Sommaire pour Issue 299 de Heritage Railway

IN these dreary and dismal times beset by political and financial crises, what we all now desperately need is inspiration and a ray of hope. October 14 saw the launch of a year of celebrations which will mark the centenary of an icon that has come to represent the finest of the steam railway age as exported to the rest of the world by Britain – the record-setting legend that is Flying Scotsman. It was only earlier this year that No. 60103 was withdrawn from main line service for its overhaul, but now it is back and the public at large seem more eager than ever to embrace what is has to offer. At Heritage Railway, we have been contacted by ordinary members of the public desperate to find out…

AN Irish first has seen the Strabally Woodland Railway run the country’s first passenger train to be hauled by a steam locomotive using a 100% renewable biomass-based coal substitute. On September 24, Barclay 0-4-0WT No. 2264 of 1949 No. 2 Roisin ran with a stove-ready commercial product called Harvest Flame that is made via the process of torrefaction from biomass – olive stones in this case, a residue from the food industry. The former Bord na Mona locomotive once hauled wagons of turf from bogs to be burned in a power station. Now it hauled its train over the two-thirds of a milelong 3ft gauge line in the grounds of Stradbally Hall, in Co Laois, to pioneer a step towards carbon neutral steam heritage, as the fuel was shown to…

A STEAM locomotive which runs on high-speed diesel oil rather than coal has been built at India’s Golden Rock workshop in Tiruchchirappalli. X-class 0-8-2T No. X-37401 was formally launched by Mr B GMallya, general manager of the Southern Railway, at the workshop on September 27. It has been fitted with Abt rack and pinion equipment to enable it, like fellow class members before it, to operate on the 17-mile section of the metre-gauge Nilgiri Mountain Railway between Coonoor and Mettupalayam. It has a main oil tank with a 1600-litre capacity and a 725-litre rear oil tank, while the water tank can hold 4500 litres. No. X-37401 was delivered to Mettupalayam on October 7 and lifted on to the track the next day. It is also the first HSD oil-fired steam…

THE National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the world’s first volunteer-run heritage railway a grant of £110,000 towards developing its Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future strategy, which aims to boost income and provide financial security by attracting more visitors. As reported in issue 296, the Talyllyn Railway is planning a redevelopment of its Pendre locomotive and carriage sheds and workshops, as well as making changes to the interior layout of the main station building at its Tywyn Wharf terminus. The grant will allow the TR to fully develop these in detail and how they will be delivered, before then applying for further ‘delivery’funding to complete them. The plans are still at an early stage, but it is envisaged that the booking office and shop (which are currently located at…

THE 25-yearrestorationbytheKent & East Sussex Railway of a former GWR diesel railcar that general manager Richard Coombes describes as integral to the line’s future has received a major financial boost that brings its eagerlyawaited return to service ever closer. The railcar is W20W, one of 38 in a class that, with its eye-catching design and adaptability, proved a success on both main and branch lines. Itwas built at Swindon in 1940, withdrawn by BR from Worcester (85A) in October 1962, and saved for preservation by the KESR, where it arrived in April 1966. Staff and volunteers at the railway have genuine affection for the distinctively-styled railcar for several reasons, one of which is that it ran the first public passenger train from Tenterden Town station on the railway’s official opening…

THE A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust has launched a £75,000 fundraiser to ensure that its new purpose-built showpiece works is connected to the national network. Located within the Darlington Railway Heritage Quarter and owned by Darlington Borough Council, the £4.5 million development will provide many of the facilities needed by the trust for building and operating its steam locomotives. New-build A1 Pacific No.60163 Tornado will be shedded there for maintenance and stabling. While the building has been largely funded by grant aid and the council, the trust has agreed to contribute to ensure that the site has a main line rail connection, running track, inspection pits, and more, ensuring a long-term home for the trust at a peppercorn rent for many years. Join the gang The trust will raise funds in three…

FORMER Longmoor Military Railway Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 3796 Errol Lonsdale has returned to service after a bottom-end overhaul at its Belgium home. When first restored in Belgium, a time limit was put on the allowed workshop space for the task that had led to some jobs not being done to the desired standard. Upon reaching the end of the 2021 running season and with a hydraulic test due (required every three years by Belgian law), its owner decided to take it out of traffic for improvements and repairs. The first of these was to replace some stretched studs on the steam dome cover. At the first overhaul, the Polish twin chamber mechanical lubricator drive mechanism had been quickly made; this too was replaced by a new construction that features…

