Table of contents for Issue 246 in Heritage Railway

DURING my two decades in railway journalism, conflicts between the requirements of rails and the ambitions of cyclepath promoters have often been vexed issues, the latest manifestation being the controversy over the use of the footbridge that links Totnes to the South Devon Railway’s Totnes (Riverside) terminus and the town’s magnificent rare breeds farm next door that, as an animal lover, is the finest of its type I have ever seen. So far the railway has refused to allow the footbridge to become part of a long-distance cyclepath stretching across southern England from the Kent coast to south Cornwall, and it has come under a barrage of criticism from local politicians at all levels for taking this stance. There are two factors at play here. Firstly, the footbridge would need…

THE Mid-Norfolk Railway has been given a £96,000 grant by the European Union towards the construction of a train shed at Dereham. Another unexpected fillip for East Anglia’s longest heritage line is that it has film producers lining up to use Dereham station for location filming, after landing a starring role in the new BBC drama series Bodyguard. After 18 months of preparation and hard work, MNR vice chairman Barry Woodgett signed the EU Leader Fund grant agreement form on Thursday, August 22. The form covers 80% of the costs of construction of the new three-track maintenance building. The rest of the costs will be covered by donations from members and visitors. All associated rail infrastructure works and interior equipment will be installed and financed by the railway. If all…

THE volunteer group which has been stopped from maintaining Class 55 Deltic No. 55002 King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (‘KOYLI’) at the National Railway Museum has now switched its attention to sister locomotive No. 55015 Tulyar. The group has been told by NRM officials to cease work on‘KOYLI’for the time being, and members have now offered their expertise to the Deltic Preservation Society (DPS), which has been making big progress on the restoration of Tulyar at Barrow Hill. Tulyar’s overhauled bogies are nearing completion and two power units – each generator having been professionally overhauled – have been earmarked for installing and the locomotive, which last ran in 1998, is soon to be rewheeled. Society chairman Murray Brown said: “This is a really much appreciated gesture. Many of the KOYLI…

THE South Devon Railway is blocking a scheme to complete a national cycle network running across southern England from Dover to St Austell – by refusing Devon County Council permission to allow cyclists to use its footbridge over the River Dart around the clock. Taking National Cyclepath Network Route 2 into Totnes via Littlehempston would complete the missing link between Newton Abbot and Totnes, but it relies on permission being granted by the South Devon Railway for cyclists to use the Bulliver Bridge that connects Totnes (Riverside) station to the town. Promoters and local councillors claim that they have been stonewalled by the railway in their bid to obtain its permission to include the 15-year-old footbridge in the cyclepath – and they may now have to build another for cyclists…

MEMBERS of the Lake District Foundation are celebrating the success of a campaign to raise funds towards the reopening of part of the former Cockermouth Keswick & Penrith Railway, a popular path until being devastated by floods nearly three years ago. The three miles of trackbed between Keswick and Threlkeld had become a popular attraction to walkers, tourists and cyclists since its opening as a trail in 1985, but in December 2015 Storm Desmond struck the area with devastating results, and none more so than on this stretch of former railway. Two original railway bridges crossing the River Greta and 220 yards of embankment were washed away, a third bridge was damaged, and a section of raised boardwalk destabilised. The damage was estimated at nearly £5½ million, and last December…

TWO exhibitions of paintings by some of the country’s leading railway artists are currently delighting visitors to Locomotion in Shildon and Kidderminster Railway Museum. The exhibition at Locomotion, which comprises 28 works by Christine Pulham, is a ‘first’ for both the museum and the artist, with the County Durham museum staging a display by just one artist, and it is also Chris’solo debut. It opened to the public on August 19, and among those who attended the launch were representatives of the National Railway Museum and the prestigious Guild of Railway Artists, of which Chris is a full member. Some of the paintings on display are available for sale, and the first purchase came within hours of the opening. This work was titled The last autumn 1927, and depicted a…

THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways has confirmed it intends to repeat its series of heritage tours of the Welsh Highland Railway in 2019. Marketed as Journey into the Past, and sponsored by the Welsh Highland Heritage Group, the special trains were trialled on Sundays in August. Starting at Dinas, with a connection for the first train from Caernarfon, participants were greeted by their host for the day, before boarding their special train. Hauled by England 0-4-0STT No.2 Prince, the three heritage carriages departed along the original North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway trackbed. Different experiences The first stop was at Tryfan Junction, where the station building has been lovingly restored by WHHG volunteers. Participants could see inside and learn more about the once-busy little quarry line, the Bryngwyn branch. Helped…

