Sommaire pour Issue 315 de Heritage Railway

OPINION EVER since the heritage railway sector became 73 years old, with the reopening of the Talyllyn by volunteers, overcoming perceived obstacles big and small has been its trademark. Some of its biggest successes has been down to those who are prepared to rip up the rulebook, establish blueprints and plan new courses of action from blank sheets of paper. For long it has been widely considered that January and early February are ‘close down’ periods, during which many heritage railways do not run in an attempt to save costs at a time of the year when the weather and lighting conditions are held to be far less attractive to visitors. In this issue, we report on the huge success of several post-Christmas galas that drew the crowds. The Severn…

MORE than 30,000 visitors descended on the Locomotion museum in Shildon for the free exhibition marking the end of LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman's centenary year programme. The exhibition ran from December 16 to January 7, after which the locomotive, built at Doncaster in 1923, was due to return to the National Railway Museum at York where, as reported last issue, careful consideration was being given to the future maintenance operation of the A3 following the expiry of the previous contract on December 31. No final decision had been made as we closed for press. Visitors were able to see No. 60103 in light steam outside the main hall during the event. Locomotion head Sarah Price said that the exhibition had “gone absolutely brilliantly and the feedback from…

A VISITOR centre celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Jurassic Coast will receive a new lease of life after its freehold was purchased by the Seaton Tramway, with plans to reopen it this spring. The centre, which previously offered an interactive experience looking at the history of the coastline, its fossils and marine life, was closed in September 2021 by East Devon District Council. On January 5, the tramway concluded its acquisition of the site, marking a significant milestone in its 54-year history, and intends to gradually reopen the centre. Jurassic Discovery will initially welcome visitors with a familyfriendly café and a soft play area for children aged one to 12, with the equipment having been bought from the nearby Pecorama railway attraction in 2021. An immersive dinosaur…

ON December 30, the Ffestiniog Railway's small England 0-4-0STT No. 2 Prince was removed from storage at the Glan-y-Pwll sheds near the terminus at Blaenau Ffestiniog, from where it was towed by 0-4-0ST large quarry Hunslet Lilla to Boston Lodge in preparation for its overhaul. Prince's last boiler ticket expired in September 2022, with fundraising having taken place since to fund the required work. The project is expected to commence once single Fairlie 0-4-4T Taliesin has been completed, so that Prince will be completed in time to appear in 2025 for the 70th anniversary of the Ffestiniog revival. Prince's working life ended in 1936 when the firebox and boiler were found to have issues. A lack of money delayed the order for a new boiler, which was finally placed with…

HUNSLET 0-4-0ST No. 409 Velinheli, the first example of the iconic ‘Alice’ class of quarry locomotives built in 1886, successfully passed its hydraulic test on January 4 at Boston Lodge Works on the Ffestiniog Railway. Last operational in 2016, its withdrawal from service at the Launceston Steam Railway came just two years after it underwent a 10-yearly overhaul, with the boiler cited as the cause and condemned as a result. With the locomotive's owner committed to other projects, a team from the Ff&WHR stepped in with an offer to help. A new boiler had already been planned for its next overhaul, but this was brought forward, with work starting in 2018; a revised boiler design was created with flanged and welded plates but a riveted foundation ring. It was carefully…

CELEBRATING the recent return to steam of unique LMS 2-6-0 No. 2968, the Stanier Mogul Fund ran a members’ Mince Pie Steam Special on the Severn Valley Railway on December 30. For supporters of the fund, it was free, and members were allowed to bring guests for the bargain price of £20. The train had to fit in with the regular standard festive timetabled service trains and left Kidderminster at 12.40pm for a steady run to Bridgnorth. A layover of about an hour gave members a chance to inspect the locomotive as it ran round before the return run, departing promptly at 3.15pm. Behind the locomotive were six of the SVR's Midland carriages packed with 200 supporters. The sound of the Mogul climbing Highley and Eardington Banks without a slip…

