Heritage Railway 208 2015-10

MALLARD RECORD PLATE FOR AUCTION

Issue 208 Issue 208 Issue 208 October 22 –

October October 22 22 –– November November 18, 2015 November18, 18,2015 2015

NORTH NORFOLK BUYS

BLACK PRINCE

SCOTSMAN TICKETS NOW ON SALE ROYAL SCOT

FOR‘GREAT BRITAIN IX’

FOUR MANORS FOR SEVERN VALLEY GALA

BLUEBELL CAMELOT BACK FOR GIANTS OF STEAM

OPINION

GWR 2-8-0 No. 3850’s boiler certificate expired at the end of September. It is seen near Dixton on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway on one of its last runs before overhaul. MALCOLM RANIERI 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 Designer Tim Pipes Reprographics Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production editors Sarah Palmer, Sarah Wilkinson Publisher Tim Hartley Editorial address Heritage Railway magazine, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ Website www.heritagerailway.co.uk

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ISSN No 1466-3560

Published Every four weeks on a Thursday Advert deadline November 5, 2015 Next issue on sale November 19, 2015

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An autumn forest of spring green shoots T

HE return of any item of rolling stock to regular use in the heritage era is always a great cause for celebration, none more so than the comeback of Royal Scot at the Severn Valley Railway gala. Listed as one of the headline locomotives for ‘Great Britain IX’ next year, I have no doubts that after half a century away, it will take the main line by storm. At the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s autumn gala, we saw the return of two locomotives, Diana and Margaret, that have not steamed since the 1950s, and have ‘been away’ so long that most enthusiasts could be forgiven for thinking that they never existed. In this issue we report in depth on the completion of two stupendous Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway wooden-bodied coach restorations, one at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) and the other at Quainton Road. Furthermore, we have the public opening of a complete railway – and a standard gauge one at that – over which we can ride for the first time, in the form of the Great Central’s Mountsorrel granite quarry branch. The restoration of this line has been a phenomenal community effort, involving many local residents and groups who would not otherwise be interested in railway history. For me it brings back memories of the early 1960s, when any bus ride through a big city and its suburbs would highlight many an industrial line twisting and turning between factories, mills and along canal basins, their purpose not always clear to the untrained eye. The Mountsorrel revival has not only added a major new dimension to the world’s only heritage trunk railway, but will become a significant attraction in itself. Elsewhere, the old philosophical question of whether we are truly preserving the entire spectrum of railway history, or just cherry-picking which bits have a second-hand reuse value, has reared its head again.

The East Lancashire Railway has said that unless a new home can be found in the near future, it will scrap the sole-surviving Class 504 EMU because nothing has been done to stop its deterioration over the past 12 years. The problem here is that it is not only an electric unit – a factor which so often leads to interest by potential saviours instantly evaporating – but it is of a type that because of its unique third-rail pick-up system was used only between Manchester and Bury, owing to a legacy of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Its only potential use would be in nonauthentic manner as locomotive-hauled stock. Understandably, siding and storage space is always at a premium; the land needed to store a redundant EMU could roughly occupy the same space as would be needed to build a house. Yet surely the Class 504s are part of the heritage of Greater Manchester and worth saving by someone? For electric stock today, read broad gauge locomotives and coaches in 1892 and diesel hydraulics in the 1970s: unloved, unwanted at the time, yet we will come to regret their passing en masse. Closer to home, we can’t say for definite that our www.facebook.com/heritagerailway page is now the biggest railway enthusiast site in the world. But try as we might, we can’t find one that has more followers. As we closed for press, more than 129,000 people liked our Facebook page, that is around 6000 over and above the largest similar site we know about, and more than 21 times bigger than any of those of our direct UK competitors. Our site covers all aspects of railway news and views, not just preservation, with daily updates, stunning pictures from around the world and details of forthcoming events. Is your railway featured there? Like us today – or lose out! Robin Jones Editor Heritage Railway 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 208

October 22 – November 18

News

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HEADLINE NEWS

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BR Standard 9F Black Prince bought by North Norfolk Railway; Mallard steam speed record plate for auction; Camelot back for Bluebell Railway’s Giants of Steam gala; former National Railway Museum director Steve Davies joins Bala Lake extension team, King George V and City of Truro for Tyseley’s open weekend, and Mountsorrel Railway opens.

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NEWS

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Tickets on sale for first Flying Scotsman events as National Railway Museum announces more details of comeback celebratory year; Witherslack Hall running again on Great Central; Hinton Manor makes it four for big Severn Valley Manor 50 gala; judicial review may be sought over Gresley statue duck controversy; Tornado takes Minehead by storm; new P2 steams past £2 million mark; unique EMU threatened with scrapping; Somme centenary to be marked in Apedale trenches; Lottery £1.6 million backing for Volk’s Electric Raiilway; extra coach added to North Norfolk vintage set, unique Clayton diesel on Severn Valley, steam back at Barrington for the last time and South Devon marks 50th.

CONTENTS: COVER:

Regulars

Features

Railwayana

52

Centre spread

54

Main Line Tours

66

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

88

MAINLINE

Mark Fielding’s study of Rood Ashton Hall at Ponthir.

Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

56

Scale Heritage Railway 85

Full itinerary for the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain IX’ starring Royal Scot, Britannia, Oliver Cromwell, Leander, Galatea and Braunton; St David’s Day debut for ‘Lizzie’; troubled Tangmere at Carnforth for attention; police warning over ‘Harry Potter’ line trespassing, and Tyseley suffers two steam failures.

Celebrating an icon’s 60th.

WITH FULL REGULATOR 62

The Month Ahead

Don Benn reports on Tornado’s epic run from King’s Cross to Newcastle.

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Off the Shelf

86

Platform

88

Up & Running

92

Latest book and DVD releases.

Where your views matter most. Guide to railways running in October and November. Upcoming galas and events.

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Famous British locomotive engineers Sir William Stanier of the London Midland & Scottish Railway

In the latest in our the series about ‘Big Four’ chief mechanical engineers, Cedric Johns looks at the career of Sir William Stanier. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Severn Valley ‘Scot’ and ‘Brit’

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Gas, teak, epilepsy and Victorian coaching stock  Quintinshill examined 100 years on Britain’s worst railway disaster was compounded by the type of woodenbodied coaches still in use at the time. Andrew David tells the story of the completion of restoration of similar vehicles, coinciding with the centenary of the disaster.

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* THAT’S JUST

Royal Scot made its debut in passenger service in September at the Severn Valley Railway’s four day spectacular, where it ran alongside BR Standard Pacific Britannia. Brian Sharpe reports on another successful autumn gala weekend.

Rheidol’s ‘Forgotten Engines’ gala

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Gala events frequently see visiting engines but it is not often that such events give enthusiasts the opportunity to see ‘new’ engines which they have never seen before. Mark Smithers reports on an event where narrow gauge engines made their first public appearance since the 1950s.

Moors Line goes Southern

Brian Sharpe reports on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s threeday steam gala in September... an event with a Southern theme.

Heritage R Railway 5

HEADLINE NEWS Black Prince sold to North Norfolk By Robin Jones

INTERNATIONAL wildlife artist David Shepherd has sold his BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92203 nearly half a century after buying it straight out of BR service. North Norfolk Railway has bought the locomotive and it will become its flagship. At the line’s late September board meeting, directors agreed to a proposal for the NNR to buy it from David on a specially-structured deal over the next nine years. No. 92203 was one of a pair of locomotives for which David set up the East Somerset Railway on which to run them, the other being BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75029 The Green Knight, which he sold to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway several years ago.

Service life

Outshopped from Swindon on April 6, 1959, No. 92203 spent less than nine years in BR traffic before it was withdrawn in November 1967, which was the month it worked the last steam-hauled iron or train from Bidston Dock at Birkenhead to Shotton steelworks. After David bought it for £3000, he moved it to Longmoor Military Railway, then a preservation base, and named it Black Prince. When the LMR closed, he moved it to Eastleigh depot and then to Cranmore on the ESR. On May 19, 1973 it hauled the ‘Royal Giants’ tour from Oxford to Hereford and on to Worcester. On April 20, 1975 it ran from Westbury to Eastleigh and return. Withdrawn from service on November 5, 1978, No. 92203 had a

BRStandard9F2-10-0No.92203BlackPrinceatHoltduringtheNorthNorfolkRailway’sSeptember4-6steamgala. TREVOR EADY boiler overhaul at Husbands Shipyard, Marchwood, near Southampton and was returned to Cranmore in September 1979. It hauled the heaviest freight train in Britain – 2198 tonnes – in September 1982 at Foster Yeoman’s nearby Tor Works. In 1985 it visited the Westbury open day. No. 92203 was based at Cranmore until 1998, when it went to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway on extended loan. Overhauled at Bill Parker’s Flour Mill workshops at Bream in the Forest of Dean in 2004, it worked there until 2011, when it moved to Sheringham on loan. Following another overhaul,

Pioneer King George V at Tyseley open weekend GWR 4-6-0 No. 6000 King George V – the engine which pioneered a return to main line running in 1971 – will head a memorable line up of main line steam during Tyseley Locomotive Works’ upcoming open weekend of October 24-25. The King will be supported by another Great Western favourite, No. 3717 City of Truro, both en route from the National Railway Museum to the STEAM museum at Swindon where next year they will take centre stage in celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of Brunel’s great works. They are set to line up alongside resident main line 4-6-0s No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall and No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe.

Visiting 4-6-2s will be represented by Stanier Princess Royal No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth and BR three cylinder ‘one off’ No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester, which has been moved to Tyseley from LNWR Heritage at Crewe so its overhaul can be completed. ‘Lizzie’ is nearing the end of its own overhaul and will probably be in steam over the weekend. Churchward 2-8-0 No. 2885 will outsize visiting LNWR 0-6-2 ‘Coal Tank’ No.1054, which will be the star guest at this year’s Warley National Model Railway Exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre on November 28-29. The line-up will be completed by Tyseley’s panniers and the rolling chassis of new-build LMS Patriot No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior.

Toddington’s ‘balloon’ tank in place A ‘BALLOON’ tank water tower has been installed in the shed yard at Toddington on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, meaning locos

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can be watered in the yard without having to be moved to the platforms. Also, a new pit has been excavated and completed in the David Page shed.

it re-entered traffic there last year, when David placed it on the market. NNR managing director Hugh Harkett said: “We have ensured that this iconic locomotive will stay in North Norfolk. In effect, we will be paying for the 9F over the next few years through its steamings.”

Support facilities

“The board felt confident in taking on such a large engine given that we now have the engineering facilities that can support and look after it. “Naturally, the detail of the deal struck between David Shepherd and ourselves is confidential, but I can tell

you that it is an arrangement which is mutually beneficial to both parties. “It also goes without saying that David, who brought his engine here some years ago, will be welcomed onto Black Prince in the same way as he has in the past. We are hoping to organise a handover event with David later this year. “We are delighted that we now have Black Prince to complement the B12, Y14 and WD, not forgetting the sterling roles played by Ring Haw and Wissington. “Effectively we now have enough ‘home’ engines to carry us through a whole season if needs be.”

Fifteen trains scheduled to run over Mountsorrel opening weekend THE Great Central Railway’s new branch, the Mountsorrel Railway, is set to run 15 trains during its opening weekend of October 24-25. The opening ceremony, performed by Lord Richard Faulkner, will take place at the new Mountsorrel station in Bond Lane, Mountsorrel at around 1111.30am on the Saturday, with the first public train along the restored granite quarry spur to Swithland sidings departing at 12.30pm.

Guest engines

Mountsorrel station is the only one on which visitors can board the trains, which will run at 12.30pm, 1.10pm, 1.50pm, 2.30pm and 3.10 on the Saturday and 9.30am, 10.10am, 10.50am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.10pm, 1.50pm, 2.30pm, 3.10pm and 3.45pm on the Sunday. The GCR is bringing in two guest industrial steam tank engines for the weekend.

The train will run with two coaches so space will be limited. Advance booking is recommended at www.gcrailway.co.uk/specialevents/mountsorrel-railway-openi ng-weekend-24-25-oct

Parking available

Parking is limited at Mountsorrel station and the car park will not open to cars until after the opening ceremony. Additional overflow parking will be available in the neighbouring farmer’s field (weather permitting) and also at the new heritage centre site just 300 yards away. Visitors should allow at least 20 minutes to park. It will be possible to buy tickets on the day but they can only be paid for in cash. Fares for the historic occasion are £5 per adult and £3 for children aged two to 15. Under twos will not be allocated seats and must sit on parents’ laps.

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Steve Davies joins Bala extension push EXCLUSIVE by Robin Jones STEVE Davies – the man who made the Mallard 75 celebrations happen – has joined up with the Bala Lake Railway to help its town centre push. The former head of the National Railway Museum, who left to develop an inland surfing resort in the unlikely setting of the mountains of Snowdonia, as highlighted in issue 206, will act as an advisor to the railway, which is seeking to build an extension into Bala town centre. The railway, which is trying to raise money to buy a key building next to the town’s main car park as the site for its new terminus, says the project is a “win-win” scheme for the town, the railway and enthusiasts and the mid-Wales economy.

Contacts

Steve, who organised the temporary repatriation of LNER A4 Pacifics No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and No. 60010 Dominion of Canada for the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of sister No. 4468 Mallard’s 126mph world steam speed record on Stoke bank, and which turned in a sizeable profit for the Science Museum group, will use his contacts in Welsh political and tourist circles to help make the extension happen.

He said: “After being introduced to the charm and delights of the Bala Lake Railway by Julian Birley, and having been briefed on the plans to extend the line by 1200 metres in order to reach the town of Bala, it seemed obvious to me that the considerable skills, contacts and extensive understanding of the Welsh political, planning and tourism landscape I have developed bringing Surf Snowdonia to fruition in Dolgarrog could be put to good use helping the railway to realise this important project. “I therefore look forward to playing my part in helping the Bala Lake Railway to achieve this ambitious goal, which of course will have significant benefits both for the railway and the people and businesses of Bala.” Railway chairman Julian Birley said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the support of Steve Davies fresh from his outstanding success of creating Surf Snowdonia. “It demonstrates that the project of extending the Bala Lake Railway into the town really will be the significant economic enhancement that we set out to make it. “With Steve on board we will be able to talk directly to grant bodies and stakeholders at the very highest level.”

Four Quarry Hunslets – Winifred, Alice, JackLane and MaidMarian – were in action during the Bala Lake Railway’s August bank holiday gala. JULIAN BIRLEY The extension project is linked with the railway’s bid to become a centre of excellence for the study of the part that steam traction played in the Welsh slate industry, and Quarry Hunslets in particular.

Gala success

The first gala to be held at the railway for many years was declared an outstanding success. The line-up of engines drew a sizeable crowd, breaking all records for visitors over an August bank holiday weekend. New-build Hunslet 0-4-0ST Jack Lane was loaned by Graham Lee at the Statfold Barn Railway. Fully-loaded passenger trains were interspersed with demonstration freight working depicting authentic slate trains from the world’s biggest slate quarries, Dinorwic and Penrhyn.

➜ Anyone who would like to support the extension project by offering a donation is invited to visit www.thebalalakerailwaytrust.org and follow the ‘Just Giving’ link.

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Michael Portillo visits Sheffield Park

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Camelot lined up for Giants of Steam A RACE against time is underway to have BR Standard 5MT No. 73082 Camelot ready for the return of the Bluebell Railway’s Giants of Steam October 31-November 1 gala. The 1955-built ex-Barry scrapyard locomotive, which last ran in service in 2005, passed its test on September 29 following its latest overhaul, during which it moved within the confines of Sheffield Park station. It then returned to the workshop to deal with an issue with the superheater header that needed partial dismantling of the contents of

Steve Davies. NRM

the smokebox to gain access. The sheet metal dome cover was bolted down and the locomotive and tender cleaned in advance of the final painting, lining and lettering, while other minor pipework adjustments and repairs were carried out. Camelot is the only survivor of the Southern Standard 5s given the names of withdrawn N15 King Arthur 4-6-0s. Modern engines with roller bearings, highly capable and easy to maintain, they were withdrawn long before they were worn out because

of modernisation. Camelot was named in August 1959. The Giants of Steam event is returning after an absence of several years, when the railway did not have any ’giants’ in its operational fleet. However, guest engines will more than fit that bill, in the form of BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia and SR V Schools 4-4-0 No. 925 Cheltenham from the Mid Hants Railway. These will run alongside the home fleet of SR S15 No. 847, SR Q class No. 30541 and hopefully Camelot.

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FORMER cabinet minister Michael Portillo visited the Bluebell Railway on October 1 to film an episode in his latest series of Great British Railway Journeys. He arrived by train at East Grinstead, interviewed driver Mick Blackburn and then rode on the service train, interviewing preservation society chairman Roy Watts while travelling to Hosted Keynes. There, he climbed on the footplate and chatted to Liz Groome, who was driving the Q class with her dad Clive firing for the occasion. At Sheffield Park, Michael chatted to passengers outside the Bessemer’s Arms, then walked through the running shed to the washout pit. He climbed into the cab of LBSCR ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 472 Fenchurch and was filmed starting a washout, dressed in a boiler suit. The episode is planned to be broadcast in January on a Tuesday evening to be scheduled. Heritage Railway 7

HEADLINE NEWS

Keith & Dufftown in main line link bid THE Keith and Dufftown Railway Association has launched a campaign to relink the heritage line to the national network. The railway wants to re-establish a direct link from its separate station in Keith back to ScotRail’s main line platform at the top of Station Road, saving travellers a 20-minute walk. KDRA chairman Rod Furr said: “The old Glen line platform still exists at ScotRail’s station and to get to that platform would mean we could provide a connection for some of the trains on the Inverness-Aberdeen line. “The thing about tourism is you have to make it worthwhile for them to come to the area and it has got to be relatively easy to do so. “Getting into Keith main line station is a simple improvement on our services with the potential for wider destinations for tourism in this particular area, which is the hub of the whisky trade.” Moray MSP and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead has already held talks with Transport Scotland officials over the plans. A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We were happy to hear from the Keith and Dufftown Railway Association about their aspirations for the preserved line, and have agreed to share these with relevant partners within the rail industry.”

Tornado to haul ‘Red Rose’ replay A1 Peppercorn Pacific Tornado will haul a Valentine’s Day excursion from Paddington to Worcester and back via two different routes on February 14. No. 60163 will depart with ‘The Red Rose’ at 9.25am, calling at Slough and Reading, before heading through Swindon to Bristol East Loop for a water stop after a fast run to the city. The train then traverses the Rhubarb Loop and heads north via Bristol Parkway and Yate to join the Midland Railway line through Charfield. Avoiding Gloucester and diverging left at Abbotswood Junction, it arrives at Worcester Shrub Hill at around 1.30pm. Passengers will have around three hours in Worcester, with the option of a visit to the Elgar Birthplace Museum. The train will return via Sapperton bank. The original ‘Red Rose’ was specially named in celebration of the Festival of Britain and ran from Euston to Liverpool from 1951-66. ➜ For details of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust trip visit www.a1steam.com or email [email protected]

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Mallard speed record plaque set for auction

World record-holder at rest: Gresley A4 No. 60022 Mallard shows off its handsome profile on Grantham shed in 1961, about 15 miles from the location where it had recorded its world speed record 23 years earlier. As is clearly visible, the Pacific carried plaques on its boiler cladding recording the landmark, one of which is coming up for auction on December 5. NORMAN PREEDY EXCLUSIVE By Geoff Courtney AN original plaque recording the worldwide pinnacle of steam locomotive performance will be going under the hammer at auction in December, with some observers forecasting that it may sell for £30,000. The plaque was carried by Gresley A4 No. 60022 Mallard and records the Pacific’s world speed record of 126mph achieved on July 3, 1938. It was fitted to the Pacific by BR in March 1948, shortly after Nationalisation, and remained on the locomotive until its withdrawal in April 1963. After its withdrawal, BR restored No. 60022 in its record-breaking LNER blue livery as No. 4468, and research indicates that the original plaques were replaced with replicas, although this was historically incorrect, as it never carried plaques in its LNER days. The two originals were rechromed and BR retained one for display in the divisional manager’s offices in Gresley House, Doncaster, and presented the second to the Eastern Region assistant chief mechanical engineer. The first plaque is understood to have become part of the National Collection, while the second was bought privately from the assistant CME by a leading railwayana collector in the late 1960s. He bequeathed the plaque to another collector in 1996, who, in turn, soon sold it on to a collector who has owned it ever since, and it is this example that is coming up for auction. Such is the interest the plaque is expected to generate it is thought that it could set a record for an item of railwayana other than a nameplate or poster, with £30,000 having been mooted, although Great Central Railwayana, the auction house selling the plaque, is expected to place a more conservative estimate. Dave Jones, a director of Great

Steam history: The world speed record plaque that was carried by No. 60022 Mallard from 1948 until its withdrawal in 1963 and is coming up for auction in December. GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAYANA Central Railwayana, said: “It is one of the most significant and historic items ever to have come up for auction.” His fellow director Mike Soden, who will be the auctioneer on the day, added: “I am looking forward to auctioning it, not only for the historical landmark it records, but because it is the sort of unique item I never thought I would sell.” Mike said he did not realise until recently that one of the plaques designed by George Dow, who in 1948 was PR and publicity officer for BR’s Eastern and North Eastern regions, was in private hands. When told that the plaques currently on Mallard were understood to be replicas, senior press officer Cath Farrell said: “Our file on Mallard does not refer to the plaques being replicas, and at the present time we have no reason to believe that they are not original. However, we would be really interested to hear of any new research in this area.” The belief by both Great Central Railwayana and the vendor that the plaque set to go under the hammer is

one of the originals is based on its historical provenance and by confirmation given to the current owner in July 2005 by David Wright, who at that time was curator of collections at the NRM. David, who retired from the NRM in 2007, was asked by the plaque’s owner for confirmation that the two plaques on Mallard in the museum were replacements, and that one of the originals was removed from the locomotive when it was taken out of service, rechromed, and passed to Gresley House, while the second original was in his possession, having been presented to the assistant CME at Doncaster and then bought by a collector. David Wright emailed a reply the same day saying that as far as he was aware what the owner said was correct. He also told the owner he presumed the replacements were made “in Clapham days”, referring to the Clapham Transport Museum, where Mallard was originally displayed after withdrawal. With 61-year-old driver Joe Duddington, fireman Thomas Bray and inspector Jenkins on the footplate, Mallard achieved the world record near milepost 90 on the East Coast Main Line between Little Bytham and Essendine, south of Grantham, on the slightly downward gradient of Stoke Bank. In a BBC interview in 1944, the year he retired from the footplate, Joe said: “Once over the top I gave Mallard her head and she jumped to life like a live thing. If I had pushed her a bit more I think we could have done 130mph.” He died in April 1953 aged 76. No. 60022 was built at Doncaster in March 1938, just four months before entering the history books, and withdrawn from King’s Cross (34A) in April 1963. The auction is being held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, on December 5.

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Above: BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia runs through Folkestone Warren at Samphire Hoe with the Victoria-Dover leg of the Railway Touring Company’s London to Paris ‘Golden Arrow’ on October 9. On the French side, the train was due to be hauled by SNCF Pacific No. 231K 8. The empty train to Calais ran perfectly, without a diesel attached, but in the evening it was ruled out of the return passenger working to Paris. JOHN TITLOW Right: French Pacific No. 231K 8 was failed with a blown fusible plug at 8.15pm on October 9, when it was due to haul the Calais to Paris leg of the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Golden Arrow’. The train stopped in Abbeville, where the locomotive was removed. The rest of the journey was completed using a diesel, borrowed from a service train. The empty coaching stock working is pictured at Noyelles on the successful outward journey to Calais earlier in the day. CHRISHTOPHE MASSE

New GWR runs first train to Buckfastleigh By Robin Jones THE new Great Western Railway has run its first train over a classic branch line that was part of the old one. On October 10, in conjunction with the Branch Line Society, the company formerly known as First Great Western ran a charity railtour – ‘The First Devon and Exeter Explorer HST Special’ – from Paddington to Buckfastleigh on the South Devon Railway, and two trips to the disused Heathfield station, at the westernmost point of the truncated Moretonhampstead branch. Using newly liveried power cars Nos. 43188 and 43187 on set No. LA15, the tour was in aid of the First Devon and Exeter Prostate Cancer Fund, which is trying to raise £20,000 for a portable scanner. Local people were allowed to board the train at Totnes for Buckfastleigh and also travel on the Heathfield trips. The first HST to have run to Heathfield, it might well have been the farewell railtour over the mothballed Heathfield branch that has had no booked traffic since the timber trains to Chirk were transferred to Exeter Riverside on April 3.

The newly liveried modern-day GWR HST is seen at Woodville working the 1Z69 3.02pm Buckfastleigh-Paddington. COLIN WALLACE The trip involved memories of the first attempt to preserve a railway in South Devon. After the nascent Bluebell Railway preservation scheme had generated much national publicity, a campaign for the reintroduction of passenger trains to Moretonhampstead was launched under the banner of the South Devon Railway Society, set up by the Rector of Teigngrace, Canon OM Jones and Torquay enthusiast EG

Parrott. On June 6, 1960 a PaigntonMoretonhampstead special, ‘The Heart of Devon Rambler’ carried more than 200 people, and shortly afterwards the society leased Teigngrace Halt as its headquarters. Sadly, few people in the corridors of power shared the members’ vision, and the branch north of Bovey Tracey was closed to goods from April 6, 1964, being further cut back to Heathfield in 1970, and left to

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serve ball clay traffic and an oil terminal. Would-be revivalists then looked at the Kingsbridge branch, before the Ashburton line was finally chosen, although unfortunately the section to the north of Buckfastleigh was lost to the building of the A38 trunk road. Meanwhile, the new Great Western Railway has promised that the rebranding of FGW will not just be a cosmetic exercise. A total investment of £7.5 billion is under way to modernise the network as the company embraces the ‘Brunelian’ heritage of the name. GWR sales and marketing director Diane Burke told the South West Tourism Conference at Watergate Bay Hotel, near Newquay, on October 2: “A mere name change would do absolutely nothing. This is not a name change and it’s not a rebadging exercise. “We will be going from having the oldest fleet in the country to having the newest. It’s like the move from steam to diesel. “This is £7.5 billion. That is stations, trains, track work, resignalling. It is the single largest investment programme since Victorian times.” Heritage Railway 9

NEWS

Flying Scotsman: a year of celebration takes shape By Robin Jones

THE National Railway Museum has announced more details of its celebrations to the long-awaited return of steam celebrity Flying Scotsman to the main line, plus the release of more tickets for its preview appearances. As previously reported, a lateFebruary inaugural run between King’s Cross and York – the date to be confirmed, but likely to be at premium ticket prices – will mark the start of its comeback season following its record £4.2-million overhaul. The museum’s public events manager, Kate Hunter, said: “Although we think it is likely to be late February we have a number of logistical details to work out before we can announce a date for the inaugural run, the first chance for the public to see and ride behind Flying Scotsman in its latest guise as BR green No. 60103. “This historic occasion is a chance to thank many of our generous supporters for their patience during this challenging decade-long project to bring a 1920s-built cultural icon back to life, and there will be around 100 tickets available to the public.

NRM special events

“We expect its first outing as the oldest working locomotive on the main line to be the ultimate experience for the dedicated Scotsman fan. However, we are sure that hundreds more will attend its welcome-home party at the museum where it will be displayed for a number of days after its arrival. The exhibition, Scotsman in the Spotlight, which will run from February to June 19 will highlight the A3’s celebrity career, while a six-week display in the Great Hall will tell the story of the luxury service on the London to Edinburgh route throughout the eras, from the 1890s through to the Sixties. Visitors will be able to get on board the cabs of four locomotives that hauled the iconic

Rail operations manager Noel Hartley looks out of FlyingScotsman’s cab window at Ian Riley’s Bury works. NRM train, which departed at 10am from the capital. The locomotive line-up within the free Stunts, Speed and Style display will explore the beginnings of the highspeed service in the 19th century with GNR Stirling Single No.1 through to Deltic No. 55022 Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. An LNER dynamometer car behind Flying Scotsman will tell the story of its record-breaking reputation, capturing the world speed record on a London to Leeds run on November 30, 1934. Jamie Taylor, who is working on the two headline exhibitions at York said: “Service with Style uses three carriages of the kind that travelled the ‘Flying Scotsman’ route to create a sensory experience. Using set dressing, film and audio it will tell a story of speed, innovation, fame and luxury right up to the present day with the modern London to Edinburgh service run by Virgin Trains East Coast. “The flagship ‘Flying Scotsman’ service was known for innovations such as the cinema car, cocktail bar and hairdressing salon and all of this along with continual publicity stunts helped it grab the headlines from the very first mention of the ‘Flying Scotchman’ in 1864, and long before the locomotive that took its name was built in 1923. “Visitors will embark on a fascinating

Staff changes at NYMR

NEWLY appointed North Yorkshire Moors Railway managing director, Chris Price, took up his post on September 29, although his predecessor, Philip Benham, remained in office until mid-October in order to allow him to circulate and introduce himself to staff and volunteers, and familiarise himself with its operational needs and practices. By coincidence, two other senior posts have fallen vacant at the same time, giving Chris the opportunity to build his own team. The first of these was that of traction and rolling stock engineer and this has been filled by Edwin Knorn, who has been offered and has accepted the post. Ed, a chartered mechanical engineer, is currently employed by TransPennine Express as fleet standards engineer. He has a wealth of very relevant experience and will be taking up his new role in January. The second key post needing to be filled is that of marketing manager. A very suitable candidate has been offered the post, but at the time of writing had yet to confirm that they would accept the offer.

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Charlie Bird fitting the lighting in Flying Scotsman’s cab at Bury. NRM journey with each carriage giving a different sensory experience, using a variety of methods including archive newsreel footage to evoke the opulence of each era.” Stunts Speed and Style and Service with Style will run from March 25 to May 8.

Return home

The season’s finishing flourish will be the chance to see Flying Scotsman in light steam at a Sixties-style ‘shed bash’ at the Locomotion museum in Shildon. Throughout the season, there will a family-friendly Scotsman science show on the theme of speed, craft activities during the school holidays, a schedule of photography events, and a programme of fascinating talks. The museum’s events will follow on from the East Lancashire Railway’s Scotsman in Steam Preview event which takes place on January 9-10 and 16-17. Still in the wartime black livery as No. 103 which it has carried during the completion of its overhaul at Ian Riley’s adjacent works, it will be hauling public passenger trains on the heritage line during both weekends. Tickets for the event, as highlighted on our www.facebook.com/heritagerailwayp age, went on sale on October 16.

ELR general manager, Andy Morris, said: ““Flying Scotsman is an important part of our railway heritage and is widely known as ‘the people’s engine’. We have done our utmost to reflect this ethos by keeping a return journey behind the locomotive at our standard Freedom of the Line ticket price to make this special event accessible and attractive to all.” Tickets for the previously-reported A3’s star appearance in BR green on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway from March 12-20 (apart from the 14th and 18th) will go on sale of October 26. It will make three daily return trips from Grosmont to Pickering. Culture minister, Ed Vaizey, said: “Aside from the three museum showcases, Flying Scotsman can be seen in its black undercoat during January test runs at the East Lancashire Railway and on the Railway Touring Company’s scenic Manchester-Carlisle route (January 23) and then resplendent in its BR green livery at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in March, on the main line to Scotland in May and the Severn Valley Railway in September. “Fans can now plan when and where they ride behind or view Flying Scotsman. Anticipation is building across the UK that the prodigal steam locomotive’s return home can now be counted down in months and weeks. That is certainly the case in Scotland where the loco will be returning for the first time in 16 years, and Doncaster, where the engineering icon was built.” ➜ To book tickets for the Scotsman in Steam Preview, visit www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk or call 0161 764 7790. Tickets for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway trips can be reserved at www.nymr.co.uk or on 01751 472508. Details of the NRM events can be found at www.nrm.org.uk/flyingscotsman

‘Black Five’ back in NYMR service for 2016 THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s most recently acquired engine, ‘Black Five’ No. 44806, ran more than 12,000 miles in its debut season, 2014, but saw no use in 2015 as its tender tank was condemned. A replacement is being fabricated for the former Llangollen Railway engine as efforts to borrow one from a classmate were unsuccessful, while other demands posed by the in-service engines delayed work on essential maintenance, including a valve and piston exam and attention to the driving axleboxes. These jobs are all but finished now, and with the new tender body expected to be fitted to the chassis by the end of November, the locomotive should be in good condition for

the start of the 2016 season. Other overhauls are progressing well at Grosmont, with boiler work on Schools 4-4-0 No. 30926 Repton well under way. A new throatplate pressing has been acquired in collaboration with the Bluebell Railway-based Stowe group and will be fitted along with a new smokebox tubeplate and backhead inserts, plus replacement firebox crown stays. Work on Bulleid West Country light Pacific No. 34101 Hartland is also progressing and its rebuilt boiler is expected to be ready for hydraulic and out-of-frames steam testing around April next year. It is hoped that it will be available for the 2016 peak season, giving the NYMR a flagship engine to stand in for under-overhaul A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado crosses Oldbury viaduct on the Severn Valley Railway with a photo charter on October 9. JACK BOSKETT

The Tornado effect on the Severn Valley Railway TRAINS were filled to standing room only as Peppercorn ‘A1’ ‘Pacific’ No. 60163 Tornado hauled trains on the Severn Valley Railway for the first weekend of a three-weekend stint working public trains during October. In a busy week at the SVR that also saw the return of Churchward 2-8-0 No. 2857 and No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor from the West Somerset Railway’s gala, the £3-million new-build machine arrived on October 6 and was used on

the Friday for a private photographic charter, the apple-green liveried ‘A1’ creating a striking combination matched with the SVR’s Gresley teak set of coaches. Trains were filled to capacity as Tornado ran two round trips on Saturday, October 10, with further public trains using The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s machine the following day and subsequent two weekends. And things were set to get

even better with No. 46100 Royal Scot joining Tornado on public service trains over October 17-18 and 24-25, tantamount to gala events in themselves by any standard! The visit of Tornado comes as the SVR’s 50th anniversary celebration year draws to a close, with just the ‘Manor 50’ event in November (see separate story) left to round off a season of special events, followed by the annual Santa train season in December,

completing what could be a recordbreaking year for the railway. No. 46100 Royal Scot was also set to be tested at speeds of up to 50mph during October, along the section of railway between Bewdley and Kidderminster as the BR green-liveried ‘Scot’ clocks up the miles as part of the preparations for its heritage-era main line debut. ➜ Severn Valley September steam gala highlights: see pages 72-73.

HeritageRailway to sponsor big Somerset & Dorset 50 gala HERITAGE Railway publisher Mortons is to sponsor the West Somerset Railway’s big spring steam gala, which will mark 50 years since the closure of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway system. The event will be held on March 56 and 10-13 – and the dates of the first weekend coincidently fall the same as the closure weekend 50 years ago. The WSR ran similar events in both 1996 and 2006 to mark 30 and 40 years since closure, when a number of visiting locomotives ran on the Minehead branch, alongside homebased S&D 7F No. 53808 (88), to recreate some of the unusual combinations that ran on this quintessential cross-country route, with its long single-track sections graced by double-headed trains, Bulleid Pacifics and BR Standard 9Fs. The event will see WSR stations renamed to well-known ones from

the S&D line to help create a feel of the old system, and both local and express trains will run, as will some of the special traffics also carried over the line. There will, of course, be appearances by the ‘Pines Express’ which ran daily from Manchester to Bournemouth (and reverse) and was routed until September 1962 over the S&D. Side attractions such as model railways with an S&D theme, shunting demos and photographic displays will also take place at the event. The WSR’s special events planning team is currently working hard to plan suitable timetables and seek agreement with owners for visiting locomotives with an S&D theme to join home-based S&D No. 53808, which will be out-shopped from a 10-yearly overhaul at Minehead in time for the gala and will this time be presented in BR Black with late

Midland 4F No. 44422 & 7F No. 53809 passing Nethercott with a Mineheadbound train during the West Somerset Railway’s March 2006 Somerset & Dorset gala. DON BISHOP crest, as opposed to the S&D Prussian blue that it previously carried. It is also planned to have LMS 4F 0-6-0 No. 44422, which was based on the S&D in its working career, at home on the WSR where it is to be based for the next 25 years. The

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engine is also currently undergoing a 10-year overhaul, which is being carried out at Crewe. The team is looking to source both original and rebuilt Bulleid light Pacifics, BR Standard 4s and a suitable branch and local stoppers engine for the event. Heritage Railway 11

NEWS

By Brian Sharpe THE Great Central Railway staged its autumn steam gala over four days from October 1-4. With no visiting main line engines, the star of the show was undoubtedly GWR Modified Hall 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall, which had just returned to steam after a longrunning overhaul. The engine had first arrived on the railway on November 29, 1975 and first steamed in August 1986, in GWR green livery. Following a repaint into BR black, it had last steamed in 1997 before retiring for overhaul. Resplendent in BR green livery this time and with a Hawksworth flat-sided tender, No. 6990 had undertaken some running in but had to be withdrawn from the first day of the event after running a hot tender axlebox bearing. Repairs saw it back in service on Friday afternoon and it fulfilled its commitments over the weekend. One visitor was Peckett 0-4-0ST Teddy, once owned by the Rev Teddy Boston, which shunted at Quorn & Woodhouse during the event. Its main role will come later in the month at the formal opening of the Mountsorrel branch on October 24-25, where it will be more in keeping with its surroundings. SR King Arthur 4-6-0 No. 777 Sir Lamiel was back in service after repairs, and making its last gala appearance in BR black livery was LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45305 which is due for a repaint into LMS black livery, not seen on a working ‘Black Five’ for many years now. A notable highlight for many was the appearance of Avro Vulcan bomber XH558, which flew low over the railway on Sunday afternoon en route from its base at Robin Hood airport, Doncaster, to an air show at Gaydon; expected to be one of its last flights.

