow area where engineering works, both on the main WCML and in conjunction with EdinburghGlasgow electrification, has seen Nos. 47812/847 transferred to Polmadie to assist with ecs duties and the Edinburgh-Carstairs portion of the ‘Lowland’ sleeper. Despite their age the Class 47 fleet are still hard at work, with West Coast Railways examples now returning to duty. Class members have been noted operating the ‘Royal Scotsman’ service, but with the contract due for renegotiation shortly it remains to be seen whether West Coast retains this premier work. Nonetheless this summer still provides much work for heritage traction and the success of reported negotiations involving Harry Needle Railway Company could result in further returns of heritage traction to main line duty. Heritage Railway 61

MAIN LINE NEWS

WITH FULL REGULATOR

LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW

By Don Benn LAST time I looked at the Britannia Pacifics and said that the theme for this issue would be Somerset, Dorset and Devon. Well it is... but before I get to that I must spend a bit of time looking briefly at more of the work being done by that magnificent BR Standard Class 7 No. 70000 Britannia. I remember after getting to Kingswear on a recent trip when I commented to one of the support crew from Southall about just how good this engine is. He said to me: “Yes, that should be an eight on the side, not a seven.” Its recent performances certainly put it into that class above, just as Castle No. 5043 is The Earl that thinks he is a King! On May 30 I was enjoying a footplate ride on SR 4-6-0 No. 850 Lord Nelson on the Mid Hants line, so I couldn’t be on the Pathfinder trip to Carlisle, out via Shap and return via the Settle and Carlisle line but ‘1020 Shireman’ has kindly agreed that I can use his

summary of the day as set out on the National Preservation forum. This was the historic day when two steam-hauled trains were worked north over Shap, the first being hauled by LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galatea, which once again struggled with its big load and thus held up Britannia behind it.

The power the Brit showed

1020 Shireman summarises the day as follows: “Just thought I’d like to add a bit more detail about the power the Brit showed on this train. “For the timers there are a couple of short banks that indicate just how well the engine is performing. North of Wigan is one. We were slowed through Wigan and were doing 40 at the start of the two miles of 1-in-104. The Brit accelerated the train to 46 by the summit. “The benefits of the Crewe start and a seriously hot fire was shown at Carnforth where the often troublesome two-and-a-quarter mile

TABLEONE:BRISTOLTOTAUNTON Date Train Engine

June 14, 2015 0915 Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear BR Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia

Load Driver Fireman Inspector Weather Position Timer

10 coaches, 361 tons tare, 390 tons gross Fred Lewis Vince Henderson Tom Rees Fine, dry and calm 9 of 10 Don Benn

Bristol Temple Meads Bedminster Parson Street MP 123 Flax Bourton Nailsea Yatton Huish Crossing Puxton and Worle Worle Junction Weston Milton Weston-super-Mare Uphill Junction MP 140 Brent Knoll MP 144 Highbridge MP 148 Dunball MP 150 Bridgwater MP 153 Fordgate MP 157 Cogload Junction Creech St Michael MP 161 Taunton East Junction Taunton

miles sched mins secs 0.00 0.00 00 00 0.90 03 04 1.75 04 30 4.58 07 58 5.85 09 06 8.00 11 00 11.89 14 12 13.73 15 43 15.56 18 06 16.70 22.00 20 22 17.70 21 56 19.03 26.00 24 58 0.00 0.00 00 00 1.65 4.00 04 29 3.57 06 55 6.09 09 23 7.57 10 41 8.89 11 48 11.57 14 03 12.62 14 55 13.57 15 42 15.18 18.00 16 59 16.57 18 09 18.05 19 23 20.57 21 31 21.99 25.00 22 57 23.84 24 20 24.57 25 06 26.06 26 56 26.65 31.00 29 12 * brakes or speed restriction

62 Heritagerailway.co.uk

September 19, 2010 0915 Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear BR Class 8 4-6-2 No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester 11 coaches 395 tons tare, 430 tons gross Fred Lewis Vince Henderson Geoff Ewans Cloudy, light SW wind 10 of 11 Don Benn

speed sched 0.00 28 39½ 4.00 51½ 65 75/72 74½ 71 sigs *25 36 20.00 46½ 25.00 0.00 38½ 4.00 56½ 66 67½ 70½ 72½ 73 73 74 19.00 72/74 72½ 68½ 63 27.00 69 67½ *34 34.00

mins 00 03 05 09 10 12 16 17 23 26 28 32 00 04 06 08 10 11 13 14 14 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 25 27

secs 00 41 22 01 23 23 15 58 38 32 25 45 00 22 35 49 02 05 15 05 49 04 09 21 16 28 48 30 35 06

speed 32/28 38½ 49 60/65½ 63½ 58½/63½ sigs *34/*10 21½ 29½ 33/* 44½ 61 72 73½ 74½ 75½ 76 76½ 77½ 76 78 75 72½ 75½ 70 *32

BRStandard8PPacificNo.71000DukeofGloucesterpassesCreechStMichaelwiththe ‘TorbayExpress’onJuly18,2010. DON BENN 1-in-134 bank was dismissed, being met at 69mph and topped at 59. “The serious banks we all know about, but in context, passing Milnthorpe, the start of the 13 mile slog to Grayrigg, at 70 is almost impossible from a ‘cold start’ at Carnforth, and thundering along to top the 1-in-111 at 56 approaching Oxenholme, where the grade eases to 1-in-176 bode well for a spectacular climb to Grayrigg summit. “As we know, this was not to be and the first signal check hit us just north of the station. Speed dropped to 21 against double ambers on the twoand-a-quarter miles of 1-in-131, and was only 23 at Lambrigg crossing, the foot of the two miles of 1-in-106 to Grayrigg summit.

Inevitable check

“A green let the Brit off the leash and up the final mile speed rose to a more than creditable 35. Greens around the Lune Gorge were optimistic but the inevitable check came approaching Tebay South at 65, still accelerating where a colleague’s checked RTT that showed us four minutes behind the ‘CCE’ (with No. 45699). The last mile of the 1-in-75 was quite remarkable. As the signals at last turned green speed was down to 10.8mph on the GPS, the speed at MP 36¼, exactly a mile from the end of the 1-in-75. The next four quarter speeds were: 12; 18; 22; and 24.4 at MP 37¼; and then 26.8 at the summit board. “All credit to driver Mark Dale and his fireman Tony Jones. The smoke from the Jub was clearly visible, as were the four Class 66s following us! (all from a seated position)’.” 1020 Shireman continues: “The consensus of the start away from Appleby was driver Jim Smith getting the fire right after the 1½ hour layover. The bottom of the three miles of 1-in-100 was met at 45mph, dropping

to 31 by Helm tunnel. The time of 8min 21sec was slow and speed dropped to 29 at the end of this first steeper section. The Brit picked up to 42 on the mile-and-a-half of 1-in-166 and to 50 attacking the start of the almost unbroken 8½ miles of 1-in-100 to Ais Gill summit. “Speed was held in the low 40s, and they took full advantage of the 1-in-330 through Birkett to reach 50. Speed hovered around 47/8 as the Brit thundered around Mallerstang, dropping slightly to 45 at the summit of the 1-in-100, rising to 47 past the summit board. “Probably the best climb of the day was the final one. Signal checks kept speed down to 11 approaching Whalley and only 20 through the station. The Brit hammered over the arches and up the three miles of 1-in-82 in superb style, topping it at 33, and then accelerating up the 1-in-88 to 35 into Wilpshire Tunnel, a speed held on the last three-quarters of a mile on the steeper 1-in-86 grade. “In 30-odd years I can’t remember any engine topping Wilpshire summit at 35, though no doubt some will do. The run down the WCML was superb with mile after mile at 75, maxing at 78. We can only speculate what speeds we could have topped Grayrigg and Shap. It could have been a truly great railtour’.” I have analysed the climb to Ais Gill and compared it with the runs set out in Heritage Railway 199. On May 30, Britannia with 430 tons took 22 minutes 51 seconds for the 15.25 miles from Ormside Viaduct to the top of the 1-in-100 at milepost 260, an average speed of 40.05mph. This gives an overall equivalent drawbar horsepower (EDBH) figure of 1420. Over the final three miles of 1-in-100 the average speed was an excellent 48mph, started at 50mph and finished at 45mph, giving an EDBH figure of

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Above: Driver Fred Lewis at the controls of No. 70000 Britannia at Bristol Temple Meads on June 14. DON BENN Left: BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia climbs to Whiteball with the ‘Torbay Express’ to Kingswear on June14. DEREK PHILLIPS 1685, another outstanding performance. My topical run this time is also with Britannia, this time on the popular and award winning ‘Torbay Express’, which I joined for its morning journey on Sunday, June 14. The load was 10 for about 390 tons and up front were a DBS crew, driver Fred Lewis and fireman Vince Henderson, with traction inspector Tom Rees. Set out alongside this run in Tables One and Two is a run behind Class 8 Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester hauling one coach more during its long spell on the ‘Torbay Express’ in 2010, the occasion being September 19. By chance we had the same driver/fireman combination on both trips. The Brit got away to a much faster start than the unique Pacific on a bright and sunny morning and topped the climb out of Bristol before Flax Bourton tunnel at a very good 51.4mph as opposed to 49mph with No. 71000.

Severely checked

By Yatton on my recent run we were two minutes ahead of the Class 8, having quickly reached the 75mph limit down from the tunnel. I wonder if Duke of Gloucester was getting adverse signals from the 9.05am stopping service from Temple Meads to Westonsuper-Mare, which can be a problem for the ‘Torbay Express’, as the train was quite severely checked after Yatton and lost nearly eight minutes on this initial section? So Duke of Gloucester was nearly 12 minutes late away from the Weston stop and, with this incentive, definitely had the advantage over Britannia on to Taunton, 26.65 miles reached in a shade over even time in 27 minutes 6 seconds, 59mph start to stop. The running was exhilarating with speed up to 70mph by milepost 142 and then averaging 75.4mph over the next 19 miles to milepost 161, after Creech St Michael, without exceeding 78mph. This stretch over the Somerset levels isn’t quite level though, as there is a climb of a mile-and-a-half past Bridgwater to the bridge over the River Parrett at 1-in-256 for the last three quarters of a mile. This was taken almost without affecting the speed of

TABLETWO:TAUNTONTOEXETER Date Train Engine Load Driver Fireman Inspector Weather Position Recorder

June 14, 2015 0915 Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear BR Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia 10 coaches, 361 tons tare, 390 tons gross Fred Lewis Vince Henderson Tom Rees Fine, dry and calm 9 of 10 Don Benn

Taunton Norton Fitzwarren MP 167 Poole Siding Wellington MP 171 Beam Bridge MP 173 Whiteball Tunnel In Summit (MP 174) Burslecombe MP 176 Tiverton Parkway ** MP 178 Tiverton Junction MP 180 Cullompton MP 182 MP 184 Hele MP 186 Silverton MP 188 Stoke Canon Cowley Bridge Junction Exeter St Davids

miles 0.00 1.85 3.84 5.84 7.04 7.84 8.86 9.84 10.00 10.84 11.59 12.84 14.16 14.84 16.00 16.84 18.17 18.84 20.84 22.35 22.84 23.60 24.84 27.34 29.50 30.75

sched 0.00

15.00 18.00 20.00

35.00

mins 00 04 06 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 17 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 26 28 31 33

No. 71000 and then there is a further hump before Cogload Junction where the line from Bristol meets the route from Westbury by climbing to a bridge to cross this line. This reduced the speed of Duke of Gloucester to 72.5mph before running up to 75.5 past Creech St Michael and a slow finish into Taunton, agonisingly just short of even time start to stop, though we had been well inside before the stop. The run with Britannia was much more subdued and the engine

secs 00 37 57 15 36 25 34 46 00 05 57 05 09 45 38 25 27 00 40 54 18 58 46 51 04 21

speed 47½ 52/53½ 51 54½/57½ 56½ 51 47 46½ 45½ 60 73 73½ 73 71/70 75½/77 *73 71½/73 72 75 74 71½/74 73 75 *41 *28

September 19, 2010 0915 Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear BR Class 8 4-6-2 No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester 11 coaches 395 tons tare, 430 tons gross Fred Lewis Vince Henderson Geoff Ewans Cloudy, light SW wind 10 of 11 Don Benn

September 4, 1970 1330 Paddington to Penzance Class 52 Type 4 C-C No. D1017 Western Warrior 10 coaches, 346 tons tare, 370 tons gross

sched 0.00

sched 0.00

15.00 18.00 20.00

36.00

mins 00 04 06 08 09 10 11 12 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 21 23 24 24 25 26 28 30 32

secs 00 24 24 20 29 14 21 36 52 59 52 02 27 00 16 06 12 43 14 22 45 24 17 20 27 56

speed 54½ 62/63 61½ 62/63½ 60 52 44½ 43½ 43 60 66½ *49½ 64 62 69 76½ 78 79 79 76 77½ 76½ 74 *43

was linked up quite quickly after reaching the main line at Uphill Junction, so speed didn’t reach 70mph until Highbridge. The average speed over the same 19 miles was 70.3 mph with a maximum of 74mph, but we were running on time and enough was being done to maintain the schedule. The finish was particularly slow. though I don’t think we had adverse signals. Even time over this section is quite hard to achieve as the first 1.65

Warm and sunny 2 of 10 Don Benn mins secs speed 00 00 13 mins late 03 03 55½ 05 00 62½ 06 40 63½ 08 04 65½ 08 46 65 09 46 60 10 50 53 11 01 51½ 12.00 12 00 52 12 44 60 13 48 78 14 40 86½ 15 10 90 15 57 87 16 36 82½ 17 33 82 18 05 *75 19 36 82 20 39 86½ 21 00 87 21 27 90 22 22 92 24 05 83 29.30 25 48 *60 32.00 28 48 ** named Sampford Peverell when this run was made

miles over the single line is restricted to 40mph and the finish into Taunton is always cautious. As far as I have been able to ascertain the fastest recorded time with steam on this section is 25 minutes 1 second, but with maximum speeds into the 80s further details must remain restricted. The continuation of both runs to Exeter is shown in Table Two and here I think that Britannia on my recent run takes the honours by dint of a very good climb to Whiteball. Heritage Railway 63

MAIN LINE NEWS TABLETHREE:EXETERTOBARNSTAPLE Date Train Engine Load Weather Position Recorder

July 23, 1962 11am Waterloo to Ilfracombe Unrebuilt BB Class 4-6-2 No. 34076 41 Squadron 5 coaches 165 tons tare, 175 tons gross Sunny periods, hot front Don Benn

miles sched mins secs 0.00 0.00 00 00 0.65 3.00 5 00 0.00 0.00 00 00 Cowley Bridge Junction 1.30 3.00 02 57 Newton St Cyres 4.30 07 05 Crediton 6.95 09 46 Yeoford 10.60 14 17 Coleford Junction 11.55 17.00 15 38 Copplestone 13.55 20.00 18 13 Morchard Road 15.20 22.30 20 52 Lapford 17.55 26.00 24 30 Eggesford 21.45 33.00 30 05 0.00 0.00 00 00 Kings Nympton 3.95 6.00 05 27 Porstmouth Arms 6.85 11.00 09 27 Umberleigh 11.00 17.00 16 25 Chapleton 13.35 19 36 Barnstaple Junction 17.70 26.00 24 15 *brakes or speed restriction Exeter Central Exeter St Davids

speed 15/sigs stop *0 8 mins late 36 59/62 60 50 47 */47 */54 */64 62/* 60/* 55/* 60/73 3 mins late

“My main memories of that dark damp night nearly 50 years ago is of the two freight engines thumping up the heavy gradients and the smoky exhaust in the various confined tunnels.”

