Table of contents for Issue 223 in Heritage Railway

IAN Allan – regarded by many as the world’s greatest publisher of railway titles – has pulled out of the sector after more than seven decades. The shock announcement, made before Christmas, has seen Crécy Publishing acquire the railway, transport and military books previously published by Ian Allan Publishing. Crécy has also acquired the Oxford Publishing Company and abc imprints. However, Crécy will not be allowed to publish under the Ian Allan imprint, and neither can the abc series retain the Ian Allan name. Shepperton-based Ian Allan pulled out of railway magazine publishing several years ago, with its portfolio of titles being acquired by Stamford-based Key Publishing. Ian Allan chairman David Allan said that the decision to sell the railway book publishing business had been made for “commercial reasons”. Dedicated…

THE North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group is in mourning following the death of another of its stalwarts. David Martin, who served as secretary from 1988-91, and has remained a key member ever since, died in hospital following a long illness on December 8, after developing an infection. A retired civil engineer with North Riding County Council, his funeral was held in his adopted home village of Hawsker, which once had a station on the Scarborough to Whitby line, on December 20, two days before his 70th birthday, followed by burial in the local churchyard. As well as having a long-term involvement with NELPG, he had served as secretary of the Severn Valley Railway-based Erlestoke Manor Fund and also of 76084 Ltd. He was also a prime mover in the fundraising…

GRESLEY N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 is set to become the latest steam locomotive to be registered for main line running, with a series of dining trains over the Bittern Line from Sheringham to Cromer being pencilled in for as early as the spring. No. 1744 finished its loan period at the Epping Ongar Railway early last autumn because of a cracked driving wheel spoke and it was taken for repairs to Tyseley locomotive works, where TPWS, GSM-R and OTMR equipment for running on the national network is being fitted. Once it is approved for main line running, in theory it could operate anywhere, and the society’s vice-chairman, Graeme Bunker, said: “The ultimate ambition would be to have it hauling seven or eight coaches out of King’s Cross.” The 96-year-old veteran…

➜ LIGHT repairs to LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot at Locomotive Services Ltd’s Crewe works have taken longer than expected, the ‘Scot’ missing its slot to work a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from London Victoria to Bath and Bristol December 10. Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34052 Lord Dowding worked the train instead, and on December 17 stood in for Stanier 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth heading a ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Victoria to the West Somerset Railway. The 4-6-2 also worked Steam Dreams’ last train of the year, a luncheon special running around Kent on December 22. ➜ A SERIES of talks by Shildon-based Locomotionmodels.com will be held during 2017, giving railway modellers the opportunity to learn more about their hobby and develop new skills. The first talk will take place in the…

THE West Somerset Railway’s partners in new developments along the line are to be offered long-term agreements to provide security and attract investment. This follows agreement with the line’s owner, Somerset County Council, which will allow the WSR to enter into sub-leases and licences with railway partners involving land and facilities, including Williton station, home to several separate railway groups. A spokesman said:“Historically, many of these agreements have been short-term but, with new developments planned along the line, notably at Bishops Lydeard, Williton and Washford, many of the groups are seeking longer term arrangements.”…

WINSLOW-based railway holiday company Inside Track has said: “We do not bulk out our itineraries with ‘free days’ or ‘days at leisure’ and this is reflected in our value for money tour prices.” Compared to the usual run of rail tour promoters offering day or extended tours, the Buckinghamshire company provides something different in the form of holidays which combine rail and road travel. On Monday, April 3, its five-day ‘Welsh Highlander’ starts out from Llandudno where passengers are taken for a tram ride up the Great Orme before catching a train to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and from there to Porthmadog by road for a night stop. The following day, the trip is centred in and around Porthmadog with visits to the Ffestiniog Railway, the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) and a…