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Above: GWR Modified Hall 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall passes LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624 at Swithland on October 4. ALAN WEAVER Top right: Avro Vulcan XH558 flies over LMS Ivatt mogul No. 46521 as it crosses Swithland reservoir on October 4. GRAHAM WIGNALL Bottom right: LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45305 heads away from Loughborough with a mixed goods on October 1. ROBERT FALCONER Left: Perhaps the most incongruous sight on a double track main line in 2015: Visiting Peckett 0-4-0ST Teddy steams flat out at about 10mph from Loughborough to Quorn on Saturday, October 4. DUNCAN LANGTREE Below: SR King Arthur 4-6-0 No. 777 SirLamiel rounds the curve at Kinchley Lane. PAUL BIGGS

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Heritage Railway 13

NEWS

Hinton makes it four for Severn Valley ‘Manor 50’ By Paul Appleton

ONE of the Severn Valley Railway’s ‘forgotten’ engines, No. 7819 Hinton Manor, is to be wheeled out of its longterm display berth at the McArthur Glen-owned Swindon Designer Outlet, and dusted down to take part in the big ‘Manor 50’ event to be held over the weekend of November 14-15. Cosmetically restored in 2008 for display in Swindon, No. 7819 replaced No. 4930 Hagley Hall there when it was returned to Bridgnorth to take its turn in the railway’s overhaul queue. The initial loan of Hinton Manor was for four years, but it has now been there for nearly eight. Officials at the SVR were still negotiating the move as Heritage Railway went to press in early October, but were able to confirm that No. 7819 will appear at the event as a static exhibit “subject to ongoing negotiations” with no date set for transporting the 1939-built locomotive. If all goes to plan, SVR-owned Hinton Manor will line up with three other classmates, all veterans of the former GWR/BR Cambrian line, including the famous ‘Cambrian Coast Express’; Nos. 7802 Bradley Manor, 7812

Erlestoke Manor and 7820 Dinmore Manor. ‘Manor 50’ marks the end of ‘Manor’-hauled ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ trains between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth/Pwllheli in November 1965. With officials trying to secure the movement of No. 7819, workshop fitters and engineers at Bridgnorth locomotive works were in a race against the clock to get sister No. 7802 Bradley Manor ready to play its part in the big ‘Manor Party’. A fire was lit and steam raised in the newly overhauled boiler over October 13 during the railway’s diesel gala. With some minor adjustments, the boiler passed its steam and insurance test and by the following Thursday was already back in the boiler shop being lowered into its frames. On Friday October 9, the locomotive was back in the main shed, where a framework of scaffolding was erected around it for completion of piping, boiler lagging and other fittings to get the locomotive ready for testing and

running in. Duncan Ballard, the SVR’s boilershop and locomotive hire manager told Heritage Railway that he was “delighted with the work done on the locomotive and the progress being made in putting it back together” and was “confident” that it would be ready for the big event. A four-train service will be on offer during the weekend, using all three operational Manors, with the fourth featuring Churchward small prairie No. 4566 and the line’s GWR Churchward ‘Toplight’ coaches. ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ headboards will be dusted off for the event and there will be a ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ dining train. Other attractions include the chance to drive each of the Manors on a series of specially arranged footplate experience sessions, a Cambrianthemed photographic display at Bridgnorth and an evening film show at Kidderminster Railway Museum. It is also planned to bring together a number of former Cambrian

“Manor 50 marks the end of the Manor-hauled trains in 1965”

railwaymen during the event for a special reunion. The footplate experience opportunities include all three Manors on Friday, November 13 for what the SVR bills as a ‘Special Footplate Experience Day’, while also available are two ‘intermediate footplate experiences’ between Kidderminster and Highley using either Bradley Manor or Dinmore Manor, with the latter also available the following Saturday, November 21. Taster footplate sessions between Kidderminster and Bewdley using Erlestoke Manor are also part of the package – go to www.svr.co.uk or call 01562 757900 for availability and pricing. It is hoped that No. 7802 Bradley Manor will be run-in over the preceding couple of weeks and any gremlins ironed out in good time. It and No. 7812 are owned by the SVRbased Erlestoke Manor Fund, while No. 7820 is appearing courtesy of Dinmore Manor Locomotive Limited. No. 7819 Hinton Manor is in good overall condition and will need little work to create a convincing line-up for photographers of four former Cambrian stalwarts.

WDAusterity2-8-0No.90733headsagoodstraintowardsOakworthduringtheKeighley&WorthValleyRailwayonOctober9oftheautumngalaweekend.Despitethegalalineupbeinghitbythenon-availabilityofBulleidWestCountryPacificNo.34092WellsowingtoweightrestrictionsonaKeighleybridge,andGWR4-6-0No.4936beingdeclaredout ofgaugebyNetworkRailintheKeighleyarea,thegalawasoneofthebestever,saidtheline’snewoperationsmanagerRichardJones.“We’vebeenrunningsix-carriagetrainsall weekendandthey’veallbeenprettyfull,”hesaid.“Thefactiswehaveaveryimpressivefleetofourownwhichwewereabletoshowcasefully.” JOHN WHITELEY

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Next in queue at Bridgnorth Works

AT the Severn Valley Railway’s Bridgnorth Works, the completion of GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor’s boiler means that attention has now moved to completing GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714. The boiler, as previously used on fellow ‘pannier’ No. 5764, is currently a kit of parts with most new platework completed. Work will concentrate on marking out, drilling and final assembly with a target of spring or summer 2016 to complete the work. The bottom half is also nearing completion in the workshops with the chassis re-wheeled and new cylinder liners fitted. The boiler from BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75069 is also now moving into the boilershop for assessment and to establish the scope of repair work needed. New barrels have already been made off site and it is the firebox inner and outer wrapper that are going to require the lion’s share of the work as these are in quite poor condition and the reason the previous proposed restoration of the locomotive some years ago was shelved. Work is already underway on the locomotive’s bottom half and the tender is completed and painted in BR black with early ‘cycling lion’ emblem. The contract repair of the Isle of Man Railway boiler from No. 13 Kissack is about to be hydraulic tested, although

The smoke and steam issuing from No. 7802 BradleyManor’s boiler on Saturday, October 3, tells us that a return to steam for the locomotive isn’t far away. PAUL APPLETON

Less than a week later on October 9 and the boiler is back onto No. 7802’s completed chassis as Severn Valley fitters set about piping up and the last remaining jobs before BradleyManor returns to service. PAUL APPLETON it is possible the boiler will be used in the restoration of 2-4-0T No. 11 Maitland. The firebox from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s Ivatt 2MT No. 41241 has had its foundation ring removed and new steel platework is being ordered along with copper for the replacement firebox. The boiler for Beamish museum’s new-build narrow gauge locomotive Samson, has been completed and hydraulic tested before delivery Beamish for final testing.

Gresley duck: judicial review may be sought By Robin Jones CAMPAIGNERS fighting to include a mallard duck in the proposed £95,000 bronze statue of Sir Nigel Gresley on the Western Concourse at King’s Cross may seek a judicial review. Controversy has raged since the Gresley Society Trust decided to discard the symbolic duck from the statue in deference to the wishes of Gresley’s grandsons Tim and Ben Godfrey, both vice-presidents, who complained that the inclusion of the bird – representative of a species that gave its name to the world’s fastest steam locomotive – was demeaning to Gresley’s memory. Pro-mallard campaigners consider there will be a breach of planning law if the Gresley Society does not seek a variation in the planning permission for the statue in order to discard the duck. They have said that they will go to judicial review on planning grounds if need be. The campaign to overturn the society’s decision and create the statue to sculptor Hazel Reeves’ original design is now being backed by Sir William McAlpine, who once owned one of Gresley’s most famous locomotives, A3 Pacific No. 4472 Flying Scotsman, and is president of numerous heritage railways. He said that he believes that the duck would attract attention to the

statue, while showing Gresley as “human” with interests other than railways, and has asked the society council to reconsider its decision. “Future generations will not know who Sir Nigel Gresley was, but would ask about the duck and discover what he achieved,” he said. A petition to save the duck at http://www.gresleyduck.org/gresleyduck-petition has attracted nearly 2500 signatures. One of those who signed it wrote: “There is a Gresley Close in my area, but few residents know about the significance of the name despite being metres away from the East Coast Main Line at Welwyn Garden City. Keep the duck and link!” There is also a Save Gresley’s Duck Facebook page. As previously reported, several railway authors and artists are backing the campaign, including writers Don Hale and Christian Wolmar, Malcolm Root, Fellow of the Guild of Railway Artists (FGRA), Philip D Hawkins FGRA, Jonathan Clay GRA and Matthew Cousins GRA. The society has said that claims that the deletion of the duck would invalidate the listed building consent obtained for the statue on the concourse are “erroneous.” The crowd-funded 7ft 4in sculpture is due to be unveiled on April 5, 2016, the 75th anniversary of Gresley’s death.

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Heritage Railway 15

NEWS

Historic UK-built US civil war loco sells for £132,000 By Geoff Courtney

A STEAM locomotive that was built in Britain for a US railroad in the earliest days of the 19th-century railway boom and saw service in the American Civil War, has been sold for £132,000. The 0-4-0, named Mississippi, was built by Braithwaite & Ericsson of London in 1834 and shipped to New Orleans as a kit of parts. After reassembly it operated on the Natchez & Hamburg Railroad and subsequently became embroiled in the civil war of 1861-65, being used by the Confederate army during the siege of Vicksburg in 1863 then, after capture, with the opposing Union forces. After a return to traffic it was withdrawn in 1891 and passed into the ownership of the Illinois Central Railroad, eventually becoming part of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry collection. On October 5 the historic engine was put up for auction by the museum at a sale in Philadelphia, and went under the hammer for $200,000 (£132,000), a price inflated to $220,000 (£145,000) by the addition of buyer’s premium.

Bidding ‘active’

The realisation was half of the estimate of up to $400,000, but Eric Minoff, of Bonhams, the British auction house running the sale, said: “Bidding was active between buyers in the room and on the telephone up to around $150,000. It continued between a few bidders until the hammer finally fell.” As is the tradition in the world of auctions, the successful bidder was not identified. “It was bought by an institutional buyer, and I am sure an

All eyes on this: Mississippi takes centre stage at a Bonhams’ auction in Philadelphia on October 5, when it sold for £132,000. The 0-4-0, built by Braithwaite & Ericsson in London in 1834 for export to the US, was the very first locomotive to operate in the southern state of Mississippi and probably the first to work in the whole of the deep south. It was restored in 1965 to as near an appearance as possible to its as-built condition, although with commercial photography not existing at that time, its restorers relied on contemporary sketches of similar engines for authenticity. BONHAMS

announcement will be made in due course,” said Eric, speaking from Bonhams’ New York office. The post-civil war history of the 0-4-0, which is believed to have been the first locomotive in the deep south of the US and certainly the very first engine to operate in the state of Mississippi, was thought to have been lost in the mists of time, but details of the latter days of its working life have now emerged, revealing a chequered life of service and mishap. Following the civil war it operated on a five-mile line between Vicksburg and Warrenton, Mississippi, but is understood to have been derailed in 1874 near Warrenton and lay forgotten, submerged in mud.

That could have been an ignominious end for a pioneering locomotive that was part of both British and American railway history, but salvation came in 1880, when railroad contractor, J A Hoskins, bought both the engine and the line.

Gravel duties

Hoskins repaired Mississippi – it is not recorded whether he did so because of its history or simply for operational reasons – and, with his son, used it for hauling gravel on a railway near Brookhaven, Illinois. This line was purchased by Illinois Central Railroad in 1891 and Hoskins donated the 0-4-0 to the company as an historical artefact. Illinois Central recognised its significance and, after restoration, the locomotive was

exhibited at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, to which it travelled under its own steam. Over the next 40 years it made numerous high-profile public appearances, including Chicago’s Century of Progress Fair in 1933 and 1934 – a fitting exhibition for a 100-year-old locomotive – and in 1938 it became part of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s permanent collection. In 1965 Illinois Central, still mindful of the engine’s historical importance, used contemporary sketches of similar locomotives to restore Mississippi to how it was believed to have looked when built in England 131 years previously, and it was in this condition that the venerable 0-4-0 was sold on October 5.

Two more milestones are reached for Betton Grange THE 6880 Betton Grange Society was celebrating the realisation of two significant landmarks at the end of September in its project to create the 81st GWR Grange 4-6-0. Its 225 Boiler Club appeal, launched at Steel, Steam & Stars IV in March this year, and which Heritage Railway was a main sponsor of, passed the quarter-way mark of its target to raise £225,000 with £60,000 in the pot towards the cost of overhauling the boiler for No. 6880.

Meanwhile, the boiler from donor engine WR 4-6-0 No. 7927 Willington Hall was moved from its long-term storage place in Pentrefelin sidings, on to a well wagon so that it can be moved to the locomotive yard at Llangollen. It will then be cleaned and prepared for a detailed examination, with companies who have expressed an interest in overhauling the boiler able to tender their quotations. The boiler was new in 1960 and has never had a The footplating on No. 6880 BettonGrange almost complete at the Llangollen Railway workshops. MICK PRIOR

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heavy general repair, so is thought to be in very good condition for an exBarry scrapyard locomotive.

New-build basis

No. 7927 was one of the ‘Barry 10’ locomotives where agreement was reached with owner Glamorganshire County Council for some to be used as the basis for new-build schemes to create locomotive types that have otherwise been lost. The frames from No. 7927 have gone towards the creation of a Hawksworth County at Didcot Railway Centre, with the cylinder block and wheels recycled for other projects. Work on overhauling the boiler will not start though until half of the required funds have been secured, but 6880 fundraising director, Lynne Moore, said the target should be reached within two years. Meanwhile, in the Llangollen Railway’s workshops construction of Betton Grange continues steadily with the remaining footplating made and

fitted around the front end and over the cylinders. Machined motion brackets from Harco Engineering will be permanently fitted when final alignment, pressure testing and securing of the cylinder assembly takes place, work is scheduled to get underway at the beginning of November. A complete set of sandboxes has been made and will be fitted shortly. Llangollen Railway Engineering has machined a set of bearing caps for the rocker-arm supports using steel castings supplied by Johnson Porter from a pattern made by working member Bill Hall. Bearings and rocker arms have also been fitted to the supports and the completed assemblies will be fitted to the chassis in the very near future. The cylinder relief valves, draincocks, and their operating mechanism are currently under construction. Harco Engineering has also manufactured a new set of slidebars, which were delivered at the end of September.

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The stained glass window celebrating Mallard’s world speed record. ROBIN JONES

World speed record recalled in stained glass THE world speed record set by LNER A4 Pacific No. 4468 Mallard 77 years ago has been celebrated by the unveiling of a stained glass window in the waiting room at Grantham station’s Platform 2, on September 30. The window was created by Nottingham artist, Mike Brown, who has worked with stained glass for nearly 40 years. When he saw Mallard on display at the station in September 2013, the year of the National Railway Museum’s celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of its 126mph record on nearby Stoke Bank, he decided to make something special for station users and the local community. He said: “All the avenues seemed to come together at the same time – the celebration of steam engineering, its

travel from Grantham, the record being made at Stoke Bank, just south of the town, and the sheer number of people who came to see it. “I hope the window will give people travelling through Grantham as much pleasure as I got from creating it.” The window was unveiled in a ceremony organised by Virgin Trains, which manages the station. Virgin Trains’ major projects director, Tim Hedley-Jones, said: “Mike has created a lasting tribute to the great steam locomotive that means so much to the people of Grantham and its surrounds.” Grantham mayor, Coun Jacky Smith, said: “It’s lovely to have it for all the people who come through Grantham station to see it.”

Design team sought for museum LEICESTER City Council is seeking a design team for the Great Central Railway’s new £17-million museum. Scheduled to complete in 2019, the National Railway Museumbacked project will see a new museum built at Leicester North station. As previously reported, the Heritage Lottery Fund-backed museum will house locomotives

and stock from the National Collection. Specialists are sought covering project management, cost consultancy, architecture and exhibition design. The deadline is noon on October 28. Details from Andy Button, Leicester City Council, City Hall (4th Floor), 115 Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1FZ: [email protected]

Tyseley Locomotive Works is overhauling a brake cylinder and will also be supplying new piston castings and piston valve assemblies. A full set of cylinder end and valveend covers are now in the group’s possession and it is intended to place the order for the overhaul of the piston rods and crossheads soon. The refurbished screw reverser is now sitting next to the locomotive awaiting its turn for fitting, along with a new handle manufactured by the group.

Tender talk

Consideration is now also being given to providing a tender to pair with Betton Grange. Initial investigations are being carried out into the production of a new 3500-gallon Collett tender tank, which can be used, along with various chassis parts in the group’s ownership, although it is initially intended to run the Grange with a loaned tender. The No. 6880 Betton Grange ‘On the Shelf’ list of parts sponsorship has proved to be a great success and this

The boiler from WR 4-6-0 No. 7927 WillingtonHall is lowered on to a well wagonatPentrefelinonSeptember17. QUENTIN McGUINNESS is kept up to date on the group’s website. Part sponsorship starts from as little as £80 making it reasonably affordable for most people to ‘own’ their very own little bit of Betton Grange. ➜ More details can be found at www.6880.co.uk

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Heritage Railway 17

NEWS

Peckett 0-4-0ST Kilmersdon near Blue Anchor with the SDJR coach. EDWARD DYER.

GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 KinletHall passes Muddymoor on October 1. RICHARD WARREN

Tornado takes Minehead by storm By Robin Jones MORE than six years after it was officially launched into traffic by Prince Charles at York station, you might have thought that the pulling power of new-build A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 might have diminished. However, that was certainly not the case at the West Somerset Railway’s big October 1-4 autumn steam gala, where the apple-green liveried £3 million locomotive topped the bill. WSR general manager Paul Conibeare said: “The loadings on the train behind Tornado showed that there is still a great appetite to see and travel behind it. “From the time we began to get the word out that it was coming the phones were ringing with requests for information, there was plenty of online interest and bookings rose in the 12 days before the gala started.

“As a result of Tornado appearing, many families travelled to the railway and rode on train who otherwise would not have come. “We had four days of sunshine and packed trains.” Tornado, making a return visit to the Minehead branch, was a late addition to the gala line up, being booked only after WSR plc directors agreed on September 19 to hire it.

Delightful guests

Other guest engines in action included a Great Western pairing from the Severn Valley Railway in 2-8-0 No. 2857 (making its West Somerset debut) and 4-6-0 No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor. They joined WSR residents large prairie No. 4160 and 4-6-0s Nos. 4936 Kinlet Hall, 6960 Raveningham Hall, and 7828 Odney Manor at the head of the trains, while the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust’s Peckett saddletank

Kilmersdon gave short shuttle train rides out of Minehead station on the Saturday and Sunday, hauling both brake vans and the trust’s Prussian blue-liveried restored S&D coach. A total of 4955 passengers travelled over the four days – around 300 more than at the corresponding event last year. Paul added. “Although many of our visitors came for the day out we also welcomed enthusiasts from all parts of Britain and some from Holland and Germany who also stayed in the area and used other local businesses to eat and drink during their stay. “We’re already receiving bookings for our Spring Steam Gala which will take place on March 5-6 and 10-13, which will mark 50 years since the closure of the Somerset and Dorset line and no doubt local accommodation providers are beginning to see the resultant business also.”

Right: LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado heads towards Minehead at Ker Moor. LEE ROBBINS Below: Resident WR 4-6-0 No. 7828 OdneyManor pilots visiting No. 7812 ErlestokeManorat Castle Hill. SIMON WEBB

Visiting GWR 2-8-0 No. 2857 works a Bishop Lydeard bound train at Muddymoor, shortly after departing from Blue Anchor on October 3. RICHARD WARREN

18 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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Heritage Railway 19

NEWS

Island Line threatened 50 years after Beeching cut was defied By Phil Marsh

HALF a century after Dr Beeching recommended that all railways on the Isle of Wight should be closed, Island Line users fear that it could close in a few years’ time. A public meeting attended by more than 250 people was held on August 11 in Shanklin Theatre where a local cross-party campaign group, Keep Island Line in the Franchise, was formed. However, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway has firmly ruled out suggestions that its volunteers could take over the electric 8½ mile Ryde Pier to Shanklin line, famous for its use of ‘heritage’ 1938 London Underground tube stock. A meeting was held on February 11 when Isle of Wight Conservative MP Andrew Turner and advisors met with the Department for Transport and Network Rail to discuss the future of Island Line. Several months after this meeting, it emerged that one of the options considered was total closure because of the need to spend up to £40 million on the pier, new trains and track. This infrastructure was electrified in

Heritage: ex-London Underground stock on shed during the closure of the Island Line between Ryde St Johns Road and Shanklin at the start of this year while repairs were carried out to a collapsed embankment at Sandown due to winter storms. PHIL MARSH

early 1967 and so is virtually half a century old and in need of investment, but a local row escalated when Mr Turner suggested in August that the line could be operated by a social enterprise company run by volunteers.

Community

He cited Shanklin Theatre and Ryde Swimming Pool as examples of volunteer operated companies in community ownership and said the railway should be operated on the same basis. On December 14 last year, he had suggested in the local paper that the Isle of Wight Steam Railway could take over the electrified route and operate

was flattering, the business reality is that to take on such responsibility would be beyond it resources. The IoWSR’s advertised public service is 192 days in 2015 – nowhere near the 364 days Island Line runs, and has around 25 paid staff and 350 volunteers carrying just over 100,000 passengers annually. Island Line carries around seven times this amount.

New tender

daily steam services round the year. This idea was strongly rebutted by the IoWSR in a highly public piece in Island Rail News Winter 2015 edition and followed by a letter published in the local press. IoWSR general manager Peter Vail said: “We have a business and desire to extend the IoWSR to Ryde, but the thought we share the line with Island Line has never been discussed with us and is neither practical or permissible. The IoWSR aspiration would only be possible if the two railways remain separate, running on parallel and not shared tracks.” Peter said while the thought that the heritage railway could run Island Line

The closure threat resurfaced when the DfT did not extend the Southwestern rail franchise which means a new one will be tendered for commencing in April 2017, exactly 50 years after the line was electrified. Mr Turner was reported to be prompting the formation of a local taskforce to agree to propose to the DfT that Island Line is run as a volunteer staffed community railway away from the security of a major rail franchise. The MP’s lobbying led to Rail Minister Claire Perry issuing a statement on initial proposals to secure services on the Island Line on September 11, 2015, for the new franchise from 2017 and formal consultation will commence later this year.

Big Bulgarian tank is back

EUROPE’s most powerful tank engine – Polish-built Cegielski No. 2-12-4 No. 46.03 – was set to make its passengercarrying comeback to the main line on October 17-18, hauling three-coach shuttles between Sofia’s station and the city’s western neighbourhood of Bankya, Bulgaria BDZ state railways announced. As highlighted in our last issue, the 1931-built locomotive has a tractive effort of 85,652lb – more than twice that of an LMS Princess Coronation and A4 combined. Tickets for the comeback trip went on sale on October 12. It last ran on the country’s network more than four decades ago.

Sean Connery film cycletrack

A NEW cycleway has opened on the trackbed of the Dublin to Galway railway that was last used for location filming for the 1979 movie The Great Train Robbery starring Sean Connery. The 25-mile cycleway has cost €7 million. The railway was closed in 1987.

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Extra coach added to M&GN vintage set THE Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society had added a new coach to its vintage train. Derby-built Midland Railway first class saloon No. 1616 of 1886 was transferred to M&GN ownership in 1903 and became No. 3, continuing in service until 1932. It then became a signalling and telegraph department vehicle before being sold off by the railway, and minus its underframe, became a pavilion for Briston Cricket Club next door to the M&GN nerve centre of Melton Constable.

Its sporting life was brief, and it soon ended up in a garden in Briston. Over the years its uses included a radio and TV repair shop. The owners agreed in 2002 that it could be retrieved by the society, and restoration began seven years later. Placed on the underframe of a sixwheel Midland Railway brake of 1894, it was rebuilt to 1903 condition at a cost of nearly £30,000. The interior had long since been gutted, and so replacement fittings had to be made. Ventilators were acquired from the Midland Railway-

Butterley, and inside it has been kitted out as it was in the 1920s. It comfortably seats 24 people. On October 1, it was included in the vintage rake for a special train for friends of NNR volunteer Mike Sprules, known as ‘Snowy’, who died in June after a short illness and who had spent five years working on No. 3. The passengers included villagers from Sedgeford where he lived as well as the family who had owned the coach. A similar special ran the following day, and on October 3 it was the turn of members and shareholders.

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NEWS

New Gresley P2 past £2m mark FUNDING pledges for new-build LNER P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales have passed the £2 million mark in just over two years. The figure accounts for 40% of the total £5-million cost of building the P2, further reinforcing its claim to be the world’s fastest-growing standard gauge new-build project. As previously reported, the Gresley locomotive, is already one-third complete by weight, its rapid construction having been fuelled by the project’s successful fundraising campaigns. Gresley P2 Prince of Wales will be assembled at the same Darlington works as the famous A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado. Construction progress to date includes; frame plates for engine and tender rolled and profiled, the frames erected, all 20 wheels for engine and tender cast, all major engine frame stays, brackets, horn blocks, axle boxes and buffers cast and machined – 64 in total, roller bearings for all engine and tender wheelsets and engine axles and crank pins ordered along with more than 1000 fitted and driven bolts. The cab sides, roof and cab-side window frames have been ordered,

Recognition for Moors grafter

NORTH Yorkshire Moors Railway foreman fitter Paul Middleton has been named as one of the six finalists for the title of UK Worker of the Year 2015. Paul’s job involves locomotive maintenance including welding, riveting and painting. The 35year-old from Guisborough is also a qualified fireman and diesel driver. The winner of the title – sponsored by workwear company Dickies in association with Kawasaki – which is now in its sixth year, was set to be announced during the MCE British Superbike meeting at Brands Hatch... after Heritage Railway closed for press. Other finalists include a gymnastics coach and builder from Preston, a homicide case worker from Birmingham, a tree surgeon from Andover, a builder from Chapel-en-le-Frith and a motor vehicle lecturer from Liverpool. The winner can choose between a Kawasaki Ninja 300 and a £5000 holiday as well as a year of free shopping at Asda. Paul is married and has been working at the NYMR since 1996, having joined the heritage railway from school. He said: “My work ethic and contribution I make to the day-to-day running of the locomotives on the NYMR in order to give considerable pleasure to enthusiasts and visitors alike has clearly been recognised.”

22 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Proof machined coupled wheels for the P2 pictured on September 28. A1SLT

The trial fitting of the P2 cab footplate. A1SLT

the footplating has been delivered and is being fitted, the smokebox door tooling is complete and ready for pressing, the doorframe ring and smokebox platework, along with the chimney pattern and casting, have been ordered Preliminary discussions have been held with boiler manufacturers. A start has been made on the boiler fittings, with castings for the two combined injector water and delivery valves ordered from existing Tornado patterns. Mark Allatt, chairman of builder The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which also constructed and operates Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado, said: “We are delighted with

hopeful that we will have completed the rolling chassis for No. 2007 Prince of Wales next winter and we remain on track for completion of the new locomotive in 2021. “However, to maintain this rate of progress we need to continue to raise in excess of £700,000 per year, which becomes more challenging as each year passes. “I would encourage all steam enthusiasts who haven’t yet contributed to help us to meet these deadlines by becoming a monthly covenantor or through joining The Boiler Club.” ➜ For details of how to help, visit p2steam.com

the level of support that the project to build Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive has received since its launch. “Thanks to our supporters’ continued generosity, £2m has now been donated or pledged, which has been converted into more than one third of the new locomotive being now in existence by weight. “With Tornado’s recent overhaul now complete, our team at Darlington Locomotive Works has resumed the erection of No. 2007 Prince of Wales’s frames, fitting the frame stretchers, horn guides and other components manufactured by external contractors over the past few months. We are

Brian Friel, playwright and Fintown Railway supporter, dies aged 86

Brian Friel (left) cuts the first sod on the revived Fintown Railway on July 13, 1993, watched by chairman Joe Brennan. FINTOWN RAILWAY By Hugh Dougherty BRIAN FRIEL, the internationally renowned Irish playwright, who was honorary president and supporter of the Fintown Railway in County Donegal, died on October 2, aged 86. He was buried near Glenties, the proposed western terminus of the line, which was the inspiration for his fictional town, Ballybeg, featured in many of his works. The playwright, acting as honorary president of Cumann Traenach na

Railcar No. 18 on the Fintown Railway by the shores of Lough Finn, described by Brian Friel as outstanding. HUGH DOUGHERTY Gaeltacth Lair, the society which revived the line, cut the first sod of the former County Donegal Railways 3ftgauge line in a ceremony at Fintown station on July 13, 1993, to declare its restoration officially underway. Brian also attended the running of the first train from Fintown along the initial section of restored track on June 3, 1995 and gave a quote that has been used extensively by the railway on promotional literature and by tourism bodies since. Praising the outstanding Donegal highland scenery

seen from the railway on its journey alongside Lough Finn, Brian said: “What is on offer is a journey along the shores of a lake as grand as any in Switzerland or Minnesota.” A Fintown Railway spokesman said that Brian had always been a great supporter of the railway and a frequent visitor to the line where he rode many times on its preserved County Donegal railcar. He had helped publicise the railway, especially in its early years, by lending the weight of his literary fame to its promotion.

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LNER A4 Pacific No. 60007 SirNigelGresley passes Darnholm with an 8.50am additional working on September 19 during its last weekend in service on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway before withdrawal for overhaul. PHILIP BENHAM

Unique EMU threatened with scrapping By Robin Jones and Fred Kerr A NOW-unique EMU set may be scrapped by the East Lancashire Railway if a new home cannot be found for it. The Class 504 two-car set has languished in a semi-restored state at the ELR’s Buckley Wells yard for more than 12 years, with no interest shown by the owning group to either further restore it cosmetically or operationally, said the line’s general manager, Andy Morris. The railway has failed in its attempts to make contact with anyone with an interest in the vehicles and also to establish their ownership. The Class 504 units were unique to the Bury-Manchester service. Entering service in 1959, the units were equipped with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway-designed 1200v DC side contact third-rail shoe-gear,

a system, which was only installed on the route. The 504s replaced the fivecar trainsets introduced by the Lancashire & Yorkshire to inaugurate the electrification scheme in 1916.

Spares usage

The trainsets quickly became under used, especially after the reduced service from 1966, leading to withdrawals of vehicles, but their unique current collection system meant that they could not be transferred to other services and were retained as spares. In this role vehicles supplied spares for Euston-Watford Class 501 units while Driving Trailer Car No. 77164 was transferred to the Eastern Region in 1970 to become part of unit No. 302244 as replacement for damaged DTC No. 75292, until 1985 when a replacement Class 302 vehicle became available.

The withdrawn vehicles were scrapped during the 1970s while the remaining 16 units continued operating until August 1991, when the Bury to Manchester Victoria line was converted for tram operation by the Metrolink light rail system. Immediately on closure the ELR gained No. 65451 (Motor Open Brake Second) and No. 77172 (Driving Trailer Second) while Harry Needle purchased set No. 65461/77182, which was subsequently sold to the heritage line. During the line’s annual diesel gala in October 1991, the pair of units were operated by Class 25/3 No. 25262/D7612, which had been through-wired to allow the consist to be driven from either end with the diesel providing power.

Last unit

Set Nos. 65461/77182 was subsequently scrapped, despite

The sole-surviving class 504 unit at Buckley Wells. ELR attempts to find a new owner, and the salvaged parts stored on site leaving only the current unit in stock. Vehicles No. 65451 and 77172 are all that remain of the 520-strong fleet that operated the services for 32 years. The ELR now wants to be rid of the unit to free up valuable siding space at its rolling stock repair and maintenance facility. The ELR is prepared to listen to offers from anyone wishing to taken on the vehicles.

Christmas comeback for B12 after wartime weekend buffer stop collision MIDLAND & Great Northern Joint Railway Society flagship LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572 is expected to be out of action until Christmas after hitting the bufferstops at Holt during the North Norfolk Railway’s September 19-20 1940s weekend. The locomotive struck the station stop block and demolished it, damaging the wooden trellis fence beyond, while running round its train at very low speed on the Sunday. Emergency services were called at 12.22pm. One fire engine from Holt attended the scene to assist police and ambulance services. The fireman was treated for minor head injuries and a member of the public was said to be suffering from shock. The following day the B12 was moved to Weybourne works for an examination. A week later, the

statutory authorities, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and the Office of Road and Rail, gave clearance for the B12 to be taken out of ‘quarantine’. The front of the locomotive was stripped down to assess the extent of the damage, which on the surface appeared very slight.

Procedure followed

Investigations into the cause of incident were still ongoing, and the footplate crew was suspended under normal procedures. NNR general manager, Trevor Eady, said that because of the accident and other routine maintenance scheduled to be carried out, the B12 would probably be out of traffic until Christmas. The collision was the only downside to an otherwise

phenomenally successful event, in which the railway sold 8000 platform tickets and 6000 tickets to travel. “If these weren’t eyewatering figures enough, in a meeting with the local police afterwards they announced that they estimated there were in excess of an additional 50,000 visitors to the town – all on the back of the NNR,” said NNR plc chairman, Julian Birley. Now in its 23rd year, this has become a ‘must go to’ event, which is embraced by all the businesses in the town generating a quite unique atmosphere. The trains back to Norwich were busier than the London Underground Northern Line on a Monday before they had even left Sheringham, with standing

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room only. “Some catering businesses in the town sold out by Sunday morning, simply not believing the numbers that came to the town,” said Julian. “If ever local councils wanted evidence of the positive impact a heritage railway has on a community you could not find a better example than the NNR.”

Overhaul complete

Meanwhile, the society’s GER Y14 0-6-0 No. 564 has entered regular service after completion of its running-in following overhaul at Ian Riley’s Bury workshops. Trevor said: “After a frustrating six months of teething troubles with the overhauled Y14, it is now back in running order and has rejoined the NNR home fleet.” Heritage Railway 23

NEWS

Steam returns to Barrington – but is it for the last time? By Alistair Grieve

EARLIER this year, Rocks By Rail took its Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Sir Thomas Royden and two brake vans to the Hanson cement works at Ketton for a very popular charity open day. Not content with the one cement works, the Rocks team have been at it again, but this time the cement works is disused, the track has been relaid, and some of it is in a brand new location. As confusing as this sounds, it’s very simple to explain. The location is the Cemex Barrington cement works in Cambridgeshire. Remembered as the location of the last operating standard gauge quarry railway in the UK, the works closed in 2008 with the line having gone three years earlier. Since then, the site has remained derelict, but recently it has become a hive of activity as the quarry is now being used as a landfill site for construction spoil from London. The main line link has been refurbished and a new run-round loop and unloading pad constructed at the works site. The unloading pad sits north of the works on the edge of the quarries and was not part of the original internal railway system. More than 40,000 tonnes of material had to be moved to allow its construction. The first main line train ran on June 30, and they are now running at one a day, but this can rise to three a day as traffic demands. The official opening was over the weekend of September 25-26 with an exhibition at Barrington Hall and vehicle displays plus public train rides in the works/quarry area. As stated above, the train rides were provided by Sir Thomas Royden, although for the weekend it was masquerading as Barrington Light Railway Vulcan, a similar Barclay locomotive that worked the line from 1927 until scrapping in 1960. Friday was the day for VIPs and invited guests with the passenger train undertaking two runs down the main

line on the afternoon. The first was for the corporate guests (Cemex, DB Schenker and local councillors) and also included a run down to the unloading pad. The second was for children from a local primary school. With two loaded brake vans full of cheering, laughing children it conjured up images of the Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery! The Saturday was a public day, with the morning set aside for local enthusiasts to take pictures (under Cemex supervision) in areas that would be off limits during the afternoon’s public opening. Train rides to both Foxton and the unloading pad were also available. The Saturday afternoon was for the general public and a constant shuttle of trains ran to both ends of the line. A temporary platform had been set up in the works area for the occasion and stabled alongside was Class 66 No. 66058, on display for the weekend

Barclay 0-4-0ST Vulcan, in front of the silos. These will be demolished by this time next year and houses will be built on the site.

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Above: The train crosses the viaduct on the branch to the main line on Saturday morning. Right: The steam train at the unloading pad for the landfill. from DBS which is operating the initial spoil trains. The majority of the cement works’ buildings are still intact and provided a fitting backdrop to the event, but by this time next year they will have been demolished, and new houses will begin to take their place.

The spoil trains should be running for at least five years, if not longer, but with the changes being undertaken at the works site – the demolition of the old buildings, the construction of new houses, it is very unlikely that this will ever be repeated. This was truly a ‘last chance to see’ event.

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NEWS

Somme centenary set to be marked in Apedale trenches By Robin Jones

A SECOND Tracks to the Trench gala will be held at the Moseley Railway Trust’s Apedale Valley Light Railway in May. The first event, which centred around a re-created section of First World War 2ft-gauge trench railway at the line near Newcastle-underLyme, was held in September 2014 and earned the trust the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Small Groups), jointly with the Downpatrick & County Down Railway. The second event is being organised to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, considered by many to be the turning point in the conflict. The battle could not have been fought without the logistical support from narrow gauge railways used by both sides. These railways moved supplies and troops up the front lines and into areas where it was too dangerous for full-size trains to operate. The star attraction at the 2016 event is hoped to be the public debut of the iconic Hunslet 4-6-0 War Department No. 303 (Works No. 1215), which will celebrate its centenary.

Returned from Australia

Unique in the UK, and one of the key machines used by the British War Department Light Railways, No. 303 was repatriated from Australia in 2005, and has been rebuilt by the War Office Locomotive Trust. One of 145 ordered for the War Department Light Railways, it left the Leeds works on December 8, 1916, and was later seen operating at Boisleux-au-Mont in the Pas-de-Calais with troops from the American Expeditionary Force. After the war, Hunslet bought back the locomotive, rebuilt it, and sold it

Bluebell visit for coal tank LNWR coal tank 0-6-2T No. 1054 is to visit the Bluebell Railway next year. The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway-based 1888-built 0-6-2T will run on the line over two weekends in March, including the branch line gala on 19-20. It will be paired with the Bluebell’s 1913-built LNWR observation car No. 1503.

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to the Engineering Supply Company of Brisbane, Australia. It was then sold on to Gibson & Howes Ltd at Bingera Sugar Mill, Bundaberg, for use on the vast network of sugar cane railways in Queensland. Named Hunslet, it was reboilered in 1942, and worked until 1956 when it was sold to the Invicta Sugar Mill. Invicta’s own Hunslet, No. 1226, needed a new boiler, and so the cab and tanks were fitted to No. 1215, which then worked for a further eight years.

Restoration project

After storage, the locomotive was presented to the Rowes Bay Children’s Home in 1967. It stayed there until 1994, when an enthusiast bought it for restoration. The War Office Locomotive Society then bought it and repatriated it to the UK. It arrived on September 16, 2005 and was displayed at the Locomotion museum at Shildon. It later visited the Leighton Buzzard Railway and Hollycombe Steam collection before its arrival at Apedale on July 13, 2008. At the May 13-15 gala, No. 1215 will be joined by other First World War locomotives and vehicles from the period, both from the Moseley Railway Trust’s own collection and visiting from other railways. There will be a considerable presence of other wartime and military-themed attractions, including re-enactor groups, which will use the replica trench tramway. The trust would be delighted to hear from potential exhibitors with suitable period vehicles or exhibits at www.warofficehunslet.org.uk or www.mrt.org.uk. Trust chairman Phil Robinson said: “Visitor feedback from the 2014 Tracks to the Trenches event was overwhelmingly positive. “Our organising team members are

Hunslet 4-6-0 War Department No. 303, its steam created by a burning oily rag on this occasion, is set to be a star attraction at the second big Tracks to the Trenches gala in May. MRT A World War One Simplex petrol tractor takes supplies to the trench tramway during the September 2014 Tracks to the Trenches event at the Apedale Valley Light Railway. ROBIN JONES hoping to surpass themselves for the 2016 event, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from far and wide to the railway at Apedale”.

Tracks to the Trenches 2016 will be open from noon until 5.30pm on Friday, May 13 and 10.30am-5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15.

Farewell to Exmouth carriage cafe THE Carriage Cafe on Exmouth seafront, consisting of a restored BR Mk.1 coach, has closed. The 1956-built coach will be moved to the Lappa Valley Railway in Cornwall, which has been bought by cafe owners Sara and Keith Southwell. The model railway at the cafe closed at the start of the year. The enforced closure has resulted from East Devon District Council’s £18 million redevelopment of Exmouth seafront, which will see other attractions, including the fun park and crazy golf course, make way for a multi-screen cinema, an outdoor water splash zone, and a seafront restaurant. A council spokesman said: “We have been working with Mr Southwell for some time now in preparation for his lease coming to an end and we have come to an agreement with him which

includes a compensation package.” Keith said: “It is a great shame that the council couldn’t see its way to incorporate this unusual attraction into the new plans, but Devon’s loss is Cornwall’s gain.”