VISITORS to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s October 12-14 wartime weekend will be able to see inside a Victorian restaurant car that has not carried passengers for 91 years. An audio-visual presentation – From Steam, Speed and Sumptuous Dining to Tracks into the Trenches – will tell the story of East Coast Joint Stock third class dining car No. 189, which last carried passengers in 1927, after which the carriage body was sold to a Holme-on-Spalding-Moor pig farmer. There it languished for some 60 years, before a preservationist secured it in the 1980s, mounting it on an old underframe recovered from a burned-out carriage. Since 2010, the LNER Coach Association has owned it and it has been undergoing an extensive restoration, which is now complete. The exhibition will not only…

ONE OF Australia’s leading railway museums, which was for many years home to a number of British-built steam locomotives including one of the world’s largest operational preserved engines, has been saved nearly two years after its dramatic and unexpected closure. Canberra Railway Museum closed in November 2016 following the financial collapse of the ACT division of the Australian Railway Historical Society, which ran the museum. As volunteers, preservationists and enthusiasts reeled from the sudden closure, two of the society’s prized Beyer Peacock-built assets, Garratt 4-8-4+4-8-4 No. 6029 and 4-6-0 No. 3016, were hurriedly relocated by officials to another railway museum 150 miles away. Amid reports that it had debts of at least £425,000, the society was placed in provisional liquidation and global accountancy firm Deloitte was appointed administrator to oversee…

THE Lynton & Barnstaple Railway has revived its mothballed plan to build a new Manning Wardle 2-6-2T – and intends to build a second one at the same time, at a cost of £1.1 million. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust will be launching a project to build the pair at the line’s September 29-30 autumn gala. The gala will see the two existing L&B new-builds, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’updated version of Lew which was built by Manning Wardle & Co for the L&B in 1925, and the recently completed Baldwin 2-4-2T Lyn running together. At Woody Bay, it will be possible to see - and hear - two L&B engines in action together for the first time since 1935, and on home ground too. When the heritage…

THE £5 million project to build new Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales has launched a virtual reality 3D internet tour of its Darlington Locomotive Works headquarters. The tour has been created by C3Sixty, a North East-based company which scans and captures various buildings and projects. The virtual tour allows visitors to the project’s website from across the world to see Prince of Wales under construction. It can be accessed at www.p2steam.com It allows supporters to click through the workshop, look at various videos relating to components and find out more about No. 2007 and its six predecessors. For those with 3D headsets/glasses, the tour can be accessed via the View in VR icon in the bottom right-hand while viewing the tour and following the simple instructions. Adam…

THE main frame plates for new-build GWR County 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery have been ordered – and a new £10,000 appeal to pay for the machining has just been launched. The Churchward County Trust has placed the order for the plates with Tata Steel of Wednesfield, as per Swindon drawing No. 43495, just six months after the launch of the £1.5million project. The trust aims to re-create one of Churchward’s ‘Rough Riders’ using a combination of new and original GWR components. The order represents the first new metal to be ordered by the trust and has been funded by the donations from members of the project’s Founders’ Club, but more is need to cover the machining. Parent material Delivery of the parent material to Wednesfield from the rolling…

Like many teenagers in the 1960s I had been an avid trainspotter; in my case, my local line was the East Coast route where I managed to ‘cop’ many LNER Pacifics, including all of the A4s. The King’s Cross engines such as Mallard, Sir Nigel Gresley and Flying Scotsman were an everyday sight but one afternoon in 1963 an apparition came into view at one of my favoured spots, Walton level crossing north of Peterborough. It was an immaculate but unfamiliar-looking steam engine heading south light engine on the slow line. As it passed, I naturally noted down its number – 4472, but the four-figure number was unfamiliar, as was shade of green and the initials LNER on the tender. However, I recognised the name on the red plate over…