THE Welshpool & Llanfair Light and Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light railways have announced that an agreement has been reached which will see diminutive Andrew Barclay 0-4-0T Dougal head south from mid-Wales for a four-year stay in Kent, during which time it will be returned to steam. Dougal was built in 1946 for the extensive narrow-gauge system of the Provan Gasworks in Glasgow, its low design enabling the engine to work in the restricted confines there. Following withdrawal, Dougal was rescued by the W&LLR in 1969 and, after a restoration, first steamed in 1975, being given the name of a character from the popular Magic Roundabout children's television TV series. It proved a popular attraction at special events for many years before significant boiler repairs became necessary in 2014. Dougal made…

THE lure of a Bulleid machine proved to be a welcome New Year boon for the Bluebell Railway when its newly-overhauled Battle of Britain No. 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair debuted on public service trains. Sir Archie's first restoration was completed at Sheffield Park in 2009, however, in October 2011 the discovery of leaking stays, starfracturing platework and cracks in the thermic syphons necessitated its early withdrawal from service, the necessary repairs requiring the boiler to be lifted. With so much work to be done, which would avoid the risk of further fractures appearing, the decision was made to overhaul the boiler to return No. 34059 to service with a fresh 10-yearly ticket. The boiler was passed by the inspector on September 25, 2023, (as reported in issue 312) and subsequent…

WORK is progressing on the restoration of GWR 0-6-0ST No. 1363 at Didcot Railway Centre. A new cab roof is being fitted, while new platework has been welded in the outer firebox. A new coal bunker has been fitted to the chassis, while the saddle tank is also being repaired with some of the corroded platework being replaced. No. 1363 was built in 1910 to a short wheelbase design for hauling heavy loads around exceptionally tight curves and based on nine 1392 class 0-6-0STs that the GWR had inherited from the Cornwall Minerals Railway. The five 1910 locomotives were numbered 1361-65 and were the last saddle tanks built at Swindon. Unusually for such small machines of this type, the GWR fitted them with outside cylinders. They remained virtually unaltered throughout…

THE Kent-based Spa Valley Railway will take on a distinctly Scottish flavour on the evening of January 27 as passengers celebrate the traditional Burns Night in memory of the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert ‘Rabbie'Burns. Two return trips will run from the railway's Tunbridge Wells West station to Eridge, hauled appropriately by Caledonian Railway 0-6-0 No. 828, with onboard performances by the Reeling on the Ceiling Ceilidh Band, featuring musicians playing the fiddle, accordion and guitar. Activities will start on the platform at Tunbridge Wells West at 6.30pm with a performance by the band, which has broadcast on both radio and television. Then, passengers will depart at 7pm on the first of two return trips to Eridge and be served a four-course Burns Night feast, accompanied by the band playing…

THE two heritage-era Great Central Railways have progressed their long-held ambition to join, creating an 18-mile line between the outskirts of Leicester and Nottingham, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding. As featured in Heritage Railway issue 310, the reunification project has been making progress in its bid to join the GCR at Loughborough with the GCR (Nottingham). The two lines were connected until the 1970s, when BR removed old bridges and a long, key embankment at Loughborough. In what is one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by a heritage railway, since 2013 more than £5 million has been raised and spent on building, refurbishing and replacing the bridges required. Fundraising for the next stages has now passed the £2 million mark, allowing for a contract for the…

IT may be a relative newcomer on the heritage railway scene, its current full nine-mile length having opened only in 2011, but over December 21 and January 1, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway presented a show to rival some of the best, its Winter Steam in the Valley event boasting two BR Standards – and a Duke, of sorts! Since April 2021, the railway has taken BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80080 on loan from the Princess Royal Locomotive Trust at the Midland Railway Centre (with Lancashire & Yorkshire Class 27 0-6-0 No. 52322 also having appeared during both 2019 and 2020), which has helped the EVR to continue further its steam offerings and move away from the reliance on DMU and diesel locomotive-only services. For the festive season of 2023,…

EARLY BR carriage No. 24617, considered a forerunner of the Mk.1 type, has returned to Severn Valley Railway service after undergoing its first major overhaul since it was built. Following more than 50 years of regular service on the heritage line, CK (corridor composite) No. 24617 finally entered Kidderminster Carriage Works in September 2022. Built by BR in Derby in 1950 to what is considered a very successful design dating back to the LMS before the Second World War, they are typified by a circular portal window, copying that used on the 1938 West Coast Main Line expresses. After the war, BR built 240 of this type over a two-year period, the first batch of 75 emerging in LMS red and the later ones, including No. 24617, carrying crimson and…

