Sommaire pour Issue 220 de Heritage Railway

OUR cover picture depicts a BR Standard 4MT tank back at Midsomer Norton and is a classic and quite wonderful example of the heritage movement thumbing its nose at the inevitable march of time, for it is 50 years since the closure of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway system. This year we have also seen other major half centenaries, all with a negative slant; the others being 50 years since the withdrawal of the A4 Pacifics as well as the closure of the Great Central as a through route, as marked by a mini gala at Loughborough in early September. And there’s more to come in abundance, as we recall the rapid demise of both steam and so much of the rail network in the aftermath of the Beeching…

THE organisers of the award-winning steam trips over London Underground are now looking towards holding events next year – despite the late cancellation of the planned September 10-11 runs from Wembley Park and Harrow-on-the-Hill to Amersham. The weekend’s programme was cancelled by London Transport Museum because of the threat of industrial action precluding access to Ruislip depot, where the locomotives taking part would have been based. It was the second time that this year’s steam trips have been cancelled. The first planned event in July was called off because the Bluebell Railway’s wooden-bodied Chesham set of carriages was unavailable because of outstanding repairs. The September event was to again feature Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No. 1 and the Flour Mill’s GWR small prairie No. L150 (5521) in connection with…

THE builders of the new Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales have produced drawings for its cylinder monobloc casting. The P2 Steam Locomotive Company, a subsidiary of Tornado builder The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, is now able to approach potential manufacturers. The original idea was to make the block as a welded steel fabrication, a common practice in Germany and the United States in the final days of steam. However, the project’s sponsor, William Cook Cast Products, which is also the principal sponsor for Tornado, has expressed an interest in looking into the possibility of producing it as a steel casting. A meeting is scheduled to take place shortly to progress this proposal. The cylinder block has been extensively redesigned to overcome some of the known problems with…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway has hit a steam hat-trick, returning three locomotives to traffic after overhauls in the space of a month. BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80136 is the third locomotive to emerge from the ever-busy Motive Power Depot, running for the first time on August 23 (the boiler was reunited with the frames on June 21 and the insurance examination was passed on July 21), but was delayed for a few days by an internal boiler leak. No. 80136 follows the return to steam of two more locomotives that have been out of action for around 18 months each. LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 44806, which needed a new tender and general overhaul of running gear, returned on July 21, running with a borrowed tender from sister No.…

THE Vale of Berkeley Railway Trust, which is working to revive the Midland Railway Sharpness branch, not only has a working diesel but also a second steam locomotive. The Rolls-Royce-powered, 1967-built Thomas Hill Vanguard shunter British Gypsum No 2 has become the first locomotive to move along track at Sharpness Docks since 1980. The locomotive, which spent most of its working life at the British Gypsum works in Mountfield, Kent, made its first public appearance after being repainted for an appearance at the 43rd annual Gloucestershire Vintage and Country Extravaganza, held by Stroud Vintage Transport & Engine Club at South Cerney Airfield on August 4-6. The group intends the Vanguard to become the works shunter at Sharpness. The nascent heritage line also has another diesel, the 1935-built LMS diesel shunter…

ON Sunday, September 4, Valdas Šiauciulis, the Lithuanian Defence Attaché, travelled on Vintage Trains’ ‘Shakespeare Express’for luncheon with his wife, Ausra, the operator’s chairman Michael Whitehouse, and Lithuanian UK representative Mark Gaskell. The purpose of the attaché’s visit was to review the possibilities of developing aligned joint working in tourism opportunities in Lithuania. Mr Šiauciulis was fascinated to see the enthusiasm of qualified staff and volunteers operating and servicing the 90-year-old GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall and was also most interested to chat with passengers and see the great interest in the steam express train shown by both people on board and members of the general public at Birmingham stations. Discussions also covered the contribution to the local economy by heritage steam railways in Britain and the potential…

THE Severn Valley Railway(SVR) is set to launch a share issue in the coming weeks to raise funds for its £5million redevelopment of Bridgnorth station - the most significant project in the railway’s 51-year history – after Shropshire County Council gave the project the green light. The SVR’s Bridgnorth Development Project Team has been celebrating the decision after having spent years on extensive internal and external consultations, planning, surveys, assessments and research to compile the project application. The three-phase project will dramatically improve facilities at both Bridgnorth and for visitors and provide a fitting gateway both to the heritage line and the town of Bridgnorth. The railway has now begun a mammoth fundraising campaign in earnest to fulfil the plans of phase one and phase two. Two projects Work on…