WALES onRails, ajointprojectled by Great LittleTrains ofWales and supported byTransport forWales and the Community Rail Partnerships in the principality and the borders, has won the tourism and leisure category at the annual Community Rail Awards. The ceremony was held at Manchester Central Convention Complex on October 6. The project was designed to provide a resource for tourists to explore Wales by public transport including both the main line and narrow gauge railways, offering a series of maps, itineraries and information cards explaining the heritage, social and cultural landscape of Wales to enrich the visitor experience and encourage sustainable tourism. David Jones, general manager at the Bala Lake Railway and chairman at the GLToW, said:“Wales has some of the best and most scenic rail routes in the world. Wales on Rails…

HUNSLET 16in 0-6-0ST No. 1589 of 1928 Newstead took a significant step forward in its first major heritage era overhaul when the boiler was despatched for contract overhaul at Road Steam UK in Wiltshire on September 27. Withdrawn at Woolley Colliery in 1970, Newstead was first preserved by an enthusiast in 1972, who had it returned to working order in 1980 at Suffolk Steam. However, steamed only a handful of times after then on a short stretch of line at a previously unknown site, the locomotive vanished from the world assumed to have been scrapped, only to reappear during 2015 hidden in a shed on grounds adjacent to a Hertfordshire convent. New owner It was sold to enthusiast Alex Alder, who first took it to the NeneValley Railway in April…

THETalyllyn Railway’s namesake Fletcher Jennings 0-4-2T locomotive will be returning in a livery never seen before on any of its locomotives – lined Great Eastern Blue. At the TR Preservation Society’s annual general meeting on September 24, general manager Stuart Williams revealed to the membership that No. 1 Talyllyn, which has been undergoing overhaul since being withdrawn in 2018, would not return in the railway’s standard bronze green livery as had been expected (it being TR council policy for a locomotive to return to this scheme after wearing something different) but would instead be turned out in the lined blue colours that have never been seen on the railway before. The suggestion was put forward by the engineering department, which felt that ‘it would look good’, with it subsequently being…

THE Devon Railway Centre, based at GWR Cadeleigh station at Bickleigh, near Tiverton, held its annual Everything Goes event on September 24/25. All operational locomotives were pressed into service on its two lines, the 450-yard 7¼in gauge and 360-yard 2ft gauge. It had been hoped that the 2ft gauge line would see the return to traffic of Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0WT No. 744 of 1912 No.14 Rebecca following a major overhaul, but it was not ready in time and was confined to the shed. Both railways are out-and-back lines with balloon loops and had three locomotives each in operation. There are no volunteers as the centre is completely manned by paid staff, so all six locomotives were worked by just two driver/ guards. Each locomotive ran in turn, going to…

THE ConnemaraRailwayProjecthas welcomed its first Irish standard gauge carriage to its Maam Cross station headquarters in the shape of Great Southern &Western Railway bogie corridor coach No. 813. The carriage was built by the railway in 1903 and ran in service until 1964, surviving, then, as part of the Inchicore Works’ breakdown train, providing crew accommodation. The coach was then acquired by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland and had been stored since the early 1970s in Mullingar locomotive shed, which has now been redeveloped, leading to rolling stock stored there having to find new homes. Connemara Railway Project chairman Jim Deegan said:“We are very pleased to have been able to acquire this historic coach from the RPSI. It represents a major step forward in our rolling stock acquisition programme…

AN appeal for £130,000 to complete the final work on new Hawksworth County 4-6-0 No. 1014 County of Glamorgan has been launched. The 1014 County of Glamorgan Project engineering team lifted the boiler into place in the workshop at Didcot Railway Centre on September 26. It was the first time that a class member has been fitted with its boiler since 1964/1965. While lacking its cab and other important features, the outline was unmistakeable and is a precursor to the finished locomotive which is intended in steam by 2024. With the Hawksworth tender currently nearing completion, the project team expects to show No. 1014 both to supporters and the wider public at Didcot during the spring of 2023. Having now established that the boiler will fit, tasks facing the engineering…

POPULAR SouthDevonRailway volunteer Nick Perring was taken on a final ride on the heritage line he loved. The 62-year-old passed away in Torbay Hospital on August 30 with his family and friends at his bedside after suffering from a stroke. At Buckfasleigh, he led the signal and telegraph department and played a major role in the installation of much of the signalling on the SDR. He had been involved with the line since the 1970s and also worked for British Rail and Network Rail for 39 years, taking retirement from Exeter Central in June 2017. Nick passed as a SDR fireman in 1991 and as steam driver in 1995. On September 27, the SDR laid on a special train,‘The S&T Engineer’ hauled by GWR 2-6-2T No.5526 to take Nick’s coffin…

