Table of contents for Issue 251 in Heritage Railway

THE ‘Broadway Effect’– which saw passenger levels on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway soar by an astounding 42.5% following the opening of its northern extension to the fabled yellowstone tourist honeypot – has deservedly brought the Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Awards (Large Groups) to the Cotswold line. Since Broadway station opened on Good Friday last year, both the line’s officials, tourist chiefs and local traders and shopkeepers – have been astonished by the public response and soaring influx of visitors into the town, which vastly exceeded all expectations. The trains carried more than 144,000 passengers – compared with 101,000 in 2018 – sending records tumbling in a domino effect. Not only was the impact brilliant for the heritage line, but phenomenal for the town’s economy, too. “...there is a veritable treasure…

SEVERN Valley Railway-based new-build BR 3MT No 82045 took a major step forward on January 23 when it was lowered onto the running line at Bridgnorth and, in the days that followed, it made its first moves – albeit as an 0-6-0 – as part of a shunt into the locomotive shed from its hitherto outdoor home. It was November 2008 when the two main frame plates for No. 82045 arrived on site at Bridgnorth and were erected in two support stands on the concrete base opposite the boiler shop near the old café. In the intervening period, work has proceeded on the construction of the chassis, culminating in fitting the driving wheels last April. Since then, the locomotive continued to reside on the concrete base on an isolated length…

THE Talyllyn Railway (TR) has bought a key piece of land alongside its Pendre Works, comprising two cottages on Frankwell Street and land opposite the West Shed at Pendre known as ‘The Orchard’. General manager Stuart Williams said:“The price being asked for both cottages and the land was deemed to be reasonable, and so it was decided a small group would view the properties and make a recommendation to the board and council. “As a result of this visit, both bodies unanimously agreed we should pursue the option to buy the cottages and the land. We are therefore delighted to report we exchanged contracts in late-January on the two cottages and the land. “The cottages – a four-bed and a two-bed – appear structurally sound. They have been bought from…

THE West Somerset Railway has sold GWR Large Prairie No. 4110 to the Dart Valley Railway plc in the latest of a series of robust measures to reduce its liabilities. WSR plc placed the unrestored former Minehead branch locomotive on sale before Christmas. It was bought from the Southall Railway Great Western Preservation Group in 2015. Members of the railway’s mechanical engineering department launched a £120,000 appeal to buy it (HR 250), and had raised the sum in pledges. However, it was announced on February 3 that No. 4110 had instead been sold to the operator of the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Would-be buyer GWR4110 Ltd, the West Somerset Railway Association and WSR plc, issued a joint statement, which read: “It is with regret that we have to announce that even…

THE Bluebell Railway enjoyed a record-breaking ‘Santa’ train operation. In 2018, 15,473 passengers travelled on 53 trains over nine days, comprising 10,867 adults and 4,606 children – and 1654 toddlers can also be added to the number. This beat the previous record year of 2017, when 14,414 passengers travelled on 53 trains. Since 2017, all Santa bookings are handled online – a system which has worked well, with passengers not only booking in greater numbers, but also earlier. Visitor numbers over the Christmas period were boosted by 654 passengers attending the Horsted Christmas event on December 21, 12 Pullman dining trains, and 612 from six Festive Feast  trains, all of which were sold out. Communications Director Roger Garman explained that 2018 saw even more services delivery directed to passengers wishing…

THE Middleton Railway is working with the Vintage Carriages Trust to restore 1890-built Manning Wardle contractor’s 0-6-0ST Sir Berkeley to its original Logan & Hemingway livery. The locomotive, works number No. 1210, which was used in the construction of the Great Central Railway’s London Extension and worked on the building of Nottingham Victoria station, was bought in 1964 by Roger Crombleholme, just in time to save it from being scrapped, and found a new home on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, where its original weatherboard was refitted, having been discovered at Cranford. Restored to service, it took part in the BBC TV production of The Railway Children. When back in service in 2020, it will be the only working example of a Manning Wardle contractor’s locomotive. VCT chairman Trevor…

