Heritage Railway Issue 301

WE cannothavebeenanythingbutdelighted by the success of the operation to replace the life-expired original Great Central Railway Bridge 326 over the A60 at Loughborough. Its renewal is a core component not only in the overall scheme to link both of the heritage-era Great Central lines together to create an 18-mile route between the outskirts of Nottingham and Leicester, but it will also give Loughborough Central its own direct connection to the national network. The potential for regular main line charter trains running on to the GCR at Loughborough and maybe on to Leicester North will potentially be a massive boost to the railway and to the local tourist economy, opening up many possibilities to welcome 500 day trippers at a time – not to mention the easier arrival of big-name main…

EDITORIAL Editor Robin Jones rjones@mortons.co.uk Staff Writer Owen Hayward OHayward@mortons.co.uk Senior Contributors Geoff Courtney, John Titlow Contributors Hugh Dougherty, Tim Hobman, Pete Kelly, Roger Melton Designer Tim Pipes Production editor Lucy Wood Publisher Tim Hartley Editorial address Heritage Railway magazine, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ Website www.heritagerailway.co.uk ADVERTISING Advertising representatives Craig Amess 01507 529537 camess@mortons.co.uk Fiona Leak 01507 529573 fleak@mortons.co.uk Group advertising manager Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk CUSTOMER SERVICES General Queries & Back Issues 01507 529529 Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm Answerphone 24H help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk DISTRIBUTION & PRINTING Distribution Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP 0203 787 9001 Printing Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Normanton, West Yorkshire. MORTONS MEDIA GROUP LTD Sales and distribution manager Carl Smith Marketing manager Charlotte Park Commercial director Nigel Hole…

STAFF and volunteers at the Spa Valley Railway are enjoying a double celebration as 2022 draws to a close – the end of an exceptional year that helped to banish, or at the very least minimise, painful memories of the Covid lockdowns, and news that SR Battle of Britain No. 34072 257 Squadron has become a permanent member of the railway’s fleet. Jonnie Pay, the Tunbridge Wellsbased line’s commercial and finance manager, said at the beginning of December, with another month to go before 2022 bowed out: “It has been an exceptional year. We are expecting to exceed 70,000 visitors, a significant increase from the 30,000 we used to have, and this was due to The Polar Express train rides and the many large events we have held.” He made…

DEAN Walton, acting general manager at the Epping Ongar Railway, is to step down from the position on December 24. Dean started as the railway’s commercial manager in 2014 before being appointed as acting general manager in 2017. Revealing the news to volunteers on December 8, EOR managing director Roger Wright said: “During this time, Dean has played a major role in the expansion and development of the railway and will be greatly missed. “On behalf of the staff, volunteers, and society members, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Dean for all his hard work and to offer him best wishes for the future.” Dean said: “It has been a great privilege to work with the EOR and all the many staff and volunteers since 2014 and…

LONG-SERVING volunteer Malcolm Holmes has been appointed as the Great Central Railway’s general manager. Mr Holmes has been associated with the GCR in several volunteer roles for 28 years and will be stepping into his new role in March. His professional life has largely been in the public transport sector, particularly rail operations, most recently as executive director of the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE), to which he was appointed on a permanent basis in 2019. During the previous six years, he undertook the role on an interim basis, when the WMRE oversaw major projects, including the publication of the 30-year Rail Investment Strategy for the region, and played a key role in the award of the West Midlands Rail franchise. As reported in issue 296, a review of the…

AN EARLY Christmas gift arrived in Darlington after The A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust announced that the overhaul of its boiler for Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado had been completed in Germany. The overhaul of the A1 began in February when the boiler was sent to DB Meiningen for refurbishment – in a change to the original plan that would have seen a new one fitted in its place. Manufacturing the two new boilers was reported to have faced a six-month delay caused by Covid-19, and the trust decided that as there had been only a limited number of steamings throughout the pandemic, a refurbishment was a credible option. While in Germany the boiler received new flue and smoke tubes, as well as new foundation ring corners. Some limited plate work…