SAFETY work to Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s low balustrade wall at Sydney Gardens in Bath – including the installation of railings to prevent trespassers gaining access to the track – has been carried out by Network Rail. In planning remedial works, Network Rail wanted to find a solution that protected the railway while not infringing on the historical integrity and significance of the iconic structure. It worked hand-in-hand with Historic England to ensure that the works improved the safety of the railway while also preserving the character and the classic aesthetic of the balustrade wall. Colin Field, Network Rail’s town planning and heritage manager, said: “We are pleased that we have been able to design and complete a solution that enhances the safety of the railway line and protect visitors to…

LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45996 Bahamas – temporarily renamed as scrapped sister No. 45606 Falklands Islands – is to head an annual Armistice Day steam special to mark the 40th anniversary of the South Atlantic conflict with Argentina. The Bahamas Locomotive Society gave permission for its locomotive to be replated in 2022 as a mark of respect to the fallen from all sides in the Falklands War on 1982. Built in 1935, No. 45606 was withdrawn on June 27, 1964 from 10A Carnforth and scrapped on February 28, 1965. Bahamas was renamed and renumbered in a ceremony held on September 22, at Swanage station, after arriving on the Swanage Railway with a Railway Touring Company charter from London Victoria, as described by Don Benn in With Full Regulator on pages…

AN historic sign on the East Coast Main Line north toYork has been restored by Network Rail at the request of the apprentice engineer who made it 84 years ago. The landmark 50ft sign north of York station marks the halfway point between London and Edinburgh. It was made in 1938 by Ken Bainbridge from nearby Newton-on-Ouse over a fortnight using hand tools only. When he retired in 1984, Ken said: “All I had to do the job with were chisels, a hacksaw, and a file – there were no machines then. “When I look at those signs north of York I feel they are mine.” His daughter, Pauline Kerr, asked Network Rail to clean and restore the sign. Network Rail’s east coast route programme director, Jason Hamilton, said: “This…

October 29 Belmond British Pullman Circular tour from London Victoria via Canterbury. Loco: 35028 Clan Line. BP 29 Northern Belle Nottingham, Carlisle and return. Steam-hauled between Carnforth (outward) and Preston (return). Loco: 34067 Tangmere. NB 29 ‘The Cotswold Caper’ Circular tour from Burton upon Trent. Loco: Class 37 TBA. PT November 5 ‘Blackpool Illuminations’ Manchester Victoria, Blackpool North and return. Steam-hauled between Carnforth and Blackpool North outward only. Loco: TBA. RTC 9 ‘The International’ Lancaster, St Pancras International and return. Loco: 2x Class 37 TBA. IC 10 Northern Belle Coventry, Carlisle and return. Steam-hauled between Carnforth (outward) and Preston (return). Loco: 34067 Tangmere. NB 11 ‘The Kentish Belle Armistice Day’ London Victoria, Margate and return. Loco: 45596 Bahamas. RTC 12 ‘Golden Arrow 50th Anniversary’ London Victoria, Canterbury West and return.…

I READ withinterestyourHeadlineNewsarticleinissue 296 concerning the 0-4-0T surviving in Ukraine. Employment took me to the former USSR twice, plus I have made several return visits in the postcommunist era, hence my interest in the railways of that vast area. May I refer interested readers to the excellent publication Soviet Locomotive Types – The Union Legacy, by Heywood & Button, published by Stenvalls in 1995. Under a renumbering scheme of 1912, a motley assortment of 0-4-0T, 0-6-0T and 0-8-0T locomotives were grouped together as‘b’ class (‘b’ in the Cyrillic alphabet is pronounced like‘b’ in‘but’). Apparently some 34‘b’ class types were still in stock in 1967, of which about 25 were still in regular use. By the mid-1970s, nearly all had been withdrawn. Of the dozen or so still extant in the…

The September 24 Perrygrove Railway gala was an extremely low-key event with little advertising. Yet what it lacked in size, it more than made up for in the quantity and quality of the trains it ran that day. When owners Michael and Frances Crofts purchased Perrygrove Farm in 1993, construction of the railway commenced the same year. It opened three years later, on August 1, 1996. From its inception the railway has always been family-run, and today it is owned by David and Katherine Nelson-Brown. It was a completely new line, built on an old farm with the original buildings converted for railway use. What was the tractor shed is now the locomotive workshop and the station was once a barn... but you would have difficulty recognising this now. More…