TABLEFOUR:BATHTOTEMPLECOMBE Date Train Engines Load Weather Timer

January 1, 1966 The Mendip Merchantman 3.53pm Bath Green Park to Templecombe ex LMS 8P class 2-8-0s Nos. 48760 and 48309 10 coaches, 338 tons tare, 365 tons gross Dark, cold and damp Don Benn

miles Bath Green Park 0.00 Bath Junction 0.50 Devonshire Tunnel In 1.90 Combe Down Tunnel In 2.55 Combe Down Tunnel Out 3.55 Midford 4.35 Wellow 6.75 Shoscombe and Single Hill 8.60 Writhlington Box 9.60 Radstock North 10.65 MP 11 11.45 Midsomer Norton 12.55

speed 92 mins late 19 25 22 35/42 *24 42 39½ 28 22½ 26/21 min sigs stop *0

Chilcompton MP 15 MP 16 Binegar

25 19/30 28 sigs stop *0

Sunmit MP 17¾ Masbury Winsor Hill Tunnel Shepton Mallet MP 22 Evercreech New Evercreech Junction Cole Wincanton Templecombe Junction

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 2.00 02 18 06 15 08 05 09 48 10.00 11 03 15 58 18 38 20 26 20.00 22 51 25 00 28 20 30 16 14.50 37 51 15.45 40 39 16.45 42 49 17.05 45 42 47 32 18.20 51 12 18.65 43.00 51 51 20.20 54 36 21.85 48.00 56 53 22.45 59 31 24.90 62 38 26.45 64.00 65 00 29.20 69 41 33.45 84.00 76 08 36.70 92.00 84 32 * brakes or speed restriction

64 Heritagerailway.co.uk

25 41/44 *33 41 33/43½ 37½ *30 45 54

SR Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34078 222Squadron at Exeter Central with the 8.55am Ilfracombe to Salisbury on July 25, 1962. DON BENN After a slowish start compared with Duke of Gloucester, the class 7 (8?) was doing 57.8mph after Wellington before hitting the final 2.7 miles of 1-in-90/86/80 to the tunnel where speed had only fallen to 46.6mph, accompanied by some lovely sounds from the Brit audible easily even from nine coaches back. I calculate that from Beam Bridge on the 1-in-80 to the tunnel, where the engine was being worked very hard, probably in 40% cut off, the EDBH was an excellent 1745, nudging my highest with a Brit and coming quite close to the effort of Britannia on May 15, covered in the last issue, albeit over a short distance. By contrast No. 71000 appeared to struggle a bit as speed fell from 65.5 at Wellington to just 43.5 at the tunnel. My best climb to date is also with a Britannia Pacific, No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell. On August 5, 2012, with 345 tons, No. 70013 got past Whiteball in just 13 minutes 3 seconds after 64mph at Wellington and a minimum of 49.5 at the tunnel. This time was only a minute slower than the standard 540 ton load limit time for the Western diesel hydraulics on this train in 1970, as shown in the run with D1017 also in Table Two.

Made a solid climb

Andy Taylor was driving Oliver Cromwell and he produced two consecutive even times start to stop on that day. On my 2015 run No. 70000 was also faster than No. 71000 from Whiteball to passing Cowley Bridge Junction, by half a minute, despite faster running by the latter most of the way, the reason being a restriction through the platform at Tiverton Parkway for Duke of Gloucester. On my 2015 run we passed slowly through Exeter St Davids a minute to the good and then ran freely up to 74mph past Exminster before reaching the lovely coastal section from Starcross after which we caught the slightly late running 7.57am Paddington to Penzance while it made its stops at Dawlish, Teignmouth and Newton Abbot. Then finally we made a solid climb of the 1-in-110 Kingskerswell bank at a minimum of 35.4mph and ran into Paignton just over two minutes late in 76 minutes 56 seconds for the 55.0 miles from Taunton. The ‘Torbay Express’ is an excellent train for the steam enthusiast. It has reasonably fast timings, long stretches of fast running to keep to those times and some really good uphill climbs. Compared with some of the prolonged and painfully slow itineraries of some other tour companies, it’s a dream of simplicity and robustness. It’s a shame therefore to see how few steam followers were on the train on June 14. I counted just four including me. There were, though, many more on the lineside getting their no doubt excellent images and videos without contributing a penny to the running of this high quality train. This compares with a few years ago when the rear TSO was virtually full of the steam fraternity. My first run from the 1960s in Table Three is also in Devon and is the continuation from Exeter of the very fast down ‘ACE’ run of July 23, 1962, shown in HR 197 with Bulleid unrebuilt Battle of Britain light Pacific No. 34076 41 Squadron on five coaches of the original 11.

SR Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35011 GeneralSteam Navigation at Stalbridge with the ‘Mendip Merchantman’ on January 1, 1966. DON BENN Delays before and at St Davids saw us eight minutes late away but the free running Pacific played with this light load, running up to and beyond the 55mph line limit to gain three minutes to the stop at Eggesford, despite some steep climbs to Copplestone and the hindrance of the token changes for the single line sections. A final flourish of 73mph downhill after Chapleton saw us into Barnstaple Junction just three minutes late. Also from the 1960s is one of the farewell to the Somerset and Dorset line specials and anybody who went on this one on January 1, 1966, will never forget it for the BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92243 which the Western Region gave us to haul the train from Highbridge to Bath. This engine was in the most appalling condition but managed to struggle up to 54mph at Yatton before stopping at Bristol Temple Meads with a collapsed brick arch and being banked by D864 to Mangotsfield, where it finally gave up the ghost, being rescued by ex LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48760, which was to be our train engine over the S&D from Bath to Templecombe. No. 92243 was withdrawn that day and mercifully put out of its misery by being scrapped in April 1966.

Put in a good effort

As a result of the failure of the 9F we were 92 minutes late away from Bath Green Park with our 10 coaches for 365 tons doubleheaded by 8F 2-8-0s Nos. 48309 and 48760. These two put in a good effort helped by an easy schedule but hindered by the signalmen at Midsomer Norton and Binegar stopping the train as a protest against the forthcoming closure. My main memories of that dark damp night nearly 50 years ago is of the two freight engines thumping up the heavy gradients and the smoky exhaust in the various confined tunnels. At Templecombe that ace Salisbury engineman Fred Hoare was waiting for us with Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35011 General Steam Navigation, but even he couldn’t claw back more than a minute to bring us into Waterloo 64 minutes late after some good running up to 82mph, but with various out of course checks. Such were the trials and tribulations of railtours in the 1960s, so nothing much has changed, except the engines are in incomparably better condition now. Next time I hope to look at some locomotive performance in Scotland, from this year and from the1960s. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

TOURS

LMSJubilee4-6-0No.45690Leanderclimbsthe1-in-47ofMilesPlattingbankoutofManchesterVictoriawiththeRailwayTouringCompany’s‘EastYorkshireman’to ScarboroughonMay30.BRIAN SHARPE

July SAT 4: ‘Welsh Marches’

Tyseley, Wellington, Hereford and return via Gloucester and Kidderminster. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland. VT

SAT 4: ‘Torbay & Dart Explorer’

Derby, Kingswear and return. Loco: D9009 Alycidon. PTH

via Swindon. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 70000 Britannia. RTC

SUN 2: ‘Weymouth Seaside Express’

Crewe, Liverpool, Settle, Carlisle and return via Shap. Steam hauled: Crewe, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland. RTC

SUN 2: ‘North Wales Coast Express’

SAT 18: ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’

SUN 5: ‘Fife Circle (x2)’

SUN 19: ‘North Wales Coast Express’

TUES 7: ‘Cathedrals Express’

SUN 19: ‘Peak Forester’

Edinburgh, Forth Bridge and return (x2). Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60163 Tornado. SRPS Edinburgh, King’s Cross. Steam hauled: York, King’s Cross. Loco: No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. SD

TUES 7: ‘White Rose’

King’s Cross, York and return. Steam hauled: York, King’s Cross (D9009 Alycidon outward). Loco: No. 60163 Tornado. A1T

THUR 9: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Waterloo, Yeovil Junction, Weymouth and return via Southampton. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

SAT 11: ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’

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

THUR 16: ‘Swanage Belle’

Victoria, Swanage and return via Andover. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. RTC

SAT 18: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Paddington, Plymouth and return. Steam hauled: Taunton, Plymouth and return. Loco: No. 70000 Britannia. SD

SAT 18: ‘Cotswold Venturer’

Paddington, Oxford, Worcester and return

66 www.heritagerailway.co.uk

Liverpool, Holyhead and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60009 Union of South Africa. RTC

King’s Cross, Oakham, Rowsley and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. RTC

TUES 21: ‘Welsh Mountaineer’

Bristol, Weymouth and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 34067 Tangmere. RTC

Liverpool, Holyhead and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60009 Union of South Africa. RTC

TUES 4: ‘Welsh Mountaineer’

Preston, Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61994 The Great Marquess. RTC

Regular steam TUES, THUR to August 27: ‘Dalesman’

SAT 25: ‘West Somerset Steam Express’

York, Carlisle and return. Steam hauled: Hellifield, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 45231, No. 45690 Leander, No. 45699 Galatea or No. 46115 Scots Guardsman. WCR

SUN 26: ‘Cathedrals Express’

Fort William, Mallaig and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 45407, 44871 or 62005. WCR

Preston, Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61994 The Great Marquess. RTC

Paddington, Minehead and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 70000 Britannia. RTC

Victoria, Canterbury and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. SD

WED 29: ‘Pilgrim Fathers’

King’s Cross, Spalding, Skegness and return via Grantham. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 61306 Mayflower. RTC

August SAT 1: ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’

Crewe, Liverpool, Settle, Carlisle and return via Shap. Steam hauled: Crewe, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland.RTC

DAILY: ‘Jacobite’

SUNS July 5, 12, : ‘Royal Duchy’

Bristol, Par and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 34067 Tangmere. RTC

WEDS Jul 15, 22: ‘Dorset Coast Express’

Victoria, Swanage and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 34067 Tangmere. RTC

SUNS from July 19: ‘Waverley’

York, Carlisle and return. Steam hauled: Hellifield, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 45231, 46115 Scots Guardsman, No. 45690 Leander, or 45699 Galatea . RTC AiT BEL

PTH RTC SD

WEDS to Aug 26: ‘Fellsman’

Lancaster, Preston, Carlisle and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 45231, 46115 Scots Guardsman, No. 45690 Leander, or 45699 Galatea. SMR

SUNS Jul 12, 26, Aug 2, 23, Sep 13, 20: ‘Torbay Express’

TEL VT

Bristol, Bath /Weston, Kingswear and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60163 Tornado or No. 70000 Britannia. TEL

SUNS FROM Jul 19 ‘Shakespeare Express’

SMR

Tyseley, Stratford-upon-Avon and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT

WCR

A1 Trust bookings through UK Railtours Belmond British Pullman 0845 077 2222 Pathfinder Tours 01453 835414 Railway Touring Company 01553 661500 Steam Dreams 01483 209888, 0845 310458 Statesman Rail 0845 310 2458 Torbay Express Ltd bookings through Pathfinder Vintage Trains 0121 708 4960 West Coast Railways 0845 850 4685

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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Heritage Railway 67

Some of the 100 Network Rail apprentices that each year gain valuable experience for their careers by working as volunteers on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways, mostly off season, carrying out vital maintenance and engineering work. FR

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL

ANY VOLUNTEERS? Our preserved railways have traditionally relied on volunteer labour for every job involved in operatng steam trains. Peter Brown asks where the army of volunteers necessary to keep our heritage lines up and running will come from.

C

ould it be that one day there will be so few volunteers that the heritage railway movement will be in crisis? That’s the sort of question we hear fairly regularly, although probably presented in a different way, but the reason behind such thoughts is that the ageing population that make up a major workforce will not be around forever – so where are the new recruits coming from? Much of the older generation joined having got a taste for steam, which they saw working regularly on the national rail network. But today’s youngsters don’t have that advantage and the only way they can see such motive power is by visiting preserved railways. It’s a vicious circle! There can hardly be a better example of encouraging young people to get involved than on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland railways where children are invited to stay for a week where they learn about the rail environment and are encouraged to get involved. But apart from the aspect of children here, the volunteer numbers are good with support from some very experienced sources. “We probably have upwards of 1000 regular volunteers who work on the railway, many of them for several weeks over the year,” says community liaison manager and volunteer resources manager Tricia Doyle. “Nearly all our loco crews and permanent way people are volunteers working closely with our paid staff.

68 Heritagerailway.co.uk

“We have volunteers who have been coming here for years and they’re some of the most experienced railwaymen and women you could meet. Many of our permanent staff started out as volunteers, up to and including the general manager and members of the board. Our volunteers come from all walks of life – from university lecturers to doctors, bank managers and gas fitters.” She continues: “One of the things I hear frequently is that it doesn’t matter about your age, profession or background, when you’re working on the railway you’re part of a great team of people. I’ve lost count of the marriages that have resulted from people meeting up while volunteering here and now their kids are coming here to work too.”