THE East Somerset Railway came through some difficult times a few years ago, but it is now buoyant. Passenger numbers are on the up and attractions are being added. At 2½ miles, the line may sound on the short side on the face of it, but the ESR offers more than a ‘mere’ train ride – it has grasped the benefits of offering added experiences, such as different types of footplate visits and cream teas. Yatton was once a busy junction with lines spreading north (Clevedon) and south (a branch to Blagdon and the Cheddar Valley Line through Cheddar, Wells, Shepton Mallet and on to Frome). All these lines have now gone, yet Yatton remains as a stop on the GWR line between Bristol and Taunton. For this feature I’m…

In issue 230 of Heritage Railway in 2017, I referred to work then in progress at the workshops of North Bay Railway Engineering Services Ltd (NBES) on a 2ft gauge replica Decauville ‘Type 1’ 0-4-0T. At this time, the company’s workshops were located at two premises in Scarborough. The smaller of the buildings – located close to the town’s North Bay Railway – served as a machine shop, whilst the larger – located in an adjacent village – fulfilled the function of an erecting shop. No doubt, the history of NBES will be familiar to many readers, especially those whose main interest is the narrow gauge sphere, but for those unfamiliar with the company it will be helpful to give a brief outline here. Origin The decision to set up…

HERITAGE RAILWAY magazine, in association with our sister title The Railway Magazine and the Nostalgia Collection, is offering readers copies of the new book The Photographic Artistry of Rail Cameramen – featured here – for just £25, a saving of £5 on the published price. Not only do you save, but for each book sold a £5 donation will be made to The Railway Children charity, an international organisation working with vulnerable street children in India, East Africa and the UK. In addition, each book will contain a special bookplate signed by book editor John Hillier, Railway Children charity founder David Maidment, Nostalgia Collection’s publisher Peter Townsend, editor of The Railway Magazine Chris Milner, Heritage Railway editor Robin Jones and publisher of The Railway Magazine and Heritage Railway, Tim Hartley.…

PRINCESS Coronation 4-6-2 No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland is back in steam – and also in its original LMS crimson lake livery to mark its 80th birthday. Following the completion of a major overhaul, a special ‘roll out day’ was held on Sunday, September 9 at the iconic 1938-built locomotive’s base – the West Shed at the Midland Railway-Butterley. Over the last nine months, the former Butlin’s Heads of Ayr holiday camp and Bressingham Museum locomotive has received a full boiler overhaul, with the major work being the retubing of 129 small tubes and replacing the 40 large flue tubes, at a total cost of around £150,000. The vast majority of the work has been carried out in-house by the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s four full-time engineers with the…

THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s (KWVR) locomotive department has outshopped its second closely related Class 2 locomotive, with BR Standard 2-6-0 No. 78022 undergoing its initial steam tests and running in during early September, following closely behind its half cousin, red-liveried Ivatt 2-6-2T No. 41241. Built at Darlington Works in 1954, No. 78022 was withdrawn from Lostock Hall in Preston, where it was removed from British Rail service in February 1967. No. 78022 was bought from Barry scrapyard in 1975, and was returned to service in 1993. It proved to be a popular locomotive, later withdrawn for a 10-year overhaul at the end of 2000, and was moved to Oxenhope for display inside the exhibition shed there. In May 2014, it was moved back to Haworth for preparations for…

THE Great Central Railway’s nationwide appeal for funds to repair a Victorian cast iron bridge over the Grand Union Canal as part of its plans to create an 18-mile inter-city heritage line has raised more than £250,000. An essential part of the project to link the GCR to its northern sister, the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), restoration work on the bridge just north of Loughborough shed will go ahead over the coming months. GCR managing director Michael Gough said:“We are grateful to everyone who continues to respond to our appeal. During our national campaign we attracted many new donors from across the UK, but it is extremely humbling to still be receiving donations from the railway’s friends in the community.” Winter start The work on the bridge needs to take…

ONE OF the most successful railway restoration projects of recent times has completed 9000 journeys and covered 10,000km – more than 6000 miles – since it opened a year ago. The distance, achieved by the Mail Rail underground railway in central London, is further than an air journey to Tokyo or Rio de Janeiro. Mail Rail, in Clerkenwell, near King’s Cross station, was opened by the Postal Museum on September 4 last year. It is a restored stretch of the former 2ft-gauge Post Office Underground Railway that opened in 1927 and ran 70ft beneath the capital’s streets for 6½ miles from west to east London, carrying millions of letters and parcels a day on driverless electric trains. Popularity The line closed in 2003, beaten by the relentless march of lorries…