AN action-packed and varied year of special events and railtours to mark the centenary of LNER Gresley A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman – for long dubbed the world’s most famous steam locomotive – was officially launched at King’s Cross station on the morning of Friday, October 14, exactly 170 years to the day that the East Coast Main Line terminus was opened. The previous week, the National Railway Museum-owned locomotive underwent test running on the East Lancashire Railway at the completion of its overhaul by Riley & Son (E) Ltd at Heywood, which operates and maintains the locomotive, following its withdrawal from traffic in April. The day before, it travelled down the West Coast Main Line to London in time for the start of its centenary celebrations. King’s Cross…

BEAMISH Museum has launched a project to build a new North Eastern Railway K class 0-4-0T to run at the museum’s Rowley station. Originally mooted more than 10 years ago, the project generated some interest at the time but the purchase of Sharp Stewart 0-4-4T No. 4085 Dunrobin and long-term hire of NER H class (LNER Y7) No. 8088 led to the proposal being superseded. On October 12, 2022, the museum officially launched the project to build a new example of one of the smallest standard gauge locomotive designs created by a main line company. The new K class (rebuilt locomotives becoming LNER Y8) construction is being funded by a private benefactor in Darlington, where it will be constructed by North Bay Railway Engineering Services (NBRES). To be numbered 559, it…

THE Mid-Hants Railway said farewell to Southern RailwayV class Schools 4-4-0 No. 30925 Cheltenham at its successful October 8/9 autumn steam gala. The event gave visitors a last chance to ride behind the National Collection engine before its boiler ticket expired. Also in action were LSWR Urie S15 4-6-0 No.506, Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41321 running as No. 41294, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76017 and Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway 7F 2-8-0 No. 53808. Sadly, No. 53808 became sidelined with a minor defect and had to withdraw from proceedings so that a superheater element could be replaced. The Watercress Line reported that ticket sales were 14% up on the corresponding event last year, with more families visiting. Main attraction The farewell appearance of Cheltenham was believed to be a…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway has announced a new partnership with Visit England to help promote the national park for people with access requirements. The railway is one of a select number of businesses involved in The North York Moors Accessibility Project, an initiative to help the region’s tourism bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic and funded by Visit England. A core element of the line’s accessibility offering will be four fully accessible ‘fuss-free’ coaches which are being launched in April 2023 as part of the £10 million Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey project. All carriage sets in service will contain one historic coach that has been specially adapted to ease access for everyone with access requirements, and accommodate them with their friends and family. The coaches benefit from ramps, accessible toilets, and…

RAILWAY artefactsintheNational Brewery Centre at Burton uponTrent – including Neilson Reid 0-4-0ST No. 5901, which was built for brewer Bass in 1901 – have been promised new homes when the centre permanently closes on October 31. Owned by the Molson Coors Beverage Company, the centre in Horninglow Street, incorporates a museum and onsite brewery and is dedicated to Burton’s historical connections with the brewing industry. The centre, which was reopened in 2010 by Princess Anne, also includes a wedding venue and will make way for the firm’s new headquarters. The Campaign for Real Ale has opposed the closure on heritage grounds, and more than 2700 people have signed a petition. A protest march was scheduled for October 15. The locomotive, which became Bass No. 9, was built to the design…

AS BRITISH expat photographer Ed Hurst perched 100ft above the railway track crossing Sydney Harbour Bridge on September 25 to record an historic moment in Australia’s steam history, his thoughts turned to his homeland and grandfather. The bridge, which opened in 1932 after being under construction for nine years, was designed and built by Dorman Long, a Middlesbroughbased company for whom Ed’s grandfather worked. At 3770 feet long and incorporating 51,000 tons of fabricated steelwork, the bridge – which carries rail, road and pedestrian traffic – was the British firm’s biggest ever project. Nine decades after its opening, it is regarded as an icon and an engineering masterpiece. Ed was in a look-out in one of the bridge’s pylons, the distinctive 292ft high granite-faced structures at each end of the…

THE Talyllyn Railway has been awarded a prestigious Red Wheel plaque from the National Transport Trust. The unveiling ceremony at Tywyn Wharf station was attended by representatives of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, and representatives of Gwynedd Council, Tywyn Town Council, the Welsh Senedd and the National Transport Trust. The Red Wheel Scheme was created to recognise and commemorate the most significant sites of historical importance to UK transport heritage. Tom Rolt, one of the pioneers of cruising on Britain’s inland waterways, was also an enthusiast of vintage cars and heritage railways. In the summer of 1950, he wrote a letter to The Birmingham Post newspaper suggesting that a rescue of the Talyllyn be undertaken, and he received a sufficiently positive enough response for a meeting of interested enthusiasts to…