THE disappointed boss of the rail heritage organisation overseeing the troubled restoration of one of the world’s flagship preserved steam locomotives has admitted he is unable to say when the project will be completed, despite the overhaul having entered its 12th year. Dubbed ‘Australia’s Flying Scotsman’ by many enthusiasts down under due to the streamlined engine’s high public profile, New South Wales Government Railways’ C38 class Pacific No. 3801 was taken off railtour duty at the end of 2007 for a £1¼ million overhaul that was initially expected to be completed in 2011. On January 17 however, Andrew Moritz, chief executive of Transport Heritage New South Wales, which is responsible for the restoration, admitted that no firm date could be given for its return to steam. Boiler problems have been…

A MUCH-PUBLICISED exercise to take PS Maid of the Loch out of Loch Lomond using Balloch’s steam-powered slipway cradle on Thursday, January 10, came to an abrupt halt at 1.35pm when a cable snapped and the 555-ton railway paddle steamer ran back into the loch out of control. Workers, who were fitting blocks under the hull to steady the ship to allow a cable to be changed, had to jump out of the way as the ship crushed the cradle timbers at the front of the rail-borne trolley. There were no reported injuries. The crew on board, helped by small boats, managed to halt the ship’s stern-first travel, and it was eased back to its berth at Balloch Pier, where it will stay while an investigation takes place into the…

AN EXHIBITION celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway – claimed to be England’s oldest continuously running commercial railway – is being staged in Mansfield until March 2, with the help of a £90,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant. More than 200 years ago, plans were mooted to link Mansfield to the expanding canal network, but because of the terrain, it was decided to build a railway to the nearest artificial waterway instead. On April 13, 1819, the 7½-mile Mansfield & Pinxton Railway was officially opened amid much ceremony. The original route went from Mansfield Wharf, over the viaduct at Kings Mill – the oldest railway viaduct in England – past Kirkby Hardwick, over the summit, through Kirkby, Portland Park and New Selston, before arriving at the Pinxton…

GWR pannier tank No. 6430 will make its final appearances during its current loan visit to the Battlefield Line during the February half-term period. The Llangollen Railway-based locomotive will run on February 16, 17, 20, 23 and 24 in the Battlefield Line’s first-ever February services. The line’s diesel railcar will also run on February 19 and 21. In early January, No. 6430 took centre stage on the line in a photographic charter to mark 60 years since the closure of the GWR lines from Monmouth to Chepstow and Monmouth to Ross-on-Wye on January 5, 1959. Cameo scenes The line to Chepstow opened in November 1876 and the line to Ross-on-Wye in August 1873. To mark the closure, on January 4, 1959, the Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midlands Division) ran a railtour…

A LOCOMOTIVE which worked on the West Somerset Railway in its early years has returned to steam after 11 years. Bagnall New Standard 18 class 0-6-0ST No. 2994 Vulcan, more recently known as No. 401 Thomas Bur t MP, is now based at the North Tyneside Steam Railway, and was steamed on January 17 for the first time since 2008. Its heavy overhaul has involved repairs to the firebox and the fitting of new tyres and a refurbished smokebox door. The locomtive is one of three built in 1951 to compete with diesel traction, and fitted with self-cleaning smokeboxes, rocking grates, hopper ash pans and Walschaerts valve gear. They are considered by some to be the most technologically advanced industrial steam engines ever built. The trio also have the second…

THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust was forced to cancel Tornado’s main line comeback trip after it sustained minor damage while on its eagerly-awaited test run. No. 60163 had been undergoing repairs at Wansford shed on the Nene Valley Railway following its failure while hauling ‘The Ebor Flyer’ on Saturday, April 14 last year because of damaged inside motion. The trip from King’s Cross to York was meant to be Tornado’s first public 90mph run, although speed was ruled out as a cause of the failure. While at the NVR, the A1 undertook trial runs over the heritage line and also hauled public services during the festive season. In a statement , a trust spokesman said:“It is with considerable regret that we have to announce that the‘North Briton’will not run on…

GRESLEY A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley will spend the next 10 years on the main line working Saphos Trains’ railtours. The engine’s owning group, the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust (SNGLT) and the Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust (RSL&GT), have an agreement, which will see the Pacific operate as part of the Crewe-based Locomotive Services Ltd (LSL) fleet. The SNGLT’s marketing director Tod Slaughter said the agreement provides a wide-ranging agreement, which will come into effect when the 4-6-2’s heavy overhaul, currently underway in The Works at the National Railway Museum in York, is completed, and the engine is given its main line certificate early next year. The ‘Streak’ is based at LSL’s Crewe depot and will be incorporated into Saphos Trains main line programme, sharing duties with…