ONE of the Severn Valley Railway’s best-loved locomotives, GWR 4-6-0 No. 7819 Hinton Manor, has returned to the railway after more than 10 years on display in a shopping centre in Swindon. The Designer Outlet Village is set in part of the former Swindon Locomotive Works, where No. 7819 was built almost 80 years ago at a cost of £4914. The operation to remove the 68-ton locomotive included the removal of a large glass wall inside the shopping centre before it could move out of the building and be loaded on to the waiting low-loader for transport to Kidderminster, where it was unloaded in time for display in one of the bays there over the bank holiday weekend. It is planned to clean up the locomotive, which last steamed in…

THE TALYLLYN Railway has launched an appeal to restore the only coach still operational from fellow 2ft 3in gauge line, the original Corris Railway (CR). While the full extent of the work required will not be known until the panelling is removed, it is expected to cost in the region of £20,000, including labour. Once funding is in place, it is estimated the task will take around six months. The 22-seater was built in 1898 by the by Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon Co in Birmingham and was one of the last two coaches built for the CR. It was made redundant when passenger services were withdrawn by the GWR, which had acquired the CR in 1930. The carriage, No. 8 and sister No. 7 were sold to a GWR official…

AN INDEPENDENT museum in Dalbeattie, which has played its part in keeping the town’s railway heritage alive, is celebrating its silver jubilee. Volunteer-run Dalbeattie Museum Trust opened in 1993, and put on show items salvaged from Dalbeattie station on the Dumfries to Stranraer line, which were rescued after the railway closed in 1965. Exhibits on show include the last stationmaster’s hat, a model of an LMS 2P 4-4-0, a train staff, pictures and tickets, and the builder’s plate salvaged from the now-demolished Urr Viaduct outside the town – beautifully restored and dating from the bridge’s reconstruction in 1886. Non-railway exhibits include domestic appliances, agricultural machinery and a display on RMS Titanic, as first officer William Murdoch was born and educated in Dalbeattie, while the museum hosts an archive of steam…

SCOTLAND’S Old Royal Station in Ballater has been reopened to the public more than three years after being gutted in a fire. As reported in issue 203, the blaze tore through the B-listed building early on May 12, 2015 destroying around 90% of the museum and associated restaurant. Fire crews however, managed to save a £450,000 replica of a royal carriage, used by Queen Victoria for her trips over the Deeside branch to nearby Balmoral Castle, which was installed at the museum in 2008 and has proved hugely popular with visitors. Further damage was later caused by Storm Frank in late December 2015. Ballater was the nearest station to Balmoral Castle, Victoria’s Scottish holiday home. The showpiece station was the largest wooden building ever built by the Deeside Railway, and…

WHERE in the UK can you find a standard gauge railway inspired by the light railways of Colonel Holman F Stephens? While the Kent & East Sussex Railway, Rother Valley Railway or even the East Kent Railway may spring to mind, there is a small standard gauge railway tucked away in the quiet countryside of the East Riding of Yorkshire, not far from the small historic market town of Howden. In a remote and tranquil location you’ll find an attractive little station, a short running line, a locomotive and stock where a small but dedicated group of friends meet most weeks to work on the railway. The East Wressle & Brind Railway was the dream of the late Colin Shutt who sadly passed away in 2016. It all started back…

DIDCOT Railway Centre’s new signalling centre exhibition is already proving a big hit with visitors since it opened on June 23. The exhibition examines the history of train control centres from the railway policeman to the recently opened Thames Valley Signalling Centre, and features the 1930s illuminated panel from Bristol East signalbox and the Swindon Panel from the 1960s as major exhibits, in a project having been undertaken in conjunction with the Swindon Panel Society. 1970s/80s style The first image (bottom left) shows Swindon Panel, which was installed in its building alongside Swindon station in 1968, and was finally taken out of service in 2016. It was sold by Network Rail to the Swindon Panel Society for £1. The society moved it to the new building at Didcot in April…