A WORKSPLATE from the prototype of the only class of electric locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley will go under the hammer at auction on November 12. It is from EM1 Bo-Bo No. 26000, which emerged from Doncaster Works in 1941 and carried the name Tommy after spending its early years on loan to the Dutch state railway Nederlandse Spoorwegen. By the time he put his innovative skills to work on the project, Gresley was acknowledged as one of the country’s leading steam locomotive engineers – a reputation enhanced by the world-speed record achieved by A4 No. 4468 Mallard in July 1938 – and designed the EM1 for operating on the Woodhead route between Manchester and Sheffield. The LNER started planning the electrification of the 41½-mile line, which ran beneath the…

TWO vintage four-wheel carriages have emerged from extensive restoration work on the Gwili Railway as part of a 30742 Charters photographic event ahead of their return to passengercarrying duties next year. Friday, October 14 saw GWR five-compartment third No. 216, built in 1888, and Taff Vale Railway brake third No. 220, built in 1891, run together for the first time in complete condition following their extensive work that benefited from a £14,000 share of a £22,000 National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund grant received by the line. Recovered in 1977, No. 220 had been a grounded body used as a garden shed in Herefordshire. It was fitted to an ex-LNER brake van underframe in 1986 and was initially restored by the pupils of Brynteg Comprehensive School, Brigend. It returned to traffic…

THE SevernValley Railway received its first visit from a Class 125 High Speed Train in 20 years on September 27, when CrossCountry’s power car No. 43366 pulled its train into KidderminsterTown station. There it was renamed HST 40, celebrating 40 years of HST services on the CrossCountry network in a ceremony that also saw GB Railfreight’s Class 66 No. 66799 named Modern Railways-Diamond Jubilee after that magazine’s 60th anniversary. No. 43366 arrived on a railtour from Leeds, the trip raising funds for the Railway Benefit Fund. After renaming, the train collected an additional 60 passengers at Kidderminster before completing two return journeys over the SVR to Bridgnorth and returning to Leeds on the main line. “An InterCity 125 travelling along the length of our beautifully preserved line isn’t something you…

THE NorthEasternLocomotive Preservation Group has been given a £124,000 grant from the Cultural Assets Fund for repairs to the boiler of its unique LNER J72 (NER E1) 0-6-0T No. 69023 Joem. Administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the CAF grant recognises Joem’s regional and national importance and will ensure that it will be able to steam again to be available for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025. No. 69023 was built at Darlington’s North Road Works in 1951. The funding comes as part of a UK-wide £40 million Covid-19 response fund to safeguard nationally important heritage which is at risk in the wake of the pandemic, which comprises £20 million of Department of Digital, Culture Media and Spart CAF money available to heritage organisations…

‘PLAYSCHOOL Engine’Barclay0-4-0ST No. 699 of 1691 Swanscombe has found a new home – and following a successful post-overhaul boiler test is now available for hire to heritage lines. The oldest-surviving standard gauge Barclay in the world, Swanscombe was delivered to the Northfleet Coal & Ballast Co. in Kent in 1891, where it ran until 1921 when it was transferred to work in the quarries and wharves at West Thurrock in Essex. However, the increasing loads were too much, and it was confined to shunting in the wharves until retirement and sale in 1965. It moved first to Skimpot Lane, Luton, for storage with other locomotives belonging to the London Railway Preservation Society. It finally arrived at the Buckinghmashire Railway Centre at Quainton Road in 1969 and stayed there for more…

UK Railtourshasannouncedatripon Friday, December 30 for those looking for an adventure with a forage on the forgotten tracks of SouthYorkshire. A UK Railtours statement said:“The awkward week between Christmas and New Year can often be a tedious monotony of reruns on TV and leftover turkey, but it needn’t be!” The tour, named‘The Awkward Week Adventurer,’ is diesel-hauled throughout and is planned to depart from London Finsbury Park, picking up passengers at Potters Bar, Stevenage, Peterborough and Retford, before entering the freight yards of Doncaster. There, the first of the guest locomotives, a DB Cargo Class 66, will be added to the train to aid reversals before the exploration of the freight lines around Doncaster begins. From Doncaster the tour will take the rarely-covered line to the south of the town…