FANS of the Crystal Maze engineering zone of yesteryear are invited to visit the National Railway Museum in October for a series of brain-teasing challenges keyed into the future of train travel. During the October 18-21 Future Engineers Schools Challenge, schools will be able to test out workshops that inform pupils about big world-changing rail projects that are changing the world through hands-on practical investigations. Over the October 22-30 half-term break, families can also drop in to the York museum’s six learning zones spread around its two halls to investigate real-life issues that engineers face in the current era of‘railway renaissance’, such as designing the stations and vehicles of the future. Learning manager Kirsten Berry said:“With the current skills gap the UK is facing, we wanted to really inspire young…

WITH a family background that includes a grandfather who was a clerk for the LNER and BR, and a father who was an LMS engineering pupil at St Rollox works in Glasgow, there was only one subject for Chris Ware to specialise in when he surprised colleagues by resigning from his role as a BBC journalist to become a full-time artist. Inevitably that subject was steam railways – and now Chris has taken that link a stage further by converting the former signalman’s house at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway station at Levisham into a holiday let that is steeped in railway history. The house is owned by Chris’s 89-year-old father Keith, who, after joining the LMS at St Rollox, enjoyed a successful career with London Transport, for whom he…

THE Mid-Norfolk Railway’s tanks and tankards gala over the bank holiday weekend had a GWR theme with no fewer than three pannier tanks in operation, and the first visit of a GWR autotrain to Norfolk. Hawksworth 0-6-0PTs Nos. 9466 and 1501 took turns on the main line from Dereham to Wymondham with Collett 6400 class 0-6-0PT No. 6430 working the autotrain north from Dereham to Hoe. The autotrain also worked to Wymondham on Friday, August 26 and No. 6430 participated in an unprecedented trebleheaded round trip to Wymondham with the other two panniers on the other afternoons. Visiting during August was Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No. 1 but unfortunately this failed just before the gala and could not be used, necessitating changes to the locomotive roster with one afternoon…

A GROUND-breaking referendum is to be held in Totnes. However, this time it will have nothing to with Brexit, but instead with the future of a railway building of international importance. Under the banner of Atmos Totnes, the local community has drawn up plans to redevelop an eight-acre disused dairy alongside the South West main line after successfully campaigning for its centrepiece – a pumping station from Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s short-lived South Devon atmospheric railway – to be given listed building protection. The Brunel Building in the centre of the site is one of only three surviving pumping houses from the scheme. However, in this instance, the atmospheric railway never reached Totnes, and the landmark structure was never fitted out as a pumping station The plans integrate the heritage of…

JAMES Hymas’ Spa Valley Railway-based Vulcan Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 72 is now being offered for sale. The locomotive, works number 5309, has successfully completed nearly 3500 miles over 150 running days on hire since 2012 No. 72 is a rarity as it is believed to be the only complete surviving Austerity to have been constructed by the Vulcan Foundry, one of only 50 built for the war effort in 1945, but due to the ending of the conflict, never seeing military service. The locomotive was sold to the National Coal Board in 1946 to work at South Hetton Colliery, where it was given the number 72. It was retired from the NCB in 1972 and was bought for preservation, although it had to wait for 32 years, until 2004 when…

A LOCAL fire crew rescued the Railway Touring Company’s‘North Wales Coast Express’after its locomotive lost water through a suspected leak. The engine that was involved was the Carnforth-based 4-6-0 No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, which headed the train out of Crewe at 9.42am on Sunday, August 21. Routed via Manchester Piccadilly, Chester and Llandudno Junction, the destination was Holyhead. On the first part of its journey, at Winwick Junction, the driver reported to Network Rail control saying that the 4-6-0 had lost water. He then requested a fire brigade to bring water for safety reasons. Since the ‘Scot’ was unable to get sufficient air pressure to release the brakes, the supporting diesel (at the rear) could not move the train. Around midday, a fire service tanker arrived and filled the tender…