THE Foxfield Railway has come to the aid of fellow premier industrial heritage line the Middleton Railway to loan a locomotive for its showpiece Last Coals to Leeds event on September 29-30. Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 3839 of 1955 Wimblebury was supplied new to the NCB Cannock Wood Colliery near Hednesford and worked there until the early 1970s when it was withdrawn from service. The colliery closed in 1973 and Wimblebury was bought privately for preservation and moved to the Foxfield Railway in September that year, as spares for another engine. However, after being fitted with vacuum brakes, Wimblebury was used regularly at Foxfield in the late Seventies. After another 10-yearly overhaul, it returned to steam in July 2017, but was taken out of service and lifted early this year for…

IN A prime example of old-time railway working, prompt action on the ground by those responsible saved passengers on the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Royal Duchy’a much-delayed journey home from Par to Bristol, on Sunday, September 2. Running behind Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34052 Lord Dowding (34046 Braunton) from Bristol Temple Meads to Plymouth and Par via Taunton and Exeter, the train made its final destination on time. After dropping the passengers, the 4-6-2 proceeded to St Blazey for turning and servicing. However, for whatever reason, the expected fresh supply of coal was not available, causing a situation which posed an operational problem. Without a tender top-up, the engine would not be able to work the train back to Bristol because of a lack of sufficient fuel. ‘Tractor’ to the rescue Thinking…

SAPHOS Trains has been putting D213 Andania to good use – with further tours to follow in the coming weeks. As reported in our last issue, the Class 40 recently returned to the main line. On August 27, the locomotive operated the‘Cumbrian Mountain Whistler’, which ran from Crewe to Carlisle and return via the Settle and Carlisle line. It will haul the ‘Yorkshire Coast Merrymaker’ to Scarborough on Saturday, October 6. Starting at Crewe, after picking up at Warrington Bank Quay, it will head to Scarborough via Miles Platting bank and the seven-mile climb to Diggle, with its 1-in-135 gradient and the three-mile tunnel at the summit. The tour will return via Hebden Bridge, Burnley and Wigan. The English Electric will head along the North Wales main line on Saturday,…

DIDCOT’S blue Great Western 4-6-0 No. 6023 King Edward II is due back from the Dartmouth Steam Railway in a few weeks’time, and has, by all accounts, performed well this summer. The King’s visit to Devon was its third outing following appearances on the Severn Valley Railway and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. Didcot’s main concern in agreeing to hire out the 4-6-0 was to test the efficiency of the King’s revised blast pipe arrangements. Reports say even when pulling 10 coaches on gradients, sounds coming from the single chimney are sharp and clear. Anxious to see their engine out on the main line, the people involved at Didcot, led by Richard Preston, are faced with the problem of gauging to meet Network Rail’s specifications. As is well known, the King…

THE Railway Touring Company slips into autumn on Sunday, October 7 with a trip to Matlock – having wrapped up its summer programme with trains to Plymouth and Par on September 2 and Swanage on September 13. ‘The Peak Forester’starts from Norwich with ‘Black Five’ No. 45305 at its head, and calls at Wymondham, Attleborough, Thetford, Brandon and Peterborough. The 4-6-0 then joins the East Coast Main Line to Grantham and Lincolnshire and the Trent Valley. On arrival at Matlock, passengers have the option of travelling on through Darley Dale to Rowsley via Peak Rail. On Saturday, October 20, ‘The Yorkshireman’ departs Ealing Broadway and makes stops at St Albans, Luton, Bedford, Kettering and Melton Mowbray, before A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa takes the former Midland Line through…

October THUR 4: ‘The Cathedrals Express’ Theale, Newbury, Taunton & return. Steam-hauled: Theale, Taunton. Loco: No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. SD THUR 4: ‘The Cathedrals Express’ Taunton, Plymouth & return. Steam-hauled: Taunton, Plymouth. Locos: No. 60103 Flying Scotsman and No. 61306 Mayflower . SD SAT 6: ‘The Cathedrals Express’ Plymouth, Par & return. Steam-hauled: Plymouth, Par. Loco: No. 60103 Flying Scotsman and No. 61306 Mayflower. SD SUN 7: ‘The Auld Reekie’ Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, Edinburgh & return. Steam-hauled: Doncaster, Edinburgh. Loco: No. 60163 Tornado and D9009 Alycidon . RTC MON 8: ‘The Cathedrals Express’ Plymouth, Exeter & return. Steam-hauled: Plymouth, Exeter. Loco: No. 60103…