In the early hours of Saturday, October 1, contractor VolkerLaser began work on removing the original Bridge 236 over the A60 near the Brush Works. As dawn broke, the latticework side panels of the structure – which dates from the building of the GCR’s London extension in late Victorian times – were lifted out and the parapets demolished, all within earshot of regular steam whistles at Loughborough Central station. The A60 was closed while demolition was in progress, with motorists facing a detour around the northern outskirts of the town. Wooden boarding was placed over the tarmacadam surface of the road to protect it. Yes, in what might be seen at very first glance as a unique preservation ‘man bites dog’ scenario, a heritage structure was lost forever within hours.…

LIKE so many other steam railway enthusiasts, I am appalled at the imminent proposal to break up and cannibalise GWR Castle class No. 7027 Thornbury Castle, an outstanding member of an outstanding class. Even non-Great Western Railway fans will agree that the Castle class is a British transport design classic, along with the likes of the E-Type Jaguar, QE2, and Concorde. Nobody else in the world does it better than us. To blithely say, ‘Oh, there are enough Castles already’to justify the destruction of this locomotive (the restoration of which was finally proceeding apace at the Great Central Railway) is a shallow and philistine response. Nobody in their right mind would suggest chopping up paintings by Constable or Turner because we’ve already got plenty of examples and that the canvases…

Small boys gazed in awe and wonder, their sisters sought the comfort of a parent’s hand, dads admired the engineering before them, mums quietly wondered what it was all about but enjoyed their children’s fascination, and grandparents recalled memories of when the scenes they were witnessing were commonplace in younger days. Meanwhile, enthusiasts, cameras in hand, savoured every moment. Railway staff and volunteers offered information and advice, “where are the toilets?” being the most common question, said one. And the reaction of dogs ranged from disinterest through to fear or genuine excitement. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Annual Steam Gala and Beer Festival was in full swing, and the sheer volume of passengers provided a perfect illustration, were one needed, that steam remains a massive draw despite it being based…

AFTER asix-hourjourneyfromLondon following the high-profile King’s Cross launch of its centenary year programme, A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman arrived on the Swanage Railway on the morning ofTuesday, October 18 at the start of a three-week visit to the Purbeck line. While running through Christchurch on its way to Bournemouth en route, No. 60103 passed Stourfield Junior School. Its pupils were all out on the field, and waving and cheering enthusiastically as the A3 and its support coach passed by. The A3, which previously visited the heritage line in 2019, will stay until November 7, and there was every indication that it will do much as an added visitor magnet to extend the Dorset resort’s summer season. Flying Scotsman was booked to haul passenger trains between Swanage and Norden from…

NEW-BUILD BRStandard3MT2-6-2T No. 82045 has been fitted with its tanks inside the newly-refurbished Bridgnorth Shed on the SevernValley Railway. The first of the tanks was fitted in October 17, with the second due to follow days later. The rush then began to get the locomotive into the paintshop for green undercoat to be applied. On November 26/27, No. 82045 will be the standard gauge centrepiece at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition 2022 at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham. That will be 82045’s first visit away from its SVR home. As previously reported, at the end of last year No. 82045 became a 2-6-2T after the fitting of its pony trucks. The connecting rods are made and the coupling rods are in production at Stephenson Engineering, Atherton, Manchester, and…

EXMOOR Associates has been given the green light to rebuild a goods shed at Bratton Fleming station on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. A planning application was approved by North Devon Council on October 5, with no date set as yet for construction to begin. The previous structure here was known to last until 1935 when the railway closed, although it is not known when it was demolished. The new goods shed construction – which will comprise timber shiplap boards with timber doors and windows with a slate roof – will replicate the previous as closely as possible, based on archive photographs available to EA, the company set up to work with the L&BR Trust and which focuses purely on purchasing land on the former trackbed as and when it becomes…

THE Bluebell Railway’s annual autumn big steam event – the Giants of Steam gala – returned over October 14-16 and this year celebrated the contribution of Robert Riddles to postwar steam engineering. Locomotives from the home fleet were joined by visiting BR Standard 5MT No. 73156, courtesy of its Bolton Steam Locomotive Company Ltd owners and the Great Central Railway. Paired up with resident classmate No. 73082 Camelot, the event saw a preservation first – the first time two locomotives from the 5MT class were working together, with a doubleheader featuring both of these powerful BR giants operating on the Saturday and Sunday. Joining the line-up was 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76017 from the Mid-Hants Railway, with the Bluebell’s own 2-6-4T version of the class No. 80151. The mogul was not…

