Sommaire pour Issue 269 de Heritage Railway

STEAM is on course to make a return to the West Somerset Railway (WSR) – although there are no plans to restart services. WSR plc has announced plans for two Living Museum community weekends at Minehead station, on July 25/26 and August 1/2. It is intended to have a steam locomotive shunting around the station. The turntable will be in action with a steam locomotive being turned 180 degrees, allied to a competition for children to work out how to shunt wagons. There will be visits to the engine shed with close inspection of locomotives and hourly tours of the engineering workshops. Cafes will be open for sale of refreshments, hot food and drinks and a burger van will be available for snacks in the station yard The station bookshop…

THE East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has promised that a new study into restoring a long-defunct part of the Bury to Rochdale route will have no impact on its heritage services. As reported last issue, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been awarded £50,000 by the Government’s Restoring Your Railway Fund to investigate the possibility of reopening a former section of line between Bury and Rochdale, and is working with the heritage railway, as well as Rochdale and Greater Manchester local authorities to explore the options available. The study will explore the option of using cutting-edge tram-train technology, to allow communities in Heywood, Castleton, Rochdale and Oldham to join the wider Metrolink network. The route in question was last used in the 1960s, and will not impinge on the ELR’s current…

HISTORY was made on several fronts on Saturday, June 27, when Ffestiniog Railway (FR) England 0-4-0STT No. 5 Welsh Pony ran for the first time in 80 years. It not only marked the heritage era debut of one of the world’s great classic narrow gauge locomotives, and a type not previously seen by a modern audience, but because of the Covid-19 lockdown, an eager public were restricted to seeing the launch at Boston Lodge via Facebook. The culmination of a restoration project that has cost in excess of £250,000 was broadcast online in three instalments – the 10am lighting up by Millie Lewin, daughter of Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways general manager Paul Lewin; the first whistle being sounded at 1pm; and the sight of the locomotive moving under its…

ENTHUSIASTS have launched a scheme to revive the Hull & Barnsley Railway’s Upton & North Elmsall station near Wakefield. The Upton & North Elmsall Railway group was set up on May 24 with the specific aim to rebuild the demolished station that will act as a heritage centre, cafe and shop with displays about Upton Colliery, which was served by the line. A single track from a newly-built locomotive and carriage shed is proposed to run 2½ miles through Upton Country Park, Wrangbrooke Junction and Barnsdale Tunnel, before terminating at a new halt just before the A1 dual carriageway at Barnsdale Bar, and will be used by steam trains. The 80-member group also plans to lay a footpath and cycleway alongside the railway and hopes to obtain grant aid from…

THE Great Western Society’s new-build GWR 2-8-0 No. 4709 may be wheeled by Christmas, despite delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Richard Croucher, the 4709’s group chairman, said an agreement to cast the cylinders was on the way, and sponsorship for forging a coupling road has been secured. Once the frames have arrived at Leaky Finders’ workshop at Hele in Devon, the cylinders and spring hanger brackets should be fitted along with the running boards. The wheelsets are also due to be delivered from Tyseley and when they arrive, the chassis will be wheeled.…

AN online appeal to save Kettering’s Wicksteed Park – said to be the oldest theme park in Britain, and which has had its own 2ft gauge railway since 1931 – had raised more than £120,000 as we closed for press. Opened in 1921 by industrialist Charles Wicksteed, on June 15 the Wicksteed Charitable Trust announced that Wicksteed Park Ltd had gone into administration with the loss of 115 full and part-time jobs threatening the future of the attraction. The park was said to have undergone “months of uncertainty and difficulty”and “huge financial strain” because of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the individual attractions are closed, the park has remained open and operating through a new smaller trading company formed by a small group of employees backed by the trust, and which…

THE railway fraternity has been mourning the death of renowned photographer Peter J C Skelton, who collapsed and died after a suspected heart attack while out walking with his wife Danuta on June 13. Peter’s images graced the railway press for many years, and he was widely regarded as one the foremost photographers of his generation. Superb set His name came to my attention with a superb set of images at Bewdley one snowy weekend in the early Eighties. Peter’s interests were not confined to just UK steam – he travelled extensively and participated in many overseas steam tours. Nick Pigott, consultant editor of our sister title The Railway Magazine, recalled that on one of these trips Peter had a brush with death while in South Africa in July 1990,…