The former Exmouth Carriage Cafe will reopen at the Lappa Valley Railway at St Newlyn East next year following a redevelopment of the seafront at the Devon resort, which necessitated the coach being moved. ROBIN JONES

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Another 1106 yards for Lynton & Barnstaple

Llangollen Railway-based Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No. 1731 of 1942 Jennifer approaches Pensons Lane foot crossing on the Epping Ongar Railway with an afternoon train from North Weald to Ongar on Sunday, October 10. It is standing in for the line’s GWR large prairie No. 4141, which failed in late September. ANDREW SMITH

Lottery £1.6m backing for Volk’s upgrade By Robin Jones A £1.65 MILLION Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant is to finance a facelift for the world’s oldest electric railway still in operation. The grant has been awarded to owner Brighton and Hove City Council to upgrade the seafront Volk’s Electric Railway. The cash will cover the provision of a new depot as well as restoring carriages. The running shed will be repaired and converted into an exhibition hall. Work on building the new facilities is planned to start at the end of the railway’s operating season in September next year and the project is scheduled to be completed by spring 2017. Volk’s Electric Railway Association (VERA) spokesman Peter Williams said: “The HLF grant will secure the future of Volk’s Electric Railway for generations to come and will provide visitors with a new heritage experience based around the legacy that Magnus Volk left to the city of Brighton and Hove. “At long last, staff and volunteers will be able to operate the railway’s historic cars from a modern, well-equipped depot.” On August 4, 1883, inventor Magnus Volk unveiled a quarter-mile-long 2ft-gauge electric railway running from a site opposite the town’s aquarium to the Chain Pier. A small electric car with a 1½hp motor had a top speed of 6mph. Volk did not invent the electric railway: it was a Scotsman, Robert Davidson of Aberdeen, who built the first known electric locomotive in

1837. The world’s first electric passenger train was demonstrated by Werner von Siemens in Berlin in 1879. Two years later, Siemens opened the world’s first electric tram line in Lichterfelde, near Berlin. Volk extended his line eastwards from the aquarium to the Banjo Groyne, and the arch at Paston Place, to provide workshop and power facilities, widening the track to 2ft 8½in gauge, and producing two larger and more powerful passenger cars. The enlarged 1400 yard-long line opened on April 4, 1884, with a passing loop in the middle. The line hugged the shoreline, using timber trestles to cross gaps in the shingle, and severe gradients to allow the cars to pass beneath the Chain Pier. A new Black Rock station was

opened on May 7, 1937 when Volk, then 85, took joint control of Car 10 for a journey. It was his last public appearance as he died peacefully at home 13 days later. The railway was taken into council ownership in 1940. Since 1995, the council staff who run it have been supported by volunteers from VERA. Coun Alan Robins, deputy chairman of the city’s economic development and culture committee, said that the award is recognition from the HLF of the importance of the fascinating Victorian attraction, which is still popular in the 21st century. “We will put the funds to good use to maintain and improve the railway, creating an even better experience for future passengers while staying true to Volk’s vision.”

Volk’s Electric Railway on Brighton’s seafront is the ancestor of Britain’s electrified railways. ROBIN JONES

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

A FURTHER 1106 yards of original Lynton & Barnstaple Railway trackbed has been bought by revivalists. The latest section to be acquired in the long-term aim to repurchase all 19 miles is the stretch from the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust’s Chelfham trackbed, through Loxhore Cross to Bridge 24 at Bratton Cross Road. However, the new section of trackbed is not continuous as it does not include the short section alongside the quarry site at Bridge 23, which remains in private ownership. It ended at the missing Bridge 23, which linked two embankments. The total area of land bought is 3.08 acres. The latest acquisition by L&B supporting company Exmoor Associates was announced at the bi-annual shareholders’ meeting at Goodleigh Village Hall on September 26. Exmoor Associated has already built up a substantial holding of original L&B land, notably Snapper Halt plus other parcels at Blackmoor and Collard Bridge, and is negotiating to buy other sections of the trackbed as they become available. Anyone who would like to help the company is invited to visit www.exmoorassociates.co.uk

Lyn milestone

Meanwhile, the project to recreate original L&B Baldwin 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn is approaching a major milestone in the bid to have the locomotive steaming next year, The 762 Club, the charity set up to build the replica, has now completed the full assembly of the frames, which will be unveiled to members and friends at Alan Keef’s Ross-on-Wye works on Saturday, November 28. More than 95% of the engine components are now complete with just the brakes, ashpan and the manifold remaining to be designed and constructed. At the open day, the 762 Club will be launching a ‘Get Lyn assembled’ fundraising campaign. While all of the components have been paid for, money needs to be raised to assemble the locomotive. Around £100,000 will be needed over the next nine months if the new Lyn is to steam in 2016. ➜ To become a member or for any further information about the 762 Club, visit www.762club.com Heritage Railway 27

NEWS

New Sharpness revival finally underway as shed lease signed By Robin Jones A FRESH bid to reopen the Sharpness branch as a heritage line is now underway – with several steam locomotives being lined up. In Heritage Railway issue 132 in November 2009, we featured the scheme to reopen the former GWR/Midland Railway joint line under the banner of the Berkeley Vale Railway, branded the Beaver Line. The revival was spearheaded by inventor David Heathcote, one of the founders of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, with his firm Pro-Active Vision Ltd. At one stage, the project merged with G/WR offshoot the Stratford & Broadway Railway society, which had been based at Long Marston. However, the scheme failed to take off, and a new project with fresh faces behind it is now underway, under the title of the Vale of Berkeley Railway. Its aim is to restore the station at Sharpness and run heritage tourist trains from Sharpness to Berkeley, linking up attractions such as Berkeley Castle, the Cattle Country Adventure Park and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge, via a water taxi along the Gloucester & Sharpness Ship Canal, and Dr Jenner’s House in Berkeley. On August 19, the VoBR signed the lease for the old diesel shed at Sharpness Docks with Canal & River Trust. The revival team is now setting up the engineering workshop and railway’s headquarters. The nascent heritage line has already taken delivery of its first locomotive, 1935-built LMS diesel shunter No. 7069. It is intended to use the shed as a

Sharpness Docks is an inland port handling bulk cargoes such as cement, fertiliser and scrap metal, while the Gloucester and Sharpness Ship Canal is now used only by pleasure craft and as a channel for River Severn water supplying a large part of Bristol. Under plans by the Vale of Berkeley Railway, it could become a significant tourist destination. ROBIN JONES restoration base for the National Railway Museum’s LMS 4F 0-6-0 No. 4027 which, as reported last month, will be moved from its current storage on the G/WR. The Churchill 8F group’s ‘Turkish’ 2-8-0 No. 8274, currently on loan to the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), may also run on the line in the future. Other locomotives earmarked for the revival are haulier Andrew Goodman’s GWR pannier No. 9642, currently stored at a private site and awaiting overhaul, and LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 44901, awaiting restoration from Barry scrapyard condition after spending many years at the Barry Tourist Railway in storage. A spokesman for the revivalists said that other locomotive owners had indicated that they would be willing to

bring their engines to the line, and there were already carriages and wagons lined up for use on it. The branch line off the Midland Railway main line was opened to freight traffic to and from the docks in August 1875 with passenger services starting a year later. In 1879, it became a through route with the opening of the Severn Bridge, which provided a link to Lydney and the Gloucester-Newport main line on the far side of the estuary. The branch became part of the Severn & Wye Joint Railway after the opening of the bridge. Through services to Lydney on the line ended abruptly on October 25, 1960 when the bridge was damaged beyond economic repair when it was struck by two petrol barges in heavy

fog with the loss of the lives of five crew members. The bridge was never repaired, and was demolished in 1969. It was clearly uneconomic to maintain, especially as the first Severn motorway bridge was opened in 1966 and the GWR’s Severn Tunnel had decades earlier largely rendered it redundant apart from local and diversionary traffic. The line from Berkeley Heath, via Berkeley, to Sharpness Docks last carried passengers in November 1964 and regular goods trains stopped running in January 1966. All of the stations were demolished after closure. The line is still retained for occasional freight, in the form of nuclear waste traffic from the decommissioned Berkeley power station three times a year at best, with the transhipment siding located at the site of the intermediate Berkeley station. In December 2013 the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority selected Berkeley as the preferred interim store for intermediate-level waste from the decommissioned nearby Oldbury nuclear power station. This became operational in 2014. The revivalists are now talking to nuclear flask train operator Direct Railway Services about their plans, as well as Network Rail. As Heritage Railway closed for press, no running agreement for heritage trains over the branch had been reached, and much work would be needed to bring the track up to passenger-carrying standard, especially west of Berkeley. The revivalists hope to relay an additional half mile from Sharpness to the site of Severn Bridge station as a later phase.

Tornado rang the changes for artist James Green

LANDSCAPE artist James Green was so impressed with the debut run of new-build A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado into King’s Cross six years ago that it changed his life. James, 40, who had previously trained as a technical illustrator, began painting steam locomotives, and it gave him a new career. As associate member of the Guild of Railway Artists, his paintings now sell for

between £2000 and £7000 each, and he sells limited edition prints. His latest work depicts ‘Black Fives’ at Willesden shed in the Sixties.

Life of grime

“It all began when I saw Tornado on its first run to King’s Cross,” said Peterborough-based James. “I will now be concentrating on the steam era of the Fifties and Sixties, because the locomotives have more grime than they do on heritage railways.” See James’ advertisement on page 21. His website is at jamesgreenart.co.uk and he can be contacted on 01733 203230. Left: Peterborough railway artist James Green with his latest work depicting Willesden shed.

28 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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Ex-WarDepartmentHunslet Austerity Swiftsureat theheadofitsshort ballasttrainattheMetrolin’s Radcliffestationon September27. EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY COLLECTION

Industrial steam comes to the rescue on Metrolink By Robin Jones THE East Lancashire Railway fulfilled an agreement to reballast an adjacent part of Manchester’s Metrolink system – by sending an industrial steam locomotive to do the job. The very rare occurrence – even less common than the red lunar eclipse photographed over much of Britain the following night – happened in the early hours of Sunday, September 27, after the heritage line’s Class 03 D2062 was sidelined awaiting repairs. The 03 is the only diesel on the ELR that fits under the wires of the Metrolink tram system – but industrial steam locomotives were within its gauge. The ELR decided to send Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST 2857 of 1943 Swiftsure to do the job, coupled to a tank wagon to act as water carrier if supplies ran out, and three Dogfish ballast hoppers. It was the first time that a steam locomotive had worked over the route in its tram era. Swiftsure, supplied new to the War Department where it became No. 75008, later working for the

National Coal Board at Cadeby Hill Colliery, propelled its train from the ELR’s Buckley Wells depot over the connection to the Bury to Manchester Victoria tram line, for 2½ miles, and after the ballasting was done, hauled it back. The Metrolink is not part of the national rail network and so Swiftsure did not need to be main line registered. The tram system relies on borrowing ELR shunters to do the job as it has none of its own.

Diesel snookered

LR general manager Andy Morris said: “We have an ongoing relationship with our Light Rail colleagues which dates back to the early Nineties when the tramway was set up. “The job on the Sunday morning was an outstanding commitment from back in May this year when we were part way through a ballasting job at Besses o’ th’ Barn using our Class 03 D2062 when a seized piston put paid to any further activities. “The 03 is the only suitable diesel locomotive we have currently that fits under the wires so we were

snookered for finishing the week’s work off. “I must admit to having put off the prospect of using one of the J94s we have at Bury at the moment due to the cost involved. “I also didn’t want to stick my neck out and offer Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T Gothenburg bearing in mind it’s only just come off a substantial bottomend repair, so it was a case of asking my ex-colleagues at Metrolink to be patient and wait until the 03 was repaired. “Unfortunately, sourcing spares for Gardner 8L3 engines is proving increasingly difficult with Egypt now being the only place, seemingly, to get pistons and liners, so the repair took longer than I would have liked. So, Hunslet 2857 it was to be!... and the rest is history. “There is the prospect of further steam incursions onto Metrolink but it will always have to be on the basis that they fit under the wires. Swiftsure only had about three inches to spare, but enough for purpose. Further Metrolink ballasting will be undertaken by the ELR in November.

East Lancashire Railway driver Gary Laxton and fireman Jonathan Valentine were in charge of Swiftsure as it hauled the ballast train over Manchester’s Metrolink tram line. EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY COLLECTION

Appeal launches to buy six wire basket industrial wagons AN APPEAL to buy a rake of six modern wagons for use in demonstration freight trains on the Chasewater Railway has been launched. The National Wagon Preservation Group has issued a plea for funds as it has enough money to buy only three. The wagon types it is looking at

are OAA wire basket open wagons built by BR Ashford in 1971 (around 60 of 100 left, mostly stored, OBA wood side open wagons built by BR Ashford and Shildon between 1971-1979 (around 500 of 800 left, mostly stored, an OCA Steel side open wagons built by BR Shildon between 1981-82 (around 250 of 400 left, mostly stored, SPA steel

plate wagons built by Shildon during 1979-81 (around 700 of 1100 left, mostly stored, and HEA coal hoppers built by Shildon from 1975-79 (around 100 of 2000 left, very rare). Appeal organiser and group chairman William Snook, author of The UK Railway Datafile book, said: “The deals are still in situ, but

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cannot be completed without further donations from the generous public. Donations will go a long way to helping us secure these wagons before they are lost to the world.” Cheques may be sent to William Snook, 131 Edleston Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 7HP. Further details are available at www.nwpg.co.uk Heritage Railway 29

NEWS

Red faces in Australian Pacific boiler shock U-turn By Geoff Courtney

OFFICIALS overseeing the troubled restoration of one of the world’s flagship preserved locomotives have performed an embarrassing U-turn over a brand new £600,000 boiler, built specifically for the iconic Pacific. At the heart of the saga is Australian icon No. 3801, a streamlined Class C38 built by Clyde Engineering of Sydney in 1943 for New South Wales Government Railways, and saved for preservation by the state government after withdrawal in 1962. It was taken off railtour duty nine years ago, in November 2006, for a £1.25million restoration that was initially expected to be completed by 2011 but, echoing the overhaul of our own flagship Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman, has been subjected to repeated delays that have resulted in it still being unfinished. Problems have arisen over a new all-welded boiler built for No. 3801 by DB Meiningen of Germany, which manufactured the boiler for A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado. The order was placed with DB by the former NSW Office of Rail Heritage, which was overseeing the project at the time; many in the Australian and worldwide preservation movement expressed surprise that the riveted boiler already fitted to No. 3801 was not deemed suitable for restoration. The new DB boiler was delivered to Sydney in October 2010, but was sent back to Germany for rectification 13 months later after being declared “not fit for purpose” by Australian officials. A cloak of secrecy

surrounded the problem, but news gradually filtered out that the boiler was out of true and thus would not fit the frames, although this was not substantiated by either those responsible for the restoration or their PR spokesmen. The rectification was expected to take 20 weeks, meaning the boiler would be returned to Australia in July 2012, but this date was never kept, with weeks becoming months and months becoming years. Meanwhile, enthusiasts fretted, the public – many of whom were NSW taxpayers funding the restoration – became bewildered, politicians became agitated, and officials connected with the restoration became tight-lipped. Eventually, after an outburst on radio in November last year by the then NSW Minister for Transport, Gladys Berejiklian, that she had “had enough, we are bringing it back”, the boiler returned to Australia in January this year, still unusable owing to a number of defects.

Undermined

On its return the official line was that this boiler would be subjected to a detailed technical assessment with a view to it being completed and put into service, but this tack was undermined when it was revealed by Transport Heritage NSW (THNSW) – one of the government organisations involved with the restoration – that the old discarded boiler was also being assessed by engineers. At that time, Scott Warren – spokesman for Transport for NSW, the state government department that has the locomotive under its wing –

told Heritage Railway that this assessment was being carried out to determine whether the old boiler could be suitable as a spare. But then, on September 11, came the shock revelation in an official statement that confirmed a U-turn – the old boiler, and not the new DB one, would be fitted to No. 3801 for its return to service. The statement, by Transport Heritage NSW chief executive officer Andrew Killingsworth, didn’t actually say as much. “Management of the 3801 project was transferred to Transport Heritage NSW in February, after the locomotive’s new boiler was returned to Australia,” he said. “As the new project managers we undertook a thorough assessment of the 3801 overhaul project, including both the original boiler and the new German-made boiler. Now this assessment is complete, we are pleased to announce plans to have locomotive 3801 back on the tracks in the second half of 2017.” So, no mention by Mr Killingsworth of which of the two boilers would be fitted to the Pacific. That, instead, was almost a throwaway line under a “background information” heading buried further down the announcement. “After weighing up the options, detailed work plans have now been developed to repair the original boiler to ensure it meets safety and operational requirements and is able to be used to return locomotive 3801 back to service in the shortest possible timeframe.” And what of the £600,000 DB Meiningen boiler? “Once locomotive 3801 returns to service, the German-

made boiler will also be brought to Australian standards for certification so that a spare boiler will be available to keep locomotive 3801 in service into the future,” prompting a comment to Heritage Railway by one Australian preservation enthusiast: “That must without doubt make it the world’s most expensive spare boiler.”

Clarification sought

Following the release of Mr Killingsworth’s statement, which a number of Australian preservation enthusiasts felt did not address the background to the saga in any detail, Heritage Railway sought clarification from Transport for NSW on a number of issues. Asked why the old boiler was now being used instead of the new £600,000 DB Meiningen-built boiler, media and public affairs spokesman John Morrison said the decision was influenced by the fact that the old boiler was of riveted construction rather than the welded construction of the new boiler, although he did not explain why that factor had not influenced the decision before the new boiler was ordered from Germany. “The original boiler required major repairs in 2007, which caused 3801 to be removed from service,” he said. “At that time, options to both repair the original boiler and manufacture a new boiler were considered, and it was decided to seek bids to manufacture a new boiler. Once a review of both the new boiler and the original was conducted, Transport Heritage NSW determined that the fastest way to return the locomotive

£500,000 landmark for ex-Col Stephens’ line By Geoff Courtney

Opening time: Former ironstone quarry 0-6-0ST No.14Charweltonbreaks the tape on September 20 in the formal opening of the new £500,000 Kent & East Sussex Railway carriage shed at Rolvenden. MARK YONGE

30 Heritagerailway.co.uk

THESE are exciting times for staff, officials and volunteers on the Kent & East Sussex Railway and its near neighbour, the Rother Valley Railway. A major £4½ million project is well advanced, the possibility that the two lines will be linked within the next three years is in some minds growing into a probability, and now an impressive new carriage shed has opened its doors. The £500,000 shed, on the KESR’s site at Rolvenden, has been privately funded by the Rother Valley Railway as part of a project to bridge the two-mile gap between the two heritage lines. Built to house the KESR’s prized collection of vintage carriages, as well as more modern coaches, the shed is 400ft long and has four roads, enough to house 20 Mk.1 carriages. It is located

opposite the tracks to the line’s motive power depot, and was opened on September 20 in a ceremony led by Ian Legg, acting chairman of the KESR, and Richard Broyd of the RVR. Formalities included No. 14 Charwelton breaking through tape into the new building with a rake of carriages, watched by 40 guests. The loco is a former ironstone quarry 0-6-0ST, built by Manning Wardle in 1917, and a long-time member of the KESR fleet, Mr Legg said: “We are grateful for the support of the RVR in funding the shed, which will allow our precious historic Victorian and Edwardian carriages to be kept in the dry, ensuring they will be enjoyed for many years to come.” Speaking to Heritage Railway, KESR operating manager Pete Salmon observed: “We are extremely grateful

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Return awaited: Preserved Pacific No. 3801 at speed at Yarra, New South Wales, returning to Sydney with a railtour from Cobar via Cootamundra on November 7, 2006, just days before being taken out of service for a controversial overhaul that is now not expected to be completed until 2017 to service was to repair the original boiler.” Asked whether it was even a remotely realistic possibility that the new boiler could be repaired and made suitable for use, John said the new boiler did not meet either Australian standards nor mandatory certification requirements, but insisted: “THNSW is confident that the new boiler can be brought to Australian standards, and this will involve redesign and manufacture of some of the parts.” He said this work would start after No. 3801 was back in service, to ensure there was a spare boiler available, with the costs of repairing for the generosity of the Rother Valley Railway Heritage Trust, which has funded the shed as part of the project to get ready for extending to Robertsbridge. “We also owe a huge ‘thank you’ to our own permanent way department volunteers, who have worked hard on the complex yard layout, which has included the installation of a double slip and complete remodelling of the Rolvenden track layout. The signalling and telegraph department has also made a massive contribution, with significant alterations.” Pete said that, in addition to slowing down the deterioration of rolling stock, owing to weather, and preserving the finish to carriages applied by the carriage and wagon department craftsmen, the new shed would alleviate overcrowding at the KESR Tenterden station. “Having this superb facility is a vital component of the Robertsbridge extension.” Meanwhile, a £4½ million project is being carried out at the Rother Valley Railway’s Robertsbridge base in East Sussex that includes a new station with five-coach platform, two-road

the old boiler and bringing the new one up to standard being paid for by Transport Heritage NSW. On the delicate subject of payment to DB Meiningen for the controversial new boiler, Mr Morrison added: “Transport for NSW negotiated a contract settlement which took into account the fact that a portion of the work intended to be undertaken in Germany was to be cancelled and completed in Australia.”

Better allocation

With the locomotive being owned by the NSW state government, taxpayers are funding the cost of the restoration; originally expected to be

£1.25 million but which John said had not yet been finalised. Challenged whether the final cost, whatever it will be, would represent value for money for the taxpayers, he said: “A number of decisions were made about this project before Transport for NSW took over management of the contract and before Transport Heritage NSW was established. “This new approach will deliver a better allocation of resources for heritage projects, and ensure taxpayers’ dollars are spent in a manner that is transparent.” Against a background of the difficulty experienced by enthusiasts

and taxpayers to obtain information – “transparency” in PR and political speak – over the years, this crisis-hit, repeatedly delayed and much criticised restoration has dragged on. John pledged: “Transport Heritage NSW will provide regular updates on the work programme for repairing the original, recommissioning the locomotive, and bringing the new boiler to Australian standards.” It is a promise that will be noted by many enthusiasts within New South Wales, the rest of Australia, and indeed in the UK and worldwide, who are keen to see one of the world’s flagship preserved steam locomotives return to the main line.

Deltic to get a blue makeover

Taking cover: The new 400ft-long four-road carriage shed on the Kent & East Sussex Railway at Rolvenden during its construction and link to the preserved line. KESR locomotive depot, carriage shed, and water tower and crane. It is a well-advanced privately funded development and will see the site transformed into a preservation steam centre. It includes a connection to the Charing Cross to Hastings main line at the adjacent Network Rail station, which was completed in March. The RVR runs half a mile to

Northbridge Street, just two miles from the end of the 11½-mile Kent & East Sussex Railway at Junction Road, a gap which both railways are pushing to plug, hopefully by 2018. If the gap is bridged, a 14-mile line, to be operated by the KESR, will run from Tenterden to Robertsbridge via Bodiam, on the route of a former Colonel Stephens’ line that stopped carrying passengers in 1954.

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THE Deltic Preservation Society’s Class 55 D9009 Alycidon is to be repainted into BR Corporate Blue livery at the Derby base of Railway Vehicle Engineering Ltd. The work will be mainly funded by Neil Mewes, a member of Avocet Travel Management. The repaint will use a two-pack application for durability and the locomotive will be renumbered 55009 with the hope of applying the Finsbury Park embellishment of white window surrounds in time for display on the National Railway Museum turntable at the DPS annual general meeting in March. The donation by Mr Mewes has allowed the DPS to allocate funds for the restoration of sister locomotive D9015 Tulyar, on which £150,000 has been authorised for the overhaul of traction motors and bogies plus the purchase of a new set of tyres. It is intended that D9015 will be outshopped in two-tone green livery. Heritage Railway 31

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NEWS IN BRIEF ➜ THE West Somerset Railway’s Minehead station will be hosting a Christmas market between noon and 6pm on Thursday, November 26, with musical entertainment provided by the Minehead Male Voice Choir and the Fire Brigade Pipes and Drum Band... while children will have a chance to meet Santa. In conjunction with the event Steam Dreams is running a special train from London to Dunster (where those who wish to do so can attend a carol service at the church) and then on to Minehead, behind B1 No. 61306 Mayflower. ➜ THE Severn Valley Railway has completed the purchase of a 10 acre pocket of land from local landowner Apley Estates. The land includes the present Bridgnorth station overflow car park and land near to the locomotive yard at Bridgnorth, along with Panpudding Hill alongside the headshunt. The secured land is important to the ongoing development of the station area at Bridgnorth, including a proposed new volunteer accommodation block that is currently subject of a planning application with the local authority. ➜ THE North Norfolk Railway has awarded Birmingham-based Techniswage the contract to manufacture 28 boiler flue tubes for the £250,000 restoration of WD Austerity 2-10-0 No. 90775. ➜ AFTER a hiatus owing to the demands of keeping the running fleet in good order for the peak season, Boston Lodge Works has resumed work on England 0-4-0STT Welsh Pony. New cylinder castings have been delivered and are being machined. ➜ THE Churnet Valley Railway has cancelled its November 7-8 gala because of a shortage of motive power.

Toddle aid for Deeside line

TODDLERS have raised funds for the Royal Deeside Railway, after it was left with a £15,000 bill for damage to coaches after a vandalism attack in August. Liz Moyes, a teacher at the Crossroads Nursery in Banchory, was so angry about the damage to the coaches that she decided to raise funds to rectify the damage. She organised a sponsored ‘toddle’ whereby the children walked halfway along the Deeside Way towards Banchory, and raised £800. They were rewarded with a ride on one of the trains for their efforts on September 16. Bill Halliday, secretary of the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society, wrote a letter of thanks to the nursery in which he said: “Your offer of assistance is by far the most touching we have received.”

34 Heritagerailway.co.uk

GWR prairie shares sale sparks new controversy By Robin Jones A DECISION by the West Somerset Railway Association to sell its shareholding in WR prairie No. 4160 has sparked off a fresh controversy with supporters of the heritage line. The 1948-built locomotive’s boiler ticket expires in January, and owning group 4160 Ltd faces a sizeable bill for its overhaul. The locomotive is a popular workhorse on the railway, but the sale of the shares sparked fears that No. 4160 could be moved away from the line. Barrister Robin White, a member of the association’s Reform Group, who is fighting her expulsion, has questioned the sale of the shares and the way it was conducted.

‘Significant asset’

She said that it appeared that the association’s trustees “had taken this important decision before the July annual general meeting/extraordinary general meeting but did not feel the need to share it with WSRA members in general meeting”. Robin said that other shareholders in 4160 Ltd had told her they knew nothing about the sale. “No. 4160 is a rather splendid GWR tank loco, based on the WSR, in which a number of WSR individuals and organisations have substantial

shareholdings. The last set of annual accounts show that the WSRA owned 28,000-odd 50p shares in the loco, a little under a 30% stake,” she said. “Time for some openness from the trustees about what on earth they are up to with a significant asset of the railway.” When rumours of the sale of the shares broke on internet forums, another shareholder, David Randles, began moves to assemble a consortium to buy them and ensure that the locomotive stays on the line. When approached by Heritage Railway as we closed for press, a spokesman for the association said: “It is correct that the association’s shares in 4160 have been sold and the full value of the shares has been obtained for the charity at a time when 4160 is entering a period of financial risk in the latter months of its current boiler certificate. “The trustees were fully satisfied that the purchasers had the interest of No. 4160 entirely at heart and would not have sold to just anyone. The monies raised will assist other WSRA projects. “We are not aware of any intention by the owning group to change the location of the locomotive, quite the reverse, but that must remain a matter for the directors of the 4160 Ltd board.” The new owner of the association’s shareholding is not clear.

Farewell to steam engineer David Black WELL-known steam engineer David Black died on September 19 following a long illness. David began his railway career in the early 1970s on the Fairbourne Railway, at that time owned by John Wilkins, and was responsible for the construction of the extension to Penrhyn Point, which is once again the main running line into the terminus, though for some years it was superseded by a line on the seaward side of the sand dunes that has now been abandoned after problems with drifting sand. David left the Fairbourne to move to France as the manager of the shortlived 12¼in gauge Reseau Guerledan (RG) railway in France, the stock of

which eventually provided replacement rolling stock for Fairbourne, which was regauged to take it. David left when the French line closed after just one season and returned to the UK to work at various Welsh narrow gauge railways, including the Ffestiniog, Talyllyn and Bala Lake railway. In later years he became a freelance engineer and lecturer at Dolgellau College of Further Education, as well as offering steam-roller driving experiences with his Aveling and Porter steam roller, which many visitors to Fairbourne will remember seeing parked at an alarmingly steep angle on his driveway at Arthog!

Poppy Line takes over Sheringham tourist office NORTH Norfolk District Council has officially handed over the Sheringham Tourist Information Centre to its local heritage line. The transfer was dependent on a successful Coastal Communities Grant bid by the North Norfolk Railway for £450,000 for a wider development of the site, which was awarded in January.

The railway intends to demolish the toilets at Station Approach together with the TIC and then rebuild a new shop, office, TIC and toilet facility. It will run the TIC and the toilets and has committed to reopening the facilities in April. It is expected that the new TIC will be run by railway staff and will open throughout the year.

Withdrawn in July 1965, No. 4160 arrived at Barry scrapyard two months later. It was bought by the Birmingham Railway Museum and moved to Tyseley in August 1974. Later sold to a group at the Plym Valley Railway for £10,000, it arrived there in May 1981. In 1989 the owning group decided that the interests of the locomotive would be better served on an established railway where restoration could be completed. The WSRA became a major shareholder in the engine when No. 4160 arrived as a kit of parts at Minehead on April 12, 1990.

Latest dispute

Full restoration work commenced in the autumn of 1990, and it formally entered service on August 6, 1993. As we reported last month, a formal complaint to the Charity Commission about the actions of the association has been made by Robin White and Paul Whitehouse, a former chief constable of Sussex Police, challenging officials over its management. It is the latest round in a dispute between the association, several of its members and West Somerset Railway plc, following the association’s surprise submission of a rival bid to buy the freehold of the Minehead branch from Somerset County Council, which subsequently withdrew the offer to sell.

Norfolk pays tribute to its heroine nurse

THE van used to transport the body of First World War nurse, Edith Cavell, has gone on show in her home county for the first time, on the centenary of her shooting by a German firing squad on October 12, 1915. After the First World War, her body was brought back to England on a Navy destroyer and transported by train to London. A service was held at Westminster Abbey before she was buried at Norwich Cathedral. The van that carried her body is preserved at the Colonel Stephens Museum in Tenterden, and was displayed on a section of track inside The Forum in Norwich during mid-October. Edith Cavell was born in nearby Swardeston. She was arrested after helping about 200 British and Allied soldiers escape over the Belgium border to Holland, but had also treated wounded Germans. On October 12, the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway placed a wreath on Garratt Norfolk Heroine, which was named for her.

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Rare LNWR carriage a gift for Blaenavon

Welshpool & Llanfair 0-6-0T No. 822 TheEarlenters Heniarth with a Dave Williams’ morning goods photo charter recreation of a 1950s scene on October 6. RALPH WARD

THE Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway has been gifted an original LNWR fourwheeled carriage body dating from around 1900. These carriages were frequently used on what is now the P&B and throughout the South Wales area, with around 100 built for the Abergavenny district alone. Only a very small number of these still exist, with this example surviving by pure chance in a domestic garden. Although the railway has been gifted the body free of charge, it needs to raise funds to transport it to Blaenavon from its location in Milton Keynes and undertake initial conservation of the carriage body. Any surplus monies from this appeal will be reserved for the restoration of the coach, which in itself, will require the acquisition of many parts and materials.

Dean Forest’s Whitecroft station given rural award THE Dean Forest Railway has won a CPRE award for its Whitecroft intermediate station. The citation on the Campaign to Protect Rural England certificate states: “For rescuing from dereliction, and bringing new life to another piece of the Dean Forest Railway’s vision for the future, which will be of benefit of both

residents and visitors to the Forest of Dean.” One of six awards given in Gloucestershire, it was presented to general manager, Roger Phelps, and architect, Christopher Bladon, on October 7 at Higham. Meanwhile, the line’s plans to move Griffithstown station near Pontypool

and rebuild it as the terminus of its proposed northern extension took a step forward with the announcement on October 12 that permission has been granted to dismantle the building and transfer it to safe storage. At the same time it was announced that around 25% of the estimated £20,000 cost of carrying out this work

has been raised. Further donations are being sought and should be sent to: The Griffithstown Project, Dean Forest Railway, Forest Road, Norchard, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4ET. Cheques should be made payable to the DFR, but marked ‘Griffithstown Project’ on the reverse or on the submitting envelope.

LIFELONG enthusiast Craig Oliphant spent two years on researching and creating a 30ft photographic mural depicting the railway history of Durham, for display in his favourite pub in the city. The finished work now adorns the walls of the dining area at Ye Old Elm Tree, in Crossgate, after being unveiled on September 24. Pub owner Andy Hughes, a boyhood trainspotting friend of Craig, came up with the concept of the mural, based on Durham’s landmark 11 arch viaduct. Craig used his skills as a photographer and graphic artist to portray the history of the city’s stations, the branch lines, the viaduct and the role played by the railway on Miners’ Gala Day, traditionally the busiest day of the year.

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 11 (No. 1047 of 1905) is seen at the East Anglian Railway Museum during one of its first steamings since its recent overhaul. It last steamed during its centenary in 2005. KIERAN HARDY

Shirley signalbox has been reborn at Broadway! A near-perfect replica of the GWR box on the North Warwickshire Line, controversially demolished by Network Rail despite pleas to the contrary by the local MP, now stands at the future northern terminus of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. Members of the line’s Broadway Area Group stand in front of the finished article. JO ROSEN/G/WR

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Heritage Railway 35

NEWS

Lottery backs Bluebell £1m steam exhibition project

The planned new maintenance facility. BR By Robin Jones THE Bluebell Railway’s £1 million plan to make the ‘mysteries’ of steam accessible to everybody has been given a major boost by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The ASH (Accessible Steam Heritage) Project has achieved a first round pass, with the Lottery providing a £330,000 grant so that the railway can develop the project in order to make a second stage application for the full grant in 11 months’ time. The scheme involves the conversion of the Sheffield Park running shed into an exhibition hall. Its centrepiece will be an exhibition of how steam engines work, planned to include a footplate

An artist’s impression of the planned interior of the new exhibition hall. BR driving experience based on a mockup of LBSCR ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 55 Stepney, alongside the original. There will be provision for footplate access by both pedestrians and wheelchair users to static locomotives. To free up space for the exhibition in the running shed and to provide more undercover space for routine locomotive maintenance, the project will include a new maintenance facility over the wash-out pit and adjacent siding in the locomotive yard. Not only will the new facility make out-of-ticket locomotives accessible to the public, it will provide better undercover accommodation for them while they are awaiting their turn in the restoration queue.

A second BR Standard 2MT looks set to run at Loughborough ANOTHER locomotive is on the way to joining the Great Central Railway’s steam fleet, following the successful steam test on the boiler of BR Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No. 78018. The boiler has been fully restored at LNWR Crewe and has been returned to Loughborough ready to be placed back in the frames. The locomotive, one of a class of 65, was built in 1953 at Darlington North Road Works at a cost of £14,809 and then entered traffic on March 3,1954, at West Auckland shed.

Snowdrift at Bleath Gill

It soon moved to Kirkby Stephen, working trains from Tebay to Barnard Castle. It was while on this line that No. 78018 famously became marooned for two days in a snowdrift at Bleath Gill during February 1955, and was captured on film. It was then transferred to Chester Midland in April 1960, and

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moved to Workington in 1962. It was later shedded at Willesden, Nuneaton and Shrewsbury from where it was withdrawn on November 12, 1966.

Minimal amount of restoration

No. 78018 arrived at Barry scrapyard in June 1967, and in October 1978 was moved to the Market Bosworth Light Railway, now the Battlefield Line. A minimal amount of restoration was undertaken there, and it was sold on to the Darlington Railway Preservation Society in 1981. In 2012, No. 78018 was 85% complete. That year, the society reached agreement with the Loughborough Standards Locomotive Group, to allow final assembly of No. 78018 in Loughborough. The society retains ownership of No. 78018 while the LSLG is the custodian. The GCR has already had the next locomotive in sequence, No. 78019, in operation.

Bluebell funding director Roger Kelly said: “When completed we will have an educational and entertainment facility based around steam locomotives that will be accessible to everyone, and unique in the South of England. There is now a lot to do to develop the project and to raise the matching funding to go with the full HLF award before a second round application for that grant can be submitted. “We have a strong team ready to go and the work starts now.” Lewes District Council is making a £1000 grant to the development of the project. Council chairman Ruth O’Keefe said: “I am sure that it will be a great addition to what is already a very popular attraction. I really enjoyed my

recent visit and am looking forward to returning to see the exhibition in place.” Local MP Maria Caulfield said: “The proposal is exciting and innovative and of great educational value. This will give everyone one more reason to visit the Bluebell Railway and learn more about our wonderful heritage.” Stuart McLeod, head of HLF South East, said: “We are extremely pleased that, thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to give the green light to this exciting project which will allow many more people to explore the history of steam locomotion.” The total cost of £12 million given for the project included costed volunteer labour.

S&D planning to extend its line to a mile – half a century on NEARLY 50 years since the closure of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway main line, talks are under way to extend one of the heritage lines now based on the trackbed. The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust, which has restored a 1000-yard section of the line running south from Midsomer Norton station, is negotiating with the Duchy of Cornwall to extend its line to a mile. The plan is to extend to the infilled northern portal of Chilcompton Tunnel. Trust chairman John Baxter said that once negotiations were

concluded work could start on first uncovering and then levelling off the trackbed. He said: “We are hoping that by the 50th anniversary of the closure of the track in March, we will be able to have a locomotive of the type that ran the last trains 50 years ago travelling the mile.” He called for more volunteers to help with the work during the winter. It is hoped that once the extension is open, passengers will be able to walk the short distance from its terminus into Chilcompton village.

Landmark for Locomotion museum SHILDON’s Locomotion museum welcomed its two millionth visitor after 11 years on October 11. Simon and Amanda Chambers from Seaton Carew along with their children George, four, and

Ruby, one, were presented with a souvenir gift pack, which included a Hornby special edition model of Flying Scotsman. The family regularly visit the National Railway Museum outreach station once a month.

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South Devon celebrates its 50th THE South Devon Railway has celebrated the half centenary of the first heritage era stock movements over the Ashburton branch. On October 2, 1965, GWR prairie No. 4555 hauled two coaches down the line to Buckfastleigh, before Collett 0-6-0 No. 3205 brought two more, as the nascent Dart Valley Railway began to take off. The movement jigsawed in with a railtour from Paddington to Plymouth, with GWR 4-6-0 No. 4079 Pendennis Castle at its head. It took the train as far as Exeter St Davids, where it was taken off and went to Exmouth Junction for servicing. Nos. 4555 and 3205, both already privately owned, then backed onto the train, and took it as far as Totnes, where they too were detached. They were then used to haul auto coaches to Buckfastleigh for use on the heritage line. Many passengers on the special train took advantage of the chance to ride along the closed Ashburton branch, and could get back to Totnes later only because No. 3205 operated an extra train with its auto coaches. The coaches were stored in the goods yard at Buckfastleigh, while the locomotives were locked in the goods shed, now the South Devon Railway’s carriage and wagon works, and the museum. On October 2, 2015, the train headed by No. 3205 was recreated with the help of Ray Lee and 5542 Ltd. The day began with a celebration in the SDRT Museum at Buckfastleigh, attended by more than 70 people from the railway and the local community. A specially-made DVD, produced for the South Devon Railway Trust Museum Support Group by two local students, was screened, featuring three of the people who were present 50 years ago: Bob Hill, Bryan Gibson and Richard Elliott, and who also attended the celebration. Museum curator John Brodribb invited Rowena Houghton and Susan Johnson to say a few words. Their fathers, Bob Saunders and John Evans, were founding directors of the Dart Valley Light Railway Company. They cut a celebration cake, and the first 50 years were toasted by trust chairman Alan Taylor. Guests then boarded the special train, with Dave Knowling and Colin Harmes on the footplate, and Alan Taylor as guard. Leaving Buckfastleigh

Collett 0-6-0 No. 3205 heads the 50th anniversary special at Totnes (Littlehempston) on October 2. The same locomotive hauled the Severn Valley Railway’s first public train 45 years ago. SDR at 1pm, it ran to Totnes for lunch and departed at 2pm for Staverton. John said: “All things considered it was a very enjoyable day, and one that very successfully marked a momentous anniversary on the South Devon Railway. “It also brought together all parts of the SDR, staff and volunteers, and many members of the local community and organisations. Here’s to the next 50 years!” Right: South Devon Railway Trust chairman Alan Taylor with Colin Harmes and Dave Knowling, footplate crew, on No. 3205 for the anniversary special. SDR Below: Rowena Houghton and Susan Johnson, daughters of founders of the Dart Valley Railway, cut the anniversary cake at Buckfastleigh on October 2. SDR Left: Former South Devon Railway general manager Richard Elliott boards the anniversary train. Richard was present at the first train movement 50 years ago and also oversaw the takeover of the Buckfastleigh line by its supporters association, when Dart Valley Railway plc considered closing it so it could concentrate on the more profitable Dartmouth steam Railway.