TWO UK narrow-gauge railways spanned a generation gap of nearly nine decades during special visits in December. With the Bala Lake Railway closed, and the weather too uninviting for a priviate visit of the day, retired railwaymen John Hurst and John (Bach) Roberts met in the town instead for the first time in 60 years. John Hurst was not only the last stationmaster of Bala station until it closed on January 18, but aged 21, he was also the youngest anywhere in the UK. It was where he met his wife, Gwen. John Bach joined the railway at Llanuwchllyn in 1947, 75 years ago, when it was still part of the GWR and which is now the heritage line's western terminus, home of the award-winning Llanuwchllyn Heritage Centre. He was…

STAFF and volunteers at the Kent & East Sussex Railway welcomed the arrival of 2024 with a new addition to its trophy cabinet earned by the line's everpopular Santa specials. The award was presented to general manager Robin Coombes at a ceremony in Brighton on December 12 in recognition of the railway's Santa trains winning third place in the prestigious annual Beautiful South Awards for Excellence run by Tourism South East. Standing with Santa Claus after the presentation, Robin said: “The trains have been enjoyed by generations of families and regularly carry upwards of 14,000 passengers. It was a great honour to collect, with Santa, the award. “Our specials have been developed over many years and are complex and intense to operate, but this award recognises just how good they…

NEWS THE first two of the new four-coach trains on the 4ft gauge Glasgow Subway made their debut in public service on Monday, December,11 – and their introduction could mean a bonus for heritage venues. The eventually driverless Stadlerbuilt trains will be phased into service to run alongside the 44-yearold Metro Cammell sets, which will gradually be withdrawn as more new units come on stream. When station works including fitting platform doors are complete, the Stadler sets will work in driverless mode. The withdrawal of the older trains, built between 1977 and 1979 to replace the original subway rolling stock of 1896, means that they will be surplus to requirements. Owner and operator, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, is now sending out a call to preservationists and museums to put…

IT is looking increasingly certain that no steam trains will operate on Northern Ireland Railways in 2024, as there are no qualified steam drivers on the system. The situation has arisen following the sudden death of the railway's only qualified steam driver, muchvalued and admired Noel Playfair, at the age of 62, on January 16, 2023, as reported in issue 303. Despite NIR's owning company Translink stating last year that it would look at the situation after an appropriate time had elapsed, no action has yet been taken, leaving the company with two passed steam firemen – but no steam train drivers. That situation has resulted in the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland's Whitehead base being unable to run steam trains over NIR. A society spokesman said it is “a…

THE A-listed, Victorian Highland Railway footbridge at Pitlochry station has been given a temporary stay of execution by members of Perth and Kinross Council's planning and placemaking committee. On December 13 they threw out a recommendation by council planning officials to give Network Rail the green light to remove the bridge and replace it with a wheelchair-accessible version. The dismantled bridge was to have been offered to heritage railways for further use. Councillors voted by nine votes to two to deny granting listed building consent after considering 26 objections to the proposal, which Network Rail said had been carefully designed to accord as much as possible with the architecture of the station. The company is now likely to take the design to go back to the drawing board and reapply,…

PAR station's signalbox which dates from 1879 and is the oldest working one in Cornwall is to close in the spring. Along with the ‘boxes at Truro and Lostwithiel, which is Grade II-listed, are being made redundant as part of a digital upgrade. Signalling at Par, Lostwithiel and Truro will be controlled centrally from Exeter St Davids. Built to the first GWR standard design, the Par ‘box was set up to control the GWR main line onwards to Penzance, together with the junction for the Newquay branch. Located at the southern end of Platform 2, it was originally less than half its current length, containing only 26 levers. In 1913, the frame was replaced and a new frame of 57 levers added. A panel was later added to control the…