THE plaque appeal for the rebuilding of the Great Central Railway’s Loughborough locomotive shed has now reached £73,500 towards its revised target of £265,000. The scheme – total cost £980,000 – includes, as previously reported, a viewing gallery giving visitors the chance to see the areas for locomotive restoration, maintenance and the machine shop. It will also include an education and special needs centre which will offer, among many features, lecture and demonstration classrooms for educational visits, apprentice training and community group meetings. Supporters are offered the chance to buy a commemorative plaque with an individual short personal message on each one. These will be mounted in the gallery in the Heritage Suite at Loughborough station and also within the visitor viewing area of the new works. ➜ More details…

ROCKS by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum has lifted and relaid much of its main running line despite the Covid-19 lockdown At the end of last season, the decision was made to lift more than half of the main line at the venue formerly known as the Rutland Railway Museum and relay it. When the track was first laid around 40 years ago, a lack of resources meant there was no real sub-base, and any repairs or realignment would have been short-term fixes only. A generous donation of more than 200 tons of ballast meant the work could be completed to a far higher standard than would otherwise have been possible. A target date of the first weekend of April was set, but the exceptionally wet weather over the winter…

VOLUNTEER-RUN Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours, part of Blackpool Transport Services Ltd (BTSL), have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The award recognises outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. The volunteers facilitate conservation and operation of the fleet of vintage tramcars on the line, one of only two tramways in the world to operate double-deck vehicles. Two volunteers have been invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021, along with representatives of the other 229 recipients of this year’s award. BTSL’s head of heritage Bryan Lindop said: “Having worked with this remarkable and talented group of volunteers now for over five years, it fills me with great pride to see them achieve this pinnacle of national recognition.” Like us facebook.com/heritagerailway Follow…

RARE and unpublished photographs from the early years of the world’s first heritage railway to be built from scratch by volunteers on a green field site have been rediscovered at a neighbouring line nearly six decades on. Peter Bryant, a director of the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway (CCLR), which like all counterparts in the UK has been closed because of the pandemic, spent time during lockdown to search its office space and see what was in or at the back of old cupboards, drawers and files. He stumbled across a series of pictures of the pioneering Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway (LCLR) on its original site at Humberston. They had been taken in 1962 by C W Underhill, a photographer from Belper in Derbyshire, and might well be viewed as a…

A NEW luxury charter train over the Settle and Carlisle (S&C) line is running for eight weeks during the summer. Newcomer Rail Charter Services Ltd (RCSL) will run the trains three times a day between Skipton and Appleby from Monday, July 20 to Saturday, September 12, under the safety case of Locomotive Services TOC Ltd (LSL). It is backed by city fund manager, locomotive owner and LSL director Jeremy Hosking, who is also a director of RCSL, andwill be run as a separate operation to Saphos Trains tours and the Statesman. Former BBC World Service journalist Adrian Quine and RCSL director, who developed the concept over just eight weeks, said:“A lot of work has gone into negotiating these exciting new services with our industry partners and stakeholders and we are…

BR WESTERN Region diesel-hydraulic classes took top slot in the photographs, slides and negatives online sale held by Justaclickago from May 25-31. The single lot, which sold for £871, comprised nearly 300 slides taken in the early-1970s, and included most of the Class 52‘Westerns’numbered D1000-D1073. Others were Class 22‘Baby Warships’ (D6300-57), Class 35 (D7000-7100), and Classes 42/43 ‘Warships’, these two classes comprising D800-32/66-70, built at Swindon, and D833-65, built by North British Loco in Glasgow. A feature of the auction was the sale of the heritage steam 2000-slide collection of the late John Burrows of Worcester, whose realisation of £260 was donated by his widow Anne to the Severn Valley Railway. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 15%. The auction house’s Simon Stewart said that overall he was very pleased with…

A COLLECTION of railwayana accumulated over half a century by North Norfolk Railway (NNR) stalwart the lateTony Lambert went under the hammer for a total of nearly £12,000 at a Keys of Aylsham, Norfolk, online auction on May 22. Star lots were a Great Northern Railway 12in dial clock which went for £570, and an 1893 Midland & Great Northern Joint Railways’booking offices enamel sign (£480). Other items in the 251-lot sale included wagonplates, signalling equipment, lamps, badges, paperwork, drivers’ handbooks, photographs, and uniforms. The prices exclude buyer’s premium of 20% (+VAT). Tony, a former accountant, was a founding father of the NNR, which ran its first public passenger trains between Sheringham andWeybourne in July 1975. Keys’fine sales consultant David Broom said:“Tony spent his entire adult life collecting anything related…