Wide range of projects

“Each year we have a Kids Week when we house them for a week. It’s a very intensive training course for kids between 14 and 17. We have been doing this for 25 years. We have persuaded schools to come in on this and it is registered as KTW – Kids Training Week when they work on a wide range of projects such as repairing wagons, concreting, building work and painting. During the week they are also taken out on the trains, they get involved with driving and firing and have a great time in the evenings with a wide range of social activities.” It’s not just these young people that are

encouraged, but also those that take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, as Tricia Doyle adds: “We also do the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and get between 65 to 80 recruits from that. They are normally older, aged between 18 and 25. “We have around 100 apprentices from Network Rail every year, mainly working over the winter maintenance period on large scale infrastructure projects. They are a big help to us and come for a week at a time and work on our railways as a team-building exercise. “There are also many retired people, several of whom have been coming here for 45 years or more. But despite all this going on, you can never have enough volunteers.” That interesting and somewhat encouraging scenario was discovered when Heritage Railway decided to run its own exclusive survey, in which in recent weeks it investigated preserved lines of various sizes across Britain to discover the situation regarding volunteers. Even when helper numbers are healthy, those people must not be taken for granted, according to Chris Hart, general manager of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway. “There are sections like the permanent way for example, where you have great support, then you see the permanent way going short of people and then suddenly you find you’ve got loads of people. At the moment with guards there’s a bit of a shortage. Several have gone, but

Ben Evason, one of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s youngest drivers and a member of the railway’s gala committee, looking very happy to be in charge of visiting Bulleid Pacific No. 34092 Wells. IAN CROWDER

Locomotive department volunteers at work on BR Standard 4-6-0 No. 73096 at Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway. PETER BROWN

others are being trained and then we could find we have too many. “In terms of age we do very well with older people. We have a high average age. We tend to get volunteers who have been in professions such as accountancy and some who have actually been guards on the main line. “We have got to try to replace management when applicable and we are short of people who would be willing to take on that responsibility,” he said.

How to get children interested

“Without volunteers we wouldn’t run,” Chris said. “If we had to have paid staff we would go out of business quickly. We have about 200 volunteers. The number of people seeing a steam locomotive leads people to come and visit a heritage railway. That’s how children get interested. “The worry is that with the likelihood of steam diminishing on the main line, that interest will not be fuelled, which is a pity because it leads them to like the railway environment,” he said. It’s a pretty stable situation on the Mid Hants Railway, partly due to its bi-monthly Welcome Days that on average attract 40 interested people on each occasion, according to marketing manager Anna Wilson-Barnes. “Our volunteer numbers are pretty stable, but, like everyone else, as we are mostly dealing with

Ruth Parsons, volunteer guard on the FR/WHR, pictured on a WHR train on April 5, 2014. FR.

TinaSuttonisafiremanontheG/WR.HerfatherwasadriverduringthelastdaysofBR steam,basedatGloucesterBarnwood.Sheisseenarmedwiththesinglelinetoken thatshewillshortlyexchangewiththesignalmanatGotherington. IAN CROWDER

the retired population we are constantly on a recruitment drive,” she insists. “Our volunteers are pretty diverse. We get people who have just retired but we also get many people who are still working, either on weekends or part time. We get a good mix of people who want to use their existing skillset and those looking for something different. “We also get a good number of married couples – I am given to understand that heritage railways are somewhat unique in being able to provide roles for both partners. Most other roles tend to be within medical/care giving circles and so couples value the opportunity to be part of the same community but not necessarily work together.” She continues: “We run a system of Volunteer Welcome Days which attract around 40 people every two months and we have high retention numbers. However, it is true to say that the areas we are always lacking in are retail and catering. “It’s not all just about locos. On the Watercress Line for example, all the staff serving on-train cream teas, Countryman lunches and Belle silver service dining are volunteers. So too are the horticultural teams at each station, the admin support staff, the carriage cleaners, the leaflet distributors and so on. “When people think of volunteering it is most often driving and firing that catches their attention or the opportunity to don a uniform or do some loco shed duties – not perhaps

permanent way, building maintenance or signals and telegraph.” When the author of this report mentioned to Anna Wilson-Barnes about the sprightly senior members known as the Wednesday Gang at Ropley, she replied: “Yes, we have two Wednesday Gangs – the first is the gardening group and the second, who stole their moniker – is a loco gang. They write a fantastic weekly blog to show what goes on behind the scenes and to encourage more volunteers.” These blogs can be found online at http://preservation.watercressline.co.uk/locowednesday-gang and other departments also have their own blogs.

About 800 volunteers

A steady number of around 800 volunteers keep the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway ticking over and everyone is subject to the legislation of employment law, according to spokesman Ian Crowder. “We’ve relied on about 800 volunteers,” he confides. “In some ways we are at their mercy as we ‘employ’ these people but don’t have the same control as you would with people on the payroll. But we still have to abide by employment law on such issues that they can’t work more than 12 hours at a time. On non-operating days we have split shifts and they are subject to the same employment laws. Heritage Railway 69

“Around 200/250 of them regularly give their time. Some 75 people are needed on operational days for our three stations and our four signal boxes. The range of work varies but we are heavily reliant on the hard core volunteers for work such as marketing, operating the website and on the Heritage Operators Processing System (HOPS) as roster clerks such as getting the gaps filled.” He adds: “More than 200 people attended our volunteer open days on March 21/22. They wandered round to different departments. All of those who came showed an interest and we passed a milestone by signing up 105 volunteers and we are expecting more, which will take us up to the 1000 mark. The thing about all this is you don’t have to be a railway enthusiast. “Our volunteers tell us they feel that by volunteering they are putting something back and they always tell us that they have made many friends. We do get a lot of industry management people helping us and we use their fantastic skill of big business which is a great

help to us with our annual turnover of £2m.” The South Devon Railway has around 500-600 regular volunteers who keep the wheels rolling in almost every department and the old adage that ‘no volunteers means no railway’ certainly applies here, according to general manager Dick Wood, who feels the Heritage Railway Association should do more to encourage people to get involved.

A fair-sized player

“We have around 50 paid staff at the height of the season and the railway turns over at £3m a year, so it’s a fair sized player in the local economy and one of Devon’s top attractions carrying well over 100,000 passengers a year,” Dick says. “We have a volunteer support organisation, the SDR Association, which has 3000 members. Volunteer numbers are always under pressure as people’s personal circumstances change through work, family, health and retirement, so volunteer recruitment and retention are ever high on the agenda.

“Effective volunteer recruitment is central to the success of the railway and we have gaps across the board with an increasingly ageing workforce, although there are encouraging numbers of youngsters coming through. But we desperately need a youth leader to harness their potential fully.” He continues: “One of the big issues is retirees who are able and willing to volunteer but who are enthusiasts and have no railway operating pedigree, so they need far more training for safety critical jobs, although they can enjoy nonsafety critical tasks. “One of the challenges for both the SDR Trust and SDR Association is identifying and attracting people with the right skillsets and interest for a range of specific jobs such as carriage and wagon, signal and telegraph, engineering, administration and back office, retail and catering, permanent way and cutting back etc.” Among those wanted on the SDR are people with business and enterprise skills who might

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway volunteers working on the brand new signalbox at Broadway - which since the photograph was taken is now fully slated. JO ROESEN

Some of the volunteers who have been working on the new signalling system at the north end of Grosmont station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. They have just completed fitting two signal motors to a support pole under the old Falsgrave signal gantry. These signals control trains heading for Whitby. From left to right they are Ray Halmshaw, Jim Beaumont, Richard Owen, Paul Gammon, John Freear and Malcolm Kitchin. CRAIG DONALD

70 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Driver John Scholes eases LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado away from Orton Mere on the Nene Valley Railway as the fireman prepares to pick up the token from the signalman. BRIAN SHARPE

become trustees and directors in time and who can boost and support the management team. Dick says people with a training background are invaluable, as a greater amount of training is needed to make the most of people who do have a railway background and to cope with ever increasing legislative requirements, especially Health and Safety. “In recent years we have had to recruit paid staff to do some jobs that could have been done by volunteers and which obviously affect the bottom line and budgets, but if skilled volunteers are not there and do not come forward to fill the gaps then the roles have to be carried out somehow,” he insists. “It may be that the HRA can perhaps look to do more in attracting volunteers for the whole heritage railway sector nationwide in the same way that other large volunteer assisted organisations do, such as the National Trust,” he said. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is similar to others in that it has a solid strength of

volunteers, but fears are growing that with many of them being elderly, the situation could change fairly rapidly for various reasons. “Our numbers of volunteers remain fairly constant. We have around 600 volunteers that do four to five days a week like myself and then there are others that are able to volunteer a day once a month or once a year in some cases,” reveals volunteer liaison officer John Bruce.

Major challenge

“The railway is growing and we need more volunteers to keep up and it’s a lot of pressure on volunteers to donate more hours. “In many ways we are short of volunteers across the railway and we can always do with more in all departments. However, a long term concern we have is with our drivers who are now in their seventies and are very close to retiring as volunteers and we need to look at ways to plug the gap they leave behind.” He adds: “Across all heritage railways a major challenge we will all face in the future will be the

changes to the retirement age through government legislation and the fact that less people are retiring early, which will result in a shortage of volunteers. “Volunteering for the North Yorkshire Railway has been a rewarding experience. I’ve learned new skills and made amazing friends for life over the past 42 years, while watching the NYMR grow from strength to strength.” Nene Valley Railway spokesman Jerry Thurston paints a similar picture like many others that volunteer numbers remain steady and perhaps surprisingly to some readers that younger members do not mind doing the dirty jobs. “Our volunteer numbers remain steady, almost one-in, one-out, but frankly we need more in all departments,” he declares. “We have just about enough volunteers to get by on a daily basis but there isn’t any slack. Younger volunteers seem to be more interested in the cleaning, firing and driving side. The rest comprise mainly of retirees.”

Heritage Railway 71

Above: Andrew Thompson, a guard on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, watches his train out from Winchcombe station. IAN CROWDER Left: Ken Wiles travels from Hull to work on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway most Fridays. At Hunting Bridge near New Bridge signalbox, he is reconnecting the banner signal for the outer home signal that is just out of sight around the corner. This banner signal had to be disconnected because of the new flood defences being constructed for Pickering on the left hand side of the photo. Right: Driver Terry Pell is in charge of WR 0-6-0PT No. 9682 as it departs from Weybourne on the North Norfolk Railway. BRIAN SHARPE

At the Great Central Railway we caught volunteer coordinator Andy Bennett a little unawares, having held the post for a little more than two months, but he agreed to comment as he has what he describes “a head start” having been helping out for many years. “In comparison with some railways we are blessed with a good number of working members and volunteers – approximately 500 at the last count,” he announces. “However, the contribution of individual volunteers varies dramatically between anything from three days a year to seven days a week every week. Therein lays the pitfall in quoting volunteer numbers as the true measure should probably be by volunteer hours. “On the question of where volunteers are most needed the tongue-in-cheek answer is ‘doing the jobs they’re least likely to volunteer for’. In reality it is the next generation of skilled engineers where the biggest shortfall is likely to develop,” he says.

A passion to learn

“Recruiting experienced volunteers is difficult due to the age profile of those retired engineers likely to have steam age experience. We therefore have a number of apprentices working in the loco engineering department and this is one way of making up the shortfall. Training unskilled volunteers who have a passion to learn is the ideal situation but not without its challenges, ” Andy says. By the end of April the West Somerset Railway had received 48 enquiries from potential volunteers and 32 of them since been inducted. It’s all watched very carefully by Melvyn Hillman, who has been the New Volunteer Coordinator for the past five years.

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In that time there has been a steady increase in annual recruitment, with the largest amount of 166 of newcomers in 2011 and a slight drop in 2012 of 148. In 2013 it was 118 and in 2014 it was 134. “We undertake an annual census in January each year and this showed that out of the 663 who started during the five years, 380 are still active, that’s 57%,” he proudly says. “The census also showed that overall volunteer numbers increased to over 1000. What has not been possible is to identify an accurate dropout rate of existing volunteers over the same period. However, over five years there has been a net gain. “In terms of shortage areas – we could always do with more station and on-train buffet staff, as well as staff on our Sunday luxury train – the ‘Quantock Belle’. There are no longer any waiting lists for the more popular operating department roles, although training capacity can mean a delay in starting in some departments.” He adds: “We no longer have a direct entry to guards. Everyone including main line or other heritage railway staff have to serve as a travelling ticket inspector for a while to absorb the rulebook. However, we try to accommodate as many volunteers as possible in their first choice of department/station. “ “We have looked at improving retention rates and now have a former chairman of the Plc and still a director, responsible for this and he follows up all new volunteers and is looking at other ways of retaining existing volunteers.” Ready for changes in age groups, Melvyn confides that in line with all volunteer organisations there will be longer-term issues and impacts of increasing retirement ages. The

WSR has a youth section – Trackers – for 13 to 17-year-olds and although he is not responsible for them he tells us that 10 new Trackers have started this year. There’s quite a strong contingent of young people on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, although its head of business development Fred Landery would like to see more becoming involved, although he says that generally its volunteer numbers are good.

Need more volunteers

“We have an adequate number of volunteers to run the railway and in recent years we have never had to cancel a train service due to lack of volunteers,” Fred tells us. “However, on occasions we have to substitute a diesel locomotive for steam because we have been unable to roster a steam crew. “While our volunteer numbers are slightly up on last year and we have an active Youth Group we do need more volunteers in all departments. In common with other heritage railways we have an ageing volunteer force, some of whom are unable to turn up as often as they would have in the past.” He adds: “We need younger people to volunteer now so that the knowledge of these older members can be passed on and we can ensure that we have the skillsets to keep the railway running in the future. “More volunteers in the customer facing part of the railway would relieve the pressure and mean less stress for existing volunteers at major events such as Days Out With Thomas where our volunteers are stretched to the limit.” Very good is the description of the volunteer numbers on the North Norfolk Railway where general manager Trevor Eady looks to the

future but believes the situation will alter with changes being made to the retirement age. “North Norfolk Railway is OK currently with many new volunteers, however with later retirement we do expect things to get more difficult,” he announces. “We need people with a wide range of skillsets and there has been the false impression that it’s all about getting your hands dirty.” That was the reason for the NNR to launch a campaign for volunteers on Monday, April 13 with two unique leaflets, one posing the question: “Why not lend us a pair of dirty hands?” and the other asking: “Why not lend us a pair of clean hands?” They both carry photographs of what would be expected for applicant volunteers. “Through research we have discovered that many people think volunteering at the NNR is all about steam, soot, oil and grease but that could not be further from the truth,” explains director John Durrant. “The railway has endless openings for people who do not want to don overalls such as station staff, waiting staff on the dining train, bar staff on the Muddle and Get Nowhere buffet car, administration work, shop staff and helping with our highly successful Santa Specials to name but a few of the opportunities.” For the Avon Valley Railway the volunteer situation remains pretty steady, according to Geoff Clark, vice-chairman of the Avon Valley Railway Heritage Trust. “Our situation is generally good with a steady influx of new members. When you take a look at the website it’s easy to see just how active the AVR is in recruiting young members – in fact there is a special section for them listing the activities and showing the youngsters actively involved.