THE future of A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa – and that of John Cameron’s proposed visitor centre – hangs in the balance after a decision by Fife Council, which turned down the original application for planning approval and rejected an appeal made in late January. Having failed, John said he would be meeting with his fellow trustees imminently to consider his next move. His spokesman said that the original application for planning approval was turned down on the grounds that the visitor centre would occupy prime agricultural land owned by him. However, the same local authority approved the construction of an 18-hole golf course on similar land nearby. It was planned that the A4, plus K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess, would become major attractions at the…

THE Class 50 Alliance has been operating railtours on the national network with its locomotives since 1997. In recent years, the alliance has been working with rail freight operator GB Railfreight (GBRf ), enabling a return to the main line for its locomotives in 2017 and subsequently through a programme of railtours during 2018, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Class 50s. In recognition of this association, GBRf and the Class 50 Alliance have announced that main line registered preserved Class 50 diesels No. 50007 Hercules and No. 50049 Defiance are to be repainted into the latest GBRf livery, marking a new chapter in the story of the English Electric-built diesels, known affectionately as ‘Hoovers’. GBRf has invested in a programme of driver training to enable Class…

IT HAD been some years since I had a run on the main line behind Ian Riley’s ‘Black Five’ No. 44871, so I decided to join the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Sherborne Christmas Carol’charter for a short spin from Basingstoke to Salisbury on Tuesday, December 11. Once again, South West Railway was in meltdown – this time due to signaling problems at Woking – so I wasn’t very hopeful that the steam charter would be able to keep its non-stop 43 minute path for the 35.79 miles from Basingstoke to Salisbury, which would be a tough proposition anyway with a 60mph limited loco. No. 44871 was built in 1945 and started its BR career at Longsight and ended it at Carnforth. It was purchased directly from British Railways service for preservation,…

Steam locomotive design settled down after 1850 and most engines were of a fairly traditional style, as opposed to some of the more fanciful products such as the 6-2-0 Cramptons or locomotives with oval boilers or an axle through the firebox. This may be partly as a result of many of the major companies’ locomotive superintendents settling into their jobs for quite long periods. Railway companies were merging and the multitude of small independent operators were fast becoming the names that we are familiar with today. An example of a long-serving locomotive superintendent is Daniel Gooch on the Great Western Railway, who had been taken on by Brunel in 1837 and served in his position right through to 1864. A contemporary of Daniel Gooch was Joseph Armstrong, who would succeed…

IN issue 249, I enjoyed Gavin Morrison’s retro look at Holbeck shed’s last years of service in the 1960s. My memories of this atmospheric Midland Railway‘Cathedral of Steam’are from a decade or so earlier when steam ruled the rails and ex-Midland and LMS locomotives dominated. In my school days when I had rare visits to Leeds, thanks to cheap day return tickets from Durham or Newcastle, the shed was still in the Midland Region of BR and bore the code 20A. I recall great photos in the magazines of the time by the late Bishop Eric Treacy who could really capture the smoky atmosphere inside Holbeck sheds. Top link power was provided by rebuilt Royal Scots and Jubilees – I can’t recall ever seeing even a Britannia there. Lesser passenger…

REMARKABLE figures which showed that passenger numbers on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway rose by 42.5% in the wake of the Good Friday opening of the northern extension to Broadway have brought the coveted Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Large Groups) 2019 to the Cotswold Line. The figures rose from 101,000 in 2017 to more than 144,000 last year, making it the line’s best season, with booking office ticket sales rising by 49%. Commercial director Colin Fewell said:“This success is astonishing and it has exceeded all of our expectations – we thought we might see a 20% increase in passenger numbers this year. “Almost every aspect of the railway’s operation has seen significant growth – whether ordinary operating days or special events. “Opening Broadway station was a very special occasion and…

THE Great Central Railway’s winter steam gala has for many years built up an enviable reputation for being the‘first big event’of the heritage calendar. The sector traditionally follows the example set by nature and goes to sleep in the weeks following the festive season, giving a breathing space for locomotive, stock and infrastructure maintenance to be carried out. However, the sight of a fleet of locomotives in steam on a double-track heritage main line is guaranteed to blow away those winter blues. This year, the January 25-27 event saw nine engines in steam, the star guest being GWR 4-6-0 No. 7802 Bradley Manor from the Severn Valley Railway. In steam from the home fleet were ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45305, 8F No. 48624, BR Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No. 78018, WR…