CRANMORE Traincare & Maintenance Service (CTMS) is a commercial carriage restoration team, based at Cranmore in the 1988 carriage shed. CTMS was established in July 1995 as a trading division of the Cranmore Railway Company Ltd, which is a commercial arm of the ESR (which itself is a registered charity) and today employs four or five people full-time. The expertise of the CTMS is available to both heritage railways and mainline charter operators, but the ESR’s own carriages are maintained by the volunteers. CTMS carries out quality carriage overhauls and has customers across the UK. Its specialisation is body overhauls of Mk1 and Mk2 coaches, with work also being done on Mk3 coaches, wagons and locos, both steam and diesel. Profits are transferred to the ESR for the preservation of…

VOLUNTEERS are the lifeblood of our heritage railways. Without an army of supporters, the railways and museums we all enjoy visiting and travelling on would be forced to close. As in the world of paid work, organisations of different sizes offer a range of opportunities. However, what they can all provide is hours of enjoyment, the chance to make new friends and to gain skills and experiences, which may prove valuable in furthering your career. To help maintain our health and well-being, we all need to be able to switch off from our daily trudge – volunteering on a heritage line allows that to be done with constructive, satisfying results. I have been a railway volunteer since the tender age of seven. The wealth of experiences I’ve gained have helped…

Be grateful for what we have already achieved AS A brief follow-up to Derrick Martin’s letter concerning his desire to see more vintage trains recreated, can I say how very fortunate I feel in the fact that I’ve just ridden on an excellently restored Midland Railway train at Butterley (albeit pulled by a J94) and also in the Ashover Light Railway coach on its Golden Valley Light Railway too. In recent months I’ve also been on a Lancashire & Yorkshire, a Metropolitan and a Southern Railway train at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, GWR, LMS and LNER trains at the Severn Valley, a Midland & Great Northern train at Sheringham and the Knotty train at Foxfield. I’m well aware that many more railways are also doing a great job…

FORMER Severn Valley Railway chief traction inspector Bernard Rainbow has died following a long fight with cancer. Bernard began his railway career in 1949 at Tyseley carriage and wagon department, before moving to the loco department the following year. He recalled on one occasion when he was a fireman on a GWR King, towards the end of their BR service, his wife joined him on the footplate for a run into Birmingham Snow Hill. Around Warwick, the driver beckoned to her to take hold of the regulator,which she did with relish. She later explained that she didn’t want to work her way up through the links but wanted to“start at the top!” Royal recognition In 1967 he moved to Saltley depot, where SVR diesel driver Bob Dunn worked with him.…

VISITORS were not in short supply at the annual Welshpool & Llanfair Railway gala, held between Friday, August 31 and Sunday, September 2. One of the highlights of the narrow gauge scene’s calendar, as is tradition, the Mid Wales 2ft 6in gauge line operated its most intensive timetable of the year – but with some welcome different twists and extras. A prime example was the ability for the public to experience a pump trolley in the bay platform at Welshpool. Visiting from the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, it provided interest between trains, as well as augmenting the small model show in Welshpool’s exhibition shed. Another welcome attraction was Bagnall 0-6-2T Superb from the SKLR, making its second visit to the W&L – and this year it was allowed to…

➜ Butterley ‘Jinty’ on way back WORK on the boiler of ‘Jinty’ No. 47445 is progressing well at the North Norfolk Railway’s Weybourne boiler shop. The barrel has been aligned to the firebox and fully riveted back together. The new rear corner pieces have now been fully welded in position. Owned by Derby City Museums and Art Gallery, the 1927-built 0-6-0T is on long-term lease to the Midland Railway Trust at Butterley. The LMS 3F is currently undergoing restoration in the heavy repair shed at Swanwick Junction. ➜ Sybil’s new boiler makes progress A MAJOR step forward has been made with the restoration of former Dinorwic Quarry Bagnall 0-4-0ST Sybil at the West Lancashire Light Railway. After detailed fitting work, the inner firebox has been temporarily fitted into the outer…