THE Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR) is hoping that an auction of more than 70 recently bequeathed model locomotives will provide a substantial boost to its finances in what has been a difficult year due to Covid-19. Gildings Auctioneers is offering the extensive collection in its upcoming live steam sale, which due to coronavirus, will take place as an online-only auction on Tuesday, August 18. The collection forms part of the estate of Leicestershire enthusiast Kenneth Abbott and comprises models manufactured by Accucraft, Bachmann, Aster and Locomotive Works, among many others. Rare opportunity “It is rare for a collection of this scope to come to auction and the proceeds of the sale have been bequeathed to the WLLR. All lots are being offered without reserve,”said Gildings’model railway specialist, Andrew…

Erin Towey has been general manager of the KLR since July 2019, having joined the line two years previously as marketing manager. Prior to that, she worked as an administration and purchasing coordinator at an international medical clinic in Singapore. Other previous roles have included faculty operations officer and executive assistant to the pro-vice-chancellor at Sheffield Hallam University – and PA and office manager to the managing director of planning at Transport for London. Heritage Railway (HR): The Kirklees Light Railway (KLR) had a fantastic 2019, breaking previous passenger records. How did you get there? Erin Towey (ET): Between 2017 and 2018, there was a skills gap in the team here at KLR in marketing, and that showed in our visitor figures. I originally joined the railway to fill that…

Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways 2021 calendar (£8.50, plus £3.60 p&p. Order from www.festrail.co.uk/shop/ or by telephoning 01766 516034). IF LARGE photographs and plenty of space to write are important, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ 2021 calendar is for you. Measuring 23 x 34cm, the large format calendar features 12 stunning new images. Photographs include: Linda at Penrhyn station with a train of slate wagons; Prince at Tryfan Junction with heritage carriages; Lyd climbing towards Rhyd Ddu with a snow-capped Snowdon in the background; a side-on view of Taliesin passing Ynys Ferlas; Palmerston crossing Nantmor road bridge with heritage carriages; Merddin Emrys exiting Moelwyn tunnel’s north portal; Garratts Nos. 143 and 87 at Ffridd Isaf; Blanche and Lyd seen through the windows of Rhiw Goch signalbox; and Vale of…

PETERBOROUGH’S Railworld Wildlife Haven lived up to its name on June 1, when it provided a place of safety for a duck and her dozen ducklings. Brian Pearce, trustee told Heritage Railway: “They were located alongside a busy main road. We spoke to staff at the Waterfowl Sanctuary in Godmanchester, who advised us what we could do. We then provided the ducks with a safe home. “We put them all in our small top pond. However, within 30 minutes ‘mummy duck’took all the ducklings down the waterfall to the lower pond. It was incredible to watch – isn’t nature absolutely wonderful?” With the River Nene flowing next to the venue and its attractive gardens, Railworld is a magnet for a host of wildlife. “We’ve got grass snakes, weasels, hedgehogs and…

EARLY June saw north Somerset’s Clevedon Miniature Railway become what appears to be the first line in the UK to start offering passenger rides again. Owner Simon Harvey, who has been associated with the line for 44 years, said:“Working with North Somerset Council, and their health and safety department and the Office of Rail & Road, we were given permission to open. We have implanted strict social distancing measures with every other compartment out of service to maintain two-metre distancing. All seats are cleaned after each use with anti-bacteria sprays. “We have also introduced a cashless payment system. The response from the public has been overwhelming. “The Clevedon Railway has a special place in people’s memories as they rode it when they were kids, and even grandparents have been recalling…