THE last steam-hauled passenger rides through the central section of London Underground will be run as part of a series of events to celebrate the District line’s 150th anniversary. The modernisation of signalling on the Hammersmith & City, District, Circle and Metropolitan lines means this will be the last time a steam train will be able to travel through the section beneath the heart of the city. The train – run by Transport for London in conjunction with London Transport Museum – will be headed by Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No. 1, as per similar events over the past few years, with the Chesham set of wooden-bodies coaches hired from the Bluebell Railway. Fares and availability had yet to be announced as we closed for press Metropolitan Railway Jubilee…

ONE of the United States’most iconic preserved locomotives is to undergo a major restoration following its eagerly-awaited road transfer across the busy city of Nashville in an operation that cost £390,000, took two years to plan, and involved a self-propelled, electrically-driven, 24-wheeled trailer that was controlled and manoeuvred by just one man walking alongside. The painstaking two-mile road operation on January 13, from the city’s Centennial Park, where the giant 4-8-4 had been on display for 65 years, to a nearby railhead was watched by thousands of fascinated residents and tourists. There it was transferred to the tracks and was due to be towed in February five miles to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum, where the four-year, £1½ million restoration will take place. No. 576 was built in 1942 by…

WHEN the first trains ran on the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway on April 4, 1903, motor cars were still a rarity – now an £89,000 Welsh Government grant for a series of improvements to the line will include the provision of charging points for electric vehicles, which are seen by some as the future of road transport. At Llanfair Caereinion station, a pair of electric vehicle charging points will be made available for visitors who will be almost exactly halfway between central Shropshire and the Welsh coast. The installation of these points illustrates the growing use of more environmentally-friendly electric vehicles and the need to provide recharging facilities for them, according to a railway spokesman. The charging points will complement a recently-completed environmental programme at the railway, which has…

AN Aberdeen tram has returned to the north east of Scotland after six years at Dundee Museum of Transport. Aberdeen Corporation Transport No. 15, a Brush-built open-topper of 1901, later fitted with a top cover, was withdrawn and sold out of service 90 years ago in 1929. The only Aberdeen electric tram to survive, No. 15 did duty in a garden at Loirston from then until the owner offered the double-deck body to the Aberdeen & District Transport Preservation Trust in August 2013. It had to be literally dug out, as the tram had been built into a house side and was brought to Dundee Museum of Transport where work started on the tram body’s restoration. Operational future No. 15 had to leave Dundee because of space limitations at the…

AN HISTORIC Severn & Wye Railway iron footbridge was targeted by arsonists only weeks after it had been lifted back into place following a £150,000 restoration project. The 127-year-old Grade II listed St Mary’s Bridge near St Mary’s church, Bathurst Park, Lydney had been off limits for nearly 12 years on safety grounds before volunteers at the Dean Forest Railway raised the money to restore it. Lydney bridge specialist Mabey, which had removed the structure in June, lifted it back into place on January 9, using the railway’s 61-year-old restored Joseph Booth & Bros 15-ton diesel crane. However, local nurse Nicola Whettam, 44, who was out running with her dog and three of her friends when they decided to take a detour over the bridge for old times’ sake, was…

VISITORS who want to welcome WR 4-6-0 No. 6989 Wightwick Hall back into traffic after four decades are being urged to book their tickets in advance, as the event is selling out fast. As highlighted last month, the locomotive – the 150th ex-Barry scrapyard engine to be restored to running order – made its first run at its Buckinghamshire Railway Centre restoration base on December 11. It will be officially launched between 10.30am and 5pm on March 3, at a special out-of-season event before the start of the centre’s 50th anniversary season, and give passenger rides. WR 0-6-0PT No. 9466 will also be in steam, and Bagnall 0-4-0ST No. 2469 will be running in the down yard. The visitor centre with cafe and shop will be open and offering hot…