OWNER Martin Walker has expressed doubts over the future of Class 55 Deltic D9016 Gordon Highlander after revealing the restoration figures do not stack up. After recently inspecting the work being undertaken on the restoration of D9016 at Boden Rail’s Washwood Heath engineering site in Birmingham, he has now reconsidered his decision to repair it. Work began in January 2015 and has been progressing steadily since, starting with repairing the No.2 end cab followed by work on the No. 1 end cab. Martin, who also owns D9000/55002 Royal Scots Grey, said the vast bulk of the bodywork remains to be completed but the cost to date has been a five figure sum... but only a three-figure sum has been received in donations. He has asked himself whether he can justify…

A SECOND ex-Ffestiniog Railway open third coach, No. 118, has moved to join its sister vehicle No. 119 and the Golden Valley Light Railway at the Midland Railway-Butterley, having been stripped of various components not required by the purchasers, such as its FR bogies (to be replaced at the GVLR by South African examples) and vacuum brakes. Meanwhile, at the FR’s Boston Lodge works, work has started on the construction of new double-Fairlie James Spooner’s boiler, from a recently delivered kit of cut and shaped parts.…

THE builders of new NER G5 0-4-4T No. 1759 have enlisted the help of one of the UK’s top railway engineering consultancies to ensure it is fit to run on the main line. The Class G5 Locomotive Company Limited has engaged the services of Mott MacDonald Ltd, which has considerable expertise in the design of railway wheelsets and rail vehicle analysis. When the A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado was built and certificated in the first decade of the 20th century, the general principle for accepting the design of critical components was based on what is known as‘grandfather rights’. In other words, if the original design was known to be reliable and did not break, it was deemed good enough for a new locomotive to the same design. However, the railway…

TORBAY mayor Gordon Oliver’s dreams of a new rail link to Brixham appear to have been quashed. Council officers were asked to investigate the possibility of a light railway system to the port in a bid to improve transport links. The short branch from Churston staiton on the Paignton to Kingswear line was opened by the Torbay & Brixham Railway in 1868, but closed by Dr Beeching in 1963. The Association of Train Operating Companies in 2009 indicated that Brixham would benefit from a passenger railway service. It suggested that the Great Western Railway service to Paignton would be extended to Churston station on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Churston would serve as a railhead for Brixham, and also serve housing developments in the area. However the study, Connecting Communities: Expanding…

THREE heritage railways have been honoured in this year’s National Rail Heritage Awards. Rail Minister Paul Maynard presented the 2016 National Railway Heritage Awards at a ceremony held at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London on Wednesday, December 7. The Supporters’Award for the best small project entered in the competition went to the New Glyn Valley Tramway & Industrial Heritage Trust for its conservation and restoration of the original Glyn Valley Tramway locomotive shed at Glyn Ceiriog. Structural projects Volunteer input is essential for the successful completion of many structural projects on heritage railways, a factor recognised by the Stagecoach Volunteers Award. This year it went to the Severn Valley Railway plc for its ongoing work in bringing its Arley station back to its pristine condition. Heritage railways often achieve effective…

THE public are to be allowed back on to Norwich’s Eaton Park Miniature Railway throughout the month after the society that runs it made a U-turn. Norwich and District Society of Model Engineers upset local people last summer when its committee decided to close the track off on the last Sunday of each month and make it a members and enthusiasts-only day. However, the committee has now reversed the unpopular decision. A statement said: “Any members with smaller locomotives who cannot haul the heavy public trains or anyone who wishes to run freight wagons can do so in the morning and during public running. After all with half a mile of track there is room for all to enjoy!” The railway, which has 3½in and 5in gauge lines, has been…

LOCAL councillors have held a meeting on how best to cope with the expected crowds during Flying Scotsman’s visit to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in early spring. Oxenhope parish councillors were given a presentation by KWVR operating company acting chairman Ross Graham about plans to handle the crowds. Last autumn’s Pacific Power event at the Severn Valley Railway featuring No. 60103 and A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado attracted 45,000 people, and a bumper crowd is expected a the KWVR between March 31 and April 9. Ross said that the railway was hoping to arrange five or six round trips per day during the locomotive’s visit, which will be available only for passengers with pre-booked tickets. He said:“Among the challenges will be crowd control and parking. We are going…