THE first heavy motion for new Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales is being machined just six years after the project’s launch. Raising the £210,000 funds to manufacture the heavy motion has seen around £197,000 already pledged by 164 The Motion Club members. Mark Allatt, trustee, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, said: “We are now seeking to recruit the last 11 members of The Motion Club in order to complete the funding for the heavy motion. “Unfortunately, a lack of resources at our supplier has been compounded by the social distancing requirements of working during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has prevented the forging of further heavy motion beyond the four coupling rods, which have since been heat treated. However, machining of the first coupling rod is now underway…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway is in the rare position among Britain’s heritage railways of lying almost totally within the boundaries of a national park. Over the years this has brought about an increasing awareness of the rich biodiversity in the flora and fauna dwelling within the confines of its rail corridor, and also the need to maintain its boundaries appropriately. The railway’s volunteers have repaired several hundred feet of dry stone wall. As part of the Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey project, a lineside manager has been appointed and an ecology survey, led by Ecus Ltd, the ecological consultants hired though the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant aid funding, arranged to map the habitats and key species along the lineside. The survey is really the cornerstone to the Lineside Conservation Project…

THE campaign to reunite the two heritage era Great Central railways has taken another leap forward with £170,000 banked towards the next phase of work. Already £3 million has been spent on a new bridge over the Midland Main Line at Loughborough and restoring the existing heritage bridge over the canal. The next two bridges to be built, across a local factory car park and road, will cost a further £3 million. Reunifying the GCR with the GCR (Nottingham) will create an 18-mile heritage main line in the heart of the UK. Andy Fillingham, chairman of the Friends of the Great Central Main Line, said:“We’re delighted and humbled in such uncertain times that people have chosen to support Reunification. It is a big vision and requires a lot of support…

DAVE Potter, a vice president of Quainton Railway Society, operator of the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, died at the age of 77 on June 16. Dave was born in, lived in and worked in Aylesbury all his life. Leaving school at 15, Dave worked for a local motor garage before joining the family printing business, taking it over after his dad retired. He ran it until the mid-1990s, when he became the stock controller for a local motor accessories company until he retired in 2003. He joined the society in 1973, when the site at Quainton had been occupied for four years. His first jobs involved steam cleaning, and when the first building was erected on site, Dave was placed in control of the new engineering stores. Elected to the management…

A HARD-hitting Heritage Railway Association report into current issues at the West Somerset Railway has backed the current plc board as“the only viable game in town”. John Bailey, who compiled the report, said:“There are fundamental defects in the present fundraising structure. Although the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA), has commendably supported the plc by financing rail replacement, at the plc’s request, it remains the case that it is the WSRA that decides what funds raised will be spent on. Indeed, were that not the case it would be a breach of its charitable status. However, spending priorities should be dictated by business need. “I sense that there are those within the WSRA, possibly in positions of influence, who genuinely believe the railway should be on a different path and that…

THE Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society has achieved its £50,000 appeal target for raising funds to build a new bridge, which is essential for its planned extension into Banchory. The revivalists have also been awarded funding from the Barrack Charitable Trust and Viridor Credit towards the new bridge over the Burn of Bennie, which will be added to money raised both through the line’s operations and the Going West appeal. Much of the funding will be used for concrete abutments to support the new bridge, which are being built by Aberdeen-based firm Chap. Alternative crossing The bridge will not carry trains, but will be used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders using the Deeside Way. Once the alternative crossing is provided for them – it is hoped to have it…

THE Warley National Model Railway Exhibition is being postponed until 2021 due to coronavirus. The event will instead be held on November 27/28 at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham. The popular show not only showcases the finest layouts and latest models from manufacturers and retailers alike, it also includes full-size rail exhibits and heritage line trade stands. Exhibition manager Nigel Smith said: “The Warley show is all about showing the best layouts, trade and other exhibits to promote model railways of all sizes. Close interaction is part of the experience, particularly for younger visitors. Social distancing and other measures means that we cannot interact with fellow enthusiasts as we would wish. “As you can imagine, the decision to postpone this year’s show has not been taken lightly. Our concern…

THE Isle of Man Post Office issued a new set of six stamps on June 25 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Snaefell Mountain Railway (SMR). The Snaefell Mountain Railway climbs from Laxey to the summit of Snaefell, the Isle of Man’s only mountain, 2036ft above sea level. Built by pioneering Victorian engineers, its trams were powered by electricity, a technology then very much in its infancy. Very few British cities or towns had electric trams at this time; an electric tramway climbing a mountain was without doubt state-of-the-art technology. The railway remains in active operation today and is little changed from those Victorian times. Issue text author Andrew Scarffe of Isle of Man Railways said: “It was a great privilege to be asked to provide the images for…