THIS time I am going to concentrate on one run, the UK Railtours’ ‘The Robin Hood’ from King’s Cross to Chesterfield on Saturday, August 13, which was hauled throughout by A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado. As DB Cargo is the operator and the stock used is almost always air-braked, it never takes a diesel in the consist unless it’s needed for train heating or operational purposes, which rarely happens, and so I had booked with confidence some time ago, knowing that it would be a day of pure steam. Of course, the Pacific has a very good reliability record helped by being fairly new and while it is sometimes difficult to understand why other tour promoters using West Coast Railways have a rear gunner on their trains for no apparent…

By the mid to late 1950s most of us young trainspotters had become accustomed to the sight of short lines of veteran steam locomotives in store at most motive power depots. They were usually to be found tucked quietly away on one of the shed’s side roads or out of the way somewhere at the top of the yard. Sometimes a few of them were returned to traffic for occasional use to suit demands but for most of them it was the end. From 1954 onwards DMUs had been taking over local and branch line services in several large areas of the country and diesel shunters abounded in many goods yards. On top of all this there was the continued alarming decline in freight traffic receipts, which had made the…

The 2ft 3in gauge Corris Railway has long been a favourite of mine. It was one of the earliest narrow gauge railways in Wales, opening in April 1859 as the Corris Machynlleth & River Dovey Tramroad. It connected slate quarries along the Dulas Valley with Machynlleth and, until 1863, wharves on the River Dovey at Derwenlas. The railway’s long and interesting history began and ended with lightly laid horse- and gravity- worked tramways. This article tells the story of the end of the railway’s life and beyond, using a number of recently discovered photographs. The last years of the Corris Railway The Corris Railway was purchased by Bristol-based Imperial Tramways in 1878. In late 1929, Imperial sold the Corris to the Great Western Railway, which wanted the local bus routes…

A ROMNEY, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway driver was hailed a hero after leaping from his cab seconds before his locomotive smashed into a tractor on a level crossing. Zak Clarke, who is in his early 20s, immediately picked himself up and went to help passengers from the train, which was derailed by the force of the impact. The crash happened around 2.30pm on Saturday, September 10, as a train headed by the line’s first locomotive, 1925-built Davey Paxman Pacific No. 1 Green Goddess, was heading through Dymchurch towards Hythe when a tractor hauling a trailer fully loaded with hay pulled on to the level crossing in front. Zak sounded his whistle to alert him but when he realised that the tractor was not going to stop, he slammed the brakes…

TICKETS to ride behind Flying Scotsman and Tornado during the Severn Valley Railway’s September 22-26 Pacific Power event may have sold out – but there are plenty of choice locations to watch them in action from the lineside. In one of the biggest heritage steam events that the SVR has ever hosted in its 51-year history, the appearance of both locomotives has generated unprecedented interest from across the country, with tickets to ride behind the engines selling out at the fastest rate that the railway has ever seen. Owing to the huge popularity of the event, the SVR is urging members of the public to plan their visit well in advance. To avoid overcrowding during the event, access to the SVR’s six stations will be limited, with only those holding…

PIONEER steam locomotive Sans Pareil and its modern-day replica are now on public display side by side at the Locomotion museum in Shildon. The original Sans Pareil locomotive, built in Shildon by engineer Timothy Hackworth for the 1829 Rainhill Trials, has been moved from the museum’s Welcome Building to the Collection Building. It now stands opposite the replica built in 1979 by apprentices at British Rail’s Shildon workshop, and which first steamed in April 1980 for the 150th anniversary of the Rainhill Trials. Museum manager Gary Campbell said:“We are very excited to have both the original and replica Sans Pareil locomotives now on display in our Collection Building. “We’ve positioned the original locomotive opposite the replica locomotive, to give more visitors the opportunity to learn more about this locomotive’s colourful…

NEWLY restored ‘Hoover’ No. 50031 Hood is set to be rededicated at the Severn Valley Railway to mark two significant anniversaries of its namesake. Between 1967 and 1968 BR introduced a fleet of 100mph 2700hp diesel locomotives to haul trains across the arduous route between Crewe and Scotland. The 50-strong team was, by coincidence, given the designation of Class 50. They were transferred to the Western Region in the mid-1970s to replace WR diesel hydraulics, and generated a sizeable enthusiast following of their own, with18 being preserved after they were withdrawn from service during the early 90s. All of the class were named after Royal Naval ships, and four of them – Ark Royal, Defiance, Exeter and Hood – are maintained and run on the SVR, based at Kidderminster, by…