THE restoration of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s Stanier 8F has reached another stage. The tender tank on Bo’ness-based TCCD No. 45170 (WD No. 554) has been lifted off the tender chassis. The tank has already been cleaned out and the coal hole has been repaired and painted. The wheelsets are now due to be sent for retyring after being cleaned. The journals and horn guides will also be inspected and repaired as necessary – and the frames will be stripped back prior to painting. The tender axles have been ultrasonically tested for cracks with all found to be sound. The front buffer plate will need to be replaced due to cracks and historical damage. Although in sound condition, the drag box will need its locating rivets renewed as at…

NOT too far away from the Kent and East Sussex Railway is a little gem of a railway situated in a back garden. The Richmond Light Railway in Headcorn is a privately-owned railway that comes across as a big garden railway with its model railway-like perfectly kept grass and ballast. Having seen photos of the set-up, I was intrigued to see what it was like myself so when a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join him in attending the Vintage Fair on August 18, I jumped at the chance. I knew very little about the railway, so I was going in with an open mind and boy, I wasn’t disappointed. The story to date The whole story for Richmond began in 2007 when Richmond Farm, previously…

FANS of the English Electric Class 50 ‘Hoovers’are set for a treat when the Severn Valley Railway stages its tribute to the class over three days from Thursday to Saturday, October 4-6. Celebrating 50 years of the class, the Class 50 Golden Jubilee event will see as many as 11 members of the type in operation. Six of the surviving examples are in the care of the SVR-based Class 50 Alliance, with five others visiting from other lines and private individuals. Scheduled to appear are Nos. 50007/8/15/17/26/31/33/35/44/49/50. However, the participation of No. 50033 Glorious is subject to completion of its overhaul in time. As well as full line services, a special timetable will include local‘extras’ between Kidderminster and Bewdley, giving an intensive service of Class 50 operation along the 16-mile…

THE extension of the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway has started in traditional style, with the cutting of the‘first sod’. A small ceremony was held on August 25 with the ‘Middy’s’ president Tony Alston and Rob Patten from contractors TES 2000 Ltd, which is helping with advice and equipment. A train of well-wishers witnessed Tony, the project manager for the extension, turning over the first turf with a silver spade in the familiar manner for beginning the work of laying a new railway line. TES 2000 and its associates Colas Rail are both major railway contractors working with Network Rail and will take on the Middy project as part of their apprentice training schemes. It is hoped that a start on the preparation of the trackbed can be made during October and…

THE West Somerset Railway will have three visiting steam locomotives for its September 27-30 autumn gala. BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73082 Camelot, from the Bluebell Railway; Bulleid Pacific No. 34052 Lord Dowding (34046 Braunton), from Locomotive Services at Crewe; Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41312, from the Mid-Hants Railway; and BR Standard 4MT No. 80104, from the Swanage Railway. These will be joined by longer-term visitors Nos. 7820 Dinmore Manor, 7822 Foxcote Manor and USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 6046, along with home fleet locomotives Somerset & Dorset 7F No. 53808 and GWR 4-6-0 No. 6960 Raveningham Hall. WR 4-6-0 No. 7828 Odney Manor may be on display outside Minehead shed, but will not be ready in time to take part in this gala. It is planned to use the Ivatt…

IT MAY not be the Ritz or have been awarded any stars, but to the volunteers of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, it’s top-class accommodation that provides welcome comforts after a hard shift. In what Shaun Dewey, the railway’s general manager, describes as the “biggest step change in volunteer facilities for many years,”two blocks of single-bedroom units have been opened at the railway’s Tenterden base for the use of anyone working on the railway, especially volunteers who live a distance away. The two blocks comprise six single bedrooms – complete with double-glazing and blackout curtains – showers and toilets, and kitchens with cooking facilities. The charge to stay is £5 per night to fund heating, cleaning and maintenance, while the normal maximum stay is seven nights. “A great deal…

LOCOMOTIVE Services BR 7P 4-6-2 No. 70000 Britannia is set to return to the main line following its appearance at the Severn Valley Railway’s September 20-23 autumn steam gala. It will use its visit to the gala (News, page 40) to check that the vibration problem which has kept the engine off the main line for two years has been resolved, and it can take its place in the railway’s end of September gala. In early October, it will return to Crewe under its own steam, using the movement as a test run, after which, it will hopefully be ready for main line work. No. 46100 Royal Scot – in action on Saturday, September 8, working Saphos Trains’‘William Shakespeare’ from Crewe to Stratford-upon-Avon,…

