Heritage Railway Issue 234

ASaphotographer I find thechangingcolours ofautumnirresistible,whenthefoliageturns to varying shades of gold,bronze, scarletandbrown, beforeit’sback towinterandthe long darknights. However, formegreenhasbeenby far thebest colour this autumn. Wehave seenthemainlinepassenger train-hauling debut of BulleidMerchantNavyPacificNo. 35018 BritishIndiaLine inBRgreen,not the shinyblack livery in which it undertook its trial runs.Yes, it failedwith abearingproblematYork, butnopassengerswere inconveniencedor deprivedof asteam-hauledreturnjourney, andthe locomotivewas fixed andrunning again within a fewdays. I remain supremely confident that BritishIndia Line willbea starperformer formany years to come. Onapurelypersonalbasis, Iwas delightedbeyondbelief to seeanother locomotive makeits debut inSoutherngreen, this timeabrandnewone. Theaddition of replica Baldwin 2-4-2T Lyn to the Lynton&BarnstapleRailway’s fleetwill give this fairytale line,oneof theWestCountry’ssleeping giants, a complete, original train, in advanceof its eagerlyawaited big pushwestwardstoBlackmoorGate. Thirdly, therenowemerges the prospectofLSWRT3 4-4-0No.563being returnedto running orderbyexperts in the fieldof restoringVictorian locomotives.There hasbeenmuchcontroversy over theNationalRailway Museum’s recent decisionto‘gift’this locomotive, partof theNationalCollection, to theSwanageRailway,which…

THE Swanage Railway’s latest addition – globetrotting LSWR T3 4-4-0 No. 563 – may be returned to steam for the first time in 72 years. Controversy flared earlier this year when the National Railway Museum decided that as part of a rationalisation process, the 1892-built locomotive, the sole survivor of a class of 20 and part of the National Collection, should be ‘gifted’ to the Purbeck Line – on the proviso that if there comes a time when it is no longer required, it must give the NRM first refusal. Now, Bill Parker, whose Flour Mill workshops at Bream in the Forest of Dean have become widely regarded as market-leading experts in the restoration of Victorian locomotives, has offered to dismantle No. 563 to assess what needs to be done…

THE Wensleydale Railway is on track to receive nearly £380,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to refurbish Grade II-listed Leeming Bar station. The Stage 1 pass will release £22,000 of funding to draw up a final bid for restoration work to be carried out during 2018. It will include authentic interior spaces for use by schools and community groups and involve a recreated boardroom, waiting room, ticket office and tearoom designed in the style of the stationmaster’s parlour. The 1848-built structure is currently listed as ‘at risk’ and needs a full restoration of the fabric and interior. Designed by railway architect GT Andrews, he marked its importance as the headquarters of the line by the inclusion of a grand portico. The grant follows £72,050 provided by Richmondshire Council to relay…

PLANS by TransPennine Express to convert sidings at Scarborough into a light maintenance depot may deter steam charter operators and damage the resort’s tourist economy, it has been claimed. TPE has asked Network Rail for permission to provide by next July a stabling, cleaning and fuelling facility at Scarborough to support the delivery of its Class 68 diesels and new Mk.5a coaches, at the former Appletons Oil sidings. However, the Down excursion sidings at Scarborough – which give access to the oil sidings – were retained entirely due to charter traffic to and from Scarborough. The sidings also provide access to the turntable reinstated in the 1980s for turning steam locomotives and was specifically funded for this purpose by tourism-conscious Scarborough Borough Council. West Coast Railways, the operator of the…

THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway will be holding a steam gala on May 26-28, 2018 to celebrate the return to steam of all three Ivatt 2MTs that were gifted to the railway by the Ivatt Trust. Purchased directly from BR by the trust, 2-6-2T No. 41298 was moved to the Longmoor Military Railway in 1967, but when Longmoor closed, it went to Quainton Road in 1970, where a heavy overhaul commenced. The trust built a substantial restoration shed for this engine, a 2-6-0 No. 46447 and another, 2-6-2T No. 41313, which it bought from Barry scrapyard in 1972 and 1975 respectively, but none of the three engines ever steamed at Quainton. Eventually, the trust came to a long-term agreement with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway that would see…

ALL 41 rail vehicles at Coventry’s unique Electric Railway Museum have been found new homes following the venue’s enforced closure by the city council. Heritage lines across the country have rallied round to offer accommodation for the museum’s exhibits, which have had to be dispersed across the country because a single-site replacement cannot be afforded. The Colne Valley, Battlefield, East Kent and the new Blaenau Ffestiniog & Trawsfynydd railways have all agreed to take exhibits in the museum’s hour of need, while others have gone to private sites for safekeeping. Final open day The museum, which is located next to Coventry Airport at Baginton, held its final open day on Sunday, October 8. It was attended by around 1000 visitors. A special beer, Third R-Ale, brewed to mark the sad…