Herefordshire Toad brakevan transferred to run on West Somerset Railway THE GWR Toad brakevan at Rowden Mill station has found a new home on the West Somerset Railway. As reported in our last issue, restorer John Wilkinson has placed the station, which served the Worcester to Leominster line, on the market for £445,000, with items of rolling stock being made available for purchase separately. Brakevan No. 114751, which has

spent the past two decades at the station, has now been bought by WSR volunteer Robin White. It arrived on the railway on September 21. Robin, a leading London barrister, said: “There was some danger of it being painted pink, having beds installed and converted into holiday accommodation. It is much better that for the foreseeable

future it will continue to do what it was designed for.” WSR chief mechanical engineer Andrew Foster said: “It is in excellent condition, having been well looked after by its previous owner. After some minor work it will take up duties in our demonstration goods train used for gala events and driver experience courses.”

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Would you like to be a guard on the WSR and using No.114751? The WSR is holding a recruiting day for volunteer guards and signalmen at Bishops Lydeard station on Sunday, November 15, starting at 10am. ➜Anyone interested is asked to contact Pete Vile on [email protected] or Chris Pratt on [email protected] or just turn up on the day. Heritage Railway 37

NEWS

Clayton on the Valley

Hauling a train of LMS stock, Clayton type 1 Bo-Bo D8568 crosses Oldbury viaduct. CLASSIC TRACTION FOLLOWING hard on the heels of the Severn Valley Railway’s September steam gala, the railway’s autumn diesel gala was held over three days – running from Thursday-Saturday, October 1-3. An impressive line-up included Class 50s, a Deltic, Westerns, a Hymek

and a Class 20, but the engine with perhaps the biggest rarity value was another type 1 machine, given a unique opportunity to stretch its legs with a full-size train on a full-size railway. The Clayton type 1 Bo-Bos were one of the least successful of BR’s

Western D1015 WesternChampion produces a fine exhaust as it tackles Eardington bank with a train of LNER teak stock. JAMIE SQUIBBS

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first-generation diesels and were early withdrawals. But one, D8568 – which only worked from 1964 until 1971 – was sold for industrial service in 1972 at a cement works near emel Hempstead. In 1977 it was resold to Ribble Cement at Clitheroe before it was

bought for preservation by the Diesel Traction Group in 1983. It worked on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway until it moved south to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway in 1991. It has seen regular service, but had only made one previous visit away from home, also to the SVR, in 1998.

Resident on the SVR for the summer, Deltic No. 55019 RoyalHighlandFusilier is matched with GWR stock near Northwood. MALCOLM RANIERI Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Heritage Railway 39

NEWS

UK supporters at heart of steam’s Romanian return By Geoff Courtney

BRITISH preservationists were at the heart of a nostalgic moment in Romania’s railway history on September 26-27 when the former Eastern Bloc country’s first-ever heritage line welcomed the return of steam after closure more than a decade ago. The restored line may currently be only a little over two miles long, but for enthusiasts in both the UK and Romania it was a significant milestone that many thought would never be reached. The small guest locomotive,

0-8-0T No. 764-243, hustled and bustled, children who had never seen a steam locomotive at work clamoured for rides, their parents marvelled, volunteers beamed proudly, and – in the truest sense of the phrase – a good time was had by all.

Truncated line

The revived line is centred on the station of Cornatel, mid-way on a 2ft 6in gauge railway that opened in 1910. It formerly ran 68 miles from Sibiu to Sighisoara in central Romania, but in 1965 was truncated to 38 miles between Sibiu and Agnita, on which

route it operated until being closed in 2001. Determined to see it reopen, British preservationists formed the Sibiu to Agnita Railway UK Supporters’ Group (SARUK) in 2010 to work closely with their Romanian counterparts, and over these past five years have provided significant support to the project, including expertise, labour, publicity, legal advice, training, and donations. Support has included working parties travelling from the UK to Romania to help with the restoration, particularly on the track and a girder bridge on the approach to Cornatel

➜ THE West Somerset Railway celebrated its 40th anniversary on September 26 when it was host to Class 66/7 66757 that was named West Somerset Railway by GB Railfreight to mark its connection to the heritage line through its support of the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group. Noting the high standards of operation and engineering skills that are present on the WSR, GBRf managing director, John Smith, confirmed that the naming celebrated the continuing close relationship between GBRf and the WSR while WSR general manager, Paul Conibeare, thanked the company for allowing a locomotive to bear the WSR name during its countrywide journeys on GBRf services. ➜ CLASS 47/3 47375 was released from Nemesis Rail at Burton on October 5 and was transported to Hull by Allelys Haulage on the first stage of its move to Hungary where it will work trains for new owner Continental Railway Solutions. ➜ First Great Western, now the Great Western Railway Company, has paid tribute to a well-respected staff member by naming Class 08

40 Heritagerailway.co.uk

No. 08483 Neil Morgan 1964-2014 Team Leader O.O.C. in a ceremony at Old Oak Common on September 26. Neil passed away in September last year following a battle with cancer; he was not only well respected by his employers but was well known to the heritage movement through his involvement with the Class 50 locomotives based at the Severn Valley Railway. ➜ PORTHCAWL has officially remembered its railway, with a wooden sculpture, representing a cluster of railway signals on the site of the former signalbox, and a paving scheme, which is inlaid with coloured stones depicting the many railway line that used to cross the site. A blue plaque commemorating the joint Bridgend County Borough Council and Porthcawl Town Councilfunded project has also been unveiled. The town’s branch line was closed under Beeching in 1965. ➜ DB Schenker announced the sale of five Class 58s – Nos. 58012/23 and 58022 /48 located at Crewe and No. 58008 at Eastleigh; to be sold “as seen” with successful buyers required to move the locomotives at their expense. Interested parties were asked to express interest with DBS by October 16.

British ambassadors

Over the two days, more than 1000 passengers were carried in the singlecoach train pulled by 1911-built No. 764-243. The event was covered by Romanian newspapers, radio and television, a local holiday farm provided welcome sustenance, and even the British ambassador, Paul Brummell, a staunch supporter of the restoration project, brought along his family to enjoy the occasion. With the locals flocking to the gala in As it was: No. 764207 heads a mixed passenger and freight train away from Cornatel on October 20, 1980, during the SibiuAgnita line’s operational days. UK and Romanian preservationists, who have restored part of the line at the site, hope this scene will be recreated in the coming years. JOHN ALEXANDER

Steamy affair: 1911-built 0-8-0T No. 764-243 at Cornatel with its single-coach train during the history-making September 26-27 gala in central Romania. DAVID ALLAN

IN BRIEF

station, and, on the last weekend in September, dream became reality.

Graffiti vandal is banned from railways for a year GRAFFITI vandal Thomas Whitton, who spraypainted a Swanage Railway coach, has been banned from railways for a year. Whitton, 26, was given a nine-week suspended sentence by Bournemouth magistrates and ordered to pay more than £2000 in compensation after pleading guilty to nine offences. The court heard he targeted stations and trains in the Bournemouth area between January 2013 and June 2014.

The Swanage incident occurred at the resort’s station on March 15. Police arrested Whitton on June 9 and a search of his flat revealed photos and videos of his graffiti along with spray cans, sketch books and canvases containing Whitton’s tag. He was ordered to pay £1044 compensation to the Swanage Railway, £500 to Network Rail, £247 to South West Trains, £555 to First Great Western and £150 court costs.

Dartmouth and Weardale set Polar Express season dates THE Dartmoor and Weardale railways have announced their dates for the popular US-style Polar Express season of Christmas trains based on the film of the same name featuring Tom Hanks. Dartmoor services will operate on November 27-29, December 4-6, 10-13, 15-23 and 27-28, while Weardale services are set to operate on November 22-23, 25-29, December 1-6, 8-23 and 27-28. Both lines will operate up to five

trains with traction being provided by heritage diesel locomotives. Negotiations for locomotives are still under way at the time of going to press, but the owners of Class 47/7 No. 47712 Lady Diana have confirmed that it will be at the Weardale Railway during the operating season. It is expected to be joined by Class 47/0 D1842/47192 but this will depend on the completion of outstanding maintenance work.

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Driving into history: Driver Fabian ‘Micky’ Miklos surveys the scene from the footplate of No. 764-243 during the UK-supported September 26-27 steam gala at Cornatel on the Sibiu-Agnita line in Romania. DAVID ALLAN their hundreds, the footplate crew members were treated like filmstars and station staff looked resplendent in their peak-brimmed hats with coloured tops. Chris Phillimore of Track Systems UK acted as guard on nearly every trip, and the little tank engine, hired with its coach from businessman George Hocevar, was photographed over and over and over again. As No. 764-243 huffed and puffed and excitement was shared between youngsters and adults alike, SARUK chairman, David Allan, dwelt on the past, the present and the future. “After closure in 2001 the rails and

Bridging the gap: No. 764-243 crosses the girder bridge at Cornatel during the successful ground-breaking steam gala in Romania on September 26-27. The structure had been extensively renovated by British preservationists for the event in tandem with their Romanian counterparts. DAVID ALLAN infrastructure were left in situ and the line was declared an historic national monument, which meant it couldn’t be sold or demolished,” he said.

Officialdom cool

“However, official reaction to restoration was lukewarm. There is no history of volunteering in Romania, and indeed, such activity often attracts suspicion. “SARUK was formed in 2010 after a UK group visiting the railway to celebrate its centenary was enchanted by the prospect of restoring this national monument. Working closely

with a local group, the UK group sought to raise the profile of the railway, and the Romanian volunteers have proved to be enthusiastic and hard working.” Describing the weekend as a “triumphant occasion” for the Romanian enthusiasts, David said: “By any standards it was a success. “The young Romanian volunteers of both sexes have laboured so hard to achieve this moment of steam again on the first-ever heritage railway in Romania, and have battled against overwhelming odds to

Northampton line could be doubled THE Northampton & Lamport Railway could double its length if Northamptonshire County Council agrees to lease a new section of trackbed and land. The heritage line wants to extend the line to Spratton. At a special cabinet meeting of the authority, the council’s cabinet member for finance, Coun Bill Parker, approved a decision to hold a public consultation on plans to offer land at Brampton Valley Way on a 50-year

Coach repaint offer for WSR WEST Somerset Restoration, part of WSRA (Promotions) Ltd, the trading subsidiary of the West Somerset Railway Association has made an offer to repaint one of the West Somerset Railway’s Mk.1 operational service coaches at the Williton workshops during November. It is expected that this vehicle will be SK No. 35323 and it will retain its present brown and cream colours.

lease to enable the extension to go ahead. Under the scheme, walkers and cyclists would still be able to use the public right of way, with a safety fence separating the park from the line, as on the Avon Valley and Welsh Highland railways. Coun Parker said: “Northampton Steam Railway Limited has been working hard to bring forward plans to extend the line further through Brampton Valley Way and I’m

delighted to lend our support to the project. “Before any final decision is made, we want to make sure the views of visitors to the park are taken into account and will be holding a public consultation to give people the opportunity to provide their feedback on the proposal.” The county council already leases land to the organisation for the existing running line, between Boughton crossing and Merry Tom crossing.

NRM to stage more drama FOLLOWING another hugely successful production of Edith A Nesbit’s children’s classic The Railway Children, the National Railway Museum is set to embark on two more collaborations with York Theatre Royal this year. Running in the Signal Box Theatre from October 24 to November 1 will be York Theatre Royal’s annual TakeOver Festival. Young people aged 12 to 26 will take over every corner of the museum to create a multi-arts festival in a unique setting, involving a wide variety of media, from original plays to musical

comedy, film screenings to live poetry. The theatre’s Christmas pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Meerkat, will run from December 10 until January 24, again at the NRM. It will feature the UK’s longest-running pantomime dame, Berwick Kaler. The theatre is basing itself at the NRM while it undergoes a major redevelopment. The museum and theatre are also collaborating on a new play to tell the story of LNER A3 Pacific No. 4472 (60103) Flying Scotsman for next year. It is current working with writers, and the exact format has yet to be decided.

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achieve their ambition. The country should be proud of them.” There is still much work to be done, for the newly reopened two-mile stretch is but a small part of a project to increase this to 4½ miles, and ultimately to restore the entire 38 miles between Sibiu and Agnita. But the gala, said David, proved conclusively that there was local demand to travel on a heritage railway, and would add to the portfolio of heritage attractions that the region so badly needed. “Will we be back next year?” he asked. “You bet your life we will!”

Nilgiri opens new museum INDIAN Southern Railway general manager, Vashishta Johri, has officially opened a Nilgiri Mountain Railway museum at Mettupalayam station. The museum, set up by the Salem division, houses models of some of the oldest locomotives and coaches used on the Nilgiri rack-and-pinion mountain route, and pictures and other rare artefacts relating to the line. Its first locomotive, built at Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works in Winterthur in Switzerland, which pulled the first train in 1899, is on display alongside coaches and coal wagons.

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Unique memorial to young steam fan returns to main line By Geoff Courtney A 65-year-old main line memorial dedicated to a young steam-era trainspotter who died at the age of just 23 has been restored to its former glory in a joint project between Network Rail, Heritage Railway, a former Network SouthEast employee, and one of the country’s most respected railwayana collectors. Located beside the East Coast Main Line near Essendine, north of Peterborough, the memorial remembers Brian Carter, who was born with a heart defect that ended his short life in September 1950. Brian was an avid trainspotter, firstly at Carmarthen in west Wales, where he lived, and then beside the ECML after his family moved to Lincolnshire. After his death his father’s former colleagues at a Carmarthen dairy paid for a memorial, which British Railways agreed could be sited at his favourite lineside spot near ECML milepost 89. Brian’s ashes were also scattered at the site.

The last time ever

There the memorial survived, almost forgotten other than by local railway staff, until being highlighted last year by former Network SouthEast public affairs manager, Mike Lamport, in a railway tales book. Mike, now retired, recalled in the book how he arranged for Brian’s 99-year-old mother, May, to visit the memorial in 1994, the first time she had seen it in more than 40 years, and for the last time ever. After the book appeared, Mike, who is 66 and lives in Ely, managed to ensure the continued survival of the weather-beaten memorial by getting it safeguarded by the Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board, while Heritage Railway stepped in with an offer to fund its restoration. A carpenter replaced the rotting woodwork, and the plaque itself was restored at no cost by Paul Tilley, a retired schoolteacher and well-known member of the railwayana movement who is also a respected locomotive nameplate restorer. The restoration was completed in September and the memorial, which bears an etched image of A4 No. 60010 Dominion of Canada and an inscription recording Brian’s love of the railways, has been returned by Network Rail to its ECML location.

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At rest: The memorial to steam train enthusiast, Brian Carter, after restoration and return to its resting place beside the East Coast Main Line north of Peterborough. NETWORK RAIL Explaining his reasons for carrying out the restoration free of charge, 66year-old Paul, whose father Len ran a taxi business in nearby Stamford, said: “I spent many a happy hour watching the trains at this location, and was aware of the memorial from a very early age. It was a favourite spot at rail level to see the Pacifics come thundering past – fabulous times. “The immaculate embankments and permanent way were maintained by a gang headed by Harry Bagworth, who took great pride in their ‘length’ and often enjoyed banter with us spotters in the 1960s. “Fond memories of this location and the memorial were recalled when Heritage Railway covered the story, and I was only too happy to play a part in its restoration.” Coincidentally, Paul has in his in collection a family photograph

Trainspotting: A 12-year-old Paul Tilley in a family photograph beside the ECML near Essendine in 1962, at the exact location of the Brian Carter memorial, which is just out of shot on the left and which Paul, a keen railway enthusiast, has recently restored in a project with Heritage Railway. In the foreground is the family Morris Oxford Series II saloon car which, according to the 1955 edition of the Ian Allan ABC of British Cars cost £744 17s 6d new, including purchase tax, and was fitted with a “lively” 1½-litre engine that gave a top speed of more than 70mph. PAUL TILLEY COLLECTION of him as a 12-year-old at the exact spot. Describing the memorial story as “touching”, Network Rail’s Peterborough-based local operations manager, Nigel Meek, said: “When I was asked by Heritage Railway to help with the renovation I was delighted to be involved, as the memorial is well known to active and retired staff.

Many more years

“It has been in place for a number of years and has weathered over time; it is fitting that it has been renovated. I hope its restoration means it will be there for many more years to tell the story of Brian Carter.” Mike Lamport said: “It’s easy to think that willing partnerships such as this ended with the break up of the railway industry 20 years ago,

but, as this project happily demonstrates, the railway industry and its friends can still pull together when it matters. “I know that Mrs Carter would be so very grateful for the kindness and consideration that the partners in this project have shown in restoring her son’s unique and moving memorial.” Tim Hartley, publisher at Heritage Railway owner Mortons Media Group, said: “The way various people have all played a part in restoring this memorial is a fitting tribute to a dedicated steam railway enthusiast who lost his life at such a young age, and we are delighted to have been involved. “How wonderful it would be if it were to stand at Brian Carter’s favourite trainspotting location for another 65 years.”

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Autumn sales sparkle with £64k model and £50k poster By Geoff Courtney A £64,000 model of the last steam locomotive built by BR, and a rare railway poster, which it is estimated will sell under the hammer for up to £50,000, have lit up the autumn railwayana auction scene. The live steam model of Class 9F 2-10-0 No. 92220 Evening Star, in 7¼ gauge, sold at a Dreweatts & Bloomsbury sale in Newbury on September 23, after a battle between two bidders, one of whom was in the room and the second on the telephone. With a length of 8ft 6in and built to exhibition quality with fine detail, it was a stunning example of the modelmaker’s art, and to most eyes fully justified the catalogue description of “the finest model possible of the last steam locomotive built by British Railways.” After bringing down the hammer at £64,000, auctioneer Michael Matthews enthused: “It is a very rare model – one of very few of Evening Star built in 7¼in gauge. Rarity such as this invariably sells well.” No. 92220 was built at Swindon in March 1960 and withdrawn from Cardiff East Dock (88A) just five years later, in March 1965, a victim of the dieselisation that led to such fine locomotives having wastefully short lives. It was earmarked for preservation even before it was built, becoming part of the National Collection immediately after being taken out of service. The model, which took Ron Martin of Bristol five years to build and was completed in 1992, carries an 82F (Bath Green Park) shedplate and a ‘Pines Express’ headboard, a nod to its history that included hauling the last such express over the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway on September 8, 1962. Other models in the sale making five-figure realisations included a trio of 5in gauge live steam comprising

LNWR 2-2-2-0 No. 1304 Jeanie Deans and GWR No. 6007 King William III, each at £11,000, and classmate No. 6029 King Stephen at £10,000. Another was a model of the railway carriage Experiment, which was in the first train on the Stockton & Darlington Railway pulled by Locomotion No. 1 – with George Stephenson at the controls – on September 27, 1825. This carriage, which resembled a stagecoach, seated 18 passengers, all of whom must have endured a bumpy ride as it was not equipped with springs. The model, which sold to a telephone bidder for £10,500 – an astonishing 15 times its middle estimate of £700 – is 2ft long and is believed to have been made in the 19th century, possibly even being contemporary with the full-size carriage on which it is based. All the prices quoted exclude buyer’s premium of 24% (+ VAT).

Gresley Pacific in profile

Meanwhile, another railway rarity will be in the spotlight on November 5, when a poster by Alexandre Alexeieff, issued by the LNER in 1932, goes under the hammer at a Christie’s auction in South Kensington, London, with an estimate of up to £50,000. The poster, featuring a profile of an A1 (later A3) Gresley Pacific against a moonlit and starry sky, promotes the southbound Edinburgh Waverley to King’s Cross sleeper service, and was similar to that advertising the northbound train between the two capital cities. A major difference between the two, however, is that the version promoting the northbound Down train advertises ‘The Night Scotsman’, whereas that for the Up train does not do so as unusually the service from Edinburgh to King’s Cross was unnamed until 1939. Alexeieff was born in Russia in 1901 and suffered tragedies at a young age when one of his older brothers killed

Successful experiment: An estimate of £700 proved to be a realisation of £10,500 for this 19th-century 2ft-long model of the railway carriageExperimentat auction on September 23. DREWEATTS & BLOOMSBURY

Fronting up: The 7¼in gauge live steam model of 9F No. 92220 EveningStar that realised £64,000 at a Dreweatts & Bloomsbury auction in Newbury on September 23. DREWEATTS & BLOOMSBURY himself and a second disappeared during the Russian Revolution of 1917. By then Alexandre’s ability as an artist was being recognised, and indeed the brother, Vladimir, wrote him a note before his suicide telling him he was very talented and urging him to keep drawing. In addition he rarely saw his father, who was a military attaché and frequently away on missions. In 1921 Alexandre jumped ship when the vessel on which he was travelling sought shelter in the French Riviera, and he remained in the country for much of his life, dying at

the age of 81. Although a talented artist – he illustrated 41 books – Alexeieff is most famous for inventing, with his second wife American-born Claire Parker, pinscreen animation in the early 1930s, a technique he used to make six films. Parker died in 1981, a year before her husband. ➜ See Geoff Courtney’s railwayana column on pages 5253 for further results in the Dreweatts & Bloomsbury auction and other highlights of the Christie’s poster auction.

Poster boy: Russian-born French resident, Alexandre Alexeieff, produced this poster for the LNER in 1932 that will be going under the hammer at a Christie’s auction on November 5 at an estimate of up to £50,000. CHRISTIE’S

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

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NEWS Gooch remembered in adopted town A BLUE plaque honouring Sir Daniel Gooch – the Great Western Railway’s first locomotive superintendent and later its chairman – was unveiled at Windsor Royal Shopping Centre, the town’s GWR station building, on October 15. He lived in Windsor’s Clewer Park from 1859 and was also a town magistrate, deputy lieutenant of Berkshire plus the Member of Parliament for Cricklade in Wiltshire. Sir Daniel was nominated for the plaque by Malcolm Lock, chairman of the Friends of Windsor & Royal Borough Museum, who said: “I felt the need for some form of recognition for Daniel Gooch as the bicentenary of his birth approached. “As his home at Clewer Park has long been demolished, I felt the old GWR station building would make an ideal site.”

The special guest at the September 25-27 Lynton & Barnstaple Railway autumn steam gala was the Ffestiniog Railway’s former Penrhyn Railway Hunslet 2-4-0TT Blanche. It hauled regular passenger trains and stayed on for the following weekend. At the gala Blanche ran alongside residents Axe, Charles Wytock and Isaac. TONY NICHOLSON

Heritage sector’s farewell to pioneering Tony Hills By Robin Jones THE heritage sector has been in mourning for Tony Hills – the accountant-turned-engineer who once owned two Welsh narrow gauge lines. With Peter Rampton, he bought the Vale of Rheidol Railway from British Rail in 1989, and also built the Brecon Mountain Railway. The 78-year-old died at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil on August 28 after a short illness. Born in Moseley, Birmingham, in his youth he was a keen and successful rugby player. In his early career he qualified as an accountant and worked in his father’s practice. In his spare time he was a member of the Ffestiniog Railway Midland Group and took on various restoration projects for it. He bought

his first steam engine, Quarry Hunslet No, 827 of 1903 Sybil, from the Pen-Yr-Orsedd slate quarry at Nantlle near Caernarfon. In the 1970s Tony and his family moved to North Wales in the search for a suitable site to build a railway, while also running a guesthouse called Glan-y-Bala, in Llanberis.

Dream creation

In 1972 Hills & Bailey was formed as railway and general engineers. During this time it completed various engineering jobs and contracts and restored steam locomotives. It was during this time that Baldwin 4-6-2 No. 2 was purchased from South Africa. In the mid-1970s, after several visits to South Wales, Tony sourced a suitable site for his dream of creating a narrow gauge line, at Pant on the former

Brecon & Merthyr Railway trackbed. In June 1980, the first 1¾ mile section of the Brecon Mountain Railway was opened. The first season of trains was operated by Sybil and one carriage, but as traffic grew, more coaches were built. The restoration of Arn Jung 0-6-2WT No. 1261 of 1908 Graf Schwerin-Lowitz was finished in 1982 and three years later, the 2ft gauge line was extended to Dol-y-Gaer. The Vale of Rheidol Railway was purchased by the Brecon Mountain Railway. Tony and Peter also owned the Brecon Mountain Railway and in 1996, Peter exchanged his interest in the Brecon line for Tony’s interest in the VoR, which was sold to a trust formed by Peter, the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust.

In 2014 the railway was extended once more to Torpantau to give a running length of five miles. A statement from the Brecon Mountain Railway said: “The BMR is now a very popular tourist attraction with many visitors from around the world, which fulfilled Tony’s vision for a successful narrow gauge railway.

Enthusiast

“Tony will be remembered for his enthusiasm, his optimism and his practical thinking. He leaves behind five children – Matthew, Andrew, Simon, Michael and Amy, and all of their families – and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.” His children have inherited the line. Tony’s funeral was held at Christ Church in Pant on September 11, followed by cremation at Llwydcoed.

National award recognises Quorn & Woodhouse work THE David Clarke Railway Trust team has been presented with a Biffa Award grant for the renovation and interpretation of the station yard at Quorn & Woodhouse station. Thanks to £46,416 from Biffa Award – a multi-million pound fund that helps community and environmental projects – the station’s goods yard has been transformed to include features that recreate some of the facilities which would have been found in the days when the GCR was a trunk railway running to Marylebone. The project aims to enhance the visitor experience, particularly for the younger generations, many of whom would never have seen a working goods yard in a typical rural railway station. A timber goods platform has

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The ‘Tin Shed’ which has been turned into a beer tent. DENNIS WILCOCK

The ‘Tin Shed’ before renovation, when it was labelled as a dangerous structure. GCR

been built that incorporates a cattle dock, where animals would have been kept prior to transportation and coal staithes erected to show how coal would have been stored ready

to be loaded onto the tenders behind the locomotives. The station stairs and roof have been authentically refurbished to address structural problems. A corrugated

tin-clad building – the ‘Tin Shed’ dating from the opening of the railway in 1899 – has been reclad and refurbished to create a community meeting room. The project was managed by GCR long serving volunteers Brian Screaton and Tom Chaplin, who attended the award ceremony at Coventry Transport Museum on October 1. Biffa declared it to be the top Cultural Facility project. Trust chairman Bill Ford said: “As we continue to develop the railway, unlocking the secrets of how and why the railways were built and how they served communities is really important and we are thrilled Biffa Award has funded and now recognised the work.”

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Five more bogie trucks for L&B line

£200,000 is still needed to plug the ‘gap’ inThe UnknownWarrior and complete the boiler.

Patriot to become 4-6-0 for first time!

New home

NEW LMS Patriot No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior was reunited with three nameplates from class members at the Barrow Hill LMS Ticket To Ride gala on September 25-27. Loaned for the occasion were plates from No. 45509 The Derbyshire Yeomanry, No. 45536 Private W Wood V.C. and No. 45537 Private E. Sykes V.C. Looking more like a locomotive with every public appearance that it makes, around £200,000 is still needed to complete the £480,000 boiler and fill in the ‘gap’. After Barrow Hill, The Unknown Warrior was transported to Tyseley Locomotive Works for the bogie and cylinder liners to be fitted, enabling the new build ‘Patriot’ to become a 4-6-0 for the first time. ➜HeritageRailway readers sponsored the casing of the six driving wheels. Anyone who would like to sponsor this project is invited to visit www.lms-patriot.org.uk or telephone 01785 244156 or write to The LMS-Patriot Company Ltd, The Hub, 17 Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ.

Paul Turner, RGB Building Supplies finance director, said: “Our expansion means we are redeveloping our current Barnstaple site to create more head office space, but as the trucks played an important role in our history, we wanted to make sure they were preserved and went to a good home. “We’re delighted that Lynton & Barnstaple Railway will be restoring them and hopefully making use of them again.” The L&B’s Martin Budd, said: “We are planning on restoring them as much as we can and putting them to good use in our planned Blackmoor Gate shed.”

Big return for ‘small’ No. 813

NYMR helps stop Pickering flooding AS ALWAYS, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s permanent-way staff and volunteers have a busy winter planned and will be hoping that doom-laden forecasts in the press for harsh weather do not come true. The first job of the winter will be to re-rail between Hunting Bridge (site of the recent extensive flood defence works) and Kingthorpe curve, which will use new bullhead rail welded into 120ft lengths. Some of this work is being funded by the Environment Agency in return for the railway’s help, by agreeing to its designs and allowing it to use NYMR land, including removing track to enable the installation of the sheet pile barrier for the dam. Re-railing this half mile completes the work done by the

RGB Building Supplies has donated five bogie trucks to the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. The firm, originally known as Rawle Gammon & Baker, which was originally established in 1850 as a timber importing business operating out of Rolle Quay, Barnstaple, used the wagons to move timber from the yard into the sawmill. RGB began using side-loader lorries to move timber around the yard from the late 1960s, but the wagons, believed to date from the First World War, still played a part up until the firm moved to Pottington Business Park in 2005. RGB transported the bogie trucks to the new site and placed them in storage, even though they were no longer used.

Environment Agency for the Slowing the Flow project. This will help protect Pickering and the area from flooding, when water rushes down Newtondale, by holding it in the cleverly designed reservoir built on the east side of the railway, with a section of the reservoir dam construction itself being part of the track. The dam that forms the downstream end of the reservoir is the railway formation so there are now sheet piles under the track. The reverse curves at Kingthorpe will see the life-expired bullhead track replaced with modern flat bottom track on concrete sleepers, at 600mm spacing. It is hoped that this will enable the speed limit at this location to be lifted with a consequent

improvement in timekeeping and some scope for recovery of late running. Other projects for this winter include installing a second water tank at Grosmont to supplement the supply to the motive power depot. This tank will be on the tunnel top alongside the present one and should ensure the shed always has a reliable source of water for the steam engines, even on gala days. A new water column at the south end of Grosmont station is also planned for the use of locomotives on Pickering-bound trains, particularly BR Standard 2-6-4T No. 80135, which is expected to see use on WhitbyPickering services, where its water capacity is tight.

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

FORMER Port Talbot Railway/GWR 0-6-0ST No. 813, one of the Severn Valley Railway’s smallest locomotives, is about to return to steam. The locomotive has been at the railway since entering preservation in November 1967 after retirement from industrial use with the National Coal Board at Backworth Colliery. New coupling rods are being machined at Bridgnorth as the old ones were life expired. The fully overhauled boiler is also back in the frames and is being lagged before the fitting of the saddle tank. All being well, the 1901-built inside-cylinder Hudswell Clarke machine should steam before the end of this year. The locomotive is too small for normal SVR trains, but will see use during galas and also be available for hire to other railways. Heritage Railway 45

FAMOUS BRITISH LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS

SIRWILLIAM

STANIER LONDON MIDLAND & SCOTTISH RAILWAY

In the latest in the series of ‘Big Four’ chief mechanical engineers Cedric Johns reviews the career of Sir William Stanier…

W

hen William Stanier joined the Great Western Railway as an office boy in 1892 he could have had no idea that 30 or so years later he would become the man who pulled the LMS motive power locomotive stock up by its roots. Like so many railwaymen who followed in the footsteps of their fathers, young Swindon-born Stanier joined his father – who was William Dean’s chief clerk – beginning his adult career working ‘inside’ the works as a junior employee. Soon after experiencing basic office work, Stanier was given a five-year apprenticeship in

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the workshops, then in 1897 he was transferred to the drawing office where, at the end of a three-year term, he was appointed inspector of materials.

Promotion

In 1900 Churchward sent him to the railway’s London Division as assistant to the divisional locomotive superintendent. Twelve years later, Stanier returned to Swindon and in 1914 was promoted to the position of assistant to the works manager. In 1920 he became works manager under

Collett, gaining an even greater measure of responsibility in the world of locomotive engineering. In 1931, having been approached by Sir Josiah Stamp, chairman of the LMS, Stanier reached a career crossroads, probably with misgivings. Having spent the whole of his working life with Great Western men, he was being offered a free hand in a position of higher authority albeit in a completely new and different environment. As for Stamp, he hadn’t needed a curriculum vitae to seek out his man; Stanier’s experience and knowledge gained over some 30 years at

Swindon made him an obvious choice. So it was in 1932 Stanier said his goodbyes and travelled across the tracks to Crewe, where he changed the LMS’s inherited ‘small engine’ engineering philosophies for good during the ensuing 12 years in which he held office. Nevertheless, he must have faced some difficulties in his early days, meeting and creating friendships with fellow engineers set in their ways, while he sought to establish his own personal technical beliefs in ‘foreign territory’. One of his first priorities was to modernise the railway’s mixed traffic and heavy freight locomotive fleet and to this end his attention was drawn to an immediate need to increase the numbers of Hughes-Fowler 2-6-0s, widely known as Horwich-built ‘Crabs’ – 245 of this type had been built before Stanier arrived on the scene. Another 40 were required quickly.

Unknown quantity

Instead of issuing a repeat order, Stanier decided to produce a new or modified design, providing the same tractive effort, but fitted with a taper boiler based on Swindon practices in principle if not the detail. An initial design was drawn up and sent to Horwich for work to begin, bearing in mind that Stanier was still an unknown quantity to those in the Horwich drawing office. As it was work went ahead and it seems that in an effort to please their new boss the first 26-0, No. 13245, was outshopped complete with a Great Western-type safety-valve bonnet. Not impressed, he ordered its removal stressing that he had no wish to produce copies of practices carried out at Swindon.

LMS Princess Royal Pacific No. 6201 PrincessElizabeth nearing completion of its latest overhaul at Tyseley. MARTIN CREESE

In actual fact, No. 13245 was something of a hybrid; it incorporated Horwich-style frames, a Swindon-influenced taper boiler, and was coupled to a Derby-designed tender. The first 10 were built with modified safetyvalve covers located on the boiler barrel, but recognising that there would be no room for this type of safety valve on a larger boiler, taking into account the LMS loading-gauge restrictions, he specified a short ‘pop’ valve over the firebox for all future constructions. Having said that all of the first batch of 10 engines remained in service as originally built until called in for heavy overhaul. The remaining 30 locomotives were built with safety valves mounted over the firebox, and feed clacks covered by a casing which became a standard for domeless boilers.

In many respects Stanier’s attention to the new 2-6-0s was something of a side show. He had plans for a locomotive much larger in size on his mind.

New design

Although Fowler’s Royal Scot 4-6-0s were coping admirably with through Euston-Glasgow passenger services of 400 tons, the fact that working practices called for an engine change at Carlisle prompted Stanier to think that a new design capable of running through with trains of up to 500 tons, without changing engines, was the way forward. Indeed, the new design would not only provide more power, its capability would save platform time and reduce operating costs. In setting out details of the new design, Stanier

Heritage Railway 47

based increased power on an improved boiler, a larger grate area and a wide firebox. To carry increased weight a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement was incorporated with 6ft 9in coupled driving wheels, later reduced to 6ft 6in in size. In 1933 authority was given to proceed with two such engines and work made such rapid progress that the first 4-6-2 was outshopped at Crewe just 17 months after Stanier had taken office. Numbered 6200 and named The Princess Royal the engine formed a class of 12 express passenger engines, the like of which the LMS had never seen before, plus No. 6202, the experimental turbomotive which, indecently, was never given a name. When completed the prototype turned the old Midland’s small-engine policy on its head, No. 6200 turning the scales at a massive 159 tons 3cwts. No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth was completed shortly afterwards, but the remainder of the class (including No. 6202, which was scrapped ‘beyond repair’ following the horrific Harrow collision in 1952) were not put into traffic until 1935. While the introduction of the Princess Royal 4-6-2s represented the future of the LMS’s heavy express passenger motive power the need for a versatile two-cylinder mixed-traffic 4-6-0 had been on the locomotive management committee’s table since 1923. Several design proposals had been presented by Derby but nothing of substance had emerged.

Above: Three-cylinder 4MT 2-6-4T No. 2500 inside Barrow Hill Roundhouse. FRED KERR

Right: The ‘Turbomotive’ No. 6202 at Euston in 1934. COLOUR RAIL.COM 92734

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When Stanier was briefed on what had become a priority he came up with a design, which not only provided the answer, but in the eyes of many – past and present – his ‘Black Five’ symbolised the man’s tremendous achievements in successful locomotive design engineering. Introduced in 1934 the ‘Black Five’ design specification for a two-cylinder mixed-traffic engine covered all the requirements for which the 4-6-0s might be rostered: express, semi-fast and stopping passenger trains, all types of main line freight traffic and when required (and permitted), branch line working.

Successful

The ace up Stanier’s sleeve was the fact that the ‘Black Fives’ weight – 125 tons 5cwts – allowed the class to work over virtually all routes operated by the LMS and where running powers existed. So successful were the 4-6-0s that no fewer than 842 were built between 1935 and 1950. Construction was carried out in batches at Crewe, Derby and Horwich, and sub-contracted to Vulcan Foundry and Armstrong Whitworth. Stanier’s 5XP express 4-6-0 was to become the 191-strong Jubilee class, painted maroon and known initially as ‘Red Fives’. Sir Henry Fowler’s parallel-boilered Patriot 4-6-0s were still being constructed, but the last five were built with Stanier’s taper boiler and so became the first of the Jubilees. Introduced along with the ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s, and in a bit of a hurry, with 113 Jubilees going straight into service, they were not a great success and comments from footplate

crews included the classic “the black‘uns are alright but the red‘uns won’t steam”. The moderate degree of superheating was partly to blame, but changes to the blastpipe and chimney dimensions helped to transform them. On April 29, 1935 No. 5552, the first of the class permanently swapped identities with No. 5642, which had been named Silver Jubilee 10 days earlier in recognition of the Silver Jubilee of King George V on May 6. But it was the decision to swap identities with No. 5552 so that Silver Jubilee became the first engine, carrying unlined black livery with chrome embellishments, that led to the familiar Jubilee class name. A consistent naming theme was impossible for such a large class, so once Commonwealth countries and states were exhausted, there was a series of admirals and naval commanders and then British Navy warships, most originally characters in Greek mythology, but with quite a mixture of the various themes towards the end. They are often associated with the former MR main line, where they represented a big increase in power over the Compound 4P 4-4-0s, and right up until the late 1950s, it was still rare for anything bigger than a Jubilee to work south of Leeds. With so many engines, the class could nevertheless be found on main lines throughout the former LMS system. There were a number of detail differences, the most obvious being that some entered service with Fowler tenders. In January 1951, the power classification was changed from 5XP to 6P by BR and to 6P5F in November 1955. At the same time, Stanier’s 7F 2-8-0s became 8Fs and his 7P Pacifics became 8P while the Royal Scots became 7P. No. 45637 Windward Islands was scrapped in 1952 after the Harrow & Wealdstone crash, but although normal withdrawals started in 1960, the last survivors worked from the Leeds area until the end of September 1967, still having been regularly rostered for Settle & Carlisle line expresses during the summer. I first became aware of Stanier’s engines when Swindon-built 8F 2-8-0s were commonly used on heavy freight – mainly coal duties – in my early ‘spotting days’ in Wiltshire. I would see them heading coal trains bound for the naval ports at Portsmouth, Portland and Devonport, returning next day with the empties, which rattled their way down the line towards Bristol, Severn Tunnel and Cardiff marshalling areas, turned out in unlined black, with the LMS gold and red logotype on the sides of the later type of tenders but without smokebox numberplates. Instead, Swindon painted the 8400-79 series numbers in Great Western style on the bufferbeams. The 8Fs were not listed in our ABCs so we tended to ignore them with pen and paper, but nevertheless watched them at work with more than passing interest. When BOAC and my father moved to southern climes my family followed, a move that brought me into contact with Drummond, Urie, Maunsell and Bulleid types in the Bournemouth area. It was at the long-demolished Bournemouth West station that I first became familiar with ‘Black Fives’ arriving and departing with Midland- and Northern-bound trains, including the ‘Pines Express’, over the longgone Somerset & Dorset line to Bath Green Park, where engines were changed. On summer Saturdays at least five of the 4-6-0s would emerge from Branksome shed

prepped to work morning passenger trains over eight miles of the Southern’s lines beyond Poole to Broadstone – via Holes Bay Junction – where the joint railway actually started with a single track as far as Corfe Mullen. For many years the classic sight on the line was of the ‘Pines’ – for example – being hauled by a ‘Black Five’ with a Midland 2P 4-4-0 acting as pilot. Bath shed was not beyond ‘borrowing’ visiting engines to boost locomotive power over summer weekends. Horwich-built ‘Crab’ 2-6-0s were regular visitors. On one notable occasion, Bath commandeered a Scottish Region ‘Black Five’ No. 44883 from Carlisle Kingmoor to work a train into the West station.