The website declares: “The railway actively encourages young people (aged 13 and above) to become part of the railway workforce. The railway relies on the hard work, dedication and skills of volunteers, not only to run the trains, but also to restore and maintain the engines, rolling stock, track work and buildings. “It is important that these skills are transferred to younger generations to enable them to keep the railway running in years to come. It’s not only that this is important; volunteering can be fun and extremely rewarding at any age.”

Opportunities to help

Every railway wanting volunteers appears to go about recruiting in its own imitable way. Some go for formal recruitment sessions while others are happy for potential helpers to just turn up as can be found on the Chasewater Railway website, where it announces that new volunteers are always welcome. It explains: “Simply introduce yourself any Sunday or Thursday to members working on the railway and they will be able to answer your questions about opportunities to help.” And on the Foxfield Railway website it states the various departments where volunteers can be useful. They include operations, engineering, station staff, permanent way, carriage and wagon, motive power and commercial. “You could get involved with everything it takes to run a railway, from the station bar to driving the engines, without our volunteers it would not be possible to keep the railway running,” it insists. “If you have a special skill we would be delighted to hear from you. But if not, don’t worry as full training is given.”

Bluebell Railway volunteer recruitment is highly organised with its Find Out More Days taking place on the first Sunday of each month this year between March and November at Sheffield Park station. Its website, which has a special section for volunteers, makes a point that there is something for everyone, regardless of age, experience or gender. It points out: “No matter whether you are male or female, skilled or with no previous experience, can offer a day a month or more, then why not come down and found out more about volunteering in the various departments on the Bluebell entails. If under 16, you can gain experience of such work in the 9F Club, but for those who are over 16, perhaps nearly retired, or any other age, why not find out more?” It suggests asking for a volunteer recruitment pack to help narrow the choice of departments. One thing to emerge from this investigation is that despite fears of a massive drop in volunteer numbers, generally they are fairly high and remain so, although there is always room for more. But what is unclear is what the future holds. It has been emphasised that changes to the retirement age will have a detrimental effect It is encouraging that the younger generation is getting involved but we must remember they have many distractions. It’s called growing up and however keen individuals may be, there are a lot of other things trying to grab their attention. The heritage movement has every right to be confident about the present as much it is concerned about the future. If any of us feel we can help then help we must – any volunteers? Heritage Railway 73

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Heritage Railway 75

Steam in induStry

Locosfrom

Leeds The locomotive builders of Leeds were noted for their First World War narrow gauge products. Mark Smithers explains the history of these designs as recently highlighted at the award-winning Apedale Valley Light Railway.

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T

he Apedale Valley Light Railway is a comparative newcomer on the narrow gauge preservation scene as it is currently only into its fifth full season of operation, but it has already made a significant impact as can be gauged from the recent Locos from Leeds gala that was held over the weekend of May 16-17. The history of this Staffordshire enterprise will probably be well known to many readers, but for the benefit of anybody who is unfamiliar with this railway, it will be helpful to mention that its governing body, the Moseley Railway Trust was formed in 1999 from roots going back some three decades to Moseley Hall Grammar School in Cheadle, Cheshire. The current site, with its main terminus adjacent to the Apedale Valley Heritage Centre, Chesterton, near Ashton-Under-Lyme, was chosen in 2006 while the 2ft gauge railway was opened on September 12, 2010, by the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire. The main running line is about 500 yards in length and links the main station with a newer station at Apedale Road adjacent to the Apedale Valley Country Park. This was opened on April 12, 2014. Perhaps the best-known event to have been staged by the AVLR was the highly successful

Tracks to the Trenches gala of September 1214, but important though that event was, it should be remembered that the 2ft gauge railway did see other industrial uses besides those related to the military. Although conflict played an indirect part in the history of most of the locomotives showcased at the Locos from Leeds gala, only one, as we shall see, was destined to see front line service. The major star of the gala was Hudswell Clarke ‘G’ or Ganges class 0-6-0WT No. 1238 of 1916. The roots of this class go back to 1911 when Hudswell Clarke constructed the first of 36 ‘A’ class 0-4-0WTs, No. 962 Queen Mary for export to India via Robert Hudson.

Beginning to appear outdated

The Leeds class ‘mainstream’ pattern of small narrow gauge locomotive, with its outside mainframes, inside valve gear, low-pitched boiler and (often) saddle tank was beginning to appear outdated to many customers who were turning to the products of German manufacturers such as Orenstein & Koppel who pinned their faith on inside frames, outside valve gear, well tanks and high pitched boilers. The German designs possessed the advantages of relative ease of accessibility of working parts

and of mass production and during the second and third decades of the 20th century in particular, three British manufacturers, John Fowler (exemplified by the Bredgar & Wormshill Railway’s Limpopo), Andrew Barclay (as represented by the Talyllyn Railway’s Douglas) and Hudswells followed the German lead in this direction, with a fourth, Avonside following on in modified form afterwards towards the end of its existence, as exemplified by 0-4-0T Marchlyn. The ‘A’ class, with its 5in by 8in cylinders, was only really suited to relatively light loads, but in 1914 a new class constructed on similar principles appeared from the Railway Foundry. This new design, the ‘G’ was six-coupled and possessed 6½in by 12in cylinders and the first two class members, Nos. 1110 and 1111 were ordered in October 1914 and supplied to the Public Works Department in Delhi. In all, a total of 115 class members was completed between 1915 and 1930. Nos. 1112-5 were the first four of 77 ‘G’ class locomotives ordered for ‘front line’ use, the order being placed as early as October 1914, but partly owing to organizational delays in setting up the 60cm gauge War Department Light Railways (on the part of military authorities who still largely favoured 2ft 6in as a narrow gauge standard at the outbreak of the First World

War), they were not delivered until May-June 1916 as WDLR Nos. 101-4, just in time for the Somme offensive. No. 1238 was supplied for civilian export purposes being ordered via Robert Hudson in September 1915 and delivered (along with sister engine No. 1239) almost exactly a year later on the SS Prahsa to the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation of Africa’s Gold Coast, now Ghana. The locomotive remained in service until 1948 when it overturned in a swamp, killing its driver Kofi Asamoah. It then lay forgotten for nearly half a century until it was rediscovered in 1996 and recovered for display at the Anglo Gold Ashanti Mine complex.

Mechanically unrestored

In 2008 the locomotive was repatriated to England and originally displayed in a mechanically unrestored state. An early visit of note after repatriation was an appearance in November 2009 at the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway, whose first trains had been worked nine decades earlier by two sister engines Nos. 1377-8 of 1919 which were ordered in June to be WDLR Nos. 3207-8 but delivered too late for the conflict. Off-site restoration to working order followed under the auspices of the War Office Locomotive Trust and by April 2012, most of the

Above: Kerr Stuart Joffre class 0-6-0WT+T (No. 3014 of 1916) approaches the heritage centre on a passenger working. Note the wooden toolbox on the left hand side tank.

CSR No. 19 is seen approaching the heritage centre at Apedale with a passenger train on May 16. The leading vehicle is a reconstructed Festinog/Welsh Highland Railway Robert Hudson bogie ‘toastrack’. SIMON WEBB

Left: Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST CSR No. 19 (No. 1056 of 1914) is seen here in ‘as received’ condition on the occasion of the Statfold Barn open day of June 2, 2012. The connecting rods had been removed in order to facilitate moving the locomotive. Heritage Railway 77

Waiting in the wings for its big day at Apedale is currently off-site Hunslet 4-6-0T WDLR No. 303 (No. 1215 of 1916) now in the latter stages of restoration to working order and a sadly-missed absentee from both of the recent major Apedale galas. The engine is seen here prior to the commencement of restoration at Hollycombe on June 4, 2006.

required work had been undertaken on the chassis, no mean feat as this had involved the reproduction of most of the motion components from scratch. Despite some initial optimism that parts of the existing boiler might be reused, it was eventually decided to order a new boiler from Israel Newton and this was partly funded by a legacy in memory of narrow gauge enthusiast Terry Stanhope and partly by a PRISM grant.

Public operating debut

Full restoration was completed in 2014 and the locomotive made its public operating debut at the Tracks to the Trenches gala in black livery appearing as WD No. 104 (thereby constituting a narrow gauge application of the ‘Hudswell celebrity lookalike’ principle detailed in relation to standard gauge Countess of Warwick class 0-6-0ST Julia at Ruddington in our January issue). One interesting comparison that was on offer at the 2014 gala was with younger sister GP39 (No. 1643 of 1930) visiting from Statfold Barn. The main difference, apart from livery, between the two locomotives is that GP39, during its history at Bressingham, acquired a raised firebox wrapper of non-original pattern which it retains to this day. No. 1238 reverted to its civilian guise and true identity in time for the Locos from Leeds gala, sporting a plate identifying it as No. 9 in the Ashanti Goldfields fleet. The other Leeds-built steam locomotive making its presence felt at the gala was visiting locomotive Colonial Sugar Refining Co. No.19, another Hudswell product, this time No. 1056 of 1914. This 0-4-0ST was supplied for shunting work between the mill and the wharf at Lautoka, Viti Levu in the Fijian Islands. After withdrawal in

4-6-0T No. 303 at Apedale in 2012. IAN HUGHES

1960, the engine was placed on a plinth at the mill where it remained until returned to England in time for an appearance at its new home, Statfold Barn during the 2012 June open day. Swift restoration to working order followed and CSR No.19 was in steam at the snowbound Statfold open day of March 23 2013. A quick glance at the superstructure of No. 19 reveals that its design can boast a rather distinguished ancestry. The resemblance of this part of the engine to the 18in gauge 0-4-0STs of the Royal Arsenal Railways at Woolwich is plain to see. The gauge, cylinder dimensions (8in by 12in as

“The Locos from Leeds and Tracks to the Trenches galas have clearly demonstrated that the AVLR, despite its relatively short running line, has a promising future within the ranks of Britain’s narrow gauge preserved railways.” opposed to 7in by 12in) and wheelbase dimension (3ft 7in as opposed to 3ft 3in) are somewhat larger and the proportions of No.19 appear to have been inherited from W/N 853 of 1908, another 2ft gauge 0-4-0ST but this time supplied for use in Queensland. There was one important difference between the two designs, however. Hudswell Clarke

Another Hudswell Clarke product, this time 1930-built diesel D558, hauls a demonstration freight of inside framed ‘V’-skip wagons. This locomotive lost its original McLaren engine in 1955 in favour of a Dorman replacement.

78 Heritagerailway.co.uk

declined to supply a German-inspired design with 8in diameter cylinders to Colonial Sugar Refining Co but the accessibility advantages of outside Walschaerts valve gear clearly had their appeal to a customer with other outside framed products of the same maker based in Australia and Fiji that were similarly equipped. CSR No. 19, therefore earned the rare design distinction of combining the 1870-pattern Leeds narrow gauge outside framed 0-4-0ST arrangement (as represented by Hunslet’s Dinorwic and Manning Wardle’s Lord Raglan) with Walschaerts valve gear. The design is of added significance when one remembers that the best-known ‘slim gauge’ outside framed 0-4-0ST class in the world with Walschaerts gear is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ‘B’ class, a specialist design of non-Leeds origin. In addition to the ever-popular steam-powered attractions, the AVLR has an extensive collection of internal-combustion units in its care and some of these were of particular relevance to the Locos from Leeds gala. The earliest example is yet another Hudswell product, D558 of 1930. This four-wheel dieselmechanical locomotive was the first of the maker’s diesels for the domestic market (its only precursor from the same maker, the 2ft 6in gauge 2-6-2 D557 Junin, was an export to Chile). Spending most of its revenue-earning career at Beswick’s lime works at Hindlow, near Buxton, it was sold for scrap prior to being rescued for the Cadeby Light Railway in 1971 and transferred to the Moseley Railway Trust in 2008.

Statfold collection

Merely a year younger and temporarily present for the gala was another visitor from Statfold Barn, Robert Hudson ‘Go-Go’ tractor No. 39924 of 1931. This unit is built around the petrol/paraffin engine unit of a Fordson road tractor and was originally supplied to Lanarkshire County Council. It was successively based at Gloddfa Ganol and the now-closed Abbey Light Railway in Leeds prior to becoming part of the Statfold collection. A permanent member of the AVLR internal combustion collection very much in evidence during the gala was Hunslet four-wheel dieselmechanical No. 1974 of 1939. This ubiquitous 20hp two-cylinder design was supplied through Robert Hudson and No. 1974 went to the War Department and by 1953 was at the Royal Engineers Depot at Old Dalby, Leicestershire. This locomotive came to Apedale in 2008 having previously been owned in preservation by the Wey Valley Railway, Alan Keef Ltd and

Hudswell Clarke ‘G’ class 0-6-0WT No. 1238 of 1916 heads a short goods train. SIMON WEBB

A rear right hand view of the Ashanti locomotive awaiting its turn for its next working.

the Bala Lake Railway. The postwar era of Leeds-built diesel locomotives is not unrepresented in the Apedale collection which also includes Hunslet-built examples from the 1960s and 1980s. The remaining two steam locomotives in use during the gala, although not actually built in Leeds can be considered to be ‘honorary Leeds locomotives’ by virtue of the fact that their manufacturer’s goodwill and drawings came into the hands of Hunslet Engine Company following its demise in 1930. The two locomotives in question were constructed by Stoke-on-Trent builder Kerr Stuart and one of these was actually built for front line military service, albeit not with the British Army. No. 3014 of 1916 was one of 70 members of the Joffre class 0-6-0WT+T constructed in 1915-6 for the French Artillery and survived by virtue of being one of five class members

A close-up view of the ‘G’ class locomotive’s cylinders, wheels and valve gear. The load-sharing suspension applied to the leading and intermediate axles was also a feature of the engine’s Orenstein & Koppel counterparts.

that survived derelict in a stone quarry in the Pas de Calais region of France until being returned to England in 1974. After spending a long period of storage in the open at Gloddfa Ganol, No. 3014 was acquired by the Moseley Railway Trust in 1998 and, after restoration off-site, made its operational public debut on the AVLR on September 10, 2011. The locomotive received cylinder repairs in 2013 with the consequence that it was nonoperational for most of that season but it has otherwise proved to be an invaluable addition to the AVLR steam fleet.