CONSERVATIVE party chairman and former Secretary State for Transport Sir Patrick Allen McLoughlin unveiled groundbreaking plans to bring Britain’s pioneer main line diesel back to life. The Derbyshire Dales MP joined guests at Peak Rail’s Rowsley South station on September 3 to launch Project Icon. The ambitious scheme is to replicate LMS No. 10000, which was originally built at nearby Derby Works by the LMS just after the Second World War. Both No. 10000 and sister No. 10001, which were designed by HG Ivatt, were scrapped in the 1960s. The Stafford-based Ivatt Diesel Recreation Society has teamed up with Peak Rail and key survivors that built the original engine, to reconstruct one of the locomotives. Members of the public were invited to attend the launch and see a scale model…

DERAILMENTS caused delays and postponements to passenger services on two major narrow gauge lines in early September. On the Isle of Man Railway, Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T No. 13 Kissack came off the tracks just outside Castletown station at around 2.30pm on Friday, September 2. It was believed the locomotive might have jumped one of the points sections as it approached Castletown, but no official statement regarding the cause was released. There were no injuries, and passengers were taken to their destination using a replacement bus service. Isle of Man director of public transport Ian Longworth declined to comment further until an investigation was completed. Services for the rest of the day and the following morning between Douglas and Port Erin were also cancelled, but resumed on the Saturday afternoon. On…

A PECKETT saddle tank, which once had the name Rocket painted on its sides, has appeared at the future northern terminus of HS2 Tyseley Locomotive Works-based W7 0-4-0ST No. 1 was taken by haulier Moveright International to Curzon Street station especially for the launch, conducted by Lord Mayor Carl Rice, during the September 8-18 Birmingham Heritage Week 2016. The week saw many of the city’s’parks, streets, architecture, and its culture, history and people celebrated in more than 170 events across the locality, and ended with the Tyseley appearance of Flying Scotsman. No.1 was built by Bristol-based Peckett & Sons at Atlas Works in 1941 as works number 2004 and spent most of its revenue-earning keep at the General Electric Co (GEC) factory in Witton as No. 6. It is owned…

THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway is to hold its first diesel gala. The Shunter Shuffle will run from Friday, September 30 to Sunday, October 2, normally a non-working weekend, to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of modern traction on the island. That first diesel – Class 05 D2554 – which arrived in June 1966, and was considered so modern it was given the nickname Nuclear Fred, will be giving brakevan rides in what will be its first public duty since an extensive engine overhaul, body repair and repaint completed at the Havenstreet works. The guest mainland diesel will be Class 03 No. 03197, which is owned by a Mangapps Museum volunteer and was formerly based at the Lavender Line. It will be the first time a guest…

ONE of the heritage railway movement’s youngest general managers is hoping that the tantalising prospect of running a station or being in charge of a steam locomotive will boost his volunteer base against a background of increasing visitor numbers and a sharp increase in dining train numbers. Earlier this year Jonnie Wesson became general manager of Tunbridge Wells-based Spa Valley Railway at the age of 23, a decade after he had joined the five-mile line as a volunteer. Now he is in overall charge he has launched an appeal for people to follow in his volunteer footsteps – a campaign that will be only too recognisable to probably every heritage line in the country. Plenty of ideas The railway, which runs from Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge via High Rocks…

WITH the possibility of a link to the national network moving ever closer as part of an ambitious £4½ million project, the general manager of the Kent & East Sussex Railway has laid out his vision of the line’s future that includes the creation of two new senior posts, increased interaction with volunteers, and developing use of the internet. Speaking exclusively to Heritage Railway to mark his first year in office, Shaun Dewey also enthused about the “fantastic mix of people” at the Tenterden-based line, emphasised the importance of educating youngsters to further improve the railway’s attraction to a generation that had never experienced steam, and mused on the lack of local engineering skills owing to the line being based in a countryside environment. A former aviation industry executive, 64-year-old…

THE Fife Heritage Railway has steamed a locomotive for the first time in nearly three decades. On August 30, former Granton gasworks Barclay 0-4-0ST works No. 1890 of 1926 No. 10 Forth was steamed in private at the society’s Kirkland yard base in Leven following overhaul. The locomotive, which carries Lochgelly Iron & Coal Company livery, has now been passed for public use. The group, formerly known as the Kingdom of Fife Railway Preservation Society, which was established in 1992, owns a 21-acre former railway marshalling yard at the Burmill Industrial Estate, and has laid half a mile of track plus sidings since it arrived there in 2003. It is now planning a series of open days during which passengers will be offered demonstration trips.…

