Heritage Railway Issue 278

THE response of supporters of the heritage sector, including our readers, to public appeals to counter the multiple challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic has been both magnanimous and magnificent. However, the parlous state of Llangollen Railway plc, which has just declared itself insolvent as a result of previous problems with the contract engineering side compounded by it being unable to generate income from public services during lockdown, presents a new mountain for the movement to climb. Any reduction or loss of this stunningly-beautiful line would not only be a massive blow to the local tourist economy, as both the local MP and Welsh assembly member have rightly highlighted, but to the sector as a whole, especially in a year when the completion of the Corwen extension would almost certainly…

THE Welsh Government has been asked to save the Llangollen Railway from closure. In a March 1 statement which sent shock waves through the UK heritage sector, the Llangollen Railway plc said that it was insolvent to the extent of £350,000, and could no longer legally continue to trade. Accordingly, the directors have had to take the “reluctant step” of inviting the bank to appoint a receiver/administrator. The company’s losses were said to stem from the contract engineering side of the business, where problems predated lockdown, and had seen owners remove their locomotives from the Llangollen workshops, including the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 246 Morayshire (see separate story). The plc statement said: “The company’s accounts show pre-tax losses of £330,601 in 2018, £329,175 in 2019 and…

THE Llangollen RailwayTrust immediately launched a dedicated fund – initial target £50,000 – to buy the plc’s rolling stock from the administrator/receiver in due course, to prevent coaches being moved elsewhere and services being unable to resume. The first goal will be the purchase of the railway’s accessible-adapted coach. The quickest way to donate is online llangollenrailway.enthuse. com/ and click the Donate button. For taxpayers, the railway can apply for 25% Gift Aid. You can also make a transfer to Llangollen Railway Charitable Trust: sort code: 53.81.03 account number: 23423455 Alternatively, supporters are invited to send cheques payable to Llangollen Railway Trust Ltd to The Station, Abbey Road, Llangollen LL20 8SN.…

DIDCOT Railway Centre’s volunteer photographer Frank Dumbleton was named an‘Unsung Hero’at Tourism South East’s prestigious Beautiful South Awards for Excellence, in an online ceremony. Frank has been involved with the Great Western Society – the charity which operates the centre – since its formation in 1961. He was recognised for his countless hours in taking photographs that contributed to the success of Didcot’s image-led marketing strategy adopted last year, along with his efforts as a guide, museum steward and compiling the popular On This Day in History posts for the centre’s Facebook platform, and his input into the successful online blogs that he launched on the organisation’s website in 2020. Like many other recent events, the awards ceremony switched to an online format – in his short acceptance speech, Frank…

AMONG the orgnisations impacted by the situation at the Llangollen Railway (LR) is the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS). A statement from SRPS vice-chairman Jim Verth said: “Since LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 246 Morayshire was moved off the Llangollen site, (February 2020), we have been trying to engage with the directors of the plc with our concerns arising from the overhaul of Morayshire, as part of a dispute resolution process. “Recently, we were pleased to be able to meet with members of the new plc board. The discussions were set to continue once both sides had considered their position. “The SRPS is disappointed to hear of the decision of the LR to invite the bank to appoint a receiver. That plainly has implications for the dispute resolution process on which…

A LOCOMOTIVE has returned to steam at the Midland Railway-Butterley half a century after being imported to the UK. Following a heavy overhaul that lasted more than 20 years, Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0WT No. 7529 of 1914, which waited half a century to be rebuilt, is set to haul passenger trains at the venue’s 2ft gauge Golden Valley Light Railway when Covid-19 restrictions allow. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, the 50hp locomotive was supplied new to Bellefille Levau, which was developing a sand quarry at Sable et Gres de Nemours, France. It worked there until 1967 when it was bought by an enthusiast from Ripley in Surrey and was brought to England for restoration. It eventually moved to the now-defunct Cadeby Light Railway in Leicestershire, where…