THE much delayed main line return of B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower is now being projected as March, which will be a relief for its owner, David Buck, who has suffered more than a year of frustration at being sidelined along with his green engine. It was back in December 2015 that the B1 was ‘stopped’ with a cracked axlebox and as was considered at the time, ‘minor’work on the boiler. As it happened the condition of the boiler turned out to be much more serious than initially thought and remedial work has continued at Stockton into this year when having passed its hydraulic and steaming tests, it will be delivered back to Carnforth. Meanwhile the 4-6-0’s bottom end has been subject of a comprehensive overhaul to the highest standards…

AN APPEAL for sponsorship of Clun Castle’s heavy overhaul is still being made, despite the work on the Tyseley flagship GWR 4-6-0 No. 7029 nearing completion in the first half of 2017. Spokesman Michael Whitehouse says individual sponsors are still needed to help finish the job. Although the 4-6-0 has been painstakingly restored by Tyseley Locomotive Works using its own resources and donations by supporters, another £70,000 is needed to ensure that Clun Castle makes its latest main line debut. According to Mr Whitehouse the extra money is required to provide parts, labour costs and commissioning trials. Demand will be high “We know that demand for seats on the Castle’s first excursions will be high so we offer an early chance to secure seats by helping to achieve reality in…

THE five Warship diesel-hydraulics D600 to D604 were unpopular with BR Western Region bosses – “the locos the WR did not want” was their epitaph – so their short lives of fewer than 10 years was no surprise. However, their memory lives on, as will be evident at Solent’s sale on February 11 when nameplate Cossack from D604 will be going under the hammer. The class, which was designated Class 41 but was never to carry its TOPS numbers, was built by North British with the first introduced into service in January 1958. D604 was the last to be built, beginning its operational life of a mere nine years in January 1959 and being withdrawn with its four stablemates in December 1967. Smokebox numberplates in the auction include 5059 from…

A Vectis model train sale at Rugby on November 26 was a resounding success for overseas representatives, three of whom achieved four-figure realisations. They were headed by a Marklin O-gauge three-rail electric Continental outline Pacific that sold for £2000, followed at £1600 by another Marklin three-rail product, an HO-gauge Swiss ‘crocodile’ electric locomotive. Thirdly, at £1000, came a 4-4-2T built by Hornby to O-gauge for the Argentine market and carrying the letters FCS (Ferrocarril del Sud, or Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway) on its tank sides. Settling in behind this trio was a 3½in gauge live steam LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 5478 (£900), a Hornby O-gauge LMS No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth (£850), and an Aster of Japan Gauge One GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5764 (£750). Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 20%…

I READ with interest Peter Davis’s letter in Issue 223 entitled‘The man who bought the Corris pair’, in which he relates how J I C Boyd told him back in the 1980s how he had, in 1951, paid BR £50 each for the two Corris locomotives. This account is somewhat at odds with L T C Rolt’s telling in his excellent book Railway Adventure, published just two years after the event. In this he relates how, having inspected the locomotives at Machynlleth, he, as soon to be appointed general manager of the newly formed Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, together with Jim Russell and society chairman Bill Trinder, drove down to Swindon to try to negotiate the best possible price for the two locomotives, for which the asking price was £65…

WHEN I saw Mr Finn’s letter in issue 222, my heart sank. I thought“oh no, not another pointless debate about numbers, livery, authenticity etc.” As the National Railway Museum has spent nearly £7 million on the purchase of this locomotive, it is reasonable to expect it to realise its aim of authenticity. The comparison to the MGB is meaningless – to fit chrome bumpers to the rubber-bumpered models was purely cosmetic, whereas the smoke deflectors on Scotsman are for very sound safety grounds – essential to lift exhaust above the driver’s vision. As for the number, I believe it changed to 60103 around 1949, so most people who saw it in BR service (as I did when in the RAF in the 1950s), would remember it as such. Also for…