THIS year is likely to be the last featuring a full scheduled steam service in Poland. The services from Wolsztyn to Poznan and Leszno are said to be the last ‘real’ timetabled steam services in the world but government financial cutbacks mean that in 2020 a limited scheduled service is the most likely option. Meanwhile, the regional government has funded 35,000 miles of scheduled steam services for 2019. However, this year will be the last the award-winning British-led Wolsztyn Experience can offer its footplate courses, as an irregular scheduled operation would be difficult to administer. Furthermore, the well-loved but now aged footplate crews, of which several are only employed by the depot on a part-time basis, will have to retire. The Wolsztyn Experience footplate courses have operated since 1996 and…

A RAKE of six BR 16T‘Windcutter’mineral wagons, borrowed from the Great Central Railway on a 10-year loan, will be first run in public by custodian the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway at its May 26-27 ‘Coal Train Weekend.’ The wagons have moved to Blaenavon on an initial 10-year loan (HR 249), with a subsequent rolling five-year extension after that. During that time, the PBR will maintain, operate and complete the restoration of the wagons as required. PBR traffic manager Alex Hinshelwood said:“We are very grateful to the David Clarke Railway Trust in giving us this opportunity to bring some of these iconic railway wagons back to South Wales, a place where they could once be found in their thousands. “Assembling a proper representative coal has been a long-held dream of the…

THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway’s Class 31 D5581 (31163, 97205) has been repainted into BR Railway Technical Centre colours in time for the line’s April 5-7 diesel gala. The locomotive was built by Brush in 1960 and privately-owned by the late former CPRR chairman Richard Floyd, who gifted it to the railway. It was used on the heritage railway for four years and then stored when its condition deteriorated. Chinnor’s operations director Jamie Goodman decided to ensure that the locomotive returned to service and set up a restoration team with Dave Parks, Dave Eggelton and Dave Bedford the backbone of the team. They replaced rusted panels, repiped the controls and braking system and finally reliveried the locomotive, following an online vote, into the BR Railway Technical Centre livery and…

IT’S been steaming round in circles for 70 years and saw off the last standard gauge steam train in its home town in 1965. Now, the 7¼in Strathaven Miniature Railway is marking seven decades of steam with the original locomotive that opened the 100ft-long railway in 1949 still at the head of its trains. The SMR opened in Strathaven Park when two local model-makers, the late David Scott and Guy Hamilton, built steam 2-6-0 Margaret, and persuaded the former Fourth District Council of Lanarkshire County Council, to lay 425ft of track for it to pull ride-on coaches as an attraction. “The line was an immediate success,” said Ian Samson, secretary of Strathaven Model Society, which runs the railway every Saturday and Sunday from Easter to the end of September.“The line…

LAST November, Lisa-Marie Turner announced fundraising plans to find the estimated £5000 to pay for a detailed survey of the paddle steamer Ryde lying at Island Harbour Marina between Cowes and Newport. This was the second stage of her rescue plan for the historic vessel. The Southern Railway ordered PS R yde in 1936 and it entered service in 1937 after being built by William Denny & Bros at Dumbarton, which built many SR ships. It weighed 566 tonnes, measuring 223ft x 52ft and was built for working across the Solent and carrying up to 1050 passengers, which it did until 1969. In its last few years it was only used in the peak summer months as a relief vessel. After a week of sailing on charters on the Thames…

THE Bahamas Locomotive Society organised a civic reception at Stockport town hall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1958 BBC broadcast of the Ballad of John Axon. The broadcast was an iconic production, way ahead of its time, written by folk singer and writer Ewan MacColl and arranged by his partner Peggy Seeger. John Axon was the driver of the Rowsley freight train which on February 9, 1957 collided with another train, causing the death of its guard John Creamer. John was posthumously awarded the George Cross for bravery for staying on the footplate and avoiding an even worse crash further down the line. The broadcast celebrated the life of John Axon, including interviews with his widow, Stockport Edgeley locomotive drivers and firemen and local railway enthusiasts. It also…

PATHFINDER has announced D9009 Alycidon is to haul two tours in the coming months. The first is‘The Harrogate & Humber Deltic Reprise’ which operates on May 11. It starts from the little used Willington station at approximately 06.10am, returning at around 11pm, calling at Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Doncaster, York and Leeds. From Leeds, it will traverse the Harrogate circle before heading to King’s Cross and, after a short break, return back north to Cleethorpes. A DRS Class 68 will assist in the Cleethorpes area. On June 29, D9009 stretches its legs again on the main line with the ‘Mazey Day Cornishman’ tour from Tame Bridge Parkway to Penzance and return. Departing Tame Bridge at around 5.30am and not returning until almost midnight, it will be a…