MANX Government Health Minister Howard Quayle has bought one of six Douglas horse trams which were sold at an auction after being declared surplus to requirements. Meanwhile, the Manx Electric Railway Society also bought one. Mr Quayle said that he bought 1896-built Car No. 37, a bulkhead crossbench tram, for £11000 to prevent Manx heritage leaving the island.“I heard there was interest from people from off-island,”he said. He will now store the tramcar undercover in a large shed at his Ballahowin Courtyard holiday cottage complex just outside St Mark’s before restoring it to full working order in case it is needed in the future. Toastrack Car 39 was sold to the society for £1800. Six tramcars auctioned at Murray’s saleroom in Douglas on August 27 fetched a total of just…

THE Snowdon Mountain Railway marked its 120th anniversary with a celebratory weekend on September 2-4. The railway, which welcomes more than 130,000 visitors a year, is part of Heritage Great Britain plc. With the exception of two world wars, the railway has run uninterrupted since 1896 and has even been used to help mountain rescue teams working on Snowdon. Alan Kendall the railway’s general manager:“To make the celebrations buzz we’ve partnered up with a number of local companies to make it a fun occasion, rather like a carnival with a Victorian flavour. A special logo has been designed, which is carried by a range of souvenirs to give the occasion identity and to keep as mementoes. He added:“We’ve been here for such a long time, this railway has run uninterrupted…

FORMER Aberdeen Gas Works Barclay 0-4-0ST Bon-Accord, which recently returned to steam on the Royal Deeside Railway, has run with its tramway skirts fitted for only the second time in preservation. Furthermore, the 1897-built locomotive has now made its first loan visit south of the border. It has been hired by Beamish Museum in County Durham to solve a temporary steam shortage. The locomotive was used to haul coal trucks from Aberdeen harbour to the gas works in Cotton Street. It was replaced by a diesel in 1964 and preserved by the city council in 1972. In 1999 Bon-Accord, by then owned by Grampian Transport Museum, returned to Aberdeen for full restoration and Bon-Accord Locomotive Society was formed by volunteers. The restoration was completed in 2008 when it was painted…

IT wasn’t even a close-run thing, but few in the room at Stoneleigh on September 3 would have been surprised. Nameplate King Edward VI from GWR No. 6012 overwhelmed the competition by selling for £25,000, its top estimate and not far short of double that achieved by the next highest realisation of £13,500. That was achieved by Loch Eil from LNER K2 No. 61782, which in turn was just ahead of a clutch of four nameplates that also broke through the five-figure barrier. This group comprised Auld Reekie (LNER A1 Pacific No. 60160 – £12,600), Canada (LMS Jubilee No. 45553 – £11,800), River Plym (GWR Bulldog No. 3376 – £11,600), and Crynant Grange from GWR No. 6861, which went for £10,500. Hotspur from Britannia No. 70011 sold for £9500 –…

TWO members of the LNER hierarchy will be remembered at Great Northern’s sale at Poynton on October 1, when nameplates from a Gresley A4 and, of somewhat more humble status, a Thompson B1, go under the hammer. The former is Sir Ronald Matthews, carried by No. 60001 and named after the company’s chairman from 1938 until Nationalisation 10 years later. The Pacific emerged from Doncaster works in April 1938 carrying the name Garganey, was renamed in March 1939, and withdrawn from Gateshead (52A) in October 1964. Sir Ronald, a member of a prominent Sheffield steel family, was appointed deputy chairman of the Independent Television Authority in 1955 and died in 1959, aged 74. The B1 name is William Henton Carver from No. 61215, a North British product that entered traffic…

The Second World War led to British steam locomotive design taking a new direction. The cessation of hostilities was quickly followed by the Nationalisation of the railways but just as on the LNER, where after Gresley’s long reign, there were two more CMEs in quick succession during the war and its aftermath, the same happened on the LMS. The LMS though was the only one of the Big Four companies that made concrete moves towards large-scale main line dieselisation. The development of modern traction on Britain’s railways should, and under different circumstances probably would, have been handled very differently. When Sir William Stanier retired in 1944, there were two or three possible successors who had worked very closely with him. Firstly there was Charles Fairburn who had been made acting…