Southern Day Rail Rovers By Don Benn (softback, 48pp, available from www.amazon.co.uk , £8.99 + postage, ISBN 9781540553324) IN the 1960s the Southern Region offered three local Area Rail Rovers, each valid for a day within a defined area, at a cost of 10 shillings (50p today). To hard-up youngsters these tickets were too good to miss and the Area 2 Rover in particular was a big attraction as it covered the South Western main line from Waterloo to Woking, as well as the Guildford to Redhill line, the latter being 100% steam worked until the end of 1964, writes Brian Sharpe. The line from Waterloo of course carried the steam-hauled trains from Waterloo to Basingstoke, Salisbury and Southampton and beyond, many of which stopped at Woking…

Beamish County Durham. The Living Museum of the North. Open: Daily except Mon, Fri. Cambrian Railways Museum Oswestry station. Open: Tues-Sun. Tel: 01691 688763. Col Stephens Railway Museum Tenterden Station, Kent. Open: W/Es. Tel: 01580 765155. Conwy Valley Railway Museum Betws-y-Coed, Conwy. Open: Daily. Tel: 01690 710568. Crewe Heritage Centre Vernon Way, Crewe. Open: W/Es + B/H. Tel: 01270 212130. Head of Steam North Road Station, Darlington. Open: Wed-Sun. Tel: 01325 460532. Museum Of Scottish Railways Bo’ness. Open: April. Tel: 01506 825855. Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Near Wellingborough, Northants. Open: Suns. Tel: 01604 675368. Kidderminster Railway Museum Kidderminster, Worcs. Open: SVR operating days. Tel: 01562 825316. Locomotion: The National Railway Museum, Shildon Co Durham. Open: Daily. Tel: 01388 777999. London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza. Open: Daily except Fri,…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Britain’s most popular heritage line, performed well in 2016, with revenue 4% up on budget and costs held to budget, resulting in a 4.0% increase in operating surplus, but the coming year will represent a challenge as a backlog of carriage wheel repairs – a potential bill of £100,000 or more – will have to be dealt with. The NYMR has now introduced EPOS equipment that will allow instant analysis of ticket sales patterns and reaction, for example, discounting to encourage passengers to wait for less-heavily-loaded trains, which it hopes will lead to less overcrowding at certain times (and hence a better experience for passengers) and to improve revenue by charging a premium price for travel on the teak train, which will be marketed as…

THIS beautiful 5in gauge model of Flying Scotsman sold for £35,400 at Special Auction Services’30th Trains Galore auction at Newbury on December 14-15. That was more than double the top end estimate. Originally owned by a stationmaster who had several live steam models, this beautifully executed and detailed live steam coal-fired model, built in the 1930s or 1940s, was highly sought after and bought by a UK collector. It has an eight-wheel non-corridor tender fitted with hand pump, conjugated valve gear and screw reverse, whistle, injector, twin water gauges, boiler and steam chest pressure gauge and a steam brake with pressure gauge, and is painted in LNER green as No. 4472. Lord Braybrooke’s miniature railway built for the grounds of his home at Audley End that comprised live steam and…

PRESERVATION pioneer 2ft gauge Peckett 0-6-0ST Jurassic is to return to service on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway in 2017 after a third of century out of action. Built in 1903 in Bristol by Peckett and Sons as works number 1008 for the quarries and cement works of Kaye & Co in Southam in Warwickshire, together with similar locomotives named after prehistoric geological periods, it was bought by the Lincolnshire line in 1961. In 1958, the LCLR made preservation history by being the first to be built on a green field site, using equipment from Nocton estate potato fields railway, south of Lincoln. Land for the railway at Humberston near Cleethorpes was leased from Grimsby Rural District Council and opened in 1960 using a Motor Rail Simplex locomotive and a…

THE last train of Steam Dreams’ 2016 programme of excursions, a pre-Christmas luncheon train running from Victoria on its usual route around Kent on December 22, suffered an unexpected deviation of its planned route on the way back to London. Having taken water at Folkestone West, the train, hauled by Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34052 Lord Dowding was given an instruction by south London control to take a revised route via Yalding, West Malling and Borough Green en route to Swanley Junction where the train, a ‘Cathedrals Express’, would return to Victoria by its outward route. Not gauged Exact details are unconfirmed but it appears that the signaller responsible for the train’s progress suddenly realised that the 4-6-2 was not gauged for the new route. In the event, the train was…