TWO pioneering Swanage Railway founders who started the battle to rebuild the Purbeck heritage line as university students in 1972 – just weeks before work started on lifting the branch track toWareham – have returned 50 years later to lay flowers at a memorial to generations of dedicated volunteers. The sons of Polish immigrants, Andrew Goltz and John Sloboda were keen 22-year-old railway enthusiasts when they travelled from London to disused Corfe Castle station during May, 1972 and walked along the abandoned and rusting tracks just weeks before they were lifted by demolition contractors working for BR. Itwas during that inspiring afternoon walk around the boardedup Victorian station, in the shadow of the medieval castle ruins, that the pair decided to form the Swanage Railway Society to reopen the 10-mile…

AT the Gauge 1 Model Railway Association’s 75th Anniversary Show at Bicester on October 1/2, Accucraft UK Ltd managing director Graham Langer handed over a cheque for £4000 to Steve Davies, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. The funds were raised from sales of Accucraft’s 1:32 scale model of No. 60163 Tornado, which is in addition to the £10,000 already raised for the trust from sales of the model. The money will go towards the locomotive’s current overhaul in Loughborough. Graham is also a trustee and director of the trust and has been involved with the organisation for almost two decades. Steve said: “Graham has a powerful track record of making major donations to our work, and this significant sum adds to the generosity he and his company have…

SEASONAL hues have been in abundance as a stand-out feature of the GloucestershireWarwickshire Railway in recent weeks, as the line continued not only with weekend running but also midweek steam trains throughout October onTuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – at a time when many other heritage lines have reduced their steam services due to the fire risk during this year’s freak summer heatwave and to save coal. The first early-morning trains are not in the timetable because they are empty stock workings. Both start from Toddington, heading in opposite directions at about 9.15am, with one heading to Broadway and the other to Cheltenham Racecourse. These can run early and depart when they are ready. Saturdays in October saw a two-train steam service, with the first departure from Broadway at 9.55am, followed…

THE Ffestiniog Railway’s annual celebration of its history was a sombre one as it became a farewell event for three of its veteran locomotives. The Bygones Weekend, formerly the Victorian Weekend, is an opportunity for the FR to bring out its Victorian-era locomotives and rolling stock as well as its more modern historical fleet to celebrate the line’s history, with visitors dressed in period attire and the iconic gravity train in operation. This year’s event took place over three days, October 7-9, but was a somewhat smaller affair than previously as the railway had just six locomotives available for the long-distance trains it operates to Tan-y-Bwlch and Blaenau Ffestiniog – with two withdrawn after and one even during the event. Small England 0-4-0STT No. 4 Palmerston was the second of…

THE Talyllyn Railway’s popular annual ‘Race theTrain’event, which up until 2019 had taken place annually every August bank holiday for 36 years, is back following a two-year suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The race is hosted by the railway but organised each year by Tywyn Rotary Club. The railway runs the special train for the race, also carrying spectators for the main event – the Rotary Challenge – and also provides rail transport for those participating in the shorter races that begin at intermediate stations further up the line. During this year’s event held on August 20, a total of 980 people travelled on the special trains and the Rotary Club recorded 437 runners who completed the full 14-mile event, beginning at Tywyn Wharf and returning from Abergynolwyn. The first…

FORMER Stratford footplatemen travelled from far and wide to meet up with ex-colleagues at Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex on September 24, with the longest journey being 550 miles undertaken by Danny Forbes and Chris Maguire from Aberdeen. The occasion was the fourth annual reunion at the Burnham-on-Crouch museum organised by former driver Dave Brennand, a volunteer at the attraction who retired in 2013 after a 40-year career at the East London depot, which steam-era trainspotters will remember as 30A but the diesel generation as SF. Also among the 30 attendees were two ex-shed foremen, Ted Kenny and Jack Stannard, while Peter Fox and Graham Smith travelled from Swindon, deep in GWR territory. The museum is home to one of the country’s finest private railwayana collections, put together by museum…

THE developmentofFoyleValley Railway Museum took a major step forward on September 21 when Destined, the charity working with people with disabilities which leases the museum from Derry and Strabane District Council, invited the Mayor, Coun Sandra Duffy, to officially open its new interpretation centre. Backed by a £242,100 grant from the National Lottery Fund Northern Ireland, the centre includes computer access to information on the County Donegal, Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railways, Great Northern Railway of Ireland and the LMS (Northern Counties Committee) lines, all of which served the city. The GNR(I)’s Foyle Road station, the site where the museum stands, is brought back to life with a virtual reality walk-through tour of the station as it was before closure in 1965, while Destined guides take visitors round the exhibits,…