THE future of the Class 20s that are on hire to GB Railfreight for the transfer of tube stock between Derby works, Asfordby test site and West Ruislip depot, now that the last trainset (in numerical order) has been delivered, remains unclear. There are still trainsets that are awaiting transfer from Asfordby to West Ruislip and the need to return some sets to Derby for ‘remedial’ work is expected to see their continued use through to 2018, although no final date has been given. There has been no official word from Direct Rail Services that it will use Class 20 traction on the York-based Rail Head Treatment Trains during the 2016 season hence the uncertainty facing the fleet. Boston steel service Colas Rail has begun to see its Class 56…

We start our journey at Machynlleth. David Elliot visited Wales at Easter 1949, less than a year after closure and took a series of colour photographs of the Corris Railway. At the rear of the Corris Railway station Robert Price Owen is seen. Owen was the guard on Corris trains from 1931 until closure. In 1949, he was working for British Railways at Machynlleth still wearing his Corris-era uniform. On the right is one of the large Corris ‘Queen Mary’ coal wagons, stored awaiting its fate. Along with the rest of the railway’s rolling stock, it was purchased by the Talyllyn Railway. Further north, Llwyngwern station is being overtaken by grass and flowers. We are at the north end of the station, looking towards Corris. The cross-valley road is below…

A KERR Stuart Wren 0-4-0ST has been repatriated to Britain from Canada for the second and final time – after the authorities there refused to allow it to run. Works number 3128 of 1918 was delivered new to the National Smelting Co Ltd plant for the production and refining of zinc at Avonmouth, where a 2ft gauge line had been established on a Ministry of Munitions site. It was painted‘War Office Grey. Two of the resident steam locomotives at the plant were scrapped in 1954 when bigger diesels arrived, but No. 3128 was kept as a spare until May 1959 when it was sold to CH Lambe & Sons of Bromsgrove. It was resold the following month to enthusiast C Matthews, a Canadian who moved it to Thornhill in Ontario.…

UP to eight locomotives will participate in the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Welsh-themed autumn steam gala from September 30-October 2. The three guests will include GWR heavy freight 2-8-0 No. 2807, which was built in 1905 and spent from 1911-1919 hauling coal from South Wales mines. During the First World War, No. 2807 was involved with the ‘Jellicoe Specials’, moving Welsh coal to Scapa Flow to fuel the Grand Fleet, working such trains from as far as Lancashire. Also appearing will be North Norfolk Railway-based BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084, which, as reported last month, returned to the main line in August hauling the first of a series of Cromer to Sheringham dining trains. The third visitor will be Llangollen Railway flagship GWR 4-6-0 No. 7822 Foxcote Manor, which…

FIFTY years after the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway closed, the newest steam locomotive to be built in Britain has run over part of its trackbed. It took engineer John Uphill 17 years to build 0-4-2T Faith, mainly at the private Gartell Light Railway, near Templecombe, where it was originally planned to run it. The 2ft-gauge line occupies part of the S&D formation. Before the locomotive was completed, John retired and relocated to Devon, taking it with him to the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, where its construction was completed. On August Bank Holiday Monday, Faith returned to the Gartell Light Railway, where it made its first public appearance, after which arrangements were made for it to be returned to Devon. The new locomotive is fundamentally the same as the line’s…

NETWORK Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy has cut the first sod of the Helston Railway’s short extension and new platform at Trevarno Farm. Nearly 135 years ago, in March 1882, the then mayor of Helston inaugurated work on the proposed railway between Helston and Gwinear Road by cutting the first sod. On Thursday, September 1, the current mayor, Coun Gillian Geer and Mrs Elizabeth Bolitho, some of whose ancestors were directors of the original railway, attended as the former Commissioner for Transport for London officiated at a similar ceremony to launch a short extension. The event somewhat invoked parallels with the opening of the Dart Valley Railway, now the South Devon Railway, by the former British Railways chairman Dr Richard Beeching on May 5, 1969. Sir Peter cut the ceremonial…