TWO years ago, the West Somerset Railway was named as the organiser of the best Thomas the Tank Engine event. This year, Britain’s longest standard gauge heritage railway has been barred from holding one. The 2015 award was made by Thomas rights holder HIT Entertainment. The rights were subsequently sold to American multinational Mattel, which has decided that Minehead station is not big enough to hold the event. Accordingly, the WESR has been told that it will not be allowed to stage its planned Thomas event on the first weekend in July and has accordingly been refused a licence to do so. Mattel considers that the Minehead platform is not big enough to hold large amounts of people at such events. In BR days, the Minehead branch was double tracked…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway is considering buying up to 1000 tons of coal in advance of the 2017 season, because a substantial rise in coal prices is anticipated in the coming year, and it is thought that such a purchase, representing around 65% of the coal the railway uses in a season, could result in savings of £50-60,000. This possible move has come about as a result of the substantial level of unbudgeted income achieved as a result of the week-long visit of Flying Scotsman in the early part of last year, which equates approximately to this amount of coal at current prices. Details of the opportunity have still to be worked out before it is confirmed, the question of where this much coal could be stored. It is…

ONE of the heritage sector’s leading new-build projects is on course for completion by late spring, when new GWR Saint 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady of Legend may steam at its Didcot Railway Centre base for the first time. No. 2999 is in the final stages of construction at Didcot, and while no firm dates have been set, it is inferred that it could be in action by early summer. Piping up has been in progress using the No.1 boiler from GWR 2-8-0 No. 2861 as a dummy. As we closed for press, the actual boiler was almost ready for a hydraulic test, after which it will have a steam test. If all goes to plan the locomotive will then be finally assembled. Already, one photographic charter operator, TimeLine Events, has…

THE Bulleid Society, owner of Bluebell Railway-based West Country light Pacific No. 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, has launched a nationwide appeal for a new inner firebox costing £199,900. The group has already purchased the major items necessary to fabricate a new inner firebox in two new thermic syphons, costing £15,000, the foundation channel sections, costing £7110 (necessary to construct a new foundation ring to connect the outer and inner firebox wrappers), the firebox tubeplate £8720 and the firedoor inner backhead, costing £17,000. The total cost of fabricating the new inner firebox utilising the items already bought, removing the old firebox from the boiler, fitting the new inner firebox to the outer wrapper and fitting all the water space stays and undertaking the necessary hydraulic and steam tests is £199,900. One of…

DEDDIE Davies, the actress best known as Mrs Perks in the EMI big screen production of The Railway Children filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in 1970, has died aged 78. The Welsh star was also on TV screens from the 1970s onwards, starring in shows such as Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Grange Hill, The Bill, The Forsyte Saga, Doctors and Whitechapel. In recent times, the Bridgend-born actress starred as donkey-owner Marj in Sky 1’s Stella, which is set in the Welsh Valleys. Stella star and co-creator Ruth Jones said: “She was one of those rare people who didn’t possess a grain of self pity and whose company always brightened your day. A highly intelligent, joyful, talented and spectacularly spirited woman who was an inspiration to us…

TWO major art exhibitions will be held at London Transport Museum in Covent Garden this year. Prize for Illustration 2017: Sounds of the City, will run from May 19-September 3. Poster Girls: 20th century female graphic artists, will be held from October 13 to summer 2018. Sounds of the City is an exhibition of 100 illustrations that interpret artists’relationships with sound in an urban context taking inspiration from the familiar, the curious, the persistent and the distinctive chorus of sounds we hear about us day and night, celebrating the hubbub and the quiet spaces, the songs and the sounds, of vibrant, diverse, multi-layered cities. Girl power comes to Covent Garden when Poster Girls – a major new exhibition about 20th and 21st century female graphic artists opens. It will highlight…