HASTINGS Diesels, which operates St Leonards depot-based‘Thumper’ Unit No. 1001, has announced it is progressing plans for two day trips in the coming months. However, the group stressed the tours are currently only outline plans and may unavoidably be subject to change or cancellation. The first is hoped to operate on Saturday, April 6 to London Charing Cross, then Angerstein Wharf, Grain and back to Charing Cross for the run to Hastings. The second trip is set for Saturday, May 11, when the unit will head to Lowestoft, providing a connection with the trolleybus event due to be held at the East Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville. More recently, No. 1001 operated its annual private Olympia Express charter to Kensington Olympia on December 22. The set worked a test…

My very first real railway memory involves heritage traction. In 1993, at the age of seven, I attended an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the short line from Romford to Upminster. I was by no means an expert on any form of traction and it would be many years before I learned that the vintage unit I had travelled on was No. 306 017, the sole survivor of the first electric multiple units to operate out of London Liverpool Street. For my ninth birthday, instead of doing the more ‘conventional’ things that a boy of my age might do, I took a trip to Liverpool Street station to see the trains at the tail end of the Network SouthEast era. My secondary school was located…

AS we look forward to the future of our railway, yet another year has gone by. I feel there are challenges looming on the horizon for us all, as the public, local authorities and politicians are now much more informed on the issues of the environment we live in – global warming is now a reality – not forgetting the working environment and health and safety of our staff and volunteers. All these elements will eventually affect the way we live and operate our railways. For our long-term survival, we must prepare for and at least start to look at ways we can manage the inevitable. Coal: we may be entering the end game for the extensive use of coal, perhaps only 10–20 years left, with warmer summers and the…

PROGRESS at the award-winning Broadway station has just taken a big leap forward... at least visually. Platform 2 at the station, which remains out of use to passengers this year, has not only been cleared of the signalling and communications equipment stored on the platform, but the basic structure for the footbridge has been installed. The steelwork for the steps – which, like the station canopy is of authentic all-riveted construction – has been installed following its completion at Toddington. The steelwork, designed and manufactured by the GW/R, has also been galvanised, which should prevent the kind of deterioration that affected the structure which originated from Henley-in-Arden – of which the span has been reused but the stringers for the steps and landings are brand new. The stringers were installed…

RETIRED civil servant Simon Marsh has been appointed chairman of the Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR) , nearly 50 years after he started volunteering in the railway’s souvenir shop. The 61-year-old, who lives in Sandwich with his wife Sandra, a priest, has had an interest in railways since his earliest days. “I am told that as a baby I reacted to passing trains from my pushchair – I think it must be in the blood,” he said. He began volunteering in the railway’s shop at the age of 12, and in the ensuing five decades has helped to construct and maintain signalling installations, worked on the permanent way and on the railway’s Wealden Pullman dining train, undertaken vegetation clearance, and helped to maintain the 10½-mile line’s telegraph pole route.…

A LOCOMOTIVE which was rediscovered in a garden shed a decade ago will make its heritage-era debut in steam at the Avon Valley Railway over the weekend of April 19-22. Sentinel 0-4-0T No. 7492 of 1928 spent most of its working life on the internal railway at the Fry’s chocolate factory in Somerdale, near Keynsham, a mile away. It was withdrawn from service in 1964, and over the years changed hands several times. In 2009, railway volunteer Eric Miles tracked it down in 2009 to a garden shed in Essex, before bringing it to Bitton the following year. Since then, a group of volunteers has worked tirelessly to restore the Sentinel to running order. During the ‘Chocolate Train’ event from Good Friday to Easter Monday there will be displays of…

TWO narrow gauge locomotives that once worked on slate mines in Snowdonia are to take pride of place at King’s Cross station. The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways will be bringing Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST Velinheli and de Winton vertical-boilered locomotive Chaloner for display at the station’s ticket hall from February 16-24. The railway has previously staged similar promotional events at King’s Cross and Paddington. This year’s event will focus on the heritage of the Snowdonia narrow gauge lines. Velinheli is on loan to the Ff&WHR from owner James Evans, while Chaloner appears with permission from the Leighton Buzzard Railway. The de Winton factory where it was built in 1877 was near the Welsh Highland Railway’s new £2.2 million terminus. It now forms a key part of the £16 million Waterfront…