Cut into two pieces

The other California Works product currently based at Apedale is Stanhope (No. 2395 of 1917), the first of the maker’s ‘New Type’ Tattoo class 0-4-2STs. This well-known locomotive, which was rebuilt during the 1990s from a set of mainframes that had been cut into two pieces,

was based on the West Lancashire Light Railway until September 2010 but moved to the AVLR on the first of that month in time for its opening. Once again it has a remote wartime connection, having been originally supplied to contractor Holloway Bros. for work in connection with the construction of 1000 houses in the proximity of Rosyth Naval Dockyard. The Locos from Leeds and Tracks to the Trenches galas have clearly demonstrated that the AVLR, despite its relatively short running line, has a promising future within the ranks of Britain’s narrow gauge preserved railways. The next major event on the locomotive front will be the emergence from long term restoration of the War Office Locomotive Trust’s Hunslet 4-6-0T WDLR No. 303 (No. 1215 of 1916). This will be eagerly awaited by all those with more than a passing interest in narrow gauge railway history. Heritage Railway 79

OVERSEAS STEAM

Manchester’s OFWJ 0-4-2 No. 8 – Sharp, Stewart & Co No. 2597 built at the Atlas Works, Manchester in 1876. COLIN TYSON

veterans star at

swedish centenary

ColinTysonreportsfromtherecentcentenarycelebrationsat theNationalRailwayMuseumofSweden,whichsawnine centenariansinsteam,includingthreeBritish-builtexamples.

T

he seed for Sweden’s National Railway Museum was sown at the Baltic Exhibition in Malmo in 1914, which showcased new locomotives and technological innovations. It also had a historical section that was so well received that the Royal Railway Board decided to institute a national railway museum under the auspices of the Swedish State Railways (SJ) – opening the doors to its new museum on Klarabergsgatan by Stockholm Central station on May 23, 1915. In 1929 the museum was moved to Vasagatan and as the collection grew, locomotives and carriages could be finally shown together, with a further depot opening at Tomteboda in 1942. The rolling stock was comprehensively restored but the premises were second-rate, the stock deteriorated and the opening times were limited before a final move to the current 16,000 square metre site linked to the main line at Gävle on June 5, 1970. Artefacts were already being sidelined for preservation towards the end of the 19th

80 Heritagerailway.co.uk

century, long before the LNER opened its initial York collection and long before members of the Stephenson Locomotive Society considered LB&SCR Gladstone as worth saving for the nation. For our part, in May 1915 we were mourning the loss of the

“More than 9000 visitors attended the one-day event, which saw nine locomotives in steam – eight of them more than 100 years old...” Lusitania and dealing with the aftermath of the Quintinshill rail disaster. British-built locomotives played a large part in the pioneering railways of Sweden and with the centenary of the museum’s celebrations focusing on pre-1915 engines, the stars on May 23, 2015, were three Manchester-built

On the narrow gauge Upsala-Lenna Jernväg, No. 5 Thorleaves Länna on the afternoon return working to Uppsala on May 26. SIMON COLBECK

examples – all in steam and playing a full part in proceedings – one is even passed for main line running, whereupon it was among museum-owned locos hauling vintage wooden-bodied passenger stock on charter trains in central Sweden for The Railway Touring Company over the following three days. The museum’s three British veterans in steam comprised SJ B3 class 2-4-0 No. 3 (Beyer Peacock No. 33 of 1856) Prins August – out of service by 1906 and restored in time for SJ’s centenary in 1956; SJ A class 2-2-2 No. 75 (Beyer Peacock No. 627 of 1866) Gota and Oxelosund-Flen-Westmanlands Jarnvag (OFWJ) 0-4-2 No. 8 (Sharp Stewart & Co No. 2597 of 1876). Engines and coaches representing every decade between 1850 and 1915 were on the move at the museum, with the two BeyerPeacocks taking their turn among the half-hourly 2km passenger shuttle duties between Gävle main line station and the museum, alternating between steam and

101-year-old electric haulage. More than 9000 visitors attended the one-day event, which saw nine locomotives in steam – eight of them more than 100 years old – plus a replica of the first locomotive in Sweden, 0-4-0WT No. 1 of 1853 Forstlingen, built by Munktells and visiting from Munktells Museum at Eskilstuna. Other engines in steam included SJ Cc class 4-4-0 No. 404 (Nohab No. 323 of 1892) resplendent with its smokebox adorned in Royal Train crown and flag regalia; SJ KA class 0-6-0 No. 692 (Falun Vagn och Maskinfabriken, Falun No. 1 of 1901); SJ E Class 0-8-0 No. 902 (Nohab No. 831 of 1907); an HNJ (Halmstad-Nassjo Jarnvagar) 0-2-2 steam railcar (A B Atlas of Stockholm No. 19 of 1888) visiting from Nassjo Jarnvagsmuseum and, on the museum’s demonstration 600mm gauge line, KLJ (KostaLessebo Jarnvag) 0-4-4-0T No. 2 Lessebo (Munktells No. 28 of 1891). An electric locomotive P27 was also on display, having been constructed in 1914 as represented as ‘the future’ at that year’s Baltic

Off shed and on to the turntable on the morning of the Swedish Railway Museum centenary on May 23 is veteran SJ Beyer Peacock B3 class 2-4-0 No. 3 (No. 33 of 1856) PrinsAugust–a style that early Swedish engineers soon copied. COLIN TYSON Heritage Railway 81

Swedish stars: Three pre-1900 British engines in steam together, the two Beyer Peacocks with the Sharp Stewart behind. COLIN TYSON Inside the museum are a further three static early Beyer Peacock locomotives plus this little gem from the earliest days of Swedish railways – the Henry Hughes of Loughborough 0-4-0T locomotive of 1872 ElfkarleoBruk. COLIN TYSON

This replica of the first locomotive in Sweden, 0-4-0WT No. 1 of 1853 Forstlingen (‘the first one’), built by Munktells, was visiting from the Munktells Museum at Eskilstuna. COLIN TYSON

Visiting the museum for the centenary from Nässjo Järnvägsmuseum was this 1888 HNJ steam coach. COLIN TYSON

Exhibition in Malmo. The day saw demonstration trains within the museum site including goods/mixed traffic, Pioneer train and Royal train with many visitors dressed in period costume for the occasion. Inside the museum, three further early Beyer Peacock locomotives were on static display in the exhibition halls formed within one of the two former half roundhouses at the complex; B-P SJ No. 22 of 1861 Thor – the last survivor of six saddle tanks delivered as contractors locos; B-P SJ 0-6-0 freight locomotive No. 93 of 1867 Jernsida and K class freight locomotive SJ No. 27 of 1880.

The museum also houses an interesting British relic in the form of a Henry Hughes of Loughborough 0-4-0T locomotive of 1872 Elfkarleo Bruk – perhaps this could come to the new Leicester Railway Museum for a loan period? Outside on static display were SJ B class 4-6-0 No. 1135 (Motala No. 477 of 1912); SJ E class 0-8-0 No. 900 (Nohab No. 829 of 1907) and SJ Kd class 0-6-0 No. 390 (Nohab No. 300 of 1890). The museum, owned by Banverket (the Swedish Transport Administration), receives an annual sum for museum activities from the

government. It has its own board, around 30 employees and a programme of restoration and maintenance of locomotives and rolling stock, including stores and workshop facilities which are also rail-linked on a separate site to the public areas from the main line at Gävle. There cannot be many other places in the world that can turn out so many 19th century locomotives in steam together and our congratulations go to all at the museum for their outstanding hard work and preparations. UK participants visiting for the centenary with The Railway Touring Company (RTC) were treated to access via vintage DMU to a tour of the museum’s maintenance workshops and storage facility to view locos and rolling stock not kept in the main museum. The museum-owned locomotives played their part in the celebrations with a series of mainline tours during the next two days.

Main line charters

The museum’s SJ A class 2-2-2 No. 75 (Beyer Peacock No. 627 of 1866) Gotawith wooden bodied stock on main line charter to Storvik on May 24. SIMON COLBECK

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On May 24 SJ No. 404 and SJ No. 692 double headed an RTC charter from Gävle to Storvik with a vintage wooden-bodied train while SJ No. 75 followed with a Swedish Railway Club charter with similar stock. Passengers on both trains swapped over at Storvik and the RTC group returned to Gävle behind No. 75, which used the hand-worked turntable at Storvik. May 25 saw an RTC charter with SJ No. 692 on a mixed train from Gävle to Falun via Storvik. On arrival at Falun, an appropriate destination as No. 692 was built here, the tour changed to stock owned by the Dalecarlia and Gefle-Dala Railway Association for a run to Borlänge behind SJ J class 2-6-4T No. 1338. After turning at Borlänge it was on to Rättvik, situated on the shore of the Siljan Lake, where water was taken prior to running back to

Rainbow’s end for the tour: The train from Faringe on arrival at Uppsala following a heavy downpour along the way. COLIN TYSON

Borlänge tender first, the turntable here no longer being rail connected. Haulage on May 26 from Borlänge to Uppsala was courtesy of vintage electric locomotive SJ Du class No. 540 – the day being deemed a fire risk by the authorities.

Uppsala to Faringe

The local municipality has invested heavily in the Uppsala terminus of the Upsala-Lenna Jernväg (ULJ) 891mm gauge (3 Swedish feet – 2ft 111⁄10) with the steam-worked branch sweeping away from the easternmost bay platform at the city’s modern station with its intensive service to Gävle and Stockholm. The 20.3-mile long heritage line via Marielund to Faringe is run by the SRJmf Society, although the council owns the infrastructure – along what was once part of the once-extensive Roslagen 300km network north east of Stockholm to Länna. It was built to serve the ironworks at Länna, along with paper mill traffic, with a connection to the standard gauge network. The charter here on May 26 was in the hands of No. 5 Thor, a 2-8-0 built at Falun for the BLJ in 1909, a sole-survivor of its class, retaining its original saturated boiler with 12 bar pressure. The line runs through Uppsala’s eastern industrial district before threading through river valleys and forests to Faringe, where the society, formed in 1968, bases its locos, rolling stock and maintenance facilities. Now the terminus and a shadow of its former self, Faringe was once an important three-way junction on the Roslagen network with lines extending to Rimbo and Gimo. The heritage operation started on Sundays in the summer of 1974 when freight trains didn’t run and the society’s dream of saving stock

from the former network has now been fulfilled, including some interesting DMU stock, passenger services having ceased in 1960.

Jädraås-Tallås

Constructed to the same gauge, The JädraåsTallås Järnväg runs for 6 km in the heavily forested Gästrikland region about 60 km northwest of Gävle. The line is the last remaining section of the Dala-Ockelbo-Norrsundet Järnväg (DONJ) built to serve the needs of iron works, mines and timber extraction, with only timber interests remaining from the 1930s. Passenger traffic on mixed trains was quite small, ceasing in 1959. Trains were regulated purely by telephone from station to station, of which none had electricity or running water. Station masters would often keep animals to compensate for low wages. The last scheduled train on the line ran in October 1970 and the society has amassed five steam locomotives, railcars and several wagon types once extant on both this route and two similar railways. Built for the DONJ, the train locomotive on May 22 was one of the large Mallet 0-6-6-0 locomotives, No. 12 of 1910, built by Atlas of Stockholm as No. 114. Although withdrawn in 1964 it was initially part of the National Collection prior to arrival at Jädraås in 1983 and first restored in 1995. Another Atlas-built survivor here is a vertical-boilered railcar of 1888. Swedish steam is in good health and my thanks go to The Railway Touring Co for its organisation of the tour and the main line chartered steam specials.

An engineering inspector’s Austin car on the DONJ system. COLIN TYSON

Beyer Peacock PrinsAugust takes to the main line with a passenger shuttle service from the museum to Gävle station. SIMON COLBECK Heritage Railway 83

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL

GREAT WESTERN MEETS GREAT EASTERN The Epping Ongar Railway extended recently to within 100 yards of the London Transport Epping station boundary, and being just 18 miles from Marble Arch as the Underground’s Central Line rumbles, long- time Heritage Railway contributor Geoff Silcock presents a different summer perspective on his local heritage line.

W

ith the extensive diagramming expertise honed over many such events now, over ex-LNER and London Transport tracks closed just over 20 years ago, the EOR June 5-7 gala activities would result in nine trains a day, equalling 18 movements over the now 900 metre extension line towards Epping, that came into operation from April 22.

In return mode, Collett 0-4-2T No. 1450 and autotrain emerge from the gloom of Watkins Bridge with the 10.22am departure from Epping Forest to North Weald on June 6. GEOFF SILCOCK

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And it must be said, the Great Western branch line themed gala unveiled scenarios not so unlike the Dean Forest Railway of two decades ago now, and even further back, though it is here the skittish feral deer still roam, instead of the rampaging wild boar in deepest Gloucestershire. It is from the hamlet of Coopersale, on the outskirts of Epping itself, that a footpath

seemingly only known to the locals meanders off to Watkins Bridge, which gets its name it is believed from the engineer responsible for constructing the local St Margaret’s Hospital on the nearby B181 Epping Road, which included a steam boiler house, though not rail connected. It is on the approach to this former occupation bridge, that in the long distance,

above the rippling green corn meadows can just be discerned, less than 20 miles distant, the skywards back-scene into the second decade of our 21st century metropolis, including the seemingly twisted witch’s finger of the Shard SE1, and the somehow aloof Canary Wharf banking complex to the east. However, from the vicinity of Watkins Bridge itself over three days in early June, came the familiar whistle, chaff, rattle and gong of the visiting propelled Great Western autotrain, sometimes at just eight and 45 minute intervals, with the cerise and cream front seemingly joining the pools of high summer sun, in between the lurking dark depths of the forest on either side. And returning in the other direction, the waltzing gait of loco and coach, returning on time, though in no particular hurry with its 21st century patrons, to its rendezvous at North Weald and the connecting train to Ongar.