PRIME Minister Theresa May has acknowledged the “great benefits” of extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle. Responding to a question by Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP John Lamont about the possibility of restoring the whole of the Waverley Route, which closed in 1969, she said: “I understand the importance to partners across the region of the campaign and the proposal that he has referred to. I am sure he understands this is a devolved transport issue. “I would certainly encourage all parties that are involved to come to a workable solution and to ensure the best outcome for the entire region because this can bring great benefits.” She was speaking as new figures showed more than four million journeys have been made on the Borders Railway, the northernmost section of…

THIS time I am covering the recent performances of A4 Pacific No. 60009 Union of South Africa, plus some from the twilight years of Scottish steam in 1964/65. I have had precious few runs behind this engine in preservation, though I reported on the running of the 'Jubilee Requiem' in issue 196. John Cameron, the owner of No. 60009, has announced it is his intention to retire the engine from the main line in 2019, so I took the chance for a run behind‘No. 9’on the Railway Touring Company's trip to Minehead on Saturday, August 18. The long hot days of June and July had seen Network Rail impose a requirement for diesel power on all trains with a steam locomotive present, to protect the linesides and adjoining properties from…

SEVENTY-five years ago – October 17, 1943 – the Japanese Imperial Army completed construction of a 250-mile long metre gauge railway to link Thailand with Burma in support of its advancing troops. The railway ran through thick, inhospitable jungle and was built in a little over a year by 60,000 Allied prisoners of war captured in the fall of Singapore and over 200,000 Asian workers. More than 150 million cubic feet of earth was moved by hand to construct embankments and cuttings and over nine miles of bridges were built – including the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai, which was the subject of the 1957 epic feature film of the same name. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the completion of the railway and in memory of those who…

Rarely have two seemingly disparate hobbies – railway enthusiasm and photography – been for so long inextricably linked. Sadly, no photographs exist from the dawn of the steam locomotive, but there are plenty from mid-Victorian times onwards, as cameras with faster lenses and shutters made photographing trains more attractive and indeed possible. A landmark came with the founding of the Railway Photographic Society in 1922 by acclaimed lineside photographer Maurice Earley, who retained the post of secretary until 1976! The society retired with him, but Carlisle-based photographer Stephen Crook resurrected it as the Rail Camera Club later that same year, and the first folio of images from the group was circulated. Back in those days, indeed until fairly recent times, photography was regarded as a hobby only for the well-off.…

SOUTH EAST Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre 2ft gauge, ¼ mile. Arundel, West Sussex. Tel: 01798 831370. Running: Wed-Sun + Oct 22,23. Bluebell Railway Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Running: W/Es, Tues-Thur + Oct 12, 22, 26, 29. Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway 2ft gauge, ½ mile. Bredgar, Sittingbourne, Kent. Tel: 01622 884254. Running: Oct 7. Bursledon Light Railway 2ft gauge, ¼ mile. Bursledon Brickworks Museum Swanwick Lane, Swanwick, Hants. SO31 7HB. Running: Oct 21. East Kent Railway Standard gauge, two miles, Shepherdswell, Dover. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Oct 7, 27, 28. Eastleigh Lakeside Railway 10¼in & 7¼in gauge, 1¼ miles, footplate experience. Running: W/Es + sch hols. Hastings Miniature Railway 10¼in gauge, 600 yards, Rock-a-Nore Road,…

EVENTS aimed at enthusiasts are not in short supply in October and Friday to Sunday, October 12-14 would appear to be‘the’weekend when it’s all happening, with galas at the Bluebell, Llangollen, North Norfolk and Swanage railways. Celebrating 70 years since the 1948 Locomotive Exchange Trials, the autumn steam gala on the Swanage Railway will bring together classes of locomotive that were involved in British Railways’ experiment to examine steam from across the country on a variety of work. In addition to its home fleet, the SR will be operating visiting locomotives that ran on the Southern Region during 1948, and those that were subsequently inspired by these tests. Visiting LMS Princess Coronation Class No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland will certainly make a fine sight on the Purbeck line. Bluebell’s three-day…