LAURA Wright, chief executive of the award-winning Mail Rail visitor attraction in central London, became a train driver for the day on January 18, when she swapped her role for hands-on training at the controls of one of the line’s trains. Laura joined The Postal Museum, which incorporates Mail Rail, last June from Tate Enterprises, where she was CEO. At the time of her appointment, Rick Wills, chairman of The Postal Museum, described Mail Rail as a “one-of-a-kind underground rail ride,” and on January 18 Laura was able to find out for herself just how unique the experience is. Complexity “When I arrived at the museum last June, one of the first things was to ride Mail Rail, and I talked to the guys about driving the tracks as I…

TWO Class 108 DMU cars have been obtained from the Swanage Railway for use at Llangollen. Driving Motor Brake No. 51933 and Driving Trailer No. 56504, both of which are in running condition, have been acquired by Llangollen Railcars. The cars are due to enter service in March and will replace similar set Nos. 51907/ 54490, which will remain at the Midland Railway-Butterley.…

THE modernisation of the 8½-mile Island Line between Ryde Pierhead and Shanklin should have commenced at the start of 2019 but the Department for Transport extended its own deadline until the end of March to determine what shape the modernisation will take. When South Western Railway was awarded the franchise it was mandated to propose a more sustainable business model, the ‘Priced Option’, for the loss-making line, which uses 1938-built London Underground stock. The DfT’s decision to break its own deadline was revealed at an Isle of Wight Council Cabinet meeting in January. Along with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, the council is one of the official Island Line stakeholders that have helped put forward plans to identify a way of reducing losses while modernising the line. The ‘Priced…

THE Aln Valley Railway has raised a third of the £75,000 needed to complete the purchase of the locomotive which forms the mainstay of its steam services. Last year, the line launched the Friends of Richboro appeal to buy 1917-built Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0T R ichboro from owner and AVR engineer Mick Fairnington. The appeal scheme sees 175 supporters each giving £125 every month for two years, or an equivalent one-off donation. R ichboro was built for the Port of London Authority and sold to W Craig & Sons of Ifton Colliery, Shropshire in 1926. It was transferred to the National Coal Board in 1947. After storage at Gresham Colliery, it moved to the Llangollen Railway, and then stood outside the Dapol factory for several years. After being restored by Mick…

In issue 249, the Williams review was examined and potential impacts for the heritage sector. The article mentioned the development of designated charter capacity – in short, creating designated specific network capacity, or to use the industry terminology, paths. To explain this, a little background information is necessary to provide context. Charter operations are governed by the Freight and National Passenger Operators Network Rail route. Network Rail is split into geographical areas of control, but the FNPO route is known as a virtual route, insofar that it does not have direct control over a geographical area. Instead, it provides the central relationship, in simple terms, with Network Rail for charters, freight operators, Caledonian Sleeper and the Cross Country franchise. The one thing these operators have in common is that their…

AROUND 30 main line steam, diesel and electric locomotives are being lined up for an open day to be staged at Locomotive Services’modernised former Crewe diesel depot on Saturday, June 8. The event is being organised by Virgin Trains staff based at Crewe station – supported by our sister publication The Railway Magazine – with the aim of raising money for charity. The theme of the event is All Change, representing the evolution of the depot and the motive power changes introduced by BR and its successors. The line-up of locomotives has yet to be finalised, but it will almost certainly feature Locomotive Services’steam fleet, including Royal Scot, Britannia, Braunton – plus‘Black Fives’Nos. 45212 and 45231 The Sherwood Forester. Diesels requested are from Classes 37, 57, 60, 66, 70, 86,…

EARLY 2019 is relatively quiet for Bulleid Pacific No. 35028 Clan Line as winter maintenance is now being carried out by its owning group, the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society, before it returns for the Belmond Surrey Hills Pullman on March 8. The Pullman duty on February 2 is being covered by A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa. No. 35028 is then due to work the Surrey Hills circulars on April 18 and June 7, as well as the Belmond Bath and Bristol Pullman on May 15. However, the long gap in trips for those with normal sized wallets will be worth the wait as June 29 sees a big day out with Clan Line when UK Railtours is offering an itinerary which covers about 385 miles. The plan…