Experimental

Equally rare, was a Caprotti 4-6-0 No. 44744 and No. 44825, the latter being turned out in BR experimental light-green finish. But back to Stanier. In 1933 the building programme included a batch of Fowlerdesigned 2-6-4Ts which Stanier adapted to five three-cylinder taper boiler engines with the Tilbury-Southend commuter line in mind as a priority. Strangely none of the five were given this duty but when another 32 were outshopped at Derby, all the 2-6-4Ts were allocated to the Essex commuter line where they became the mainstay of Southend-London traffic, well into BR days. Oddly perhaps, Fowler’s two-cylinder engines proved to be equal to Stanier’s three-cylinder design so, in 1935, he produced a new series of two-cylinder 2-6-4Ts. The first batch of eight engines were turned out with low-degree superheat and domeless boilers, but the rest of the class when built carried an improved boiler. Widely distributed across the LMS system the new 2-6-4Ts settled down to become excellent performers. In 1935 another Stanier landmark was also produced in the shape of his 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive designed to work over most of the LMS routes.

The 2-8-0s were the first modern design to appear since Fowler-designed 2-8-0s were built for the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway in 1929. In reality the first batch of 12 equipped with domeless taper boilers were classified 7F. When production continued, incorporating an improved boiler, separate dome, and top feed and vacuum brakes, they formed the basis of a class which became recognised as the LMS’s standard heavy freight motive power. When the Second World War broke out the War Department chose the 8F for quantity production to meet the needs of moving materials, munitions and armoured vehicles to government wartime requirements. This, of course, was a reflection of Robinson’s Great Central 2-8-0s being used by the War

“‘Turbomotive’ No. 6202 was notable for the fact it was able to lay claim to be the most successful experimental locomotive built in this country” Department during the 1914-1918 conflict. To speed production, construction of 7Fs was subcontracted to North British (1941), Swindon (1943-1945), Horwich (1943-1945), Eastleigh (1943-1944), Brighton (1943-1944), Ashford (1943-1944) and Doncaster. Additional 2-8-0s were built at Crewe (1943/1944). As might be imagined various modifications were made to the original design, both in prewar days and during hostilities, when 2-8-0s were shipped abroad to Europe and the Middle East as part of the war effort. In total, 852 of the class were built. In 1935 Stanier added to the tank engine stud by adapting Fowler’s 1930 2-6-2T design. He incorporated a taper boiler, but retained all of Fowler’s general dimensions. Classified 3P,

the class of 139 was considered to be the least satisfactory of Stanier’s standard types. Nos. 145-184 were built at Derby, Nos. 185 -209 at Crewe. That same year, and following the failure of Fowler’s experimental high-pressure 4-6-0 No. 6399 Fury in 1930, the decision to rebuild the little-used engine was taken. The revised design was based on conventional lines utilising the engine’s original frames and wheels. When completed, the 4-6-0 emerged as No. 6170 British Legion. In assessing the rebuild it would be more accurate to describe the engine as a Stanier equivalent to the original Royal Scot design. Also notable in 1935 was the fact that the remainder of the Princess Royal 4-6-2’s construction was started. Of these, No. 6202 was Stanier’s only attempt to consider an alternative form of motive power. Popularly known as ‘Turbomotive’, No. 6202 was equally notable for the fact that it was able to lay claim to be the most successful experimental locomotive built in this country. Boiler, frames, wheels and the majority of parts were basically similar to the rest of its class, but many other aspects of its design were very different.

Extensive trials

A contract for turbine equipment was placed with Metropolitan-Vickers and construction was completed at Crewe in 1935. When outshopped, No. 6202 weighed 165 tons 4cwts compared with the 159 tons 3cwts of the rest of the 4-6-2s. Extensive trials were carried out on the company’s Euston-Glasgow services in direct comparison with the ‘Turbomotive’s’ classmates employed working the ‘Royal’ and ‘Mid-Day Scot’ trains. Following the trials, No. 6202 was usually confined to working Euston-Liverpool passenger services. Interestingly, because ‘soft’ turbine exhaust was inclined to drift down to obscure cab windows, the 4-6-2 became the first to be fitted Heritage Railway 49

with smoke deflectors, long after Stanier left Crewe. He resigned in 1944 to concentrate on work associated with the wartime Ministry of Production. No. 6202 required expensive renewals – including a new main turbine – and a decision was taken by BR to rebuild the engine to conventional specifications. Outshopped from Crewe in 1952 the 4-6-2 was given the name Princess Anne. In the event the ‘new’ engine’s working life was cut short when, within months, it was involved in the horrific train collision of at Harrow. Extensively damaged, Princess Anne was withdrawn and broken up, although its boiler was repaired for future use as a spare. It is reasonable to say that the Princess Coronation class of 4-6-2s, introduced in 1937, represented the pinnacle of Stanier’s reign on the LMS. Driven by competition, especially from the LNER A4s working Anglo-Scottish passenger traffic, the company’s directors asked Stanier to come up with a design, which would be launched by a train to mark the coronation year of King George VI with a new high-speed train. Such a design would increase the number of locomotives available to work the retimed LMS’s ‘XL’ timetables. Despite excellent performances being put up by the Princess Royals, it was thought that an improved design with a built-in capability of sustained high-speed steaming was required to further improve daily services to and from Scotland. With this in mind, Stanier took full advantage of Chapelon’s advanced use of internally streamlined steam passages while planning his new class of high-speed 4-6-2s. Compared with his earlier engines Stanier made important changes by designing an improved boiler to provide enhanced steaming capacity and an enlarged heating surface.

50 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Coupled wheels were increased in size to 6ft 9in diameter and to prevent any significant loss of tractive effort he added another quarter of an inch to the size of the cylinders. Since the LNER A4s had caught the public’s imagination it was decided that the first batch of the new 4-6-2s should be given a streamline finish. The shape, developed at Derby, was eye catching. Finished in Caledonian blue, offset by four silver speed lines running from the lower front of each engine, the final effect was impressive.

Outstanding

Before the LMS introduced its new high-speed ‘Coronation Scot’ service the silver speed lines were continued along the length of the rake of specially prepared carriages. When No. 6220 Coronation achieved a (temporary) speed record of 114mph it did a great deal towards restoring the company’s prestige (and increased publicity) of the company’s Anglo-Scottish services. Five of the first batch of 4-6-2s, built at Crewe in 1938, were finished in the blue-silver livery and it did not take long for footplate crews to prove that the design was an outstanding success. The second batch of five were out-shopped in a maroon and gilt finish and looked equally stunning. Apart from Nos. 6235-6248 the rest of the class of 38 engines were built without streamlined casing. During the middle war years most, if not all, of the class were painted black. It was during this period that maintenance access proved to be difficult and as a result the casing was permanently removed. Construction continued after Stanier’s departure and indeed the last 4-6-2 put into traffic from Crewe was in 1948. Without doubt these were magnificent

engines, which I think would have emerged as the rumoured ‘Super King’ from Swindon, if Stanier had remained to succeed Collett. Following the successful introduction of the Princess Royal class Stanier’s involvement in subsequent rebuild design work might be considered something of an anticlimax. For example, the plan to rebuild the Jubilee class never really took off. In 1937 a proposal for the work utilising two outside cylinders (instead of three) and a bigger boiler was not activated until 1942 when two engines, Comet and Phoenix, were given a new 2A boiler and an enlarged exhaust system. Not until 1946 was it announced that the remainder of the class were to be modified, but the plan was never implemented. A year before Stanier resigned, a complete rebuild of Fowler’s Royal Scot 4-6-0s was proposed, the engines retaining original cabs, wheels, wheelbase and tenders. Maximum axle load was reduced by almost a half a ton and overall weight by nearly two tons. When put back into traffic the ‘Rebuilt Scots’ proved to be most successful in relation to their size. According to records the engines gave sparkling performances and gained a good reputation for free steaming. Although Stanier was no longer in office, authorisation was given in 1945 to rebuild 18 of the Patriot class. The first eight were fitted with new front ends, the other 10 had new frames with Ivatt improvements. Such was the degree of standardisation achieved by this time, and even though the 4-6-0s were introduced back into traffic two years after Stanier, the rebuilds were clearly inspired by his approach to locomotive engineering. In reviewing the great man’s influence on the LMSR it must be said that his work was basically

Above: Stanier two-cylinder 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42548 inside York roundhouse (now the National Railway Museum) on April 25, 1964. COLOURRAIL.COM 305917

Right: One-time Turkish 8F 2-8-0 No. 8274 inside Barrow Hill Roundhouse. FRED KERR

down to the 30 years he spent gaining knowledge and experience at Swindon. His standardisation policy was a straight copy of Churchward’s philosophy. Yes, Swindon’s loss was a significant gain for Crewe. How ironic that a true son of Swindon town – and the works – would revolutionise motive power design and construction standards on the London Midland & Scottish Railway.

Stainer’s introduction to the LMSR’s locomotive affairs is best summed up by E S Cox, the man in charge of Euston’s development team. He was quoted as saying: “Stanier was big in stature, in mind, and we quickly realised that he was no doctrine. He did not immediately or blindly graft Swindon practice on his new charge. His other outstanding characteristic was that when he made a mistake he would never

seek to cover it up.” Knighted in 1943, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on his retirement. Sir William Stanier was also president of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers for a period. Like all great railway engineers, a locomotive was named after him and fittingly, Princess Coronation 4-6-2 No. 6256 was named Sir William Stanier FRS on December 17, 1947, a few days before Nationalisation.

Heritage Railway 51

RAILWAYANA

BY GEOFF COURTNEY

GWRA keeps the Castle ball rolling GW RAILWAYANA, fresh from its success at selling two GWR Castle nameplates at its previous auction on July 25, has another member of the class headlining the cast list on November 21. It is Bridgwater Castle, from No. 5096 built in June 1939, just months before the outbreak of war, and withdrawn from Worcester (85A) exactly 25 years later, in June 1964. The Swindon-built 4-6-0 will be supported by Plaspower Hall from No. 4955 and Enborne Grange from No. 6814. The former entered traffic in August 1929 and was withdrawn from Pontypool Road (86G) in October 1963, giving it a lifespan of nearly a decade longer than the Castle. The name appears to have been incorrectly spelt, as the building after which it was named was Plas Power Hall, near Wrexham built in 1757 and

➜ A 2½in gauge model of GWR No. 6011 King James I was one of three live steam models which each realised £3200 at a Dreweatts & Bloomsbury transport sale in Newbury on September 23. The other two were a 3½in gauge model of another GWR locomotive, 4300 class 2-6-0 No. 4386, and Liverpool & Manchester Railway 0-4-2 Lion, carrying the name Jeanette, in 5in gauge. Star of the show was a 7¼in gauge No. 92220 Evening Star, which went under the hammer for £64,000, heading a line-up of four other models achieving five-figure prices (see news pages). “One of the best auctions we have ever had,” said auctioneer and Dreweatts’ steam and model engineering consultant Michael Matthews. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 24% (+ VAT). ➜ RAILWAY slides of 1963-64 Midlands steam and diesel headed the Justaclickago, railwayana, models and photographs, internet auction in September, when a collection of approximately 140 slides sold for £820, just ahead of a similar collection of 90 slides taken at Nuneaton in the same era that went for £800. A collection of approximately 190 slides of industrial steam also went for £800, while leading railwayana realisation was £535 for three booklets of Southern Railway drawings of the experimental Bulleid Leader class steam locomotive sold with other drawings from Eastleigh, including the Merchant Navy class. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 15%.

52 Heritagerailway.co.uk

demolished in 1951 after a fire. No. 6814 was built at Swindon in December 1936 and withdrawn from St Philip’s Marsh (82B) in December 1963. A set comprising brass nameplate, cabside numberplate and BR doublearrow symbol, with an alloy GWR coat-of-arms, will be fighting in the diesel corner. They all come from Class 47 D1664, built in February 1965 and named George Jackson Churchward, after the GWR chief mechanical engineer of 1902-21. The name was replaced in March 1979 by G J Churchward, which it carried until October 1987, and it is one of these plates coming up for sale. D1664 was renumbered 47079 in 1974 and subsequently rebuilt as Class 57 No. 57009. A cabside numberplate from No. 4955 will also be going under auctioneer Simon Turner’s hammer, as

will another from Saint class No. 2948 Stackpole Court, built June 1912 and withdrawn by BR from Bristol Bath Road (82A) in November 1951. A pair of GWR brass emblems carried by Achilles class ‘Dean single’ locomotives Nos. 3025 Quicksilver and 3059 John W. Wilson are also expected to attract attention. The former was built to broad gauge as a 2-2-2 in August 1891 and named St. George, converted to standard gauge the following year, rebuilt as a 4-2-2 in 1894, renamed Quicksilver in May 1907, and withdrawn 16 months later. Its classmate, No. 3059, had a rather more straightforward history, being built as a standard gauge 4-2-2 in April 1895 and withdrawn in June 1913. Named after a Worcestershire Liberal Unionist MP and GWR director, it and No. 3025 carried the emblems on the splashers of their massive 7ft 8½in diameter driving wheels. The dragon’s

wing emblem in the sale is from No. 3025 and snake and scales emblem from No. 3059. Worksplates include a Dubs & Co of 1900, three years before the Glasgow manufacturer became part of the North British Locomotive Co. It is from Caledonian Railway 812 class 0-6-0 No. 865, which became BR No. 57603 and was withdrawn from Polmadie (66A) in March 1962 after more than six decades of service. Among the handlamps selection is an unusually shaped Somerset & Dorset Joint/Midland Railway example, which research by Simon indicates may have been used for ‘wrong-line’ working, while another feature of the sale will be 70 boxed Wrenn OO-gauge models from a single collection, most of which date from the 1970s and are in mint condition. Simon will kick off proceedings, at Pershore High School at 10am.

Southern Railway plates are at the fore NAMEPLATES Eton from Schools class No. 30900 and Holsworthy from West Country class No. 34097 will compete for Southern Railway bragging rights at the Railwayana.net internet auction from November 15-22. No. 30900 was built at Eastleigh in March 1930, the pioneer of a 40-strong class that were the last 4-4-0s to be designed in Britain and, with a tractive effort of 25,135lb-ft, the most powerful of that wheel arrangement ever to run in Europe. Holsworthy was withdrawn from Brighton (75A) in February 1962, the year in which the last of the class met its demise. The locomotive’s smokebox numberplate will also feature in the auction.

No. 34097, designed by Oliver Bulleid, who succeeded Schools class designer Richard Maunsell as chief mechanical engineer of the Southern Railway in 1937, emerged to traffic in November 1949 in a batch built by BR with larger 5500-gallon tenders. It was rebuilt without its air-smoothed casing

in March 1961 and ended its career at Eastleigh shed (71A) in April 1967. A third nameplate going under the metaphorical hammer is Anson, from LMS Jubilee No. 45672, built at Crewe in December 1935 and withdrawn from Crewe North (5A) in November 1964. Other items include a speedometer from an LNER V2 class 2-6-2, an early Victorian circular metal ticket issued by the Sheffield & Rotherham Railway, which operated from 1838 until takeover by the Midland Railway seven years later, and a running-in board from Purton station on the SwindonKemble line, opened by the Cheltenham & Great Western Union Railway in 1841 and closed by BR in 1964.

Shipshape and Bristol fashion n MEMORIES of one of the country’s top steam-era expresses were invoked on October 4 when a headboard from the crack ‘Bristolian’ sold for £1500 at a Bristol Railwayana Auctions sale. Made in aluminium, it was in a style introduced in 1953 that was used

into the 1960s. Two totem station signs followed in the headboard’s wake – a Western Region example from Bridgend, South Wales, and a Southern Region totem from Kingston in south-west London, at

£500 and £350 respectively, followed at £270 by a Southern Region enamel totem poster board.

Christie’s vintage poster sale features ‘Nord Express’ WHILE the Alexeieff poster promoting the LNER Scotland-King’s Cross sleeper service has understandably attracted the majority of the headlines (see news section), a clutch of other railway posters will command attention at Christie’s vintage poster sale in London on November 5.

These include three examples by Ukrainian-French artist Adolphe Mouron Cassandre all dating from the 1920s – ‘Nord Express’, which is estimated at up to £12,000, ‘L’Oiseau Bleu’ Pullman train (£3000), and ‘LMS the best way’ (estimate up to £2000). Cassandre (1901-68), was renowned

for his work with the Compaigne Internationale des Wagons-Lits. He also designed the Yves Saint Laurent logo. The auction, at Christie’s South Kensington saleroom, starts at 1pm, and will feature 155 vintage posters advertising railway and other travel, fashion, food and sports brands.

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BY GEOFF COURTNEY

Live steam tops the chart at Rugby

LIVE steam stormed to the top of a Vectis train and toy sale at Rugby on September 19, in the shape of an exhibition-quality 3½in gauge model of LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 5170, which went for £2100. Runner-up at £950 was a gauge 1 tinplate goods depot by Marklin complete with sliding doors and cranes; a realisation that exceeded its top estimate more than six-fold. A pair of Wrenn OO-gauge LMS

RAILWAYANA

Bob the swapmeet organiser retires

Princess Coronations went under the hammer at £850 each, consisting of No. 46234 Duchess of Abercorn in lateBR livery and a streamlined No. 6237 City of Bristol in black. The LMS continued its run of success with a £700 hammer price for a Bassett-Lowke O-gauge three-rail electric model of No. 6100 Royal Scot. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 20% (+ VAT).

➜ A SMALL collection of Bassett-Lowke O-gauge models, comprising a blue BR livery 4-4-0 No. 62078 Prince Charles, BR coach, and three goods wagons in LMS livery, topped the railway models category in a toy sale held by Halls of Shrewsbury on September 23, selling for £220 (excluding buyer’s premium of 19½% + VAT).

RAILWAYANA swapmeet organiser, Bob Withers, one of the movement’s most respected and popular members, has held his last event after 30 years at the helm. He has organised the car bootstyle event in the car park at Quorn & Woodhouse station on the preserved Great Central Railway since 1985, but on September 13 he bowed out. Having passed the baton onto the railway, which has taken over the sale’s organisation, Bob said: “I am very proud of the swapmeet, which is the longest-running railwayana event in the calendar. “The GCR will continue the same format, so although I have retired nothing changes.” Surveying the scene for the final time as organiser, he continued: “It is sad, but the weather couldn’t

have been better and people have been extremely gracious, which is very nice. I’ve counted 99 stalls today, which is not quite a record but still quite remarkable really.” Retirement presentations included a cake in the shape of a Quorn & Woodhouse station totem sign – “probably the nearest I’m ever going to get to owning one,” said Bob, who has a sign from every Leicestershire station except, ironically, that one – while one of the congratulatory cards described him as “a legend in his own car park.” “I thought that was fabulous,” said Bob, who is 68. It may be the end for Bob the swapmeet organiser, but not Bob the railwayana collector. “I’ll still be attending Quorn, but purely as a collector,” he said. Over and out: Bob Withers on September 13 at the last Quorn swapmeet he organised after 30 years at the helm. DAVID SCUDAMORE

Heritage Railway 53

GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 RoodAshtonHall passes Ponthir near Caerleon on the North & West route with Vintage Trains’ ‘Welsh Marches’ from Tyseley on September 26. MARK FIELDING

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Royal Scot and Braunton set for ‘Great Britain IX’ DESPITE the trials and tribulations that the Railway Touring Company’s Nigel Dobbing and his passengers experienced earlier this year travelling on ‘Great Britain VIII’, a tour for next year has been arranged. Whereas ‘GB VIII’ was virtually dieselised because of West Coast’s travails, Nigel has bravely pushed those memories aside and is pressing ahead with his well-proven steam tour formula. In many respects ‘GB IX’ is based on a similar itinerary to those followed in previous years with steam represented by a combination of nine locomotives, but this year for operational convenience, he has added two short diesel-hauled legs involving Class 47s. The motive power line up comprises Bullied 4-6-2 No. 34046 Braunton, BR 7Ps No. 70000 Britannia and No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell, Fowler-Stanier 4-6-0s No. 46100 Royal Scot and No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, Jubilees No. 45690 Leander and No. 45699 Galatea, plus

‘Black Fives’ No. 44871 and 45407. ‘GB IX’ begins its travels on Tuesday, April 26 when Britannia and Braunton work the tour out of London Victoria for Penzance via the West London line to Acton and from there to Reading, the Berks & Hants Line, Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance for a night stop. On Wednesday morning the train is diesel hauled back to Par where the same two 4-6-2s take over for the second leg, via Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Exeter and Taunton to Bristol for a night stop. Day three, Thursday, April 29, sees Royal Scot heading the tour out of Temple Meads on the long trip to Grange-over-Sands. Travelling via the Severn Tunnel and Maindee Junction, ‘GB IX’ takes water at Hereford then continues passing Shrewsbury, Chester, Frodsham (water), Action Grange Junction, Wigan, and Carnforth, to Grange-over-Sands for the night stop.

On day four, Friday, April 29, the tour departs behind Scots Guardsman en route to Edinburgh, heading for the Scottish capital via Carlisle, Beattock, Carstairs, Cobbin Swan, shortly before running into Waverley (night stop). On Saturday, April 30, Oliver Cromwell enters the action working the tour northwards over the Forth Bridge to Inverness travelling on through Ladybank, Cupar, the Tay Bridge and Dundee to Aberdeen, joining the former Great North of Scotland line for Elgin, Nairn to Inverness (night stop). Day six, Sunday, May 1, sees No. 44871 and No. 45407 set off for Wick via Beauly, Dingwall, Invergordon, Dunrobin, Halkirk and the Georgemas Junction single line for Wick. The return journey is diesel hauled back to Inverness (night stop). Monday, May 2 offers tourists a day at leisure in Inverness or the option of riding to Kyle of Lochalsh behind 4-6-0 No. 45407 through Dingwall,

Achnashellach (water), to Kyle. No. 45407 works the tour back to Inverness (night stop). Departing Inverness on Tuesday, May 3, the two ‘Black Fives’ head ‘GB IX’ to Perth tackling Slochd and Drumochter summits. At Perth, the ‘Black Fives’ come off and Oliver Cromwell takes charge for the Lake District leg, touring through Stirling, Carstairs, Carlisle, over Shap to Oxenholme Lake District station where passengers alight and retire for a night stop. On the tour’s last day, Wednesday, May 4, Leander and Galatea make for Doncaster via Carnforth, Blackburn, Bamber Bridge, Copy Pit and Brighouse. On arrival the two 4-6-0s give way to Union of South Africa for the final leg home up the East Coast Main Line, passing Newark, Grantham, over Stoke bank to Peterborough then dashing though the Home Counties for London.

‘West Highlander’ to Fort William Farewell to Jeff Cogan AS IN previous years, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society is running its annual autumnal excursion from Polmont to Fort William, using a combination of diesel and steam haulage. Named the ‘West Highlander’, the excursion departs Polmont diesel hauled on Saturday, October 24, calling at Falkirk High, Westerton and Dumbarton Central. The train is routed via Helensburgh, Crianlarich, Bridge of Orchy and across Rannoch Moor to Fort William. Passengers will enjoy carriage-window viewing

of no less than five lochs during the trip northwards. Relieved of the diesel, the return journey features two steam locomotives drawn from the ‘Jacobite’ season’s line up, working in tandem south to Polmont. Smart money says the pair will be ‘Black Fives’ No. 44871 and No. 45407, but don’t rule out K1 2-6-0 No. 65005, which will also be returning south for winter maintenance. On-board train catering allows passengers to go à la carte when deciding what food to enjoy on the trip. A hot breakfast, for example, is priced at £10.

JEFF Cogan, the lineside photographer and Statfold Barn Railway volunteer who had founded the Friends of SLOA (Steam Locomotive Operators’ Association), died on September 7 at the age of 66. He suffered a heart attack at his home near Cannock. The Friends of SLOA was formed with the aim of keeping enthusiasts informed about all heritage tours on the main line, steam and diesel. As a mark of respect for Jeff, Statfold turned out Bagnall 4-4-0 Isibutu with a black ribbon and headboard in his memory for the venue’s September open day.

UKRailtours’ ‘MagnificentSettle& Carlisle’excursionon Saturday,October3was hauledbyDelticD9009 Alycidon.Departing King’sCrossonSaturday withaClass90electric atthefront,thetrain pickedupatPotters Bar,Stevenage, Peterboroughand Doncasterwhere locomotiveswere changed.Motoringonvia LeedsandtheAireValley line enrouteforthe‘long drag’,Ribbleheadand Appleby.Followinga breakatCarlisle, No.D9009headedeast viaHexhamandthe UpperTyneValley, rejoiningtheEastCoast MainLinesouthof NewcastleatLowFell. AtDoncaster,onthe homewardtrip,Alycidon gavewaytotheClass90. Alycidonisseenpassing DentonOctober3. BRIAN SHARPE

56 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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If it’s not timings it’s gauging or engineering RAILTOUR promoters are understandably angry when, after planning a trip and having sold tickets, last-minute changes inflicted by Network Rail result in hot words being spoken. Recent, typical examples have been highlighted by Steam Dreams and its unfortunate passengers, none more than when LMS Princess Coronation 4-6-2 No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, working a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Rugby to Bristol, was denied access to the former Great Western Main Line on arrival in west London, September 3, because the 4-6-2 was belatedly declared out of gauge west of Hanwell. Angered by the lateness of Network Rail’s gauging engineers’ decision, Steam Dreams’ chairman Marcus Robertson could only swallow hard and apologise to his passengers, telling them that the remainder of the journey would be diesel hauled.

Trip cancelled

Apprehensive that a similar situation might arise when the Duchess was booked to head a second ‘Express’ from Victoria to Cardiff on September 10, he admitted that he could not face going to the station that morning knowing that the 4-6-2’s availability was in doubt so he cancelled the trip. Lightning or rather Network Rail does strike twice! Within two weeks of the Duchess fiasco, Steam Dreams was hit again when GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 Kinlet Hall was declared out of gauge in the Paignton area when booked to run two ‘Cathedrals Express’ trips from Westbury to Kingswear on September 27 and 29. The first ‘Express’ ran with a diesel, the second was cancelled. Trawling through the list of trains affected by the sudden implementation of engineering work,

Statesman Rail, the Railway Touring Company and Steam Dreams all had to cancel trains at relatively short notice. Vintage Trains’ ‘Welsh Marches’ trip on July 5 was postponed when Western Region came up with a fire risk ban, Cancellations for whatever reason – be it engineering work, late timings or gauging issues – impact on tour promoters, whose staff are often faced with the last-minute pressure of having to notify hundreds of passengers in a matter of hours – often into the evening – that their train is not running. But it does not stop there. Do Network Rail planners not realise that late decisions hit tour promoters financially? Behind every railtour large sums of money are spent in marketing up front by building web sites, brochure production – often two or four editions a year – press advertising and its attendant production costs, and PR services. On-train catering, the hire of kitchen and waiting staff, the purchase of perishable food ingredients, the latter being ordered and bought 48 hours before departure dates with no chance of being returned, all add to the potential problems. The hire of rolling stock and locomotives all have to be paid for at some stage in the overall plan of things and so one could go on and on with pressure put on promoters when excursion trains are cancelled at the last moment. Then, for staff in the front of office, there is the embarrassment of having to face passengers and telling them that the trip they have planned and paid for is going not to happen or instead of steam, the train will be diesel hauled.

Having apologised, promoters then become involved in the matter of compensation, which when settled results in a financial loss. Incidentally, it’s not only steam operations which can suffer. Peter Watts, of Pathfinder Tours – which runs mostly with diesel traction – said that he was recently informed that the locomotive he had hired for a trip was belatedly declared out of gauge by weight. He spent the Friday evening on the telephone seeking a replacement for the following day’s departure.

Timing issues

He also commented that he had noticed the receipt of timings taking longer then the norm. In all cases, timings are vitally important because tickets cannot be issued until train times have been confirmed informing passengers of arrival and departure time at their local station. Referring to the Kinlet Hall gauging issue, a Network Rail spokesman said: “On Friday, September 25 we informed West Coast Railways there was a gauging issue with the locomotive, which prevented it running through to Paignton. “With no back-up locomotive available, the trip on the 27th ran diesel hauled, and the trip on the 29th was cancelled. “The primary issue was the late notification of a problem by Network Rail. Safety is our top priority, Network Rail must apply a certain standard very rigidly when assessing gauging data to ensure we protect our passengers and property. “However we are working closely with our partners to improve our industry working practices to avoid this happening in the future.”

Duke moved over to Tyseley for overhaul

UNIQUE BR three-cylinder 4-6-2 No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester has been moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works for overhaul, as reported last month. Because of pressure of work at LNWR Heritage, Crewe, it was mutually agreed that the 4-6-2 be moved to another site for overhaul – in this instance Tyseley – with the Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust funding the cost of transportation. Trevor Tuckley, 71000 Trust chairman, confirmed that following the departure of the engine, tender and support coach from Crewe on October 12-13, the organisation’s two 40ft containers complete with tools and parts would follow early in November.

Open weekend

As reported in Headline News, the Duke will join the locomotive line up for Tyseley’s October 24-25open weekend, the engine being supported by a small sales and members stand staffed by trust officials. It is anticipated that work will start by stripping the 4-6-2 by the end of the year. However, it will be at least two years before the Duke is back on the main line. Trevor emphasised the need for more main line enthusiasts to become members to support the 4-6-2’s future. Heritage Railway 57

MAIN LINE NEWS

COMPILED BY CEDRIC JOHNS

Tyseley suffers two steam failures IN WHAT must be an unprecedented occurrence, Tyseley suffered an unexpected hit when both of its Great Western 4-6-0s were declared failures in a matter of weeks. The first incident involved Castle 4-6-0 No, 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, which was working Vintage Trains’ ‘Cumbrian Coastal Explorer’ from Warwick Road around the Cumbrian coast via Carlisle, on Saturday, September 19. Having tackled Shap, and on arrival at Carlisle, Tyseley engineers discovered a problem with a bearing, which appeared to have taken in foreign matter leading to damage to a bearing face, reported chief engineer Bob Meanley.

Quickly ‘fit’

While widely rumoured to be a hotbox, it was not the case, and while it was considered imprudent to continue with the ‘Explorer’, the Castle was pronounced fit to work back to Carnforth and onwards to Tyseley the following day. The journey was split because of pathing and crew availability issues, the 4-6-0 completed its run at the speed of 45mph allowed for light engine movements. The second problem arose when 4-6-0 No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall was being coaled on the Friday evening, prior to the 4-6-0 standing in for the Castle by working Vintage Trains’ ‘Cotswold Explorer’ from Warwick Road to Oxford on October 3. While coaling was taking place, a leak was detected in the Hall’s

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GWR 0-6-0PT No. 9600 passes Henley-in-Arden with the Derek Mayman memorial train returning from Stratford-upon-Avon on October 4. ANDREW BELL smokebox, but because the engine was hot and at pressure, no attempt at the removal of the spark arrestor or a repair could be contemplated, so the ‘Explorer’ departed with resident Class 47 No. 47773 The Queen Mother at its head. Rood Ashton Hall had also been booked to head a private memorial train next day – Sunday, October 4 – running to Stratford-upon-Avon from Snow Hill via the North Warwick line and back, but with No. 4965 not available, quick reaction by Tyseley work’s staff, West Coast Railways and Network Rail enabled Great Western 0-6-0PT No. 9600 to take over the

five-coach train, aided by No. 47773. The memorial train was run to mark appreciation for the vital work carried by the late Derek Mayman BEM, who held a lifetime interest in railways and was the leading figure in a campaign which successfully prevented British Railways from closing the North Warwick line.

Service to heritage

Derek, who was also a founding director of the Welshpool & Lanfair Light Railway, and who died a year ago, was award the BEM for voluntary service to railway heritage in the West Midlands and Wales.

As we closed for press both 4-6-0s were under investigation, along with routine maintenance, which was brought forward. It is anticipated that No. 4965 will be available to head Vintage Trains’ ‘Lickey Rambler’ with No. 9600 on Saturday, November 7. As for the Earl, its next booked duty is not until Saturday, December 12 when it is due to work Vintage Trains’ ‘Christmas White Rose’ from Warwick Road to York, calling at Coleshill Parkway, Tamworth, Burton-on-Trent and Derby. It will make a proving main line run before the train to York.

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RTC launches festive season in November THE Railway Touring Company begins its Yuletide excursion season on Thursday, November 26 with a PooleBristol ‘Bath Christmas Market’ booked for haulage by Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34067 Tangmere. This trip, and a second two days later, will provide an end-of-year steam finale along the South Coast route and will undoubtedly attract enthusiasts to all passing stations between Bournemouth and Eastleigh. The train will call at Bournemouth, Brockenhurst, Southampton and Salisbury. From Eastleigh the 4-6-2 takes the country route via Romsey and Dean to the cathedral city and a water stop. Tangmere should be back in action on Saturday, November 28, with a similar but extended trip. The excursion, the ‘Capital Christmas Express’, departs from Weymouth for Waterloo stopping at Dorchester, Wareham, Poole, Bournemouth and Southampton.

Previous problems

Unlike the previous trip the ‘Express’ heads on up the South West Main Line to London via Basingstoke, Woking and Clapham. It was this train that caused problems when Tangmere cast a connecting rod between Winchfield and Basingstoke when returning to Weymouth on November 23, 2013. Also on November 28, RTC has planned a visit to Worcester and its Christmas market, departing Paddington, the excursion, the ‘Worcester Christmas Market’ calls at Slough and Reading before taking the

Oxford road, joining the Cotswold Line to Shrub Hill via Evesham. For the return journey the ‘Market’ is routed via the Golden Valley, Kemble and Sapperton. RTC’s ‘Lindum Fayre’ is due to depart King’s Cross on Saturday, December 5 bound for Lincoln. Picking up at Potters Bar, Stevenage and Peterborough the train travels on via Spalding and Sleaford hauled by No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland. Returning to London, the train is routed via Newark and the East Coast Main Line. On that same Saturday, the ‘Bath Christmas Market’ is back on the rails but this time from Three Bridges to Bath. The trip is also advertised as being worked by Tangmere. Routed and calling at Haywards Heath, Preston Park, Hove and Worthing and then by the Portsmouth direct line to Eastleigh and cross country to Salisbury for a water stop. Replenished, the ‘Market’ passes on through Westbury, Trowbridge and the Avon Valley. Tuesday, December 8 sees the ‘Christmas Sussex Belle’ leave London Victoria, hopefully behind Tangmere, for Eastbourne and Hastings. Veering off the Brighton line, the ‘Belle’ heads for the coast via Lewes and first stop Eastbourne. The Hastings return leg is diesel hauled. Heading back for London, the ‘Belle’ picks up the main line at Otley, then arrives at Victoria via Swanley. In a change of direction, the ‘York Yuletide Express’ departs Norwich for York on December 10, again with the Duchess at the head of proceedings.

Although advertised for haulage by LNER A4 Pacific No. 60009 Union of South Africa, it would appear the A4 will not be available and Sutherland is expected to haul all RTC’s ECML trips for the rest of the year, including October 31’s ‘White Rose’ to York. Winding its way around country lines the ‘Express’ picks up at Wymondham, Attleborough, Thetford, Brandon, March and Peterborough, then travels on down the East Coast Main Line with a water stop at Doncaster.

Busy Duchess

On Saturday, December 12 the ‘White Rose’ is booked to get way from King’s Cross for York with the Duchess doing the work up front. Picking up at Stevenage, Huntingdon and Peterborough the ‘Rose’ returns by the same route to ‘the Cross’. Tangmere is pencilled in to come back into the frame on December 15 with the ‘Sherborne Christmas Carol’ which, departing from Victoria, offers passengers the choice of alighting at Sherborne or travelling on to the Yeovil Railway Centre where they can see the 4-6-2 being turned. From Victoria the train calls at Staines, Woking and Basingstoke. The ‘Christmas White Rose’ makes another appearance on December 17, heading for York by way of Cambridge, Ely, March and Peterborough. Locomotive? It could be the Duchess. Finally, the ‘York Yuletide Express’ swings back into action, running this time from London Victoria and stopping at St Albans, Luton, Bedford, Kettering and Melton Mowbray on Saturday, December 19.

Tornadomarks ‘last’ A1’s final run on New Year’s Eve UK Railtours is promoting The Steam Locomotive A1 Trust’s ‘Peppercorn Phoenix’ which celebrates the final appearance of an A1 in BR service. No. 60145 St Mungo took a ‘special’ out of York to Newcastle on December 31, 1965, before being withdrawn the following June, bringing the curtain down on the class the scrapman rendered extinct. This trip, with which the ‘Peppercorn Phoenix’ marks 50 years since the ‘special’ ran, will depart York on December 31 at

around midday with new-build A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado in charge. Running north up the East Coast Main Line via Darlington and Durham, the ‘Phoenix’ continues to Morpeth where it veers right along the Blyth and Tyne route through Bedlington and Newsham then turns back for Newcastle and York arriving at approximately 6pm. For passengers wishing to join the train from the London area, a connecting service leaves Finsbury Park at 8.45am picking up at Potters Bar, Stevenage and Peterborough.

Looking further ahead, UK Railtours’ next (rare) trip with steam occurs on Sunday, February 14 when Tornado departs Paddington for Worcester. Calling at Slough and Reading, the ‘Valentine’s Day Special’ travels via Swindon to Bristol and from there by way of Gloucester, Cheltenham and Ashchurch. Because the Cotswold Line will be closed for engineering work Tornado will head the train homewards via Sapperton. Kemble and Swindon.

Carefully does it as Royal Scot cranks up high-speed work NOW that Stanier rebuilt 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot has made its passenger hauling debut – albeit on the Severn Valley Railway during the line’s September gala (see News section) – the ‘Scots’ running in programme continued into October. The next phase of proving it all works will be based on high-speed running – 50mph – under line possession between Kidderminster and Bewdley. Providing the 4-6-0’s visit to Shropshire is considered satisfactory, it will return to Crewe hopefully under its own steam by early November.

