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VISITENGLAND – as the national tourist board is called – take note. This year we have witnessed the finest collection of autumn galas on our heritage lines that I can remember, in all shapes and sizes. Fifty years since the end of British Railways main line steam, the public appetite for railway heritage shows no sign of abating, and soaring attendance figures at these galas reflects that. We Brits are spoiled for choice. The last weekend in September alone saw four magnificent events: the first double-heading of new-build replicas Lyn and Lew at Woody Bay, a stunning steam display at the West Somerset Railway, the Middleton Railway’s local heritage-inspired Last Coals to Leeds event and Tyseley Locomotive Works’ 50th anniversary of its first open day. I attended the latter and…
DESPITE indifferent morning weather when Flying Scotsman departed Plymouth North Road to begin the A3’s first-ever visit into Cornwall, thousands lined the 78 miles of the testing route across the Duchy to Penzance on Saturday, October 6. The extended week of action began on Thursday, October 4, when Flying Scotsman supported by ‘Black Five’No. 44871 and empty stock ran westwards from Southall to Theale and Newbury, where passengers joined the train for a trip to Taunton, returning diesel-hauled. Later that day, passengers boarded for the journey from Taunton to Plymouth via Exeter, Newton Abbot and the South Devon banks. However, the best was yet to come. On Saturday, October 6, Flying Scotsman entered Cornwall, working the train to Penzance, returning diesel-hauled. Early into its journey the train, a Steam Dreams‘Cathedrals…
DB Meiningen – the German firm which built the boiler for 101mph A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado – has been contracted to design one for new P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has placed a £50,000 order for the design work on the boiler, to be designated diagram 118B, and incorporating a list of changes based on observations of operating Tornado over the past 10 years. The trust issued an invitation to tender to manufacture Prince of Wales’boiler to over 10 organisations in the UK and overseas and has received several proposals and expressions of interest. The trust will now review the proposals received with the intention of selecting a preferred supplier by December and placing the order in June 2019 for delivery…
THE Llangollen Railway has announced that it will not be completing further stages of the construction of new-build LMS Patriot No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior beyond that already underway. Members of the engineering team at the LR have been working on the construction of The Unknown Warrior for the LMS-Patriot Co Ltd since 2008. Following intensive discussions with the team behind No. 45551, a railway spokesman said: “We have taken the decision not to tender for any further work in regards to the LMS Patriot Company. LR has a full order book and is therefore unable to meet with the very tight timescale requirements of the project. “On October 29, the Patriot locomotive, No. 45551, will be leaving Llangollen for the last…
THE Nene Valley Railway has announced that GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6430 will be visiting from the Llangollen Railway between April and October 2019. No. 6430 will share duties during the season with resident Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34081 92 Squadron. More immediately, Thomas has made a welcome return to the line’s operational pool. Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No. 1800 of 1947 has been out of traffic for several months for extensive bottom end work. Meanwhile, the overhaul of the line’s Danish 0-6-0T No. 656 is continuing. The wheels have been reprofiled and new crankpins fitted by Riley & Son Locomotive Engineers in Heywood.…
BRITAIN’S newest Train Operating Company, Vintage Trains Limited, has run its first official train – and it wasn’t steam or heritage stock. Just nine days after the TOC’s public launch, on Thursday, September 27, VTL provided the crew and paths for mileage accumulation on the new Vivarail Class 230 DEMU, running from Bedford to Bletchley on the Marston Vale line. The Class 230s are converted from London Underground D78 stock, originally manufactured during 1980 by Metro Cammell. The conversion reuses the D78’s aluminium bodyshells with refurbished interiors, the traction motors and bogies, and replaces the third-rail traction-current system with diesel generators or battery packs. Vintage Trains testing VTL has been working closely with Vivarail in planning an operation that is testing a number of systems and processes and gaining valuable…