February SAT 23: ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ Manchester Victoria, Carlisle & return. Steam-hauled: Carnforth, Shap, Carlisle, Settle, Blackburn, Preston. Loco: Nos. 35018 British India Line , 45699 Galatea or 45690 Leander. RTC March SAT 2: ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ London Euston, Carlisle & return. Steam-hauled: Carnforth, Carlisle, Farington Jn. Loco: Nos. 35018 British India Line , 45699 Galatea or 45690 Leander. RTC SAT 2: ‘The Settle Carlisle Thunderer I’ Peterborough, Carlisle & return. Steam-hauled: Hellifield, Settle, Carlisle & return. Loco: TBA . WCR SUN 3: ‘The Auld Reekie’ Doncaster, Edinburgh & return. Steam-hauled: Doncaster, Edinburgh. Loco: No. 60163 Tornado . UKRT. TUE…

THE main line in a variety of shapes and sizes will be making its presence felt at the Transport Auctions of London sale on February 23, headed by the smokebox numberplate from LSWR Class T9 No. 30705, a Dübs & Co of Glasgow product that entered traffic in January 1899 and was withdrawn by BR from Guildford (70C) 59 years later, in January 1958. Designed by Dugald Drummond, these 4-4-0s earned the nickname‘greyhounds’ due to their speed and reliability. Southern Railway station target signs Lewes and Beckenham Junction will also be going under the hammer, while from further west comes a BR(W) Newton Abbot station totem sign. There are also block instruments, single-line tokens, wagonplates, and an LBSCR carriage mirror. London Underground items include maps, platform enamel signs and destination…

A SECOND LMS Duchess has joined the ranks of the Dreweatts’Transport Sale of live steam models on March 12. It is No. 6231 Duchess of Atholl, built in 5in gauge by gold medal-winning model engineer John Richardson of Halifax using works’ drawings and is in the livery the Pacific carried when it emerged from Crewe in June 1938. It joins a 7¼in gauge No. 6230 Duchess of Buccleuch which, as reported in last month’s issue, is estimated to go under the hammer for up to £150,000. This model is 9ft 5in long and took the late Harry Powell, a former master coppersmith and chief of the copper shop at Crewe works, 10 years to build. Another addition to the sale, which is…

I ENJOYED reading issue 250 of Heritage Railway and was delighted to find an interesting article by Brian Sharpe regarding 1840s locomotive engineers. As a professional railway historian studying and writing about the period 1830-50, it is always nice to see something – anything – from the earlier 19th century. However, I feel I need to note that neither Francis Trevithick nor Alexander Allan had any involvement with the design of the‘Crewe’type and furthermore, that name is a misnomer. What we now call the ‘Crewe’type should perhaps be best called the ‘Edgehill’type as that is where William Barber Buddicom, the Locomotive Superintendent of the Grand Junction Railway and its Chief Engineer Joseph Locke first developed it. Thanks to very sharp curves leading into Warrington Junction on the Liverpool & Manchester,…

SOUTH EAST Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre 2ft gauge, ¼ mile. Arundel, West Sussex. Tel: 01798 831370. Open: Feb 20-24. Wed-Sun from Mar 6. Bluebell Railway Standard gauge, 11 miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Running: Feb 16-24. Mar 2, 3, 9, 10, 24, 30, 31. 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, Hastings, East Sussex. Running: W/Es + sch hols. Kent & East Sussex Railway Standard gauge, 10½ miles, footplate experience, wine and dine. Tenterden, Kent. Tel: 01580 765155. Running: Feb 16, 17, 19-21, 23, 24. Mar 2, 3, 9, 10. Lavender Line Standard gauge, one mile, footplate experience, wine and dine.…

AS the winter months give way to spring, ‘gala season’begins to move into full swing on our heritage lines. In particular, the second weekend in March (8-10) offers a variety of exciting action across several corners of the country – including the Mid-Hants Railway’s spring steam gala; the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway spring gala; the East Lancashire Railway spring steam gala; the Nene Valley Railway Southern steam gala and the Spa Valley Railway spring steam & diesel gala weekend. Two more popular events are being held the following weekend – with the Bluebell Railway running its Branch Line Weekend and the Severn Valley Railway operating its spring steam gala. All of these events have one thing in common – interesting line-ups of traction. As the first of what appears…