On arrival at the works, the 4-6-0 will be given an extensive examination before being prepared for its main line proving run around the West Coast test circuit. That accomplished it is understood the ‘Scots’ main line availability will be subject to a study of geographical gauging clearances to enable the 4-6-0 to move around without attracting issues with Network Rail’s gauging engineers. It has also been suggested that when Royal Scot makes its main line passenger debut, the train will start from and return to Crewe. Meanwhile work on Bulleid 4-6-2

No. 34046 Braunton’s boiler is still taking its time and as spokesman Peter Greenwood told Main Line News, it is hoped that the 4-6-2 will be reassembled by the end of the year but not available for main line traffic. Talking of the year’s end, another of Jeremy Hosking’s fleet, A4 No. 60019 Bittern, will be heading for LNWR Heritage at Crewe after its lengthy stint working out its boiler certificate on the Mid Hants Railway. Due for a seven-year overhaul, the arrival of the A4 will reduce the number of Gresley 4-6-2s to one, No. 60009 Union of South Africa.

Boiler lift for Mayflower

WHEN David Buck’s B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower departed Warminster with a ‘Cathedrals Express’ to Cambridge and Ely on Saturday, October 10, it marked the engine’s 20th trip since entering main line traffic in February. Add another four outings between October 18 and December 19 and the busy green Class 5 4-6-0 will have completed an average of just over two trips a month – not bad for a ‘new’ engine.

More bookings

As we closed for press Mayflower’s remaining bookings were Sunday, October 18 PaddingtonWarwick and Stratford-uponAvon, Wednesday, December 2 Horsham to Oxford, Saturday, December 12 Ashford (Kent) to Salisbury and Saturday, December 19 Southend to Winchester. The 4-6-0 could be available to cover any last-minute appeals for help in the case of engine failures, but as of January 1 No. 61306 will be taken out traffic in preparation for winter maintenance.

Kept in order

This includes a boiler lift and David has said that the boiler needs work to be carried out to keep his engine in good running order for next year’s main line trips and the ensuing seven years. He said that the engine would be back in traffic after VAB and insurance inspections in the spring, but he would not be accepting bookings until the 4-6-0 was cleared for traffic. Summing up this year, his first, David said that engine had performed well and that he had experienced some exciting moments on the footplate. He confirmed that Mayflower would be continue to be based at Southall.

Pullman to West Somerset SO successful was UK Railtours’ ‘Golden Jubilee Pullman’ from London to the Severn Valley Railway using Venice Simplon Orient-Express stock in May, that the coaches have been booked for another luxury trip, the ‘Quantock Pullman’. Dated for Saturday, May 14, departing Victoria to the West Somerset Railway, motive power is to be provided by a Class 68 diesel to mark 30 years since General Motors’ locomotives were first supplied to this country, and Foster Yeoman and EWS in particular.

Heritage Railway 59

MAIN LINE NEWS

COMPILED BY CEDRIC JOHNS

St David’s Day debut for ‘Lizzie’ CURRENTLY reaching the penultimate stages of completion of its overhaul at Tyseley, Stanier Princess Royal class 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth is set to make its passenger-hauling debut for Steam Dreams on St David’s Day, March 1. This is, of course, dependent on the big red engine being finished and prepped for a mainline proving run – probably around the West Midlands – beforeo re-entering next year’s list of main line runners. When this happens it is quite likely that the proving run will be an evening affair with Vintage Trains selling tickets. No. 6201 has been booked for 12 trips with Steam Dreams’ ‘Cathedrals Express’ over a busy period concentrated between March 1 and May 25. These trips commence on Tuesday, March 1 when the 4-6-2 departs Paddington for Cardiff and Swansea

calling at Slough and Swindon. On Thursday, March 17 the destination is York and return. Starting out of King’s Cross, the ‘Express’ picks up at Huntington and Peterborough then heads down the East Coast Main Line.

Change of direction

Two days later, on Saturday, March 19, the big red engine heads for Oxford and Worcester. Diesel hauled from Southend East with stops at Basildon and Upminster, ‘Lizzie’ joins the train in west London, probably Hanwell, before proceeding via Reading and Didcot. In a change of direction, a ‘Cathedrals Express’ departs Euston for Chester on Saturday, April 2, the 4-6-2 slowing for stops at Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rugby, Nuneaton and Lichfield. On Wednesday, April 13 No. 6201

breaks new ground by starting out of West Brompton, picking up at Cheam, Leatherhead, Guildford and Haslemere then runs via the Portsmouth Direct line to Eastleigh for Salisbury, Westbury, Bath and Bristol. Sunday, April 17 provides a choice of destinations when Princess Elizabeth is booked to run to Oxford from Paddington and on to Salisbury. Departing Paddington the ‘Express’ calls at Gerrards Cross, Bicester North, Oxford Parkway and turning south, Goring & Streatley and onwards via Reading West and Basingstoke. This trip allows passengers to travel to Oxford or from Oxford to Salisbury and return. On Thursday, April 21 the royal engine marks the Queen’s 90th birthday. Probably staring out from Victoria, the train will make something of a

mystery tour visiting Windsor at some stage as it travels around a wide area of the South West. Full details will be announced later in the year.

Shakespeare country

For its penultimate tour destination, No. 6201 departs Paddington, Saturday, April 23 bound for Stratford-upon-Avon. Picking up at Slough, Oxford and Warwick the 4-6-2 heads up Hatton bank before turning left for Shakespeare country. No. 6201’s final fling with a ‘Cathedrals Express’ begins and ends Thursday, April 28 with trip from Kent to Gloucester. Well, not exactly, starting from Rainham behind a diesel, the train stops at Rochester, Meopham, Bromley South and West Brompton before ‘Lizzie’ makes an appearance west of Southall.

In a rare patch of sun, Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34067 Tangmere passes Totton with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Royal Wessex’ on September 5. DON BENN

Troubled Tangmere at Carnforth for attention NEWS that Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34067 Tangmere has visited Carnforth for attention will come as no surprise as this troubled engine makes headlines for the wrong reasons yet again. Following the 4-6-2’s indifferent performance working the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Royal Duchy’ on August 2, which aroused critical comments from passengers climaxing with it failing on

60 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Hermerdon, the engine hit the buffers at Weymouth working RTC’s ‘Royal Wessex’ from Three Bridges on September 5. Network Rail’s reaction to the incident was to express more concern for the well-being of the track and bufferstop, but what of the 4-6-2? As commented last month, the impact of the ‘buffer shunt’, however

slight, could well have sprung a stay or two or caused more damage. Nevertheless Tangmere ran with another RTC train, the ‘Dorset Coast Express’, on September 9, but was then declared to be unavailable for RTC’s Bristol-Chester ‘The Cheshireman’ on September 12. On September 26 the 4-6-2 failed at Reading working RTC’s ‘Cotswold Venturer’, the train being terminated

by West Coast and so to Carnforth. Based on reports received, ‘the engine did not sound right’ suggests that the Bulleid was suffering from the same front-end problem that brought it a standstill on Hemerdon bank in August. Tangmere is booked to head several RTC Christmas trains starting on November 26 with a trip from Weymouth to Waterloo. Find us on Facebook.com

‘Steam Enterprise’ Dundalked! IT seems that the last-minute changes to steam hauled itineraries, which have seriously affected rail tours in this country, are experienced elsewhere, and Ireland in particular. Booked to run from Whitehouse to Dublin behind blue compound 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin, plans for a trip by the ‘Steam Enterprise’ were disrupted by late news that Dublin’s Connolly shed’s servicing facilities – including the turntable – would not be accessible because of an engineering possession.

Tender first

With the 4-4-0 being deprived of the expected servicing before working the excursion’s return leg, the train was halted at Dundalk from where an Irish Rail diesel took over for the remainder of the journey. At that Merlin travelled back the 58 miles to Belfast tender first where it was turned on a triangle in readiness

for a return light engine movement back to Dundalk, again travelling tender first. On arrival of the diesel-hauled train on its homeward journey, the 4-4-0 took charge to head the ‘Enterprise’ back over the border. As in the UK, the tour promoter – the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland – had to apologise to its passengers for the late change of motive power, claiming that notice of Connolly’s closure was known only 48 hours before the train departed. On a brighter note, two ‘Broomstick Handle’ fun trips depart Belfast Central on Saturday, October 31 for Whitehead and will return hauled by 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin. Passengers are invited to turn up wearing seasonal costumes and sample the Halloween atmosphere. The following day, Sunday, November 1, two spooky trains are

due to depart Dublin Pearse for a twohour trip to Greystones and return. 2-6-4T No. 4 is the rostered motive power for these trips.

Festive season

These events are followed by the Whitehead Victorian Street Fair on Saturday, November 28 with train running inside the works yard providing a steam experience, with Merlin or No. 131 in steam. RPSI Santa specials begin the festive season with trains running from Dublin to Greystones behind No. 4 and from Belfast to Whitehead and Portadown to Lisburn with No. 85 and No. 131 heading the proceedings. The specials run on Saturdays and Sundays commencing November 2829 running until December 13 from Dublin and December 19 from Belfast and December 13 from Portadown.

Police warning over ‘Harry Potter line’ trespassing BRITISH Transport Police have warned about the dangers of trespassing on the West Highland Extension after visitors were spotted walking on the tracks of the line made famous by Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter films and used by West Coast Railways’ ‘Jacobite’. The warning came after tourists were spotted taking photographs of the 21arch Glenfinnan viaduct, which features in the films.

Taking selfies

During the summer, a couple with a young child were seen by drivers and maintenance staff running on the railway line near the viaduct in the

Highlands, while two men were also spotted on the track taking selfies. In another instance, a group of hillwalkers appeared to be wandering casually on the line between Glenfinnan and Arisaig. Police have recently been made aware of a number of trespass incidents on the line. BTP constable, Nicky Ritchie, said: “We know that visitors, many of them foreign, want to enjoy this incredibly scenic area and are keen to see and capture the trains, particularly steam trains, crossing what is without doubt a magnificent structure. However, they have to realise that they need to do it safely and without breaking the law.

“We have been working closely with Network Rail to advise local people, sightseers and tourists about the dangers of trespassing and the possibility of disrupting the rail network.

Stay off the tracks

“I’m grateful for the co-operation of West Coast Railways, which carries thousands of tourists to the area each year, which has now included advice on its website for anyone booking a trip on one of its charter steam trains. “The proprietors of the Glenfinnan station visitor centre are also assisting us by making sure visitors are aware of the need to stay off the tracks.”

SEE CLASSIC TRACTION ON THE NATIONAL NETWORK By Fred Kerr IN LAST month’s report mention was made of the seasonal Rail Head Treatment Trains, which operate each autumn, with a mix of locomotive-hauled trainsets and Multi-Purpose Vehicles to treat the rails, thus minimising adhesion problems. Since then an early locomotive schedule has been published showing Colas Rail operating one service from Kings Norton; DB Schenker (DBS) operating two services from Acton; one service from Bescot; three services from St Blazey; four services from Didcot; four services from Peterborough; four services from Toton, one service from Bristol; one service from Margam and one service from Inverness; Direct Rail Services operating two services from Carlisle; services from Stowmarket and 12 from York and GB Railfreight (GBRf) operating three services from Tonbridge and Network Rail operating one service from Crewe over Cambrian routes.

These are mainly booked for Class 66 haulage except for the Colas Rail duty (scheduled for Class 47 traction), DRS Stowmarket duty (scheduled for Class 57/0 traction) and York duty (scheduled for Class 20 traction with 20302/303/305/ 308/309 based at York) and the GBRf Tonbridge duty (scheduled for a mix of Class 20 and Class 73 traction). If previous years give any guide, the allocation of locomotives may change throughout the operation of the timetable.

Driver training purposes

Running of some services began at the beginning of October with the Tonbridge services reported behind Nos. 73107/73136; 73128/73141; 73961/73964; 73109/73201 and 20901/ 905 and Class 20s operating on the York circuits; some workings were for driver training/route familiarisation purposes as a prelude to the full implementation of the timetable. The Cumbrian Coast services remain unpredictable as coach problems affect train services;

nominally booked for a Class 37/DVT combination there have been frequent appearances of a Class 142 Pacer unit substituting for a failed trainset during late September/early October. The fleet of heritage electric locomotives now allocated for Serco Sleeper duties is now in flux as Class 92 traction has been withdrawn from the trunk West Coast Main Line services between Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow and replaced by Class 90 locomotives hired from both DB Schenker and Freightliner. Some of the displaced Class 92s have been used for empty stock workings in Scotland, thus releasing the hired-in Class 47 locomotives to return to Doncaster – their base for Yorkshire freight duties. This move has left the electric locomotives hired from the AC Locomotive Group (Nos. 86101/86401/87002) based at Willesden for empty stock duties although Nos. 86101/87002 have been used on the trunk service substituting for the Class 92 fleet during periods of problems.

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

Heritage Railway 61

MAIN LINE NEWS

TABLEONE:POTTERSBARTOHOLME Date Train

Loco Load Driver Fireman Inspector Recorder Position Weather

Saturday, September 26, 2015 Silver Jubilee Talisman 0737 King’s Cross to Newcastle A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 13 coaches, 469 tons tare, 500 tons gross Wayne Thompson Tim Steadman Colin Kerswill Don Benn 11 of 13 Sunny, cold and calm

miles sched mins secs Potters Bar 0.00 0.00 00 00 Brookmans Park 1.75 03 40 Welham Green 2.84 04 48 Hatfield 4.96 06 47 Welwyn Garden City 7.59 12.00 09 01 sigs stop MP 20¾ 8.11 10 57 13 52 Welwyn North 9.21 17 15 Knebworth 12.26 21 30 sigs stop MP 26 13.21 24 34 26 43 Stevenage 14.86 30.00 30 38 MP 30 17.26 33 35 Hitchin 19.21 35.00 35 12 Three Counties 22.91 38 10 Arlesey 24.26 39 17 East Road Xing 26.69 41 18 Biggleswade 28.45 42 40 Sandy 31.39 48.00 45 05 Tempsford 34.74 48 00 St Neots 38.96 51 38 MP 54 41.26 53 28 Offord Xing 43.16 55 02 Huntingdon 46.10 63.00 57 25 Stukeley 48.26 59 19 Leys 49.26 60 16 Abbots Ripton 50.46 61 18 MP 64 51.26 62 08 Woodwalton 53.26 63 50 Connington South 54.61 65 03 Connington North 55.61 66 15 Holme Xing 56.00 78.00 67 51 *brakes or speed restriction 42.79 miles from the signal stop at MP 26 to Holme in 41 mins 8 secs 61.38 mph start to stop

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speed 53 61 73/75 *50 *0 40/42½ *39/52 *0 40 63 75/76½ 74 73½/71 74½ 72/73½ 72 70½ 68 76 74½ 72 64½ 62½ 64 67 71 72½ *33

By Don Benn THIS time I am covering the work of LNER A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado. This engine needs no introduction so I will just say that I haven’t had many runs behind it, but all have been out of the top drawer. It always feels that, whatever the load, this superb machine is straining at the leash and has more to offer. What impresses me most is the rapid acceleration from stops. For example the one from Potters Bar on the recent ‘Silver Jubilee Talisman’ being the fastest I can remember, though it is downhill. Difficult to believe we had 13 on for 500 tons. I was tempted to walk back to the end of the train to check that there was no diesel in the back, which of course there wasn’t, this being No. 60163. Tornado also picks up speed very fast in the 65-75mph range. It really ought to be a 90mph engine. After all, that’s what was intended originally and it would make life so much easier when sorting out paths among the high speed trains on lines such as the ECML. So I enter a plea for that to everybody concerned. This is a modern engine which has proved itself, so why not? Having said all that, it really is difficult to understand why ‘The Silver Jubilee Talisman’ was given such an abominably slow schedule to York and even worse on the return from Newcastle to York. Only the section from Darlington to York going north was worthy of this competent and powerful machine. Have those who are responsible for scheduling forgotten that Tornado has extra water capacity compared with all other class 8 steam engines and that in September 2009 it stopped only at Grantham for water on its way to York and that it was allowed only 73 minutes for the 83 miles from there to York as part of only just over four hours allowed from King’s Cross including four stops? Surely the spare train paths haven’t all been taken up in the intervening six years have they? The schedule also meant a very early start from King’s Cross instead of the eminently civilised time

of 9.18am in 2009. So we were lucky indeed on September 26 to enjoy such a fine run north, which included two even time sections.

Acquaintance renewed

In order to get to King’s Cross for the 7.37am departure we had to catch the first train up from Southampton Airport Parkway and hope that all was well on SWT and LUT, which it was and so we found ourselves on Platform 1 at ‘The Cross’ in good time to chat to Wayne Thompson, our driver as far as York and also to renew my acquaintance with Graeme Bunker, who has been involved with Tornado from the early days and who is a good ally of the main line steam cause. With 13 on for 469 tons tare, and well loaded so around 500 tons full, the train would still test the engine even if the schedule wasn’t designed to. Our fireman was Tim Steadman and Traction Inspector Colin Kerswill was also on the footplate. We got away on time to a good clean start (which from King’s Cross is actually downhill) and were soon climbing up the 1-in-107 past Belle Isle and through Copenhagen Tunnel to Holloway and past Finsbury Park at 41mph. I can never travel this stretch with steam without thinking about that wonderful book 2750 Legend of a Locomotive by Harry Webster – a copy of which I had in my youth and mislaid in one of our moves, but recently managed to buy another, luckily as it is now a rarity. There was nothing of note to report before the Potters Bar stop which was reached and left on time after being turned slow line after Hornsey. Then came that exhilarating sprint from the start, referred to earlier, to reach no less than 73mph by Hatfield and 75 at the foot of the mainly 1-in-200 down at Milepost 18½, passed in just seven minutes and 30 seconds from the start for the 5.86 miles. Good going indeed with this big load. After that fast start we suffered the first of two signal stops, this one before Digswell Junction to allow a northbound train to get ahead. Slow running preceded another stop, this time Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

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TABLETHREE:DARLINGTONTONEWCASTLE

TABLETWO:CLAYPOLETOYORK

Date Train

Date Train

Loco Load Driver Fireman Recorder Position Weather

Saturday , September 26, 2015 Silver Jubilee Talisman 0737 King’s Cross to Newcastle A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 13 coaches, 469 tons tare, 505 tons gross Steve Hanczar Tony Jones, assisted by Graeme Bunker Don Benn 11 of 13 Cloudy, cool but calm

Darlington MP 46 MP 48 Aycliffe MP 53 Bradbury Ferryhill South Jct Tursdale Jct Hett Mill Xing Croxdale Relly Mill Durham MP 67 MP 68 Plawsworth Chester-Le-Street MP 73 Birtley Lamesley Low Fell Kimg Edward Bridge Jct Newcastle

miles 0.00 1.90 3.90 5.49 8.90 10.19 12.08 12.78 16.16 17.80 20.81 22.08 24.90 25.90 25.88 27.74 28.81 30.58 32.46 33.45 35.26 36.01

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 05 02 07 22 09 02 12 17 13 33 13.00 15 14 15.00 17 35 18 31 19 49 22 23 21.00 23 27 24 04 24 52 26 30 27 58 28 50 30 16 31 52 32 43 34.00 36 08 38.00 40 25

Ahead of schedule

We were gaining time on the easy schedule of course and were six early by Huntingdon, before climbing the 1-in-200 to Leys at a minimum of 62.7mph and then running up to over 72mph before the water stop reached over 10 minutes early. Details are shown in Table One. As we were ready, Control got us away nearly 17 minutes early only for us to be held outside Peterborough until our allotted time, enabling us to get away from there just one minute down at 10.05am and now with Steve Hanczar firing. The 39.6 miles on to our pathing stop in the Claypole loop were scheduled to take a reasonable 46 minutes; bearing in mind we were booked slow line to Stoke, which involves a severe reduction in speed at Helpston. After the slowing we made a good, but not exceptional climb, reaching a maximum speed of 64.4mph after Essendine and falling away to

Claypole Loop Barnby Xing Newark North Gate Cromwell Xing Crow Park Dukeries Jct Markham Summit Gamston Grove Road Retford Botany Bay Xing Ranskill Scrooby Xing Bawtry Pipers Wood Rossington Xing Loversall Carr Jct Black Carr Jct

miles 0.00 3.12 4.23 8.77 11.53 15.37 17.81 20.27 21.55 22.70 24.75 28.06 29.93 31.73 33.58 35.45 36.08 37.31

speed 43½ 59½ 56½ 68½ 66 70½ 74/75½ 73 76½ 65 77 78 72 74½/77½ *73 71/76 72½ 70 63 *17

* brakes or speed restriction

just before Langley Junction though we were still just on time passing Stevenage on the restart and therefore had fitted nicely through the bottleneck of Welwyn tunnel. I had made a very careful note of the gps reading at the second signal stop, near to Milepost 26, as I realised that with a bit of luck and some decent driving from Wayne, we might achieve an even time run to the water stop at Holme, as we were booked slow line all the way and there was nothing in front. And so it proved as we covered the 42.79 miles to the stop in 41 minutes and eight seconds, an average of 61.38 mph. Once we were up to speed little effort was required and it was the downhill start on the 1-in-200 past Stevenage (at 40mph) to accelerate swiftly over the next 4.35 miles to be doing 75 by Hitchin that made the even time possible. Over the undulating but mainly downhill 26.89 miles from Hitchin to Huntingdon speed was kept nicely into the seventies except for the hump at St Neots where we dropped to 68mph, the average speed being 72.6mph.

Loco Load Driver Fireman Inspector Recorder Position Weather

Saturday, September 26, 2015 Silver Jubilee Talisman 0737 King’s Cross to Newcastle A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 13 coaches, 469 tons tare, 505 tons gross Wayne Thompson Steve Hanczar Colin Kerswil Don Benn 11 of 13 Sunny, cold and calm

57.7mph on the final three miles of 1-in-178 to the summit, passed just over three minutes late. I was looking forward to the dash down into the Trent Valley and we quickly reached 75mph just after Great Ponton before the brakes came on and we were stopped in the down loop at Grantham, due – it transpired – to our steam locomotive setting off a hot box detector! This was unfortunate but after just two minutes we were away again to complete a nice romp downhill at 76mph before running into the loop, now 13 minutes late. Very quickly the following 9.48am King’s Cross to Hull sped by followed by the 10am King’s Cross to Aberdeen and we were away on their tails slightly early, a very slick piece of work by all concerned. Now, after all the lethargic timing before Peterborough Tornado was faced with an almost impossibly (with the 75mph limit that is) fast timing to Loversall Carr Junction where we were due to be routed via the down flyover line to allow the 10.03am King’s Cross to Leeds behind us to pass and make its Doncaster stop. Well it didn’t happen like that and as a result we snatched a second even time section from the Claypole Loop restart to signal stop outside York. Table Two has the detail of this section and shows that we reached 72mph at Crow Park before climbing to Markham at a minimum of 63mph and then over one of my favourite stretches of the ECML ran very fast down past Grove Road box at 77½mph and along the easy grades to Bawtry before the 1-in-198 up to Pipers Wood topped at 66½mph and another 77 maximum at Rossington before Loversall Carr, just two minutes late. We had covered the 28 miles between posts 124 and 152 at an average of 71.8mph, not bad with over 500 tons in tow. Despite not taking the slow line diversion, Doncaster still managed to check us down to just over walking pace, though we were now over two minutes early. I then made a quick mental calculation that we might still just get another even time run to York and although we

Doncaster Arksey Shaftholme Jct MP 162 Fenwick Xing Balne MP 166½ Templehirst Jct Hambleton North Jct Stoker Wood MP 181 Colton Jct Copmanthorpe MP 186 Chaloners Whin Dringhouses

40.07 42.11 44.37 46.07 48.26 50.01 50.57 53.33 59.02 62.07 65.07 67.07 68.87 70.07 70.67

York

72.40

71.69

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 05 38 6.00 06 44 10 51 13 03 16 33 18 56 20 58 21 53 20.00 22 51 24 30 27 09 28 37 30 04 31 39 33 11 31.00 33 39 34 38 sigs 43.00 41 16 44 15 48.00 46 39 48 12 50 07 51 33 52 03 58.00 54 22 63.00 58 55 61 26 63 48 72.00 65 23 66 52 67 42 68 22 sigs stop 71 30 73 35 80.00 77 02

speed 56 62 71 72 62½/64½ 63 75 77½ 75 77 75½ 74½ 75 66½ 77 76 73 *7 26 54 60 67 70½ 72 70 73 76 74 71½ 74½ 75½ 75 *54 *0

*brakes or speed restriction net time 65½ minutes=66.32 mph 71.69 miles from Claypole loop to signal stop outside York in 71 minutes 30 seconds. Start to stop average 60.16 mph

did it, it was to a signal stop before York near to milepost 187½, 71.69 miles on my gps in 71 minutes 30 seconds at 60.16mph.

Beautifully judged

From the Doncaster check speed rose steadily over the largely level road though with some minor humps around Balne and Templehirst so that by milepost 164 No. 60163 managed to get the train up to 70mph and speed didn’t fall below that level until we braked for the signal stop, peaking at 76mph at Hambleton North Junction, passed five minutes early. The average over the 24 miles from mileposts 162 to 186 had been 73.85mph, a beautifully judged piece of work by the engine crew. After the signal stop we still pulled into York three and a half minutes early in 77 minutes two seconds for the 72.40 miles from the Claypole loop stop, or about 65½ minutes net. I was very pleased that a run which had promised so little produced such an impressive performance, with two even time sections, just as my previous run with Tornado had on September 19, 2009. When I spoke to Wayne Thompson at York I asked him how Tornado compared with Clan Line. He looked at me, paused, knowing my Southern Heritage Railway 63

MAIN LINE NEWS Left: No. 60163 awaits departure from King’s Cross on September 26 with Wayne Thompson on the platform and Tim Steadman on the footplate. DON BENN

“Black smoke suggested a dirty fire and lack of steam as the start was slow.” TABLEFOUR:GRANTHAMTOYORK Date Train Loco Load Driver Fireman Recorder Position Weather

Grantham DGL Peascliffe Tunnel South Barkstone South Jct Hougham MP 113 Claypole Barnby Newark North Gate Bathley Lane Xing Carlton Xing Dukeries Jct Lincoln Road Markham Summit Gamston Grove Road Retford Botany Bay Xing Ranskill MP 146 Bawtry Pipers Wood Rossington Xing Loversall Carr Jct Doncaster Arksey Shaftholme Jct MP 162 Moss Xing MP 165 Balne Heck Templehirst Jct Hambleton North Jct Stoker Wood MP 181 Colton Jct Copmanthorpe Chaloners Whin York

Saturday, September 19, 2009 0918 King’s Cross to York A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 13 coaches, 465 tons tare, 510 tons gross Don Clarke Chris Bayliss Don Benn 2 of 13 Sunny, warm and calm miles sched mins secs 0.00 0.00 00 00 2.38 05 34

speed

4.24

07

18

63½

6.23 7.56 9.90 13.60 14.71 18.04 20.88 25.85 27.56 28.29 30.06 32.03 33.18 35.23 38.54 40.56 42.21 44.06 45.93 46.56 50.55 52.59 54.85 56.56 57.59 59.56 60.49 61.75 63.81 69.50 72.56 75.56

09 10 12 15 15 18 20 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 35 37 38 40 41 42 45 47 49 50 51 52 53 54 56 60 63 65 sigs 68 69 71 sigs 75

01 11 04 04 56 19 55 11 37 15 39 10 03 47 27 07 29 08 37 08 24 10 02 24 12 49 32 29 07 43 02 26

75 75½ 73/71½ 73 74/72½ 76 76½ 67½ 72 70½ 75½ 76½ 72 77 73 74 70 65 76½ 77½ 68 72½ 75½ 74½ 75 76 75 74 76½ 78½ 74 72 *46 52½ 61 63 *12

10.00 14.00

29.00

44.00 48.00

55.00 59.00

77.55 65.00 79.35 81.15 83.03 73.00

39 37 29 59

*brakes or speed restriction average speed over the 68 miles from Milepost 113 to 181 = 73.85 mph start to stop aveage 65.56 mph net time 74 minutes

64 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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TABLEFIVE:YORKTOGRANTHAM Date Train Loco Load Driver Fireman Inspector Recorder Position Weather

York Chaloners Whin Copmanthorpe Colton Jct MP 181 Stoker Wood Hambleton North Jct Selby Canal Templehirst Jct Heck Balne MP 165 Moss Xing MP 162 Shaftholme Jct Arksey Doncaster Black Carr Jct Rossington Xing Pipers Wood Bawtry MP 146 Ranskill Botany Bay Xing Retford Grove Road Gamston Markham Summit Egmanton Carlton Xing Cromwell Xing Newark Flat Xing Newark North Gate Barnby Xing MP 117 Claypole MP 113 Hougham Barkstone South Jct Peascliffe Tunnel North MP 106¾ Grantham DGL

Saturday, September 19, 2009 1702 York to King’s Cross A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 13 coaches, 465 tons tare, 510 tons gross Steve Hanczar Andy Flett Jim Smith Don Benn 13 of 13 Sunny, warm and calm miles 0.00 1.91 3.71 5.51 7.50 10.50 13.50 15.96 19.25 21.31 22.58 23.50 25.48 26.50 28.21 30.48 32.51 35.25 37.14 39.00 40.85 42.50 44.53 47.84 49.89 51.04 53.00 54.78 58.14 62.19 63.81 67.71 68.35 69.46 71.50 73.16 75.50 76.84 78.83 80.14

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 04 42 06 44 7.00 08 36 10 25 13 00 15.00 15 26 17 17 21.00 20 05 21 47 22 51 23 30 25 06 25 56 29.00 27 26 29 10 33.00 30 47 33 02 34 31 36 08 37 28 38 50 40 30 43 14 48.00 44 55 45 55 47 32 49 07 51 49 55 00 56 17 59 31 63.00 60 06 61 05 62 45 68.00 64 06 65 01 67 07 68 49 69 57 sigs stop 81.59 73 44 78 55 83.06 78.00 86 00

*brakes or speed restriction average speed over the 68 miles from milepost 181 to 113= 73.38 mph net time 75 minutes

speed 45 56 60 67 74½/73 74/75 74/75½ 70 73 75 76½ 73½ 74 73½ 75 72½ 77 74 69½ 78 75 72 74/70 73 75 71 68½ 77/78½ 73½ 72/75 *64½ 68 69½ 75 73 74 72½ 69½ 65 *0

credentials and – clearly trying to give a diplomatic answer – then said: ‘’Clan Line is cleaner.” He went on to say that the previous Wednesday No. 60163 had taken the 640 ton Belmond Pullman over Savernake at 64mph. This he obviously rated very highly so maybe readers can judge how he really thought the two engines compare. My next column will deal with other climbs to Savernake by various engines, including the recent one with the ill starred Tangmere. From York north to Darlington the schedule was very poor, with slow line running to the loop at Longlands before Northallerton for a pathing stop. Our driver was now Steve Hanczar with Tony Jones firing, assisted by Graeme Bunker. We got away just over two minutes late and had to observe the 20mph slow line speed limit at Skelton Bridge before a trundle along to the pathing stop with speed in the low sixties drifting down to the late fifties before the stop, reached with the loss of a minute from York.

Black smoke

However Tornado got the train away on time for the very tight 17 minute booking over the 15.70 miles to Darlington which with 505 tons was never going to be kept. Also by now from where I was sitting, black smoke suggested a dirty fire and possibly a lack of steam as the start was very slow and speed only reached a maximum of 67.3 before the stop. Over four minutes were dropped on this section and we were nearly five late away for another tightly timed stretch to Newcastle; with just 38 minutes allowed over this switchback route of a fraction over 36 miles. The problem the train planners had was keeping us ahead of the 7.25am Plymouth to Edinburgh which was due into Newcastle just three minutes behind us. There need not have been any concern as this train was running around 10 minutes late and we were comfortably tucked away at our journey’s end before it appeared. Table Three shows the detail of this section. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

The restart from Darlington on the short stretch of level track and then up the 1-in-220 to milepost 46 was steady, with 43½ at the top of the climb, but after Tornado had dealt with this, speed recovered rapidly to reach nearly mile-a-minute on the level before the mile-and-a-half of 1-in-220 to Aycliffe brought the speed back by only 3mph after which we were up to 68½mph on level track, which was only reduced to 66 on the two miles of 1-in-203 to after Bradbury, truly excellent going with this load. This compares very well with No. 60009 on 12 for 475 tons on ‘The Jubilee Requiem’ trip to Newcastle on October 25, 2014, where after passing Darlington at 29mph we were doing 45mph at the top of the climb before Aycliffe, then 62½ on the level stretch, falling to a minimum of 54 after Bradbury. On the run with No. 60163 the hard work was now nearly all over and with speed up into the seventies we were past Ferryhill and Tursdale with a loss of about two minutes from the start.

Highlight

The short sharp climb to Relly Mill saw speed drop to 65 and then came, for me anyway, one of the highlights of the day, the lovely exhilarating sprint down through Durham at 78mph and the continued good running to bring us nicely inside even time at Low Fell, 33.45 miles in 32 minutes and 43 seconds. Of course the very slow finish into Newcastle didn’t allow a third even time start to stop section but we stopped in 40 minutes 25 seconds from Darlington for the 36.01 miles, a loss of two and a half minutes on the very optimistic schedule and seven late by the clock. It had been another great trip with this fine new build engine but I called it a day there after deciding I couldn’t face the slow schedule back to York and instead opted for a high speed return to London on the 3pm from Newcastle and an evening meal at home instead of a return in the early hours. So how did this compare with previous exploits by No. 60163 on the ECML?

I have shown in Tables Four and Five the runs between Grantham and York from the ‘Cathedrals Express’ outing on September 19, 2009 where Tornado was given a schedule both ways more suitable to its status. In fact the northbound 73 minutes for the 83.03 miles proved to be just a little too tight within the 75mph limit and although Don Clarke did his best we would have lost about a minute even without the checks in from Colton Junction. To average nearly 74mph over 68 miles showed enginemanship of the highest order and we averaged 65.56mph start to stop, covering nearly 69 miles in the first hour. The return run with Steve Hanczar in charge was equally good but spoilt by a long stop before Grantham to allow late running normal service trains to be dealt with. Average speed over the same 68 miles was only a fraction less than going north and the net time was 75 minutes against the schedule of 78. Once again nearly 69 miles were consumed in the first hour. All this with the Tornado’s 13 coach 500 ton plus load of course. Finally for this time, I have included a log, in Table Six, of part of a very unusual run on December 13, 2010 when Steam Dreams ran a Luncheon excursion from Hedge End, near Eastleigh to the Romney Marsh. As the starting point was close to where I now live, this was a must for me, though I only travelled as far as Guildford. Wayne Thompson, himself an Eastleigh man, was again in charge and he dealt well with the 13 coach 490 ton load over the stiff climbs of the ‘Pompey direct’. The log shows the gradients as well as times and speeds as far as Petersfield and my notebook suggests that a lot of noise could be heard from up front as we climbed the 1-in-80 to Buriton though I have no details of how the engine was being worked. Next time I hope to deal with recent runs over the Berks and Hants line, comparing these with some from a few years back.

“It really ought to be a 90mph engine. After all, that’s what was intended.” TABLESIX:FAREHAMTOPETERSFIELD Date Train Loco Load Driver Fireman Recorder Position Weather

Friday, December 13, 2010 0900 Hedge End to Romney Marsh Luncheon Special A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 13 coaches, 455 tons tare, 490 tons gross Wayne Thompson Not recorded Don Benn 4 of 13 Misty, damp and cold

Fareham MP 86 Portchester MP 88½ Cosham Cosham Jct Farlington Jct Bedhampton Havant MP 64 Rowlands Castle MP 62 Idsworth Xing MP 60 MP 59 MP 58¼ Buriton Siding MP 56 Petersfield

miles 0.00 1.74 3.20 4.24 5.77 5.28 5.93 9.21 9.84 12.26 13.00 14.26 15.08 16.26 17.26 18.01 19.03 20.26 21.40

* brakes or speed restriction

sched mins secs 0.00 00 00 04 06 06 01 08 15 8.00 08 50 9.00 09 22 20.30 10 05 12 45 25.00 13 48 17 35 18 42 20 17 21 22 22 51 24 15 25 22 26 37 27 52 40.00 30 49

speed gradient 40 down107/up148 51 down 630 60 L 59½ down283/L 55 L *50/52 down 310 *45 L *37½ L 44/42 up 147/120 43½ up 300 47 L 47½ up 110/300 45½ up 100 41 up 80 38½ up 80 50 down 110 57 down 100

Heritage Railway 65

TOURS October SAT 24: ‘West Highlander’

Polmont, Fort Williamnd return. Steam hauled: Fort William, Polmont. Locos: Nos. 44871 and 45407. SRPS

SAT 24: ‘Brief Encounter’

Carnforth, Chester and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 45231, 46115 Scots Guardsman, No. 45690 Leander, or 45699 Galatea . WCR

SAT 24: ‘Dartmouth Express’

Slough, Westbury, Kingswear and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 70000 Britannia. RTC

SAT 31: ‘White Rose’

King’s Cross, York and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland. RTC

November SUN 1: ‘Tin Bath’

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

FRI 6: ‘British Pullman’

Victoria, Guildford, Redhill, Victoria. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 60163 Tornado. BEL

SAT 7: ‘Lickey Rambler’

Tyseley, Stratford-upon-Avon, Snow Hill, Worcester and return via Lickey and New Street. Steam hauled throughout. Locos: Nos. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall and 9600. VT

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LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45231 crosses Dent Head viaduct with West Coast Railways’ Cleethorpes- Doncaster-Carlisle excursion on October 3. BRIAN SHARPE

Regular steam TUES 27 - THUR 29 October: ‘Scarborough Spa Express’

York, Wakefield, Castleford, Scarborough and return. Steam hauled throughout. Loco: No. 45231, 46115 Scots Guardsman, No. 45690 Leander, or 45699 Galatea. WCR

BEL

Belmond British Pullman 0845 077 2222

SD

Steam Dreams 01483 209888, 0845 310458

RTC

Railway Touring Company 01553 661500

VT

Vintage Trains 0121 708 4960

WCR

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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VINTAGE COACHES

GAS, TEAK, EPILEPSY

AND VICTORIAN COACHING STOCK QUINTINSHILL: 100 YEARS ON

Britain’s worst railway disaster was compounded by the type of wooden-bodied coaches still in use at the time. Andrew David tells the story of the completion of restoration of similar vehicles, coinciding with the centenary of the disaster.

I

t is 6.30am on Saturday, May 22 1915 – and signalman James Tinsley has just come on duty, and joins a fellow signalman, at a remote rural signalbox on the Caledonian main line just north of Gretna Green… disembarking from a local passenger train ‘parked’ on the main line facing oncoming traffic – because the two relief loops are occupied by stationary freight trains. Tinsley – in all likelihood having just had an epileptic fit and under intense wartime pressure – forgets that the local train is on the line and allows a southbound troop train to enter that section… at 6.49am this train collides head on with the ‘parked’ local train… within minutes a northbound express ploughs into the wreckage of the overturned troop train, causing it to burst into flames – resulting in what was, and remains, Britain’s worst railway disaster. The rescue operation for those trapped in the overturned and mangled troop train is compounded by the age of the gaslit wooden carriages – causing an inferno of truly horrifying proportions with consequent unimaginable suffering and loss of life. The crash, involving five trains in all, is believed to have claimed a total of 227 lives – including that of the driver and fireman of the troop train – and to have injured 246 people, with the death toll made far worse by the terrible fire that engulfed the wreckage after the collision. The troop train had been carrying personnel from The Royal Scots Regiment, bound for Gallipoli – and

In remembrance of Quintinshill Launch a thousand rifles to face the Ottoman gun! they said. Bull-head rail ‘gainst Mansell wheel disturbs their sleep; Darkness beckons: what will the dawn bring.... A fit! … a coupling rends asunder moquette from wood! Gas!…no respecter of class – or age: horribil-e visu! Shadows cross the land….. Can you hear the echoes……. one hundred years down the line? it is not known for certain which souls perished, as the Regimental Roll was lost in the ensuing fire. Poignantly, the death toll also included a number of stowaway children: horribil-e dictu indeed. The swift and perfunctory Board of Trade Inquiry that followed the disaster contrasts starkly with the in-depth investigations and accident prevention that mark our more safety-conscious age 100 years later. Both signalmen were charged with culpable homicide and imprisoned. It is known that Tinsley, at least, was imprisoned at Peterhead Prison, Aberdeenshire, at which institution inmates were taken to work at a nearby quarry, on a specially constructed line (being incidentally Britain’s first state-owned railway line). During the restoration of one of the coaches from this line, a name thought to be J Tinsley was found inscribed into the wood. (I am indebted to Ian Yates of Stanegate Restoration and Replicas for this information).