BACK in 1970, I began building an 009 narrow gauge layout using money I had not spent on my summer holiday. A schoolboy on a tight budget, and with comparatively very few proprietary models available in those days, there was only one choice of traction – a Decauville 0-4-0T. French manufacturer Jouef produced a delightful little green-liveried workhorse named Steatite, which was sold in Britain under the Playcraft brand, better known for British outline HO model railways. The little Decauville was priced to sell, and proved extremely popular in its day. Fast forward to 2016 – and a batch of full-size versions is now starting on the production line – not on the continent this time, but in Scarborough. One in running condition The Decauville Manufacturing Company in France had…

LONDON Underground’s Circle and Hammersmith & City line signalling cabin at Edgware Road has officially entered the heritage sector after been designated as an item of national historic interest by the Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board. Built in 1926 and operated by the Metropolitan Railway, the cabin’s surprisingly robust technology is still in use. Its mechanical 'K-style' lever frame operates the interlocking of signals and points at the complex junction used by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. A signalling operator controls this intricate system, with its many brass levers and interlockings, so that trains can arrive and depart on time. LU now needs to use new technology that is capable of running trains even closer together to provide trains every two minutes across much of this part of…

A LOCOMOTIVE that sank into Canada’s Lake Superior 106 years ago has been rediscovered. On June 10, 1910, Canadian Pacific Railway D10 4-6-0 No. 694, then just four years old, struck a rockslide, derailing the engine, tender, and two carriages, sending the train sliding down a 65ft embankment into Lake Superior, 45 miles east of Schreiber in Ontario. Driver Frank Wheatley, fireman E Clark and brakeman J McMillan all died. McMillan jumped from the train in a vain bid to escape but his body was later found beside the tracks. The fireman’s body was never recovered. The 38-year-old driver Wheatley was buried in Thunder Bay beneath an elaborate gravestone carrying the logo of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and the story of the disaster passed into local legend. In 2013,…

IN 1970, I took my first ride from Buckfastleigh to Totnes on the then recently-opened Dart Valley Railway. When the train reached Ashburton Junction, the main line connection, the train paused and then reversed in push-pull manner, as there was neither access to Totnes station, or a station at the end of the fledgling heritage line. I caught a glimpse of a mighty Class 52 Western diesel hydraulic, still in maroon livery, whizzing past the junction, as if to emphasise the raw power of the modern age compared with the tiny GWR tank engine hauling the train. He who laughs last laughs longest – seven years later at the most, that Western would have either joined the UK heritage fleet or have been scrapped. British Rail did allow Dart Valley…

WORK to remove the last major obstacle preventing the Llangollen Railway from extending into Corwen town centre has begun, with Welsh Water having started work on building a new access road to the waste water treatment plant at Corwen. The new entry point from Green Lane, at the western end of the station site, will allow for the infilling of the breach in the railway embankment at the eastern end and for the eventual extension of the railhead from the temporary Dwyrain Corwen East platform. The 22-yard length of new road will be graded to climb up and over the old Ruthin branch embankment into the treatment works and will provide an improved access for the service vehicles when the work is finished in late September. Major step forward Corwen…

AN EXPERIMENTAL ‘Hogwart’s Express’ , trialled by the South Devon Railway, has proved to be a resounding success. The line has been working with fellow Devon charity Hannahs (the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust) to see if it could collaborate by using SDR steam trains as part of the Illustrating Harry Potter exhibition at its Seale Hayne campus, near Newton Abbot, this summer and following, in some way, the concept of the train from J K Rowling’s books. The two sites are nearly 10 miles apart, but the railway has its own red London Routemaster double-deck bus and so an outline plan was drawn up in March by Matt Newbury of Hannahs and the railway’s Dick Wood to provide a link. Dubbed the‘Magic Express’, visitors would arrive at Hannahs by bus…

SINCE its overhaul was completed two months ago, LMS 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth has experienced several incidents which have impacted on its trains. Firstly, when running light from Tyseley to Derby as a stand-in engine for Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, ‘Lizzie’ ran a warm right-hand bogie wheelset, which meant that instead of going to Derby, the Stanier 4-6-2 made for Butterley’s West Shed for examination. Having been declared fit to run, ‘Lizzie’ eventually made its main line debut working a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Victoria to Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway on Tuesday, August 23. Despite having run in fine fashion, the trip was not without incident, through no fault of the locomotive. On the return journey, a snarl-up on the M4 made the…