ONE of unique BR 8P Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester’s long-term supporters, Jeff Irving, has donated his entire collection of railwayana to the owning group. The British Rail Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust will now sell the collection at auction, the proceeds going towards the engine’s overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works. The collection includes works plates, photographs and paintings, one of which is a limited edition print of the Duke signed by artist Alan Fearnley, Robin Riddles and Tom Daniels. David Lewis of Crewe Heritage Centre, has offered to waive the seller’s fee when putting the collection under the hammer. His estimate of the collection’s value is £1175 but who knows what might happen on the day, Saturday, April 22, when the auction takes place. Four months ago, the…

FOLLOWING its unexpected failure with a leaking tube, discovered at Southall over the weekend before LMS 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth was booked to head a Christmas train to Lincoln on December 1, the bid red engine is back safely at the Midland Railway-Butterley. With rods taken off, the 4-6-2 and support coach departed Southall just before midnight on Wednesday December 14, top and tailed by West Coast diesels, the ‘train’ reaching Butterley around 6am the next day. Stabled in the West Shed, work has already started with the removal of small tubes, said society chairman Clive Mojonnier. Despite the failure, the early arrival of ‘Lizzie’ back at Butterley allows more time to work through a long job list of 34 items, however, it remains to be seen if the…

THE season’s Rail Head Treatment Trains have seen less use of heritage traction with DRS Class 20 / 37 being at the forefront, although the Yorkshire circuit was more frequently operated by replacement Class 68 locomotives due to problems with the diagrammed Class 20 based at York. With the cessation of RHTT programs, the five Class 20s have been placed into storage. The Tyneside diagram operated from Carlisle saw the use of Class 37 traction while the Stowmarket circuits saw the use of both Class 57/0 and 57/3 locomotives. GB Railfreight operated a pair of Class 73 locomotives but, as elsewhere, most of its diagrams were powered by Class 66 traction while Colas Railfreight mostly operated its Class 56 on the Shrewsbury diagram supported by a Network Rail Class 97/3…

OKAY, I know, it’s been discussed before but the semantics of our language would appear to be rearing up again with the announcement on page 11 of issue 220 where readers learned that the owners of No. 35011 General Steam Navigation are planning to, as the article so carefully worded it,‘retro-convert the locomotive to original as-built condition’. I have, for many years, openly objected to the use of the term ‘unrebuilt’to describe the members of the West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives still extant in their original form with chain motion and air-flow casing. As far as I have been concerned, there are just two examples of Bullied light Pacifics – light Pacifics and rebuilt light Pacifics – period. As several other readers, both in the pages of…

GREAT Western Society rolling stock company secretary Viv Cooper has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list for her 53 years of service to railway heritage. Viv, 70, who is married, has three daughters and four grandchildren and lives in Maidenhead, joined the society when she was in her teens and she quickly became involved in its administration. When the first locomotives and coaches were based on the Totnes Quay branch, Viv rolled up her sleeves to clean them alongside her role in promoting the society through a sales stand at outside events and open days. When the society moved to its permanent home at Didcot Railway Centre, Viv liaised with British Railways for open days and filmings and arranging VIP entertaining. For many…

A SERIES of previously unreported political U-turns and manoeuvrings at Whitehall that led the unexpected landmark decision to keep open the Settle to Carlisle line has been documented in a new book. Martin Pearson has made extensive use of the Freedom of Information Act to reveal the chain of events that led, on April 11, 1989, to the-then Transport Minister, Michael Portillo, informing the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line that its campaign to keep the route open had succeeded, thus saving one of Britain’s best-loved scenic routes. ➜ Full story: Main Line News, page 63.…

THE West Somerset Railway is drawing up plans to build a major Isambard Kingdom Brunel-themed attraction at Williton station. A spokesman said that the scheme would involve a new strategic engineering centre“together with the opportunity to sustain Williton as a prime example of a Brunel country branch line passing station”. A project board of WSR partner organisations including the ASR Association, the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group and West Somerset Council is in the later stages of drawing up a planning brief for the site before making a Heritage Lottery Fund bid for developments at the station’s goods shed. Guarding the level crossing at Williton station is the original Bristol & Exeter Railway signalbox, believed to be the only one surviving in operational order. The two platforms are separated by…

