Heritage Railway Issue 256

NINE years after Network Rail needlessly demolished three redundant signalboxes to the chagrin of local conservationists and Solihull’s then MP, the powers that be have now woken up to the fact that the North Warwickshire Line is a major asset to the local economy just waiting to be switched on. I lived near the Tyseley to Stratford-upon-Avon route for much of my life, and before I moved into railway magazine editing in Lincolnshire, spent 10 happy years living within earshot of The Lakes Halt. Long used as the route of the‘Shakespeare Express’, the line somewhat miraculously evaded a post-Beeching attempt at total closure in 1969 and then survived moves to close it south of Henley-in-Arden in 1984. The northernmost half in particular has become a thriving and essential commuter route…

SEVERN Valley Railway general manager Nick Ralls is to leave after 12 years in the post to take over as chief executive of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust. Trained museum professional Nick, 48, who lives in Bewdley, worked for the National Trust and managed Aston Hall for Birmingham City Council before joining the SVR. He is due to leave later this year. SVR chairman Nick Paul said: “I would like to express my personal thanks and the thanks of my fellow board directors for all the good work that Nick has done to develop our railway over the years, putting it into the strong position that it enjoys today. “Nick joined us almost 12 years ago, when the railway was reeling from extensive damage and widespread landslips caused by the…

➜ SWINDON Borough Council has launched a Heritage Action Zone to protect and revitalise the town’s Railway Village, a then-revolutionary area of Victorian housing and institutional buildings developed by the GWR to accommodate and care for its workers. The five-year scheme, funded with the aid of £1.6 million from Historic England, will see neglected buildings repaired, including the carriage works, the Cricketers pub and the Health Hydro. ➜ THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is now handling all bookings for tours with Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado in-house. Previously, they had been managed by UK Railtours and a statement on that company’s website confirms the change. Visit www.a1steam.com or call 01325 488215. ➜ VINTAGE Trains’ GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall will run out of main line certification in the…

WHILE Britain may be on the verge of quitting the European Union, links that have been forged between various heritage railways and organisations on the continent are not so readily jettisoned. In what is becoming a regular placement, Alan Oliger and Anton Poilve, studying engineering at Icam Engineering College, Vannes, Brittany, will be working alongside North Yorkshire Moors Railway fitters assisting the removal of air vessels from Class 37 No. 37264, for its 10-year insurance examination. Anton has also been assisting with running repairs on the steam fleet. The NYMR has a good relationship with the college and has hosted other students in the past.…

THE Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS) has scooped £741,500 in grant aid from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards its Steaming Ahead project at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. The project involves building a new engineering facility that will be used to care for the group’s steam locomotive collection, while using the space to train volunteers and apprentices and it is expected to be ready by spring 2021. The project will also improve and expand the visitor experience at the railway, with an interpretive trail along a new level walking route to the new steam shed and on to a new museum entrance. Furthermore, new interpretation within the steam shed, combined with fresh activities, will provide additional learning opportunities across the site. The project will also involve the recruitment of…

PART of West Somerset Railway will be closed to traffic between November and March to allow the next phase of major infrastructure works to be carried out in readiness for the 2020 season. The line was closed for the first three months of this year to enable, where appropriate, infrastructure to be modernised and to carry out a review of all administrative and financial procedures and practices, and led to the postponement of the spring steam gala. However, this time the closure will affect just the Watchet to Minehead section, but winter seasonal services, such as Dunster by Candlelight to Minehead, and the popular February half-term week operations, will still go ahead. A WSR spokesman said: “There is nothing new or sinister in this, as we have briefed our stakeholders…