Scenic long way round

The red and green LT heritage buses, now familiar again, would also be congregated around the North Weald Station forecourt, after delivering, and then to gather up the day’s band of pilgrims, to deposit them back further afield to Shenfield, or indeed to Epping itself. And with a journey or two taking the ‘mystery’ scenic long way round, in the spirit of the gala occasion, maybe the jovial driver would assure its patrons travelling hopefully, that he really did know the way back. So it was that after recording the best part of 20 trains of Great Westernry in motion to and from the outskirts of Epping over the three days, that there were other local movements too around Watkins Bridge, after most had departed, that went for the best part unnoticed... One was a wayward stoat crossing the line repeatedly and in high anxiety; the day before that, there were two fox cubs inspecting the heavy shadowed lineside together. Then there was the inquisitive grey squirrel, that was intent on staring me out at close quarters from its slightly higher tree elevation above mine. And just for once the high sun shone for most of the time, and I really couldn’t think of anywhere else that I would rather be, than portraying my adopted local Essex railway with its Great Westernry, deep in an Epping Forest June summer weekend...

The nonstop through train of the day from Ongar on June 5, top and tailed by visiting GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 DinmoreManorand 2-6-2T No. 4141. GEOFF SILCOCK

Visiting GWR 0-4-2T No. 1450 heads through Epping Forest. SIMON WEBB

The visiting autocoach propelled by No. 6430 emerges from the shadows at Watkins Bridge on June 7 with the 2pm departure from North Weald into the Epping Forest. GEOFF SILCOCK Heritage Railway 85

GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6430 runs through the woods with its auto coach on June 6. MARTIN CREESE

PANNIER STARS IN EPPING ONGAR EVENING PHOTO CHARTER

Advantage was taken of the opportunity for an evening photo charter on the new EOR extension; Martin Creese of 30742 Charters recounts his experiences of the extended line.

T

ohelpcelebratethe150th anniversaryoftheline,the secondsteamgalaeventof2015attheEppingOngar RailwaywasrunbetweenJune5-7andadoptedaGreat Westerntheme.JoiningresidentlargeprairieNo.4141were 4-6-0No.7820DinmoreManorfromtheGloucestershire WarwickshireRailway,autotankNo.1450fromtheSevern ValleyRailwayandautofitted0-6-0PTNo.6430fromthe LlangollenRailwaymakingitssecondvisittothelinehaving previouslyvisitedin2012,togetherwithcarmineandcream autocoachNo.167alsofromLlangollen. WithalllocomotivesinBritishRailwaysliveryitbecamea ratherpleasantBR(W)gala.Theautotrainsranonthesection fromthebayplatformatNorthWealdtoEppingForestwithboth Nos.1450and6430takingturns,asupplementbeingchargedto helpdefraythemovementcostsoftheautotrailer.Whennoton theautotrainsbothNos.1450and6430workedlocaltrainsto OngarwithNos.4141and7820alsoworkingthefulllineboth individuallyanddoubleheadedalongthefullline.Toaddtothe GWRthemetherailwayalsohasCollett4-6-0No.4953Pitchford Hallunderoverhaul.Theweekenditselfwasblessedwithwarm sunshineforthethreedays.BothNos.7820and6430remained onthelineforthefollowingweekend’s1940sgala Theambitionofthegalaperhapshighlightstheremarkable journeytheEppingOngarRailwayhascomeonoverthelast

threeyearssinceitreopened.ThestationsatOngarandNorth Wealdhavebeenbeautifullyrestoredandsignalled,each representingadifferentera.TheformerWoodford(LU)GER footbridgeisbeingrebuiltatNorthWealdandtherailwayhasa £10,000appealtobuildreplacementstepssavingpassengers thelongerwalkroundtoaccesstheplatformandprovideanew photographicvantagepoint.Sofararound£3500hasbeen raisedtowardsthetotal.

Marvellousaddition

AtOngarthebricksarebeingstockpiledtorebuildtheold engineshedwhichwillbeamarvellousadditiontothestation replacingthecurrentcorrugatedmetaltunnel. While the main running set is in blue and grey, maroon coaches are also making an appearance enhancing the steam era atmosphere of the line. 2015 has also seen an extension of operations from Coopersale to Epping Forest just 100 metres short of London Underground metals and Epping station with aspirations for a new station in time to allow access to passengers from the Central Line of London Underground. Despite its location on the periphery of London I suspect many enthusiasts have yet to discover the railway for themselves. For those savouring the sound of locomotives working from Ongar the line climbs at 1-in-70 steepening to

1-in-65 at the summit just before North Weald with only a brief dip at Blake Hall itself now a private residence. A short descent at 1-in-90 to North Weald before the climbing again commences at 1-in-73 to Coopersale before finally descending at 1-in-70 towards Epping. The wooded nature of the line certainly allows you to listen to the engine working and provides some very sylvan photographic opportunities. The railway has also gained a reputation for friendliness and its warm welcome and this was certainly born out in the post-gala feedback Autotrains were of course familiar in London with workings to Staines, Uxbridge and Greenford as well as the Aylesbury shuttles in the Chilterns. Southall had an allocation of 14XXs along with the larger wheeled 54XX auto fitted pannier tanks, 64XXs were relatively rare around the capital although I have seen a suggestion that No. 6410 was allocated to Southall in the early 1960s and Banbury provided64XXsfortheAylesbury shuttlesfromPrincesRisboroughwith No.6429beingcaptured onfilm.TheoverhaulofNo.6430hadliterallyonlyjustbeen completedatLlangollendaysbeforethevisitwiththe locomotivearrivinginplaingreen.AnearlyBRcresthadbeen appliedtoonesideforthegalaweekend. inNorthWealdstation ontheSaturdayonthe30742Charterseveningphotographic sessioninsupport.

The pannier tank stands at North Weald station after nightfall. MARTIN CREESE

GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 DinmoreManor doubleheads with resident large prairie No. 4141. SIMON WEBB

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PLATFORM

READERS’ LETTERS AT THE HEART OF THE HERITAGE RAILWAY SCENE

Turning our backs on the LMS RegaRding the features ‘demise of classic pregrouping’ in issue 201 and ‘Sir Henry Fowler’ in issue 202. all this should be giving us a warning if we really want a heritage railway. The time has come to make changes in new builds from the large 4-6-0 of the 1930s to the earlier Victorian locomotives modelled on those that have now retired to the museums, keeping them in the eye of the public on our heritage railways and running them with our vintage coaching stock. Returning to Henry Fowler, we have sadly turned our backs on the LMS. not one of Stanier’s ‘Black Fives’ or any other LMS machine carries the LMS logo: all have succumbed to those besotted with the BR livery. at the many gala weekends albeit 1940s, Victorian or edwardian, a BR livery does not suit these events, and in any case BR built enough locomotives to be well represented in its own livery without taking the identity of earlier engines. Derrick Martin, Hornchurch, Essex.

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STAR LETTER

Don’t blame Fowler for small engines policy i enJOyed the two articles on Churchward and Maunsell by Cedric Johns in the post-group CMes series. With regard to your article on Sir Henry Fowler (issue 202) i think i can add a few pertinent details as well as clearing up the odd minor misconception. Fowler’s management style was less draconian that that of other CMes. He tended towards leniency as opposed to harshness with regard to disciplinary measures. Many of his colleagues refer to him as ‘genial’. This trait is important in an assessment of his work. He was content to leave most matters in the hands of his subordinates and always avoided ‘rocking the boat’ when it came to conflicts with opposite numbers in other departments of the railway. after he completed his appenticeship at Horwich, he pursued his interest in metallurgy so the post of chief inspector of materials suited him well. He was soon promoted to gas manager as, like most railways, the Lancashire & yorkshire had gaslit carriages as well as buildings. His first position on the Midland was also gas manager, so for 15 years, until he became derby works manager in 1907, his contact with locomotive design and construction was at most peripheral. He is known to have said: “i never designed an engine,” – not an

unusual remark as most CMes left locomotive design entirely to their drawing office staff, the ones who did involve themselves in detail specification (e.g. Webb, Churchward, gresley, Bulleid) are the exception. as chief locomotive draughtsman of the Midland, John anderson was responsible for design matters and indoctrinated all his subordinates in outdated practices – the rather more progressive James Clayton ‘escaped’ to join Maunsell at ashord, taking with him only the visual aspect of anderson’s designs. There is no doubt that anderson was the ‘ethiopian in the fuel supply’ (as WC Fields has it) at derby and was singlehandedly responsible, as motive power superintendent with direct access to the LMS board of directors, for the disastrous small engine locomotive policy. Fowler had to do what he was told by a locomotive committee happy to endorse anderson’s parsimonious policy. now, with regard to Belpaire fireboxes; i know what you mean to say but... round top boilers all have square topped fireboxes, without which there would be no water covering the crown! Rigidity of the crown is maintained by a combination of longitudinal girder stays and sling stays anchored to the curved

roof of the outer firebox. The beauty of the Belpaire box, apart from simpifying the staying arrangements, is the greater steam space it affords (not surface area which is the same in both types of firebox) and higher water level without incurring priming. Fowler Belpaire fireboxes only appear square because the cladding is continued vertically downwards, incorporating the rear splashers in the 4-6-0s, instead of being waisted in to match the actual shape of the boiler as on other railways. Between 1923 and 1940, the LMS built a total of 575 4F 0-6-0s, not 530. The LnWR ‘Super d’ 0-8-0 had its origins in 1892, not 1893 and by LMS days only a few of the 572 engines remained as saturated four-cylinder compounds. after 1928 only g1s and g2s (both superheated) comprised the stock and the g1s were all gradually rebuilt in line with the ‘g2s’, and classified as g2a, by which time they were all totally standard which is more than can be said of most of Stanier’s engines! i hope you don’t mind me commenting. Heritage Railway is the best of the magazines covering the current scene and 99.9% of the time it is spot on in every way. i have been a subscriber for 15 years and have all issues from no. 1 onwards. Peter Davis, Fishponds, Bristol

No. 65789 and brake van at Choppington en route to Morpeth and then at Angerton on the Wansbeck Valley line. GARTH McLEAN

No. 65874 at Angerton, returning from Woodburn chimney first with a clean front end, chimney, dome and not much more. GARTH McLEAN

RegaRding South Blyth, issue 203: i was fortunate to be there on the day that Trevor gregg writes about. i lived almost 50 miles away but word had got round that the depot would close and that the final train would be on the Wansbeck Valley line. i travelled by train (three trains in

in 1966 when the J27s worked the weekly pick up freight on the line to Scotsgap and Woodburn, enthusiasts would occasionally clean the loco at South Blyth prior to its departure. On one such occasion, no. 65874 was duly cleaned but only the smokebox, chimney and one half of the boiler as

Memories of South Blyth and Wansbeck

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fact) from Stockton to Blyth and duly photographed the scene. While at Blyth i got in conversation with another enthusiast who had a car and was going to photograph no. 65789 on the Wansbeck Valley line. i was offered a lift and gratefully accepted.

the loco was expected to work chimney first to Woodburn and return tender first. imagine the shock when no. 65874 was turned and worked tender first to Woodburn. garth McLean, email

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There will be no duck An artist’s ReGARdING Heritage Railway issue 202 – letter from Mike Pinder. Mr Pinder appears to be labouring under the misapprehension that when he contributed £25 to the Gresley statue appeal he was contributing to a duck, not a statue of sir Nigel Gresley. Contrary to the rumour being propagated by the ‘duck brigade’, the statue project continues and the contract was recently signed, complete with a ‘no alterations’ clause, after all the necessary permissions were confirmed. If the deletion of the duck really invalidates Mr Pinder’s contribution, if he will get in touch with us we will

happily return his contribution. At least Mr Pinder actually made a contribution, unlike most of the persons who have chosen to make public comments on their devotion to ducks rather than sir Nigel Gresley. We take the view that we need to respect the views of long-term supporters, not just the Gresley family, and a campaign led by nonmembers with no previous record of interest in the works of sir Nigel is unlikely to change our view. Would you respect the views of friends and family above those of strangers? Of course you would! “ David McIntosh, chairman, Gresley Society Trust.

Family key in duck saga

It Is apitythatNigeldantairshis grievanceagainstsirNigel Gresley’sgrandsonsthroughyour columns(Platform,issue203). the impression gained is that the dispute could have been easily avoided too. the clue is in the first paragraph. If anyone wished to commission a statue to my grandfather I would want to know all the details before I “thanked them from the bottom of my heart”. that would especially apply to any additional wildlife the sculptor may be thinking of! Were Mr dant’s group so busy obtaining the approval of other bodies that they overlooked the most important one – the Gresley family?