January 27 ‘The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ Euston, Carlisle and return. Steam-hauled between Carnforth (outward) and Preston (return). Loco: Steam: TBC. Electric: 86259 Les Ross. RTC 27 ‘The East Anglian Push-Pull’ Day 1 Crewe, Ipswich, Norwich. Loco: 47712 Lady Diana Spencer. IC 28 ‘The East Anglian Push-Pull’ Day 2 Norwich, Ipswich, Crewe. Loco: 47712 Lady Diana Spencer. IC February 9 ‘The West Riding Limited’ King's Cross, Leeds and return. Loco: Class 91 TBA. IC 10 ‘The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ Manchester Victoria, Carlisle and return. Diesel-hauled from Preston (return). Loco: TBC. RTC 10 ‘The West Riding Limited’ King's Cross, Leeds and return. Loco: Class 90 TBC. IC 10 ‘The Bath & Gloucester Steam Express’ London Paddington, Gloucester and return. Steam-hauled throughout. Loco: ‘Black Five’ TBA. RTC 10 ‘The Sarum Seraph’ Peterborough, Salisbury…

WEST Coast Railways said it will work with the rail regulator in its aim to continue to run heritage stock on the national network, despite a ‘disappointing’ High Court decision. After this magazine closed for press last issue, it was announced the Carnforth-based operator of ‘The Jacobite’ had failed in its application for a judicial review of the Office of Road and Rail's decision making process, which it used to refuse granting WCR a further Regulation 5 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 exemption – essential for heritage train companies intending to operate hinged-door carriages on the main line unless central door locking (CDL) is in place. Following an application submitted by West Coast two years prior to its exemption expiring, the company was told that, following an ORR inspection…

THE next major goal for the Betton Grange project is the creation of a historically appropriate tender which will be capable of main line operation. When Charles Collett introduced his first Granges in 1936, they were initially paired with Churchward 3500-gallon tenders cascaded from older locomotives (some 4000-gallon examples from Stars were also repurposed). A number of Collett 3500 types were built at Swindon Works under lot A118 specifically for the new 4-6-0s, which was for 27 tenders each weighing 22 tons empty, 45 tons when full. These new tenders, Nos. 22422268, were completed in 1930, their height better aligned with the locomotive's cab cut-outs, giving a more aesthetically pleasing profile than the 4000-gallon versions when matched with Granges. However, none of the Collett 3500-gallon tenders survived and it is…

IT is no exaggeration to say that David Elliott was a pioneer of new-build steam. Since he began volunteering in 1991, David made possibly the greatest contribution to the objectives of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust of any one individual, and in so doing has paved the way for new-build projects in the UK and overseas. We were not surprised to hear of David's passing in December as, in his characteristic pragmatic style, he had informed those working within the trust and its supporters of his prognosis after being diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago. Nonetheless, we are deeply saddened to lose a dear friend and quite brilliant colleague. David took an early interest in railways, influenced by his grandfathers: one worked for the Railway Clearing House and the…

THE Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway has found a solution to ‘surprise’ structural problems discovered within its 120-year-old landmark Stanway Viaduct during waterproofing works. As reported last issue, an open joint where the mortar bond has failed was found in several brickwork courses well below the track level of both parapets on the outstanding architectural feature of the Cotswold line. Evidence suggests that the problem has been progressively developing over many years and may be down to an original design fault. The problem was exposed after all track materials had been removed in order to renew the failed waterproof deck while both parapets are leaning slightly outwards. The failed joints extend across nearly the full length of the gently curving 656ft-long 15-arch viaduct, which opened in 1904. BR lifted the track from…

AFTER a period being advertised for sale, on December 20 the final two locomotives departed the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust's former base at Washford on the West Somerset Railway for pastures new, each having been acquired by relative newcomers to the heritage scene. Built in 1941 by Andrew Barclay works for use at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Puriton, near Bridgewater, 0-4-0DM No. 349 has now taken up residence on the Leiston Works Railway in Suffolk. This project is slowly rebuilding part of the private railway that spurred off the Great Eastern Railway's Aldeburgh branch line and ran to the Richard Garrett & Sons engineering works, which was renowned for its traction engines. Initially run with Suffolk Punch horses, 0-4-0WT No. 6158 Sirapite (built in 1906 by Aveling &…