THE Oswestry-based Cambrian Heritage Railways is planning to open a 1¾-mile southern extension in 2018. During 2016 the main line was relaid from Oswestry station southwards towards Gasworks Bridge at a cost of £200,000. It has seen the length of the journey increase from Middleton Road Bridge to within sight of Gasworks Bridge. Work is now well underway on the next phase of the railway’s reopening, to Weston Wharf, on the southern edge of the town. The trackbed beneath Gasworks Bridge will be lowered, allowing trains to pass underneath the props, which enable the structure to carry 44-ton heavy goods vehicles, working in partnership with Shropshire Council. The result will be a steadier grade on the restored railway. Trackbed levelled Volunteers have been clearing the track of scrub between Travis…

BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084, which had been visiting the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, moved to the East Lancashire Railway in late December by mutual agreement, after it was decided that there was no further work available for it at present. The NYMR has Q6 No. 63395,‘Black Five’ No. 44806, BR Standard tank No. 80136 and B1 No. 61264 all available for traffic. The overhaul of‘Black Five’No. 45428 Eric Treacy is proceeding well and it is hoped to have it back in service in time for the 2017 season, while the reassembly of SR Schools 4-4-0 No. 926 Repton is proceeding rapidly. This engine is expected to be ready for the start of the new season, returning in SR Maunsell green livery. No. 63395 ran its final trains on…

THE North Yorkshire Moors and the Churnet Valley Railway have struck a deal that will see a Mk.1 RMB move from the CVR to the NYMR with a Mk.1 SO travelling in the opposite direction. The NYMR is now looking for an additional RMB so that each normal service train will contain a buffet car. The exchange signals a change in NYMR catering practice, which has hitherto relied almost exclusively on trollies. These are getting increasingly old and fail to hold enough hot water to cope with demand for hot drinks and are heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. They’ll be replaced by lighter examples that can be replenished from the RMB, but the presence of the RMB will allow more catering options to be offered, if required, particularly on trains…

HAVING reached agreement for NER open third coach No. 945 to become associated with the LNER Coach Association, the possibility of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway being able to offer travel in an NER coach on an NER line is moving closer. One of the final obstacles to returning No. 945 to service is the condition of its bogies, which have tyres that are at scrapping limits. The LNERCA has a spare underframe with bogies in good condition and this has been moved to DC Engineering at Shildon for the bogies to be removed and overhauled for use under 945, with an exchange to be made when the coach moves from its current restoration base at Levisham to the carriage works at Pickering. No. 945’s bogies will then go under…

CLASS 31/1 No. 31206 left its home base on the Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway (RHWR) at the end of 2016 and transferred to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway for a sojourn during 2017. Another class member on the move has been Class 31/4 No. 31465 which was transferred from Long Marston to the Weardale Railway and, following testing, has been cleared for operation on the line. Main line-registered Class 31/1 No. 31106 was collected from Derby on December 6 by the Midland Railway-Butterley-based Class 20s Nos. 20189 and 20205 and moved to Swanwick Junction, following confirmation that its tyres were too thin for continued network activity, and joins fellow‘Skinheads’ Nos. 31108/418.…

NEWLY-OVERHAULED Bulleid Battle of Britain light Pacific No. 34081 92 Squadron is the latest visiting locomotive to be booked for the Severn Valley Railway’s March 17-19 spring steam gala. It joins previously announced Ivatt 2-6-2T No. 41312 which will be appearing courtesy of the Mid Hants Railway and John Jones. The air-smoothed Bulleid is in the final throes of its overhaul at the Nene Valley Railway after its newly overhauled boiler returned from Chatham Steam in Kent, and was lit up for the first time at Wansford on December 12, after an eight-year overhaul by its owning group the Battle of Britain Locomotive Preservation Society. It moved under its own steam the following day. No. 34081 92 Squadron entered service, after Nationalisation of Britain’s railways, in September 1948 and remained…