THE Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR) has appointed Richard Styles, the town clerk of Ramsgate, as assistant company secretary, a volunteer backroom role described by chairman Simon Marsh as“essential”to the smooth running of the line. Richard is a stationmaster at the railway’s Tenterden base and an active fundraiser. He succeeds Phil Edwards. “I think heritage railways are a bit like a theatre production,” said Richard. “The rolling stock are the stars and the footplate and train crews are the supporting cast, but every production needs its directors, producers and stagehands to produce a successful run.” KESR chairman Simon Marsh said Richard was very active in developing Ramsgate as a tourist destination. “He will bring a wealth of relevant experience to the role, which is vitally important and can be…

THE Aln Valley Railway is to build a carriage shed as part of the growing complex at its Lionheart station headquarters on the outskirts of Alnwick. Northumberland County Council has granted planning permission to construct the 100ft long shed at Lionheart Enterprise Park with double-track laid inside and sufficient room so that two coaches, or one coach and two or three wagons can be worked on simultaneously. The shed will be fitted with 12 translucent roof panels and will have roller doors at each end, and there will be inspection pits below rail level. Next to one of the two tracks will be a mobile platform which will allow work to take place at footplate level. A future development will see a mezzanine platform built to allow an overall view…

A SELECTION of 33 Chinese and Taiwanese tickets that were sold in three lots led from the front in Paddington Ticket Auctions’postal and email sale which ended on May 19, the highest realisation being £1150 for seven tickets dating from the late-1940s/early-1950s. Runner-up was £1050 for 20 tickets from the Canton-Kowloon, China Government, and Kowloon Canton – British Section railways, issued respectively in 1935, 1938 and the 1950s/60s. A selection of six tickets fromTaiwan that were issued in the late-1950s and early-1960s fetched £860. Heading the British contingent at £540 was a first class free pass issued in 1922 by the Isle of Wight Railway to R Williamson Esq of the Cambrian Railways.This was the year the Cambrian amalgamated with the GWR, while the IoWR was absorbed by the Southern…

RAILS of Sheffield is planning to produce a ready-to-run model of preserved BR Class 89 electric locomotive No. 89001 in OO gauge in partnership with Accurascale. “The plan is to approach this project slightly differently to usual,” said a Rails of Sheffield statement. “We are currently at the ‘register your interest’ stage. We encourage anybody interested to fill in and submit the form at https://tinyurl.com/RailsClass89 “This is not an order form and you will be under no obligation to proceed. We simply need to judge how much demand there is for this project. Should we get sufficient interest we will then proceed to open it up for pre-ordering.” Price is estimated to be DCC Ready at £179.99 and DCC Sound at £269.99. Delivery is expected in around 15 to 18…

June 1 next year will be the 60th anniversary of the appointment of ICI director and physicist Dr Richard Beeching as the first chairman of the new British Railway Board, and despite the passage of time, the name continues to generate debate, discussion and demands. Indeed, he has been described as ‘the most hated civil servant of all time,’ and is still seen by swathes of the general population as the man who took away our beloved steam engines and closed our portfolio of branch lines. The month before he began his four-year stint at BR, our future sister title The Railway Magazine commented: “The appointment of Dr Beeching has aroused mixed feelings both inside and outside the railway service. Surprise and concern have been expressed because the choice did…

OPENED in 1859 as a horse tramway, the 2ft 3in gauge Corris Railway is one of Wales’oldest narrow gauge lines. Fortunately, part of it survives today and is gradually being reopened, as reported in HR issue 267. The complex history of what is today a friendly heritage railway is easily overlooked, but this book charts it all in a digestible manner. In the author’s familiar style, the text is highly informative yet easy and enjoyable to read. Drawing on a host of original sources, including our sister title The Railway Magazine, Parliamentary archives and newspaper archives, the author reveals a wealth of previously unknown detailed information. The book’s four chapters are titled The horse era; Tramway company ownership; Railway company ownership; and Revival. Interesting detail in the appendices include Acts…

SEVERAL heritage railway venues are included in a new shortlist of 50 bids from MPs and councils in the second round of the Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway Fund. In late January, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps launched the £500 million fund to help restore lines closed in the 1960s after the Beeching report, and invited bids. In May, the first round saw 10 shortlisted applications awarded £50,000 towards a feasibility study. One of the second round bids includes a daily all-year-round service for commuters on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR), (a pre-Beeching closure). The plan was first suggested in 2011 but axed because the local authorities would not subsidise it. KWVR chairman Matt Stroh said the bid was lodged just to ascertain at this early stage whether…