THE Ffestiniog Railway's pair of ‘old ladies’ will once again be seen running together with the completion of the overhaul for Hunslet 2-4-0STT Linda. Withdrawn in 2019 following its starring appearance at the Hunslet 125 gala, work on the boiler started almost immediately and was rapidly completed, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed work on the chassis. The staff at Boston Lodge worked extremely hard to continue working on Linda, while at the same time overhauling double Fairlie David Lloyd George and completing the construction of its new-build sister, James Spooner. For this reason, the return to traffic, intended to celebrate Linda's 60 years’ service at the Ffestiniog Railway in 2022, was delayed. During December, Linda undertook test runs with Blanche, operating festive shuttle services between Porthmadog and Minffordd, after which…

NEARLY 60 years after Bulleid West Country Light Pacific No. 34023 (21C123) Blackmoor Vale hauled the last legendary ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ out of Padstow on September 5, 1964, a thriving catering business under the same name and based in a converted cattle wagon on the trackbed is on the market. After 15 years running their al fresco eatery on the hugely popular Camel Trail, which occupies the phenomenally scenic westernmost stretch of the LSWR ‘Withered Arm’ between Padstow and Wadebridge, Kelly Littlejohns and Dougal Holley have decided to sell up and seek pastures new. As highlighted in Heritage Railway issue 281, the 21st-century Atlantic Coast Express, which takes its name from the named train from Waterloo that first ran on July 19, 1926, is to be found at Penquean Quarry,…

THE runaway success of ‘Polar Express’ services on heritage lines in recent years has helped many reach new audiences and bring the joy of theatre onto the railway world, prompting the Mid-Norfolk Railway to go one step further in 2024. The railway will look to adapt the formula, which saw it run 93 ‘Polar Express’ trips prior to Christmas, with an all-new on-board run of performances away from the festive season. In partnership with Twisted Reality Productions, a new ‘immersive live train show’ will be brought to the county this Easter, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland story entitled ‘Alice on the Wondertrain’. ‘Exciting’ programme The experience has been devised by MNR theatrical director Paul Andrew Goldsmith who, along with his partner Katherine Vince, was the driving force…

HUDSWELL Clarke 0-6-0ST No. 1700 Wissington has returned to its North Norfolk Railway home following its latest loan spell at the Mid-Suffolk Railway. The 1938-built former British Sugar Corporation locomotive, which is owned by the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society, left the ‘Middy’ following its popular Steam and Light Festival on New Year's Day, after hauling the line's sold-out Santa specials. Wissington previously worked the ‘Middy’ from July 2012 to January 2013, returning that April and staying until September 2015, coming back for the 2016 summer season, and starting its last loan spell in June 2022. It is planned to hire another steam locomotive to start the 2024 season, during which the line aims to have its 1928-built Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST No. 1604 running for the first time…

A PUB built to serve the needs of customers of the Stockton & Darlington Railway – the world's first steam-hauled passenger line – has been given Grade II-listed building status by English Heritage. The Railway Tavern, in High Northgate, Darlington, was one of three pubs built in 1826/27 by the S&DR, regarded by historians as, in effect, ‘proto-railway stations’, built before the concept of the station had fully developed. Each of the pubs were constructed next to one of the S&DR's coal depots, which had been expected to be the railway's primary source of revenue as the success of passenger services was unexpected at the time. Darlington's coal depot was at the end of a short branch line, just northwest of where the Great North Road (now High Northgate) crossed…

BR Standard, GWR and industrial live steam locomotive models, and an acclaimed LNER poster, were the stars of a saleroom and live online Transport Sale held by auction house Dreweatts in Newbury on December 13. The top realisation of £8000 was achieved by an award-winning 5in gauge Standard 2MT No. 84000, built by the late Richard Castle, of Watford, in 2008. It features a silver soldered boiler built by Western Steam of Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, and among its awards are a Model Engineering Exhibition medal and an international memorial trophy. The full-size 2-6-2T on which the model was based was built at Crewe in July 1953, withdrawn from the Wrexham shed of Croes Newydd (6C) in October 1965, and cut up four months later, thus ironically having a significantly shorter life…