THE history of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway’s line from Norwich to Aylsham is to be brought into focus under a new county council interpretation scheme costing £668,000 with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund. The 26 mile stretch is now the Marriott’s Way long-distance footpath and cycleway, which is used by around 100,000 cyclists, walkers and horse riders each year. It is named after the chief engineer of the MGNJR, William Marriott. Norfolk County Council wants to bring the railway heritage of the trail to life. Its scheme will involve the creation of a new mobile phone app, allowing visitors to use augmented reality to explore the line’s history. They will be able to see what certain parts of the trail looked like in the steam…

A SERIES of previously unreported political U-turns and manoeuvrings in the Westminster corridors of power that culminated in the unexpected decision to keep open the Settle to Carlisle line – one of the most popular railways in the UK today for steam train operators, enthusiasts and linesiders – has been revealed in a new book written and published by a former senior NHS manager. Martin Pearson has made extensive use of the Freedom of Information Act to write what he describes as“as near the official record as one can get of what really happened”. The book reveals a litany of events throughout the 1980s that reached its climax on April 11, 1989, when the-then Transport Minister, Michael Portillo, informed the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line that its long-fought battle to…

CLASS 73/9 electro-diesel No. 73951, rebuilt by RVEL/LORAM with a pair of Cummins QSK engines, finally entered service with GB Railfreight on December 5 when it towed Class 73/1 No. 73138 from Derby to Tonbridge. The following day, December 6, in the company of Class 66/7 No. 66718 and Class 73/9 No. 73965, it ran to Robertsbridge down siding traversing the new link between the network and the Rother Valley Railway (see News, page 18). After celebrating the opening of the link, the locomotives returned to Tonbridge behind No. 73965.…

A TRIO of big-hitting nameplates utterly dominated the Great Central auction at Stoneleigh on December 3, selling for a combined total, with the addition of buyer’s premium, of more than £108,000. They were two Southern Railway representatives, Royal Mail and Sir Keith Park, and LMS contender Duchess of Norfolk. The first was from Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35003, which went for £38,000, while the second, which was accompanied by its RAF crest, was carried by Battle of Britain No. 34053, and the third from Princess Coronation No. 46226, each of which went under the hammer for £28,000. Buoyant as ever It was a massive show of strength which illustrated, if any illustration was needed, that the top end of the market is as buoyant as ever, even if it does…

A RAIL journey is the most efficient, effective and enjoyable way of travelling through a country by land and enjoying scenic landscapes, cultures and tourist landmarks. Being part of an escorted rail tour means you have the advantage of private charters and expert guidance to ensure you experience as much of a country and its attractions in the traditional timeframe of a two-three-week holiday. Railtour operator Ffestiniog Travel is running three very different escorted railtours to long-haul destinations in 2017. They offer the tourist an opportunity to travel across a huge expanse of land by train, with some being about the actual rail journeys themselves, while others use modern and heritage trains to reach new destinations. The US state of Colorado has a diverse landscape of arid desert, river canyons…

MR McGINTY’S response to my letter in issue 221 shows a serious lack of understanding of the professional facts regarding steam locomotive operation on today’s railways. He asserts steam hauled trains are slow because of speed limits imposed by Network Rail. This is not so. They are slow because they accelerate slowly and their power to weight ratio is well below that of a modern train. The maximum speed for steam locomotives of 75mph imposed by Network Rail has little bearing on point-to-point timings. If the limit was raised to 90mph it would save only eight seconds per mile run at that speed compared with 75mph and very few of the authorised steam locomotives would be capable of achieving 90mph for any worthwhile distance. Network Rail does not insist on…

“WOW”is the first reaction on picking up this stupendous reference work to military trains across the globe. An encyclopaedia on the subject, it covers armoured trains from nearly 80 countries, from Angola to Vietnam and Yugoslavia, and is magnificently illustrated by around 1500 black-and-white rare archive photographs. The book is not new, written by the second-in-command of a French tank regiment who retired from that country’s army with the rank of colonel, and is also a scale modeller, it first appeared in 1989. This is a revised, updated, expanded and most importantly to British readers, translated version. Roger Branfill-Cook is a professional translator of French books on historical and military subjects and is also a battlefield guide. He has written extensively on military history in his own right. The chapter…