Indeed, how much consultation took place with the grandsons? It seems unlikely that they would have left everything to the sculptors and have been prepared to await a surprise at a grand ‘unveiling’. (Not quite the sort of surprise they would have had in mind in that case.) For the record, my own grandfather’s occupation was listed simply as ‘quarryman’. should anyone fancy constructing a statue to an ordinary hard-working labourer I would expect it to be hewn from the West Yorkshire rock with which he was most familiar, and any extra features to be specifically agreed beforehand! Phillip Crossland, Nafferton, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

response

I’d just liketothrowmythree penn’orthintothering,re.theGresley statue:Followingthe successofthe GreatGatheringofA4sin2013,Ithink itonlyfittingthatthereshouldbea permanentmemorialtosirNigel Gresley. Ihavefollowedthestatuedebate withinterest,andpersonallythinkthe inclusionofaMallardduckisan inspiredidea. Why on earth the family should object is beyond me. It is worth mentioning that 24 birds’ names were attached to A4s at one time or another. I find the family’s attitude somewhat disingenuous, particularly since it was the actions of enthusiasts (not the family) which led to the restoration of the graves of sir Nigel and his wife a few years ago. I believe their upkeep is now in the hands of the good people at shackerstone. Having said that,

Where Truro beats Mallard YOuR correspondent Mike Pinder’s viewpoint over the Mallard duck alongside sir Nigel Gresley’s statue, has merit, as does equally so, the respected Gresley family visionary. While most people accept No. 4468 Mallard’s 126mph world speed record, the majority forget, or were never aware that the ‘thrashing’ this ‘horse’ received, caused it a necessary withdrawal from haulage and

Not the right 52 in Meiningen feature

I FOuNd the article about the dampflokwerk Meiningen in issue 202 very interesting and full of information. However, the locomotive in the photographs on page 79 (bottom) and page 80 (top) cannot be No. 52 4967 as mentioned in the captions. No. 52 4867 is an unrebuilt member of this class, which the owning society HeF (Historische eisenbahn Frankfurt) acquired from Austria. In the pictures we clearly

recognize a member of the class 52.80, the rebuilt dR-version of this class. In my picture of No. 52 4867, taken at about the same angle as the one at Meiningen, you will detect that 52 4867 has no feedwater heater on the smokebox in front of the chimney, no feedwater pump at the running plate on the fireman’s side, and also the tank on the running plate of the driver’s side is missing.

family members were at the rededication service. Yes I’ve signed the petition, though why we need one is beyond me. In the meantime I offer my interpretation of Mallard. Gargany, kittiwake or pochard anyone? Jonathan Clay, email

there are quite a number of 52.80s in preservation, so I find it difficult to find out which member of the class was pictured by your photographer. thank you for the excellent magazine. I receive it from an english friend after he has read it, and I am happy about this excellent source of information about the preservation scene in Britain. Hubert Fingerle, Klingenmuenster, Germany

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

recuperationary nursing confinement in the ‘stables’ at Peterborough. Contrast the foregoing with the much smaller and less powerful No. 3440 City of Truro’s then record breaking performance, which caused the engine no such withdrawal from service. think on that, Mallard duck or no Mallard duck! Ken Crispin, Bristol

‘Spam can’ term is such an insult I much enjoy Heritage Railway every month but am getting increasingly irritated by the repeated use of the derogatory epithet ‘Spam can’ when referring to Bulleid Pacifics. These locomotives were pioneering and visionary designs whatever their shortcomings, as were the Leader Project locomotives and the Q1 0-6-0 freight engines, the most powerful of their type and specification ever designed and built. The continued use of the insulting and infantile words ‘spam can’ demeans both their brilliant designer and the pages of this magazine, and it is time it was dropped once and for all. Imagine the outrage of Gresley A4 devotees if the epithet of ‘damp bananas’ was applied to them or an equivalent description of other of the great locomotives that graced the metals of this isle. many nicknames were given to classes of locomotives, such as the ‘Terriers’, but these were out of affection not in a derogatory manner. And while we are on the subject, Bulleid Pacifics were, and are, original or modified, not the crass terms unrebuilt and rebuilt. michael malleson, email Heritage Railway 89

nEWS HERITAGE RAILWAY SCALE In bRIEfand first Class 20 at Locomotion KGV ➜x

THE retail model arm of the Locomotion Museum at Shildon is set to issue a limited edition model of heritage icon GWR 4-6-0 No. 6000 King George V. And another locomotive to appear in its National Collection in Miniature range will be Class 20 doyen D8000. No. 6000 was the first of the King class and two months after it was built at Swindon in June 1927 it was shipped to the USA to take part in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s centenary celebrations, during which it was presented with a bell and a plaque it carries to this day. Withdrawn in December 1962 after covering 1,910,424 miles it was officially preserved, restored to main line running order and based at the now-closed Bulmer’s Railway Centre in Hereford. In October 1971 it broke the post1968 BR main line steam ban. In doing so, it kickstarted today’s main line steam scene.

Currently non operational, 089 models No. 6000 is now displayed in its original condition with full-height fittings in the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum. Specially commissioned from Hornby, the model will represent KGV in the ex-works and preserved gloss finish of the prototype. Set to become a much sought-after collectors’ item, the limited edition of just 250 pieces will be accompanied by certificates individually signed by Brian Greenwood, the chairman of the GWR flagship 4-6-0 No. 6000 KingGeorgeV on display in the National Railway Locomotion joint management board Museum at York, complete with bell from its stateside trip in 1927. ROBIN JONES and Simon Kohler of Locomotionmodels.com green livery and with ex-works Hornby that they will be available by D8000 was the first of a class of gloss finish. mid to late September. 228 built by English Electric between Of the 500 produced 150 will be “These are exciting times for us at 1957-68. So many were built because made available with sound. Locomotionmodels.com and we will of the failure of other early designs in Simon said: “The DCC Ready Class 20 have plenty more to talk about in the the same power range to provide models will be with coming months.” reliable locomotives. Locomotionmodels.com in July with The model of KGV, Hornby R3377, The model, produced by Bachmann, the 150 sound versions released some will sell for £159.99, while the Class 20, will be a limited production run of 500, weeks later. As for the KGV limited Bachmann 32-027 will retail at £109.95 representing D8000 in its early BR edition, we have been assured by with the sound version at £209.95.

New OO gauge Underground stock from London Transport Museum THE award-winning London Transport Museum has announced a new Underground S Stock set in OO gauge.

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Made exclusively for the Covent Garden by Bachmann Europe, the motorised set, comprising four cars, including two driving cars, will be

available in September. It can be pre-ordered now and the first 250 customers will receive a special S Stock certificate. Additional unmotorised individual cars can be purchased to authentically complete either S7 or S8 train formations. The models are based on the S Stock, which made their debut on the Metropolitan Line in 2010 and show Aldgate as the destination. The livery is based on the London Underground approved livery specification as of September 2014. The four-car set costs £280, while individual carriages can be purchased for £39.99 per car. They can be pre-booked via London Transport Museum’s Collectors Club at www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk Pre-ordered purchases will be despatched commencing September 30 or customers can

collect from the museum’s shop at Acton Depot during the Open Weekend on Sunday, September 27. The S Stock models can be bought direct from Acton Depot on September 27 only and from the museum’s Covent Garden shop from 11am on Friday, October 2. The S Stock models will not be sold through any other channels. Non-online customers can order by telephoning 0207 565 7295 and these orders will be dispatched during the week commencing Monday, October 5. Delivered by Bombardier Transportation in Derby, the S Stock was ordered to replace the A60, A62, C69, C77 and D78 stock on the Metropolitan, District, Hammers mith & City and Circle lines. The order is said to be the biggest single rolling stock order in Britain and will cost £1.5 billion. Find us on Facebook.com

UP & RUNNING

Lining up on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway at Toddington are Bulleid West Country Pacifics No. 34007 Wadebridge and No. 34092Wellsand Merchant Navy No. 35006 Peninsular&OrientalS N Co. DAN WIGG

Brian Sharpe’S full liSting of operational lineS and muSeum venueS SOUTH EAST Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre

Narrow gauge, ¼ mile, Arundel, West Sussex. Tel: 01798 831370. Running: Wed-Sun + Jul 27, 28.

Bentley Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, East Sussex. Running: Suns.

Bluebell Railway

Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Engines: 263, 1638, 178, B473, 323, 592, 30541. Running: Daily.

East Kent Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Shepherdswell, Dover. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Suns + Jul 18.

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: Daily.

Kent & East Sussex Railway

Standard gauge, 10½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Tenterden, Kent. Tel: 01580 765155. Engines: 30065, 32670, 32678, 1638. Running: W/Es, Tues - Thurs + Jul 27.

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Lavender Line

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

Mid Hants Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Alresford, Hants SO24 9JG. Tel: 01962 733810. Engines: 34007, 850, 925, 45379, 92212. Running: W/Es, Tues-Thurs + Jul 27.

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

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

Royal Victoria Railway

Dartmouth Steam Railway

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

Devon Railway Centre

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

East Somerset Railway

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

Helston Railway

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

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

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

Sittingbourne & Kemsley Railway

Moors Valley Railway

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

Spa Valley Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Tel: 01892 537715. Running: W/Es + Thurs.

SOUTH WEST Avon Valley Railway

Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bitton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 932 7296. Running: Suns, Weds + Jul 18, 21, 23, 25.

Bodmin & Wenford Railway Standard gauge, 6½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bodmin, Cornwall. Tel: 01208 73666. Engines: 6435, 4247, 4612, 30587. Running: Daily.

Dartmoor Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, Okehampton, Devon. Tel: 01837 55164. Running: W/Es + B/H.

Narrow gauge, one mile, Woody Bay, north Devon. Tel: 01598 763487. Running: Daily.

Narrow gauge, one mile, Ringwood, Hants. Tel: 01425 471415. Running: W/Es + sch hols.

Plym Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Marsh Mills, Plymouth. Running: Jul 12, 13, 26, 27.

Seaton Tramway

Narrow gauge, three miles, Harbour Road, Seaton, Devon. 01297 20375. Running: Daily.

South Devon Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Buckfastleigh, Devon. Engines: L92, 3205, 5542, 6412. Running: Daily.

Swanage Railway

Standard gauge, six miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Swanage, Dorset. Tel: 01929 425800. Engines: 30053, 31806, 34070, 80104, 30120. Running: Daily.

Swindon & Cricklade Railway

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

West Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, 20 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BG. Tel: 01643 704996. Engines: 3850, 4160, 7828, 6960, 5541. Running: Daily.

EAST ANGLIA Bressingham Steam Museum Narrow gauge, one mile, Diss, Norfolk. Tel: 01379 686900. Running: Daily.

Bure Valley Railway

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

Colne Valley Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine & dine, Castle Hedingham, Essex. Tel: 01787 461174. Running: Suns + Jul 4, 18.

East Anglian Railway Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Wakes Colne, Essex. Tel: 01206 242524. Open: W/Es. Running: Jul 5.

Mangapps Railway

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

Mid-Norfolk Railway

Standard gauge, 11½ miles, footplate experience, Dereham, Norfolk. Tel: 01362 690633. .Running: W/Es, Tues - Thurs.

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

UP & RUNNING

WiththeElsecarHeritageRailway’sPeckett0-6-0ST2150/1954‘MaerdyMonster’stillundergoingamajoroverhaul,acoupleofsmaller0-4-0STshaverecentlybeendraftedinto maintaintheline’sservices.ThenewarrivalsarePeckett0-4-0STNo.1438 of1916andRSH7386of1940Birkenhead. MIKE HADDON

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

Nene Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Wansford, Peterborough, Cambs. Tel: 01780 784444. Running: W/Es, Weds + Jul 21, 23, 28.

North Norfolk Railway

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

Wells & Walsingham Railway

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

Whitwell & Reepham Railway Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Reepham, Norfolk. Tel: 01603 871694. Running: W/Es + B/H, steam first Sun.

HOME COUNTIES Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, footplate experience, Quainton Road, Bucks. Tel: 01296 655720. Engines: 30585, Met 1. Open: Sun, TuesThurs. Running: Suns.

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, Chinnor, Oxon. Tel: 01844 353535. Engine: 1369. Running: Suns + Jul 25.

Cholsey & Wallingford Railway

Standard gauge, 2½ miles, Wallingford,

94 Heritage Railway

Oxon. Tel: 01491 835067. Running: Jul 18, 19.

Didcot Railway Centre

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

Epping Ongar Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Ongar, Essex. Tel: 01277 365200. Engines: 4141, 1744. Running: W/Es.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Narrow gauge, 2¾ miles, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Tel: 01525 373888. Running: Suns + Weds.

MIDLANDS Amerton Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffs. Tel: 01785 850965. Running: W/Es.

Apedale Valley Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Apedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. Tel: 0845 094 1953. Running: W/Es except Jul 5.

Barrow Hill Roundhouse

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

Battlefield Line Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Shackerstone, Leics. Tel: 01827 880754. Engine: 3803. Running: W/Es, Tues-Thurs + Jul 24.

Chasewater Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Walsall, West Midlands. Tel: 01543 452623. Running: W/Es + Jul 23.

Churnet Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 5¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Cheddleton, Staffs. Tel: 01538 750755. Running: W/Es + Weds.

Dean Forest Railway

Standard gauge, 4¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Norchard, Lydney, Glos. Tel: 01594 845840. Engine: 5541. Running: Suns, Weds + Jul 4, 24, 25.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Standard gauge, eight miles, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. 01629 823076. Running: W/Es, Tues - Thurs.

Evesham Vale Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¼ mile, A46 north of Evesham, Worcs. Tel: 01386 422282. Running: W/Es. + Jul 8, 15. Daily from Jul 18.

Foxfield Railway

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, Blythe Bridge, Staffs. Running: Suns + Jul 18, 22.

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Toddington, Glos. Tel: 01242 621405. Engines: 2807, 7820, 4270. Running: W/Es, Tues-Thurs + Jul 24.

Great Central Railway

Standard gauge, eight miles, Loughborough, Leics LE11 1RW. Tel: 01509 632323. Engines: 48624, 47406, 46521, 92214, 45305. Running: W/Es, Weds + Jul 21, 23, 28.

Midland Railway-Butterley

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Ripley, Derbyshire. Tel: 01773 570140. Engines: 23, 73129. Running: W/Es, daily from Jul 24.

Northampton & Lamport Railway

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

Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre

Standard gauge, four miles, Ruddington, Notts. Tel: 0115 940 570. Engine: 8274 Running: Suns.

Peak Rail

Standard gauge, four miles, Matlock, Derbyshire. Tel: 01629 580381. Running: W/Es, Tues, Weds + Jul 23, 27.

Perrygrove Railway

Narrow gauge, B4228, Coleford, Glos. Tel: 01594 834991. Running: W/Es + Tues except Jun 27

Rocks By Rail

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

Rudyard Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, 1½ miles, Leek, Staffs. Tel: 01995 672280. Running: W/Es + Weds, daily from Jul 22.

Rushden Transport Museum

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

Severn Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 16 miles, footplate experience, Bewdley, Worcs DY12 1BG. 01299 403816. Engines: 1501, 4566, 7812, 2857, 43106, 1450, 34027, 34053. Running: Daily.

Steeple Grange Light Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile, footplate experience, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Running: W/Es.

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

EVENTS

Heritage Railway 95

UP & RUNNING

Grimsby & Immingham tram No. 26 in BR green livery and Avonside 0-6-0ST Portbury from Bristol docks during a photo charter at Beamish museum on May 29. GAVIN MORRISON

Telford Steam Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, Telford, Shropshire. Email [email protected] Tel: 01952 503880. Running: Suns.