STEAM Dreams has announced two trips in March with West Country light Pacific No. 34046 Braunton heading over the Settle and Carlisle line. The first tour on Wednesday, March 20 starts from Norwich, heading diesel-hauled westwards to pick up at Thetford, Ely and Peterborough. After leaving Peterborough, the tour continues across the country to join the West Coast Main Line for Crewe, where Braunton will take charge of the train. From Crewe, the railtour heads towards Blackburn and the Ribble Valley Line to Hellifield, before taking the Settle and Carlisle line to the destination of Carlisle. There is a planned break of about two hours in the cathedral city before the diesel-hauled return journey home. Saturday, March 23, will see a tour, either diesel or electric, head from Euston via…

STEAM Dreams ended 2023 on a high with its successful ‘Santa Steam Express’ on a circular route out of London Victoria. Four trains a day ran on December 15, 18 and 21, departing at 9.20am, 11.44am, 3.31pm and 6.20pm from Platform 7. The trains started behind a diesel and then ran via Longhedge Junction, under the Waterloo lines to Kensington Olympia and Willesden for a short stop. After departing Willesden, it was steam – the rostered locomotive was LMS ‘Black Five’4-6-0 No. 45231 – all the way back to Victoria on a slightly unusual route. Heading south, it was via South Acton, Kew, across the River Thames at Barnes Bridge, through Clapham Junction and back under the Waterloo Lines to pass Longhedge Junction once again, then over the Thames on…

A CHARITY photoshoot at Network Rail's Holgate Engineering Works in York has raised £3000 to support Yorkshire-based charity Martin House Children's Hospice. More than 70 photographers attended the one-off event on the evening of December 16, marking the end of the season for NR's Rail Head Treatment Trains. Five Class 37s stationed at the works throughout their RHTT season were cleaned and made to look their shiny best by volunteers from across the rail industry, before being lit to capture enigmatic and atmospheric images under the evening's moonlight. The photographers each made a donation to attend the event, organised by NR colleagues. Recently, staff from Network Rail and DB Cargo were presented with a Heart of Gold award for raising more than £250,000 for the charity through organising a series…

The Severn Valley Railway's new Winter Steam Gala was a decidedly no-frills affair without visiting locomotives, but nonetheless a good timetable showcased the resident fleet at a quieter time when enthusiasts are looking for an operational heritage line to visit. Volunteers and management worked together to make the event a resounding success, to the point where it is now likely to become a regular feature in the enthusiast calendar. The first train off Kidderminster was at 8.30am and from Bridgnorth at 9.10am, and from then on it was non-stop action with services passing at Hampton Loade, Arley and Bewdley. Small delays occurred on the Saturday, but Sunday was generally on time. On the Saturday, trains ran until 10.40pm, and steam finished at 7.20pm on Sunday. The final train was from…

THE first of the major set-piece events on the modelling calendar is now only a few weeks away, with enthusiasts from across the UK preparing for a feast of layouts and inspiration at Model Rail Scotland. The show is once more at the SEC (Scottish Event Campus) in the heart of Glasgow from Friday, February 23 to Sunday the 25th, and there will be scores of layouts and a host of societies and exhibitors for visitors to see. Among the layouts this year are Glen Farist, Levenbank, Castlebridge and Eyemouth in N gauge, OO scale models of Dalziel North, Tulloch Bridge, Griffen Road, Depot 254, Clucas Bay and Fountainhall TMD to name just a few of the many great displays, as well as the O gauge modelsof Eastfield, Raventhorpe, Borrington…

THE Severn Valley Railway has been boosted by £30,000 after its new Winter Diesel Day on December 29 attracted higher visitor numbers than expected. Services carried more than 1000 paying passengers, plus hundreds more shareholders, delivering £30,000 in ticket revenue alone – 35% higher than officials had hoped for. “It's fair to say that, once again, the SVR has absolutely smashed it!” said managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster. “We'd never before tried to run a short dieselenthusiast event like this in the winter season, but we wanted to give it a go and are very pleased that we did. “We saw a timetable that ran perfectly, and a strong sense of team purpose across the railway, for which we are hugely appreciative. This is yet more proof of how the…