Devastation at Quintinshill: This burnt-out corridor bogie vehicle no doubt boasted first-class accommodation which, with its more luxurious 'moquette' seating would have been reserved for the Royal Scots' officers, while the lower ranks occupied the antiquated Victorian non-corridor wooden-seated coaches made up from government reserve rolling-stock. Remains of one of the stationary freight trains can be seen in the right of the photograph. GCR ROLLING STOCK TRUST

Although no four-wheeled vehicles are known to have been involved in the Quintinshill accident, it was from this type of vehicle that the later Victorian six-wheeled vehicles evolved. Here ex-MSLR four-wheeled tri-composite carriage No. 176 is on view, after restoration to the GCR's pre-1903 livery by the Vintage Carriages Trust. VCt aRChiVeS

They were released early, following trade union intervention – being subsequently reemployed by the Caledonian Railway Company. Such collusion on the part of a railway company, the judiciary, and the government (which had taken over wartime management of the railways) scapegoating front-line workers, is a reflection of the social and political values of the time: powerful decision makers at the top of large institutions insulated from accountability for the safety of their workforce and of the travelling public. It appears that signalman Tinsley, owing to his epilepsy, would regularly sign on late and complete his log from notes made by his colleague, who would ‘cover’ for him – to avoid a discrepancy in the handwriting: and this is purportedly what happened on the day of the accident – with the consequence that he may well have been preoccupied with this task to the detriment of concentrating on the complex train movements – with disastrous effect. The potentially distracting presence of the previous signalman and two motive power personnel in the cabin at the time may also have contributed to his being distracted. The 2015 BBC documentary Britain’s Deadliest Railway Disaster: Quintinshill, and the recent publication The Quintinshill Conspiracy (Adrian Searle and Jack Richards) suggest that the Caledonian Railway management was aware of, and habitually tolerated, such loose working practices – wholly unacceptable to modern safety standards – and, shockingly, even colluded with them. Scant attention appears to have been paid to the safety risks of employing a signalman with a known history of epilepsy – without adequate monitoring and support. One is tempted to conclude that safety concerns were being sacrificed at the altar of profitability for the railway company. However, a modern observer should also take into account the constraints of the time: the Great War was at a nadir, the railways were stretched to breaking point (1915 saw an increase in traffic of around 40% over the previous year) with motive power and rolling stock in a parlous state of repair. Crisis management was called for, simply to keep the show on the road; and if disaster did strike (as clearly it did at Quintinshill) no government could afford the luxury of exposing such safety failures – fearful of the impact of such a disaster on public wartime morale.

Top left: Plaque dedicating the restoration of MSLR coach No. 946. The newly restored coach will form a central part of the Armistice Day Commemorations on November 11, 2015 at the Great Central Railway Ltd (GCRN) Ruddington. GCR RollinG StoCk tRuSt Left: One of the coaches destroyed in the fire at Quintinshill was an exLDECR six-wheeled third-class vehicle No. 1834 built by Ashburys in 1898. This view shows an identical restored LDECR coach, No.26. Midland RailwayButteRley

Antique coaching stock – 100 years on

At Quintinshill the rear six vehicles of the troop train (all believed to be CR stock) were severed from the front of the train because of a broken coupling, and so survived the terrible inferno that engulfed the rest. Nine of these were sixwheeled third-class vehicles of wooden construction (extensively of teak although other woods were also used) belonging to the Great Central Railway, of which eight were exManchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway stock, while one – No. 1834 – was inherited from the Lancashire Derbyshire and East Coast Railway – which the GCR had acquired in 1907. Among this six-wheeled stock was the oldest vehicle lost in the accident – a composite vehicle No. 203A built in 1878. The rest of the front section of the train was made up of a number of more up-to-date composite bogie coaches – the first-class compartments presumably being reserved for the use of the Royal Scots’ officers. The GCR’s overall stock of six-wheeled carriages was designated as Diagram 2B8, and they were originally introduced by Charles Sacré who was in charge of locomotive and rolling stock matters for the MSLR from the late 1850s, while many more examples were built under his successor Thomas Parker (Senior) – but to Sacré’s basic design. The majority of this sixwheeled stock was built at Gorton, near Manchester, in the 1880s, although of those destroyed at Quintinshill, one was built by

Ashburys and one by Cravens. Initially the six-wheelers graced the suburban services in the Manchester area, being later used by the GCR on its London extension to Marylebone. They were fitted with woodencentred Mansell wheels, automatic vacuum brakes and steam heating apparatus. Six-wheeled vehicles were a natural progression from the four-wheeled carriages that had preceded them, being designed to carry heavier payloads than their predecessors. A fine example of a four-wheeled midVictorian tri-composite carriage (that is, with compartments for first, second and third class) has been lovingly restored by the Vintage Carriages Trust: it is GCR No. 176 and can be viewed at the Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow near Keighley. For more information on this vehicle visit http://www.vintagecarriagestrust.org/ MS&L.htm Following previous accident report recommendations, all new GCR coaching stock was electrically lit from 1903, but the vehicles involved in the accident were of an older vintage, since they were probably part of a government-requisitioned fleet being pressed into service because of wartime rolling-stock shortages. Thus, at the time of the accident, they still sported gas lighting (which may have been the Pintsch system, although at least one preserved example of a GCR six-wheeled vehicle is known to have carried Popes Patent Lighting). As the GCR alone had more than 500 such gaslit Heritage Railway 69

coaches, conversion to electricity was no doubt a lengthy process. At Quintinshill, gas stored in cylinders under the coaches was ignited on impact by the hot ash and coal being spewed out from the locomotives, causing an unimaginable explosion and a raging fire, fuelled by the wooden coach bodies. In the run-up to the Grouping of 1923, the GCR was, in fact, at the forefront of technical development in rolling stock design and safety, and under JG Robinson, who took over responsibility for rolling stock affairs from Thomas Parker (Junior), an anti-collision locking system was installed on many trains as a direct result of the Quintinshill experience – but fortunately never needed to be put to the test. Much of the six-wheeled ex-MSLR and exLDECR stock continued in use into the Grouping era, being absorbed into LNER stock as Diagram 5033 and Diagram 5032 respectively; and some survived through to Nationalisation in 1948 – with several examples in existence today. A third-class five-compartment vehicle (GCR No. 373) built at Gorton in 1889 is currently being stored at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) at Ruddington with the superstructure flat-packed, awaiting restoration by the GCR Rolling Stock Trust. Four other coaches have been restored to their preGrouping incarnation, so to speak, and these may be found at the Midland Railway-Butterley; the Chasewater Railway Museum; the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton Road; and at Ruddington. The Butterley LDECR vehicle was built by Ashburys around 1897 as No. 26 (its LNER number is unknown) and belonged to GCR Diagram 287. It has been beautifully restored to its LDECR vintage state, lined out in crimson lake livery. The Chasewater carriage, thought to be No. 1470, was built as a brake third vehicle by Ashburys in 1898 and survived into Nationalisation, running on the Easingwold Light Railway near York from 1946 to 1956. It was rescued by the Railway Preservation Society in the 1960s (with the assistance of former London Transport engineer, David Alexander) and is understood to be presently under restoration following an internal fire. The restored Ruddington vehicle was built at Gorton in 1888 and is a five-compartment thirdclass vehicle, No. 946. It was withdrawn from service by the LNER and is believed to have been converted into a camping coach (No. CC15) in March 1934, being later used as a tubing store at Stratford works in East London: at this stage (as DE 320256) the partitions were removed and one end was cut open to receive the locomotive boiler tubes. Condemned by BR in 1967 it was badly damaged in a Civil Defence simulated train crash at Takeley in Hertfordshire, being later removed by members of the Royal Engineers to a farm in Cambridgeshire where it was used as a game bird ‘shooting lodge’. Finally – through the good offices of Gordon Maslin – it was donated by the late Bob Drage and Tony Keeble to the GCR Rolling Stock Trust on September 9, 2000. Full restoration of the coach commenced the following year with Pat Sumner and the volunteer team having done a first-class job on all aspects of this, including a full mechanical overhaul, installing complete new interior fittings, and the exterior finish. The coach is now resplendent in 1900 GCR French grey and brown livery: this preceded the company’s cream and brown livery, which marked a closer working

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At the time of writing ex-MSLR six-wheeled carriage No. 946 had not been moved from the covered area at Ruddington where its 14-year-long restoration had just come to fruition: However, this close-up view clearly shows the museum-standard quality of the paintwork and lining-out: September 2015. GCR ROLLING STOCK TRUST

relationship with the Great Western. The paint finish is to ‘museum standard’ since it is intended that No. 946 will eventually be placed in the planned ‘Main Line’ museum at Leicester North, which is set to open by 2020 in conjunction with the National Railway Museum. As the completion of the restoration has serendipitously come about within the year of the Quintinshill anniversary, it is intended that the newly restored No. 946 will form a backdrop to Armistice Day commemorations at Ruddington on the morning of November 11 this year. A new worksplate has been designed giving the original date of manufacture and the date of restoration, and this will be displayed with a dedication to the Royal Scots’ regiment. At the time of writing, No. 946 has yet to be moved, following completion of the paintwork, and hence the absence from this article of any broadside views showing the finished livery. Readers are invited to join the Armistice Day event to see it in all its glory! For more information on the GCR Rolling Stock Trust visit: http://www.gcr-rollingstocktrust.co.uk/ or contact Richard Tilden-Smith at: [email protected]. A volunteer team from the Quainton Railway Society at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre has been restoring third-class GCR coach No. 1076 (LNER No. 51076) built by the MSLR at Gorton in the 1880s. Initially used on joint services with the LNWR, mainly on the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, it was withdrawn by the LNER in the 1930s and saw use as a camping coach for some years before passing into departmental stock in the 1940s. For at least 20 years it was used as a workmen’s mess room at Victoria Dock, Hull, finally arriving at Quainton Road in 1971 in a poor state of repair and with its partitions having been removed. It was presented to the Quainton Railway Society in 1973 by the then owner, Mr F Poynter. Trevor Paice and the volunteer team (made up of not more than four people at any one time) have done a wonderful job on all aspects of the restoration, including replacement of the rolledsteel piping to the gas tanks and regulator, as well as a full overhaul of the interior, reinstating the partitions and seating to restore it to a fivecompartment vehicle – and externally with a beautiful paint and lining-out finish, in the GCR’s then brand-new ‘London Extension’ livery of 1900. In common with the Ruddington coach, completion of the restoration work on No. 1076 also coincides with the Quintinshill anniversary, and having passed its fitness-to-run test in

August of this year, it will be running as part of the Quainton Railway Society’s programme of vintage train running events planned for 2016. For more information on the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre visit: http://www.bucksrailcentre.org. I would like to thank John Quick and the members of the GCR Rolling Stock Trust and the Quainton Railway Society restoration teams, among others, for their invaluable help and advice in putting together this article. Any errors are the sole responsibility of the author.

■AndrewDavidworksasavolunteerrestoringvintage railwaycarriages–his‘day-job’includesteachingClassical cultureandlanguageforLondon’sCityLiteraryInstitute (the‘CityLit’)andfortheBritishMuseum,aswellastohomeschoolchildren–includinghisowntwoboys.

Many coaches of the type that went up in flames at Quintinshill survived the Grouping by taking on new roles, such as being made into camping coaches: these were vehicles converted for holiday use in the 1930s to capitalise on the expansion in the leisure industry. Three of the preserved MSLR/GCR six-wheeled vehicles featured in this article survived by this means. Here camping coach No.72 is seen at a publicity event put on by the LNER in about 1935: the MSLR/GCR numbering of this vehicle is unknown. REAL PHOTOGRAPHS L2067 Below: The opening of the Great Central’s London Extension from Annesley to Quainton Road saw much service for former MSLR six-wheeled stock, such as No. 1076, seen here gracing the Brill branch platform at the latter station, in the resplendent French grey and brown livery that the GCR introduced to mark the opening of its new line to the capital. This view is of No. 1076's first outing after restoration by Quainton Railway Society volunteers: September 2015. CHRIS ANDREW

Heritage Railway 71

AUTUMN GALA

SEVERNVALLEY

‘SCOT’AND‘BRIT’ Royal Scot made its debut in passenger service in September. Brian Sharpe reports on another successful autumn gala weekend.

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LWAYS a highlight of the steam enthusiasts’ calendar, Severn Valley Railway’s autumn steam gala saw two stars from Jeremy Hoskings’ Icons of Steam fleet visiting for this year’s event. BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia was restored at Bridgnorth when first preserved, returning to steam in 1978, so it is always a welcome visitor, but the line had never seen an LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 before.

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No. 46100 Royal Scot arrived by road from Crewe a few days before the gala and had spent a few days running-in before entering passenger service on the first day of the event. These were the engine’s first runs since a very brief return to service in 2009 when major problems had been found with the engine. No significant issues were encountered this time and after more running on the SVR, Royal Scot is expected to make its main line debut in preservation shortly.

Above: LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100RoyalScotcrosses the Victoria Bridge with LMS coaches. PHIL JONES Top left: Looking like a 1950s summer excursion, LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 RoyalScot blasts past Bewdley south signalbox with matching blood and custard Mk.1 coaches on September 20, with the 10.30am Bridgnorth–Kidderminster, its last round trip of the gala. DUNCAN LANGTREE Left: BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia approaches Arley with a train of GWR stock on September 19. PETER HOLLANDS Right: BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia passes the site of the Tenbury Wells branch junction, near Northwood, with a goods train on September 18. JED BENNETT Below: Also returning to the SVR for the gala was Loughborough-based LMS Ivatt 2MT mogul No. 46521, which is seen at Bridgnorth alongside Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34053 SirKeithPark. KARL EVERALL

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NARROW GAUGE REDISCOVERIES

At lunchtime on Saturday, three of the gala’s star locomotives were lined up on parade at Aberystwyth for the benefit of photographers. Margaret is seen in this view closest to the camera, with Diana immediately behind and SybilMary bringing up the rear.

‘FORGOTTENENGINES’ INRHEIDOLSPOTLIGHT

Gala events frequently display visiting engines but it is not often enthusiasts have the opportunity to view ‘new’ engines that they have never seen before. Mark Smithers reports on an event where narrow gauge engines made their first public appearance since the 1950s.

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he recent ‘Forgotten Engines’ gala staged on the Vale of Rheidol Railway over the weekend of September 26-27 presented a welcome opportunity for a representative selection of the narrow gauge steam locomotive world’s more diminutive units to take centre stage in a major event. The four stars of the weekend were three Hunslet Engine Co products of differing but related designs and a unique survivor from the Stoke-on-Trent factory of Kerr Stuart & Co. These locomotives saw service during the gala working passenger shuttle services between Aberystwyth and Capel Bangor, and other miscellaneous duties such as demonstration wagon workings and footplate rides. The supporting cast was largely comprised of two 1923 vintage Swindon-built 2-6-2Ts Nos. 8 Llywelyn and 9 Prince of Wales, which were occupied working passenger services over the full length of the line between Aberystwyth and Devil’s Bridge, and another Kerr Stuart product, resident ‘New Type’ Wren class 0-4-0ST No. 3114 of 1918, which was engaged on giving footplate rides and ‘driver for a fiver’ duties at Devil’s Bridge. Two of the gala’s four stars were making their first operational appearances in public since 1950. Of this pair, 0-4-0ST Margaret was constructed in 1894 for the Penrhyn Slate Quarries at Bethesda. The locomotive was built by Hunslets (No. 605) to a gauge of 1ft 10 ¾in (as were all Hunslet locomotives for this customer) as one of a four-strong ‘Small

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Quarry’ class used on the Penrhyn system. In its basic mechanical design, the locomotive had much in common with the Dinorwic Quarries’ Velinheli (No. 409 of 1886), but there were important detail differences, such as rectangular, rather than chamfered, mainframes; Salter rather than Ramsbottom safety valves (features which harked back to the Manning Wardle 18in-gauge ‘Small Chatham’ class), and the use of two injectors as built rather than one injector and a crosshead-driven feedpump. Costing £500 when new, Margaret remained in service until five years after the Second World War at which time the boiler was condemned. By this stage the final rundown of the Penhryn Quarries’ railway system, later symbolised by the seemingly ever-growing line of ‘derelicts’ outside Coed-y-Parc workshops, was getting under way and it was not considered worth replacing Margaret’s boiler. Margaret remained out of use at the quarries until 1966 when it was bought by Colin Pealing for scrap value, and early thoughts turned towards using the engine as a source of spare parts for other restoration projects. Colin was later convinced, however, by Rev Teddy Boston that restoration of the locomotive to working order would be feasible and Colin collected a number of replacement parts to this end before selling the engine to Mike Hart in 1990. Margaret soon changed hands once more, moving to the Isle of Man in the ownership of Alistair Lamberton.

Restoration continued with the production of new patterns and castings and work on the frames and cylinders. On Alistair’s death in 1999, the partially restored engine was bought by the Vale of Rheidol Railway, where progress to the ‘rolling chassis’ stage had been accomplished by 2004. Restoration continued at a pace dictated by the need to maintain the railway’s fleet in working order, and it was to be three further years before a new boiler was delivered. The saddle tank was a larger 120-gallon replacement fitted at Coed-y-Parc, and this was restored and refitted. Margaret’s restoration was completed in the Vale of Rheidol’s new workshop building and it was rolled out in time for the gala, resplendent in lined-out Penrhyn Quarry livery, as befitted the occasion. Although not of sufficiently large size for use on scheduled through workings, it is anticipated that Margaret will prove to be useful for giving footplate rides and ‘driver for a fiver’ duties on future occasions. Diana’s unique quality derives from the fact that this locomotive is the only survivor of the mainstream Kerr Stuart Sirdar class 0-4-0T in existence today. This 58-strong class was introduced into the makers’ product range in 1898 and Diana’s closest surviving relative, despite using many similar mechanical components, differs mainly in having been constructed with modified frames and tramway-pattern lower side sheets as a 2ft 6in gauge 2-4-2T to cope with the 12lb/yd rails of

Two static visiting locomotives on display were the ex-Penrhyn Avonside sisters, Marchlynin restored condition and Ogwenlargely in the condition in which it had ceased work on the Penrhyn system. The historic public meeting of Winifredand Ogwenin the late afternoon on the Saturday during the gala is illustrated in this view. The wanderers had truly returned from their sojourn in the USA!

2-6-2T No. 8Llywelyn passes Glanrafon on September 20. EDWARD DYER

The mainframes, wheels, smokebox and boiler barrel/firebox wrapper assembly of Swindon-built 2-6-2T No. 7 were on display in the workshop. This locomotive is currently undergoing restoration to working order.

When not engaged on shuttle duties, the stars of the gala could be seen at Aberystwyth giving footplate plates and on demonstration wagon workings. Winifredis shown here on one of the latter hauling a train of ‘V’-skips, with its workaday livery being displayed to great effect.

the Walvis Bay Railway, located in Namibia. This is of course, Hope (No. 652 of 1899), now preserved at Windhoek. The Sirdar class, in common with certain other narrow gauge classes produced by the Stoke manufacturer, could be produced in a variety of gauges, and one example, No. 701 of 1900, was built to a gauge of 3ft 7½in for Smeed Dean & Co at Sittingbourne, with inside rather than outside mainframes. Kerr Stuart also followed the practice of often building batches of locomotives to stock, leaving only details such as the gauge, frame spacing and pipework to be completed as soon as the customer specification was received, thereby ensuring a prompt delivery. The final batch of six Sirdars was built under this policy and allocated the works Nos. 1154-9, being ordered in December 1909. Nos. 1154-5 and 1157 were completed to 60cm gauge in 1911-12 for a foundry in Mauritius, whereas No. 1156 went to the same island, but as 80cm locomotive San Souci No.4, in March 1912 for the sugar industry there, as did No. 1159, which was completed to a gauge of 75cm and despatched in May 1915. The locomotive that was to become Diana was originally built to the latter gauge with 200-gallon water tanks, suggesting that it was originally the subject of a cancelled customer order. Be that as it may, it was eventually ordered on March 26, 1917 by the Home Grown Timber Committee of the War Department and delivered as a 2ft-gauge example with 90-gallon tanks, a copper firebox and brass tubes to the reopened Kerry Tramway on April 14, bearing works number 1158.

No. 1158 spent its early days on the Mid-Wales-based timber tramway, hauling timber for pit and trench props from the woods to the sawmill and from there transhipment to standard gauge wagons on the Cambrian Railways system. In common with many War Department-owned narrow gauge locomotives, the aftermath of the Armistice brought disposal into the private sector, and by December 1925 the locomotive was in the hands of the Oakley Slate Quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog. It is at this site that No. 1158 received the name Diana and remained in use until major boiler repairs were required in late 1932. It received a largely renewed boiler from Hunslets (by then the owner of Kerr Stuart’s goodwill) in October 1933 and resumed work during the following month. Diana subsequently worked in the middle quarry at Oakley, hauling rubbish from the power incline, before being transferred to the lower quarry and being sold to the dealer WO Williams in March 1942. Three years later the locomotive was sold to

the Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry, where it moved in July 1945, being stripped down and rebuilt with a shorter chimney, enclosed cab and a handbrake repositioned from the inside right hand of the coal bunker to the rear of the bunker on the left-hand (driver’s) side. Re-entering service in April 1946, Diana remained in use for a mere four years until the boiler was condemned, after which it was laid up in a shed until sold in August 1963. Several years in private storage followed, including transfer by Tony Hills to the Brecon Mountain Railway in 1976, until the Davies brothers bought the engine and moved it to Swansea. They sent Diana to Alan Keef’s works at Ross-on-Wye, where the chassis was stripped and overhauled, and new tanks, bunker and smokebox fitted before return to Swansea in June 2005. A new boiler, built by Bartletts, was fitted shortly afterwards, but with the death of one of the brothers, work on the engine petered out and it deteriorated in open storage. In February 2014 Diana was bought by Phil Mason, who moved the locomotive to the Vale

COMPARATIVETABLEOFDIMENSIONS Name Class Works No Wheel diameter Wheelbase Length over buffers Cylinders Boiler pressure (as built) Tank capacity (as built) Weight (W O)

Kerr Stuart Wren (new type) 3114 1ft 8in 3ft 0in 11ft 101⁄2in 6in x 9in 140lb/sq in 87 gallons 4.15 tons

Kerr Stuart Diana Sirdar 1158 2ft 0in 3ft 6in 13ft 6in* 6in x 10in 140lb/sq in 90 gallons 6.6 tons

Hunslet Margaret Small Quarry 605 1ft 8in 3ft 3in 13ft 0 in 7in x 10in 120lb/sq in 100 gallons 6.0 tons

Hunslet Winifred Port (Penrhyn) 364 1ft 8in 4ft 0in 13ft 10in 7in x 10in 120lb/sq in 150 gallons 7.5 tons

Hunslet Sybil Mary Large Quarry 921 1ft 8in 4ft 0in 13ft 10in 7.5in x 10in 140lb/sq in 150 gallons 7.6 tons

Note: This dimension quoted for sister engines W/Ns 676-7*

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This view shows Diana’sworksplate. The period from the ordering of the locomotive’s construction by the makers to its completed sale to a customer was in excess of five years – a classic ‘retro’ locomotive, although by no means a record for disparity between the dates of design and completion, even for this manufacturer.

Diana’sname has been applied over the grey livery on the side tanks in black with white shading during the restoration. Right: This close-up view of Dianashows off the simple outline of an early Kerr Stuart design (which predates the more familiar saddle tank Tattoo, Darwin, and Brazilclasses) and also emphasises the fine standard of finish achieved during the recent restoration in the VoR’s workshops.

of Rheidol Railway in order for restoration to as near original condition as possible. Despite the date on the maker’s plate, Diana is a classic ‘retro’ locomotive, built to a design nearly two decades old at the time of its delivery and bearing many of the aesthetic features found on the contemporaneous Skylark class 0-4-2T (extinct today in the UK, but still extant, with a non-authentic boiler, in Australia, and also in Mauritius). Diana’s main feature of note is the means by which the inside valve gear acts via indirect drive to a valve contained within an external steam chest. The lower end of the final drive bellcrank (whose trajectory in motion is a circular arc) engages via a spigot in a non-ferrous cylindrical bearing

Diana’smost distinctive mechanical feature is the arrangement of the indirect drive for the valve gear, allowing the internally mounted eccentrics, eccentric rods, expansion links and die blocks to actuate slide valves contained within externally mounted steam chests (i.e. ‘inside to outside drive’). The part of the mechanism shown in this view is fairly typical of ‘old- type’ Kerr Stuart steam locomotives in that for each cylinder there is an external bellcrank supported by an adjacent bearing, attached to a shaft passing inwards to an internal bellcrank (the lower end of which is connected to the relevant die block), also supported by an adjacent bearing. The two bearings are linked by a sleeve supported by a pedestal secured to the mainframe. The weighshaft is mounted to the rear of the valve bellcrank pedestals and in this view the reversing bellcrank can be seen just above the external valve bellcrank bearing, with the balance weight immediately to the right. Between the two internal valve bellcranks can be seen two further bellcranks which protrude from the weighshaft to connect with the drop-links for the expansion links.

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running in an annular housing on the valve rod, which is elongated and supported by a bearing to the rear. The spigot is free within limits to move ‘in and out’ within its bore in the non-ferrous bearing. By this means, the arc motion of the lower bellcrank is converted into the required linear oscillation of the slide valve. Diana is the only domestically based locomotive with this pattern of ‘inside-to-outside’ valve motion currently in working order as the only other potential user of the system, a very incomplete Maurice class 0-4-2ST from Antigua is currently in store and would require total replacement of the relevant components. On the mainstream ‘Old

Type’ Tattoo and Brazil classes (the latter exemplified by Premier and Leader on the SKLR) the external arrangement was replaced by a small intermediate link between the lower end of the final drive bellcrank and the valve rod. Following its appearance at the Forgotten Engines gala, Diana will become part of the operating fleet on the Bala Lake Railway, where it will join representative units from the Dinorwic and Penrhyn systems. The oldest locomotive in action during the gala was Penrhyn Port class 0-4-0ST Winifred. At a very early stage of evolution of the greater ‘Quarry Hunslet’ dynasty, No. 232 of 1879 Gem was built to a gauge of 1ft 101⁄2in for Left: This is howthe aforementioned problem was solved on Diana. As mentioned in the main text, an integral annular housing on the valve rod carries a non-ferrous cylindrical bearing whichis freeto swivel, with limits, in a verticalplane. A spigot passes from the lower end of the bellcrank right throughabore in the bearing and a slotin the underside of the housing(visibleoffsetslightlyto the right of the horizontal and below the vertical centres of this picture). The working lengthwise play of the spigot in the boreis sufficientto allow for the necessary effective change in length of the bellcrank ‘swing’ to facilitate the conversionof radial to linear motion to actuate the valve rod, which is given adequate support by a bearing at its rear end, seen in the left of this picture.

This is another view of the right-hand motion but in this case showing the crosshead, connecting and coupling rod (note the split ‘cotter pin’ bearings) and the outer valve bellcrank engaging with the elongated external valve rod. The difficulty arising from the need for conversion of the radial motion of the lower end of the outer bellcrank to the required linear oscillatory motion for the slide valve is evident.

Another item under repair in the workshop building (in this case the carriage repair area) was this 1938 vintage Swindon-built bogie third carriage. This view emphasises the level of maintenance needed to keep these vehicles in working order.

Quarry Hunslets Margaret and SybilMary cross the bridge at Llanbadarn on September 20. EDWARD DYER

Heaton Mersey Pat Brick Co, and it was felt that for some customers, a domed boiler would be necessary as a precaution against priming, particularly on downgrades and additionally a longer wheelbase would be preferable where the curves were not so severe. The Penrhyn Railway Port class was the next development in this branch of the dynasty, employing a 4ft rather than a 3ft 8in wheelbase, and Winifred was the youngest of the three, being delivered as No. 364 of 1885 (the Dinorwic Quarries’ Lady Madcap, originally built as Sextus for Groby Granite Co was of a substantially similar design). Winifred enjoyed a seven-decade career at the port before being displaced by diesel motive power in 1955 when the engine was transferred to the quarry for a further nine years’ service. As with several other former Penrhyn and Dinorwic locomotives, Winifred was bought by a buyer resident in North America, in this case CB Annette, and the locomotive was eventually put on display in a museum in Indianapolis until being put into storage during the early 1990s. More recent years have seen the return of several of the ex-patriate slate quarry locomotives to British soil, and in 2012 Julian Birley bought Winifred and arranged for the engine to be based at the Bala Lake Railway, where restoration to working order in its Llanuwchllyn workshops was completed in the early months of 2015. Winifred returned to Wales with its paint finish largely in the condition that it had been when the engine had ceased work in the quarry, and it was decided, for photographic purposes, to retain this finish for a short period after initial restoration, with Winifred making one of its last appearances in this ‘workaday’ condition at the gala before a repaint and resumption of its new career on the Bala Lake Railway. The trio of ex-Penrhyn Quarry Hunslets on show at the gala was completed by Large Quarry class member Sybil Mary, unlike the other two locomotives a 20th-century product (No. 921 of 1906). A six-strong class on the Penrhyn system, the basic design was a development of the

specification represented by Winifred from which it can most readily be distinguished by its footplate and running boards being on one level, and its Ramsbottom safety valves. In fact, Sybil Mary did spend some of its prepreservation career working at the port, although most was spent working out of Red Lion shed in the quarry. Sybil Mary was withdrawn after nearly half a century of service in 1955 with leaking boiler mudholes and was subsequently stored at Coed-y-Parc before purchase by Colin Pealing in 1965. Owing to other commitments, Colin was unable to complete restoration of the locomotive and it passed through a series of other ownerships prior to being bought by Graham Lee of the Statfold Barn Railway. Here, the engine was restored to the usual high standard that has been achieved with operational locomotives based at this venue and it re-appeared in working order during 2013. One of the most important aspects of the gala was the opportunity to show off the much-improved workshop facilities that the Vale of Rheidol Railway now has at its disposal. The new workshop was constructed over a period of several years, witnessed by the fact that although the building bears the date 2012, it was actually brought into use in 2014. It contains important facilities, such as an overhead crane, inspection pits, lathes, milling and boring machines, together with a paint shop and carriage repair area. In addition to the previously mentioned restoration work on Margaret and Diana, one of the major tasks currently being undertaken is the restoration to working order of 2-6-2T No.7 Owain Glyndwr. This locomotive, which has the distinction of hauling the final trains of the last season of British Rail ownership in 1988, was withdrawn from service 10 years later and dismantled for an overhaul, which has only recently started. At present, the mainframes have been repaired, shotblasted and painted and the wheels turned. The cylinders have been removed for reboring and the boiler tubes and inner firebox (the original of 1923) have been removed for replacement.

It is envisaged that work on the locomotive will be boosted by the recent award of a £288,000 grant from the Coastal Communities Fund to develop heritage skills as part of a project called Our Past is Their Future. With this award, it is hoped that the workshop will be able to train current and future staff, by means of apprenticeships and college placements, in the skills necessary to undertake projects such as the restoration of No.7 and to fulfil the engineering and maintenance demands of keeping the railway running for years to come. From the point of view of the gala itself, the workshop not only contained the strippeddown No.7, but also examples of VoR rolling stock, such as GWR-built closed and summer bogie carriages, a cattle wagon, static restored and unrestored visiting ex-Penrhyn Avonside 0-4-0Ts (respectively, Marchlyn and Ogwen) and the historic 3ft 3in gauge ex-Cotton Powder Co of Faversham Ruston Proctor paraffin-mechanical 0-4-0, whose restoration to working order is awaiting completion. This unit is the oldest functional (as opposed to miniature) internal combustion locomotive extant in the UK. On the Saturday, during the late afternoon, the workshop sidings area played host to an important public first as fellow former Penrhyn expatriate locomotives Winifred and Ogwen met face-to-face after the latter was hauled dead out of the workshop. The pair posed for photographs for the occasion, both presenting an appearance barely altered from their last days on the Penrhyn system. In 2013 the Vale of Rheidol Railway announced that it had bought the redundant 19th-century roof from London Bridge station, which was being displaced as part of redevelopment work at the site. This is to be re-erected next to the new workshop to form the accommodation for a new museum to contain several more narrow gauge locomotives, some are historic British types built for export, which are currently stored away from public view. When the day comes for this museum to be unveiled, there will surely be scope for an even bigger celebration with the theme of forgotten engines. Heritage Railway 79

AUTUMN GALA SEASON

MOORSLINEGOES

SOUTHERN Brian Sharpe reports on a spectacular event which saw two well-known SR locomotives doing battle with the fearsome gradients of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

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he North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s three-day steam gala on September 25-27 had a Southern theme, partly as a result of difficulties experienced by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway with transporting locomotives by road. Passenger figures were around the 5,000 mark, well up on the 2013 event, although slightly lower than for last year’s GWRthemed gala. Swanage-based SR U class 2-6-0 No. 31806 had been booked to make the long journey north to attend both the NYMR event and the KWVR steam gala in October. However, the ban on road movements of steam locomotives in and out of Ingrow on the KWVR meant that the mogul could not go to there, but it still made the long journey by road to the NYMR. The KWVR-based SR West Country Pacific

No. 34092 Wells had already left Ingrow by road to spend the summer season on the East Lancashire Railway and was prevented from returning to the Worth Valley unless it could be certified to move by rail, diesel-hauled from Bury. However, last minute negotiations saw the Pacific taken by road from Bury to New Bridge yard at Pickering to take part in the NYMR steam gala, after which it was expected to return to Bury, again by road. The two SR engines starred alongside the NYMR’s resident working fleet of LNER K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess, NER Q6 0-8-0 No. 63395, LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45428 and BR Standard 4MTs No. 75029 and 76079. Unfortunately, LNER A4 Pacific No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley’s boiler certificate

SR U class 2-6-0 No. 31806 makes hard work of the climb past Water Ark on September 27. ROBERT FALCONER

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had expired the previous week and it was unable to take part, although it was on display at Grosmont before its overhaul begins. The Bulleid Pacific was steamed at New Bridge and ran light engine to Grosmont on Friday morning, September 25, clearances being checked en route. Although intended to work the 2.58pm from Grosmont, it piloted No. 76079 from Grosmont to Goathland on an earlier train that had originated at Whitby, returning to Grosmont to head the 5pm Pullman dining train to Pickering. No. 31806 did not take kindly to the punishing 1-in-49 climb from Grosmont to Goathland, being very close to stalling on its first working on the Friday, and banking assistance was necessary for its first train on the Sunday.

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SRUclass2-6-0No.31806isclosetostallingatDarnholmwithatrainofteakcoachesonSeptember25. DAVE RODGERS

SR West Country Pacific No. 34092 Wells departs from Goathland with a Pullman on September 25. ALAN WEAVER

SR West Country Pacific No. 34092 Wells passes Moorgates on the climb from Goathland to Ellerbeck with a Pullman dining train. KARL HEATH

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BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76079 departs from Whitby for Battersby on September 25. BRIAN SHARPE Heritage Railway 83

SCALE HERITAGE RAILWAY

Diamond Deltics in miniature CELEBRATING the 60th anniversary of the first of what many consider to be Britain’s most iconic class of diesel, the Deltic, Locomotionmodels.com – the modelling arm of the Locomotion museum at Shildon – has produced two 00-gauge models. The museum is holding its Diamond Deltic event on October 24-25, when the prototype Deltic DP1 will be joined by production Class 55s Alycidon, Royal Highland Fusilier and the National Railway Museum’s operational King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The event will mark the exact 60th anniversary of DP1 being allocated to Speke shed on October 24, 1955. A further run of the Bachmann-produced DP1 to satisfy the public and a new model of King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, aka ‘KOYLI’, will be issued, in

The weathered version of Class 55 No. 55022 King’sOwnYorkshireLightInfantry. LOCOMOTIONMODELS.COM

1979 BR blue featuring the City of York coat of arms which is the full-size locomotive’s current livery. Each model will be presented in three variants – pristine, weathered and sound – and will be available only through Locomotionmodels.com Each model will be supplied with an additional sleeve that features the distinctive National Collection in Miniature artwork. A small number of both models will also be offered as a twin pack in branded packaging. Brian Greenwood, chairman of the Joint Locomotion Management Board said: “We have been planning these models to coincide with the Diamond Deltic weekend for almost a year and it is extremely gratifying to see our plans finally coming to fruition.” Locomotionmodels.com manager,

Simon Kohler, said: “The Deltics were a fitting locomotive to replace the A4s and A3s on the East Coast Main Line, with their very presence and sound exuding an aura of pent-up power and ultimate strength, and it is only right that such iconic locomotives should be

EDITOR’S CHOICE 32-522NRM

Deltic DP1 (pristine)

32-522NRMDA

Deltic DP1 (weathered)

32-522NRMA

Deltic DP1 (sound)

£130 £140 £250

celebrating their Diamond Jubilee, not only at Shildon, but also in miniature.” Each model is subject to a limited production run of just 500, which is divided across the variations with 250 pristine, 100 weathered and 150 sound.

32-525NRM

King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (pristine) £125

32-525NRMDA

King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (weathered)

£135

32-525NRMDS

King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (sound)

£250

New HST train pack to mark museum’s 40th

MARKING the 40th anniversary of the official opening of the National Railway Museum at York, Virgin Trains East Coast has named one of its High Speed Train units NRM 40. The naming ceremony took place at York station on September 23 and was performed by Virgin Trains East Coast managing director, David Horne, and NRM director Paul Kirkman, in front of an invited audience. The Class 43 unit chosen to carry the name and the celebratory livery was No. 43238, which was built at Crewe in 1977 and had originally been numbered 43038 before being reclassified in 2007. The same power car previously carried the name National Railway Museum – The First Ten Years 1975-1985 for 12 years from 1985. It now wears a distinctive and specially designed livery, depicting key exhibits from the museum’s collection, including the working replica of Stephenson’s Rocket, and pioneer

Stockton & Darlington Railway Locomotion No.1, which is currently on loan to Darlington’s Head of Steam Museum. As part of the celebration it is intended that Locomotionmodels.com will be commissioning

an HST train pack from Hornby that will include not only the NRM 40 driving car but the standardliveried Virgin Trains East Coast HST unit that accompanied No. 43238 on the day of the naming.

Mini S&D at Minehead gala MEMORIES of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway will be invoked in miniature form at the Heritage Railwaysponsored West Somerset Railway spring steam gala event in March, marking the 50th anniversary of the closure of the legendary transMendip line. The Taunton and District Model Railway Group’s 4mm-scale recreation of Bath Green Park station has won many awards, and its clubroom at Bishops Lydeard station will be open on selected days during the event. The adjacent Gauge Museum, housed in the former goods shed, will display an N-scale model of Burnham-

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on-Sea station built by Alastair Knox, and will be brought in courtesy of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust. The continuous-run 4mm-scale model on the upper floor of the museum will feature appropriate locomotives and stock. The small signalbox from Burnham exhibited at the Washford station museum of the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust has a non-working 4mmscale diorama of Highbridge S&D station. Discounted rover tickets for the gala can be purchased online at www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk or by calling 01643 704996.