NORTH WEST East Lancashire Railway

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

Eden Valley Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Warcop, off A66 Cumbria CA16 6PR 01768 342309. www.evr-cumbria.org.uk Running: Suns.

Heaton Park Tramway

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

Stainmore Railway

Standard gauge, ½ mile, Kirkby Stephen East Station, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4LA. Open: W/Es.

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

NORTH EAST Aln Valley Railway

Standard gauge, half mile. Lionheart station, Alnwick, Northumberland. Running: W/Es.

Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society

Standard gauge, 15 miles, Tata Steelworks, Scunthorpe. Tel: 01652 657053. Running: July 4, 11, 25

Bowes Railway

Isle of Man Steam Railway

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

Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

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

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

Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

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

Derwent Valley Railway

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

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

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

Ribble Steam Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Preston, Lancs. Tel: 01772 728800. Engine: 5643 Running: W/Es.

96 Heritage Railway

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

Elsecar Railway

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

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

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

Tanfield Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Keighley, West Yorks BD22 8NJ. Tel: 01535 645214. Engines: 43924, 90733, 1054, 5820, 34092, 75078. Running: Daily.

Kirklees Light Railway

Narrow gauge, four miles, Huddersfield, West Yorks. Tel: 01484 865727. Running: Weds-Sun, daily from Jul 15.

Lincolnshire Wolds Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Ludborough, Lincolnshire. Tel: 01507 363881. Running: July 12, 29

Middleton Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Hunslet, Leeds. Tel: 0113 271 0320. Engine: 1310. Running: W/Es.

North Tyneside Railway

Standard gauge, two miles. North Shields. Tel: 0191 200 7146. Open: W/Es, B/H + sch hols. Running: Suns + B/H.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Standard gauge, 18 miles, wine and dine, Grosmont, North Yorks. Tel: 01751 472508. Engines: 60007, 45428, 75029, 76079, 61994. Running: Daily.

South Tynedale Railway

Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Alston, Cumbria. Tel: 01434 382828/381696. Running: W/Es, Tues, Thurs, daily from Jul 18.

Standard gauge, three miles, near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Tel: 01913 887545. Running: Suns, + Sats, Weds from Jul 18.

Weardale Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Stanhope, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham. Tel: 01388 526203. Running: W/Es (diesel).

Wensleydale Railway

Standard gauge, 22 miles, Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire. Tel: 0845 450 5474. Running: Weds, Fri-Sun + Jul 23, 28.

WALES Bala Lake Railway

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

Brecon Mountain Railway

Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Tel: 01685 722988. Running: Daily.

Cambrian Heritage Railways

Standard gauge, ¾ mile, Llynclys station & Oswestry station. Tel: 07527 107592. Running: (Llynclys) W/Es. (Oswestry) Suns.

Corris Railway

Narrow gauge, ¾ mile, Corris, Machynlleth. Tel: 01654 761303. Running: W/Es.

Fairbourne Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Fairbourne, Gwynedd. Tel: 01341 250362. Running: W/Es, Tues-Thurs, daily from Jul 18.

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

EVENTS

Heritage Railway 97

UP & RUNNING Ffestiniog Railway

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

Gwili Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthenshire. Tel: 01267 238213. Running: Daily except July 6, 13.

Llanberis Lake Railway

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

Llangollen Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Llangollen, Denbighshire. Tel: 01978 860979. Engines: 3802, 45337, 5199, 6430. Running: Daily.

Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Blaenavon, Torfaen. Tel: 01495 792263. Running: W/Es + July 22.

The Lavender Line has taken delivery of 1954 built Bagnall 0-6-0ST Empress from the Mangapps Railway following the failure of Llangollen-based AustinNo.1. PAUL JOHNSON

Welsh Highland Railway

Rhyl Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, 26 miles, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Daily.

Snowdon Mountain Railway

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

Narrow gauge, Rhyl, North Wales. Running: Fri - Sun, daily from Jul 17. Narrow gauge, 4½ miles, Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870223. Running: Daily.

Talyllyn Railway

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

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

Welsh Highland Heritage Railway

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

Narrow gauge, eight miles, Llanfair Caereinion, mid-Wales. Tel: 01938 810441. Engines: 822, 823. Running: W/Es, Tues-Thurs, daily from July 18.

IRELAND Cavan & Leitrim Railway

Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway

Caledonian Railway

Standard gauge, four miles, Brechin, Angus. Tel: 01356 622992. Running: W/Es.

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

Keith & Dufftown Railway

Standard gauge, 11 miles, Dufftown, Banffshire. Running: Fri-Sun.

Waterford & Suir Valley Railway

Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway

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

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

West Clare Railway

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

SCOTLAND

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

Almond Valley Railway

Downpatrick & County Down Railway

Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway

Standard gauge, four miles, Downpatrick, County Down. Running: W/Es.

Narrow gauge, ¼ mile, Livingston, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 414957. Standard gauge, five miles, Bo’ness, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 822298. Engine: 62712. Running: Daily except Mons + Jul 3, 7, 10.

Royal Deeside Railway

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

Scottish Industrial Railway Centre

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

Strathspey Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, Aviemore, Inverness-shire. Tel: 01479 810725. Engine: 46512. Running: Daily.

Railway Museums Beamish

County Durham. The Living Museum of the North. Open: Daily.

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

Col Stephens Railway Museum

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

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

Crewe Heritage Centre

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

Head of Steam

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

98 Heritage Railway

Museum Of Scottish Railways

Bo’ness. Open: Daily. Tel: 01506 825855.

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

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

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

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

Manchester Museum of Science & Industry

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust

Midsomer Norton

STEAM – Museum of the GWR

Monkwearmouth Station Museum

St Albans South Signalbox & Museum

National Railway Museum

Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shillingstone Station

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

St Albans City station. Tel: 01727 863131.

Cultra, Co Down. Open: Tues-Sun.

Vintage Carriage Museum

Ingrow, West Yorks. Open: Daily. Tel: 01535 680425.

Yeovil Railway Centre

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

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Heritage Railway 99

WEB WATCH

Heritage Railway 101

STAY A WHILE

The Railway Carriage and Railway Cottage The Railway Carriage and Railway Cottage are two stunning self catering properties – both graded four stars with gold awards – located next to the West Somerset Steam Railway between Stogumber and Wiliton stations in the heart of West Somerset. The Railway Carriage is a replica GWR brake van and provide spacious accommodation for up to four plus a baby, with a king size bedroom and a twin room. There is a well equipped kitchen, bathroom, dining, living area and a private hot tub. Railway Cottage also has a private hot tub but has three bedrooms and will accommodate six plus a baby, there is an ensuite shower room and a family bathroom as well as lovely kitchen dining room with wood burner and a sitting room with panoramic views of the railway. Both properties accept a well

behaved dog and have fenced gardens and private parking. There is lots to see and do in the area apart from the railway – Dunster Castle is nearby and there are beaches within a 15 minute drive as well as stunning walking on the Quantock Hills and Exmoor. The local village has a handy shop and a great pub that serves excellent food. The sights and sounds of the engines as they pass within 10 feet of the properties are amazing – both The Railway Carriage and Railway Cottage are perfect properties for steam fans.

CUMBRIA

For more information and to book online visit www.lavenderhillholidays.co.uk or call Kate on 01984 656622 / 0781 3821475. ISLE OF MAN

LYNTON & BARNSTAPLE

LLANGOLLEN

CARMARTHENSHIRE MID NORFOLK CORNWALL/DEVON BORDER

FFESTINIOG/WHR B&B Trawsfynydd, Snowdonia 17th Century farmhouse. En-suite converted farm buildings, excellent garden railway. Central for the narrow-gauge railways. Llamas.

Tel: 01766 540397 www.oldmillfarmhouse.co.uk

102 Heritagerailway.co.uk

MID SUFFOLK

Welcome to

Moorlands

Moorlands is set in five acres of beautiful gardens and grounds within the Exmoor National Park, with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Visitors are offered quality and comfortable accommodation and guaranteed a warm and friendly welcome. Special offers are usually available throughout the year for those wishing to stay that bit longer (see the booking page for more information). Surrounded by arable farmland and wild moor, the beautiful Woody Bay and the stunning South West Coast Path are within a two mile walk or drive. The twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth and the world famous valley of the rocks are only four miles away, offering a good selection of shops, pubs and restaurants. Within a 30 minute car trip is the beautiful beach of Woolacombe, while a little further on is Croyde, ideal for those who prefer the sun, sea and surf. Colonel Benjamin Green Lake built Moorlands in 1884 as a gentleman’s residence as part of his plans to develop the Woody Bay Estate. Subsequently at the turn of the century Starkey Knight

and Ford, a local brewery, re-opened the property as the Station Hotel to provide shelter for travellers on the Lynton and Barnstaple railway. In recent years it has been extended to provide bed and breakfast and self-catering suites, our emphasis now being on quiet relaxation. Horse riding, tennis, golf, coarse and sea fishing are all available in the area. Explore Exmoor either with map and compass, or step back in time with a short stroll through Moorlands’ gardens and you will find the Woody Bay Station a beautiful restored narrow gauge steam railway offering rides (approximately one mile) to Killington Lane, from which walks are available to Heddon Hall, Parracombe or through the beautiful Heddon Valley to the sea. Five individually decorated bed and

breakfast rooms and three-, one- and two-bedroom suites (available as selfcatering units or on B&B rates) are all within the Victorian country home. Available all year including Christmas and New Year, the accommodation is comfortable and quiet, with large double bedded rooms; one with a second double room suitable for use as a family suite. All rooms are en-suite with TV, beverage making facilities and free wi-fi.

All bed and breakfast rooms are inclusive of full English breakfast served in the dining room from 8am to 9am weekdays, and weekends from 8am to 9.30am. You can relax with coffee or a nightcap from the honesty bar in the residents’ lounge. During the colder months you’ll be warmed by the Victorian open fire which provides both comfort and entertainment, while a small library is also available.

For more information call 01598 763224, email: [email protected] or visit www.moorlandshotel.co.uk (Quote Heritage Railway to enjoy a 10% discount of the published rates when booking direct).

NORTH NORFOLK

SOUTH WEST

BRIDGE COTTAGES

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

www.bridge-cottage-holidays.co.uk

Tel: 01263 577847

WEST SOMERSET

NORTH WALES

NORTH YORK MOORS

SU N FIEL D M in eh ea d

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

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

SCOTLAND

WEST SUSSEX

WORTH VALLEY

Bronte Hotel Haworth

YTB ★★★

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

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

Tel: 01535 644112

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

Heritage Railway 103

CLASSIFIED EXPRESS GOODS

Contact Helen Martin on 01507 529310 • [email protected]

BOOKS

DVD

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]

EVENTS

ENGINEERING

MODELS

RAILWAYANA

DVD

104 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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THE MONTH AHEAD

SUMMER HOLIDAY TIME IS HERE!

With many heritage lines starting their period of seven-day Working during the school holiday period, enthusiasts’ events take a back seat but a couple of the industrial lines are staging major events during july.

SPECIAL EVENTS July

3-5: East Lancashire Railway: Summer Diesel Spectacular 3-5: Talyllyn Railway:150th Birthday 4, 5: Eastleigh Lakeside Railway: Day Out With Thomas ■ 4, 5: Evesham Vale Railway: Annual Gala 4, 5: Isle of Wight Steam Railway: 1940s Experience 4, 5: Severn Valley Railway: Step Back to the 1940s 4, 5: South Devon Railway: 1940s Weekend

issue 205 is on sale on july 30 catch up with the latest news, views and great features every four weeks.

106 Heritagerailway.co.uk

4, 5: Spa Valley Railway: Closure 30th Anniversary 10: Bure Valley Railway: 25th Birthday Steam Back in Time 11, 12: Nene Valley Railway: Rail Mail Weekend 11-12: Nottingham Heritage Centre: Summer Diesel Gala ■ 11, 12: Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway: Wartime Weekend 11, 12: Stainmore Railway: Steam Gathering 12: Chasewater Light Railway: Burton Brewery 13-19: Crich Tramway Village: Second World War Home Front 17, 18: East Lancashire Railway: Raise the Roof 17-19: Wensleydale Railway: Diesel Gala ■ 18, 19: Cholsey & Wallingford Railway: Guinness Weekend 18, 19: Foxfield Railway: Summer Steam Gala ■ star visitor for this event will be the midland & great northern joint railway’s hudswell clarke 0-6-0st no. 1700 Wissington, which will take turns with the resident fleet on passenger services as well as coal trains up

KEY ■ major or featured galas

the formidable bank from foxfield colliery. some passenger trains will comprise the line’s north staffordshire railway knotty heritage train, which will feature one of the vintage engines. the last passenger train from dilhorne park will leave at around 5.45pm after allowing visitors to return from the shortwalk across to the top of foxfield bank to witness the highlight of the weekend – the long wagon train.

18, 19: Kirklees Light Railway: Day Out With Thomas ■ 18, 19: Middleton Railway: Hunslet 150 Gala ■ another major event with an industrial theme, on the same weekend as foxfield, will see the middleton railway celebrating the 150th anniversary of the hunslet engine company. two visiting hunslet engines will be Beatrice from embsay and austerity no. 3890, the last standard gauge engine built for commercial service in britain. the event will also return steam to the hunslet works site on jack lane in leeds, in the shape of Quarry hunslet Irish Mail from the West lancashire railway, and trangkil no. 4, the very last steam locomotive built by hunslet in 1971, courtesy of statfold barn.

■ diesel and/or electric galas

there will be a large display of model hunslets, some of these in steam, and passenger and freight trains in operation as part of an intensive timetable, including the balm road branch.

19: Eastleigh Lakeside Railway: Summer Steam Gala 19: Rocks by Rail: Barrington Bash 24-26: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway: Heritage Diesel Weekend ■ 25, 26: Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway: Summer Diesel Gala ■ 25, 26: Llangollen Railway: 1960s Weekend 25, 26: Ribble Steam Railway: Friendly Engines Weekend ■ 25, 26: Wensleydale Railway: Leyburn 1940s Weekend 26: Leighton Buzzard Railway: Everything Goes 29-Aug 2: Isle of Man Steam Railway: Manx Heritage Transport Festival

RAILWAYANA July 25: GW RAILWAYANA, Pershore

■ thomas and family events

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