WHILE the Great Central Railway is famous for main line scenes from the BR steam and diesel days thanks to its double track, it will now be able to even recreate the modern main line as two Class 153 railcars join its collection. First introduced in 1991, the 153s were ordered to replace the ageing Class 121 and 122 ‘bubble car’ units, with the ‘new’ units being created by diving the two-car Class 155s and converting the separated carriages into single cars. The two units now being based on the GCR will not be classed as ‘preserved’ but as part of a partnership with local Train Operating Companies for training new drivers, providing valuable income for the railway. Until recently, this scheme has used the GCR's heritage railcar fleet but,…

NEWS THE South Devon Railway's December 28-30 Winter Steam Gala with two visiting locomotives has been hailed a great success. The event featured WR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor, which was visiting from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for the ‘Polar Express’ services earlier in the month, and GWR prairie No. 5553, booked at short notice from the Bodmin & Wenford Railway especially for the gala. It was the first appearance of No. 5553 on the Buckfastleigh line in the heritage era. The visiting pair ran alongside GWR pannier No. 6412 from the home fleet. The event featured a six-carriage carmine and cream Mk.1 rake, a threecarriage pre-Nationalisation rake featuring two GWR carriages, and SR Bulleid TSO No. 1456, which is owned by the Bluebell Railway and on longterm loan to…

NEWS USATC 2-8-0 S160 No. 6046 has returned to service on the Churnet Valley Railway alongside No. 5197, bringing a pair of operational classmates together on the Staffordshire line once more – and a third example is on the horizon. No. 6046's boiler has received a new tubeplate at the firebox end, following which a full retube was carried out. In tandem with this work, some new flexible stays and smokebox rivets were also fitted. A new chimney was cast for the locomotive, the pattern having been made in-house at the railway's own carriage shop, with new pipework made and fitted to feed ancillary equipment such as the air pump and injectors. Following reassembly, it has been repainted to a high standard, once again adorning hi-gloss black. No. 6046 worked…

NEWS THE Bodmin & Wenford Railway's one-day post-Christmas Winter Steam-Up offered GWR small prairie No. 5552 and diminutive Par Docks Bagnall 0-4-0ST Judy on an intensive timetable of 10 departures from Bodmin General between 9.45am and 4pm. No. 5552 worked the service train of three BR Mk.1s, much as it did in BR days on Cornish branch lines when it was based at Truro shed (83F). Judy hauled four trips a day from Bodmin General to Bodmin Parkway with a brake van carrying 15 passengers at a time, the locomotive dwarfed by its load on the steep gradients. Word had spread about Judy's unusual seven-mile return trips, and the sight of its unique combination proved to be particularly popular. One visitor even set off from Nottingham at 5am just to…

THE Helston Railway has launched a £350,000 Making Tracks appeal to further extend the line southwards. The railway is currently extending over the Lowertown Viaduct to Nancegollan to provide a new station. This work again entails excavating a large cutting which also has been filled in, and funds are needed for rails, ballast and infrastructure. Nancegollan was the biggest station on the GWR branch and served the fishing port of Porthleven. The eight-mile branch from Gwinear Road, the southernmost in the UK, opened in 1887 and closed to passengers in 1962 and goods in 1964. The Helston Railway Preservation Society was formed with about 12 members in 2002. In April 2005, members began clearing the trackbed. The society ran its first passenger trains in December 2011/ Services currently run between…

NEWS THE iconic totem signs introduced by the newly-formed BR in February 1948 were for several decades a much-appreciated and widespread source of information at stations throughout the country, from Thurso to Penzance and Ipswich to Aberystwyth. However, they were a comparatively rare feature at the termini of one surprising location: London. The capital had 16 terminus stations on Nationalisation in 1948, but only seven were ever fitted with totems – the Southern Region's Charing Cross, Cannon Street, London Bridge and Waterloo, the Western Region's Paddington, King's Cross on the Eastern Region, and the London Midland Region's Broad Street. Among the other nine, high-profile absentees were Liverpool Street, Marylebone, Victoria, and Euston. On March 16, totems from King's Cross, Paddington and Waterloo will go under the hammer, the first time…

A DIESEL-ELECTRIC locomotive which, despite being bought in 2013 as a back-up for the Isle of Man Steam railway has only seen 31 days of use in the last five years, has racked up a total bill of almost £249,000 in repair work since its arrival – with an estimated £40,000 more still required before it can run again. Controversially bought for £420,000 from Motive Power & Equipment Solutions in North Carolina, USA, No. 21 was the first‘new'locomotive to join the island's fleet in more than 20 years, the last one before being Hunslet Bo-Bo No. 18 Ailsa, built in 1994 for London Underground's Jubilee line extension project. IoM Railways had originally approached the treasury requesting £750,000 for a new-build design to act as a rescue locomotive and shunter but…