ROCK star Sir Rod Stewart CBE has become a patron of the new-build group the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust. A lifelong railway enthusiast, Rod has been creating his own model railway layouts for many years. As reported in issue 255, he donated £10,000 the Market Deeping Model Railway Club in Lincolnshire, 48 hours after four vodka-drinking teenagers broke into a sports hall where its annual exhibition had been set up and caused more than £80,000 deliberate damage on May 18 last year. The trust is building a replica of LNER B17 4-6-0 No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham at the Llangollen Railway. A statement from the trust said: “To have the support of a high-profile personality like Sir Rod is a great boost at this time! It is possible that he…

THE National Railway Museum has received two bids for unrestored 3ft gauge Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST No. 573 of 1900 Handyman after it was decided to‘gift’it to a more suitable venue. Built for the Burton Ironstone Company in Northamptonshire, it finished its working life at Scaldwell Quarry, which ceased operations in 1963. Handyman was then bought by a group of enthusiasts who saved it from being scrapped, but the locomotive was never fully restored and was eventually acquired by the NRM in 2008, as an example of the many thousands of small industrial steam locomotives that worked all over the UK. Policy However, since a cosmetic restoration project ended, Handyman has been stored in a dismantled state on a wagon in the York museum’s North Yard for many years. The Science…

➜ HISTORIC England has awarded £263,000 towards the repair of Grade II* Wingfield station, built in 1839/40, and said to be one of oldest surviving in the world, on the Midland Main Line between Ambergate and Clay Cross. Because of its national significance, Amber Valley Borough Council completed a compulsory purchase and began repair work on the building last year. ➜ AS we closed for press, more than £500 had been raised for a private £1500 appeal towards the final stages of the overhaul of GWR 4-6-0 No. 6024 King Edward I launched at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tom-whittington-6024 by supporter Tom Whittington, who is planning a sponsored bike ride from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard in September, to compensate for works time lost during lockdown. ➜ DINMORE Manor Locomotive Ltd volunteers have been continuing…

WHILE main line tour promoters were counting the cost of business lost because of the Covid-19 lockdown, the wheels of heritage and main line railway industry continued to turn in leafy Devon. Rob le Chevalier, workshop manager at South Devon Railway Engineering in Buckfastleigh, revealed that the company’s order book for wheelsets and boiler repairs for both heritage and commercial operators was more than healthy. At any given time, the workshops hold anything up to 100 wheels requiring repairs or turning, the latest example being the tender wheels for Locomotive Services Limited’s LNER A2 Pacific No. 60532 Blue Peter. The A2 is not the only Crewe-based main line engine to benefit from work carried out at Buckfastleigh. No. 70000 Britannia, No. 46100 Royal Scot and No. 34046 Braunton are all…

A MAJOR upgrade and expansion of the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe will be carried out by architectsTate Harmer. The Brunel Museum Reinvented project will transform the attraction, based around Marc Isambard Brunel’s Grade II*-listed Thames Tunnel Old Engine House, above the southern portal, into a‘welcoming and inclusive visitor attraction and cultural destination.’ The museum is currently split between the old Engine House and the original Brunel Sinking Shaft. A new entrance pavilion with a cafe and shop will be created while work takes place to revamp the Engine House into an interpretation, exhibition, research and archive space. The recently acquired collection of Marc Brunel’s original Thames Tunnel watercolour designs will be placed on display for the first time. Four years ago, Tate Harmer created a new performance space inside the…

PLANS to build a working replica of Timothy Hackworth’s pioneering Stockton & Darlington Railway 0-6-0 Royal George, in time for the world’s first public steam-operated line’s 2025 bicentenary, have been boosted by a £4700 grant for a feasibility study. The replica will be built under the auspices of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and could cost up to £500,000. Funding for the study has come from Darlington Borough Council and it will be carried out by Rob Shorland-Ball, who was deputy head of the National Railway Museum and development project director from 1987-94. A museums and heritage consultant, he has family connections to the area through which the line ran. Background Timothy Hackworth’s Royal George was constructed in 1827, using the boiler from a far less successful…