THE North Norfolk Railway pulled off a major hit when it threw open the doors of its annual members and shareholders weekend on October 8/9 to the public, inviting visitors to ride behind its collection of locomotives and rolling stock stretching over more than a century. About 1600 people attended the Autumn Showcase weekend, which featured three steam locomotives and one diesel. The line’s oldest working locomotive, GER Worsdell Y14 0-6-0 No. 564, which was built in 1912 to a Victorian design, hauled a train of unique four and sixwheeled carriages dating from the 19th century. The other locomotives which took part included the 1925-built Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway 7F 2-8-0 No. 53809, War Department Robert Riddles 2-10-0 No. 90775 The Royal Norfolk Regiment (which was built in Glasgow…

The stunning scenery of Wales is a boon to visitors of the heritage lines there. While many will relate to the country for its narrow gauge lines weaving their way round tight valleys and mountains, the standard gauge ones (though few in comparison) can be just as attractive. Established as a heritage line in 1975 and running for what is soon to become 10 miles through the Dee Valley, part of an outstanding area of natural beauty, the Llangollen Railway hit the headlines in early 2021 when it was announced that the PLC had gone into administration. At one point there was universal doubt as to whether it would run again. Yet just a few months later, the Llangollen Railway Trust was operating a limited DMU service once more, with…

UNIQUE BR Standard 8P Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester is poised for a main line comeback by the middle of the New Year, according to its owning group. Currently in the final stages of its overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works, the Duke has now been rewheeled and as we closed for press, the cab was being refitted. Trevor Tuckley, chairman of the BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust, said: “We are on target to get steam in the boiler by the end of the year and all is looking good to have it available for hire by the middle of 2023. Progressing well “All the three driving axles are now back in the frames. The cross heads have been machined and fitted, the cylinders are ready for the connecting…

A PROPOSAL to extend theTarka Line from Barnstaple to Bideford has been boosted by a £6500 grant from Great Western Railway’s Community Fund which was launched in May. The Atlantic Coast-Exeter Railway project, ACE Rail, aims to extend the Tarka Line to serve Bideford’s 30,000 population, while avoiding the popular Tarka Trail long-distance footpath and cyclepath on the original LSWR trackbed. It also hopes to improve existing service by adding a second, limitedstop, hourly train to link Bideford with Exeter Central in 60 minutes. Tarka Rail Association chairman Mike Day said: “We are extremely grateful for this funding from Great Western Railway, which has helped us to engage an independent specialist advisor to produce an initial business case for the Atlantic Coast- Exeter Railway, the association’s ACE Rail campaign, reporting…

THE opening of the cafe, Dartmoor National Park information centre, shop and toilets as the latest stage in the rebirth of Okehampton station on the new Dartmoor Line on September 24 was marked by a special Destination Dartmoor Day. Since the line, formerly the Dartmoor railway heritage line, was opened in November last year as the first success in the Government’s Restoring Your Railways fund, there have been more than 140,000 journeys on it. Trains to Exeter increased from two-hourly to hourly in May. The station, which was closed by BR in 1972, has been restored on the theme of the Southern Region of the 1950s. The Bulleid Buffet, named after locomotive engineer Oliver Bulleid, is being run by Leanne Knight and her team from the Amazing Brownie Bakers, of…

RAPIDOTrains UK has announced that it is“filling one of the biggest gaps” in the N gauge diesels available with a range of three classes of‘Peak’ locomotives. It will be starting off with the Class 44 locomotive, before following up with Class 45 and Class 46 at a later date. The term ‘Peak’ was first applied to the Class 44s as they were named after English and Welsh mountains, with the affectionate nickname also being applied to the later two classes. Rapido’s models will include directional lighting, an array of separately fitted details (including handrails and windscreen wipers), an etched radiator fan grille with separate fan beneath, and plug-in discs to enable to modeller to apply their own chosen headcodes. Prices had yet to be set, with advanced orders due to…

JOHNTitlow has done us a major favour in drawing attention to the currently ‘off limits’Swedish National Railway Collection (Heritage Railway issue 298). However, he has not emphasised precisely how important the classic 19th-century Manchester-built specimens really are. As the late HC Casserley pointed out many years ago, the period between 1850 and 1900 is relatively poorly represented in our ranks of preserved locomotives (note how many historic ex-main line locomotives from this period were scrapped in industry into the 1960s) and this is the significance of the Swedish survivals. Taking Prins August first: despite its domeless boiler and inside bearings to the leading axle, we have many Beyer Peacock features favoured under the Beattie regime on the LSWR – compare the two surviving but much-altered 0298 2-4-0WTs, for example. If…