An instant sell out! The new Locomotionmodels.com National Collection in Miniature model of GWR 4-6-0 No. 6000 KingGeorgeV, specially commissioned from Hornby and limited to just 250 pieces at £159.99, as reported in Heritage Railway issue 204, became an overnight collectors’ item when the run was snapped up weeks before the mid-November delivery. LOCOMOTIONMODELS.COM Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

REVIEWS

The Railway Atlas of Scotland By David Spaven (hardback, Birlinn, 240pp, £30, ISBN 978 1 78027282) INTEREST in Scotland’s railways appears to be at an all-time high because of the reopening of the northernmost third of the Borders Railway and its royal patronage, as covered in Heritage Railway’s special souvenir edition last month. In the wake of the opening comes this beautiful presentation book, which claims to be the first volume ever to document the country’s railway history through maps. Indeed, it contains more than 180 of them, from the dawn of the railway age in the early 19th century through to the present day. Each map extract is accompanied by a detailed explanation and mini-history of a particular subject. The diversity that this volume portrays is astonishing, even more so because some of the mapped railways that it covers were never built, such as the Edinburgh & Leith

The Railway Paintings of Wrenford J Thatcher Caught on Canvas

By Wrenford Thatcher (hardback, Halstar, 144pp, £24.99, ISBN 978 1 906690 60 1) WRENFORD John Thatcher came from a railway family. His grandads were both engine drivers, for the GER, LNER and BR, and the author’s childhood accordingly had many footplate memories. A university graduate in physics and mathematics who later worked in industry, in his spare time he honed his artistic skills to perfection to record on canvas the last great age of steam, drawing largely on his personal experiences.

Atmospheric Railway, which would have been a Scottish version of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s vacuum-powered South Devon Railway. Then there’s the Dingwall & Ben Wyvis Railway, a standard gauge rack railway proposed in 1979 but despite getting outline planning permission two years later, never got off the ground. Eccentricities such as these apart, the volume uses maps to unfold the mainstream history of Scotland’s rail network, chapters cover the Forth Bridge, Caledonian and North British competition, the Forth-Clyde Valley, the Waverley Route and the Port Road, the Far North line, the Beeching cuts before, during and after, ports and harbours, industrial lines such as the Wemyss Private Railway – in other words, fairly exhaustive and comprehensive coverage. Even a seasoned enthusiast will have

More than 100 of his paintings are reproduced in this expansive collection, each accompanied by personal memories. There’s LNER A4 No. 34 Peregrine thundering through Retford, a K2 heading a lengthy freight across Rannoch Moor, a 9F on goods in Monsal Dale, a panorama of Waterloo in the early Fifties. City of Carlisle on Beattock and A1 Kittiwake at Newcastle Central. Every page tells a new story. There’s also an appearance by the ‘Brighton Belle’, due to reappear in 2016 if all goes well. This one has Christmas present written all over it! FASCINATING RAILWAY ART

The Regional Railways Story

By Gordon Pettitt and Nicholas Comfort (Hardback, Ian Allan, 240pp, £30, ISBN 978 0 86093 663 3). LOOKING at the subject primarily from a business rather than linesider’s point of view, this is the biography of how British Rail’s Provincial Sector and its direct successor Regional

Marsden Rail 36: North from Crewe

(DVD, Cinerail, PO Box 245, Manchester, M24 0AX 68 minutes, £19.95) THIS programme, mostly in colour, features the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe in the Sixties – a period that saw major changes on Britain’s railways as diesel and electric traction displaced steam. Crewe was a major rail centre with its locomotive works, depots and yards. At Crewe Works we see a wide range of locomotives undergoing repair, along with scenes at Crewe North and South sheds. There are scenes at Warrington, Wigan, Preston and Lancaster and of course, Carnforth, including scenes towards the end of steam on BR. In Cumbria we see Arnside on the

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line to Barrow, and the long-closed Milnthorpe station. There is footage on the branch from Oxenholme to Windermere and the line from Penrith across the Lake District through Keswick to Workington. Between Oxenholme and Penrith, we see Duchesses and first-generation diesels and many other types doing battle with Shap and Grayrigg, with the banking engines that assisted heavy workings up to the summits. At Carlisle, a wide variety of steam traction is seen at Citadel station in 1964, plus Upperby sheds as well as lineside footage. Finally we visit Beattock station, where we see not only Clans and Duchesses and the banking engines, but also the arrival of the newly-constructed No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester on a test train.

EDITOR’S CHOICE much to learn from this one. Superbly designed and attractively presented, this is a brilliant, fresh and inspirational approach to the subject of Scottish railways. HISTORY BECOMES ENTERTAINMENT

Railways faced up to the challenges presented in the wake of the postBeeching era. The operation took the mixed bag of lines and services that had been left by the pruning of the Sixties and Seventies and yanked it into the modern age, enticing passengers back to the railway. Not only does it describe the transformation of what had in comparative terms been a lacklustre second-choice mode of travel for many, but details how the manifold changes that were made for the better were continued into privatisation. Written by Gordon Pettitt, the last general manager of the Southern Region and former Regional Railways’ managing director, it’s very much a view from the top covering the years 1982-2015. Splendidly illustrated, there is also

Here is a well-produced record of a much-changed but very familiar main line and some of its branches and connections. SUPERB SIXTIES PORTRAIT

much for the enthusiast, with details of the types of rolling stock that saw service and the routes over which they ran. MODERN HISTORY MADE

Riding Yorkshire’s Final Steam Trains

by Keith Widdowson (softback, 170pp, The History Press, £14.99, ISBN 978 0 7509 6047 2) THE author visited the North Eastern Region of British Railways on more than 40 occasions during the final 18 months of steam passenger services, not just to see and photograph steam but to travel on as many steam trains as possible as the end drew closer. Although at first there was steam haulage to sample around York and Newcastle, the ever-dwindling numbers of engines in service became concentrated in the industrialised areas of the West Riding, working from sheds in Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Normanton until September 1967. Although this involved an almost nocturnal existence, seeking out the early morning mail trains, the Bradford portions of London expresses and summer Saturdayy holiday extras, the author was rarely alone. In the preinternet era, information was exchanged on platform ends as to what duties were booked to be steamhauled, and although there were disappointments, there was euphoria at unexpected ‘catches’ as well. Capturing the mid-1960s atmosphere well-remembered by many enthusiasts, this is a wellwritten and entertaining book, illustrated with many black and white pictures of steam in Yorkshire’s West Riding. PRICELESS MEMORIES SHARED

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PLATFORM

READERS’ LETTERS AT THE HEART OF THE HERITAGE RAILWAY SCENE

TRACK TALK ➜ Nickname was first applied to Bulleid’s Q1 0-6-0s I BeLIeve that the expression ‘Spam Can’ was applied to Mr Bulleid’s magnificent Pacifics at the time that some of them were being rebuilt. Before that, it was used derisively about his truly unattractive Q1 0-6-0 , numbered from C1 upwards. I remember when the Channel Pacific appeared – I think it was 1942 – my first introduction to it was a photograph in the Southern Railway magazine. It was beautiful. It had a number of innovations – unusual wheels, high boiler pressure, oil trough for the chain drive, but above all, the new numbering scheme, 21C1 – and there was no cause to be rude about it. It was a great stride forward for the Southern Railway. My real interest in the Southern went back before 1942, and included seeking a premium apprenticeship at eastleigh when I left school in 1941, but the prospect of earning eight shillings a week in the first year, 10/in the second, 12/- in the third year, 16/- in the fourth, and, £1 in the last year, did not appeal to my dad, so he bought me a copy of The history of the Southern Railway by C F Dendy Marshall, which I still have, although it’s rather battered. Therein, I found a photograph of Lew, and from then on my interest was and still is the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Gordon A Brown, email ➜ Don’t duck the issue... aS IT seems the Gresley grandsons don’t appreciate the sublime inclusion of the mallard duck in the proposed statue at King’s Cross, and its potential to attract unknowledgeable passengers to an otherwise anonymous statue of a man in a crumpled jacket, a compromise might be the answer. I would like to suggest separating the duck from the main statue and putting it on its own plinth a short distance away with a plaque saying what it represents in railway history while, at the same time, referring to Sir Nigel’s statue further along the platform as being the locomotive’s designer and that both statues were the work of the same sculptor. Simple. Marshall Morris, Rhuddlan, Rhyl. ➜ ‘Railway stations’ please having thought that the ugly expression ‘train station’ was comparatively new, I was surprised to hear it used a number of times in today’s vintage Rockford Files Tv episode. (Well, it’s a bit of agreeable lunchtime nostalgia to us oldies!) That seems to indicate that, like so many other words and phrases, this one comes from America. When did it come into popular usage there? I thought they had ‘railroad stations’ or ‘de(e)pots’. Please can we have our ‘railway stations’ back! Phillip Crossland, Nafferton, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

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STAR LETTERS

HR coverage of royal visit was ‘first class’ WHEN I receive my copy of Heritage Railway, I browse through it to see what news, photos and features it contains. I tend to then read the news items but leave the feature articles until a later date. I realised at the beginning of this week that there were several articles in issue 206 I still hadn’t read, so made a determined effort to read them before receiving issue 207, which did come this morning. The main reason for writing is to congratulate Brian Sharpe for his article on Sir Nigel Gresley. I have been reading railway magazines and books for more than 60 years, but that article contained certain interesting factual information that

was new to me. I think the whole series on CMEs has been excellent and would also single out the chapter on Richard Maunsell, a much-overlooked engineer. Two other features I found excellent were Half Century in the Valley and the Three New Royal Scots. The first I found nostalgic, as my railways friends and I visited the Severn Valley frequently in its early years, and the second I enjoyed for all the useful and little-known information it contains. I looked forward to receiving issue 207 to read a report on the opening by HM Queen of the Borders Railway, of which I had seen or heard nothing on television or the radio.

Your report and photographs were first class and what a superb centrespread photo by Julie Rodgers. I would like to encourage all readers to consider becoming a working member of a preserved railway, if they are not already one. I worked for eight years as a signalman on the East Lancashire Railway and really enjoyed the job, its responsibility, the comradeship of other volunteers and being able to give back something to one of the many lines that I have ridden and photographed. Incidentally I am still a working society member, but now of a transport society nearer to my home. Peter Jackson, Liverpool

MAY I congratulate you on your reporting of the royal opening of the Borders Railway. I had the company of Madge Elliot and her son after the ceremonial visit to Tweedbank and back towards the Borders on the regular Class 158 from Waverley. Madge and I were co-campaigners in the late 1960s – we both lived in Hawick – and I marched through

Whitehall with her and son Kim, when we delivered the petition to 10 Downing Street. The actual royal opening journey involved, for me, a spectrum of emotions; from anger at the closure in 1969 to joy at seeing the railway return. It was a wonderful occasion – flags everywhere … and the crowds … fields of waving well-wishers … I could go on.

For me, the actual opening was quite emotional, when we went as a family to Tweedbank in the afternoon. In 1969, my dad was pictured at Hawick station with our border terrier, and I wanted to ‘recreate’ the scene at Tweedbank with our present border terrier on opening day. Bruce McCartney, email

A tale of two Borders terriers

Industrial tank main line trip record Could have been

REGARDING the news item in issue 207, as a biographer of WG Bagnall Limited, it is gratifying to see that there is at long last a will to get Topham back into working order and I wish the participants well. However, I have to challenge the statement that the engine can lay claim to the longest journey under its own steam of an industrial locomotive on the main line. While I can cite a number of cases of much longer journeys, the record to my knowledge was as late as March 30, 1968. On this day Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 3777 of 1952, NCB No. 9, was moved from Baggeridge Colliery, near Dudley, under its own steam to Florence Colliery at Longton, just south of Stoke-on-Trent. The route was via Bushbury Junction, Penkridge, Stafford and Stoke, a total journey of about 40 miles.

By this date both Baggeridge and Florence Colliery were in the NCB Western Area, Baggeridge closing in March 1968, while at Florence there were severe problems with diesel locomotive availability, the pit being connected to the mainline by a two-mile-long, steeply graded private railway. In the event, No. 9 saw little use but as the local colliery management wanted some reserve of motive power in a hurry, the whole thing was done at short notice and I guess, with not a few strings pulled. I was made aware of this move at the time as I knew the colliery fitter from Florence who went to Baggeridge to get the engine ready and fit to travel, in conjunction with the BR fitter from Bescot. He travelled with it and the two BR crews, Stoke men taking over at Bushbury. AC Baker, email

much worse...

I have followed over several issues the correspondence about the use of ‘Spam Cans’ in use as a nickname for Bulleid Pacifics. My personal experience with them is limited to attending a couple of Clive Groom’s driving and firing courses at the Bluebell Railway in 2001 and 2002, where I saw Blackmoor Vale. To me there is a slight resemblance between the two from the front, but I would not have thought to use that description. here in the States, Norfolk and Southern Railway has restored the lone survivor of Norfolk & Western’s 4-8-4 J class locomotives to steam. I unfortunately do not have a picture of this locomotive, but it has a very smooth boiler with a rounded front and a centred headlight. This has led to a nickname that in polite terms is a ‘steam-powered male sex organ’. In light of this I think ‘Spam Can’ is not too bad! George Bogart, Alexandria, Virginia, USA

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Severn Valley gala could have offered more I RECENTLY spent three days at the Severn Valley Railway gala as I do every year and have felt the need to write a letter on the event. I have been a member of the SVR for years and go to most of its events and am a huge fan of the line. This year, however, I found myself very disappointed by the SVR gala, especially considering the importance of its 50th anniversary. The railway had secured three good visiting engines in Nos. 70000, 46100 and the returning Ivatt. However, it then decided to operate the most unimaginative timetable I have ever seen. Apart from No. 1450 operating between Kidderminster and Bewdley, all the trains were full-line trains, and there were no BridgnorthHampton Loade or Kidderminster-Arley/Highley shuttles as normal. This meant that between trains at the intermediate stations there was no action at all. It felt like a normal running day.

I know these events are expensive to put on, and the SVR still put on a popular event, but there was so much more it could have done. No. 1501 was left out of steam all weekend behind the boilershop. It could have banked trains out of Bridgnorth in the morning and then spent afternoons at Highley shunting/operating brakevan rides from the cattle dock/doing driver for a tenner, for example. In galas past there used to be a small engine pottering about at Highley, and it was a lovely feature of the event. The railway has a turntable, but never ever turns locomotives during its galas anymore. At Minehead locomotives are constantly turned and it is a popular part of a WSR event. In the 1980s, No. 2857 spent a gala at Highley banking all the northbound trains. I have fond memories of watching Nos. 47383/813/5764 giving brakevan rides at Highley.

Nos. 4566 and 46521 ran together for the whole event: could they have been swapped around to provide a different view? Could No. 46521 have been put with No. 43106 for one Bewdley to Kidderminster trip? I do not want to sound overly critical of the SVR, its a railway I am incredibly fond of, and I am well aware of how hard galas are to put on. This is just an open cry to those who organise these events about thinking about ways to maximise the railway’s incredible infrastructure to make an interesting an event as possible. Hiring three engines and what felt like a normal timetable is still a good event, but the railway is capable of so much more. So, to all concerned at the SVR, well done on the last 50 years, you have a fantastic railway, but we can we please think about returning the SVR autumn gala to the premier event of the UK preservation scene? Kieran Hards, email

Royal Scot in Canada

IN THE 1980s I was a public relations executive for Canadian Pacific based in London and I looked after European PR for CP Rail. On a visit to the photo archives in Montreal I acquired a number of interesting photographs of huge Canadian Pacific steam locomotives, but also two images that show No. 6100 Royal Scot in a dismantled state being loaded on to a barge before loading on the MV Beaverdale to return to England. There is a partial boiler number written in white paint. Colin Peck, Staines

TRACK TALK ➜ Bulleid hated ‘Spam Can’ nickname MAY I thank all those who wrote in support of my dislike of the term ‘S—m C-n’ (I can no longer bear to write it) and their preferred use of air-smoothed to describe the casing surrounding the boilers of Bullied’s Pacifics. ‘Flat tops’ is not a term I have ever heard, but is clearly a term of endearment by youthful trainspotting lovers of these wonderful locomotives. I do not recall expressing either my like of, or dislike of Spam, but admit to much preferring corned beef. Let us, nevertheless, rejoice in the recent appointment by the canned meat company of delivery driver Chris Stephens, 61, of Llanedeyrn, Cardiff as ‘Spambassador’ for having eaten it every day for the last 60 years! Martyn McGinty’s comments on my manner and supposed social class add nothing to the debate. Richard Yeomans will note that I was expressing a hypothetical horror had the A4s been dubbed damp bananas: ‘Streaks’ is a terrific nickname for those fabulous locomotives. O V S Bulleid coined the term ‘air-smoothed’ and explained that one of its purposes was to enable the locomotives to be kept clean more easily than those without such a casing, thereby reducing maintenance costs. He loathed the appellation this feature acquired and its discontinuance will be a mark of respect to him. I rest my case. Michael Malleson, email

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When Horncastle had a railway

I enjoyed reading your article about Horncastle station (issue 205) because my mother had told me that her grandfather, George Eveleigh, had been stationmaster there. When we visited Horncastle in 1981, the station area looked abandoned as viewed from the gate and my mother, then in her late 70s, was unable to add much information. For my recent birthday, my wife bought a copy of the booklet by Alf Ludlam about the branch line to Horncastle that you detailed in your article. There, on page 13, was a photograph of the Horncastle station staff with my great grandfather, George Eveleigh, sitting in the centre. We had never seen this picture before, so thank you to Alf Ludlam and Heritage Railway. This find set my wife off on an Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

internet search of census records and press cuttings that revealed that George was stationmaster at Nostell in 1871, then stationmaster at Horncastle in 1881, 1891 and 1901. A press cutting from the Lincolnshire Chronicle (October 14, 1904) refers to a presentation by Mr R Roberts of Woodhall Spa being made to Mr George Eveleigh on his retirement from the position of stationmaster at Horncastle after serving the town for 32 years. The Stamford Mercury of December, 15, 1905 records that Mr W H Clarke succeeded him, but was then promoted to a similar position at Bourne. George Eveleigh had a son, George Herbert Eveleigh, my grandfather, who became senior clerk at LNER King’s Cross (died aged 70, May 22, 1939). Dr Martin Cole, Dorking, Surrey Heritage Railway 89

CHRISTMAS GUIDE

NER-designed J72 0-6-0T No. 69023 Joem hauled the fi st of the Wensleydale Railway’s new N a September 26. The new eastern terminu tow ’ Ea oast Main Line statio railway. They were a

UP & RUNNING

run at wee e

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: Oct 21 - Nov 1.

Bentley Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, East Sussex. Running: Oct 24 - Nov 1.

Bluebell Railway

Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Engines: 263, 178, B473, 323, 592, 847, 30541, 73082, 70000. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov 7, 8..

East Kent Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Shepherdswell, Dover. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Oct 25, 31, Nov 1, 8.

Eastleigh Lakeside Railway Narrow gauge, 1¼ miles, footplate experience. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30.

Hastings Miniature Railway

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

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

Isle of Wight Steam Railway Standard gauge, five miles, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight. Tel: 01983 882204. Engines: 8, 11, 24, 41298. Running: Oct 25-31, Nov 8.

Kempton Steam Railway

Narrow gauge, ½ mile. Hanworth. Tel: 01932 765328. Running: Suns to Nov 22.

92 Heritage Railway

Kent & East Sussex Railway

Bodmin & Wenford Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Buckfastleigh, Devon. Engines: L92, 3205, 6412. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov 7, 8.

Lavender Line

Standard gauge, 6½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bodmin, Cornwall. Tel: 01208 73666. Engines: 6435, 4247, 4612, 30587, 5619, 6412. Running: Oct 25 - Nov 1.

Dartmoor Railway

Standard gauge, six miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Swanage, Dorset. Tel: 01929 425800. Engines: 30053, 31806, 34070, 80104. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov W/Es.

Standard gauge, 10½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Tenterden, Kent. Tel: 01580 765155. Engines: 32670, 32678. Running: Oct 24, 25, 27 - Nov 1. 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, 45379, 92212, 4464, 13065, 30120. Running: Oct 23 - Nov 1, Nov 7.

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

Narrow gauge, 13½ miles, footplate experience, New Romney, Kent. Tel: 01797 362353. Running: Daily to Nov 1.

Royal Victoria Railway

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

Sittingbourne & Kemsley Railway

Narrow gauge, 1¾ miles, Sittingbourne, Kent. Tel: 01795 424899. Running: Sep 26, 27.

Spa Valley Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Tel: 01892 537715. Running: Oct 23-25, 39 - Nov 1.

SOUTH WEST Avon Valley Railway

Standard gauge, three miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Bitton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 932 7296. Engine: L150. Running: Oct 25-30, Nov 1.

Standard gauge, seven miles, Okehampton, Devon. Tel: 01837 55164. Running: TBA.

Dartmouth Steam Railway

Standard gauge, seven miles, wine and dine, Paignton, Devon. Tel: 01803 555872. Engines: 7827, 5239, 4277. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov Sat, Wed, Thur.

Devon Railway Centre

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Bickleigh, Devon. Tel: 01884 855671. Running: Oct 24 - Nov 1.

East Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Cranmore, Somerset. Tel: 01749 880417. Engine: 46447. Running: Oct 24, 25, 28, 31.

Helston Railway

Standard gauge, Helston, Cornwall. Tel: 07875 481380. Running: Thurs, Sun to Nov 1.

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Woody Bay, north Devon. Tel: 01598 763487. Running: Oct 20 - Nov 1.

Moors Valley Railway

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

Plym Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Marsh Mills, Plymouth. Running: Oct 25.

Seaton Tramway

Narrow gauge, three miles, Harbour Road, Seaton, Devon. 01297 20375. Running: Daily to Nov 1.

South Devon Railway

Swanage Railway

Swindon & Cricklade Railway

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

West Somerset Railway

Standard gauge, 20 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5BG. Tel: 01643 704996. Engines: 7828, 6960, 5541, 4936, 7812. Running: Oct 24 - Nov 1.

EAST ANGLIA Bressingham Steam Museum Narrow gauge, one mile, Diss, Norfolk. Tel: 01379 686900. Running: Daily to Nov 1.

Bure Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, nine miles, footplate experience, Aylsham, Norfolk. Tel: 01263 733858. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov W/Es.

Colne Valley Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine and dine. Castle Hedingham, Essex. Tel: 01787 461174. Running: Oct 25, 27-29, 31, Nov 1.

For more details when planning your day out, visit the HRA website: http://heritagerailways.com

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Heritage Railway 93

UP & RUNNING East Anglian Railway Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Wakes Colne, Essex. Tel: 01206 242524. Open: W/Es. Running: Oct 31, Nov 1.

Mangapps Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, near Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. Tel: 01621 784898. Running: W/Es to Nov 1.

Mid-Norfolk Railway

Standard gauge, 11½ miles, footplate experience, Dereham, Norfolk. Tel: 01362 690633. Running: Oct 28, 29.

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

Nene Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Wansford, Peterborough, Cambs. Tel: 01780 784444. Engine: 45337. Running: Oct 24, 25, 27-29, 31, Nov 1.

North Norfolk Railway

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, footplate experience, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8RA. Tel: 01263 820800. Engines: 564, 92203, 76084. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov W/Es.

Wells & Walsingham Railway

Narrow gauge, four miles, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. Tel: 01328 711630 Running: Daily to Nov 1.

Whitwell & Reepham Railway

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Reepham, Norfolk. Tel: 01603 871694. Running: W/Es, steam first Sun.

HOME COUNTIES Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, footplate experience, Quainton Road, Bucks. Tel: 01296 655720. Engines: 30585, Met 1. Open: Sun, TuesThurs to Oct 29. Running: Suns to Nov 1 + Oct 28.

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, Chinnor, Oxon. Tel: 01844 353535. Engine: 1369. Running: Suns to Nov 1.

Cholsey & Wallingford Railway

Standard gauge, 2½ miles, Wallingford, Oxon. Tel: 01491 835067. Running: Oct 31, Nov 1.

Didcot Railway Centre

Standard gauge, footplate experience, Didcot, Oxon. Tel: 01235 817200. Engines: 93, 3650, 5322, 4144. Open: W/Es + Oct 26-30. Running: Oct 24, 25, 28, 31, Nov 1.

Epping Ongar Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Ongar, Essex. Tel: 01277 365200. Running: Oct 24, 25, 28, 30 - Nov 1.

For more details when planning your day out, visit the HRA website: http://heritagerailways.com

94 Heritage Railway

A ‘new’ engine seen on the North Gloucestershire Railway at Toddington, where it will stay for 12 months, is Polish 1957-built Chrzanów works No. 3512, which worked as No. 19 at Dobrzelin Sugar Factory. In 1991 it went to a now-closed Belgian museum, then in 2005 to a private site in the UK. It was at Hollycombe in 2010/11,until bought by current owner Russell Cook of Bridgnorth. MALCOLM RANIERI

Leighton Buzzard Railway Narrow gauge, 2¾ miles, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Tel: 01525 373888. Running: Oct 25, 28.

MIDLANDS Amerton Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffs. Tel: 01785 850965. Running: Oct 24-30, Nov 1.

Apedale Valley Railway

Narrow gauge, ½ mile, Apedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. Tel: 0845 094 1953. Running: Sats to Nov 7 + Nov 1, 8.

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 to Nov 8 + Oct 21, 23, 28, Nov 6, 15.

Chasewater Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Walsall, West Midlands. Tel: 01543 452623. Running: W/Es. to Nov 1 + Oct 29, Nov 8, 15.

Churnet Valley Railway

Standard gauge, 5¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Cheddleton, Staffs. Tel: 01538 750755. Running: Oct 25, 28, 31.

Dean Forest Railway

Standard gauge, 4¼ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Norchard, Lydney, Glos. Tel: 01594 845840. Engine: 5541. Running: Oct 24, 25, 28, 30 - Nov 1.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

Peak Rail

Evesham Vale Railway

Standard gauge, four miles, Matlock, Derbyshire. Tel: 01629 580381. Running: W/Es + Oct 27-29.

Standard gauge, eight miles, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. 01629 823076. Running: Sat, Tues + Oct 25, 29, Nov 1. Narrow gauge, 1¼ mile, A46 north of Evesham, Worcs. Tel: 01386 422282. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30.

Perrygrove Railway Narrow gauge, B4228, Coleford, Glos. Tel: 01594 834991. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30.

Foxfield Railway

Standard gauge, 5½ miles, Blythe Bridge, Staffs. Running: Oct 25, 28.

Rocks By Rail

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, Toddington, Glos. Tel: 01242 621405. Engines: 2807, 4270, 5542. Running: Oct 24, 25, 28, 31, Nov 1.

Great Central Railway

Standard gauge, eight miles, Loughborough, Leics LE11 1RW. Tel: 01509 632323. Engines: 48624, 47406, 46521, 92214, 45305, 777, 6990. Running: W/Es + Oct 28.

Midland Railway-Butterley

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Ripley, Derbyshire. Tel: 01773 570140. Engines: 23, 73129. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30, not Nov 14.

Northampton & Lamport Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Pitsford, Northants. Tel: 01604 820327. Running: Suns to Oct 25.

Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre

Standard gauge, four miles, Ruddington, Notts. Tel: 0115 940 570. Engine: 8274 Running: Oct 24, 25, Nov 7.

Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Cottesmore, Rutland. Open: Tues, Thur, Sun. Running: Nov 15.

Rudyard Lake Railway Narrow gauge, 1½ miles, Leek, Staffs. Tel: 01995 672280. Running: Suns + Oct 24, 26-30.

Rushden Transport Museum Standard gauge, ¼ mile, Rushden, Northants. Running Oct 31.

Severn Valley Railway Standard gauge, 16 miles, footplate experience, Bewdley, Worcs DY12 1BG. 01299 403816. Engines: 1501, 4566, 7812, 2857, 43106, 1450, 34027, 34053, 7802, 7820. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30.

Steeple Grange Light Railway Narrow gauge, ½ mile, footplate experience, Wirksworth, Derbyshire. Running: Oct 25, 27, 29, Nov 1.

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

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DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Heritage Railway 95

UP & RUNNING

NORTH WEST East Lancashire Railway

Standard gauge, 12 miles, footplate experience, Bury, Lancs. Tel: 01617 647790. Engines: 80080, 13065, 12322, 34092. Running: W/Es + Oct 28-30.

Eden Valley Railway

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

Heaton Park Tramway

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

Isle of Man Steam Railway Narrow gauge, 15½ miles, Douglas, Isle of Man. Tel: 01624 662525. Running: Daily to Nov 8.

Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

Standard gauge, 3½ miles, near Ulverston, Cumbria. Tel: 01539 531594. Engines: 42073, 42085. Running: Oct 26-30, Nov 7, 8, 14, 15.

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

Narrow gauge, seven miles, Ravenglass, Cumbria. Tel: 01229 717171. Running: Daily to Nov 1, Nov 7, 8.

Ribble Steam Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Preston, Lancs. Tel: 01772 728800. Engine: 5643 Running: Oct 29, 31, Nov 1.

For more details when planning your day out, visit the HRA website: http://heritagerailways.com

96 Heritage Railway

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Weardale Railway

Stainmore Railway

Running: W/Es + Tues.

West Lancashire Light Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Keighley, West Yorks BD22 8NJ. Tel: 01535 645214. Engines: 43924, 90733, 1054, 5820, 75078. Running: Suns + Oct 24, 27, 31.

Standard gauge, ½ mile, Kirkby Stephen East Station, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4LA. Open: W/Es. Running: Dec 5. Narrow gauge, Hesketh Bank, Lancs. Tel: 01772 815881. Running: Oct 25, Nov 15.

NORTH EAST

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

Kirklees Light Railway

Narrow gauge, four miles, Huddersfield, West Yorks. Tel: 01484 865727. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30.

Aln Valley Railway

Lincolnshire Wolds Railway

Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society

Middleton Railway

Standard gauge, half mile. Lionheart station, Alnwick, Northumberland. Running: December.

Standard gauge, 15 miles, Tata Steelworks, Scunthorpe. Tel: 01652 657053. Running: TBA

Bowes Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Springwell, Tyne & Wear. Tel: 01914 161847. Running: Nov 7, 8.

Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Tel: 01472 604657. Running: W/Es + sch hols.

Derwent Valley Railway

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

Elsecar Railway

Standard gauge, one mile, Elsecar, South Yorks. Footplate experience. Tel: 01226 746746. Open: Daily. Running: Suns + Oct 24, 31.

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

Standard gauge, five miles, Embsay, Yorks..

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Ludborough, Lincolnshire. Tel: 01507 363881. Running: Oct 31, Nov 15.

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

Wensleydale Railway

Standard gauge, 22 miles, Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire. Tel: 0845 450 5474. Running: Oct 24, 25, 38, 30 - Nov 1, Nov 7, 8.

WALES Bala Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, 4½ miles, Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01678 540666. Running: Oct 24-31.

Brecon Mountain Railway

Standard gauge, 1½ miles, Hunslet, Leeds. Tel: 0113 271 0320. Engine: 1310. Running: W/Es + Oct 28.

North Tyneside Railway

Standard gauge, two miles. North Shields. Tel: 0191 200 7146. Running: December.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Standard gauge, 18 miles, wine and dine, Grosmont, North Yorks. Tel: 01751 472508. Engines: 45428, 75029, 76079, 61994, 63395. Running: Daily to Nov 1.

Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan. Tel: 01685 722988. Running: Oct 24 - Nov 1.

Cambrian Heritage Railways

Standard gauge, ¾ mile, Llynclys station & Oswestry station. Tel: 07527 107592. Running: (Llynclys) Oct 31.

Corris Railway

Narrow gauge, ¾ mile, Corris, Machynlleth. Tel: 01654 761303. Running: Oct 24, 25.

Fairbourne Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Fairbourne, Gwynedd. Tel: 01341 250362. Running: Oct 24-29.

South Tynedale Railway

Ffestiniog Railway

Tanfield Railway

Gwili Railway

Narrow gauge, 3½ miles, Alston, Cumbria. Tel: 01434 382828/381696. Running: Oct 24-31.

Standard gauge, three miles, near Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Tel: 01913 887545. Running: Suns + Oct 31.

Narrow gauge, 15 miles, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Daily to Nov 1.

Standard gauge, two miles, Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthenshire. Tel: 01267 238213. Running: Oct 24 - Nov 1.

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EVENTS

Heritage Railway 97

UP & RUNNING

Visiting the Leighton Buzzard Railway for its steam-up weekend was Corpet-Louvet 0-6-0PT MinasdeAller2, from the Statfold Barn Railway. It worked previously in the Asturias coalfield in northern Spain. MERVYN LEAH

Llanberis Lake Railway

Narrow gauge, three miles, Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870549. Running: Oct 25-31, Nov Tues, Weds.

Llangollen Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine, Llangollen, Denbighshire. Tel: 01978 860979. Engines: 5199, 6430. Running: Oct 24 - Nov 1, Nov 7, 8.

Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway

Standard gauge, two miles, Blaenavon, Torfaen. Tel: 01495 792263. Running: Oct 30, 31.

Rhyl Miniature Railway

Narrow gauge, Rhyl, North Wales. Running: December.

Snowdon Mountain Railway Narrow gauge, 4½ miles, Llanberis, Gwynedd. Tel: 01286 870223. Running: Daily to end Oct.

Talyllyn Railway

Narrow gauge, 7½ miles, footplate experience, Tywyn, Gwynedd. Tel: 01654 710472. Running: Daily to Nov 1.

Vale of Rheidol Railway

Narrow gauge, 11¾ miles, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Tel: 01970 625819. Engines, 8, 9. Running: W/Es + Oct 26-30.

Welsh Highland Heritage Railway

Narrow gauge, one mile, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 513402. Running: Oct 24, 25, 27-31.

Welsh Highland Railway

Narrow gauge, 26 miles, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. Tel: 01766 516000. Running: Oct 24-31. Nov Sun, Wed, Thur.

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

Narrow gauge, eight miles, Llanfair Caereinion, mid-Wales. Tel: 01938 810441. Engines: 822, 823. Running: Oct 24, 25, 27-29, 31 - Nov 1.

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

Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway

Tel: 00353 71 9638599. Open: Sat-Mon.

Standard gauge, five miles, Bo’ness, West Lothian. Tel: 01506 822298. Engine: 62712. Running: Oct 24, 25, 31, Nov 1.

Downpatrick & County Down Railway

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

Caledonian Railway

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

Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway

Keith & Dufftown Railway

Narrow gauge, two miles, Bushmills, County Antrim. Tel: 0282 073 2844. Running: Oct 31, Nov 1.

Standard gauge, 11 miles, Dufftown, Banffshire. Running: Oct 30, 31.

Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway

Waterford & Suir Valley Railway

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

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

Royal Deeside Railway

West Clare Railway

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

SCOTLAND Almond Valley Railway

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

Standard gauge, one mile, Milton of Crathes. Kincardineshire. Running: Oct 31, Nov 1.

Ayrshire Railway Centre

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

Strathspey Railway

Standard gauge, 10 miles, Aviemore, Inverness-shire. Tel: 01479 810725. Engine: 46512. Running: Oct 24, 25, 28, 29, 31.

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 to end Oct. Tel: 01506 825855.

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

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

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

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

Manchester Museum of Science & Industry

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust

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.

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Heritage Railway 99

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WEB WATCH

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Heritage Railway 105

THE MONTH AHEAD

SECR C class 0-6-0 No. 592 passes Birchstone Bridge on the Bluebell Railway on August 9. NICK GILLIAM

Autumn gala season draws to a close

The heritage lines take a short break as the autumn gala season draws to a close at the end of October, with only a few enthusiasts’ events scheduled for November, before the start of the busy festive season. Before then though, there are a couple of major events, including the welcome return of the Bluebell Railway’s Giants of Steam, after a long absence. Tyseley sees a major event with a line up of classic GWR locomotives and the Great Central Railway stages the formal opening of its new Mountsorrel branch, adding a new dimension to the line. The Severn Valley Railway bucks the trend with a spectacular to commemorate the end of GWR Manor class 460s on the Cambrian Coast in November. Heritage Railway will be bringing you all the action from the close of the 2015 gala season.

SPECIAL EVENTS October

23-25: Mid Hants Railway: Steam Gala ■

The railway’s Midlands-themed gala will star LMS ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 13065, LSWR T9 4-4-0 No. 30120 and LMS 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521, alongside SR Lord Nelson 4-6-0 No. 850 Lord Nelson and LNER A4 Pacific No. 4464 Bittern, both making their last gala appearances before expiry of their boiler certificates. Also in action will be LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45379 and BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212. There will be an intensive service of passenger and freight trains and other attractions.

23-25: Spa Valley Railway: Autumn Diesel Gala ■ 24, 25: Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway: Steam Gala

Issue 209 is out on November 19. Catch up with the latest news, views and great features every four weeks. 106 Heritagerailway.co.uk

24, 25: Great Central Railway: Mountsorrel branch opening ■

Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73082 Camelot.

Shuttle services on the branch topped-andtailed by two visiting engines; the only chance to ride on the branch in 2015. Guided tours of the visitor centre site.

throughout the weekend between Sheffield

There will be an intensive train service

25: Tyseley Locomotive Works: Open Day ■

Grinstead. The Atlantic House will be open both days, giving the opportunity to see the building of the brand new Brighton Atlantic

This regular event will see an unprecedented line up of engines with LNWR Coal Tank No. 1054 (in steam), BR 8P Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester and LMS No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth (in steam), plus 0-6-0PTs No. 9600 and L94 (7752), both in steam. Two USA S160 2-8-0s are on site and the resident GWR engines will be joined by 4-6-0 No. 6000 King George V and 4-4-0 No. 3717 City of Truro. There will be a renaming ceremony of of AL6 electric No. 86259 Peter Pan, free passenger shuttle rides, locomotive cavalcades, line-ups, turntable demonstrations and workshop visits.

30 – Nov 1: Dean Forest Railway: Days Out With Thomas ■ 31, Nov 1: Bluebell Railway: Giants of Steam ■

No. 32424 Beachy Head.

31, Nov 1: East Anglian Railway Museum: Spooky Days Out with Thomas ■ 31, Nov 1: Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway: End-of-Season Special 31, Nov 1: South Devon Railway: Half-Price Weekend

1: Bredgar & Wormshill Railway: Steam Gala

7, 8: Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway: Thomas Weekend ■ 8: Moors Valley Railway: Tank Engine Day 14, 15: Kirklees Light Railway: Days Out With Thomas ■

■ Diesel and/or electric galas

The SVR will be transformed into the Cambrian Coast line of 1965 with newly overhauled No. 7802 Bradley Manor and visiting No. 7820 Dinmore Manor joining No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor, marking the achievement made by preservationists in saving two locomotives that worked in the final week of Manors on the Cambrian routes in November 1965. The last three Manors in operation on the Cambrian reunited 50 years on!

15: Rocks by Rail: Autumn Steam Gala 15: West Lancashire Light Railway: BBC Children in Need 21, 22: Great Central Railway: Last Hurrah Steam Gala ■

RAILWAYANA

November

7, 8: Apedale Valley Railway: Remembrance Day

This popular event returns to the calendar after a five-year absence and will star visiting BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia and SR Schools 4-4-0 No. 925 Cheltenham, alongside S15 4-6-0 No. 847 and Q 0-6-0 No. 30541, plus newly overhauled BR

KEY ■ Major or featured galas

Park, Horsted Keynes, Kingscote and East

14, 15: Severn Valley Railway: Manor 50 ■

October

24: Solent Railwayana, Wickham 31: LT Auctions, Croydon

November

21: GW Railwayana, Pershore 28: Talisman Railwayana, Newark Showground

December

5: Great Central Railwayana, Stoneleigh Park

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