MACHINING of the newly cast replacement cylinder blocks for Severn Valley Railway-based GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor has progressed despite lockdown. The machining in May followed heat treating to de-stress the new castings, saving considerable time compared to traditional means of curing large castings. The blocks were being machined at Roach Precision Engineering Ltd of Brierley Hill, with delivery expected in July, followed by fitting and reassembly at Tyseley Locomotive Works, which is moving towards a phased restart of engineering work.…

STEVE Williams has been appointed as a director of West Somerset Railway plc in a bid to boost collaboration between the line’s ‘family members’. He has been a volunteer for around 12 years and previously held the post of plc planning director until 2017. Subsequently, he has been company secretary of the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust, being appointed vice-chairman last year. Steve has a lifetime’s experience in NHS management and as a management consultant, and lives in nearby Oake. He will continue to be a trustee with the steam trust. His appointment strengthens the plc board membership to six, and he brings skills in organisational development, planning and partnerships. It is seen as an innovative approach to strengthening collaborative work across the railway and using experienced people to benefit…

IN EARLY April, as the impact of the Covid-19 enforced shutdown on Britain’s heritage railways, photographic charter organiser, 30742 Charters launched an appeal to its mailing list to help closed lines.The inspiration came from a conversation with Anthony French of model railway shopTony’sTrains of Rugby. The logic was that individually there were too many railways to support, whereas collectively an appeal could raise enough to give a meaningful donation to an initial list of 14 lines and a target of £1400. These lines were ones that had made 30742 Charters welcome on photographic events both recently and in the past and had already shared that they would need support. The photographers responded magnificently, with the initial target passed within days. Tony’s Trains made a donation from each model railway engine…

MAJOR progress was made on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s Shottle Signalling Project on June 12, when the signalbox structure from Oddingley Crossing in Worcestershire, was moved into its final position. The contract lift was undertaken while the railway was closed and under strict conditions due to the coronavirus restrictions. The project began 18 months ago under the control of Mick Thomas, who with the volunteer team designed and installed the concrete foundations, provided the required steelwork, and refurbished the structure ready for installation. It was planned to use a road crane next to the railway at Shottle, to lift the structure into its final position, but due to the poor ground conditions, this was not possible. An opportunity to hire a suitable road-rail crane for a fixed fee arose in…

SIGNIFICANT progress has been made on the two new Diagram 118 boilers for A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado and new-build P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales at Germany’s Dampflokwerk Meiningen. A year ago, builder The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust placed a £1 million order with the Deutsche Bahn workshop for the new boiler for the P2 and a second which can be used on either locomotive, so there will be two operational boilers and one ‘spare’ undergoing overhaul at any one time. The move will reduce the time out of traffic for each locomotive by around four months and increase their revenue-earning potential. By ordering both boilers at once, the trust has saved a six-figure sum. The first new boiler will be fitted to Tornado during its next…

PROTECTED bats have slammed the brakes on the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) £1.32 million refurbishment of Falling Sands viaduct. The second phase of the project began on May 18, earlier than originally scheduled because of good weather, when contractor CAN took control of the site and skilled workers suspended on ropes began to rake out damaged mortar and prep the bridge arch by arch, for the much-needed repairs to the 1877-built structure. All the work took place within strict social distancing and safety measures, in line with Government guidelines, said a SVR spokesman. However, the sunshine had also led to some unexpected visitors taking up residence under one of the arches – and on May 29, workers spotted bats – a protected species under law. Natural England regulations stipulated that…

RESPONDING to sector-wide concerns about the UK’s supplies of steam coal, the Aln Valley Railway has launched an appeal to secure essential fuel for the line until the end of 2021. The ‘One Lump or Two?’ appeal aims to raise around £10,000 by supporters funding a JCB bucketful of coal for £30. The railway is conscious that its current local supply of coal, which comes from Shotton open cast mine, will not be available after this summer and plans to open another local open cast pit have not yet been confirmed. Planning permission to open Highthorn open cast pit has not yet been approved and so the railway wants to stockpile the coal it can locally source now, in order to look at the best options for supplies going forward.…