SOME of the UK's biggest steam icons will visit heritage lines at the start of the new season, with the East Lancashire Railway taking top spot for opportunities to enjoy a ride behind them. As reported in issue 313, the line will host its Legends of Steam gala on March 15/16, featuring visitors BR Standard 7 Pacific No. 70000 Britannia, LNER A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley and LMS Jubilee No. 45960 Leander. Not content on settling with just the idea of a showstopping gala, the ELR has also secured a visit from GWR 4-6 0 No. 4079 Pendennis Castle from Didcot Railway Centre, which is celebrating its own centenary year in 2024. In addition to operating regular public daytime services on April 10-14, 20/21 and 27/28, No. 4079 will…

DARTMOOR Line services were cancelled after high winds caused by Storm Henk ripped the corrugated iron roof off the classic footbridge at Okehampton station and blew it on to the tracks at midday on January 2. Class 150 DMU No. 150247, with the Exeter Central to Okehampton service, was stopped before reaching the station, previously the headquarters of the heritage Dartmoor Railway. After discussions, the DMU was permitted to enter the east end of the station platform with one door opened to release the passengers. Immediately afterwards, operator Great Western Railway issued a statement which said: “The footbridge at Okehampton station has been damaged by the strong winds and until it is inspected, we are unable to run trains in to Okehampton station. A number of trees have also fallen…

VIRTUAL reality tours inside Birmingham New Street's iconic 1960s Power Signal Box can now be accessed online – a year after moving its last trains through the station. In September, Network Rail gave special access to the University of Birmingham to completely scan the insides of the ‘box so it could be recorded forever. The project involved making a series of 3D laser scans and taking panoramic images over two floors, including the relay room and signalling panel. These were then stitched together to build a fully interactive online model, which is compatible with virtual reality headsets and went live on the internet on December 19 at https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=a7aSN6y5sDH Built as part of the West Coast Main Line modernisation, the Birmingham PSB was one of four power signalboxes in the West…

STILL a relative newcomer to the scene, KR Models has announced that it will be producing the WD 2-10-0 locomotives for OO gauge – which will put it head-to-head with the Ellis Clark models also being planned! The KR Models project is still in its early stages, with a CAD model currently being worked on, but the manufacturer says it will boast some innovative features, including a synchronised smoke unit that will use a non-oil-based fluid that has been specially developed and will be safe for periods of long use. Four liveries will be produced, covering LMR, olive drab, khaki sand, and BR black with early crest. Prices start at £240 for DCC-ready variants and rise to £370 for DCC sound-fitted with smoke unit. Meanwhile, the Ellis Clark project is…

ARGUABLY the ultimate mixed-traffic design, William Stanier's ‘Black Fives’ were a turning point for the LMS. Successful from the off, these efficient machines became the backbone of the network, able to turn their hand to whatever was required of them. Why they were needed The dream of any operating department is an engine which can go anywhere and do anything, and it was an area where the newly-formed LMS was severely lacking. None of its constituent companies had anything close to the competition in this area, whereas the LNER could draw on Gresley's Great Northern moguls, the Southern on the Billinton K class and the Urie H15s, and the GWR on a rapidly expanding range of 4300s and various 4-6-0s, most notably the Halls. There was a need for something…

FUTURE IN THEIR HANDS Keeping the railway legacy alive is something David Grindley is passionate about. It was through involvement in the heritage sector that David, who previously worked as a steam technician at Beamish Museum for six years, recognised the need for skills to be passed on. “Doing a heritage skills course many years ago highlighted the necessity of transferring skills from senior volunteers to younger ones so they can take over in years to come. It's all about the progression of the railway.” David's arrival in 2019 at the Stephenson Steam Railway in North Shields, where he is now engineering and railway operations manager, brought about an important change. “When I first started, there was no established youth group, no young volunteers as such,” he recalled. In 2021,…