THE aftermath of the ‘flats’ incident on Sapperton Bank when Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34052 Lord Dowding aka 34046 Braunton ran down with brakes locked for nearly a minute led to the cancellation of a‘Torbay Express’. As reported in our last issue, while taking a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Paddington to Cardiff via Reading, Swindon and Kemble on July 28, the 4-6-2’s driving wheels locked up while running down the 1-in 90/60/74 Sapperton Bank and on through the Golden Valley to Gloucester. Pathfinder Tours had booked the engine to work the season’s last two ‘Torbay Express’trips running out of Bristol to Kingswear in September. Having cancelled the ‘Express’ on August 23 due to of the non-availability of a steam locomotive, Pathfinder’s Peter Watts said that 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot had been…

NOW that the excitement of the visit of A3 4-6-2 No. 60103 Flying Scotsman to Tyseley Locomotive Works is over, it is a case of business as usual again for Vintage Trains. Its next outing is the‘Cotswold Explorer’ which, departing Tyseley WarwickRoad on October 8 and picking up at Snow Hill, Stourbridge Junction and Worcester Shrub Hill, edges the Cotswolds running via Cheltenham, Stroud, up Sapperton Bank, passing though Kemble, Swindon to Didcot for Oxford. The train returns by way of the ’new’ Cotswold Line via Evesham to Worcester behind GWR 4-6-0 No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, which may be given diesel assistance up Old Hill bank. OnOctober22, Vintage Trains heads for Chester and Wrexham. This trip will see the Castle speed along the West Coast Main Line fon…

September SAT 24: ‘Yorkshire Coronation’ Crewe, Derby, Scarboroughand return. Steam-hauled: Derby, Scarborough and return. Loco: No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland. PMRT SAT 24: 'Cathedrals Express' Banbury, Kingswear and return. Steam-hauled: Westbury, Kingswear, Didcot. Loco: No. 34052 Lord Dowding. SD SUN 25: ‘Royal Duchy’ Bristol, Par and return. Steam-hauled throughout. Loco: TBA. RTC SUN 25: ‘Borders Express’ Edinburgh, Tweedbank and return (x2). Steam-hauled: Edinburgh, Tweedbank. No. 46100 Royal Scot. SCOT WED 5: ‘Cathedrals Express’ Victoria, Swanage and return. Steam-hauled: Victoria, Swanage and Southampton, Victoria. Loco: No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth. SD FRI 30: ‘Surrey Hills Luncheon’ Victoria, Guildford, Redhill and return. Steam-hauled throughout. October SAT 1: ‘Cathedrals Express’ Euston, Shap, Carlisle and return via Whitehaven. Steam-hauled: Carnforth, Carlisle and return. Loco: No. 46115 Scots Guardsman. SD SAT 1: ‘Dartmouth Express’ Poole, Kingswear…

The world of railway preservation is full of stories of tragic near-misses in terms of locomotives and other items that should have survived, but for one reason or another failed to do so. Fortunately, however, there are also those relics that somehow managed to survive against all the odds. The subject of this feature falls into this latter category and is currently undergoing restoration at the Flour Mill Workshops in Bream, Gloucestershire. From the 1850s onwards, Neilson of Glasgow was noted for its 0-4-0ST designs for light shunting, industrial or contractors’ use and the original specimens were characterised by their flat-sided ‘box tanks’ covering boiler barrel and smokebox, outside horizontal cylinders, cast-iron wheel centres with T-section spokes and steam dome mounted on the firebox wrapper (a specification copied by Kilmarnock…

The railway had a distinct Fairbourne feel with the shed at Clayton West even re-lettered ‘Fairbourne Railway’ and with visiting one-time FR locomotives operating alongside the KLR’s home fleet. In 1985 the Fairbourne was regauged to 12¼in and the original locomotives dispersed. Of particular interest was Bassett-Lowke Class 30 4-4-2 Count Louis, currently based on the Evesham Vale Light Railway in Worcestershire, and Guest Engineering 2-4-2 Sian from the Windmill Farm Railway near Burscough in Lancashire, sister to the KLR’s own Katie. Also on display in steam was one of the current operational fleet of 12¼in gauge Fairbourne Railway locomotives on its own length of track; Milner Engineering Darjeeling B Class 0-4-0ST Sherpa.…