I HAVE not previously reported on the performance of the big Stanier 8F No. 48151, so before looking at some of what this locomotive has done in preservation in recent years, a few words about its history are appropriate. Built by the LMS at Crewe Works in 1942, its first allocation was Grangemouth, followed by Cranklow, Staveley and Edge Hill.IT was withdrawn from Northwich in January 1968, and sold to Woodham Bros at Barry for scrap. Bought for preservation in 1975, the 2-8-0 moved to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. It then became one of David Smith’s locomotives at Carnforth, where its restoration was completed in 1988. With a tractive effort of 32,440lb, No. 48151 is a powerful locomotive, but is limited to 50mph because of its 4ft…

ALL eyes were on the first of Great Central’s continuous series of fortnightly 75-lot internet, email, telephone and postal auctions which ran until June 12 – and the star item, nameplate Portland Bill, didn’t disappointment when it sold for £10,300. The plate was from LBSCR H1 class No. 38/SR No. 2038, a 4-4-2 built by Kitson & Co of Leeds in December 1905 and withdrawn by BR from Bricklayers Arms (73B) as No. 32038 in July 1951. The locomotive’s SR cabside numberplate sold immediately after the plate to the same bidder for £1200. Behind came a number of signs from four of the six BR regions, headed at £7300 by BR(S) totem Withyham, a station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells line which closed in January 1967. Other totems…

THERE was lively bidding into five figures in Dreweatts’online railway models transport sale on May 28 (see p29), with models below the £10,000 threshold also making their mark, headed by a 7¼in live steam LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 No. 44001 at £9000. Behind came 5in-gauge GWR No. 6027 King Richard I, built by Mr R Bates of Shrewsbury with a‘Royal Duchy’ headboard (£8000), and a second LMS representative, Class 2 2-6-2T No. 1200, also in 5in gauge (£6000). The LNER then made an appearance with B1 4-6-0 No. 1005 Bongo (£5000), the first of three from this class, all in 5in gauge, that comprised the same locomotive in its BR No. 61005 identity (£4500), and also at £4500, a third variation on the B1 theme, No. 8301 Springbok. Another LNER…

DAPOL is expanding its range of Mk3 carriages and Class 142 Pacers in 2mm scale. With increasing numbers of both Mk3 sleeping cars and buffet cars, as well Class 142s taking up residence at heritage lines, it would appear Dapol’s announcement is timely – it now being prototypical for 1980s-built main line rolling stock to operate alongside steam and early diesel era vehicles. While Dapol already produces a number of Class 142 models in N gauge, a new batch has been announced, covering five new variants. Of particular interest to modellers of heritage lines is that No. 142096 is to be available in debranded Northern Rail purple. It is expected to retail for £118.96 and is due to be available in the shops during the first quarter of 2021. Other…

MARTIN McGINTY is absolutely right is issue 267 to suggest that the preservation fraternity needs to maximise opportunities arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, I don’t think that his suggestion of not running trains will be regarded by many as realistic or helpful – and certainly it does not provide a basis for long-term recovery. If I was on the board of a heritage railway I would want to be examining like never before five key elements of our operations. 1. Do we really understand just how much profit or loss each component of our business and every train that we run makes? If such an exercise concluded that 90% of the profit came from 20% of the services – Santa specials, dining and footplate experiences – how willing would…

I AM writing in response to the suggestion by Chris Magner (Platform, issue 268) that the Corris Railway might consider naming the new Falcon steam locomotive being constructed (as fundraising permits) after Campbell Thomas, in memory of the former Machynlleth stationmaster. Historically, the Corris Railway was unusual for a narrow gauge railway in the British Isles in that it did not name its quartet of steam locomotives. The two surviving engines from the original line acquired the names they have carried for nearly seven decades following their purchase by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society from British Railways. The steam locomotive already built for the Corris revival, No. 7, is accordingly unnamed. It entered service in 2005 and is a 21st-century re-creation of the original No. 4. No. 4 is a…

NUMEROUS settlements big and small mushroomed around railway works and stations in the 19th century. However, there exists one settlement where the railway not only created it, but gave it a name and a number too into the bargain. The origin of the name of Twenty, a lonely hamlet in the Lincolnshire fens, has been a perennial matter of debate. It came to international attention in September 1982 when someone overpainted the words “Twenty. Twinned with the Moon. No atmosphere!” in fluorescent paint on a road sign, and TV pictures of it were networked around the world. In 1993, the hamlet again made headlines when The Sun newspaper published a story using Twenty to promote a cut in its cover price to 20p. Origin The station was opened on August…